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.