Everyday Food's Chicken & Lentil Burger with my sping

Earlier this month my friend Stacey gave me the latest Everyday Food magazine. I paged through it and ripped out three different recipes that appealed to me.

Today, I'd like to share with you a recipe for Chicken and Lentil Burger. Of course I had to put my own spin on this by adding sundried tomato and goat cheese spread. Other than that, I pretty much followed Everyday Food's recipe, and it turned out great!

A few notes:
1. Although I almost always buy canned beans, I would never buy canned lentils. Lentils cook in about 20 minutes, and are so much better when you make them yourself. To get 2 cups of cooked lentils, start with about 3/4 to 1 cup of dry lentils.

2. Regular packages of ground chicken are usually one pound, and not 3/4 pound, as the recipe calls for, so I used the entire pound of ground chicken.

3. I also added more cilantro and used Sandwich Thins instead of English muffins.

4. I served this burger with Zesty & Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes.



Chicken and Lentil Burgers with Sundried Tomato & Goat Cheese Spread
Slightly adapted from Everyday Food Magazine recipe
makes 6 burgers

Ingredients
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoons cumin
1 pound ground chicken
2 cups cooked lentils
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs (I used challah)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
8 sundried tomato halves
3 tablespoons goat cheese
lettuce
6 Sandwich Thins

Directions
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add onion and saute for about 7 minutes, until golden brown. Add cumin, and cook for another minute.
2. Transfer the onions to a bowl with ground chicken, lentils, breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, salt & pepper. Combine.
3. Make 6 patties and cook them in the remaining oil for 4-5 minutes on each side.

4. In a food processor, puree sundried tomatoes with goat cheese.
5. Toast the buns and spread the bottom half with sundried tomato & goat cheese mixture. Add the chicken and lentil burger, lettuce, and top with the other half of the bun.

I really liked the flavor of these burgers. If you want to add a bit of heat, add a few chipotle in adobo sauce either to the spread or to the chicken/lentil mixture. These would also be good as meatballs.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Hanukkah! Hope it brings small and big miracles into your lives. For those celebrating Christmas, have a great time with your family and friends.