It’s mid June now, and my herb garden is literally overflowing with cilantro and parsley, it seems the more I cut the more it grows. I don’t want it to go to waste and I can only give away so much, so I was trying to think of something I could whip up. Way back almost 2 years ago I made this falafel burger recipe for the first time and I remembered that it took both of herbs, so I searched and found that recipe. At that time, in the midst of fear and the unknown, starting down this plant-based journey for heart health this recipe seemed very difficult. I believe at the time I only had a small food processor and not a very good one at that, so perhaps that was my angst. Regardless I remembered it being a challenge and difficult, so much so apparently that I don’t remember preparing it more than twice.
Yesterday they came together so easily, I am shocked I don’t make them all the time. Everything popped into my VitaMix and that’s basically it! I had my 19-year-old son form them into burgers for me, leaving him with green fingers, not I. He used a 1/3 cup measure to determine the amount of mix needed for each burger, formed it into a ball and then pressed it into a burger shape and placed them on a prepared baking sheet. I use silicone mats on my baking sheets that I found at Costco (they came in a set of 3 around Christmas time), and they have been wonderful. Prior to the silicone mats, I lined my baking sheets with parchment paper. I had to leave before they finished cooking so this is the photo my son sent me when he pulled them out of the oven, he says they were surprisingly good, even though they are green.
In some parts of the world cilantro is referred to as coriander, here in the US the leaves are cilantro and the seeds are coriander. Both cilantro and parsley have heart healthy benefits and are part of a Whole Foods plants based lifestyle.
Falafal Burgers
A full of flavor,healthy, green burger
Ingredients
- 2-3 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup parsley packed, stems off
- 1/2 cup cilantro, packed, stems on
- 1/2 cup scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp sea salt (optional if you are avoiding salt)
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Heat oven to 400°
- Place garlic, parsley, cilantro and scallions in food processor and process until finely ground, you may need to scrape down the sides several times to get it to mix.
- Add all the other ingredients (work in batches if your processor isn’t big enough) and process into a paste. It should stick together, making it easy to form into patties. If its too dry add the reserved liquid from the chickpeas 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
- If I have time I like to refrigerate the mixture for approximately 30 minutes, if you are short on time I have gone straight to forming into burgers and baking.
- Form into patties using a 1/3 cup measure as a guide. Place on prepared baking sheet (cover with parchment paper or silicone mat).
- Place baking sheet in the oven and let cook for 10 minutes. Flip patties and let them cook for another 10 minutes. They should be slightly browned.
- Enjoy with your favorite burger sides.
theheartie.kitchen
The Heartie Kitchen 