These lentil burgers with kale, walnuts and flax are a convenient food for us around our house. The flax seeds and kamut flour hold the burgers together without egg or other unhealthy options while kale is one of the 10 most nutritious foods you can eat. More often than not, we make a triple batch of these, cook them all and then store them to be re-heated later or used as the filler in a wrap along with avocado, fresh greens and Franks Red Hot sauce.

Each lentil burger is roughly 7.5 grams of fiber or more (depending on how much you use for each burger), so they are both filling and nutritious.

The Ultimate Green Lentil Vegetable Burger

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp Braggs
1/2 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup cooked green lentils, well drained
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup minced green kale
1/3 cup kamut flour
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large blender, combine the flax seeds and Braggs, blending until viscous and then set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts to a coarse mixture. Add the lentils, onion, kale, kamut flour, flax mixture and the salt and pepper. Process until well combined but with some texture remaining. Shape the mixture into patties and place on a platter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Have a cup of green tea.

Heat a small portion of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the patties, cook until browned on both sides - about 4 minutes per side.

Serve hot, or if you make a large amount, store them in a container in the fridge to be reheated later or to be used as filler in a veggie wrap.

We found that no oil is required in these lentil burgers lowering their fat content even further. 1 cup of cooked lentils has less than 1 gram of fat in it so the only fat in this recipe comes from natural sources, the walnuts and flax seeds, both a good source of essential omega fats.

Serve with steamed Swiss chard and a salad, to add even more of the desired greens into your menu plan. Pictured here is Quinoa Salad from a few weeks ago.

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Ultimate Green Lentil Vegetable Burger Photo Credit: Her View Photography

Popularity: 5%

We use lentils in a number of recipes throughout the week. Red Lentil Dahl is a regular at our table, and we use lentils in one of our favorite soups, barley lentil soup. This Lentil Loaf recipe is very filling as it’s high in fiber and makes a nice meatless meal, even surprising the avid meat eater guest you may have over. We make a triple batch of this, eating one and freezing the other two, then use them as fillers in wraps along with hummus and a good portion of salad mix. I hope you enjoy.

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Popularity: 7%

Red Lentils are a staple in our household as they’re nutritionally dense foods, a good source of iron and contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. We eat this Red Lentil Dahl a few times a day because it’s easily digestible and a great source of protein and other nutrients. We have a special note on this recipe to “make a double batch” just as a reminder.

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Popularity: 6%

Lentils are a delicious and nutritious food — high in protein, minerals, and fiber — that can be easily used as a substitute for other staples such as meat, pasta, or potatoes in soups and stews. Unlike dried beans, they require no soaking and cook relatively quickly.

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Popularity: 4%

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as “chisaya mama” or “mother of all grains”, and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using ‘golden implements’. During the European conquest of South America quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as “food for Indians”, and even actively suppressed, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies. I hope you enjoy this Kale Soup With Quinoa.

Kale Soup With Quinoa

1/2 Cup Green Lentils
1/2 Cup Quinoa (I like to use half-and-half)
1/2 Medium Onion, finely chopped
4 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Small Bunch Kale
5 cups water (or make your own veggie soup stock and use it in place of water and bullion cube)
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube
3 Tbsp Tahini
2-3 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce (I used Bragg’s all purpose seasoning)

Spices
1 tsp Cumin, heaping
1/2 tsp Curry Powder

Wash and de-stem kale (I use kitchen scissors to cut along the sides of the stems)
[***Note: I used the stems too], tear the leaves into smallish pieces. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add quinoa and lentils. Sautee for a few minutes, add spices and kale. Mix well. Add water and bullion cube (or your own stock) and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Carefully blend the hot soup in a food processor or blender and return to pot. You can skip this step or blend only half of the soup if you want some texture, but I think it’s nicest smooth.

Add tahini and tamari to taste.

To garnish, mix 1-2 Tbs of tahini with a small amount of water until it becomes smooth and bright. Drizzle on top of the soup and serve.

More About Quinoa

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content (12%–18%) is very high. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one’s needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered as a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned space flights (from Wikipedia)

How To Pronounce Quinuo:

This crop is known as “quinoa” in English and is pronounced with the stress on either the first or second syllable (keen-wa)

For Quinoa nutrition profile see Nutrition Data

Subscribe to my recipes by email: Make sure you get my recipes emailed to you every weekend by subscribing to my recipe email service. Every weekend, one new whole food recipe posted for you to enjoy and then comment on.

Recipe Photo Credit: Her View Photography
Recipe Idea Credit: Vegan Yum Yum

Popularity: 4%