Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis, and they chose to present patties for their ease of construction, ingredients, and deliciousness! We were given several recipes and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

I decided to combine this challenge with another challenge.  This month I’m hosting Go Ahead Honey…It’s Gluten-Free, the brilliant creation of Naomi Devlin of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried.  Since February is the month of love and passion, what could be more passionate than hot, spicy, and heart-shaped foods?

I’ve challenged readers to create something that’s Hot, Spicy, and Heart-Shaped.  So when I read The Daring Cooks’ February challenge, I knew exactly what to make.

Love Patties!

I started by cooking onions, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini.

And I cooked up some lentils in vegetable stock.

Then I used the food processor to mix up the remaining ingredients and add the hot and spicy love.  Curry, tumeric, and a heart-shaped cookie cutter turned these veggie burgers into Love Burgers.

Browned on each side in grapeseed oil, a few at a time, I was able to make about 12 heart-shaped patties.

Each one looked unique, but they tasted absolutely delicious!

What a perfect Valentine’s dinner!

Curried Lentil Love Burgers

by Heather

Ingredients:

• 2 T. grapeseed oil, divided
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• One 10-ounce container baby bella mushrooms, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded
• 1 c. cooked lentils
• 1 c. almond meal
• 1/2 c. sunflower seeds
• 1 T. curry
• 1 tsp. tumeric
• 1 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add onions.  Cook until onions have softened.

2.  Meanwhile, place mushrooms, carrot, and zucchini through the chute of the food processor using the shredder disc.  Add the veggies to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes or until veggies are soft.

3.  Place veggies in a large bowl and allow to cool.

4.  Stir in cooked lentils, almond meal, sunflower seeds, curry, tumeric, and sea salt.  Then transfer all to a food processor.  Using the S blade, pulse until combined.  Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches burger consistency.

5.  Press a palmful of batter into a heart-shaped cookie cutter and release it onto a plate.

6.  Heat a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the burgers until they brown on each side.

7.  Serve on Udi’s Gluten Free Hamburger Buns with or without ketchup, or you can eat it on top of a green salad.

Makes 8-12 burgers, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

Readers, dish!

• What is your favorite kind of patty?
• Have you tried Udi’s Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns?

This recipe is linked to:

• Fat Tuesday hosted by Jill of Real Food Forager
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday hosted by Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free
• Gluten-Free Wednesdays hosted by Linda of The Gluten-Free Homemaker
• Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop
• Whole Foods Wednesdays hosted by France of Beyond the Peel
• Allergy Free Wednesdays hosted by Tessa the Domestic Diva
• Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love hosted by Lisa of Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery
• Wellness Weekends hosted by Ricki of Diet, Dessert & Dogs
• Allergy Friendly Friday hosted by Cybele Pascal
• Sugar Free Sunday hosted by Raj and Sonia of Flip Cookbook
• Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays hosted by Rebecca Jean of Midnight Maniac