Southwest Lentil Burger Zippy Zero Cholesterol

Years ago my good friend Roger got the book, "Reversing Heart Disease" by Dean Ornish, MD. He read it, followed it, and he believes it saved his life. What is the key to Dr. Ornish's program? It's centered around nutrition. Nutrition that is entirely plant based with zero cholesterol, low fat, and low sodium. There's no dairy, eggs, or meat in it, so it's vegan. Vegan food, that is food entirely created with plants, is not "low cholesterol" it is "no cholesterol". Vegan food is not necessarily health food. Oreo cookies are vegan, but they are not nutritious. I wish.

Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need. It's not necessary to add any in our diet. Any animal product such as eggs, red meat, poultry (chicken, turkey, ostrich), milk, cheese, sour cream, fish, lobster, shrimp, pork, and so on contains cholesterol. Some more than others. Cholesterol, interestingly enough, is mostly found in the lean portion of the meat. Chicken contains the exact same amount as beef: 100 mg of cholesterol per 4 ounce serving.

Low sodium, low fat, and made with plants? It doesn't sound very yummy does it? If you know what you're doing in the kitchen, it is very yummy. What good is healthy food if no one eats it? Take it from me, a former fat girl, I make tasty food!

Here's a recipe I made up 2-3 weeks ago. My family devoured it in short order. I make up a lot of recipes on the fly, fortunately I wrote this one down as I went. This is the modified, Southwest version. My original version contained Wizard Vegan Worcestershire, which is only found in health food stores.

Southwest Lentil Burger Zippy Zero Cholesterol

Since this is safe to eat as you make it, feel free to flavor to your taste. Do not add salt, sprinkle salt when you eat it. Sodium in soups and broths are very, very high. It is best to sprinkle salt on the surface of all your food. It will taste even saltier if you do this. Don't forget this when you taste this recipe.

Makes approximately 12 patties depending on how thick you want them.

Equipment:
A very large pot or bowl for mixing
Food processor
Spice Grinder
Colander
Frying pan or non-stick cookie tray.

Ingredients:
1/2 a pound dry lentils
3-3 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon vegan certified "Better than Bullion" paste (this is found at regular grocery stores)
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup of onion, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced or grated finely.
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup of chopped walnuts (not too fine, approx 1/8 inch thick)
2 tablespoons of flax ground in a spice grinder until fine powder
1 cup quick rolled oats

1 teaspoon olive oil for sauteing

Directions:
Put the water in a pot and add the "Better than Bullion" paste and stir it so it dissolves. If you really need to watch your sodium, use just water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the lentils and bring just to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 20-25 minutes until soft and cooked, but not too mushy. Tilt the lid slightly. The majority of the water should be absorbed or evaporate, but don't worry about it if it doesn't. We're going to drain the beans very thoroughly.

While the lentils are cooking, process the carrots, onion, and celery in the food processor until chopped but do not mush them. It's best to pulse the veggies carefully. Grate the garlic and chop the cilantro. Saute all of the veggies, except for the cilantro, in a little water or a very tiny amount (1 teaspoon) of olive oil for about 3-5 minutes.

In a food processor or with a nut chopper, chop the walnuts into 1/8 thick little pieces. Grate the lemon rind to get the zest. Grind the flax seeds into powder. Flax is the binder, instead of eggs. Plus flax contains Omega 3 in very high levels. Add the nuts, lemon, and flax to the bowl.

Drain the lentils in a colander and push a bowl on against of the lentils to release the excess liquid, don't flatten the lentils, just use a little force. Put the lentils in the bowl with the veggies. Add the remaining ingredients and then mix well with your hands until well incorporated.

Forms balls about 1 1/2 inch round and press them into patties. On medium heat, with a very light coat of olive oil or some non-stick spray, on a preheated surface, pan fry for about 5-6 minutes per side until golden crispy brown. Alternatively, you can bake these. Preheat the oven to 400 F and cover the non-stick cookie tray with tinfoil. Bake for 20 minutes. These burgers will not have a crispy outer layer if they are baked, but they taste good.

I would use this recipe as the protein in a Mexican salad. Pile on the dark green veggies, tomatoes, red peppers, and use salsa instead of sour cream, cheese, and so forth. Mango salsa tastes great as does lime. Alternatively, you can serve these up like a burger (how original): Veganaise (the new low fat version of vegan mayo), pickles, onion, tomato, on whole grain bread. I mostly use this lentil burger in a low-carb wrap with lots of greens and Newman's Own low fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Cholesterol and Heart Disease, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine