Many of us across the nation are on work-from-home or shelter-in-place orders due to covid-19. Many of the shelves in the grocery stores are bare, so I have decided to see what I can make from my pantry at home and came up with these vegan red lentil potato fritters!
The best part about these fritters? They are a meal in themselves. The red lentils add protein and the potato adds carbs. I litterally didn’t make anything to go with these because they don’t necessarily need it.
A side of fresh greens would be nice if you have it, but don’t sweat it if the store is out, or if you don’t feel like or are unable to go out. Honestly, staying at home is a safe bet right now.
What should you do if you don’t have the exact ingredients listed? Substitute something else. There are so many ways you could turn this into a delicious meal. Check out my variations below.
Variations to the Vegan Red Lentil Potato Fritters recipe:
- Spices: I used onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Salt is the only one that I would say is essential. You could try regular paprika, red pepper or cayenne pepper, celery seed, ground fennel, ground corriander, or ground ginger. Alternatively, a spice mix with salt in it, such as a cajun seasoning, would work as well.
- Veggies: Use any vegetable that shreds well. Try sweet potato, butternut squash, zuccchini, summer squash, or even spaghetti squash strands. I bet there are even more options here than I have thought of.
- Add more fresh veggies: In addition to, or in replacement of the garlic, try fresh onion and peppers, or fresh minced ginger.
- Aioli: I used a lot of sriracha to make a spicy aioli, so use less if you just want a little heat. Also, substitute any other hot sauce or chili paste for the sriracha. You could even try curry paste or curry powder! The lime and garlic powder can be omited if necessary.
- ½ cup dry red lentils
- ¾ cup water
- 3 cups shredded potatoes (from 2 medium)
- 2-4 TBS chickpea flour (or flour of choice)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp fine black pepper
- 1-2 TBS canola or avocado oil
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 1 TBS Sriracha
- 1 tsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Rinse red lentils and combine with water in a small pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the water is absorbed.
- Press potatoes in a kitchen cloth over a the sink or large bowl to remove excess moisture. This will help everything to hold together.
- Combine cooked lentils, shredded potatoes, chickpea flour, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add 2 TBS of the lentil mixture for each fritter. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together vegan mayo, sriracha, lime juice and garlic powder.
- Serve the fritters with the sriracha aioli.
Recipe adapted from Vegan Heaven.
