Meatless Burger Night

Now, when we say “meatless,” we don’t mean “weird and flavorless.” These falafel burgers are the kind of vegetarian eating that makes a die-hard beef lover give peas a chance. Chickpeas, that is. If you’ve got a little extra time to make your family dinner extra special, making your own pita bread is easy and a fun task to get the kids involved with.

Falafel Burger

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A simple falafel sauce is super easy. Just combine ½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste, available in the Middle Eastern section of your supermarket) with ¼ cup water, a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic, ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika for color, and a little dash of pepper and cayenne if desired. Add more or less water depending on your preference. The sauce’s tart taste and creamy texture is the perfect complement to the crunchy and savory patties.

Servings: 4 (190 g )

Prep Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup diced white onions
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ tsp. lemon zest
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 whole-wheat pita pockets
  • 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 1 plum tomato, sliced

Directions

  1. Place chickpeas and onions into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs (5-10 seconds).
  2. Add lemon juice, parsley, zest, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse mixture until it starts to clump together in the bowl, but before it reaches a full puree (10-15 seconds).
  3. Form the mixture into four patties. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once, until patties are golden and crispy on both sides (4-5 minutes per side).
  4. Serve inside a whole wheat pita half topped with alfalfa sprouts, diced cucumber, and sliced tomato.