Go ahead and make the omnivores envious at all the 4th of July parties and picnics this weekend with these meat-free, whole food sliders. I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago and have made them twice for my sweetheart, once for my pal Marta, once for my brother and sister-in-law and once for pals on a camping trip—they are getting rave reviews from burger-lovers and herbivores alike.
Once you get the steps down, they will probably become a go-to recipe for you as well. Top these umami babies with YU Oil-Free Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli, a sprouted grain bun and fresh greens. You can also turn them into a savory salad by adding them to a bowl of greens, sprouts, toasted sunflower seeds and Oil-free Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli as the dressing. Have fun, share them with plant-based newbies this weekend, and become an instant hero.
Makes: 6-8 sliders
Time: 40 minutes (and worth every second)
Tools:
Food Processor (optional, you can use elbow grease)
Large pan
Large pot
Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
Chef’s knife
Large glass mixing bowl
Spatula
Shallow glass dish (a pie dish or casserole dish works well)
Ingredients:
*Buy everything organic, if you can (here’s why)
2 portobello mushrooms (here’s how you clean them)
1/4 cup soy-free coconut aminos (you can use wheat-free tamari or nama shoyu if soy isn’t a concern for you)
1/2 chopped onion (here’s a tip for chopping an onion)
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped fine (prep tips)
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp fine ground sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional, but awesome)
2 cups green lentils, soaked (start with 1 cup dry lentils, you can soak them while you sleep, the night before you cook)
2 cups pure water
2 tbsp ground golden flax seed
1-2 tsp cold-pressed coconut oil
1/4 cup walnuts (optional: they add crunch which I like, but for a more meat-like burger texture, you can leave them out )
Let’s get started.
Rinse lentils with water and remove any small stones that you may find. In a large pot, bring lentils and water to boil, reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until a firm but tender texture is achieved. You can drain them, or add more water if necessary. The older the lentils, the longer they take to cook. Avoid mixing old and new lentils—they may cook unevenly.
While your lentils cook, clean your portbello mushrooms and chop them into small pieces
Place portobello pieces into the shallow glass dish and add coconut aminos. Set aside.
Chop the onion and carrot into very small pieces. Keep them separate at this point.
Place 1 tsp coconut oil in a pan and heat to medium. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes. Then add carrots and cook another 5 minutes. Then add minced garlic and cook 2-3 more minutes. Your kitchen is going to smell incredible.
Prepare your fresh herbs and place in the large glass mixing bowl.
Once lentils are cooked, add them to the large glass bowl. Add cooked carrot, onion and garlic. Add portobellos, and all the marinade to the bowl as well. While you are at it, add the remaining ingredients (except coconut oil) and stir well.
Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse 8-10 times. Do NOT over process. You want your mix to look like the photo below—broken up enough that the sliders hold together, but still intact enough to identify all the delicious players. If you don’t have a food processor, use a potato masher or large fork and some elbow grease to “process” the mixture.
Warm remaining coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Start forming lentil and portobello mixture into 2 1/2 to 3″ mini “burger” patties and place them in the warmed pan. Allow each side of the sliders to brown for about 7-10 minutes. I use the spatula to continually help them hold their shape as the cook together (which they will do). Remember, there is no cholesterol-laden animal fat in these sliders to bind the slider form, so help these guys along with some shaping. You may not need to, but just keep it in mind.
After about 10 minutes, flip them. It depends on the pan, but continue cooking, and flipping until they are browned and pretty firm.
Once cooked to your liking, put the sliders on a tiny sprouted grain bun, add some Oil-free Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli, fresh greens and go to town.
You can store sliders in an airtight glass container in the fridge for about 1 week. They are delicious cold too. Definitely try any extras, crumbed up in a salad. Enjoy!
My pal Marta took the photo above. I made her a slider lunch one day, complete with a mini bottle of Vanilla Rooibos Sun Tea. Cute pic, had to share.
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5 Comments to “Lentil and Portobello Umami Sliders”
My mouth is watering! Can’t wait to try these!
Made these using red lentil for my 4th July ‘burger’ and was delish! Will definitely add this to my fav’s! for go to recipes.Thxs for sharing!
I made these using black beans because i hadn’t soaked any lentils the night before and it did not work at all….they fell apart. they were super yummy but basically like sloppy joes. Is there any lentils you can buy that you don’t have to soak over night? i always forget to put them out or i make things last minute. Thanks for any help!!
Hi Elayne,
Sorry that the beans didn’t work, I imagine it’s because they can be too dry for a recipe like this. You can always put lentils out overnight and keep them (strained and rinsed) in a bowl in the fridge all week until you need them. They will probably start to sprout tails, but this is a great thing. You also can cook them without soaking—it just takes longer and the nutrients won’t assimilate into your body as well as soaked ones. All legumes should be soaked before eating—wish I knew of some magic ones that didn’t need it. I have also seen some pre-soaked and sprouted legumes at Whole Foods lately…maybe that’s another solution.
I promise that it will become routine for you—the soaking—once you get in the habit of doing it. I will sometimes look at my pantry at night and have no plan for what I will make the next night. But I’ll put some red quinoa in a bowl or lentils to soak while I sleep. Then the next day, I hop on YU, or go through my recipe binder and find something that uses what I soaked. When I first started eating this way I often forgot to soak things too, but now after years of practice, it’s as routine as brushing my teeth. If you have to, leave yourself a post-it on the bathroom mirror saying “soak the legumes!”
Be sure to read about why I recommend soaking legumes and how to do it properly and good luck!
Thanks heather! i did not know that i could keep them in the refrigerator already soaked and they would stay. I will try this recipe again. My roommate and boyfriend both liked the “sloppy joes” that i made but i still want to try again.
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