Middle Eastern Veggie Burgers

Veggie burgers do not have to be lame, tasteless and dissatisfying! I enjoy a few of the frozen veggie burgers out in the market but for the most part, when eating them I don't really feel the sense of satisfaction that you get out of big ol' hefty meat burger. The record will be set and you will have a whole new appreciation & approval for veggie burgers after you make this recipe.

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1-1 1/2 cups Red Potatoes
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 Tbls. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbls. olive oil

First begin by placing potatoes in a sm-medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes until quite tender, drain them and let them cool for a few minutes. Roughly chop up the cooked potatoes and throw into a large bowl. Add in 1 Tbls. of oil and the garlic into the bowl and begin to mash the potato mixture until chunky. Take out and place 3 Tbls. of chickpeas from the can into a separate small bowl. Add the remaining chickpeas from the can into the chunky potatos and mash up until well combined. Mix in remaining 1 Tbls. of olive oil, parsley, salt, lemon zest, paprika, pepper & egg whites. Carefully stir in the separated (3 Tbls.) chickpeas into the mixture.

Begin to heat up a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Divide the potato/chickpea mixture into equal sized patties (either 6 mini burgers or 4 regular size). Slap them onto your heated pan (do not overcrowd, cook in batches if needed) and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until each side is golden brown.

Assemble burgers on slider sized or regular sized buns, and play around with toppings. I loved mustard and lettuce with these, but you could try mayo, tomato...

You Could Also Try...

• Leftovers were amazing, maybe even better than the originals. I heated mine up in the toaster oven so that I could keep the crispiness.
• Slice cooked burger over a big bed of lettuce for an original Middle Eastern salad. Use lemon juice and olive oil for dressing so you don't lose the flavors of the burger slices!