Thursday, May 5, 2011

Blast from the Past - Burger Season

Sick of all my workout posts yet?  Yeah, I know, it's a bit much.  I promise though that I've been cooking up a storm.  Just haven't had time to post the recipes yet.  But will do so soon.  We've had some seriously killer dishes from Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart lately.  Mmmm, so good!  So don't leave me just yet, they're a comin'.

For now, let's delve back into my first month of blogging and get our grill on.  Here's some yummy burgers from way back when.  Almost a year ago.  :)

One night - two burgers, a salsa burger with guac & radicchio and a surprise cheese slider with spinach & honey mustard.  Both of these burgers are Fab-u-lous!!

Recipes obtained from Clean Eating magazine and modified by me.

Amount of ingredients will vary depending on number and size of burgers you prefer:

lean ground beef (I used 97/3)
fresh tomato salsa
low-fat cheddar (cubed)
guacamole (store made or from recipe in separate post)
radicchio leaves
1 tbsp raw honey
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
fat-free greek yogurt
baby spinach leaves
ground pepper

Sliders:
Season ground beef with pepper and combine.  Roll into palm sized meatballs.  Make an indent with finger and insert one cheese cube.  Seal hole and form into patty.  Grill to desired doneness (I suggest medium as the lean beef will dry out beyond that - although you can just add more sauce if this occurs).  While burger is grilling, combine the honey and mustard in small bowl.  Spread on top (or bottom) of a whole wheat bun and add spinach leaves.  Top with hot, grilled burger.

Salsa burgers:
Season ground beef with pepper.  Add salsa to meat mixture and combine.  Shape into patties.  Grill to desired doneness.  While burger is grilling, spread bottom of whole wheat bun with yogurt and top with radicchio leaves.  Spread a generous amount of guacamole on top bun.  Add hot, grilled burger and enjoy.

Bun prep:


The finished product (I could not find whole wheat slider buns so please excuse the hiding burger):


Lean beef does NOT mean dry burgers.  Hello oozy cheesy goodness:


Full nutritional info unavailable as I modified the recipes somewhat.  BUT, 2 sliders will more than fill you and comes in at under 400 calories!  Both burgers are an excellent source of much needed protein and iron.  The salsa burger brings in just over 350 calories.  Using lean beef and avoiding processed condiments knocks the cholesterol content of each serving (1 salsa burger or 2 sliders) to about 60mgs.

Review: My husband and the kids LOVED these burgers.  I had a half of each burger and they were both equally delicious.  I really enjoyed the honey mustard sauce on the slider and will use this for other dishes and sandwiches (think chicken and spinach on crusty whole grain, yum).  I was unsure about the greek yogurt on the salsa burger as I don't typically like it, but oh my, what a good idea!  This one was pretty messy to eat but very much worth it.  Prep time was minimal.  We will be doing this again and again.  Who's coming over?

Would love some other ideas for healthy burger toppings.

7 comments:

  1. LOVE burgers!! We eat them quite frequently here. Although Chris is sort of a plain jane burger guy.. I love stuffing mine! Yours look and sound delicious!!

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  2. I love the versatility of burgers, everyone can add their own toppings to their liking. We usually don't eat ground beef, but many other ground meats work just as well!

    I hope to be posting more of my meals too, now that we are back from the wedding and done traveling and getting back in the swing of things (I know...it takes me awhile).

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  3. I love burgers too! Summertime = burgertime! I love guacamole, tomatoes, spinich, and/or any kind of mustard on mine! Mmm - and and pickels!

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  4. I can see why your family loved these burgers. This is my first visit to your blog and I've taken the liberty of browsing through your earlier entries. You've created a lovely spot for your readers to visit and I've enjoyed the time I spent here. I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  5. Yummmm <3 i'm a vegetarian, but i use to eat burgers all the time. i can tell those are some GOOD burgers!

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  6. This burger lover is lovin' both of these! I never had honey mustard on a burger - a new thing for me to try.

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  7. yay for burgers! ive been craving this for a while now!

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