Buffalo Chickpea Burgers

Hello? Anybody out there? It's been almost a year since I posted anything here and there wasn't much consistency before that. Well I have to say that a lot can change in a year. We're currently expecting our first child in August. We are thrilled, but food did take the back burner for me over most of this winter. I couldn't even scroll through Pinterest or enjoy meal planning for awhile. However, we've still been trying a variety of new recipes and cooking a lot at home, so I do have things to share. I am hoping to return to documenting some of the recipes we try here in this space since I utilize the blog to share recipes with others, as well as adding favorites to my own weekly menus.

I am back today with a dinner we've made a few times since it posted on Kate's Recipe Box back in April. These chickpea burgers are delicious! Pregnancy has brought on a major aversion to chicken, so I was excited to get a buffalo fix in another way. We didn't miss the meat with these burgers! They aren't grill friendly without a pan, so they might be the perfect lunch or dinner solution on a rainy summer day.

You will need:
*1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
*1 15.5oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
*1/2 cup old fashioned oats
*1/4 cup shallot, minced
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1/4 cup buffalo sauce, plus additional for serving if desired
*1 egg, lightly beaten
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon pepper
*1/4 cup breadcrumbs
*4 hamburger buns, for serving
*crumbled blue cheese and/or dressing, for serving

1. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add quinoa, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff and set aside.

2. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until they resemble crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl. Add oats to the food processor and pulse a few times, add to the bowl with the chickpeas. In this same bowl, combine the quinoa, shallot, garlic, buffalo sauce, egg, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Mix by hand until everything is well incorporated (this will be sticky!) Form mixture into 4 patties.

3. Heat a thin coat of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for about 5 minutes a side. Serve patties on buns, topped with crumbled blue cheese and or dressing. You could also add additional buffalo sauce for taste.