switch it up. [chickpea & brown rice veggie burgers w. tomato salad]

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day! I spent the day/evening in Malibu with my friends Ellen and Danielle. We shopped and ate an early dinner at Malibu Seafood. Our spread ranged from fresh fish tacos to deep-fried halibut pieces to clam strips to New England clam chowder. Everything was delicious–I can’t wait to go back.

These homemade veggie burgers were also fantastic…and much healthier! Since I’m always making turkey or beef burgers, these were a nice change. Though somewhat time-consuming, the burgers were delectable, with a wonderful variety of flavors and textures.

Hey there, Ellen.

Veggie burger recipe:

1 cup chickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

2 tbsp. bread crumbs, dried, plain, whole-wheat preferred

3 tbsp. carrots, shredded

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

3 tbsp. scallions, minced

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg white

Salad recipe:

1/2 cup zucchini, diced

1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced

2 tbsp. red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Lemon vinaigrette recipe: 

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

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

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

To make salad, combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to combine and set aside. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for lemon vinaigrette and set aside.

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

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.

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. Remove burgers from heat and serve; top with salad and drizzle lemon vinaigrette on top.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers.