Beetroot and chickpea burger

This vegetarian beetroot and chickpea burger is very rich in dietary fibre, and brings 9 grams of protein. Also, beetroot is an excellent source of folate, and a very good one for manganese, potassium and copper, and chickpea is an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese, and a very good one for folate and copper.

The burgers are ready in 25 minutes + 30 minutes of inactive time. The quantities in the recipe here make 8 burgers (172 calories per burger – excluding the toppings).

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups (about 240 g) of precooked chickpeas
• 3 small raw beetroots, peeled and grated (about 2 packed cups of grated beetroot)
• ½ small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• Small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 ½ cups of rolled oats
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil

Preparation

Process the chickpeas in the food processor into a sandy paste.

In a mixing bowl, combine the chickpea, grated beetroot, onion, garlic and coriander leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the rolled oats and eggs, and stir well to combine. Set aside covered for 30 minutes for the rolled oats to absorb the moisture and the mixture to set.

Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts, and make 7-8 cm diameter burgers.

Add some olive oil in a large frying pan, and grill the burgers 3 minutes on each side.

Serve the burgers with cheese, caramelised onion, lettuce and condiments, in a whole wheat bun.

I served them with some homemade low-fat oven French fries or baked sweet potato wedges.

(Adapted from three different recipes of beetroot burgers from She Likes Food, Green Kitchen Stories and the kitchn.)