Spicy Lentil Sliders With Fiery Lentil Sauce

So Jo and I have been making a lot of lentil related food items trying to come up with some new and exciting recipes to enter in a Canadian Lentil sponsored contest.  

I went with the savory and Jo went with the sweet. (Her entries are HERE and HERE) 

I am very excited to share this spicy entry in the Main Dish category.

I made this super de duper spicy as my daughter and nephew really like the heat, but if you are a bit nervous of it being too hot then just lower the amount of spices you put in!

These are easy to put together - yes, there is a few steps, but nothing too hard. 

Something to keep in mind is that these slider patties are a soft patty. They don't get very "crispy" at all but, with the fried onion toppings, they have just the right amount of crunch!

You won't regret giving these a try!

Spicy Lentil Sliders With Fiery Lentil Sauce

Ingredients

Fiery Lentil Sauce

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 1/2 cups veggie broth (for cooking lentils)

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup veggie broth

3 cloves garlic

1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup habanero pepper hot sauce

Slider Patties

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced fine

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

3 Tbsp Fiery Lentil Sauce (recipe above)

1 cup red lentils, cooked (or canned)

1 cup canned black beans

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 cups fresh bread crumbs, fine

1 Tbsp oil (for frying)

Toppings

1 tomato, sliced

1 can French's Fried Onions

Fiery Lentil Sauce (recipe above)

Directions

Prepare Fiery Lentil Sauce - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook red lentils in the veggie broth until lentils are very soft.

Place cooked lentils into a blender or food processor.

Add remaining 10 ingredients from the "Fiery Lentil Sauce" ingredient list into the blender with the lentils. Process until smooth. 

Set aside while you make the patties.

Prepare Slider Patties - In a food processor (or blender) pulse all ingredients on the "Slider Patties" ingredient list, except for the last ingredient (oil). 

Do not over process, leave it a little chunky!

Using a small cookie scoop (or your hands) scoop up a small amount of the patty mixture and form into a circle about 3 inches across and 1/2 inch thick. (You can make these as big or little as you like. I always go by the size of the buns I'm using to know how big to make them!)

Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 20 - 30 minutes.

When ready to cook - Heat the 1 Tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place as many of the patties into the pan as will fit and cook approx 5 minutes on each side - they are ready when they are heated through and just nicely browned. Repeat with remaining patties.

Prepare sliders - Place a slice of tomato on the bun, top with a slider patty.

 Then top with more Fiery Lentil Sauce (to taste).

Lastly, top with about 1 Tbsp of French's Fried Onions.

So. Much. Tastiness.

Plus... they look pretty too....

A thing of beauty, am I right? Jo just couldn't stop taking photos.

A quick note - if you find your patties are too gooey because you accidentally over-processed them then you can try adding in some more cooked rice. That should help a bit!.

FYI - better a bit chunky than too smooth though. 

Like more spice? Throw in some more hot sauce and cayenne pepper.

Like less spice? Add less!

Easy peasy and sooooooo delicious!

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