I’ve recently dove into the world of protein powders but fell short of inspiration upon discovering there’s hardly any savoury recipes out there. Most people use protein in shakes and pancakes – that seems to be where it ends. Hemp protein has a raw, earthy taste so I wanted to find something to compliment it, rather than disguise it as most recipes aim to do. I decided to absolutely chance it by throwing together a batch of chickpea burgers, and what a ridiculously tasty chance it was!

 

They have a really earthy, nutty taste with a fibrous, nutritious undertone without being bland or boring, by any means. I make batches of veggie burgers regularly and find that they can go a little too wet or soggy, meaning the addition of more chickpea flour than I’d like. With these, however, they held together better than any burger I’ve ever made with just the use of the protein powder as my dry ingredient. Plus with all of the protein and healthy carbs they amount to (macros listed), they turn out to be a great post-workout meal.

I’ve listed the veggies I used to compliment them but you can add whatever flavours you like to the mix, I typically just throw in whatever we have left in the fridge and hope for the best! You can alternatively fry these on the pan, but I thought roasting them brought out a much heartier, healthy feel to them.

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Tip: They aren’t mega-juicy on their own, so I paired them with tomatoes and cucumber to bring some juiciness and feta cheese for creaminess. You can use whatever toppings or sauce that you like, or add less protein powder for a wetter consistency!

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 Ingredients

• 400g (1 tin) chickpeas, drained
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 carrot, grated
• Handfuls of kale
• 15g almonds*
• 100g garden peas
• 30g hemp protein powder
• 1 egg
• sea salt & black pepper, to taste

*I used the ridiculously delicious roasted and salted almonds from Lidl. If you want to cut down on the calories and salt however, just use the plain ones. I will judge you, though.

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Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180’C.
• Cook the garden peas in a pot of boiling water, then reduce to a simmer until cooked.
• Fry the onion and 2 cloves garlic in the pan on a low/medium heat.
• Drain chickpeas and empty into a food processor while the onions and garlic cook.
• Finely chop up the other clove of garlic and add it into the food processor, raw.
• Add the grated carrot & a few handfuls of kale to the food processor.
• Remove the onions & garlic from the pan and add them in too.
• Add in the egg and 30g hemp protein powder.
• Pulse the ingredients together carefully for a chunky, not smooth, consistency.
• Roughly chop almonds and add them in as it’s pulsing.
  The bigger the pieces and the later you add them, the ‘bitier’ they’ll be.
• When the consistency is consistent, like a chunky paste (not too soft), stir the peas into the mixture using a hand-held utensil – don’t blend them in!
• Add salt & pepper, to taste.
• Divide up the mixture into 6. One at a time, place each portion onto a dry chopping board and mould into chunky circular patties using your hands.
• Roast them in an oven-safe baking dish for 20-40 minutes, until browned.
• Serve with your favourite toppings and enjoy!

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Macros*

*per serving of 3 burgers each – yields 6

• Calories 332
• Carbs 24.7g
• Protein 22.7g
• Fat 12.4g

*per burger

• Calories 111
• Carbs 8.2g
• Protein 7.6g
• Fat 4.1g