Wild Rice and Bean Patties - Vegan

This recipe is very inexpensive and healthy, which for me are two of the most important criteria in choosing what to make for dinner. You can serve these patties as a main dish, or use them as patties for burgers to stretch your grocery money even further.

What goes in your body (8 vegan patties) :

• 1 canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 cup wild rice blend
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• vegetable oil for cooking
• salt to taste

You are going to:

1. In a medium sauce pan, cook wild rice in 1 cup of water with a dash of salt about 45 minutes or until fully cooked, then cool. (This step can be done the previous day.)
2. Into a food processor, place garbanzo beans, cilantro, green onions, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, and turmeric and process for 30 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 
3. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, mix with rice and flour, then shape it into desired-sized patties. (Please keep in mind that they do not shrink when cooked, as meat patties do.)
4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, cook 3-4 minutes each side or until golden and heated through. 
5. Serve with side of fresh greens and Karam's garlic sauce.

Secrets from the chef:

• Frying in a pan is only to add crispy texture and heat since everything in these patties can be eaten as they are. 
• If you don't have Karam's garlic sauce and you are not vegan, serving them with sweet chili yogurt is a good option. To make sweet chili yogurt: mix 1 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce and 1 tbsp lime juice. 
• I also accidentally found out they go well with balsamic vinegar (when the vinegar ran under the patties from my salad).  

Bon appétit!