Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

SmartPoints: 4 | Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 16 min | Serves: 4 | Difficulty: Moderate

Description

Forget the meat. These vegetarian burgers are packed with fresh flavours and topped with a homemade chopped salad.

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) chickpeas (15 oz), drained and rinsed

• 1⁄2 cup(s) cooked brown rice

• 2 Tbsp dried plain breadcrumbs, whole-wheat preferred

• 3 Tbsp uncooked carrot(s), grated

• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, chopped

• 1 oz uncooked scallion(s), minced (about 3 tbsp)

• 1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1⁄2 tsp table salt

• 1⁄4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

• 1 large egg white(s)

• 1⁄2 cup(s) cucumber(s), diced

• 1⁄4 cup(s) sweet red pepper(s), diced

• 2 Tbsp uncooked red onion(s), thinly slivered

• 1⁄4 cup(s) grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, chopped

• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin

• 1⁄4 tsp table salt

• 1⁄4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

• 2 spray(s)cooking spray

Instructions

1. To make burgers, place chickpeas in bowl of a food processor; pulse for 10 second intervals until a course texture is reached, about 20 to 30 seconds total. Add rice and pulse again to combine, about 10 seconds more.

2. Spoon chickpea-rice mixture into a large bowl. Add bread crumbs, carrots, 2 tablespoons of parsley, scallion, cilantro, lemon zest, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; mix to combine. Add egg white and mix again to combine; refrigerate for a minimum of 10 minutes and up to overnight.

3. To make salad, combine cucumber, red pepper, onion, tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of parsley, lemon juice, oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl; toss to combine and set aside.

4. Off heat, coat a grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray. Heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

5. Form chickpea-rice mixture into 4 burgers using about 1/2 cup of mixture for each. Off heat, coat tops of burgers with cooking spray.

6. Grill burgers, without moving them, until golden brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully flip burgers and cook until golden brown and crispy on other side, about 6 to 8 minutes more. Serve burgers with salad. Yields 1 burger and about 1/4 cup of salad per serving.

Notes

We tried this recipe using a blender instead of a food processor but the consistency of the burgers was too fine and did not hold up well. The cooking time on an outdoor grill may vary slightly from a grill pan so adjust recipe accordingly.