black pepper | Delightful-Delicious-Delovely

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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These patties are genuinely spicy & pretty tasty but they definitely benefited from the various toppings – especially the sriracha mayo. Plain – they seem a bit lacking but that would really be true of any veggie patty, I think. As pictured here, the patties themselves are vegan but I used real cheese & real mayo to top them. If you are vegan – simply make the sriracha mayo with a vegan mayonnaise & either omit the cheese or use a vegan one.

The other thing about these is that they are pretty close to the color of real ground beef – especially when the patties are raw. Take a look.

I made these into little sliders but you can make them full-sized, if you prefer. There are a few steps involved, like cooking the rice & lentils but the steps are not complicated. I used this red cargo rice but any brown rice would do.

I used arugula & tomato but you can top these the way you would top any burger. Still – the spicy arugula, sriracha mayo & the spicy patties made for a pretty powerful taste treat sensation! Also, once cooked, these guys should store in the fridge pretty well for a few days.

Vegan Beet, Lentil & Rice Burger Sliders with Arugula, Sriracha Mayo & Smoked Black Pepper Cheddar

Makes 10 slider-sized patties

INGREDIENTS

For the Vegan Beet, Lentil & Rice Burgers

1 large shallot small onion – chopped

4 garlic cloves – chopped

Olive oil

1 cup of raw beets – peeled & grated

1 plus 1/2 cups cooked lentils

2 cups cooked brown (or other) rice

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

Slider or burger buns

Garnish: arugula, sliced tomato, smoked pepper cheddar or other cheese or vegan alternative

For the sriracha mayo

1/4 cup mayo (vegan or otherwise)

1-2 TBS sriracha (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS

For the Vegan Beet, Lentil & Rice Burgers

Peel & grate the raw beets. I grated them in a food processor. Cook the rice & let it cool. Cook the lentils, drain & cool. Measure out the amounts of each needed & set aside. Divide the lentils into 1 cup & 1/2 cup portions.

Heat about 1 TBS olive oil & saute the shallot/onion until translucent. Add the garlic & saute another minute.

In the food processor, pulse the cooked shallot/onion & garlic, beets, cooked rice, 1 cup cooked lentils & the spices until a meaty texture is achieved.

Mix in the 1/2 cup of reserved, cooked lentils & adjust the seasoning. For patties. I used a cookie cutter that was the size of the slider buns.

Treat a pan or griddle with cooking spray & cook these guys over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side or until they just begin to char. If using cheese add it once you flip them them. Cook until the cheese is melted. Covering the pan might help speed that melting process along.