Heidi's Chickpea Veggie Burger

I copied this recipe directly from Heidi's blog because I love them, and she said I could. They are easily the best homemade veggie burger I have ever eaten, and Heidi said these are so easy, you can't mess them up and you can adjust the ingredients to your own liking.

CHICKPEA VEGGIE BURGER

2 eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I also used cracker crumbs one time)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or colby jack, swiss, pepper jack, etc…)
1/4 cup chopped onion ( I grate my onion on a cheese grater to “disguise” them)
1/4 cup green olives (I accidentally added 1/2 cup last time I made these and it did not affect the taste)
1 TBSP. dried parsley (I left this out the second time and it was fine)
1 TBSP. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced (or a hefty spoonful of minced garlic from a jar… lazy)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

In food processor, combine everything but the chick peas; cover and pulse four times. Add chickpeas; pulse until chopped. Do NOT puree. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes.

Shape mixture into patties and remember that they won’t shrink so they will be as big as you shape them. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side. To make this truly healthy, serve on a whole wheat hamburger bun.

Now it’s time to give you another awesome option. I shaped my patties and laid them out on a cookie sheet lined with my silpat mat and set them in the freezer for about four hours. Place the frozen patties in a freezer ziploc bag. Now you can have a veggie burger whenever you want. I cook mine on a George Foreman grill right from the freezer and it comes out perfectly.

Makes about 6 to 7 patties.