Chickpea Burger, Leftover Noodles

My wife had a bit over a cup of dried chickpeas soaking, and I decided to try something rather ad hoc with the chickpeas and the Vitamix blender. I put the chickpeas into the blender, along with about half a dozen small English peas in the pod (I just cut off the stem end, but otherwise used the whole pea pod), a small frozen carrot, a half dozen grape tomatoes, a little less than a tablespoonful of tahini, and a clove of garlic.

I ran the Vitamix at 4 out of 10 on the variable speed setting till everything was blended together (maybe 30 seconds). Then I added 1/2 small onion, and blended again a few more seconds to integrate the onion. I added a dash of salt, paprika, and dried Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, and a few other herbs), and briefly ran the blender to mix these in, as well.

I used my hands to make three patties (I served two medium sized ones and saved one large one), coated them with bread crumbs, and sauteed first one side then the other over medium-high heat till both sides were nicely browned (perhaps 4-5 minutes per side). I served over mixed greens with a small dollop of tahini, a slice of tomato, and a drizzle of hot sauce. I also served leftover noodles from a few days ago.

The burger turned out good! I was wondering if it would taste like falafel; it didn't, and didn't have a strong flavor, but my wife and I both liked it. I would like to try making something like this again, but perhaps adding some additional vegetables or even vegan sausage for stronger flavor. But it was a successful and tasty experiment!

Incidentally, I had a papaya waiting to be eaten, and also used the Vitamix for what turned out to be an excellent thick juice. I put half the papaya in (without seeds or skin) the blender, as well as a 1/4" thick slice of organic lemon, peel, pith, and all. I also added about a half dozen frozen cherries, a Minneola tangelo (peeled), about a half dozen raw macadamia nuts, and 3/4 a tray of ice cubes. (I forgot, but should have also added flaxseed.) I blended on high till smooth, then reduced to 40% or so power and let the remaining ice from the tray be made into an icy, gritty accompaniment. The juice was surprisingly good!