Monday, April 14, 2014

Chickpea Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

 

Last weekend, we went to visit Marlina & Hank’s new place.  We played Settlers of Catan (Marlina was very vicious during that game!), visited, shopped, and ate good food.  One of my favorite things I tried out was a chickpea burger.  It surprised me-I love a good veggie burger (such as my Big Bertha Burger), but haven’t found one since that would compare.  Anyway, this burger left me full for a very long time and more the next day!  I had to make one-so I came up with this one!

When I first blended the chickpeas, onion & garlic together, I thought I had screwed it up..but then I began adding spices and it started tasting enjoyable! I was pretty excited to cook these up.  They are quite soft, so be sure to handle them gently.  I didn’t have any break on me but I imagine they would if you aren't careful.  The Tzatziki sauce really complements the burgers well-I think I will be making this burger more often!  

Chickpea Burger with Tzatziki Sauce

Makes 5 burgers

INGREDIENTS

28 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup parsley, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice

½ tablespoon sesame oil

¼ cup nutritional yeast

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup bread crumbs, for coating

Vegetable oil, for frying

Mayo

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Tomato, thinly sliced

Tzatziki sauce

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Spinach

Kaiser buns

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor, add in the chickpeas, onion, garlic and parsley. Process until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

After the mixture is smooth, add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, lemon juice, sesame oil, nutritional yeast and bread crumbs. With the extra ½ cup bread crumbs, place on a rimmed plate. Using ½ cup of the chickpea mixture, form into a patty and coat with the bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining patties.

In a nonstick frying pan under medium-high heat, heat about ½-1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Slide in 2-3 patties at a time (depending on the size of your pan) and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate while you cook the others.

Prepare the buns. Add mayo to each side. Place the red onion on the bottom half of the bun and top with the chickpea burger. Spoon Tzatziki sauce over the burger, then top with tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach. Serve immediately.

Source: inspired by Nancy O’s Restaurant