This recipe, with its number of steps, is a project! You could cut the quantities in half, but since you’re doing the work anyway, I’d recommend making the full recipe. The sliders freeze and reheat perfectly well. They also are fine in the fridge for a week.
Ingredients
1 Cup Barley
1 Cup French Green Lentils (you can use any lentils, but these are my favorite because they hold their shape and don’t become mushy)
1 Medium Onion, quartered
1 Large Carrot, quartered
8 oz. Sliced Shitake Mushrooms (you can use any kind, but shitakes have a woodsy flavor, which I prefer)
1 Cup shredded Lacinato Kale (you can also use spinach, mustard greens or chard)
4 large Garlic Cloves
1 Tbl chopped fresh Thyme
1 Tbl chopped Rosemary
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Tbl Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Cup chickpea flour (or any flour you prefer, but I think chickpea flour adds a lot of flavor)
4 Flax Eggs or 3 large Chicken Eggs
¼ Cup Parsley, minced
¼ Cup Cilantro, minced
¼ Cup Scallions, minced
1 Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper, minced (take out the seeds if you want to reduce the heat)
1 tsp Lemon Zest, finely chopped
Canola Oil for frying
Instructions
Cook the barley in 3 Cup of water for about 40 minutes, so it’s slightly al dente, drain well.
Cook the lentils separately for about 20 minutes, also leaving them slightly al dente.
Place the onion, carrot, mushrooms, kale, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not puréed.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the finely chopped veggies on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add fennel seeds, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper to taste. Toss together and roast for 30-40 minutes. You will have to keep watch and move the mixture around so the vegetables at the ends of the pan don’t burn. You want to caramelize the vegetables.
Let everything cool for about 20 minutes before mixing in the parsley, cilantro, scallions, jalapeno and lemon zest. Add the chickpea flour next, and toss through so all the ingredients have a light coating. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. Add the flax eggs and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be sticky.
Wet your hands with cold water, shake off the excess and form the sliders. Each slider is about 1⁄2 Cup of the mix. The yield should be 15-16 pieces. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. Place 3-4 Tbl of canola oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high.
Brown well on both sides, drain on paper towel. They should be very crunchy on the outside. You can refrigerate or freeze them at this point and reheat on a flat pan in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. They are great served as patties with a side salad or even served with bun and condiments like an old fashioned burger.
