The kitchen is the heart of our home where everyone gathers to connect with one another. We eat, we laugh and I am pretty sure that I have cried a time or two in there as well. There is no other room in the house where we all gather as frequently as the kitchen and it is where we begin and end everyday together. On of our best friends came to visit for a few days last week and the kitchen is exactly where we spent the majority of our time. We have shared many family style dinners over the years but this one was even more special because it was Kash’s first time meeting Bobby. We all caught up on our crazy hectic lives, laughed at each other’s funny stories, watched the kids play and created a new burger recipe in the process. This burger has a fresh Mediterranean flavor and the grilled vegetable salad on top is the perfect finishing touch.

Gluten-Free Mediterranean Veggie Burger

 1 red bell pepper, minced

½ red onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup gluten-free oats

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray

Udi’s gluten-free buns, toasted

Place the oats into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to break up the oats. Add the 1 can of garbanzo beans and pulse 6 times to break them up. Add the salt, egg, lemon juice, cumin and coriander and process for about 1 minute until smooth and set aside.

In a large bowl lightly mash the remaining can of the garbanzo beans until the beans are broken into small-medium sized pieces. Add the minced red bell pepper, red onion, garlic cloves, and parsley to the beans and the mixture from the food processor. Stir well to combine.

Lightly spray a plate with the cooking spray. Dampen your hands with water and form the mixture into patties and place on the plate. When all of the patties have been formed place the plate into the fridge for the patties to set about 10-15 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add the 1-tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Cook the burgers until a nice crust has formed on the outside, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side about 4-6 minutes. The burger should have a beautiful golden brown color and be firm to the touch in the center of the patty. This recipe makes5 large patties.

  Grilled Vegetable Topping

          1 can of artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained

1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded

½ red onion, sliced into wedges

½ tsp. salt

Non-stick cooking spray

Heat a grill pan over med-high heat and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place artichoke hearts, bell pepper, and onion onto grill pan and cook until vegetables are tender and cooked through. When done remove from the grill pan and chop into uniform size pieces. Mix all of the vegetables with the salt and set aside. This recipe makes enough to generously top 5 burgers with leftovers. I used our extra veggies in an omelet the next morning.

Tahini Cashew Sauce

 ½ cup hot water

¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ – 1 cup raw cashews

To prepare the sauce combine the first 5 ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Add the cashews ¼ cup at a time blending after each addition until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. I like to spread the mixture on the gluten-free buns in place of mayo so I use closer to 1 cup of cashews. If you would rather have a thinner sauce you can use fewer cashews and drizzle the sauce over your burgers. This recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups.