New York Times Veggie

New York Times Veggie (Vegetarian Burgers)

INGREDIENTS
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies, drained
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup parsley or cilantro
2 cups quick rolled oats
8 whole grain buns
Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450º. Process the first seven ingredients using an immersion or a regular blender or food processor. Remove contents into a large bowl and stir in the oats. Form into patties (make the patties flat so they will cook more evenly), place on a sprayed baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes . Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the tops are nicely browned. Toast the buns and pile on your favorite toppings.

Variation:
Sauté the burgers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

Free Online File Cabinet

Snap photos of favorite magazine recipes and upload to a folder on your computer, along with web pages for dishes you find online. All files are easily searchable, so you can type in "chili" and quickly see options. Free at evernote.com.

Pomegranate juice for breakfast

Shake up your breakfast routine by sometimes swapping in pomegranate juice. It's antioxidant-rich (and so heart-healthy), with as much vitamin C as OJ. And it might just make dental checkups happier: Recent studies show pomegranate juice helps prevent plaque buildup and promotes good oral health.



Kitchen Laptop Stand

If you keep your laptop in the kitchen, cover the keyboard with plastic wrap or try the Kitchen Laptop Stand (amazon.com, $37), which offers the ultimate defense against spills and splatters.

Ease Stress with your Pillow


The Stress Ease Comfort Reader pillow provides back suport and includes a hot/cold-pack insert ($50, thegreatindoors.com)

Family charging station

If you're fed up with phones, iPods and cameras that seem to be plugged into every outlet, try designating a charging station for the family to use. A centralized spot-an entryway, or even the kitchen-is ideal. The Kangaroom cell phone charging station has slots for four devices (more than most) and built-in labels. Kangaroom, greatusefulstuff.com, $18.


Charge Gadgets Together

You'll be able to charge all your gadgets together with the Kangaroom cell phone charging station. It has slots for four devices and built-in labels. (Kangaroom, greatusefulstuff.com, $18.)