A handful of Healthy Harvest’s black koutsourelia olives make a great snack on their own, but adding just a few to a recipe can completely transform its flavor, making it exceptional. Plus, they’ll add a boost of healthy fats and antioxidants.
I love making veggie patties. You might have seen my Spicy Lentil Veggie Burgers last summer. It’s so easy to mix together the ingredients, then leave the bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to fry them. I’ve made a ton of different varieties, but these Savory Lentil Pancakes with Olives are by far my favorite.
This time around, I used red lentils, rinsing them, then boiling for 15 minutes. Then, I drained the cooked lentils as much as I could before adding them to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
Here’s where it gets fun. You mash everything together. Now, you can do this with a boring old fork, or dig right in with your hands. The mix should be a batter-like consistency. If it’s too wet to form into patties, simply mix in a little more almond flour.
This recipe is great, because it’s easily adaptable for vegans, people with gluten sensitivities, and everyone else. I used nutritional yeast, almond flour, and rice flour to help bind the mixture, but you could substitute an egg and/or breadcrumbs if you wish. (See recipe for details.)
After the mixture is well incorporated, heat a pan or griddle to just below medium-high, add a tablespoon of Healthy Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil, and fry until golden brown as you would any other pancake.
The key is to not touch or flip the cake until it’s nice and golden, so they don’t fall apart. Top with fresh herbs, a sprinkle of paprika, a couple olives, a wedge of lemon, and voila, you have a crispy, savory, flavor-filled hashbrown of sorts that’s really good for you!
This could be a great meatless recipe to try during your Lenten celebrations this spring. Comment below to let me know what you paired it with our share your pics on Instagram and tag @healthyharvests #eatrealfood
Savory Lentil Pancakes with Olives
Author: Amy Wansing
Serves: 8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and hard pieces removed
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 Tbsp water (or one large egg)
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ cup sliced Healthy Harvest black olives
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup rice flour (or replace both flours with ⅔ cup breadcrumbs)
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
- Healthy Harvest Greek extra virgin oil, for frying
Instructions
- Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Add lentils in a pot and cover them with water. From the moment they start boiling, let them boil for about 15 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Strain the lentils very well and put them in a large bowl. Start mashing them a little, using a fork.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, except oil.
- Using a fork, or your hands, start mixing the composition. It has to be sticky and easy to shape. If it’s not just add more almond flour/breadcrumbs until it has a dough-like consistency.
- Heat a pan with oil. Form a ball and use a spatula to flatten into a pancake on the frying pan and let it fry about 2 minutes on each side.