Lentil Cakes with Leeks and Feta Yogurt

I'm listening to Etta James and trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I spot the kilo-and-a-half Sprouted Bean Trio bag from the bigboxstore and think to myself that there must be something I can do with this "colorful, quick-cooking and nutritious blend of lentils, adzuki and mung beans". The last thing I tried with these babies was a mushy disaster. Obviously today's bright idea was not a disaster because it was pronounced "blog worthy" by the taste test team.

I also had a few leeks a little past their best-before date and some feta cheese I bought before Christmas that had nestled itself quietly in the back of the fridge and been forgotten about. Nice try, feta cheese. I see you.

Please note you have to soak the lentils for 4 hours or overnight.

I drank a nice Malbec with this, but I think a cold, crisp Pinot Gris would be perfect.

Chop the leeks, get them cooking while you prepare the lentil cakes and yogurt sauce.

Cucumbers, sliced

Leeks:

3 leeks, green part trimmed away, sliced lengthwise then cut to finger-length pieces

olive oil 

dash of water

Feta yogurt concoction

1/2 cup nonfat, plain, Greek yogurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/4 cup feta

mint (1/4 cup fresh chopped, or 1 tsp dried)

Lentil cakes

1 cup red lentils (or truRoots sprouted bean trio)

Soak the lentils in cold water for 4 hours.

handful (3/4 cup) chopped carrots
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 tbsp egg whites (or use 1 egg plus 1 eggwhite)

1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)

Let's get started. . .

Leeks:

Put cut leeks and dash of olive oil into a sautee pan and cook until starting to brown.  

Add 1/4 cup water and garlic and continue to cook at low heat while you make the rest. Stir occasionally.

At the end, they should be nice and soft and semi-transparent.

Feta yogurt concoction

Mix feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and mint.

Arrange sliced cucumbers and yogurt mixture on a plate.

Lentil cakes

Drain and rinse lentils.

In a food processor, pulse the carrots, turmeric, tomato paste, baking powder and egg whites.

Add lentils and puree until almost smooth.  

Add in feta cheese and pulse until just mixed.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet over medium-hight heat.

Spoon in about 1/8 of batter to make 3 inch cakes.

Cook 4 minutes and flip.  Cook another 4 minutes.

Keep an eye out so they don't burn - turn heat down if they are cooking too fast.

Put leeks on a plate. Top with lentil cake. Add a dollop of yogurt sauce.