Greek Lentil Burgers

Many of you may not know that I took Modern Greek for two years in college.  That's right, I can totally remember everything.  Well, everything that includes the basic niceties, "I'm sorry," "where is the toilet?," how to order some food and I can probably curse on par with a Grecian sailor.  What can I say, my Greek professor taught me well!  Even though I can't remember the Greek language very well, I do remember how much I love Greek food.  If I pass a γύρο (gyro) stand, it's so hard to resist buying one.  Sometimes, I even wish I could bathe in τζατζίκι (tazatziki) sauce… I have a feeling it would at least be moisturizing!

Well, now that you know some of my intricacies, I should let you know that these lentil burgers probably aren't legitimate Greek fare.  I used the Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking For Health and these were 'inspired' by the taste of the Greek islands.  All is fine with me, because these were pretty dang delicious.  They were meaty, worked well plain or in a salad and stored well seemingly forever (they didn't last long enough my my fridge to validate this claim).  Best part?  These are incredibly budget friendly and fit well into my "eat something for a whole week" plan.

Greek Lentil Burgers
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant's Cooking For Health
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 cups water
• 2 T. olive oil, plus more for basting
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoons fresh)
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups toasted whole wheat breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Cook lentils in water until tender, about 35 minutes.
2. Saute onions in olive oil with salt until tender. Add garlic, bell pepper, cumin, coriander, and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in oregano and dill
3. In a food processor, blend chickpeas and eggs until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
4. When lentils are cooked, add the cooked vegetables, lentils, and half of bread crumbs to the chickpea mixture and blend well. 
5. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
6. From the mixture, form ¼ cup balls.  Roll them in the remaining cup of breadcrumbs to coat evenly and then flatten into patties.  Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown and firm, about 20 to 25 minutes.