Garbanzo-Quinoa Burgers

I had some veggie burgers at the local co-op that listed quinoa as an ingredient, and it got me thinking that it seemed like a solid plan.

Since I started buying chickpeas by the case, because that's basically all we eat anymore, I thought: chickpea-quinoa burgers.

To start out, you rinse

• 1/2 cup quinoa

and set it up in your rice cooker with a cup of water, a hefty pinch of salt, and a drop of oil.

Next, you get the savory portion of your burger going by sauteeing

• 1/2 a medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced, and
• 1-2 tablespoons of good olive oil

Until soft and delicious. Next, mash up

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas

with a potato masher until smooth, and, in a spice grinder, process

• 1 1/2 tablespoons flax seeds

into meal. You could also just use 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of already-ground flax meal, but then your dinner wouldn't be as much work, which means it wouldn't be as rewarding.

Everything you cooked up goes in a bowl with

• 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

and, if you are looking for some next-level secrecy,

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Mix into a delicious glop with your hands, and let it rest while you heat up a flat surface. I griddled these bad boys in a little cooking spray, maybe 5-6 minutes a side. This makes six (6) pretty good-sized burgers.

For vegan burgers, they held together pretty well. I'm sold on the quinoa thing, I'mma try it again, maybe with red quinoa and black beans.

We plated this up with some farmstand-fresh ears of corn and some wilted chard. If you're a pro, you'll have buns, but I am totally bush league and - alas! - had only slices of bread on hand. We topped them with some bread-and-butter pickles, but, you don't need me telling you what to put on your dang burger.