Chickpea and Carrot Burgers

Makes 4

I love a good veggie burger. Making your own is easy and these are made with ingredients you probably have in your store cupboard or fridge.  Crushing half of the chickpeas provides texture, whilst blitzing the other half creates what you need to bind these together. These contain no flour, egg or dairy and so are suitable for a gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan diet. 

Ingredients:

2 tins of chickpeas, drained (reserve 1 tbsp of liquid)

2 medium/1 large carrot, grated 

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 heaped tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Step 1: Take half the chickpeas and use a potato masher to roughly crush them (some will remain practically whole, others will squish a little). This will give the texture in the burgers.

Step 2: With the other half of the chickpeas, along with the tablespoon of reserved liquid, blitz into a smooth paste.

Step 3: Now combine both types of chickpeas along with the grated carrot, sliced spring onions, spices, garlic (use two crushed cloves if you don’t have any powder) and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste a little of the mix to check the seasoning. 

Step 4: Use your hands to divide into four and shape in to patties. They should be about an inch thick and about four inches wide. 

Step 5: Place on a non-stick baking sheet and cover before placing in the fridge until needed (this will help them to firm up). 

Step 6: When ready to cook, spray or wipe a little oil in the tops of them (I also put a spritz on their bottoms) and bake in a 200c fan oven for 25 minutes.

Serve one in a fluffy bun with lettuce and slices of tomato, along with a sauce of your choice for a full on burger experience. Or go for a skinny burger by serving without the bun (in which case I serve two patties!) These are lovely with sweet potato wedges and a side salad.