Chickpea Burger Patties

Making bean burgers might be the most fun way to use up small quantities of veggies you have left after making salads or other dishes. It’s completely customizable, extremely flavorful and nutrition packed with all the vegetables, and the bean base makes it a good source of vegetarian protein. You can even make a larger batch and freeze some for later - I like to cook them, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then keep them in airtight container in freezer. Making burger patties yourself gives you the advantage of using just the ingredients and quantities you think are good for you, skipping the non-essential fats, sugars, and flavor enhancers that some processed foods might have.

 

This version uses chickpeas, but any other beans could be used instead. The vegetables added to it can also be varied based on what you have or what you like. I love adding beets to burgers, and this time I also had some mini peppers, basil, and green onion on hand. I used an egg for binding, however you could eliminate that if needed by using a paste of flaxseed powder and water, or crumbling up a slice or two of bread moistened with water. Oats help with binding, too, and also add texture to the burgers. To enhance the flavor, you could add any spices/herbs of your choice, maybe even a spoonful of ketchup or pesto. Keep it as simple as you’d like, or go crazy with the add-ins - it will be delicious either way!

Ingredients: (~5-6 patties)

1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed

1/2 med onion (~1/4 cup finely chopped)

2-3 mini sweet peppers - chopped (~ 1/4 cup)

1 medium red beet - cooked and finely chopped

2 large basil leaves - finely chopped

1-2 sprigs of green onion (chopped)

1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp honey mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

1 clove of garlic - minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)

1-2 Tbsp flaxseed powder

Salt to taste

Paprika to taste

1/3 cup oats

1 egg - beaten

Oil/butter

 

Mash the chickpeas leaving them somewhat coarse (or pulse in a food processor). Add the remaining ingredients except for oil/butter and mix well until everything comes together.

 

Heat a pan on medium-low, and coat it with a very thin layer of oil/butter. Form a ½ inch thick patty with the chickpea mixture and gently place it in the pan. Cover and cook until the bottom is browned. Flip the burger and cook uncovered until the other side is browned.

 

If you like you could add a slice of cheese on top after flipping the burger once. It will get nice and melty while the other side cooks. The chickpea burger patties are great to snack on with ketchup for dipping, or can be chopped up and used in salads. But if you go the more traditional way and make a burger, you surely won’t miss the meat!

 

~Gayatri

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Farmer’s pie (for the vegetarian shepherd)

Typically a shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a mashed potato topping. What would you call it then if it doesn’t have meat? Well, I called it “Farmer’s pie”, but creative name suggestions are welcome :-). Irrespective of the name, it makes a delicious and hearty meal coupled with a salad and maybe some bread. I used chickpeas as the base ingredient to pull everything together, but any kind of beans can be used. If you’re not particularly fond of beans or don’t need the extra protein in the pie, beans can be skipped and you could use more vegetables of any kind you like. The ingredients I used were what I had at home, but other vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, squash etc.) could be used as well. 

 

Ingredients:

1 medium onion - chopped (~3/4 cup chopped)

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 carrots – chopped

~¾ cup chopped green beans

1 small bell pepper – chopped

1 can of chickpeas (or ~1.5 cup cooked chickpeas)

½ cup of cooked red lentils (optional – I used this because I had some leftover)

1 Tbsp oil

Salt

Pepper

Paprika (optional)

Cumin powder (optional)

Vegetable stock/water (if required)

For the topping:

~4-5 red potatoes (or any other kind) - boiled

1 sweet potato (optional) - boiled

1 Tbsp butter

Milk

Salt

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and carrots and sauté until the onion is translucent. If using cumin powder, add that at this point. Add green beans, bell pepper and cook for a minute. Mix in chickpeas and lentils, salt, pepper and paprika (adjust to taste). Cover and cook for a few minutes until the chickpeas are soft. Use a fork or a potato masher, mash the mixture just a little, but make sure there is still a good texture to the filling for the pie. If the filling seems dry, add a little stock or water and let it heat through to make sure the mixture is moist. 

Mashed potato topping:

Mash the boiled potatoes separately. Divide the butter and add it to the potatoes. Add milk if required to mash them to a smooth texture. Season with salt.

Assembling and baking the pie:

Fill a casserole/baking dish (I used a 8x8 glass dish) with the pie filling, leveling it with the back of a spoon. Top it with the mashed potatoes. You can get creative here and make any design you would like. Piping the potatoes with a frosting tip is also a good option. I just spooned the potatoes over the filling alternating between regular and sweet potatoes, and then made a pattern on it with a fork. The patterns help make several edges on the mashed potatoes which crisp up in the oven.

If you’re not baking right after making the filling and the topping, let the pie heat through in the oven at 400 F for about 10 min. If the filling and topping is still hot, this step can be skipped since everything is already cooked. Broil on high until the top is browned a little. Serve warm.

~Gayatri