Burger & Fries

Side Note: Jim pointed out that I reused a few pictures on my last post about Florida, so I switched a few out for new ones.  I know everyone needs as many pictures of cutie pie as possible!  The photobooth pictures are some of my favorite.  The extra cleavage is courtesy of a hungry Miss Riesling.  (See Eating).

On to the recipes.  I've been pretty adventurous in my soup making lately but otherwise I felt like I was starting to get into a little rut with dinner planning.  Not to say that I don't like a lot of the things I prepare but sometimes you just need a little variety.  I decided to hit the cookbooks and magazines to come up with some inspiration and here's what I came up with for our Monday night meal.  

Tuna Burgers
1/2 C. raw, unsalted Brazil nuts (I couldn't find them solo at my grocery store so I had to buy mixed nuts & threw some cashews into the mix just because I'm crazy like that)
2- 5oz cans of tuna (I like Wild Planet.  It's sustainably caught & low mercury.) 
1/2 C. rolled oats
1/4 C. ground flaxseeds
1/4 C. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 onion, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
Pulse nuts in food processor until ground.
Add remaining ingredients and pulse until evenly mixed.  
Shaped into 6 patties (the will be pretty sticky).
Place on parchment line baking sheet.
Bake 10 minutes per side.

I really liked this recipe.  It was easy to prepare, full of protein and other good stuff secretly blended into a little patty.  I topped them with cheese the last few minutes and served with sliced avocado and romaine lettuce on top.  Toasted bread for Jim, none for me to keep it gluten free.  They also heated up well for lunch the next day. 

Roasted Carrot Parsnip Fries
2/3 C. apple cider
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp chopped thyme
salt
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled & cut into thin sticks
2-3 medium sized parsnips, peeled & cut into thin sticks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   
Whisk together apple cider, olive oil , mustard, maple syrup (or honey), thyme, and salt in large bowl. 
Add carrots & parsnips and toss until evenly coated.
Transfer to foil line large baking dish or roasting pan (with extra liquid)
Roast (uncovered) 35-40 minutes, stirring as needed.

These had a great flavor and went really well with the tuna burgers.  I think they were a little undercoat even though I roasted them for 45 minutes.  Next time I will cut them into thinner sticks or allow longer roasted time.  Also great as leftovers but I recommend heating in oven or toaster oven not microwave.