Beefy-looking Beet Burger with Red Lentils & Millet
Fiber-rich gluten-free veggie burgers made two ways: stovetop or oven.
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1/2 cup millet
- 2 small beets coarsely chopped
- large handful kale stems removed, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 red onion coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minces
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 3 tbsp miso paste
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp herb de Provence or your favourite dried herb mix
- 1/2 tsp salt* (optional - omit for low sodium version)
- 3/4-1 cup chickpea flour amount needed will vary
Instructions
- Rinse red lentils and cover in water, set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
- Rinse millet and put it in a pot with one cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let cook until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Drain red lentils and discard water. Add all ingredients except millet and chickpea flour into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add millet and half of the chickpea flour and pulse until well incorporated.
- Add remaining chickpea flour a little at a time until the right texture is achieved. The mix should resemble the texture of ground beef and be sticky enough to shape into balls. The amount of chickpea flour you need will depend on how long you pulsed the ingredients. The mushier they are, the more flour you'll need. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water to moisten.
- Separate the mixture in 6 to 8 equal parts and shape into patties. Burgers can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven. Stovetop burgers will be softer, squishier and more tender in the middle. Oven-baked will be drier but firmer in the middle and less likely to squish when you bite into them.
- Stovetop: Heat a large well-oiled pan over low temperature. Add burger patties a few at a time, do not overcrowd the pan. Let patties cook for 5 to 10 minutes then flip and repeat. A low cooking temperature will ensure they cook through without burning on the edge.
- Oven: Preheat oven at 375C. Generously grease a baking sheet or line it with nonstick silicone baking mat and add patties at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and then bake for another 10-15 minutes. They'll be roughly the texture of falafel.
Notes
*I prepare these burgers without salt because the miso adds enough salty umami flavour for my liking. That said, they are significantly less salty than store-bought burgers. If you like salty flavours, up the saltiness by adding 1/2 tsp of salt or add salt to taste at the end before cooking.