These veggie burgers are easy to make, have infinite variations, and are delicious — far superior than any store bought option and far more nutritious too. This is based on Mark Bittman's recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. He recommends either pan frying them or baking them but having tried both methods, I found baking them was easier, less messy, and helped with holding the burgers together. I highly recommend these! Best of all you can make a double batch and freeze half of the patties before cooking so you've prepped two dinners at once. Serve them with baked sweet potato wedges and a green salad. 

Homemade Veggie Burgersadapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans (or use any bean you like) 1 cup cheese of your choice (cut-up or grated) 1 cup old-fashioned oats 2 eggs 1 small onion, quartered 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp chili powder (or more to taste) salt & pepper to taste

Combine the beans, cheese, egg, onion, oats, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until chunky but not pureed. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes.

With wet hands, shape into patties and let rest again. If you have time, the flavor improves when they sit for about 20 minutes or so before cooking. Alternately, you can make them up to a day in advance and store in the refrigerator before cooking.

Place patties on a well-oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Flip burgers and then bake for another 15 minutes, or until burgers have a golden-brown crust.

Serve immediately. Makes 6 large burgers.

Nutrition Nuggets

Garbanzo beans are a good source of fiber, folic acid, and manganese, they also contain high amounts of molybdenum — a trace mineral needed to detoxify sulfites, a preservative commonly found in wine, processed meats, and salad from salad bars. They are a great source of protein and are high in minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc. Garbanzo beans can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels.

Oats are high in minerals like manganese, selenium, and phosphorus. They are also a good source of the minerals magnesium and iron and contain vitamin B1. Due to the fact that oats contain dietary fiber high in beta-glucan, they have long been touted as having cholesterol lowering effects. Beta-glucan binds bile acids and removes them from the body to help lower cholesterol. Oats also have a favorable effect on blood sugar and are a good alternative to refined grains.