Flor's Amazing Lentil Hamburgers

The thing I hate the most when I tell people that now I’m vegetarian, is this obvious yet inevitable question: “What’s going to happen with your protein intake?”. I’ve got a simple answer: NOTHING. Nothing’s gonna happen. First of all, I’m vegetarian, not vegan (if you want to know the difference, check my last post or just Google it!) therefore, I’m going to eat protein with my eggs, cheese, milk... BUT, since I’m planning on going vegan (and I have to admit that I’m starting to avoid some of those dairy products already) I can also tell you that there are A LOT of protein sources that you probably don’t know, and I’m not talking about supplements, I’m just talking about vegetables. Amazing, right? All the greens, beans, some seeds... Basically everything has protein in it. It’s just this “animal protein” you find in meat, it’s well-known as a “complete protein”, because it has all the essential amino acids your body needs to perform all vital functions. But the good news is that you don’t need to eat those products to have access to all the amino acids your body needs, you just have to know what and how to mix your greens, legumes and seeds to obtain this “majestic-amino-acid-power”. Hell yeah! 

Let’s take a look to some of the good sources of non-meat protein: 

Quinoa and Other Whole Grains

Whole grains are an important source of protein. The best is quinoa which is originally from South America. It contains all nine essential amino acids. Hence it is considered a -complete protein- just like meat. Although quinoa is technically a seed, it is usually regarded as a grain and can be found next to other grains in your local grocery store. Other good whole grains are brown rice, barley, buckwheat and whole wheat. These grains lack the amino acid lysine and are best eaten with nuts or legumes. (E.g: beans, lentils, peanuts, peas)

 Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, and peanuts (which are classified as a legume) are all good protein sources for vegetarians, as are sesame and sunflower seeds.

Unfortunately, they are also high in fat, so they should not be the main source of protein. Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Legumes

Kidney, garbanzo/chickpeas, white, black, pinto, edamame (green soybeans), and lentils are just a few of various beans available. These beans are easily digested and have twice as much protein as wheat and three times more than rice. But they are missing the amino acid methionine and are best eaten with a whole grain.

Tofu, Tempeh and Other Soy Products

Tofu, tempeh (fermented soybeans) and other organic soy products are excellent low-fat sources of protein. Although tempeh has a mild nutty flavor, tofu is relatively flavorless. 

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I know maybe it’s not important to you right now, but at least you can use this information either to try new recipes or to avoid bothering your vegan friends with the same question everybody does! ;)

Last but not least, I want to share with you my AMAZING LENTIL HAMBURGERS which I’ll be having for lunch today. Yummy! There we go...

Flor’s Amazing Lentil Hamburgers

Ingredients

-Lentils 16 Oz. (1 bag), cooked.

-1 Big Onion

-1 (to 2) Carrots

-1 cup of Bread Crumbs

-Spices! (it’s up to you!)

Recipe

  

1. Place the lentils in a pot and cover them with water. Let them soak for about an hour.

2. Bring water to boil and cook them for about 40 minutes.

3. Slip and mash the lentils a little bit. Let them cool down.

4. Sauté finely chopped onion with the shredded carrots.

5. Add the chopped onions, shredded carrots and also the  spices you like to the “lentils paste” (I personally like salt, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, pepper, paprika, black pepper, thyme, bay leaf. But it’s up to you.)

6. Add the bread crumbs. At this point, you should have a very moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be.

7. Bring the hamburgers to the oven until they look brown on both sides.

8. ENJOY!

Simple, huh? I learned this recipe when studying Nutrition back in Argentina and since then, I couldn’t stop cooking these delicious-meat-less treats!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy them as much as I will do.

See you next time! Big hugs.

Flor.-