Spicy Lentil Pita Patties with Peach Chutney

This is the result of my ongoing efforts to build a better veggie burger. These are still fairly soft, but hold together well with the flax seeds and gluten. The spices are of an Indian theme, which I think goes well with the lentils and potatoes. I like cooking my veggie burgers over higher heat for a few minutes on each side first, to give them a nice crispy golden hue. Then I reduce the heat and let them cook for a while longer - the longer cooking time cooks out more of the moisture, resulting in a firmer patty. These are great in any kind of burger format, but I had some whole wheat pitas on hand. Douse liberally with chutney - I added some cucumber raita too. The spinach is there because spinach is great anywhere, and I have an abundance on hand these days.

Spicy Lentil Patties

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, cooked and drained

1 cup baked potato, diced

1/3 cup onion, diced

1/3 cup wheat gluten flour

2 tbsp. ground flax seeds

1 tbsp. tamari, soy sauce, or bragg's liquid aminos

1 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. chili powder

1. Combine flax seeds with tamari (or other soy sauce) and water in a cup, and mix well with a fork.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine lentils, potatoes, onion, flax seed mixture, and remaining spices. Mix just to combine - this preliminary mixing is just to ensure that things are well combined in the food processor.

3. Add contents of mixing bowl to your food processor, and pulse until the lentils are pretty ground up and all ingredients are well combined.

4. Refrigerate patty mix for at least a couple of hours. Form into pattys, and fry with a little canola or peanut oil in a non-stick frying pan. Cook over medium heat until golden-brown on each side.

Peach Chutney

1 ripe peach, peeled and diced

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 tbsp. minced onion

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar or other sweetener

1 tbsp. canola oil

1. Saute ginger, onion, and garlic in a saucepan until they just begin to brown. Add peach pieces and remaining ingredients, and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes or so, stirring frequently. When the peach is nice and soft, remove from heat. If you like, blend the ingredients once they have cooled to make a smooth chutney. If not, this works fine without blending.