Za’atar Lentil Burgers w/ Pickles + Tahini

Ingredients

For the lentil burger:
• 1 cup raw brown lentils
• 1 yellow onion, small diced
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/3 cups oats
• 1.5 tbsp tamari
• 2 eggs or 2 chia eggs (1 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 2 tbsp water)
• spices: 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp za'atar
Pickles*:
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• around 2 cups of your favourite veg, thinly sliced. I used beets and cucumber.
Simple tahini sauce:
• 2 tbsp tahini
• the juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 3-4 tbsp warm water
• sea salt
Other stuff:
• brioche buns or pita bread
• romaine lettuce
• hot chili sauce.

Method

1. Make the pickles: Divide the sliced vegetables into jars. I kept mine in separate jars to preserve their colour, but its not vital. In a medium pan, heat the sugar, vinegar and salt over medium heat. Stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cold water, stir and remove from the heat to cool down. Pour over the vegetables and shimmy them around to coat them with the pickling mixture. Keep in the fridge until ready to enjoy. Upwards of an hour is best.
2. Cook the lentils: In a medium pot, heat 2 tsp of oil over medium high heat and add the onions and spices. Cook for 3-4 min, until softened a bit. Add the lentils and 2 1/2 cups water. (may vary, check the instructions on the lentils you are using) Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat, cover the lentils and cook for 20-25 min (again, may vary) until the lentils are tender to your liking. Drain off any excess liquid.
3. Prepare the burger filling: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Add the oats and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add the cooked lentils, tamari, and eggs. Pulse 3-4 times, so the mixture forms a wet dough. Everything should be well combined. The mixture will be wet, but not too wet to form patties easily. Fold in more oats if needed.
4. On a lined baking sheet, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil and arrange 6 round patties on the sheet.
5. Bake for 16-18 min, until crisp on the outside.
6. Mix the tahini: In a medium bowl, add the tahini, water, lemon juice and salt. Whisk well until it is creamy.
7. Serve the burgers on toasted buns with tahini, pickles and hot sauce over.

Notes