The Best Vegan Burgers

These nutty vegan burgers are held together by a combination of oats and flaxseed meal. When mixed with water, flaxseeds swell, making a nutritious binding agent similar to traditional eggs.  Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 medium red onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1″ piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 small fresh green chili pepper (such as serrano), seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats
1  x 425g can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and patted dry
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
¼ cup matchstick carrots
¼ cup raw cashews
¼ cup vegan mayonnaise (optional)
4 whole-wheat burger buns, split
12 leaves butter lettuce
8 slices tomato

Step 1
Stir water and flaxseed meal together in a small bowl until well combined; let stand until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, peel onion, cut in half lengthwise. Chop half the onion (ie 1/2 cup chopped).
Slice remaining half into half-moon slices (about 1/2 cup sliced). Heat 1T oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds: cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and beginning to pop – 1 to 2 mins. Add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger & chili:  cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garam masala, turmeric & salt: cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
Step 3
Pulse oats in a food processor until a rough meal – about 10 pulses. Add chickpeas, cilantro, carrots, cashews & mustard seed-onion mixture. Pulse until well combined & beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl, – about 10 pulses – stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
Step 4
Add the flaxseed mixture: pulse until combined, 2 to 4 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl. Divide into 4 portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each portion into a 4-inch patty (about 1/2 inch thick).
Wipe the skillet clean. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; heat over medium heat. Add the patties; cook until golden and crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
NB:  The patties soften as they cook in the skillet, so be careful flipping them—they will firm up again as they cool.
Step 5
If desired, spread vegan mayonnaise evenly over split bun halves. Place 3 lettuce leaves and 2 tomato slices on each bottom bun and place 1 patty on top. Top with the sliced onion.
Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Replace top buns and serve: with chips, zucchini fries and your favorite vegan dipping sauce.