Falafel Burgers

Falafel Burgers

These burgers are made from chickpeas and vegetables and a warm blend of spices. I love eating them with hummus and some fresh greens on a Brioche bun. But they can with with a variety of sauces including tzatziki, or traditional ketchup, mustard and relish!

As they are based on a falafel recipe, I recommend making some balls instead of all burgers. They taste great on a salad with a tahini dressing. And they freeze well! Microwave for a few minutes to defrost before adding to a salad.

The burgers will shrink up a bit once you fry them, so make them a bit bigger than you want.

---

INGREDIENTS

3 carrots
1 red onion
1 cup packed cilantro leaves*
2 540ml (19 oz.) cans of chickpeas
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tsp. chopped garlic
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
4 tsp. cumin
4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil

For Serving
Brioche buns
Red onion
Fresh greens
Hummus or other sauces

YIELD

8 burgers OR 6 burgers and 6 falafel balls

TIME

• Prep - 20 minutes

• Cook - 40 minutes

TOOLS

• Food processor or blender

• Large bowl

• Nonstick frying pan

• Baking sheets

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the vegetables: roughly chop the onion and peel and chop the carrots. Wash cilantro and chop off the stems.

2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Blot with a clean towel to dry and then place in the food processor. Pulse for a few minutes. Add in sesame seeds and process until a paste-like consistency forms. Scrape into a large bowl.

3. Add onion, carrots, and garlic into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add cilantro and pulse for another minute. Scrape vegetables into a bowl with chickpeas.

4. Stir in the flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Mix with a spoon or with your hands until fully combined. Form into patties or balls.

5. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

6. Add burgers to the pan and fry for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Place on the baking sheets.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping all of the burgers halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

ADAPTATIONS

*If you are like me and have a cilantro hater in your life, substitute the cilantro with Italian Parsley.

Recipe adapted from Love & Lemons.