Great Grain Burgers

The hubby and I had a relatively lazy week. We cooked some old favorites, dined a lot on the leftovers, and took it easy. This was mainly my doing. With the combination of third-trimester pregnancy and narcolepsy, I lacking a bit in the energy department these days. My usual routine is to come home from work, play with the puppies, eat supper, take a nap, and then get ready for bed.

Oh, and the untreated allergies make me a very noisy sleeper. The hubby has dubbed me Captain Snort 'n' Sleep. (I think he's making that up.)

We've made up for our lazy week with a busy weekend, including my family's annual birthday celebration. We're all July birthdays. Mine is toward the beginning of the month, so I always get a birthday party of my very own. My mom's, dad's, and brother's fall within a cluster, so we typically celebrate those together. (Although I'm more than willing to eat cake every two days, mind you.)

My family came for supper last night, and we tried to make food to please everyone. That meant charcoal-grilled burgers, baked beans, and potatoes for most of us, and a grilled veggie salad and some veggie burgers for my mom. (She's not a vegetarian; she just likes her some veggies.)

Mom saw this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook a few months ago and kept oohing and aahing over the picture. I offered to make it for her for Mother's Day, but she suggested I try making it sometime when I was messing up my own kitchen. So this worked out perfectly.

The burgers are a bit difficult to handle -- it's more like making mashed potato cakes than a burger -- and I found that it was easiest to form them into balls and smash them with a spatula in the pan. But apparently they tasted great; Mom had one for supper, then ate dessert, then had another burger. (Even the hubby ate one.) And Mom generously offered to take the leftovers home with her.

Great Grain Burgers
Makes 12

1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
1/2 c. uncooked bulgur
1 Tbsp. salt-free seasoning blend
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 c. water
2 c. finely chopped fresh mushrooms
3/4 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. shredded cheddar or Colby cheese
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 c. egg substitute or egg white
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. celery seed
3 tsp. canola oil, divided
Rolls, for serving

1. In a small saucepan, combine rice, bulgur, water, salt-free seasoning, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and cool completely. Refrigerate.

2. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, oats, cheeses, and onion.

3. In a blender or food processor, puree cottage cheese and egg substitute until smooth.

4. Add cottage cheese mixture to the mushroom mixture. Stir in parsley, salt, basil, celery seed, and rice mixture.

5. Shape 1/2-cupfuls into balls, or patties, if you're more competent than I am.

6. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp. oil over medium-high heat. Cook four patties at a time for about 5 minutes on each side, until crispy. Repeat with remaining patties and oil.

I'm not so good at "perfectly round." Trust me, they still tasted great.

P.S. Know the best part about having my mother over for supper? She helps clean up afterward. And I don't just mean dishes. I mean that she scrubbed my stove. And my cupboards. And my floor. And my GARBAGE CAN. Yes, really.