Vegetarian Rice and Beans Burgers

Who needs meat when you have delicious vegetarian choices like this for the grill?

PREP: 20 minutes      GRILL: 10 to 12 minutes

MAKES: 4 burgers

1 lemon

1 container (6 ounces) plain low-fat yogurt

4 tablespoons well-stirred tahini (sesame paste)

teaspoon salt

1 package (8.8 ounces) precooked whole-grain brown rice

1 can (15 to 19 ounces) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

nonstick cooking spray

4 burrito-size spinach or sun-dried tomato tortillas

2 medium carrots, shredded

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 Kirby cucumber, thinly sliced

1. Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat, or lightly spray a ridged grill pan with nonstick cooking spray, then heat on medium until hot.

2. Meanwhile, from lemon, grate 1 ½ teaspoons peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In small serving bowl, stir lemon juice, yogurt, 2 tablespoons tahini, and ½ teaspoon salt until blended. Set yogurt sauce aside. Makes about cup.

3. Heat rice in microwave oven as package label directs; set aside.

4. Reserve ¼ cup liquid from beans. Rinse beans and drain well. In medium bowl, combine beans, lemon peel, garlic, fennel seeds, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons tahini, and reserved bean liquid. With potato masher, coarsely mash bean mixture until well blended but still lumpy. Add rice and continue to mash just until blended.

5. Shape bean mixture into eight 1-inch-thick burgers. Spray both sides of burgers with cooking spray.

6. Place burgers on hot grill rack or pan. Cook until well browned on the outside, 10 to 12 minutes, turning over once.

7. To serve, place 2 burgers in center of each tortilla; top with yogurt sauce, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Fold opposite sides of each tortilla over filling, then fold ends over to form a package.

EACH BURGER: About 490 calories, 15g protein, 83g carbohydrate, 11g total fat (2g saturated), 3mg cholesterol, 1,260mg sodium