Furry Friends Collage

I so love the furry friends that have blessed my life. Tonight I decided to frame photos of the four of them. I came across this frame and thought it would work fine. I really like the collage. It’s on my desk and when I look at it I’ll be reminded what a special gift each one has been to me .  Maybe you would like to display the photos of your special friends the same way.

 

(Clockwise top left – Beni, Mojo, Jackson, Aussie (with my mom))

Read Full Post »

Lentil Walnut Burgers Gluten Free

 

With BBQ season here, I decided today to look for a meatless gluten free burger recipe that I could make and bring to a BBQ.  I have two BBQ’s  to attend soon so the timing is good. I really didn’t expect the recipe I selected to work the first time, as I often have challenges with gluten free recipes and meatless burgers. I found this Whole Foods recipe online and I’m pleased with the outcome. The burgers taste good and keep the round shape. I like that the burger is mainly lentils and brown rice. The walnuts are very nice too. I changed the recipe a little:  I used  dill instead of thyme, I added 1/4 cup ground flax seed, and I used a little more cayenne.  The recipe made 9 patties and I froze most of them after cooking – I gobbled one up too of course.   They’ll be good with avocado and tomato. Yum.

Whole Foods Gluten Free Walnut Lentil Burgers

Serves 6

Walnuts add a little crunch and brown rice takes the place of bread crumbs making these savory vegetarian burgers a great gluten-free meal. Serve with a green salad or cooked greens.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped button mushrooms
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, divided
• 1 1/2 cup cooked lentils, or 1 (15-ounce) can lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons high heat sunflower oil or expeller-pressed canola oil, divided

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, walnuts, parsley, thyme (or dill), salt, pepper and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.

In a food processor, purée 1 cup rice, lentils and egg until smooth. Transfer to bowl with vegetables, add remaining 1 cup rice and stir to combine. Form lentil mixture into 10 to 12 patties, using about 1/4 cup of the mixture to make each one.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Arrange half of the patties in skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat process with remaining sunflower oil and patties. Serve hot.

Nutritional Info:

Per Serving: 240 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 9g protein

Notes: I used 2 TBSP chopped fresh dill instead of Thyme

I added ¼ cup flax seed (mixed with a bit of water  for binding).

Read Full Post »