Monday, June 13, 2011

White Bean Burgers & Refreshing Watermelon Tabbouleh

I have to admit, when I found this watermelon tabouleh recipe this week I added it to my menu plan, partially because it sounded photogenic... the pink and green would be beautiful together. Isn't that how everyone picks out recipes? Not to mention, pink and green are my favorite colors. Oh, and the recipe sounded delightfully light and tasty too- I suppose the taste is an important aspect when menu planning. Don't worry, this recipe is both aesthetically pleasing as well as palette pleasing.
The pink and green ingredients: watermelon and parsley.
Add a little bulgur and lemon and your list of ingredients is practically complete!
Refreshing Watermelon Tabbouleh

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
course salt
3/4 cup bulgar
1 1/2 cups watermelon
1 cup chopped parsley
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon

Directions:
Bring water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir in bulgar and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork and cool in refrigerator. Transfer bulgur to a bowl and toss with watermelon, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and serve.
I had planned on making black bean burgers to go with this, but in my haste, I opened a can of white beans instead. I realized white beans might be a better pairing with this light salad. I whipped together a new, off-the-top-of-my-head (along with low expectations) recipe. A very basic, simple recipe, but none-the-less, a recipe. Much to my surprise, it came out great and I will definitely be making it again. One of the many reasons I love using "flax eggs" is because I can taste the recipe (raw) as I go- I adjusted the seasonings until it was right, and then cooked the burgers. I love making mistakes that actually end up working out for the better!
White Bean Burgers

Ingredients:
1 can white kidney beans
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds, mixed with 3 tablespoons water, set aside until thickened
1/3 cup oats
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 small red pepper, diced
salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

Directions: Mash the white beans. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well until combined. Form into patties (3-4) and grill over medium heat. Top with super simple guacamole if desired (mashed avocado, with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice).

Note: When I heated these up the next day for lunch, they were crumbly, unlike the night I made them. I will play with the recipe again and post any improvements on here!
And there you have it. A light, simple summer recipe.
This is how we have been starting out our summer mornings: Blueberry Breakfast!
And this is how Lilly has spent the beginning of her summer.
Stretching out LOOONG on the couch, playing with her new toy, enjoying pops in the park before the rain, not enjoying it so much after the torrential downpour. That last picture cracks me up every time I look at it. Look at the look on her face. She can't believe what just happened. Poor little girl. Here's to a dry pops in the park next week... for Lilly's sake.

11 comments:

  1. Cute!!! Recipe looks good!! Although I have a few questions for you!

    1.) Is your swirl plate new?? It's cute! I've never seen anything like it! Where is it from?

    2.) Where did you find bulgar at? My best guess is the EarthFare bulk section?

    3.) What did you use as your garnish on top of the guac?

    4.) What is you secret on using the flax eggs? the last time we tried using it, the burger was crumbly....so there must be a trick.

    5.) I just wanted to make sure you knew that Pops in the Park this upcoming weekend is on Sat, June 18th...instead of Sunday...hope to see you then!!

    5.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. and nevermind...I just rechecked the schedule and the concert is both this upcoming Sat and Sun!! Although we will probably most like it make it on Saturday, June 18th.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The swirl plate was actually a gift from one of my kids at Christmas time-they gave m a set of 3 appetizer plates (don't know where from). Yes, bulgar is in the bulk section at Earthfare. The garnish is a tomato! I just make sure I always stir the flax egg well and let it sit to thicken up... it works better in some recipes than in others. We are planning on POPS Sunday, not Saturday, because of Nate's schedule. It will probably rain both nights... because it is pops.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OMG---I'm totally looking at that garnish again and now I see the tomato...thought it looked orangish at first, and I thought must be some type of pepper or something. haha Ok, we did not let the flax egg sit first before, good to know. And YES it will probably rain both nights...nevermind. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete