Chickpea Veggie Burger

I've always liked the idea of the veggie burger. They just never seemed to turn out the way I want them. They have been too mushy on the inside while to hard on the outside, or not enough variety of texture. Even commercial veggie burgers, though improving, are not yet where they should be. You'd think with this country's obsession with food that someone would have produced an excellent veggie burger by now. Fortunately we have access to a global feast of recipes online so there is no lack of great ideas for veggie burgers.

Some people choose veggie burgers to boost their fiber intake while others want to cut back on red meat. My husband and I have been eating less meat and so I have been trying various recipes for veggie burgers. The good thing is you can make them out of almost any combination of protein, usually beans or lentils, vegetables and or nuts and seeds.

I wanted one I could grill. I like the smokey flavor and the crunchy outside. This recipe is my latest attempt at  great veggie burgers you can cook on the grill and not have them fall apart. The basic recipe follows.  I also had some left over roasted butternut squash which I chopped and added ( 1/2 cup) after processing the other ingredients My husband likes them spicy, hence the variety of heat.

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Remove the skins
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 diced jalapeno, or 1 teaspoon diced jalapeno
1 1/2 tablespoons diced garlic
Grated zest of one large lemon
1/3 cup herbed croutons
2/3 cup  rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch (as much as you like) fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure
Place all ingredients in food processor fitted with metal blade; process until blended but still a little chunky. If the mixture is too dry and not holding together add another egg and blend. This is where I added leftover chopped butternut squash and blended lightly. You can of course add peas, corn or any other veggies at this point.  Shape mixture into 4 or more 1 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Grilling: Before grilling veggie burgers freeze about 40 minutes. The burgers will not be totally frozen but will hold together nicely while grilling.  If you have pre-frozen burgers, take them out of the freezer for 15 minutes, just so they are not rock hard, before you grill them. If you have no time for pre-freeezing, chill burgers for 20 minutes.
Brush the burgers with olive oil and grill for a few minutes on each side, until the burgers have browned a bit and you have good grill marks.

Pan Frying: Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low heat. Place burgers in the pan and cook for about 7 to 10  minutes, until the bottoms of the burgers are browned, and then flip. cook for another 7 minutes or until golden.

Try this vegetarian burger topped with portobella mushrooms, avocado slices, caramelized onion jam, your favorite chutney, enchilada sauce, curry sauce,  sweet chili sauce, tzatziki sauce, or this Creamy Salsa Verde.

Creamy Salsa Verde

1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup salsa verde (green salsa)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
You can use Recaito, a very mild, cilantro-based seasoning sauce used in Puerto Rico and Cuba, in place of salsa verde. If using Recaito you do not need the extra cilantro.
Combine sour cream and salsa in a small pot and heat until bubbly. Then mix in chopped cilantro.
Eat Up!