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Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers

These flavor-packed veggie burgers with olives, chickpeas, and spices are at home whether they are in a burger bun, in a wrap, or served bunless. This is a favorite recipe of my students in the Forks Over Knives Cooking Course, who love it because it’s both easy and tasty.

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato, baked whole (approximately 1 cup once cooked)
  • 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked and coarsely mashed
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
  • 1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp red onion, finely minced
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup dry rolled oats, ground into meal
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • Suggested toppings: pickles, hummus, pickled onions, and/or sweet chili sauce.

Directions

  1. First, gather and prepare all your ingredients and lay them out neatly.
  2. Once your sweet potatoes are baked whole and cooled, peel the skin off and set aside.
  3. (Note: Be sure you do not steam or boil the sweet potatoes since they will retain too much water, making the burger batter quite wet.)
  4. To prepare the burger mixture: In a mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients except the oats, pressing the potato until the mixture begins to bind. If the mixture is a bit too moist, add some of the rolled oats — they will help to absorb a bit of the excess moisture. You will likely need all of the oats, but not necessarily, so just add them a bit at a time until the burger holds together slightly when gently squeezed in your hand.
  5. To bake the burgers, place them into a pre-heated 400°F (205°C) oven.
  6. Form the mixture into burger size patties or into small sliders, and place on a nonstick baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes, flip, and continue baking for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, or until both sides are golden.
  8. Serve on whole-wheat buns (or slider buns), in pitas or wraps, or bun-less.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 burgers or 8 sliders

Serving Size: 1 burger or 2 sliders

Calories: 120

Fat: 1.5g

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 720mg

Carbohydrates: 21g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 4g