I made these chickpea burgers from Eating Well a couple of weekends ago, and they were delicious! I fed them to my dad and fiance who also admitted they were delicious. And when men will admit that a vegetarian burger is good, you know the recipe is the real deal!
I doubled the recipe to make 8 burgers: so the amounts below will make close to 4 burgers when left alone.
Chickpea Burgers:
Ingredients:
- 2 TBSP Sesame seeds
- 1 TBSP ground coriander
-1 TBSP ground cumin
- 2 Tsp canola oil
- 4 scallions chopped
- 1/4 white onion, finely chopped (I added this to the recipe because I thought it was really helpful in the flavoring)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 TBSP garlic is the same amount)
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 cup cooked brown rice (1/2 cup uncooked will become a cup cooked) **
- 2/3 cup wheat germ
- 3 TBSP lemon juice
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1/4 Tsp ground pepper
** I cooked brown rice earlier in the day to save 30 minutes later when it was time to make dinner
Directions:
1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast sesame seeds until light, golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add the coriander and cumin. Cook for about a minute, until spices are fragrant. Transfer spices to a plate and let them cool.
2. Add oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add chopped scallions, garlic, and chopped onion. Cook for several minutes until veggies are softened, stirring occasionally. Onion can be as soft or crunchy as you would like. Set aside.
3. Place rinsed chickpeas in food processor (or they can be hand mashed, but this takes much longer). Pulse chickpeas until finely chopped but not pureed. They should still be chunky. Transfer chickpeas to a large bowl.
4. Mix together mashed chickpeas, rice, 1/3 cup of wheat germ, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, reserved spice mixture, and veggie mixture. Mix together well and taste to see if you want to add anything else.
5. Shape mixture into 4 patties. Press formed patties into remaining 1/3 cup of wheat germ, pressing firmly onto both sides of patties.
6. Grill the chickpea burgers over medium heat in a large saucepan with oil. Cook covered on each side for anywhere from 5-10 minutes. The chickpeas will heat more thoroughly when you cook them longer on a lower heat. Remember to keep them covered!
Eating Well recommends eating these burgers in pita bread with some spinach, tomato, and a yogurt sauce.
We ate them in pita bread or sandwich thins with either hummus or dijon mustard as a garnish- your choice!
Nutrition:
1 burger contains 245 calories, 9 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of protein.
Add a pita or whole grain patty to add a few more calories AND fiber and protein!
