Falafel Burgers

Surprisingly, we found this vegetarian burger harder to perfect than our classic fried falafel. Why? There's so much moisture in canned (cooked) chickpeas. Even when you mix it with binders and thickeners (like bread crumbs and almond flour), and even when it seems to hold together as a patty, it falls apart when you try to flip it in the skillet. Even when you add a TON of oil! 

We figured out the solution after remembering that we had roasted the black beans in our black bean burger. Roasting the chickpeas to the point before they start to crisp draws out a ton of moisture. When you combine it with all the herbs, spices, and onion, the patties stay together easily. Does it intensify the flavor of the chickpeas? Not a ton. But it doesn't need to—the whole sandwich is already extremely flavorful. Especially with the easy lemon yogurt sauce.