Lentils - say what?!

I've had this container of red lentils in my pantry.  Each time I open the door, it jumps out at me as if to say, "Come on lady...it's time to get the creative cooking juices flowing!"  I found another baby/family friendly recipe, Lentil Burgers with Mint-Yogurt Sauce  from Cooking for Baby.  I had to make some changes to the recipe because I found that the measurements weren't quite right, but in the end they turned out pretty good!

Lentil Burgers with Mint-Yogurt Sauce

brown lentils, 3/4 cup picked over and rinse (I used the red lentils from my pantry)


old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup (I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups because I found that the mixture was           
                                                    too wet)


garlic, 1 clove minced

ground cumin, 1 tsp.

mild curry powder, 1 tsp. (I only could find the hot curry powder, so I used a 1/2 tsp.)


1 large egg, beaten

salt and freshly ground pepper

plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 cup

fresh mint, 2/3/ cup minced

canola oil, 1 Tbsp.

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 2 cups of water and lentils.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, grind oats to a coarse meal.
3. In a large bowl, mash lentils with a fork.  Add 3 Tbsp. of oats (or more depending on the mixture thickness), garlic, cumin, and curry powder.  Mix together and add egg.  Season with salt and pepper.  Using hands, form mixture into six 4-inch patties, each 1/2 inch thick.  Coat patties with remaining oats and chill them uncovered in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and mint to make a sauce.  
5. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat oil.  Fry burgers, turning once, until brown - about 4 mins. per side.
6. Depending on your kiddo's age and chewing ability, spread burgers with sauce and cut into small pieces or strips.
7. For older kids and adults, serve on split pita rounds with lettuce, tomato and a dollop of the yogurt sauce.
8. Burgers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for a month.  The sauce can be refrigerated for 3 days.

The finished product

Griffin's portion - 1/2 lentil burger with sauce,

cut up prunes, and carrot rounds