Hey Everyone! How was your Easter?... Here we had some wonderful days and fortunately the weather was nice too (even though we're in autumn doesn't feel quite autumnal yet!) Anyway, I'm SUPER SUPER excited about sharing this recipe with you today! Believe me, I've been wanting to share this 'Chick-Burger' recipe (= chickpea burger) for quite some time now. And so the day has finally come! (insert dancing + clapping here please, any song you'd like, I'll pick one of the NKOTB songs, yes ... 80's style)
However before going into this amazing vegetarian 'ChickBurger', by the way I called it "Amazing" because it tastes incredible great + it is beyond easy to make.You'll see what I mean when you read the recipe. However, as I was saying, before going into the recipe for this burger, let me tell you a little story. Ok.
Once upon a time (about 7 years ago) we decided to start cutting the consumption of red meat in our home and the main reason behind this was purely health related. We noticed that eating red meat to often during the week gave us a very unpleasant + inflamatory feeling (swollen face, headaches, muscles aches, tired feeling after eating red meat and a very upset stomach). Obviously I wanted to start doing my research about it and whether the red meat was the cause of all these symptoms (?) ( or if there was something else). And yes, I found a of lot reading material on 'how red meat causes inflammation' to the body. I was really impressed about it. We immediately began preparing + eating more vegetarian meals substituting the red meat with legumes (also nuts but mostly legumes) as our source of protein. After a period of weeks we noticed many positive changes in our bodies and felt much-Much-MUCH better.
I have to say that at first the whole process was challenging for me, I mean I come from Argentina, meaning I have a bit of a Carnivore Mentality! ('We Argentinians' love beef very- very much). But for the sake of our health + animals, this beautiful planet, our pocket and the curiosity of trying new flavors and foods, we decided to carry on with our decision and for the past 6 years until today we've been eating meat free (vegetarian) satisfying meals most days of the week. And we are very happy about it. We still eating red meat though, but not as often as we used to. It is incredibly- amazing to see all the dishes that can be made without the need of using red meat. THE END. Ok. And that was 'The Tale of Aldy and The Red Meat' now we all clap together!!!.... Have any of you experienced similar symptoms when eating red meat often than usual?...I'd love to know!
However before going into this amazing vegetarian 'ChickBurger', by the way I called it "Amazing" because it tastes incredible great + it is beyond easy to make.You'll see what I mean when you read the recipe. However, as I was saying, before going into the recipe for this burger, let me tell you a little story. Ok.
Once upon a time (about 7 years ago) we decided to start cutting the consumption of red meat in our home and the main reason behind this was purely health related. We noticed that eating red meat to often during the week gave us a very unpleasant + inflamatory feeling (swollen face, headaches, muscles aches, tired feeling after eating red meat and a very upset stomach). Obviously I wanted to start doing my research about it and whether the red meat was the cause of all these symptoms (?) ( or if there was something else). And yes, I found a of lot reading material on 'how red meat causes inflammation' to the body. I was really impressed about it. We immediately began preparing + eating more vegetarian meals substituting the red meat with legumes (also nuts but mostly legumes) as our source of protein. After a period of weeks we noticed many positive changes in our bodies and felt much-Much-MUCH better.
I have to say that at first the whole process was challenging for me, I mean I come from Argentina, meaning I have a bit of a Carnivore Mentality! ('We Argentinians' love beef very- very much). But for the sake of our health + animals, this beautiful planet, our pocket and the curiosity of trying new flavors and foods, we decided to carry on with our decision and for the past 6 years until today we've been eating meat free (vegetarian) satisfying meals most days of the week. And we are very happy about it. We still eating red meat though, but not as often as we used to. It is incredibly- amazing to see all the dishes that can be made without the need of using red meat. THE END. Ok. And that was 'The Tale of Aldy and The Red Meat' now we all clap together!!!.... Have any of you experienced similar symptoms when eating red meat often than usual?...I'd love to know!
NOW THE RECIPE,
Here I created a step by step photo guide to show you a bit of the preparation + ingredients for this burger. You will only need four ingredients; Chickpeas (obvious), Fine-grain Bulgur or Instant Bulgur, Onion and fresh Parsley. Now, about the Bulgur; if you've never used bulgur before, don't worry because you don't even need to cook it. So that's easy, right?!
Where can you buy bulgur? In any bulk store or health food store.
What is bulgur? Bulgur or as we called it in Argentina; Bulghor is a whole grain that comes from the wheat, it is high in fiber, it is low calorie and vegan and it is originally used in many Middle Eastern countries. And there's some wonderful meals that you can make with bulgur. Really!
Here I created a step by step photo guide to show you a bit of the preparation + ingredients for this burger. You will only need four ingredients; Chickpeas (obvious), Fine-grain Bulgur or Instant Bulgur, Onion and fresh Parsley. Now, about the Bulgur; if you've never used bulgur before, don't worry because you don't even need to cook it. So that's easy, right?!
Where can you buy bulgur? In any bulk store or health food store.
What is bulgur? Bulgur or as we called it in Argentina; Bulghor is a whole grain that comes from the wheat, it is high in fiber, it is low calorie and vegan and it is originally used in many Middle Eastern countries. And there's some wonderful meals that you can make with bulgur. Really!
Now there's different types of bulgur, and some of them require cooking but the one we are using in this Chickpea Burger is Fine-grain Bulgur aka Instant Bulgur which comes partially pre-cooked and takes almost 'no time' to prepared at all. So if you are going to shop for bulgur, just remember to ask for fine-grain bulgur or instant bulgur.
And if you've have been thinking on having a vegetarian weekend, here it is my AMAZING CHICKPEA VEGETARIAN BURGER FOR YOU!!! And if you try it, I would love to know!!!
THE AMAZING CHICKPEA BURGER (VEGETARIAN)
Makes 6800 gr Chickpeas (cooked)
3/4 C. Fine- Grain Bulgur/Instant Bulgur
4 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1/4 of One Medium Onion, finely chopped
Fresh Lemon Juice of 1/2 Lemon
3 tsp. Cumin or to taste
Salt to Taste
Vegetable oil to fry burgers
8 Tbsp. Standar Flour / Plain flour
Preparation:
Preparing the Bulgur:
Place the bulgur in a bowl and cover with hot water (just enough to cover the bulgur) put a plate on top of the bowl and soak the bulgur for about 10-15 minutes or until the bulgur becomes soft and chewy to the taste. When ready, place the bulgur in a fine mesh strainer-colander, press with your hands and remove any excess of water. Now, the bulgur is ready to use! Set aside.
Preparing the Chickpeas:
Put the chickpeas into a food processor and process to a coarse paste. Now the chickpeas are ready! Set aside.
Putting ingredients together:
In a bowl add the chickpeas, bulgur, onion, parsley, lemon juice, cumin and salt. Mix everything with a wooden spoon. Now flatter the mixture evenly and divide your burger mix into six equal pieces. Then shape into balls and gently flatten. Spread out the flour on a plate and coat burgers in it.
Cooking the Burgers:
In a frying pan heat the oil (is better to start off using medium-hight heat) and start cooking the burgers (about 2 minutes each side), until golden and crisp.Now assamble your burger; bread + lettuce, burger + tomatoes + some micro-greens if you like and your favourite dressing!!! Now, seat and enjoy every bite!
