POINTS® Value |  3
Servings | 4
Preparation Time | 25 min
Cooking Time | 16 min
Level of Difficulty | Moderate

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

Ingredients


1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs, whole-wheat preferred
3 Tbsp shredded carrots
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 medium 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 cucumber(s), diced
1/4 cup sweet red pepper(s), diced
2 Tbsp red onion(s), thinly slivered
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp 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 sprays 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, remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, lemon juice, oil and remaining 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.