Lentil Chicken Burgers with Asian Slaw

These are a great option for a light summer dinner. It has protein from animal and plant sources to keep you full and packed with liver-loving purple cabbage. This will make you feel light but satiated, making it the perfect poolside pair.

I often try to incorporate legumes into my diet to reduce food cost and to get a great source of fibre for my gut bacteria. Legumes (beans, peas and lentils) are super easy to make and support your body my binding excess cholesterol, hormones and toxins that are lingering in the body. They also add good PRE-biotic fibres to feed gut bacteria and bulk up your stool.

I like to combine animal protein with legumes to budget as well. I buy organic meat as much as possible and as much as I know it’s better for me and the planet, it does tend to empty my wallet quite quickly. By combining organic, free-range chicken with inexpensive lentils, I can stretch the meat a little farther in meals and I still feel satiated with the protein coming from the lentils. I do this in burgers, meatballs or shepherds pie.

In addition to the slaw, I used purple onion, a local BBQ sauce and some homemade fermented hot sauce on the burger. The hot sauce is a fermented carrot ginger so it complemented the asian fusion beautifully :) But feel free to add your favourite burger toppings like pickles, cucumber, lettuce or tomato.

Lentil Chicken Burgers with Asian Slaw

Lentil Chicken Burgers (makes 6 large burgers)

1 lb ground chicken

2 cups cooked red lentils

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (can use GF)

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Slaw

4 cups shredded purple cabbage

1 cup carrots - julienne or shredded

½ cup celery - finely chopped

Tahini Lime Dressing (double serving)

¼ cup tahini

½ lime - juiced

1 cloves garlic

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp coconut aminos

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp honey

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp water (or more)

Additional Ingredients

6 whole wheat or gluten-free buns

¼ onion - sliced

pickles - sliced (optional)

Sauce of choice - hot, BBQ, ketchup

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients for the burgers to a bowl and mix well with a spoon or hands.

2. Form into 6-8 patties and place on a plate to set until ready to cook.

3. Set BBQ to 300F and cook burgers for 10-15 minutes.

4. While burgers cook, combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

5. Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if needed.

6. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss well.

7. Place burgers on whole wheat or gluten-free buns with sliced onion, pickles, hot sauce or BBQ sauce and top with asian slaw. Enjoy!