Red Lentil Veggie Burgers

I love having veggie burgers in the freezer — not the hockey pucks found in supermarket freezers, but ones I make myself and then freeze. They defrost well for a quick nutritious dinner.

Sometimes I make them with leftover lentil loaf, sometimes with chickpeas. The other day I made them with quick-cooking red lentils and curry spices. Panko breadcrumbs made them light and airy, and eggs ensured they held together.

I served them with a Corn and Tomato Salad, and our homegrown bush beans.

Best of all, most of them are now carefully stored in the freezer, ready for when I need a quick dinner.

Red Lentil Veggie Burgers
1 1/2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped finely (3/4 cup)
4 medium carrots, finely diced (1 1/3 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Pick over the lentil and remove any small stones or debris. Rinse them well, then put in a large pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a fine-meshed strainer. Set aside still in the strainer so they can continue to drain.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. And the carrots and garlic. Cook until the carrots start to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cayenne. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler.

Put the lentils in a large bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, the breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir to blend.

Scoop out 1/4 cup at a time and put on 2 baking sheets lined either with sil-pats or aluminum foil. Gently pat into burger shape. You'll get 16-18 burgers.

Put one tray of burgers under the broiler for 6 minutes. Take it out and put the other tray in for 6 minutes while you flip the first lot of burgers. Repeat until all burgers have been cooked on both sides.

Serve warm.