Cumin-Spiced Red Lentil Burgers

In a large saucepan, cover the lentils with cold water by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer the lentils until they are very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the lentils well.

Preheat the broiler. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the carrots and two-thirds of the garlic and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cayenne and remove from the heat. Mix in the lentils, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the eggs, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into sixteen burgers.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Brush the foil and both sides of the burgers with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Broil until golden, about 3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the lemon juice and the remaining garlic and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Serve the burgers hot, with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Ingedients

• 1 1/2 cups red lentils
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup plain, dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice