Butternut Squash Chips and lentil veggie burger recipe

When I said in a previous post I wanted to find new ways to enjoy eating squash, I was not joking!

Here is my recipe for butternut squash chips:

Butternut Squash Chips

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash
• Cooking spray
• Salt

 Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel the butternut squash. Using a mandolin, carefully make thin slices of the neck of the butternut squash until you reach the center, or make thin slices of the squash using a knife. You can use all sides of the center of the squash until you reach the seeds.
3. Spray the bottom of a baking pan with cooking spray and arrange the butternut squash slices. Sprinkle the chips lightly with salt.
4. Bake the chips for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. (After 15 minutes the chips will burn easily, so be cautious if continuing to bake the chips. If the slices are not thin enough you may need more cooking time. Check every 3-5 minutes if chips are thicker than thin slices.
5. Remove the chips from the oven, and let the chips dry for 5-10 minutes.

Butternut Squash Chips

Servings: 3, Calories: 94, Total Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 104 mg, Total Carbohydrate: 22 g, Protein 2 g

Lentil Veggie Burger

If the burger in the picture looks good (which it is!), here is the adapted recipe of my favorite veggie burger! When you add buffalo cheddar cheese and blue cheese dressing, you would never know you are eating vegetables!

Yield: 5 burgers

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups lentils
• 4 cups water
• 8 oz mushrooms (I typically use portabellas)
• 6 baby carrots or 1 carrot
• ½ small onion (or about ¼ cup)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp dried majoram
• 1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Cooking spray
• 5 buns
• 5 slices buffalo cheddar cheese
• 2 avocado
• Blue cheese dressing (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse dried lentils. Boil the lentils in 4 cups of water for 25-30 minutes on medium heat, drain the lentils, then rinse again in cold water and let cool in a large bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Finely chop or use a food processor for the mushrooms, carrots, and onion. Add vegetables to a pan on medium heat with 2 tbsp oil, stirring occasionally so the mixture does not burn. After about 5 minutes add in the majoram. Cook for a total time of approximately 10 minutes or until it looks to be about half the amount you started with.
4. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the lentils. Let cool for a few minutes. Add in the breadcrumbs and egg. Mix well.
5. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Form the burgers and place on the cookie sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the burgers with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
6. Place the burger on your choice of bun and top with your choice of toppings or, as recommended, a slice of buffalo cheddar cheese and sliced avocado (or blue cheese dressing!).

Original Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/red-lentil-burgers-with-aioli

Tip: If you have extra burgers and will not eat them within a couple days, you can freeze them and enjoy them later!

Lentil Burger (nutrition facts include burger, bun, cheese, and avocado)

Servings: 5, Calories 494, Total Fat: 22 g, Sodium: 557 mg Total Carbohydrates: 52 g, Protein: 22 g