Triple C Vegan Veggie Burgers

When I lived in St. Louis and worked way too many hours for not enough money, I needed quick, easy, healthy and hassle-free lunch options.  With only 30 minute break, much less a 10 minute break, or even worse NO BREAK AT ALL (what is the world coming to?), fast, portable and satisfying lunches were a much needed accessory.

Since I try not to over-do it with soy (I can talk more about this in the comments if anyone's interested), especially the overly processed kind that's in most commercial veggie burgers, soy nuggets and the like, I've stopped buying most grocery store veggie burgers (textured soy protein, anyone?) and instead opted to make my own.  I've tried a lot of different recipes and have always had good results but I guess I never thought they were "blog worthy." 

What I like about making your own veggie burgers is that they're very forgiving and completely customizable.  You can pretty much use any kind of beans, grains, veggies, and spices you want and chances are they'll come out tasting pretty darn good (especially with some hummus and avocado).  So here's one of my most recent recipes; I love that its simplicity doesn't compromise the flavor at all.  I call them Triple C Burgers because they're made with Chickpeas, Carrots, and Chipotle seasoning.

Triple C Vegan Veggie Burgers
Adapted from Angela's Curry Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons (or to taste) smoky chipotle seasoning (I used this one) 
1/4 cup roasted salted pepitas (or unsalted and add a bit of sea salt)
1 15oz can chickpeas (or about 2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor, process the oats, carrots, tahini and the seasoning for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. Now add in the chickpeas stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Once the chickpeas are mostly processed and smooth, take the mixture and place in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the pepita seeds. Wet your hands and into about 6 patties.

Bake for about 15 minutes on each side.