dinner

I am not a veggie kind of girl. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I'd rather have steak than a salad. But a few years ago my mom started making these veggie burgers and they are actually good. And I'm not the only one who thinks that! Both Braeden and the sister missionaries agreed that they were the best veggie burgers they had ever had. Here's the recipe (no picture because they all got eaten before I could take one):

Sunburger

1 1/2 c ground sunflower seeds (raw and unsalted)
1/2 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
6 T. minced onion
2 T. minced fresh parsley
2 eggs
1 t. basil
2 T. Tamari (a thick soy sauce) or soy sauce
2 T. melted butter
1 t. garlic powder

Combine ingredients. Drop mixture by large spoonfuls, forming patties, onto an oiled baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes on one side and 10-15 minutes on the other side.  Both sides should be a medium brown color. Serve on buns with your favorite condiments. (I recommend ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce.)

Yield: 8 patties (I got 6 patties out of it)

We also served them with these amazing oven fries which I made (successfully!) for the first time tonight as well. I found the recipe on Pinterest (have I mentioned my addiction yet?). Here is that recipe for your eating enjoyment:

Baked Oven Fries

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels.  Pat dry with additional towels.  Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes.  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

It's hard to tell this from the recipe because of the way it's structured, but these babies need to bake for about 30 minutes, minimum, so make sure you give yourself enough time to bake them and still have them ready for dinner (mine were a little late to the game tonight).

Enjoy!