Oh man! I think I perfected my olive barbecue cheeseburger.
I use lean ground beef and form 1/3 lb. patties. I sprinkle it generously with garlic powder on both sides. Then I lightly sprinkle with Montreal Spicy Steak Seasoning. Then I sprinkle with just enough Worcestershire sauce to lightly coat the burger. I let it cook not quite 4 min. on each side.
While its cooking, I take a kaiser roll and make garlic bread. I chop up green olives, and start making my salad.
Put the roll in the broiler heated to 450 F. for about 2 minutes. I turn the heat off on the burger. Carefully top the burger with the olives and cover with cheese. Cover to let the cheese melt.
Put the burger on the bun. Top with barbecue sauce and a little mustard.
Serve with salad.
It was awesome! I am so stuffed.
You can get creative. You can add lettuce tomato and onion to your burger. Or salsa, jalapenos or other peppers You can serve with any kind of beans. Fresh fruit is a nice balancing addition adding coolness and sweetness.
Now I will say that burgers are not a great choice if you want energy. They do leave you feeling sluggish. That’s why I usually don’t make a side other than salad. Red meat is harder to digest.
And let’s bust a couple of myths.
You shouldn’t eat red meat –
Actually, you should eat red meat once or twice a week. Red meat contains nutrients that your body needs – protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. The best choice is grass fed, but buy the best you can afford. And when you cook the meat yourself, you don’t add a bunch of sodium and chemicals.
It is so much more expensive to buy lean ground beef –
When you cook the cheaper, higher fat beef – what happens? You end up with a pan full of grease and the burgers have shrunk to half their size. You have to find someplace to throw away all that grease. What have you saved?
And when you serve that burger with a bunch of vegetables, you have a fairly healthy balanced meal.
You don’t have to eat bland foods to eat a balanced healthy diet. You just need to make these wonderful foods yourself.
You could take 15 minutes and go pick up an unhealthy burger and fries – or take 15 minutes and make a wonderfully delicious gourmet burger with a salad. Which would you rather eat? No brainer, right?
I have to say, I am so proud of my daughter and her cooking habits. She is more adventurous than I am. Its pretty cool. It feels really good when you can pass it on.
Be sure to explore the recipes and find some wonderful dishes to try!