Homemade Roasted Pepper Chickpea Burgers

I learned two things today: 1) A blender is not a food processor and 2) Don't rush the peppers.

I decided to make homemade roasted pepper chickpea burgers. A challenging feat considering my lack of appropriate kitchen tools. In the end, I managed to put something beautiful and delicious together. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large eggs
1 red bell pepper
2 green chile peppers

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Zest of one lemon
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/2 cup whole-grain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to broil.

2. Wash and cut open the red pepper and 2 chile peppers and clean out the seeds. Place the peppers, cut side down on aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Broil the peppers for 10-15 minutes until charred.

3. Immediately put the peppers in a sealed plastic bag to steam for 20-30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the skin should come off the peppers easily, leaving the roasted peppers behind.

** DO NOT RUSH THE PEPPERS. What I learned is that the peppers really do need 30 minutes in the plastic bag. Because I was in a hurry I tried to peel them after only 15 minutes and it was

much harder than it should be; so don't rush the peppers!

4. Combine the chickpeas, roasted peppers, salt, and eggs in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a slightly chunky hummus. Add the alfalfa sprouts and pulse a few more times to combine.

** A BLENDER IS NOT A FOOD PROCESSOR. Get yourself a food processor. I tried to do this with a blender and quickly discovered the difference. For starters, my blender couldn't hold all of the chickpeas; this actually turned out to be a blessing. I put half of the chickpeas, plus the roasted peppers, eggs, and salt in the blender and pureed. Unfortunately, my blender makes things the consistency of a smoothie, not a chunky hummus. Luckily, I was able to mash up the remaining chickpeas with a fork until they were a chunky consistency. Then, I poured the creamy mixture into a bowl with the mashed and chunky chickpeas to come to some sort of balance.

5. Pour the mixture into a bowl and mix in the onions, cilantro and lemon zest.

6. Mix in the breadcrumbs and then let sit for a few minutes so the breadcrumbs absorb some of the moisture.

7. Form the burger mixture into patties and place on parchment paper. You should be able to make about 9-12 patties.

8. Freeze as many of the patties as you wish. With the rest, heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and cook the patties for a few minutes on each side until browned and heated through. I like mine with a fresh whole grain or sourdough roll topped with some romaine lettuce and avocado.