Grain and Lentil Salisbury Steak with Gravy

Vegan Salisbury Steak!  What?  Unpossible, you say?!  Well, actually I say so too, but nonetheless, these are really quite good.  They're flavorful, have a chewy, toothsome texture, and they're quite filling.  I only had one with a spoonful of mashed potatoes, and that was plenty of dinner for me.  Made with brown rice and lentils, they're full of fiber, low fat, and low calorie.

This is totally not my recipe, though it's been tweaked a bit in order to suit my own tastes.  I don't have any idea where I originally found this recipe, so I'm unable to credit the author.  If anyone recognizes it, feel free to point me in the right direction.

Grain and Lentil Salisbury Steak

Ingredients for patties:

• 1/4 cup cooked lentils, choose your color (I used a mixture of brown and red)
• 1/2 cup whole oats
• 1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 TBSP wheat germ
• 2 TBSP vital wheat gluten
• 1 TBSP ground flax seed
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce

Ingredients for gravy:

• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (I am from the school of "there's no such thing as too much garlic".  If you're not, you probably want to decrease the amount used.)
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare skillet by spraying with olive oil and sprinkling with 1/2 TBSP soy sauce.

2.  In a food processor, coarsely chop oats, rice, and lentils, chopping them up, but NOT pureeing them.

3.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add wheat germ, vital wheat gluten, ground flax seed, chili powder, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, and soy sauce.

4.  Kneed ingredients with your hands until well combined.  At first it will seem to be very crumbly and like it isn't going to stick together.  Just keep at it.  The kneading will activate the vital wheat gluten, and it will become cohesive.

5.  Split mixture into five equal parts.

6.  Heat the skillet on medium low.

7.  While skillet is heating, shape portioned mixture into oval shaped patties and place into skillet.  Add 1 TBSP of water and cover.  Cook first side five minutes.

8.  Flip patties, add 1 more TBSP of water, cover and cook patties for five minutes more.

9.  Remove patties from skillet and set aside.

10.  Turn heat up to medium, mist pan with olive oil, and add onions.  Stir frequently until onions are translucent and begin to brown around the edges.

11.  Add garlic and sauté for one minute more.

12.  In a blender put tomato paste, soy sauce, flour, water, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until smooth and well combined.

 13.  Pour into skillet, stirring together with onions and garlic, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.

14.  Add patties back to the pan and cover with gravy.

15.  Cook over low heat until patties are warmed through.

Enjoy!