Popular Topics in South Beach Diet Community Challenges
Week 6: Design a Healthy Burger Recipe
Everyone wants to indulge in a delicious burger once in awhile, and with the South Beach Diet, you can have your burger and eat it too, using healthier ingredients. Enjoy lean choices of meat, such as sirloin, lean, extra-lean, turkey, and chicken burgers. Use a whole-wheat bun or a whole-wheat English muffin; top or stuff your burger with reduced-fat cheese varieties. Instead of ketchup, which tends to be high in sugar, create your own spread, like a sun-dried tomato mayonnaise, using reduced-fat sour cream, mayonnaise and sun-dried tomatoes.
This Week: Your challenge is to create your own burger, using healthy South Beach Diet-friendly ingredients. Check out our Inside-Out Cheeseburger from the new South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. This cheese-stuffed burger features flaxmeal, which is high in cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber and heart-healthy alpha-linolenic-acid (ALA), making it a delicious and nutritious addition. We’d love to see what type of burger you can create using flaxmeal as one of the ingredients. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavors, textures, and seasonings. Prepare your recipe and then report back to us. What kind of meat did you use? Did you create your own spread? Share your recipe with us, which will be reviewed by Marie Almon, Nutrition Director of the South Beach Diet.
Burger Mixture
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 lb extra lean ground pork (from locally-raised, pasture-fed Burkshire hog)
1 red bell pepper, coarsley chopped
2 green onions, sliced, both whites and greens
1/2 Braeburn Apple, chopped w/peel on
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach (from one of my amazing neighbor's gardens)
2 eggs (from my own spoiled-rotten and very happy, free-range hens)
1/2 cup freshly-milled flax seed
1/2 can black beans, coarsly mashed with the back of a fork
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (to help hold the final product together nicely)
Burger Topping
Canned, sliced mushrooms
Homemade, goat's milk feta cheese, sliced
Garnish
Salad greens from neighbor's garden
Sliced Roma Plum Tomatoes
Homemade, goat's milk feta cheese, crumbled
Braeburn Apple Wedges sprinkled with juice from a fresh lime
For husband and our bugs, I grilled an Earthgrains WW Thin Buns and served up their burgers in a more traditional way. I used my homemade Tzatziki Sauce for the condimet on their buns, then layered on the leafy salad greens, 'mater slices, and burger.
For myself, I served up the burger bunless on a bed of those wonderful leafy greens (they came from a good neighbor's garden, just minutes before I began preparations. On the side, I had 'mater slices and apple wedges, sprinkled with crumbled feta.
And here are a few pics of the various stages...
THIS IS THE MEAT MIXTURE (BEFORE I MADE THE LAST-MINUTE DECISION TO ALSO ADD SPINACH TO THE MIX) AND THE FORMED PATTIES.
THE FETA AND 'MATERS
AND THE FINISHED MEAL... FIRST, HUSBAND'S BURGER, SERVED ON A GRILLED EARTHGRAINS 100% WW THIN BUNS AND FINALLY, MY BUNLESS BURGER SERVED ON A BED OF GREENS WITH MATERS, APPLE WEDGES, AND FETA ON THE SIDE.
And there you have it! Anybody care to help me decide on a name for it?
"Heidi's now that's what I call burger burger"
And what a wonderful way to stretch that meat out. I am a carnivore to the core - always have been - but I do try to keep my meat portions small and get some of my daily protiens in more easily digestible foods like beans, cheese, nuts...
I am so lucky to be in a position to raise some of the meat that my family consumes. I believe that animals give to you in direct proportion to what you give to them and I teach our children that, as I teach them to care for the animals. They know that whether an animal is giving to us its meat, eggs, milk, or even just its fiber for spinning, it is making a great sacrifice for our well-being. And this knowledge "shows" in the way they care for the animals with me. We try to "pay it forward" to them as we care for them. Now, I don't know if this is psychosematic or not, and I guess it does not really matter, but when we sit down to a meal of grilled chicken (for example), the breast filets from animals for whom we have cared just tastes better than what we can buy in the store! And we imagine that it certainly must be healthier too! :)
I do believe I got off on a bit of a tangent there. BAD HEIDI!
I think its wonderful the value that you are teaching your children! We need more people in this world that are just like you. I also enjoyed reading in your recipe the detail under each ingredient - they all have a little story!
Good job- now send me that sliced Goat Feta !
L
I chose to create a burger which is close to my heart. Those of you who have gotten used to reading my recipes will not be surprised at all with the ingredients. All my favorites are included in this one. I tossed around a few ideas and came up with it. If this was Top Chef, this would be the burger that represents “who I am”. LOL!
Let’s get on with it then.
Italian Turkey Sausage Cheeseburger dressed with Pesto and Broccoli Raab
Serves 4, prep time 15 minutes; total time 30 minutes
1 lbs Italian Hot Turkey Sausage (meat removed from casings)
½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (dry packed)
½ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup no sugar added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons pesto sauce
1 bunch of broccoli raab
1-2 sliced roasted red peppers
4 slices of low-fat provolone cheese
4 Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine the first 4 ingredients and salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Thoroughly mix to combine all. It’s best to let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes to allow the tomatoes to soften slightly. Adjust by adding more tomato sauce if the mixture is too dry. Meanwhile, braise the broccoli raab in a ½ cup of water until softened but still bright green.
Shape the turkey mixture into patties with wet hands. Grill on a medium grill for 4-5 minutes on the first side, turning burgers and cooking for another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Just before removing from the grill, add a slice of provolone cheese to each patty.
Serve your burgers on sandwich thins topped with ½ cup of broccoli raab, ½ tablespoon of pesto and sliced roasted peppers. DELISH!
I LOVE IT! And a quick-make! You are my hero!
Now leave me be for a minute while I copy Natalie's Italian Turkey Sausage Cheeseburger dressed with Pesto and Broccoli Raab into my recipe collection along with a note to try immidiately! :)
I better mention UP FRONT that this is NOT an entry. I do have another in mind that I am working on, but this isn't it. I DID however happen across this while perusing one of my favorite food sites... Eating Well (linked at end of pasted recipe).
I made some personal notes to the original recipe in my usual way - you will recognize, I am sure - and was thinking... what better crew of cooks to present this potentially GREAT meal to for further "fine-tuning" than my new friends here at the challenge? And if someone wanted to put their own twist on it and make the recipe their own for the challenge itself, I would give them the heartiest "YES! DO IT!" that I can muster! :) Here's the recipe. I bet you will all go "oooooooo, ahhhhhhhh" just as I did!
Hanoi-Style Tuna Patty Salad
6 servings
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Nutrition Profile
Diabetes appropriate | Low calorie | Low cholesterol | Low saturated fat | Heart healthy | Healthy weight | High potassium |
View Our Nutrition Guidelines »
Ingredients
Tuna Patties
- 1 1/4 pounds tuna steaks (could use equivalent weight canned tuna, packed in water??)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 2 teaspoons grated)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce, (see Ingredient Note) (use Tzatziki, made from strained ff plain yogurt OR one of RKK's healthy tartar sauce makeovers)
- 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (omit or use with sf pancake syrup)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salad & Dressing
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (equal, splenda, or similar)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 2 teaspoons grated)
- 1 small clove garlic
- 12 ounces thin rice noodles, or thin rice sticks (see Shopping Tip) (WW angel hair pasta??? Wild or Long-grain brown rice?)
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce (use dark leafy greens, spinach, carrot tops)
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts (ANY hearty - as opposed to delicate, like alfalfa - bean sprout will do)
Garnishes
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or grated
- 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Sprigs of fresh cilantro, mint and/or basil (preferably Asian or Thai basil)
Heidi's Garnish Options
- Kohlrabi, Fennel Bulb, or Sweet Tater - Raw, Julienned
- Sweet peppers & Red bells - sliced or diced
Preparation
- To prepare tuna: With a large chef's knife, chop tuna using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy). Continue chopping, rotating the knife, until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces.
- Place the tuna, scallions, onion, ginger, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently combine, without overmixing, until evenly incorporated. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the salad or up to 12 hours.
- To prepare salad: Combine water, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, granulated sugar, vinegar, lime juice, ginger and garlic in a large bowl; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reserve 1/2 cup of the dressing in a small bowl.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and stir to separate well. Boil until soft but still resilient, 2 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold running water. Drain well, transfer to a medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the reserved dressing.
- Add lettuce and bean sprouts to the dressing in the large bowl; toss to coat. Divide the mixture among 6 shallow serving bowls. Top with equal portions of the noodles.
- Form the tuna mixture into 6 patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat (see Grilling & Broiling Variations). Add the patties and cook until firm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Place a tuna patty on top of each salad and drizzle each portion with some of the remaining dressing. Serve with a platter of carrots, cucumber, red onion and herbs and let diners choose their own garnishes. Grilling & Broiling Variations: Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat broiler. Oil the grill rack (see Tip) or coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Cook patties until firm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Tips & Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the dressing (Step 4) for up to 1 week. Cover and refrigerate the tuna mixture (Steps 1-2) for up to 12 hours.
- Ingredient Note: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analyses.
- Shopping Tip: Dried thin rice noodles (or rice sticks) are similar to mung bean threads, but they are a little thicker and are made with rice flour instead of mung bean starch. They're also called "bun" or "vermicelli-style" rice noodles. Look for them in the Asian section of well-stocked supermarkets or an Asian foods market.
- Tip: To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.
Nutrition
Per serving: 359 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 43 mg cholesterol; 61 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 2 g fiber; 809 mg sodium; 630 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (60% daily value), Vitamin C (35% dv), Folate (26% dv), Potassium (19% dv), Iron (15% dv).
4 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 3 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat
Inserted from <http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/hanoi_style_tuna_patty_salad.html>