Herbed Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers (GF)

Rinse (uncooked) chickpeas in a fine mesh strainer and add to a large pot. Cover with 2 inches water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Then cover, remove from heat, and let set for 1 hour. Then drain and lightly rinse and dry thoroughly (method from the Kitchn).

In the meantime, add parsley or basil, onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor. Mix until well processed.

Once the chickpeas are slightly cooled, add half to the food processor, along with cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and tahini. Mix to combine thoroughly, scraping down sides as needed. Then add the rest of the chickpeas and blend until you have a dough that's close to a paste in consistency. This may take up to 4-5 minutes to fully incorporate all of the spices and herbs. Add more tahini or a bit of water if the mixture is looking too crumbly or dry.

Sample a small bit and adjust spices/salt/herbs as needed. Then cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld and the texture to become more firm.

Remove from refrigerator and divide into 4-6 even patties (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and gently form into patties using your hands. If the burgers aren't holding together the mixture may need to be blended more thoroughly, or blended with a bit more tahini.

To cook, heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium/ medium-high heat (or cook on the grill!). Once hot, add enough oil to create a thin layer on the bottom of the pan and wait 1-2 minutes for the oil to heat up. Then place only as many burgers as will fit comfortably in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Once the bottom side is evenly browned, flip gently, as they can be fragile. Continue until all burgers are cooked. Adjust heat as needed if they're browning too quickly, or aren't cooking quickly enough.

These burgers are delicious on their own with garlic dill sauce or pesto and desired toppings. They're also great with a bun, but it isn't necessary! Alternatively, serve over greens, in pita, or enjoy as is!

To freeze, lay uncooked burgers on a plate or baking sheet and freeze. Once firm, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze up to one month. Let thaw before cooking on the stovetop or grill.