• 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils, rinsed and sorted

• 3 cups of water

• 1 cup plain uncooked oats

• 1 cup flour of choice - I used Besan or chickpea flour to make it gluten free, but all-purpose flour is fine.

• 3 flax eggs: 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 9 tablespoons water - chicken eggs are fine to use, too.

• 1 heaping tablespoon Kinder's Woodfired Garlic Seasoning. 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt will work in a pinch.

• 1 heaping teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon Colgin Hickory Liquid Smoke (optional, but I did use it at the party)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, possibly more for pan frying.

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To cook lentils on the stovetop: combine 1 1/2 cups lentils with 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan or small pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover loosely with your pot lid (leave it sitting a little off so the steam can vent), lower temperature to a simmer, and simmer until the lentils are cooked soft, 30 minutes to an hour depending on how hot your simmer is. You may need to add more water to the pot during the cook time.

To cook lentils in the Instant Pot: 5 minutes, high pressure, you can valve or natural release, they'll be softer the longer you let them natural release.
 

I had about 1/4" of water on the bottom of the pot, under the cooked lentils. I don't drain this, but if you have any more than about a 1/2 cup, you will want to drain all but that 1/2 cup.

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Let your lentils cool to where you can safely handle them. Make your flax eggs while you're waiting.

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Add the flax eggs, oats, flour, and seasonings to the cooled lentils, and mix it with a bowl scraper to combine. If you will be grilling these burgers, also add the olive oil into the burger mix at this step. 

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Let your burger mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, for the dry ingredients to absorb the wet so the patties will hold together. Then, form into patties with about 1/2 cup burger mixture in each, leaving them about 1" thick. Place the patties in a skillet with 3+ tablespoons of olive oil, and fry over medium-high heat until the patties are dark brown, about 2-3 minutes per side, or grill for the same amount of time. Serve immediately, with your condiments of choice. Makes approximately 12 burger patties.

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Variation: as we discussed at the party, you can prepare this recipe as if you're going to grill it, but put all of the lentil burger mixture into a greased 2 lb loaf pan, and bake it in a 350° F oven for one hour to make this a lentil "meatloaf."