chickpea & spinach burgers

I love any kind of veggie burger. I find they tend to have a much fresher taste, and are often filled with rich, spicy, flavours. Vegetables or legumes are perfect for burgers, and make a great way to sneak some of them into your diet if you aren’t usually a fan of their taste. Chickpeas are my favourite type of legume as they’re so versatile and have a great texture. Whether you’re making them into a hummus, stirring them into a curry or sneaking them into a cake, there’s almost nothing to dislike.

With this recipe, I used the chickpeas to make them into burgers. I’ve always loved chickpea burgers, so knew I had to make my own recipe for one. I created this recipe as one of my first when I started blogging on an old site. It was only the other day that I thought about this recipe again, and felt inspired to improve on it and make it to share on here. After just a few alterations, I can safely say that I now have a new favourite burger recipe. This is something I love to eat, and I can’t wait to make time and time again.

Chickpea & Spinach Burgers – makes about 6:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp flaxseeds + 1/4 cup (60ml) water

1 400g tin chickpeas (1 1/2 cups worth)

1 cup (40g) spinach

1 onion (95g)

1 red pepper (175g)

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 cardamom pods

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp garlic puree

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup (135g) chickpea flour

salt, to taste

Method:

1. Firstly, combine the flaxseeds and water into a bowl and set aside to form a gel.

2. Then, finely slice your onion, and roughly chop your red pepper into small cubes. Add the onion into a pan on a high heat with the sunflower oil, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cardamom pods. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until golden.

3. Then, add in your red pepper, ground ginger, chilli, ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic puree, tomato puree and lemon juice. Fry for a further 3-5 minutes until soft. Then, set aside briefly to cool down. When this is done, add the mixture into a blender, and blend into a smooth paste.

4. Next, transfer the paste into a food processor, and add in the chickpeas, spinach, flaxseed mixture and a pinch of salt. Blend briefly until fairly smooth, but still has the odd piece/whole chickpea in it. Then, add in the chickpea flour, and stir together until evenly mixed.

5. Now, divide the mixture into 6 evenly sized sections. Place a pan on a high heat and drizzle with some oil. Press 1/6 of the mixture into a burger shape, and place onto the pan. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Then repeat until all of your burgers have been made, and serve. I like to serve them with a salad and some of my root chips. Enjoy!