Greek chickpea & walnut burgers with Tzatziki sauce

These were AWESOME! There is no way you'd miss meat with these burgers. Don't be turned off by the chick peas. I'm no fan of 'em whole but you'd NEVER know that they were a key component in this dish. The Tzatziki sauce was the icing on the amazing burger. Don't skip this! Delish, delish, delish.

NOTE: I will pan fry these with 2 tblsp of olive oil next time. The grill made it virtually impossible to flip them without doing damage and some of the burgers began to fall apart. They're pretty solid but still fragile.

Greek chickpea & walnut burgers with Tzatziki sauce

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/3 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/4 cup Greek olives
4 sprigs fresh parsley, stems removed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

TZATZIKI SAUCE:

1 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup reduced-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:
In a food processor, combine the first 11 ingredients; cover and pulse four times. Add chickpeas; pulse until chopped. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Combine the sauce ingredients; refrigerate until serving.
Shape chickpea mixture by 2/3 cupfuls into patties. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160°. Serve on buns with lettuce and tomato; top each with 1/4 cup tzatziki sauce. Yield: 5 servings.