AMARANTH GRAIN WITH ITS LOVELY, NUTTY AROMA AND HERBAL FLAVOUR IS CENTRAL TO THIS GOOD, HEARTY BURGER. BOTH THE GRAIN AND GREEN LENTILS BRING A SATISFYING TEXTURE, WHILE THE SLIGHT PEPPERY TASTE SEALS THE DEAL. IN TERMS OF HEALTH BENEFITS, AMARANTH IS A HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS, GLUTEN-FREE GRAIN THAT PROVIDES PLENTY OF FIBER, PROTEIN AND MICRONUTRIENTS. AS ONE OF THE SUPERFOODS IT REDUCES INFLAMMATION, RISK OF CANCER, LOWERS CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS.
AMARANTH HAS POTENT LYSINE PROPERTIES, WHICH HELPS THE BODY ABSORB CALCIUM, BUILD MUSCLE, AND PRODUCE ENERGY.
IT IS ALSO A VERY RICH SOURCE OF PROTEIN AND ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS. THIS PROTEIN IS HIGHLY BIOAVAILABLE, WHICH MEANS THE PROTEIN IN AMARANTH IS MORE DIGESTIBLE THAN OTHER SEEDS AND GRAINS. IT IS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF MANY ESSENTIAL VITAMINS, INCLUDING VITAMINS A, C, E, K, B5, B6, FOLATE, NIACIN, AND RIBOFLAVIN. THESE ACT AS ANTIOXIDANTS, RAISE ENERGY LEVELS, CONTROL HORMONES, AND DO MUCH MORE.
INGREDIENTS ------------------
makes 6 medium size patties
250 g green lentils
400 g amaranth grain
2 large carrots, grated
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 large red onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
120 g chickpea or millet flour
50 g milled linseed / flaxseed
2 tbsp beet pure [optional]
50 ml organic ketchup [i.e. ideally with natural sweetener instead of sugar]
1 tsp unrefined salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp honey
grapeseed oil for cooking
METHOD ------------------
Cook lentils using 500 ml of water for 250g of dried lentils for approx. 13 -15 minutes. After the lentils are cooked, strain the remaining water, if any.
Cook amaranth using 1200 ml of water for 400g of amaranth. Bring the amaranth to a boil, simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, put a lid on the pot and leave aside. The grains will absorb the rest of the water and will become a little fluffy.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat a small amount of cooking oil, add shallot, salt and sauté for few minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, thyme, cumin and cayenne pepper and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes. Toss in the parsley and set aside.
Place cooked lentils in a mixing bowl and mash them gently with potato masher or fork [leaving a bit of texture].
Combine lentils with all the remaining ingredients [except for amaranth and linseed/flaxseed]. Mix well.
Once the mixture starts coming together, add in the amaranth and mix with a wooden spoon.
Form patties into the desired size and shape. Coat each patty with linseed/flaxseed.
8. Cook the Patties:
Oven: Place patties on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and grill at 180°C for 10 minutes on each side, 20 minutes total.
Pan: Heat a splash of cooking oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the patties and fry 8 - 10 minutes or until cooked through. Flip the patties several times during cooking.
Ninja Foodi or other electric grill: Grill the patties for approx. 5 min. on each side, 10 minutes in total [no cooking oil needed].
If using cheese: allow cheese to slightly melt on patties as soon as you stop baking / frying / grilling them; leave patties with cheese on top in the oven / pan / grill for 1 extra minute with heat turned off.
Serve the burgers in [gluten free] buns, topped with your choice of toppings, for example: slice of vegan cheese, avocado mash, tomato, french mustard, jalapeño peppers, wasabi vegan mayo, pickled cucumber, sugar-free ketchup, onion jam, salad leaves. Serve with home-made fries or other roasted veg.
TIP: refrigerating the patties for any time between 1 to 24h before cooking helps achieve even better results.
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