Lentil and Chickpea Burgers

This recipe is dedicated to my Monster In Law ;)

Feeling a bit stodgy after all that winter grub?  Then these burgers are the answer!  You feel like giving yourself a smiley stamp and a pat on the back after these babies, that's how good they are.  Paired with a carrot juice......OK let's not go too far!  Everything in moderation people...... an ice cold Burleigh Brewing Co 28 Pale Ale (or a glass of zesty white for the non beer drinker) will absolutely work a treat, my friends.

Serves 6

You will need:

For the patties

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small brown onion
zest of 1 lemon
1 large zucchini, grated
400 gm tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
400 gm tin of lentils, rinsed and drained
1-11/2 cups of breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly whisked
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
1 cup of coriander leaves, finely chopped (dried are good if sailing)
flour for dusting
6 crusty seed rolls

For the Yoghurt

1 cup of natural greek yoghurt
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 a cup of mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp of honey
Sea salt and pepper

For the Salad

1 avocado, mashed with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper
1 carrot, thinly sliced with a peeler (or grated if you prefer)
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
mung beans, alfalfa sprouts and snowpea sprouts (1 of these will do or all if you want to be super healthy)
baby salad leaves (spinach, rocket etc)
1 small red onion, sliced thinly

To make the patties, heat a small fry pan and lightly fry the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the grated zucchini and fry for approximately 2 minutes before adding the spices and lemon rind.  When lovely and aromatic transfer the mix to a large bowl.

In a food processor, pulse the rinsed and drained chickpeas and lentils until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs (or if you happen to be on a boat a big bowl  and a potato masher should do the trick ;).  You may need to do this in 2 batches if you have a small processor.  Ok, now it's time to get your hands dirty!  Combine the chickpeas, lentils, zucchini mixture, 1 cup of the breadcrumbs, coriander and egg together.  If the mixture feels too wet add some more of the breadcrumbs. The patties will be sticky but they should feel nice and firm.

Dust your hands with flour and roll the mixture into decent sized burger patties.  Pop in the fridge for 1/2 an hour before heating a non stick pan or BBQ.  Lightly spray with cooking oil and cook the patties on both sides for 3-4 minutes or golden.  Transfer to a preheated 180 degree oven (or pop the hood down on the barbie) while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Arrange your salad  ingredients on a platter and the mashed avocado in a bowl.  Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice, mint leaves, honey and salt and pepper in another bowl, pop the rolls in a basket, have the beer on ice and let everyone assemble their own.  Go Health!!