Lentil Burgers with Zestified Greek Yogurt

These lentil burgers are an easy Meatless Monday option.  Serve these lettuce wrapped with a dollop of greek yogurt, zestified with hot sauce.  You won’t miss the meat.

Lentil Burgers with Zestified Greek Yogurt

1 cup green lentils

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups water

1 small sweet onion, cut into chunks

1 cup almond meal

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons chives, chopped

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Red Leaf or Bibb lettuce leaves, whole for serving lettuce-wrapped style

1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tapatio

Boil lentils, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 4 cups of water in a saucepan, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool.

In a Vitamix or food processor, add half of your lentils, all the chunks of onion, 1/2 cup of the almond meal, 1/2 of the beaten eggs, and the chives.  Pulse until turned into a paste.  Transfer to a big bowl and fold in remaining whole lentils, almond meal, beaten egg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until well mixed. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.  Shape lentil mix into patties, and gently place onto heated oil in pan.  The patties will be quite loose due to so much moisture in the mix, so be gentle when placing on the oil so as not to break the shape of the patty.

Cook until crispy and browned, about 3 minutes per side, being careful not to heat the pan too hot.  Whisk hot sauce into the greek yogurt, and put a dollop of the zesty yogurt atop of each lentil burger.

Serve with lettuce wrapped, garnish with zestified greek yogurt.