DRIED PULSES WEEK: Easy and fast baked chickpeas "burgers" with spinach and herbs

Now these fluffy "burgers" not only can become a super delicious and nutritious meal for the whole family but, also, a great idea to persuade the children to eat dried pulses... They can be served as they are, along with some rice pilaf and a salad or to become the main thing to build up some luscious burgers at home 

Recipe of Eleni Psichouli,

"BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper (2010)

Ingredients (for 4 people):
2 ½ tea-cups of chickpeas, boiled and drained
1 tea-cup of fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, grated
½ tea-cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (or spearmint or basil)
1 small orange, the zest
1 egg
1 tea-cup of very fine breadcrumbs
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
extra breadcrumbs for coating

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until you have a homogeneous mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Shape the mixture into oval medium-sized burgers and coat with the extra breadcrumbs on both sides. Transfer them on a shallow oven dish which you have lined with baking paper.

Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes on each side. Serve while they are still hot.

Note:
An alternative is to shape the mixture into meatballs, pass them through some flour and then fry in hot olive oil until they are nicely golden on all sides.