Recipe: My Lentil-Mashed Potato Patties Can End Your Lusting for Traditional Hamburgers!

Lentil-Mashed Potato burger on my homemade bun

Let’s be honest.  Ground beef burgers have a certain delicious taste that is hard to replicate. Of course, you can try substituting ground turkey and build a wonderful burger. Vegetarian burgers also are superb, but they too can be missing something.

Since giving up beef for several years now in my attempt to better monitor our cholesterol with healthier options, I have been experimenting with quite a few different versions of bean burgers.
  

Lentil-Mashed Potato Patties

Trying to perfect a burger that tastes great with the right texture is no easy feat, readers. Some versions that I tried were either too soft and fell apart on the bun. Other had a wonderful flavor, only they were too hard. However, this last time that I have been playing in my kitchen, I finally got a winner with this recipe that I am sharing with you today.

These lentil patties taste good dressed up with your ketchup, lettuce, and cheese like a typical burger.  They also were wonderful served plain with homemade gravy or without along with a vegetable and a garden salad.

A bag of dry legumes is far cheaper than buying the same amount in a can.  When I am cooking lentils, I cook two cups of dry lentils, which is more than you’ll need for this recipe. The reason I cook extra is because it saves me time in meal preparation later in the week when I can just go to my refrigerator and use those cooked lentils in another meatless dinner.

I do hope you try my recipe because I think you will really love it.


My Lentil-Mashed Potato Patties

2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon of dried cilantro or 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
2 cups of cooked lentils
16 saltine crackers
½ teaspoon of dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 teaspoon of dried sage
1 drop of liquid smoke
½ teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of mashed potatoes
1/4 cup of oil for frying


Take two cups of the cooked lentils and mix with the two cups of mashed potatoes and thoroughly mash both together.

Next, you will add all the spices, the chopped onion, and the crackers, which were rolled out into fine crumbs.  

Mix the ingredients together by hand and shape into the size of the patties you want.  

Fry them in about 1/4 cup of oil until lightly browned.  

If you have leftovers, these heat well in the microwave the next day.

ENJOY!

The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley Roasted Red Pepper Review and My Bean Sandwich Spread/Dip Recipe!

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

If you follow my recipes, then you know that I'm a big fan of legumes!  They're one of the cheapest proteins you can eat besides a healthier alternative to meats every day.  

The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley Roasted Red Pepper 

Incorporating beans into your meals will help you lose weight without effort.  I am serious!  Eating beans will satisfy you more and stop binging later because you're hungry.  Besides, your  stomach feels lighter than with heavier meat meals.  

Another plus for learning to cook with beans is if you suffer from constipation.  Beans have lots of helpful fiber to solve any  problem.  Think of the extra money that you'll save drinking that fiber drink!

Furthermore, cooking a bag of beans can save you time in meal preparation.  When I cook up a bag, I usually mash most of the beans in my food processor and store them in the refrigerator to use in other recipes later and save just some whole beans to use in other dishes.

I want to share this fantastic tasting bean spread that I made that can replace luncheon meat on a sandwich or as a dip on crackers or rice cakes.  Trust me, you won't know there are beans in this recipe--just loads of incredible, zesty flavor!

One other thing is about fresh garlic and what it can do for you.  Did you know in its raw state that garlic is a natural antibiotic unlike cooked?  So if you're feeling less than perfect, I always add even more garlic, which only gives it a nippier burn to the taste.  

The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley sent me some products for review.  My first experiment was with this bean spread using their Roasted Red Pepper Puree.  Let me tell you how much more economical to cook with any of their wonderful purees are!  I only needed two tablespoons for this recipe and still have loads left for other uses.  You get convenience and ease in each jar of any Perfect Puree product so do check their website for the line here.  How great is that?  

*Disclaimer:  This is my own and honest opinion.  No money was exchanged.  All I received was free product so that I may express an opinion.*

My Bean Sandwich Spread/Dip

 Yummy Bean Sandwich Spread or Dip~Nuts Style!

1-1/2 cup cooked, drained Northern beans (any size will do)

1/2 cup cream cheese (low-fat)

6 cloves of large garlic, (peeled and cleaned)

1/4 cup milk 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons Perfect Puree Roasted Red Peppers

1 tablespoon salsa

Take out your food processor and mash everything until you get a spreadable paste.  If this mixture thickens up or you like it thinner, you just need to add a little extra milk to the consistency that you prefer.  Refrigerate and serve on crackers or sandwiches.