• Saturday: Baby shower, girls’ dinner, and a night at a karaoke bar! Good times were had by all and we didn’t get to bed until 2:45 AM!! That’s the sign of a good time!!

The love and I; smiling because karaoke is our favorite. Even though my voice is like a bell...you wouldn't catch me on stage!

SILVER STRIKE 2009!! I was the winner of the electronic bowling shenanigans'...that's the game behind us! We also had a pool playing tournament! My partner and I kicked arse!

RECIPE TIME!! A couple things made this recipe difficult:

1. Our apartment was hotter than the dickens:  literally sweat and tears went in to this dish!
2. I have poor grocery list making skills and came home forgetting several ingredients and also picking up BULGUR instead of BUCKWHEAT! Am I the only one this happens to?? Just make me feel better okay?
3. LOST was on as I prepped, so I was slightly distracted. Almost “LOST” a finger…

I adapted this recipe from the site, Diets, Desserts, and Dogs. The recipe was for Sweet Potato and Kasha Burgers. As you know, I had to improvise…the result was doggone delish!

Luckily, swapping bulgar for kasha (buckwheat) was successful! We were also very fortunate that it also has wonderful health benefits!! It contains lignans, which are powerful antioxidants that can help PREVENT CANCER!! It also contains ferulic acid, which stops nitrates from converting into cancer-causing nitrosamines in the body!! GOOOOO bulgur! *insert crowd WAVE here*

  The burger “meat” had a very grainy texture that was sticky when first combined. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and use gentle flips when frying because the patties are delicate. 

 I would suggest swapping the burger bun for a mixed greens salad. I think the flavors stand out a lot more and you aren’t combining so many starchy foods (bun, potato, bulgur). Overall, I thought this recipe could work well as a burger, salad topper, or side dish! Just dynamite!!

Almost ready!

The final product!

Easy, Southern Sweet Potato and Bulgur Patties adapted from Diet, Desserts, and Dogs!

Makes 8-10 large patties

• 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup organic chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 T Olive oil
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 large organic sweet potato, skinned, boiled, mashed
• 2 T almond butter
• 2 T freshly chopped organic parsley
• 2 organic green onions, sliced
• 1 T Worchester sauce

Directions:

In a medium skillet, dry roast the bulgur for ~5 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Add 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup chicken stock; bring to a boil , reduce heat, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the bulgar is tender, ~15 minutes.

In another skillet, cook the onion until soft in ~1 tsp of olive oil. Add carrot and cook 5 minutes.

Stir together bulgur, onion, carrot, mashed sweet potato, almond butter, parsley, green onion, and worchester sauce, until well combined.

Shape in to 8 large patties and “fry” in a skillet. I used ~ 1/2 T of olive oil and cooking spray. If you want more of a crispy patty, use a little more olive oil!

Nutritional Profile (per patty): 119 calories, 3.7 g Fat (0.4 g sat, 0.6 g poly, 2.3 g mono), 19.3 g carb0hydrate, 3.3 g protein, 3.8 g sugars, 3.8 g Fiber, 111 mg sodium

SUNSCREEN TIME!: SPF all over! Tis a bright, sunny day afterall!! My friend Zibi from Fresh Slow cooking was curious about the chemicals in common sunscreen products. Find out which sunscreens are safest and contain the LEAST toxic chemicals from the Environmental Working Group!

Now on to the recipe stuff. After spending an unnecessary amount of time on the car ride home last night, I was STARVING for dinner. Earlier this week I found a recipe for Mediterranean Rice Casserole over at Diet, Desserts, and Dogs. This woman has some engaging posts and she is one of my new favorite blogs!! Just saying. You should check her out. Anyway, this recipe looked AWESOME and I could not wait to try it! Me + Mediterranean food is ALWAYS a match made in food heaven.

Looks yummy doesn't it?? Don't be fooled...

Well I started out with good intentions. I halved the recipe because you just never know with new recipes. I’m so glad I did because it flopped. Don’t you hate it when you screw up someone else’s recipe? Ug. I should have followed the recipe precisely but instead I tried my hand at making minor substitutions. Maybe it was that I was in a hurry and did not measure properly or I just don’t know how to substitute ingredients. Either way, the balsamic was WAY too over bearing and the dried cherries were overwhelmingly sour.

 I WILL be trying this recipe again though because it definitely has promise and I even brought the leftovers for lunch today (wasn’t THAT bad…see??).  Ok ok, I just HATE throwing away food…good or bad. Can anyone else relate?

The bright side? I paired it with a super foodie, colorful salad…another thing I did for my skin yesterday…bright colors = sunscreen protection!!

Strawberries, raisins, broccoli, onion, tomatoes, spinach, romaine, a little blue cheese...superb!

Mediterranean Rice Casserole adapted from Diet, Desserts, and Dogs

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 T E.V.O.O
• 2 T walnuts, chopped
• 2 T dried cherries
• 1/2  large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ~1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T Balsamic Vinegar
• ~1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Do not follow this recipe…Go to Diet, Desserts, and Dogs for her version!!

 SUNSCREEN CHALLENGE: Have you dedicated yourself to the challenge yet?? I covered up in SPF 50 for my face and neck today. I applied an SPF 30 for my arms and hands. One key place that I think ALOT of people miss is their EARS!! Don’t forget those little guys. So cover up!! What did you do for your skin today!!??