Lentil Walnut Spread Recipes

LENTIL-WALNUT BURGERS

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add lentils and 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).
• In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce, if desired.

WALNUT LENTIL PATE

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a medium sized sauce pan. Fill the pan with enough water to submerge the lentils by a few inches. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25, or until the lentils are tender but not watery or mushy (I always do a first check at the 18-minute mark). Drain the lentils and set them aside.
• While the lentils cook, heat a medium sized sauté pan over low heat. Add the walnuts. Toast the walnuts for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until they're lightly browned and smell nutty. Remove the walnuts from heat and set aside.
• Return the pan to the stovetop and increase the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and shallots. Cook the shallots for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, and then add the garlic. Cook the garlic and shallots for another 3 minutes, or until everything is soft and fragrant. Add the lentils and combine ingredients well. Remove the pan from heat.
• When the lentils are cooked and drained, add the toasted walnuts to your food processor, along with the salt. Process until the walnuts form a fine meal. Add the lentil mixture and all other ingredients, along with 1/3-1/2 cup water (as much as you need to get a thick, yet smooth and spreadable consistency, similar to hummus). Process the pate till smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl down. Serve the pate with toast, crackers, or vegetable crudités.

ULTIMATE LENTIL WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, and then line it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the length of the pan.
• If using canned lentils, rinse and drain them in a colander. If using lentils cooked from scratch, follow the directions in the note below. After draining, add them into a very large bowl and mash the lentils with a potato masher. The goal is to create a lentil paste while still leaving about 1/3 of the lentils intact.
• Spread the chopped walnuts onto the baking sheet. Toast the nuts for 8 to 12 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
• Increase the oven heat to 350°F (180°C).
• Add the oil into a large skillet, and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the onion and garlic and season with a pinch or two of salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens.
• Stir in the celery and carrot, and continue cooking for another few minutes.
• Finally, stir in the grated apple, dried cranberries (or raisins), thyme, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook for a couple minutes longer.
• Into the bowl with the mashed lentils, stir in the walnuts, ground flax, oat flour, and bread crumbs until combined.
• Stir in all of the veggie mixture until combined. Add the red pepper flakes, if using. Taste and add more salt (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon). If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water and mix again.
• Press all of the lentil loaf mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Pack it down as firmly as you can as this will help it hold together after cooling.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, applesauce, vinegar, and maple syrup until combined. Using a pastry brush (or simply a spoon), spread all of the glaze over top of the lentil loaf.
• Bake the lentil loaf, uncovered, at 350°F (180°C) for 50 to 60 minutes until the edges start to darken and the loaf is semi-firm to the touch. Place the loaf pan directly onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, slide a knife around the ends to loosen, and carefully lift out the loaf (using the parchment paper as "handles") and place it directly onto the cooling rack for another 30 minutes.
• After cooling, carefully slice the loaf into slabs. Serve immediately. The loaf will continue to firm up as it cools. Some crumbling is normal if sliced while warm.

LENTIL-WALNUT BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and cool.
• Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until fragrant and darkened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• In a food processor, combine the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 tablespoon of the oil; pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with yogurt-cilantro sauce, if desired.
• Yogurt-cilantro Sauce
• In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

LENTIL WALNUT PâTé

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender (but not falling apart), 20 - 30 minutes. Drain, discard the bay leaf, and cool completely (you can speed this up by spreading the lentils out on a plate and sticking them in the fridge).
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring frequently and reducing the heat if necessary, until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in the mirin and remove from the heat. Cool completely (to speed up the process, see lentils, above).
• Place the toasted and cooled walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it looks like nut butter, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled lentils and the onion mixture and puree smooth. Add in the herbs, miso, umeboshi, pepper, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and blend until smooth.
• Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Drizzle with olive oil and chopped fresh herbs, and serve with crackers or sliced baguette and cornichons or olives.

LENTIL-WALNUT SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine lentils and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and water is absorbed, 35-40 minutes. Drain well. Transfer to small bowl.
• In small food processor (or blender), process walnuts and oil to smooth paste. With a spatula, scrape mixture into bowl with lentils. Mash to paste with a fork.
• On a cutting board, cut garlic in half. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. With flat side of knife, mash together. Add to lentil-walnut mixture along with spinach, broth, cumin, coriander and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.