A BBQ dinner without a BBQ.

This long weekend has been the perfect medicine to help re-energize me after last week. I'm feeling back to normal again, and looking forward to the week ahead. I'm also loving that it's only a three day school week! I miss the kids when they're at school. Today was just beautiful out. Warm, but not disgustingly so. There was a big thunderstorm while we sat at the dining room table playing World Wildlife Fund's Photo Safari together. Ironically enough we were answering questions about lightening when it started. Today was the kind of day that screams, "Let's have a BBQ!" The only problem is... we don't have a BBQ. I wasn't about to let that stop me, though. Instead, I cooked up a meal that tasted like it came from the BBQ. I made some Botanical Burgers from the Rebar cookbook that were delicious, but quite soft. None of us let that bother us, though. The only change I made to the recipe was substituting more of the beets, carrots and turnips in lieu of the zucchini because my zucchini went bad on me. It still turned out great! With that I whipped up some roasted potatoes that I sort of threw together and they were addictive. On the side I had some boiled corn on the cob, and some asparagus. A perfect meal for a perfect day. :)

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Botanical Burgers

2 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup grated turnip

1 cup grated beets

1 cup grated zucchini, water squeezed out

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried dill weed

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 cup hazelnuts, roasted

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp tarragon

2 tbsp parsley

fresh bread crumbs (optional)

Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan and saute onion until transparent. Add the grated vegetables, salt, pepper and dill weed. Stir thoroughly and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Transfer to a large bowl and let it cool.

Place cooled vegetables, rice and hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely combined. Transfer to a large bowl and add the mashed potatoes, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, tarragon and parsley. Season to taste. If the burgers are not holding together add some bread crumbs (I added 1/3 cup). Shape into patties.

Heat some olive oil in a large pan, and cook both sides until browned.

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Roasted Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

1.5 lbs yellow baby potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

7 cloves garlic, minced

some fresh rosemary, minced

(I snipped a couple of shoots off the side of my rosemary plant, and used all of those leaves)

coarse salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Wash the baby potatoes, and then cut them in half. Mix the cut potatoes, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat the potatoes.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet, turning each potato cut side down. Cook them in the oven for about 20 minutes until tender.

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As for Avery, he seems a teeny bit better today. I called the doctor's office, but of course it wasn't open since it's Victoria Day. Hopefully I can get ahold of them first thing in the morning and I can get him in then. I have my fingers crossed that he'll be even healthier by morning!