Chickpea Burgers: don’t say “yucky” until you’ve tried it!

I am on a tiny quest to find a great, and I mean GREAT, veggie burger. A while back I posted a fantastic black bean burger, compliments of my sister. We have been eating that one quite a bit. It’s a super easy recipe, and the best part? You must freeze them before you cook them so it’s easy to whip up a batch and keep them in the freezer for a quick dinner or lunch.

Last month I tried a lentil-walnut burger which tasted great, but totally fell apart in the bun. I haven’t posted that recipe (check out my favorite cookbook –The Moosewood Cookbook- to see it), because I only give it a C- in the ‘bun-worthy’ category. Kinda turned out like a lentil-walnut casserole with ketchup and mustard on top…..all served on a crumbled bun….  sounds worse than it was, but really, a burger must be eaten in a bun with two hands!

I know there are lentil-olive burger recipes out there, but to date, I haven’t found one….can you advise?

I’ve eaten lots of those ‘veggie’ burgers (they’re mostly soy) from the freezer section in the grocery store and this past weekend we even splurged on a frozen quinoa burger from the health food store – which was pretty darn good in my estimation – bun worthy and all. Hubby didn’t like it much though…..

Today I share a creation using the humble chick pea. The flavor was super!!! The ‘bun worthy’ factor was not an issue, cuz I wised up and used PITA BREAD!! An excellent solution I must admit! These were great! And they made awesome leftovers for lunch the next few days. As you may know, I like a hot lunch and leftovers are the key. Try ‘em – you’ll like ‘em! And stop saying, “Yucky.”

Here’s what you need:

1 C chopped onions

1 C chopped celery

Salt, pepper

15 ounce can chick peas (garbanzo beans, I think they are called also)

2-3 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons of each: Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Balsamic vinegar and dried thyme

2 C cooked brown rice

¾ - 1 C oats

Here’s what you do:

Take the scary old onions from the back of the fridge (Don’t judge me!! ) and chop them up. Sautee them with some celery. Salt and pepper to taste.

Best trick ever: Drop the whole garlic cloves in a whirling blender to get the best ever minced garlic! Add the chick peas, sauces and spices and whirl until a mush.

Add the deliciously sautéed veggies and whirl until another mush.

Add ½ of the rice and continue to whirl.

In a big bowl add the remaining rice and the oats. Make a judgment about how much oatmeal to add- you want it firm, but not dry. Moist, but not wet….. They’re vegetables! Don’t fret!  Let them rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes – helps them firm up.

Form into patties, dredge in flour (or skip this step) and fry.

If you have the guts, fry them next to your son's dinner - two juicy and great smelling beef burgers. Poor kid.....

Serve in pita bread to avoid the dreaded C- in the ‘bun worthy’ category.  The flavor of this burger easily stood up to all the usual burger toppings – lettuce, tomato, condiments, etc. Enjoy this one!

(printable recipe)

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