Patty Pleasers

These are very savory and yet have the kind of flavor that you can pair with just about anything, from potatoes to rice and from pasta to baked yams. Enjoy!

1/2 cup brown rice ground
1/2 cup garbanzos or chickpeas
1 medium potato, peeled
1/2 cup oats
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder (1/2 tsp. if you are not a garlic lover)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 Tbsp. sweet paprika powder
1/2 cup Anaheim pepper or any flavorful green pepper you like, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Salt to taste
Water
Olive oil

In a blender or food processor with a little bit of water, puree the brown rice, the garbanzos and all the rest of the ingredients, except the oats, the seasonings and the flour. Scrape into a bowl and add the seasonings, mixing well, then, slowly, add the oats, combining well, and then the flour, adding more water as needed to form a firm but soft dough. Shape your patties with your hands of a large spoon and drop them into a hot skillet that has been barely "painted" with olive oil, you can also use a grill pan. Cook them on low heat, watching them so that they won't burn. Flip them as soon as they set and continue to turn them until golden brown on both sides.

Yield: 16 medium patties (more if smaller, less, if you make them steak size

Reaching the Mountain Top