Egg salad is a lunch classic, especially at the end of the week when the pantry is sometimes bare. To close out a week full of basil recipes, I made egg salad and added chopped basil to the mix. Nothing fancy, but the fresh herb made a nice upgrade.

I hope your basil plant is growing like crazy or you have a big bunch on hand, because you are going to need it for most of the recipes this week! I was inspired by this recipe, and the bag of sunflower seeds lurking in my cabinet. The spread made the perfect lunch, served on a whole wheat baguette with plenty of lettuce for crunch.

2/3 c. raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
1/4 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 large handful fresh basil
1 t olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 t lemon juice
Salt & Pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until a smooth consistency is reached. Add more balsamic vinegar if needed, and add salt and pepper to taste.

I think I got the idea for this sandwich from Kath, but I’ve seen it many places in the blog world. And I have to say, it’s an excellent combo! This one has cheddar cheese and blueberry preserves, with a piece of Romaine for some crunch. It took less than two minutes to assemble, and made a great lunch paired with some carrot sticks and a piece of fruit. Here it is during assembly – because once I put the two pieces together you can’t really see what’s inside.

I told you I’d find something to do with the leftover roasted eggplant. I cut it into cubes, and put it in a wrap with sun dried tomatoes and cheddar cheese. A few minutes on each side in a frying pan coated with cooking spray, and I had an almost gourmet meal.

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, you can make your own BBQ sauce! The bottled stuff is full of high fructose corn syrup and other artificial ingredients, and making your own sauce is pretty easy. I adapted this recipe, simplifying things a bit and cutting back on the spiciness. This is still a tangy sauce though so if you prefer things a little sweeter, add another tablespoon of brown sugar. The consistency of this sauce is also thinner than the bottled variety but that also means it covers the food more easily.

I debuted the sauce with these BBQ mushrooms, served on a bed of sauteed collard greens. At times like these, I think I am meant to live in the South! It was an excellent dinner, and I can’t wait to try this sauce when it’s time for summer grilling.

2 c. vegetable broth
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T mustard
1 t minced garlic
1 T chili powder
1 T paprika
1 T brown sugar
1 t turmeric

Add all ingrdients to a saucepan, and whisk together. Heat to boiling, then turn to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until thickened.

I tried yet another recipe for veggie burgers, but this one from Angela at Oh She Glows was different. First, the texture was much denser than other veggie burgers, which I really liked. But it was also much spicier due to my heavy hand with the cayenne pepper, so I actually have to eat it in sandwich form. It is pictured below garnished with sun dried tomatoes and baby spinach on a Sandwich Thin.

I modified the original recipe (surprise!) based on what I had on hand, but I am so glad I included the sunflower seeds as recommended because they added a nice crunch. I found spelt flour in the bulk bin at Whole Foods, but I think any whole grain flour would work. These burgers were good and I will make them again, but I need to try for a milder flavor next time.

1 c. small white beans
8 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
3/4 c. spelt flour
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt

Place beans, mushrooms, carrot, and spinach in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl, and add sunflower seeds and spelt flour, adding 1/4 c. of flour at a time. Season with cayenne pepper and salt.

Shape mixture into equal patties and place on cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, turning burgers halfway through.

I’ve had this one on my list of recipes to try for a while, and the tipping point was when I spotted raw hulled sunflower seeds in the bulk bin at Whole Foods. The nice weather also helped since it is called the ‘perfect summer pate’.

For about 75 cents, I had the cup of sunflower seeds I needed. I soaked them for a few hours, and then put them in the food processor with lemon juice, salt, soy sauce, chopped dates, water, and grated carrots. It seemed like an odd combination of ingredients, but the pate was great. I’ll cut back on the salt next time, and maybe experiment with fresh herbs as well.