These burgers are a great homemade alternative to store-bought veggie burgers with lots of additives.  The wetness of the eggplant allows you to skip using an egg for binder, making these vegan (if you substitute for the worchestire).  Feel free to play with the spice combinations to suit your family’s preferences.

Yield: 4 servings; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• half a large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 large purple eggplant, chopped
• 2 T worchestire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 oz can chick peas, drained
• 1/2 cup raw oats
• 1 tsp sweet curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400*.  Spread two baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease thoroughly with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion to pan and saute until starting to become translucent, 2-3minutes.  Season with pepper and salt to draw out the moisture.
3. Add eggplant, garlic, and worchestire sauce to the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
5. Place chick peas in the bowl of a medium food processor and pulse twice.  Do not pulse until smooth, remember, you are not making hummus!
6. Working in 1/2 cup batches, pulse eggplant mixture into the chick peas.
7. Pulse in oats and seasoning until well-combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
8. Remove the food processor’s bowl from its base, being careful to mind the blades.
9. Shape mixture into 8 palm-sized patties and place on the prepared baking trays.  The patties will be very soft, but will firm up as they cook.
10. Bake for 30-35minutes, until the outsides of the burgers have started to brown.