this post is sponsored by nuts.com. thank you for supporting the partnerships that allow brewing happiness to grow and exist. xoxo.

In my list of ideas for future recipes I’ve had the words “veggie burger” written down for nearly two years. It was intimidating to me, because there are so many veggie burgers in this world and very few of them hit the spot for me. I have high standards when it comes to the healthyish food in my life. So I didn’t want to tackle it until I knew I could make a burger that was worth eating and would hold together.

I tried this a few different ways. I had a few failures, but alas here we are – mushroom chickpea burger success!

Here are the things I like about this burger…

1. It holds together. None of that falling apart while you eat it business – I HATE THAT.
2. It actually fills you up. It feels substantial and doesn’t leave you craving 80 million fries.
3. It’s got texture. Every bite is a fun adventure.
4. It’s got cheese. Inside. That’s right. There’s cheese right in the ole patty and it’s freaking delicious.
5. It’s packed with whole grains. Theres some Nuts.com farro and oats hidden in that patty!

The other secret hiding inside is Nuts.com chia flour, which is just ground up chia seeds, but it serves as a great binder and helps to “beef up” the patty so to speak. So yes, the patty has cheese and egg in it, but overall it’s just a good-for-you veggie burger you can whip up at home.

This recipe does take time, if you don’t pre-make your farro. So I’d suggest making a big batch of farro at the beginning of the week, and using it for lunches, salads, and these veggie burgers. If you don’t pre-cook the farro, the recipe will take about 30 minutes longer. Just an FYI.

Other Healthy Junk : Healthified Cheeseburger Tacos + Cajun Tofu Nuggets + Baked Veggie Dogs

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetite. 

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Mushroom Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Course: Healthy Junk, Main Course

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8 patties

Author: Brewing Happiness

These Mushroom Chickpea Veggie Burgers fill you up and don't fall apart. Plus they're packed with delicious ingredients like whole grains and cheese!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 15.5 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons steak seasoning, divided (add 1/2 tsp of salt if your seasoning doesn't include it)
• 1/4 cup scallions, diced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 cup Nuts.com Organic Pearled Farro, cooked
• 1/4 cup Nuts.com Chia Flour
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (sub pepper jack)
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other high smoke point oil)

Serve with

• whole wheat buns
• butter head lettuce
• herloom tomatoes
• munster cheese slices (optional)
• red onion, sliced
• avocado, sliced
• sprouts
• ketchup or mayo

Instructions

1. Chop your shiitake mushrooms, yellow onion, and scallions. Rinse, drain, and pat dry your chickpeas. Mince your garlic.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of steak seasoning to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

3. Add in chickpeas, scallions, soy sauce, miso paste, and liquid smoke. Cook for 3 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

4. Take off heat, toss in cooked farro, and transfer HALF of the mixture to a large bowl and HALF to a food processor or blender. 

5. Add chia flour and egg to the blender or food processor and pulse until it is sticky and well combined. 

6. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the half of the mixture in the large bowl. Mash until it's well blended and sticky. 

7. Add oats and Monterey jack cheese to the large bowl along with both halves of the mixture. Use your hands to combine all of the ingredients.

8. Form your mixture into 8 patties, and place on a plate or baking sheet. Heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. 

9. Add 1-3 burgers at a time to the skillet and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes until brown. Transfer to a paper towel when finished. 

10. Assemble your burger with all the good stuff (aka. lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, avocado, sprouts, ketchup or mayo and a bun!)

11. EAT UP. 

With Earth Day coming up, I’d thought it would be a good idea to give you a list of simple things you can do to help the planet. The earth is a finite resource, and there are some simple things you can do to take care of it. So here’s a list of some ideas for you. Maybe try 5 new ones this week!

1. Bring reusable bags when you shop. These are the ones I have and I love them!
2. Bring your own mug to the coffee shop. Get a traveler cup and bring it with you to get coffee – they’ll gladly fill it up for you.
3. Carry a metal straw. Use it at restaurants or coffee shops or whenever you need a straw. It’s amazing how much paper and plastic is wasted on the smallest of items!
4. RECYCLE. Please for the love of all that is good. Recycle.
5. Go meatless more often. Eat more veggie burgers!
6. Buy your pantry staples in bulk (aka. out of bulk bins) rather than small plastic packages. (Maybe even bring some mason jars to the store with you and fill those up!)
7. Switch from ziplock bags and plastic tupperware reusable bags and glass tupperware.
8. Get a tea infuser and buy loose leaf tea instead of tea bags.
9. Buy mostly loose produce (aka. produce not already packaged.)
10. Keep some reusable utensils on you for takeout food.
11. Support local farmers by shopping at the farmers market.
12. Swap out your cleaning products for non-toxic versions. (Don’t know where your cleaning products rank? Check out their score on the EWG’s site.)
13. Swap out your skincare routine for something non-toxic. Maybe even try Lily’s method of washing your face with honey!
14. Buy a water bottle that isn’t plastic and refill it.
15. Eat your leftovers! Help eliminate food waste.

It’s not too hard to make a big impact on the environment – for good or for bad. So put a little extra effort into your daily routine, switch out products that are no good for the earth, and trust that your changing things for the better.

Maybe you’re already crushing that list and you’re onto higher level things. If so, keep going! We need you. But if there are some things on that list you don’t do, or you’ve never even considered. Try them out. Maybe start with one, and see how easy it is. Then move up to two, etc. Soon enough you’ll be saving the planet.

xo.