Smokey Beet Burgers by Heather

I made these last weekend and they were a huge hit with Brandon.  The combination of walnuts, lentils, and beets give this a nice meaty texture.



Ingredients:
1 cup cooked beets, grated
1 cup cooked green lentils
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 eggs
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. olive oil

For the feta spread:
8 oz. feta, crumbled into cubes
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Garnishes:
arugula micro greens
mesquite BBQ or sriracha
avocado, sliced



Heat the olive olive in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, and sauté until translucent.  Add the walnuts, beets, minced garlic, paprika, and chipotle powder, and cook another minute more.  
Let the mixture cool slightly, then combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then add the eggs, lentils, and quinoa, and stir in with rest of ingredients until combined.  Form the mixture into 8 patties, and place on a plate.



Heat a grill pan with a little oil and place 4 of the burgers on the pan on medium heat.  Cook on the first side for 5 minutes.  Flip the burgers over and cook for another 10 minutes until they have a golden crust.  Remove to a plate and cook the other batch.

Meanwhile, make the feta spread.  Add the feta, Greek yogurt, parsley and lemon juice in a bowl and stir with a spatula until well combined.

Place a patty on a whole wheat bun, top with feta spread and garnishes, and enjoy!