Burger Bonanza

My guess is that you have the barbecue out and are taking advantage of cooking outdoors as often as possible to beat the heat in the kitchen. Hamburgers are a favorite and easy item to toss on the Weber, but your standard hamburger meat can be pretty high in fat and calories. So what's a person to do? The alternatives to the standard 80/20 (80% meat, 20% fat) ground beef that I like to cook are 95/5 ground beef, ground turkey, and ground lamb.

For a standard quarter-pound burger, all three options come in under 225 calories. The ground beef and ground turkey weigh in at 193 calories each, while ground lamb is at 221. The 95/5 beef yields the least amount of fat and the most amount of protein, with 7.5 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein. Turkey comes in second, with 11 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein, and lamb rounds out the three with 15 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein. All these meats are low in sodium and high in niacin and selenium. Beef and lamb also have the added benefit of B vitamins and zinc. The downside to all of these, being meat products, are that they are high in cholesterol and should be eaten in moderation.

In addition to changing the kind of meat you grill, you might think about spicing up your burgers a bit. While it takes a few more minutes, the recipes below will still allow you escape prolonged kitchen duty and you'll benefit from the increased flavor you inject into the lowly hamburger. The first recipe is for a Spicy Southwest Burger made with 95/5 ground beef. The lean ground beef works well with the blend of ingredients and may just set your mouth on fire. The ground turkey burger incorporates the use of juicy portobellos and a hidden surprise of lowfat provolone cheese, a recipe that works best if you increase the size of the burgers to 1/3 pound (remember you are increasing the calorie count, too). Last is a ground lamb burger served with a yogurt sauce in pita bread, for a twist on the old patty-and-bun version. All recipes call for one pound of ground meat and make 4 quarter-pound patties.

So get out of the kitchen and out to the grill and enjoy your summertime.

Spicy Southwest Burgers
1 pound 95/5 ground beef
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (such as Embasa brand)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/3 bell pepper, diced
¼ onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t seasoning salt

Smash the chipotle pepper in a large bowl and mix in cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic and onion. Mix thoroughly and add ground beef. Shape into patties and grill.

Turkey/Portobello Burgers
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 portobello mushroom, chopped small
¼ cup onion, minced
½ teaspoon each fresh oregano and thyme, minced (or ¼ teaspoon dry)
¼ cup bread crumbs or panko
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
4 deli slices provolone, each cut into fourths

Heat olive oil in fry pan over medium heat and add portobello and onion. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly and add to turkey along with herbs, bread crumbs, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Divide into 8 balls. Flatten each one, topping 4 with the 2 of the cheese pieces. Be careful to keep cheese in the center and do not get too close to the edge. Cover each cheese patty with a plain patty and seal edges well and grill.

Herbed Lamb Patty in Pita
1pound ground lamb
2 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced (or ½ t dried)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Cucumber/Yogurt Sauce
8 ounces plain yogurt
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T olive oil
2 T fresh mint, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon seasoning salt

Make yogurt sauce by combining all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. For patties, mix herbs and spices with meat and mix thoroughly. Shape into patties and grill. Serve patties in pita pockets with cucumber/yogurt sauce.