Falafel Burgers + Sweet and Sour Slaw

With summer coming to a close, we're squeezing as many burger nights as we can!  We have burgers in the other seasons, too, don't get me wrong.  A good thing is a good thing, right?  But there's just something about burgers on a warm night out on the back deck that makes them taste just that much better.

I saw this recipe for a Falafel Burger and knew I had to try it.  Scot loves falafel and while I haven't perfected making them at home (they always break apart!) I figured I'd give the burger route a try since I do pretty well at getting those to stick and not crumble.  And now that we know we like this recipe, I may actually try to make them into falafel -- put them in a pita and find some tzatziki sauce.  Mmmm...oh yes, this is a winning recipe!

The original recipe has a recipe for a Tahini sauce that's good -- Scot's not a fan of Tahini in general so I need to find a good dairy-free Tzatziki sauce to go with these burgers, but that's ok.  I think I can manage.

The burgers got two thumbs up from my gang and they are on our new burger rotation!  I served them with a fabulous Sweet and Sour Coleslaw (recipe below -- don't miss it!) and we all loved it. Original recipe can be found here. I am actually going to throw out my other coleslaw recipes and use only this one from now on.

Falafel Burgers
makes 8 (1/3 cup) burgers

• 1 TBLS minced garlic
• 1 cup packed cilantro, stems cut off
• 1/2 cup scallions, roughly chopped
• 2 cans of chickpeas, some liquid reserved to the side, the beans rinsed and drained
• 1 cup rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned
• 2 TBLS lemon juice
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 8 buns, pitas, or tortillas
• favorite burger toppings: tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, grilled onions or peppers, etc
• tahini or tzatziki sauce, if desired, to make it more "authentic"

-- Puree the garlic, cilantro and scallions in a food processor until smooth

-- Add the remaining burger ingredients and pulse until blended well but NOT paste.  The mixture needs to stick well together and be fairly uniform in appearance.  If not sticking very well, add some of the chickpea liquid in 1 TBLS at a time until desired consistency is reached.

-- Using a 1/3 cup measuring scoop, form 8 patties.  Lay on a baking sheet or plates and chill for at least 30 minutes.

-- Dry pan-fry, using a non-stick skillet, over medium heat 5-7 minutes each side.

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw
feeds 8

• 4 cups thinly sliced or shredded cabbage.  I used 1/2 red and 1/2 regular and highly suggest it!
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced length-wise and then cut in half to make 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup julliened or thinly cut carrots
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup loose chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

-- Put all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss.

-- Mix the vinegar with the sugar and stir until dissolved.  Drizzle over the salad and toss some more to adequately coat