• 1 cup dry/uncooked chickpeas (or 2 & 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas) 1/2 cup dry brown rice (or 1 & 1/4 cup cooked rice) 3 tbsp sunflower seeds + 1 tbsp pepita seeds, toasted 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup diced red pepper 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced 1/4 cup diced red onion 1 small carrot, grated 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 3 tbsp BBQ sauce 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, or more as needed 2-3 tbsp ground flax 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Fine grain sea salt, to taste

Recipe Steps:

• 1) Soak dry chickpeas overnight, or for at least 8 hours, in a large bowl filled with water. When ready, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place in a medium-sized pot with 3 cups of fresh water. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Remove lid and put salt. Cover again and simmer on low-medium for about 50 minutes, watching carefully after about 35-40. When cooked, chickpeas will be tender and some may have split open. Drain and rinse. Alternatively, you can use canned chickpeas or 3) the quick-soak method: Add 3 cups water and 1 cup dry chickpeas into a pot. Cover, bring to a boil, and immediately turn heat off. Keep covered and let sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain and rinse chickpeas. Add into rinsed pot with 3 cups fresh water. Cook the same as method 1) above.
• In a strainer, rinse the rice. Add 1/2 cup dry rice into a pot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, watching closely and giving it a stir after 20. Add a touch more water if necessary.
• Preheat oven to 300F. Toast sunflower and pepita seeds for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden in colour. Set aside.
• Finely chop the garlic, peppers, onion, and parsley. Grate carrot. Stir in half the salt. Set aside.
• : When chickpeas are ready, drain and rinse. Add the cooked chickpeas and rice into a large bowl. Make sure your rice is HOT as it helps it stick together and bind. Do not use cold rice. With a potato masher, mash very well, leaving some chunks for texture. You will need to use a lot of elbow grease to mash this up, but you want it really sticky so it’s worth it! You can also pulse in a food processor. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chopped vegetables into the mashed chickpea/rice mixture. Now stir in the seeds, BBQ sauce, breadcrumbs, and ground flax. Add the salt and red pepper flakes to taste. 7. Shape patties & cook: Form 6-8 patties and pack dough together tightly. Spray the preheated skillet with oil. Cook the patties for about 4-5 minutes per side over medium-high heat (time will vary based on your temp). Burgers should be browned and firm when ready. You can also try grilling the patties (try pre-baking patties for 15 mins in the oven at 350F before grilling).To go with the burgers make crispy French Fries the way you want them to be,crispy and crunchy,enjoy.