Happy Independence Day!

Hope everyone had a fun (safe) 4th of July!

A burger is undeniably one of the best 4th of July eats. So what does one do when they aren’t eating meat? Buy frozen veggie burgers? Nah, make your own! Because the holidays are all about experimentation aren’t they?

Well, mine always are anyways.

Initially I wanted to try making a gluten free burger. However, my local health store had gluten free breadcrumbs at an outrageous price and I decided I’d just use regular breadcrumbs and skip the bun.

Brown Rice & Veggie Burgers, makes 8 patties
3 c cooked brown rice
1 ½ c mixed veggies (I used: 1 med carrot, 2 med portabella mushrooms, 1 green bell pepper, ½ c cooked chopped spinach & 6 sun-dried tomatoes)
3 T soy sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T minced garlic
1 ½ T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 ½ c fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 c golden flaxmeal
1/3 c nutritional yeast

~Pulse veggies (except spinach) in a food processor until finely minced.
~In a small bowl mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary & pepper.
~Mix brown rice & veggies in a large bowl until incorporated.
~Add soy sauce mixture & toss to coat.
~Next, add breadcrumbs, flax meal & nooch.
~Form into 8 patties and chill until ready to cook (or pop in freezer for at least 30 minutes).

Preheat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once heated, place patties in 4 at a time (or in 2 different sauté pans) . Cook 8 minutes, flip & cook another 8 minutes.



At this point they are done. Add your fave toppings and eat.

But I took them a bit farther.

Balsamic Onions (recipe to follow) & Gorgonzola Cheese. Oh Yes.



Preheat oven to 400. Place patties on a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with balsamic onions & cheese and cook until cheese starts to melt.

Since I had to pan cook these I HAD to grill the side items. The 4th of July is all about grilling!

(oops, didn’t get a chance to photo the sides on the grill).

Here they are all together.

“Burgers” + grilled corn on the cob w/Garlic Basil Compound “Butter” + Italian grilled sweet potatoes (both recipes to follow).



Not bad for my first homemade veggie burger. The BF did not ask “Where’s the meat?” I think he is finally getting it!

Welcome....

With not enough things on my plate, I decided to add blogging. I love to read them (most any kind, though specifically food) & usually leave feeling inspired to whip up something delish....or do something to improve my life.

Case in point....
My new favorite blog i've been reading is edibleperspective{dot}com. Today I was reading through her last few posts and one happened to be about detoxifying your life by subbing conventional cleaning products with homemade earth-friendly products. Easy enough, right? Right! I made my own homemade laundry detergent this afternoon :) Very easy, few ingredients. Currently washing 2nd load now :) I recommend you check her website out if you are looking to do the same!

Moving on to other homemade goods...Dinner.
I have been craving burgers since giving up meat...maybe not the burger itself but the smell of the grill as they are cooking. mmmmmmmm. I've been thinking of trying out black bean burgers for a while and figured there is no better time than today..gorgeous grilling weather outside :)

Here's the recipe....sorry no pics, we gobbled them up :)

Sundried Tomato & Black Bean Burgers…For 2
½ can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 sundried tomatoes, soaked in hot water then drained
4 rounded teaspoons breadcrumbs
1 flax egg*
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t oregano, dried
1 t basil, dried
1 t Hungarian paprika
1/8 t red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper

Mash beans in a small bowl, set aside. In a medium bowl mix together breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, & spices. Stir until well combined. Chop sundried tomatoes and mix well into mashed beans. Once combined, add bean mixture to breadcrumbs and stir well. Form into patties and place in refrigerator to let rest. Grill 10-15 min.

*To make flax egg, combine 1 T golden flax meal with 3 T hot water. Mix well to combine. Set aside to cool before adding to mixture.

To serve: Spread sundried tomato pesto on both sides of toasted Kaiser buns. Sandwich between fresh spinach & balsamic onions. Yum yum ☺

These had great flavor and I can't wait to make them again! The only thing I wish was that they were a little less mushy in the center. I guess I was hoping they would be more meat-like (oddly enough). Any tips on bean burgers? I'd love to hear them!!
Until next time....