Garbanzo Burgers with Muhammara

A few days ago I found out I won a trainer from a giveaway on Frayed Laces

Within 10 minutes of the Fed Ex man placing it on the front porch, I had it set up and was happily pedaling away.

It is SO MUCH BETTER than the exercise bikes at the gym! Aero position isn’t going to happen while I’m pregnant (it only took about 15 seconds to figure that out), but I’m completely in love with this thing already, and I think it’s going to make squeezing workouts in a ton easier when I have an infant around.

Speaking of workouts… if you ever need motivation to get on your bike/into the pool/out for a run, this video is the key. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but my sister showed it to me about a year ago and it ALWAYS gets me in the mood to work out. These days it also makes me cry, but that’s probably just pesky pregnancy hormones…

http://www.nike.com/nikeos/global/modules/video/v1/swf/video_player_v1_2.swf?regionConfig=http://www.nike.com/nikeos/global/modules/video/v1/xml/reg/reg_config_en_US.xml&siteConfig=http://www.nike.com/g1/na/en_US/xml/courage_site_config.xml&locale=en_US&guid=ae18c405330c8e236b36e50072faa540_id1255&isEmbed=true

Or click here

After my nice little trainer ride, I was craving something with plenty of protein (and plenty of flavor). I made these burgers a few years ago (back when my photography skills were truly stunning…) and loved them.

This time I left out the sprouts, made them a little smaller (about 2 1/2″ across; the recipe yielded 20 that size instead of 12), and baked them in the oven instead of frying them on the stove.

Instead of filling them with lettuce and tomato, I put them on a pita with some thinly sliced lettuce and muhammara, which I don’t make often enough. It’s a Syrian dip made with walnuts, roasted red pepper, and pomegranate molasses (which should be available at your nearest Middle Eastern grocery store). I’ve seen versions that include tomato paste, lemon, and garlic, but I kept mine more simple.

Recipe:
pita
thinly sliced lettuce
Garbanzo burgers” (about 3 small patties per person)
muhammara (below):

1 dried chile de arbol or 1-2 tsp ground aleppo pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 red bell pepper, roasted until soft, then peeled
1/2 cup warm water
salt to taste (usually about 1/4 tsp)

Combine everything except the water in a blender and pulse until well-mixed. Add the water gradually until the mixture is slightly thinner than hummus (add extra water if needed). Add salt to taste