Tried & True.

I am so full now! We had a delicious dinner of Bulgar Patties, stuffed potatoes and cucumber salad. I know I got the original recipe from a Moosewood cookbook years ago (don't remember which one), and I only changed a few things about it... more garlic, and no eggs. If you're okay with eggs I suggest you add one because the patties will likely hold together better if you do. I, however, am not a fan of eggs (mildly allergic) and omitted it. The patties can be eaten on their own (with a splash of Bragg's!) or on a bun. Tonight we ate them solo. I saw the stuffed potatoes on a Rachael Ray show, and the cucumber salad is one of our (okay... MY!) all time favourites. It's so refreshing and tangy, and it's even better on a hot summer day. Mmmm mmm mmm. I made it early this afternoon and could not stop eating it. I seriously thought it would be all gone by the time dinner rolled around.

Bulgar Patties

3 cups water

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 bulgar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup tahini

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Braggs

1 tsp Dijon mustard

dash of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup mashed chickpeas

Bring the water to a boil. While it's heating, saute the bulgar and garlic in the oil over medium -high heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the boiling water. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the water has been absorbed.

When the bulgar is ready, stir in the green onions, carrots, parsley, tahini, tomato paste, soy sauce, mustard, pepper and mashed chickpeas.

With moistened hands, form into patties. Cook for about 10 minutes on an indoor grill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cucumber Salad

2 medium long english cucumbers, thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground dried mustard

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, dried mustard and black pepper in a bowl and stir until sugar and salt has dissolved. Add the cucumbers and chill until ready to eat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuffed Potatoes - Broccoli and Cheddar Style

5 baking potatoes

olive oil

coarse sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

between 1/2 and 1 cup vegetable broth

grated cheddar cheese

1 head of broccoli, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350.

After scrubbing off the potatoes, place them on a baking sheet and pierce them several times with a fork. Drizzle some olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn them a few times to coat them.

Roast them for 45 min to an hour until a fork slides in easily.

While the potatoes are cooling down a bit, cook the broccoli pieces in an inch of water for about 3 minutes until crisp tender.

Once the potatoes have cooled down enough to be handled, slice them lengthwise and scoop out the insides into a large bowl. Mash the potato insides and add as much broth as you want to make it somewhat smooth. Add some grated cheddar cheese (maybe 1/2 cup or so), salt and pepper and mash them in. Add the cooked broccoli and stir to combine.

Stuff each potato skin with the filling and top with some extra grated cheddar cheese. Bake again for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and it's warmed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner we took advantage of our beautiful Spring weather with a walk to a neighbourhood playground & park. The kids ran up ahead of us, while Kyle and I casually walked our dog and chatted about our day. I feel so much better now that the weather has been so mild and the sun is shining. It's a whole new world out there! At the park we played on the swings, and kicked the soccer ball around.

Now we're catching up on the Amazing Race episode we missed from Sunday. It's a perfect way to end a really good day.

♥ I love his Sharpei neck rolls! ♥

He's growing up for too quickly. Far, far, FAR too quickly. So proud of him.

He's so handsome, that husband of mine.