BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers

As promised, here is another recipe that would be great for homemade barbeque sauce.   While I don't like burgers that pretend to be meat (because they fall far short of the real thing), I love to try new things and flavors.  And this BBQ cheddar chickpea burger recipe happens to have some of my husband's favorite flavors (can you really go wrong with cheddar and barbeque?).  Also, this was a last-minute meal and so it was great that I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. 

Although a word of warning: I am apparently physically incapable of making non-meat patties.  Almost every time I try, I have to call my husband in the kitchen to somehow salvage my falling-apart patties.  The taste is always good but the appearance leaves something to be desired.  Since my husband is much better than me at this, he was able to create a normal-looking burger for the second batch.  But even if your burgers are like mine and fall apart or look less than photogenic, trust me, we thought the flavor was still pretty incredible!

Another meatless burger I've made before is this lentil and walnut burger which is so good, that I'm making it again this week.  It's been far too long!


BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers
Taken from: How Sweet It Is
Makes 4-5 burgers

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion (I used chopped yellow onions instead)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon + 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1 medium-sized peeled carrot, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4-1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese + more for topping
• 2 tablespoons barbeque sauce + more for topping (try homemade!)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 1/2-3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour (I used more like 5 tablespoons of white whole wheat flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• Hamburger buns (we used homemade slider buns)
• Burger toppings:  cheddar cheese, additional BBQ sauce, additional sliced onions, sliced avocado, pickles, sliced tomato, etc

1. Heat a small skillet over low heat and add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Throw in onions with a pinch of salt, stir to coat, then let cook and caramelize for 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your food processor, add broccoli and carrot, pulsing until chopped very finely. Add chickpeas, sauce, honey, flour, cheese, onions, salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Process and pulse until completely combined but not pureed. Carefully remove from processor bowl and form into 4 burgers. If you feel that your burgers and somewhat delicate, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Once hot, add burgers to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outsides, about 3-4 minutes. Be gentle when flipping and removing burgers so they don’t crack or fall apart. Serve on toasted buns with any additional toppings.