Sprouted Lentil Burgers

Legumes that are sprouted before being cooked are much easier to digest and the cooking time is greatly reduced.  The two legumes that sprout the most readily are lentils and garbanzo beans.  To sprout, soak 1 cup of beans in a quart jar by filling with water and leaving for 12 hours.  Drain and rinse well and drain again.  Turn jar on its side and do not put a lid on it.  Being on its side prevents the beans from getting dried out but they can still “breathe” without a lid.   There are plastic lids that fit on wide-mouthed mason jars that  you can buy in health food stores that have holes for easy straining/rinsing.  Leave them by the sink and rinse and drain them in the morning and  evening.  When the sprouts (the little white shoots that grow out of the beans) are about 1/8  to 1/4 inch long the beans are ready to use.

1 cup of dry lentils, soaked and sprouted as described above—this will be about 2 cups of sprouts.

1 medium onion, chopped

extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup walnuts (may substitute sunflower seeds)

2 tsp. cumin powder

2 tsp. prepared mustard

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes, optional

¾ tsp. sea salt

black pepper or cayenne pepper (optional)

Saute chopped onion in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until soft, stirring often and adding cumin powder once onions are soft.  In a food processor place the lentil sprouts, sautéed onions, and the rest of the ingredients.  Process until mixture is well ground and homogenous.  In a frying pan, brown on both sides in 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil.  Serve warm with mustard or ketchup.