Cilantro Chickpea Burgers

It's very rare that Michael agrees to making vegetarian meals, so I was quite surprised when he actually suggested this recipe the other day. He got a cookbook from his sister a while back called Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, which is where we got the idea. We made a few modifications (especially since we haven't quite converted to organic cooking) & I think they turned out pretty well for our first homemade veggie burger! Even Michael liked them! You can sub any kind of sprouts for the pea shoots. We just like to use them b/c they're tasty and are cheap at Trader Joe's. Feel free to use any toppings you'd like. We thought this combo was tasty - we also added some mustard & ketchup. Use whatever you want! You could definitely make 8 regular size burgers with the mixture - we made 5 and they were HUGE! I'd go for 8 :)

*Added note: People seem to be very interested in the buns - they're asiago focaccia buns from Trader Joe's & they were as tasty as they look!

Ingredients

• 2 16 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 cup pea shoots
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6-8 hamburger buns

TOPPINGS:

• 1 large avocado, sliced
• 1 white onion, sliced
• pea shoots, as many as desired
  

Directions

1. Put garbanazo beans, eggs, and salt in a food processor and puree until well mixed (should be thick).
2. Pour into medium bowl and stir in cilantro, onion, zest, sprouts, and bread crumbs. Let sit for two minutes so that the bread crumbs can absorb moisture.
   
3. Make 6-8 patties out of the bean mixture.
4. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-low heat, add half the patties. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until bottoms begin to brown. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from skillet and cook remaining patties.
5. Serve on buns with onions, leftover pea shoots, and avocado.