a jiffy twist

I am missing my oats but it has been SO FLIPPING HOT.  Like 100* hot.  Oats just aren’t going to happen.  I haven’t felt like overnight oats too much either. 

I love egg sandwiches.  LOVE.  And sometimes I microwave an egg.  But rarely.  However, today, I didn’t want to dirty a pan or turn the oven on.

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So I dirtied the Vita-Mix instead.

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And stuffed it with blueberries, strawberries, Amazing Grass GreenSuperfood, chia seeds, plain yogurt, ice and coconut milk. 

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Toasted + buttered with s+p.

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I’ve been working hard at my to-do list.  I swear it just keeps growing.  We have guests coming in on Wednesday and staying for a week.  I’m trying to get ahead and prepare a few posts ahead of time as I won’t be home nearly as much while they’re here!  So, who’s coming?  The lovely Eric + Kelsey [friends from Charlotte] of course!!  They were here back in January and Kelsey and I hosted a Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24.  So much fun!  We’re looking forward to getting in some bouldering + exploring while they’re here.

Speaking of bouldering, we had a quick trip to the rock gym today.  Chris + I have gotten really weak over the past 2 months.  With a trip or two, a pulled quad, and a busy schedule, we just haven’t gotten there enough.  It’s insane how much strength you lose in such a short amount of time.

I was pretty excited when I completed a problem that I couldn’t get last time though.  Always a good feeling!

1/4 of the way up

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3/4 of the way up

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got it!

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When we got home, I made my way to the kitchen to prepare veggie burgers for a get together with our friends Sarah + Nick.  Sarah has popped up on the blog a few times.  She is a good friend from Ohio State, that just moved out here a few months ago. 

She asked if I could whip up some veggie burgers!  Sure thing!

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I’ve made Emily’s black bean burgers a few times, as well as Angela’s In a Jiffy Spelt Burgers.  I LOVE both recipes but wanted something a little different.  I had a little fun with the In a Jiffy recipe.

Instead of peppers + spinach, I added a zucchini.  I made a few other changes as well to put an Italian flavored spin on things.

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I was really excited with how they turned out!

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Zesty Italian Veggie Burgers [adapted from In a Jiffy Veggie Spelt Burgers]

Yields: 8 large burgers

  • 2c cooked chickpeas [drained + rinsed]
  • 2 sm/med carrots, chopped
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 2T olive oil
  • 1 small zucchini [about 2” diameter]
  • 2t dried oregano
  • 2t dried basil
  • 1/2t sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2c sunflower seeds
  • 1/4c pepitas
  • 2T chia seeds
  • 1-1.5c spelt flour [or whole wheat]
  1. Preheat oven to 375* and line a pan with parchment or grease pan.
  2. In a food processor, combine all ingredients, except for the seeds + flour.  Process, fairly smooth.  No large chunks.  I had to scrape the bowl down quite a bit.  [I use an 11c food processor and this was about the max it would take.  If you have a smaller, you could 1/2 the recipe or make it in 2 batches.]
  3. Empty mixture into a bowl and stir in seeds and 1c of flour, until well blended.  The mixture will be fairly wet, but you should be able to form a ball and flatten into a patty without it falling apart.  The consistency is more moist than cookie batter.  If it’s not holding together add more flour. 
  4. Bake for 15min, flip and bake another 10-15min.
  5. Done!  Or, you can grill them over medium heat for 5min per side.  Gives them a nice crust without drying them out!

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They’re perfect out of the oven, but I like to throw them on the grill.

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We headed to Nick + Sarah’s place, which is awesome.  It’s really open and BRIGHT and I love the decor.  I can’t wait to OWN a place, so we can finally settle in.  That won’t be happening for awhile though!

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So nice to have another good friend in Colorado!

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It cooled down enough to eat outside.

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Sarah made an awesome salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, pecans + feta.  YUM.

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She also made a delicious couscous salad.  She said the recipe was from a recent Real Simple.  It has couscous, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mint, lemon, and a few other things.  The mint sounded like an odd addition but I really enjoyed this!!

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As soon as I thought of the Italian flared veggie burgers, I also thought of a few fun toppings.

tomaters + basil

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Also…melted, fresh mozzerela + pasta sauce

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this.was.so.good. !!!!!  Nick + Sarah both really liked them :)  Chris + I did too.  I’m excited to have another veggie burger recipe!  The toppings were excellent…mmmm  Love fresh mozz!

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And then after dinner, I managed to choke down a gooey brownie and vanilla ice cream.  The best combo everrrr!!

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Such a lovely summer night with the huz + friends!

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Time to do some dreaming!!  I swear the zucchini muffin recipe is coming SOON!

Night!

Ashley