What is Meatless Monday?

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. They provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives.

Did you know you could make a delicious burger without animal protein? Well, it is possible!

Go veggie the next time you make burgers.

All you need is a mixture of beans, whole grains, and seeds to make the perfect cholesterol-free burger with heart healthy fats, lean protein, and dietary fiber.

Start by creating your burger:

1) Choose 1-3 main ingredients to build the basis of your burger:

Beans: lentils, black beans, white beans, chickpeas
Grains: quinoa, brown rice, rolled oats
Vegetables: pureed or chopped sweet potato, carrot, red pepper, zucchini, cauliflower, corn, onion

2) Add spices, herbs, and/or seeds

3) Select a cooking method: grill, stovetop, or oven.

Begin your veggie burger experience by making this week’s featured recipe, Zucchini Lentil Burgers, to be a part of your next BBQ or Meatless Monday meal.

Zero cholesterol recipe of Zucchini Lentil Burgers:

A gluten-free vegan burger made without eggs.

Yield: 6 servings (4 oz burger per serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ medium yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 cup of cooked lentils
• 2 Tablespoons of sunflower seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed
• 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds
• ¼ cup of rolled oats, processed to a flour consistency
• 2 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon of ground mustard
• 1 Tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon of dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat for about 10 minutes. In a food processor, mince the zucchini. Pour processed zucchini in paper towels and squeeze out the water into the sink. In a large bowl, add the zucchini, sautéed mixture, and the rest of the burger ingredients. Mix the ingredients together. Use ½ of the mixture to form 6 burger patties. Place burger patties on a large skillet greased with olive oil. Cook veggie burgers on medium heat until both sides of the burger are golden brown (flip burgers every 5 minutes for about 20-30 minutes). Serve veggie burgers on a whole wheat burger bun/English muffin OR on a bed of leafy greens. Don’t forget your burger fixings such as a slice of tomato, onion, pepper and heart healthy spreads (hummus, pesto, or guacamole).

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
Calories: 171 kcal
Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 24g
Dietary Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 8 g
Sodium: 53 mg