The "Ultimate Veggie Burger"

Burgers are a really exciting food. They scream "summertime" and can pretty much be made out of anything! I have had this recipe from 101 cookbooks bookmarked for a while, but decided to make it the other day when I had some cooked chickpeas on hand.

The recipe is for the Ultimate Veggie Burger. This is only the second veggie burger I have ever made but it was the best, and I think it might be for some time. It was hearty, meaty, and can be eaten with a variety of toppings. I left out some items from the original recipe and used half the amount of eggs it called for. The recipe suggest you make thick burgers that can be cut in half and used to sandwhich the toppings, but I just made patties to my liking and did not half them.

Ultimate Veggie Burger, modified from 101cookbooks.com

2.5 cups cooked chickpeas
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
lemon zest to your liking (I will add some juice next time too)
1 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil

I first mashed the chickpeas, eggs, and salt in the food processor until thick but still a little chunky. Then I stirred in the onion, lemon zest and bread crumbs until evenly mixed. This mixture is really easy to form patties. I could make 6 decent patties from this recipe.
Heat olive oil in the pan on medium-low. Add the patties and cover, cooking for 7-10 minutes or until brown. Flip and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes on the other side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the patties you create.

The ways to enjoy these burgers are endless. I topped mine with tomato, onion, Parmesan cheese and hot pepper the first day. The next day (btw these make good leftovers) I topped it with avocado, onion, Parmesan cheese and hot pepper. Delicious!

I would love to make a nice yogurt-based sauce to go with this burger and could see that happening in the near future. I will definitely be making these again and will continue to experiment with other alternative burger recipes!

Tomorrow is the celebration of my parents 25th wedding anniversary where some of my baking efforts will be showcased. Should be a great day!