Grill Worthy Veggie Burgers

About 3 years ago, I made the decision to stop eating meat for a number of health, animal right, and agricultural reasons. I have never looked back, but on occasion I miss things like fried chicken, barbecue ribs, and a good grilled hamburger.

This memorial day, I wanted to grill a hamburger. And not a frozen veggie burger patty that is shaped like a hockey put and falls apart and through the grill grates the second it defrosts. I wanted something homemade that would have tons of flavor, not fall apart on the grill, and take on that grilled flavor that I miss so much.

I set out to find the perfect recipe, and I stumbled upon one which promised to deliver the perfect grilled veggie burger. We tried them out yesterday for Memorial Day, and I have to say that they were absolutely delicious! They were moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside, full of flavor, and stayed together on the grill. Even better, these burgers are packed full of nutrition, which makes them extremely filling. I ate my whole burger but wished I had stopped at half once my food coma set in!

Don't be intimidated by the prep work... it really isn't as bad as it looks! I think it took me about 20 minutes to put these together, and it was WELL worth it. Meat eaters... fear not. Even my meat loving father (who has been forced into vegetarianism by my mom and me) enjoys a veggie burger for lunch nearly every day. If you aren't feeling brave enough to try this recipe, check out my favorite frozen brands at the end of this post!

Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 cup oats, processed into flour (about 1 minute in the food processor, until it looks like flour)
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Worcestershire Sauce (to taste... I think we used about 1/4 cup)
• Garlic salt (to taste)

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until tender and translucent.

2. Combine everything but the Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt in a large bowl, mix with hands until well combined.

3. Once the ingredients are well combined, add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt to taste.

4. With slightly wet hands, shape the dough into patties. The recipe yields 8 burgers, but we made them a little larger and ended up with 6.

5. Grill until cooked through, and enjoy!

Before grilling

After grilling, topped with cheddar cheese!

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 patty
Calories: 258
Calories from fat: 88.7

% Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet

Total fat: 9.86g (15%)
Saturated fat: 1.19g (5%)
Cholesterol: 69.38g (5%)
Sodium: 246.23g (10%)
Total carbohydrate: 31.04g (10%)
Dietary Fiber: 5.19g (20%)
Sugar: 2.56g
Protein: 10.75g (21%)

If you would like to try a veggie burger but don't want to mess with all of the prep and/or grilling, here are some of my favorite frozen burgers for you to check out! All of these come out great in the microwave, which makes them a great option for a quick and healthy meal. I used to pack them for lunches at work, along with a  sandwich thin bun, side salad and some fruit.

Don't Ruin a Healthy Salad!

Today when I got in from my run, I was craving a salad. I pulled a bunch of random stuff out of the refrigerator and ended up with spring greens, cucumber, mushroom, tomato, red onion and tofu. We were out of my favorite raspberry vinaigrette dressing, so I started checking out the nutrition labels of the different bottles we had in the fridge... and I just couldn't justify putting any of them on top of my beautiful healthy salad.

Most people make salads in an attempt to eat healthy and lose weight, but the way you choose to dress your salad can mean the difference between a healthy choice and a calorie and fat packed meal. Many of the bottled salad dressings out there are full of calories, fat and added sodium. For instance, Ken's Steakhouse Thousand Island dressing packs 13% of your daily sodium and 20% of your daily fat!




You may think you have been avoiding diet disaster by choosing the light version of your favorite dressing... but sadly that may not be the case. Hidden Valley Ranch Light dressing packs 12% of your daily sodium and 11% of your daily fat into TWO tablespoons.



Rather than smother my salad in calories, fat, sodium and ingredients I can't pronounce...I decided to whip up my own dressing. There are a million easy recipes out there, this is just what I created off the top of my head. It took me about 5 minutes and satisfied the tangy sweet flavor that I was craving. This would also be great on sandwiches or as a marinade for chicken breasts. It was a little higher in sugar than I wanted it to be.. but hey... I was improvising.

Katie's Honey Mustard Dressing

Makes about 4 two tablespoon servings

1/4 cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Combine oil, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl and combine well. Add yogurt and honey, and stir until all ingredients are combined.

Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
Calories: 50
Fat: 3.63g
Sodium: 63mg
Sugars: 3.4g
Protein: 1.65g

If you can't avoid buying bottled dressings, try to find brands that contain no more than 50 calories and 140mg or less of sodium per 2 tablespoons. They can be hard to find, so here are a few suggestions for you to check out:

Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing
Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Annie's Lite Honey Mustard
Whole Foods 365 Raspberry Vinaigrette

I hope that these tips will help you keep your salads light and healthy this summer. Enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the fresh fruits and veggies that come with it!