It’s summer! In theory, the season of vegan grilling and burgers galore, except that these tasty green lentil and hemp seed sliders are actually the first burger I’ve made this season.

I really like vegan burgers, but they’re a food that I’ve historically purchased more often than not. Making them from scratch always struck me as a lot of work for a food that I enjoyed, but not quite enough to justify the steps and the time involved.

This year, I realized that I’d been doing vegan burgers all wrong—or at least, I hadn’t been making them work for me. I was spending too much time chopping and sautéing things before throwing them into the food processor, and that labor was deterring me from making vegan burgers regularly.

Adding freshly sautéed onions and garlic to a burger mix can definitely enhance the recipe’s depth of flavor. But it’s not the only way, and lately, I skip it altogether. Instead, I just blend up my burger base ingredients (grains, nuts, and tofu or beans) with spices and seasonings instead—usually onion and garlic powder, another spice or two, and some fresh parsley. At that point, I can shape and bake.

The burgers that result are simpler and less fancy than those I’ve made in the past, but they’re still really good. And they’re easy enough to encourage me to make veggie burgers and patties from scratch, rather than relying on store-bought.

These slider-sized burgers show off my streamlined process nicely. Shelled hemp seeds, cooked green lentils, a small amount of rolled oats, and some herbs and spices get pulsed in the food processor and shaped into patties. At this point, they’re ready to bake or to pan fry, as you like. There’s nothing fancy or complex here, but the sliders have a beautifully firm texture and awesome nutrition. Thanks to the combination of hemp and lentils, they’re full of protein (each little patty has about 8-9 grams), not to mention iron, healthful fats, and phytonutrients.

I was lucky enough to make these with legumes, grains, and seeds from one of my favorite food makers, One Degree Organic Food.

There’s so much I love about this brand, starting with transparency: all of the ingredients are traceable to farmers that One Degree knows and trusts. Products contain a source code that can be traced on the company site so that you can learn more about where your food comes from and who grew it.

I also love that the brand uses vegan farming practices—plant-based fertilizers—to create its wonderfully fresh whole grains, breads, cereals, and legumes. One Degree oats are my go-to, and now I’ve fallen in love with the brand’s green lentils; they manage to become tender while holding their shape better than a lot of lentils I’ve gotten in bulk bins!

A good slider needs a good sauce, and while I rarely turn down ketchup, I thought it would be fun to create something different and homemade for this recipe. I’ve been on a kick with sweet/savory mustard dressings and sauces, and I kept it going here, whipping up a spicy turmeric Dijon date mustard in my blender. It’s just Dijon mustard, pitted dates, water, a pinch of salt, and turmeric for beautiful color and a little anti-inflammatory power. It’s really good, and I’m sure I’ll make it again for sandwiches and wraps.

Serve these sliders on toasted buns, in lettuce cups, or—when you’re down to the last few—crumble them into salads or bowls. They’re so nutrient-dense that they’d even make for a good, if unusual, savory snack. You can get the recipe on the One Degree Organics website now, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!

Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week. And happy summer grilling and burger-ing ?

xo

This post is generously sponsored by One Degree Organic Foods. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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