Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers

We really enjoy burgers and sandwiches.  This is now the third veggie burger on the blog.  Traditional veggie burgers, which is a great go-to veggie burger recipe, and sweet potato burgers, which are a great way to eat sweet potatoes, are previous favorites in our house.  These spicy chickpea veggie burgers have now been added to the list of great veggie burgers.

These burgers use chickpeas, hot brown rice, and breadcrumbs as binders.  They also contain a variety of vegetables and flaxseeds.   Lots of  good for you ingredients!  Just make sure your vegetables are very finely chopped (I suggest a food processor in the directions), and the rice is HOT so it helps everything clump together.  If the vegetable pieces are too big or the rice isn't hot, these burgers will fall apart (I know from experience!).


I love avocado on veggie burgers, and I got the idea for the egg as a topping from edible perspective.  I also added a bit of goat cheese and BBQ sauce and let me tell you... this burger was AMAZING.  So many great flavors and a filling meal with a salad or kale chips on the side.  Yay!

Have fun experimenting with your favorite toppings!  They can really make you feel like you are eating at a fancy burger restaurant. :)

Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers

yield: 8 burgers

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas (if using canned, this is a bit more than 1 can)
• 1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice, **it needs to be hot from having been just cooked**
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
• 1 small carrot, sliced in small pieces
• 1/4 cup (packed) kale leaves
• 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (we like Trader Joe's brand)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mixture of oregano, thyme, parsley, etc.)
• olive oil spray
• For serving: burger buns, more BBQ sauce, sliced avocado (about 1/3 to 1/2 an avocado per person), poached eggs, goat cheese (or other toppings of choice!)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Fit a food processor with the steel blade.  Add garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, carrot, and kale leaves.  Pulse about 12 times until everything is very finely chopped.  Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

2)  Add chickpeas and hot brown rice to the empty food processor.  Pulse until very well combined, but some small chunks remain for texture.  Transfer the chickpea and brown rice mixture to the bowl with the vegetables.

3)  Add BBQ sauce, breadcrumbs, flaxseed, and sunflower seeds to the bowl.  Mix well with a wooden spoon to combine.  At this point the mixture should be very sticky.  If you take a handful of the mixture you should be able to form it into a patty that easily stays together.  If it's not staying together, try adding some more breadcrumbs.   Add red pepper flakes, salt, and Italian seasoning and mix well.  Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired.

4)  Divide mixture into 8 equal portions and form each into a circular burger shape.  I do this on a baking sheet so it is easy to transfer them to the stove.  

5)  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.    Once hot, spray skillet with olive oil spray.  Add as many burgers as easily fit, but don't overcrowd them.  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until brown.  Repeat to cook the remaining burgers.

6) Serve as desired.    I particularly like it with sliced avocado, a bit of goat cheese, more BBQ sauce, and a poached egg on a bun.  So good!

7)  Store leftover burgers in the freezer.  Defrost/reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.

(recipe slightly adapted from Oh She Glows)