Chickpea burgers

Another favourite from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. Great for children and can be made and frozen for another day. The original recipe has sprouts but I sometimes substitute for 1 cup of grated zucchini. These work great with salad or you can make a ‘burger’ with a roll, chutney, salad etc.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley or basil or mint)
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try broccoli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts – optional) OR 1 cup grated zucchini (moisture squeezed out)
1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

Method:

Combine the chickpeas, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus.

Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the herbs, onion, zest, and sprouts/zucchini.

Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 12 mini burgers.