Rae Udy

RECIPES: Sunflower Burger Mix, Sunflower Burgers, Sunflower Burger Balls for appetizers or spaghetti sauce, Sunflower Nut Loaf

By Rae Udy

Convenience and great taste are key ingredients in cooking today and if the food is healthy, inexpensive and easy-to-make it is sure to be a winner.
Sunflower Burger Mix manages to fit all the categories and is versatile too. Dry ingredients are combined and chilled until needed. When you are ready, follow these easy recipes suggestions to create meatless burger patties, main dish loaves, crispy hors d’oeuvres or steaming hot spaghetti balls.
Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, providing over 90 percent of the daily value in just one-quarter of a cup. These delicious seeds are also a very good source of vitamin B1 or thiamin, manganese and magnesium.

SUNFLOWER BURGER MIX
3 cups raw sunflower seeds
6 cups uncooked oatmeal (not instant)
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
4 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 Tablespoon each: dried oregano, ground sage, garlic powder
1 teaspoon each: salt and ground black pepper
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Place two or three cups of mixture into blender container. Process on low speed until sunflower seeds and oatmeal are chopped coarse. Pour processed mixture into a one-half gallon jar. Continue processing until all sunflower mixture is gone. Tightly cover jar with a secure lid and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to make one of the following recipes. Yields enough mix to make four batches of sunflower burgers, two loaves or several batches of appetizers or meatless balls for spaghetti.

SUNFLOWER BURGERS
1 cup prepared Sunflower Burger Mix
½ (one-half) cup boiling water
1 egg or soy egg substitute
1 teaspoon olive oil
Place sunflower mix in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over mixture and stir well. Cover and set aside for five minutes or until all moisture is absorbed. Add egg and oil and beat. Spoon one-quarter cup moist mix onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. Spread into a three to four inch circle with the back of a spoon. Cook over medium heat until very brown. Carefully turn and cook until brown, about four minutes on each side. Serve on warm whole grain buns with your favorite burger toppings. Yields four patties.

SUNFLOWER BURGER BALLS
Prepare Sunflower Burger recipe above. Shape one tablespoon moist mixture into a small ball. Roll each ball in whole wheat flour and place on a lightly oiled or sprayed cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for fifteen to twenty minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot or cold as appetizers or add to hot spaghetti sauce. Yields one dozen meatless balls.

SUNFLOWER NUT LOAF
2 cups Sunflower Burger Mix
½ (one-half) cup uncooked cream of wheat cereal
1 cup boiling water
½ (one-half) cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs or soy egg substitute
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shredded carrot
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
In a medium bowl, combine sunflower mix, cream of wheat and boiling water. Stir to mix well. Cover and set aside for ten minutes. Add eggs, oil and prepared vegetables and stir well. Pour mixture into a lightly oiled or sprayed loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour or until browned and well set. Remove from oven and loosen edges of pan with a knife. Cool in loaf pan for ten minutes to firm. Invert onto serving platter and slice into one-half inch thick slices to serve hot or cold. Yields eight servings of two slices each.