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.

Mini Burgers done Light

**DISCLAIMER - Currently having computer display issues which are prohibiting me from accurately determining the coloring and exposure of my uploaded pics. Apologies for the over and under exposed or just plain crappy photos**


We are still working through the list of recipes chosen by my kids from some of my healthy eating resources.  This was one of the kids' favorites so far.  From Martha Stewart Everyday (Jan/Feb 2011 issue - "the light issue"), are the mini cheeseburgers with oven fries.  What's not to like, right?

For the burgers (modified to give the beef a little more kick):
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 tbsp worcestshire sauce
1tsp siracha
garlic powder, to taste
salt & pepper to taste
reduced fat cheddar, sliced
whole wheat dinner rolls
sliced tomato, to top
lettuce, to top

Combine beef, worcestshire, siracha, garlic, salt & pepper.  Form into mini burger patties.  Heat cast iron skillet to smoking.  Cook burgers on both sides to your liking.  Top with cheddar.  Serve on whole wheat buns with desired toppings.

For the fries:
3 lb large russet potatoes, cut into strips
cooking spray
4 tsp veg oil
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, cover potato strips with cold water.  Cover and soak for at least 3 hours or overnight.  Heat oven to 400.  Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray.  Drain and pat dry potatoes.  Toss in a bowl with oil and season with salt & pepper.  Bake on sheets until golden brown and crisp.  About 45 minutes.  Toss on sheet and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.

So good!  I took a bite and ate some fries before I remembered to shoot some pics.

Kids dove right in and had some for lunch two days later.  When the patty is reheated on it's own and then added to the other toppings on a fresh bun, it is just as good as the first day.

Rico, straight from the bath, waited patiently for someone to drop some.  Sadly for him, nobody did.  I did feel bad about the bath though and gave him a little bite when the Mr. wasn't looking.

Am I the only mom who loves watching their kids eat good food?  It really does make me feel happy when they sit down to the dinner table and thoroughly enjoy a healthy(er) meal.

Burgers! Again...

I don't know about everybody else, but modifying my diet has been quite an adjustment.  No more of this, no more of that, deny, deny, deny.  Well, that never worked really well for me.  I'm trying to teach myself moderation (not easy).  And I am very happy to have found resources providing recipes, ideas and inspiration on how I can incorporate my old favorites into my new healthy lifestyle (see prior post about the pancakes - thank goodness!).

So we had another weekend of experimental healthier burgers.  Recipes modified from Clean Eating magazine.

Pork Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes

roma tomatoes, sliced
thyme
sea salt
black pepper
1 lb lean ground pork
1 tsp smoked paprika

To roast tomatoes, spray a cooking sheet with olive oil spray, remove seeds and lay slices on sheet.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt & pepper to your tastes.  Roast to desired doneness (let 'em get a little caramelized for the best flavor).

For burgers, add paprika and pepper to ground pork, combine, prepare patties.  Grill to desired doneness.

Add to whole wheat bun and top with lettuce, tomato slices & mustard, if desired.  Enjoy!  The kids and my husband REALLY liked these burgers.  I was surprised by the pork flavor at first, but it really tasted like some sort of gourmet burger.  I will do these again.

Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

ground turkey breast
1 1/2 tsp chile powder
homemade or store bought citrus salsa (yay vitamin C)
low fat or organic all natural pepper jack cheese

Add chile powder to turkey, combine and form into patties.  Grill to desired doneness - adding cheese towards the end of cooking.

Place in a whole wheat bun and top with lettuce & a generous amount of salsa.  This was another hit with everybody, kids and adults.  I really like the idea of buying ground turkey breast versus ground turkey.  Makes a big difference in taste (and fat content, which is always a good thing)!  This was not as moist as the pork burger, but the citrus salsa (I got mine premade from Whole Foods - no way am I messing with anymore mangoes - total PIAs) added just the right amount of juiciness.

As you can see, we served this with grilled chili corn (coat with olive oil, garlic and chile powder, perhaps just a touch of sea salt).  Mmmmmm!  No need for butter with that little touch of heat and I am a girl who used to love her cobs floatin' in a butter bath.

Nutritional info (approximate): for pork burgers, 311 calories; 6g total fat; 25g carbs; 40g protein; 90mg cholesterol.  for turkey burgers, 352 calories; 4g total fat; 43g carbs; 40g protein; 58mg cholesterol.

Burger Night!!

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.