Vegan black walnut lentil burgers with sour cherry salsa on D is for Dinner

A half-acre food forest is providing this week's D is for Dinner recipe on CBC Radio's All in a Day, featuring vegan black walnut and lentil burgers with sour cherry salsa.

Shelley Lambert runs Nanabush Food Forests at Just Food Farm in Ottawa's Blackburn Hamlet area.

A food forest uses organic soil and less water with the aim of creating permanent, restorative garden plots.

The ingredients from Nanabush are marked with an asterisk (*). Here are the recipes for the burgers and salsa:

Vegan black walnut and lentil burgers

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup black walnuts* (or regular ones).
• 3/4 cup lentils.*
• 1/3 cup quick oatmeal.
• 1 tsp. ground cumin.*
• 2 tsp. ground coriander.*
• 1 finely diced jalapeno* or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
• 3 cloves garlic*, minced.
• Dash of salt and pepper.
• 1 tbsp. olive oil.
• 1 tbsp. ground chia seed or flax seed.*
• 1/4 cup water.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl mix the chia or flax with the 1/4 cup water and set aside.
3. Place lentils in a small pot and add a couple cups of water.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes.
5. Remove and rinse in colander.
6. While the lentils are cooking, toast walnuts at 350F for about 10 minutes. Let cool.
7. In a food processor, process the garlic, walnuts, oatmeal, garlic, spices and seasonings until combined.
8. Now add the oil and lentils and pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should be visible and left chunky).
9. Add the flax or chia mixture and pulse a bit more until combined.
10. Now shape 4 patties with your hands and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a non-stick mat.
11. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes on each side for a total of 40 mins. Less baking time is needed if shaping into smaller patties or balls.

Sour cherry salsa

Ingredients

• 4 cups sour cherries*, pitted and chopped.
• 2 cups tomatoes*, chopped.
• 1 cup onion*, chopped.
• 1/4 cup jalapeno*, seeded and finely chopped.
• 1/4 cup lemon juice.
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
• 3 cloves garlic*, minced.
• 1 tsp. dried habanero pepper*, ground (optional, if want extra heat).
• 1 cup cilantro*, chopped.
• 3 tbsp. cane sugar (optional).
• Pepper and salt to taste.

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except cilantro in saucepan and bring to boil. 
2. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro. 
3. Pour into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.