A Tasty Burger with a Healthy Twist! - Meat & Grain Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• Salt for water
• 1 pound fresh Spinach Leaves
• 1 pound Beef Chuck (can also use ground sirloin, boneless chicken or turkey thighs, pork or lamb shoulder with excess fat removed)
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin, or 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon Salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• 1 Egg
• 2 cups soaked and drained Bulgur (or other cooked grains like cracked wheat, steel cut oats, or whole wheat)
• 6 Whole Wheat Burger Buns (approx. 120 calories per bun)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet or large roasting pan with the oil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Wilt the spinach in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water. Drain, squeeze tightly to dry thoroughly, and coarsely chop. Put the spinach in a bowl. If you’re using ground meat, add it to the spinach and skip the next step.

If you’re using whole pieces of meat, cut them into large chunks and put them in a food processor. Pulse several times to process until ground but not pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides, if necessary. Transfer to the bowl with the spinach.

Add the onion, garlic, cayenne, and cumin or chili powder. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, and stir. Add the egg and grains and mix until thoroughly combined using a rubber spatula or your hands. Shape into 6 burgers and put on the baking sheet or in the roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm and browned all over. (Carefully turn them once or twice for even cooking.) Since the burgers are pretty sturdy, they can also be cooked on a preheated grill over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Place the burgers in the buns and top with salsa or any of your favorite burger toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 6  |  Serving Size: 1 Burger

Per serving: Calories: 381; Total Fat: 15g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 85mg; Sodium: 497mg; Carbohydrate: 39g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 27g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 752mg; Vitamin A: 245%: Vitamin C: 26%; Iron: 23%; Calcium: 13%

- See more at: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2014/06/meat-grain-burgers/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=4481&utm_campaign=ROD5%3E&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonuazPZKXonjHpfsX56OskW6Ozg4kz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMTcZjNq%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7DBLM153N8QXRTg#sthash.7k5ZCKJE.dpuf

Found a Tasty & Health Recipe: Saucy Chicken and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Saucy Chicken and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

Garlic Soy Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon crushed Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Chicken:

• 4 raw 6-ounce Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 24 ounces total)
• Garlic Soy Marinade (see above)
• 2 tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 2 teaspoons Corn Starch
• 2 tablespoons Cooking Oil
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• 1/4 cup White Wine
• 1 1/4 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• Juice from 1/2 a Lemon

Sweet Potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds Sweet Potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1″ cubes
• 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

Directions

Prepare the garlic soy marinade by mixing all ingredients together. Tenderize chicken with a fork and marinate in the garlic soy marinade for at least 30 min, ideally overnight.

Place peeled and chopped sweet potatoes into a pot and cover with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil and simmer until you can easily insert a knife through the potatoes, about 6 to 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are boiling, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil. Once oil is heated, add chicken. Sear on both sides for 3 minutes.

Lower heat to medium, add the thyme, white wine and chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits that may have formed on the pan. There will be some steaming, so be careful!

Cover and cook the chicken for another 4 to 6 minutes, until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander and let them steam for about 5 minutes to allow some moisture to evaporate. Mash sweet potatoes with Greek yogurt, starting with less and adding more as needed. Season to taste with salt.

Remove cooked chicken from pan. Prepare corn starch mixture by mixing 2 teaspoons corn starch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Add mustard and corn starch mixture to the pan, bring to a simmer and let sauce cook until it’s thickened. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and pour sauce over the chicken.

Notes: Garlic soy marinade can be prepared up to 5 days in advance. Sweet potatoes can be peeled and chopped up to 3 days in advance.  Marinating the chicken can be done up to 2 days in advance.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4  |  Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups

Per serving: Calories: 522 ; Total Fat: 18g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 10g; Cholesterol: 124mg; Sodium: 881mg; Carbohydrate: 40g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 13g; Protein: 44g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 626mg; Vitamin A: 481%; Vitamin C: 73%; Iron: 14%; Calcium: 9%

- See more at: MyFitnessPal