Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. curly kale (about 1 small bunch or 1/2 of a large bunch)
• 1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup Hemp Seeds
• 3 tbsp dried oregano
• 6 garlic cloves, minced (you can scale down if you don't want too much garlic)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil

Cooking Instructions

Clean and remove stems from kale, then tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces (roughly). Place into your steamer or on steam on the stovetop. Steam until leaves are just wilted and bright green, about 5 minutes.
Place kale leaves into food processor bowl, along with chickpeas, 1 cup panko, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, oregano, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse a few times until well blended, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add up to an additional 1/4 cup of panko if mixture seems too soft. This is really important for the binding.

Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. <--Important! Season your burgers!

Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.

Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, place patties into skillet and cook until browned on bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on opposite sides, about 4 minutes more.

Stuff into buns and top with toppings of choice. Serve.

Serving Instructions

4 to 6 burger buns
4 to 6 lettuce leaves, or a few handfuls of shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced (we like the purple/red here)
vegan mayo (Just or Veganaise)
Whatever "other" toppings you'd like.

Notes

You can also bake these beauties if pan frying isn't for you. Just preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and bake them for 35-40 minutes until they are a little golden.