Ease your summer diet with this chickpea-based vegan burger. You will love combining it with one of the best Italian complements: the caprese salad. These chickpea burgers add a little "pizza" to your plate, while providing a healthy dose of protein and fiber.
How to prevent hamburgers from falling apart?
One of the biggest problems with making veggie patties is that they tend to be more difficult to keep compact because the base of legumes is lower in fat than meat. To allow this burger to not crumble and stay moist, you will add a little ground flaxseed and olive oil . Flax is a great emulsifier and helps bind chickpeas, while olive oil also helps prevent chickpeas from feeling too brittle and gives hamburgers a nice texture.
On the other hand, you will enjoy the taste of a Caprese salad, placing a slice of mozzarella and pesto on the chickpea burger. As an option to avoid the use of bread, you can use two tomato slices. Whichever way you wrap it, this easy veggie burger leaves you feeling light and ready to tackle the next workout.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and crushed
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoonful of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of oregano
- Sliced mozzarella cheese
- Pesto sauce
- 4 tomatoes, sliced and cored
Preparation
Combine the chickpeas with flax, onion, spices and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until well mixed. You may need to use your hands to finish mashing the chickpeas completely. Check to see if the mixture will be consistent enough to hold together when you squeeze it by hand.
You may need to add an additional 1 tablespoon of oil for the patties to hold together properly.
Form 4 patties with the chickpea mixture.
Cook 5-8 minutes on each side until golden brown.
While the burgers are cooking, prepare the salad.
Assemble the hamburger with the pesto sauce, mozzarella, tomato and place it on the bread.
