Quinoa and Red Lentil Veggie Burgers

These vegan burgers are wheat-free, soy-free, sugar-free and made with wholesome, healthy ingredients, including red lentils, quinoa, oats, carrots and zucchini. They are softer in texture than meat burgers and have a nice subtle flavor from the vegetable broth, onion, garlic and parsley. Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings, or with a side salad or raw vegetables for a lighter meal.

Makes 6 larger or 8 smaller burgers

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup red split lentils
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup quick oats

Directions

1. Bring the 2 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
2. At the same time as you bring the water to a boil, bring the vegetable broth to boil in a small saucepan. Add the red lentils, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
3. While the quinoa and lentils are cooking, shred the carrots, zucchini, celery and onion in a food processor.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shredded vegetables to the skillet, as well as the pressed garlic and parsley.  Cook the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, until very soft.
5. Once the quinoa and lentils have finished cooking, place them into a large mixing bowl. Add the soft, cooked vegetables.
6. Allow the mixture to sit a while and cool, then add the sea salt, nutritional yeast and oats and stir to combine.
7. Again, allow the mixture to cool. You can even place it into the fridge for anywhere from 20-30 minutes, or cover it and store it in the fridge for later use.
8. Form the mixture into large 2 1/2 inch balls and then flatten them down slightly to make burger patties.
9. Heat a tiny bit of sunflower oil in a large skillet and fry the burgers for a few minutes on each side until brown and crispy.
10. Serve with lettuce and tomato and your favorite condiments on a bun or just eat the fried burger patties with raw vegetables and hummus or a side salad for something lighter.

Enjoy! 🙂