Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

I am a newbie sprouter and really enjoying it. It is easier and less expensive than I imagined it would be. It has been exciting and almost immediately satisfying to grow your own food on your kitchen counter in a mason jar. A good friend of Exploits and writer of the blog  JL Goes Vegan, wrote about creating a sprouted lentil and beet burger. My interest was piqued.

Photo By: S. Duquet

So, I sprouted a jar full of green lentils and then designed a burger using some of my favorite veggies and flavors and finished it in the food dehydrator.  Until now our dehydrator has only ever dried tomatoes, figs and Morel mushrooms. It was time to see what it could really do.

Sprouted Lentil Burgers

Inspired by JL Goes Vegan and modified by S. Duquet

Ingredients

1 C sprouted green lentils

1 C shredded carrot

1 cup fresh parsley

1 clove garlic

3/4 C raw walnuts

1/4 jalapeno seeded and chopped

1 C mustard greens

Juice of one lemon

1 Tbsp no salt seasoning

4 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/8 tsp dried mustard

2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast flakes or powder

2 Tsp Liquid Aminos

Make It Happen

~Put all ingredients into food processor and pulse until desired consistency. You would like to leave some crunchy pieces for texture but my mixture was really moist.

~Make into patties (They were really wet. I was concerned about this at the start, but they dried beautifully)

~Put patties right onto dehydrator screen and dehydrate for 9-12 hours. I took some out at 9 hours and the rest at 12. Honestly, there wasn’t a huge difference but you be the judge for your own burgers.

Notes: My dehydrator is from circa 1946 so it only has one temp and it is 140 degrees. Therefore, this burger is not technically “raw”. At first, I let this be a hangup for me as these burgers were intended to be raw.  So I didn’t attempt to make them at all.  But then, I realized how limited that thinking was, eating and living  more compassionately is not an all or nothing proposition.

Photo By: S. Duquet

A pattie made from fresh veggies and hand sprouted lentils is an amazing meal…whether it got to 140 degrees or stayed at the optimum raw temperature, which different sources range from 104 degrees to 115 degrees.  Once I tasted the burgers and had the opportunity to enjoy them for a few days I was really glad I released my initial need for perfectionism and dove in and made these sprouted creations.

We enjoyed them in their more raw state, with a yellow tomato slice and sunflower greens but we also made a biggie wrap with them using homemade hummus and veggies. Both were exceptional and wildly flavorful.

This was such a good reminder for me to eat what I like,  release my hang ups and fears of not doing something the “right” way and to just enjoy whole foods.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, cooking with herbs, dairy free, going veg, JL Goes Vegan, lentil burgers, plant based diet, plant strong, sprouted lentil burgers, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan recipe, vegan transition, vegan wannabe, vegetarian recipe