Fully Loaded Burger Bowl

Needing some new recipes to keep me motivated to eat clean, so got this from a friend -- it was delicious!!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil or melted refined coconut oil

For the Special Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise see Notes
• 2 tablespoons ketchup see Notes
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or 1 tablespoon coconut aminos if on Whole30, see Notes
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
• 1 pinch salt more or less to taste

For the Quick Guacamole

• 2 medium avocados pit removed, peeled
• ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice juice from approximately half of 1 lemon
• ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste

For the Bowls (All Optional)

• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 small heads romaine lettuce leaves only, roughly chopped; approximately 8-9 cups total
• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved; or grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup pickle chips plus more to taste
• 8-10 slices thick-cut bacon cooked, crumbled

Instructions

For the Burgers

• Add 1 pound lean ground beef, 4 teaspoons garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt to medium mixing bowl. Use hands or wooden spoon to mix ingredients together until well combined. Set bowl aside.
• Heat large skillet over medium heat. When pan is warm, add 1 teaspoon avocado oil and swirl or tilt pan to distribute oil across surface. Continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is ready, add ground beef mixture to skillet. Cook beef, stirring frequently, until browned and crumbled. While ground beef cooks, prepare guacamole and special sauce.

For the Special Sauce

• Add ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (see Notes), 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish, 2 teaspoons dried minced onion, 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 pinch salt to second medium mixing bowl.
• Whisk ingredients together until fully combined. Taste and adjust quantities as needed. When satisfied with flavor, set sauce aside until ready to serve.

For the Guacamole

• Add 2 medium avocados, ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon salt to small mixing bowl. Use fork to mash ingredients together until fully combined. When desired consistency is achieved, set bowl aside until ready to serve guacamole.

For the Red Onions

• When ground beef is fully cooked and crumbled, transfer beef to medium bowl or plate and set aside. Return skillet to medium heat.
• Add 1 cup thinly sliced red onion to skillet in single layer. Work in batches as needed to avoid layering onions or overcrowding pan. Cook onion slices until lightly charred on underside, then flip onions over and cook until charred on other side.
• Transfer sautéed red onions to second medium bowl or plate and set aside. Repeat with any remaining onions until all onions have been sautéed.

For the Burger Bowls

• Divide 2 small heads romaine lettuce evenly between serving bowls.
• Divide ground beef mixture into 4 equal portions. Place one portion in center of each serving bowl, on top of lettuce layer.
• Arrange equal portions of 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, ½ cup pickle chips, 8-10 slices thick-cut bacon, sautéed red onions, prepared guacamole, and other preferred toppings around ground beef in each bowl.
• Drizzle plenty of special sauce over top of burger bowls and serve immediately with additional sauce if desired.

Notes

• Maple Syrup: If you're on a Whole30 round, do NOT use maple syrup! Replace the maple syrup with 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. If you're not on a Whole30 round, use maple syrup as instructed, and don't use coconut aminos.
• Coconut Aminos: If you're not following a Whole30 diet, use maple syrup instead of coconut aminos. If you are on a Whole30 round, replace the maple syrup with 1 tablespoon coconut aminos.
• Lemon Juice: Replace the lemon juice in the guac with lime juice for more of a Tex-Mex flavor.
• Make it Whole30: Use a Whole30-compatible mayo (store-bought or make your own), a Whole30-compatible ketchup (store-bought or make your own), and do NOT use maple syrup in the sauce! Instead, replace the maple syrup with 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. Make sure your bacon is Whole30-compatible, too.
• Make it Keto: Replace the maple syrup with a maple-flavored keto sweetener, like Lakanto's Sugar-Free Maple Syrup. Use a keto ketchup (store-bought or make your own). Use a sugar-free bacon. Omit the guacamole, tomatoes, and red onions to lower the carb count even more.

Smash Burgers

We made these with Billy and Lainey last year so we knew we had to try ourselves!!  They were DELICIOUS!!!!

Our Best Bites: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
steak seasoning (or just kosher salt and black pepper)
4 slices American cheese (like kraft singles)

4 hamburger buns

Fry Sauce/Burger Spread

Desired toppings:
iceberg lettuce
sliced tomato
sliced dill pickle
sliced onion

Divide beef into 4, 4-oz balls.  Do not roll super smooth, just roughly shape into round forms.

Cut or tear 4 sheets of parchment or foil into about 5″ squares.

Prepare all burger toppings and buns and set aside ready.

Heat a large flat-top grill pan, or large cast iron pan to medium heat.  Once hot, brush lightly with a neutral oil.  Place one portion of beef on pan at a time, place parchment square on top, place sturdy large spatula on top and immediately press down, using hand to push clean spatula, smashing beef to a thin patty, about 1/3″ thick.

Remove parchment/foil and sprinkle seasoning on top.  Repeat with remaining burgers.  Let cook until golden browned on bottom and edges, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip burgers, season remaining side, and immediate top with cheese.  Cook for additional 1 minute or so.

Spread sauce on buns, place cooked burgers on prepared buns and serve.

Variations:  feel free to use a 3-oz portion if you’d like them slightly smaller, or stack 2 burgers with cheese in the middle for a double-stack!

Hobo pack Burgers and Taters

This was our FAVORITE hobo pack yet!!!  So delicious and the boys even gobbled it right up!!

Ingredients:

·       corn or carrots

·       potatoes (any kind will do – I grabbed up what I had in my pantry)

·       ground beef

·       french onion soup mix

·       onion

·       butter

·       salt and pepper

 Every person will get their own packet so start by cutting the foil. Make sure each piece of foil is big enough to hold the food and then wrap it up for cooking.

Cut up you onions, potatoes and carrots. I used about one potato and three baby carrots (one large carrot) per packet. I divided the onion up among the packets which ended up to be a tablespoon or two each. (There is no such thing as measuring when you are camping – you just have to eyeball it!)

Then I grabbed a patty size piece of burger and crumbled it up over the top.

I took the french onion soup mix and used it as my seasoning. I used about 1/3 of the envelope for each foil packet. Be sure to shake up the mix so you get some of the flavor from the seasoning on each one. Then use your hand to mix it all up.

Put a few pats of butter on the top of the mixture and fold ‘er up.

Cook them until the beef is browned and the potatoes are fork tender. If you overcook them the potatoes will burn onto the foil. You have to be especially careful if you are cooking over the campfire!

Cheeseburger Cups

The boys made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS and easy for them to make :)  Quick fix too!!

 INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

6 

burger buns, split

1 tbsp. 

vegetable oil

1 

medium onion, chopped

1 lb. 

ground beef

1/2 tsp. 

garlic powder

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 

slices cheddar, quartered

Ketchup, for serving

Yellow mustard, for serving

12 

pickle chips

Sesame seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a muffin tin with cooking spray. Flatten burger bun halves to 1/4 inch thick with a rolling pin and place one half cut-side up in each prepared muffin cup.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Drain fat.
3. Return beef mixture to skillet and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Divide ground beef mixture among burger bun cups and top each with a cheddar cheese square. Bake until cheese is melty and buns are golden, about 10 minutes.
4. Drizzle cups with ketchup and mustard, top with a pickle, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Blue Cheese Burgers

These were YUMMY!!!  I'm such a sucker for burgers, and we had friends over tonight so this was perfect!!!

Makes 4 (double): 1 red, ¼ blue

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Extra lean ground sirloin

1/3 cup of blue cheese crumbles

Himalayan salt

1 tsp of olive oil

Preheat grill

Gently combine the blue cheese crumbles with the meat, but do not over mix!  That will toughen your burger. #dontletmesayitoldyouso

Form burgers – this should make 4 very easily.  Again, do not over handle the meat!  They do not need to have a perfect shape at all.

With your thumb, make a deep depression on one side of the burger.

Brush olive oil on both sides of the burgers and season with Himalayan salt.

Grill burgers on high for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how done you would like them to be!  We usually do 4 mins on each side.

Enjoy on a bun, wrap, or lettuce wrap!  I also topped mine with sautéed mushrooms for some extra green.

Guacamole Turkey Burgers

NEW fav burger!!  This was amazing - and my new favorite way to make guac!!  SO yummy!!

1 red, 1 blue, 1 teaspoon

Ingredients

¾ pound ground turkey

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

1½ avocados (3 blue containers when mashed)

2 teaspoons lime juice

¾ teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons olive oil

Mix the ground turkey together with the chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a medium bowl  Form into three patties

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 3 teaspoons of olive oil

Cook the patties, making sure they brown on both sides, until they are cooked through

Meanwhile, make your guacamole. Mash together the avocados, lime juice, garlic powder in a bowl. Season to taste with salt

Serve burgers with a dollop (1 blue container's worth) of guacamole on each patty

Turkey Burger

This was actually really tasty too!!  AND because we didn't use a bun, we got to save the starch to go with sweet potato fries on the side!!  YUMMY!

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground turkey
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup romaine
1/4 medium avocado
1 medium tomato

Combine turkey and salsa in a bowl, mix well and form into patties.

Bake or grill patty -- then place lettuce on serving plate - top with patty, avocado, and tomato.

Hamburger Steak with Onion & Mushroom Gravy

We have had another busy weekend!!  Ross had to work today, so it was just B and I!  He helped me make up dinner for daddy :)

This was super good!!  Kinda random - but amazing in the mouth!  I love myself some potatoes and burgers!!  

Serves 4 - OBB cookbook

Ingredients:

2-3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 pound ground sirloin
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large white onion, vertically sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (like baby portobellos)
4-5 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Mashed Potatoes

Divide the meat into 4 1/2″-thick patties. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Swirl 2 teaspoons in olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook for 4-5 minutes and then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the patties from the pan and set aside.

Heat the teaspoon of butter in the skillet. When melted, add the onions and sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until they become tender and start to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes (you may need to add an additional teaspoon of oil if the onions are burning or sticking). Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are tender, being careful not to let the garlic scorch.

When the onions and mushrooms are cooked, sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir quickly to combine. Add the broth and vinegar and cook until thickened. Add the beef patties and heat through. Serve each patty over mashed potatoes and top with mushrooms, onions, and gravy.

Volcano Burgers

Summer time...ahhh it's been SO HOT here in MN!!  It's 105 today....fun stuff.  Didn't feel like turning our oven on, so Ross headed out in the heat to grill (thanks mr. man!)  These were pretty tasty...weren't our favorite burgers - but a good twist on the normal burger!

Recipe per Day

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash of chili powder
2 pepperoncini peppers
1/2 onion
pepper jack cheese slices

Preheat oven to 375 (or grill).

Combine beef, red wine, white wine, lemon juice, and chili powder.  Form patties and place on a nonstick / foil-lined pan (or again, grill).

Chop pepperoncinis / onions and sprinkle over top of patties.  Top with slices of pepper jack cheese.  Bake until patties are cooked - and check them out....they look like little volcano's :)

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Burger

Tonight was cookbook club - GRILL MASTERS edition!  Our menu was fantastic:

This awesome burger...

Veggie: Corn on the cob

Salad: Fruit Salad

Dessert: Banana Split

HELLO awesome burger!!  This was SUPER SPICY - but it was worth my prego heartburn!  It was so so so good :)  Took like 15 minutes to make - so not only super quick to make but tastes like heaven with some sass!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 6 hamburger buns, split

Preheat a grill for medium heat. When hot, lightly oil the grate. In a medium bowl, stir together the jalapenos and cream cheese.

Divide the ground beef into 12 portions and pat out each one to 1/4 inch thickness. Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of 6 of the patties. Top with the remaining patties, pressing the edges together to seal.

Grill for about 10 minutes per side, or until well done, taking care not to press down on the burgers as they cook. This will make the cheese ooze out. Serve on buns with your favorite toppings.

Best Hamburger ...and secret sauce!

Burgers in the house -- what what!!  These were SUPER easy to make and SUPER tasty - they were almost the "best hamburger" we've ever had.....but for real - great burger!!

Servings 5 - Six Sisters Blog

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I used 85/15- you want a fattier meat to make a juicier burger!)
sesame seed buns
1/2 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
seasoned salt to taste
cracked black pepper
onion powder

Secret Sauce:
3/4 cup of mayo
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup relish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
seasoned salt

Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.

Turn grill up to high and let it get hot.

Reduce heat to medium-high and place the burgers on the grill. Allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn't burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.

For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.  Assemble the burgers and serve with the special sauce, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles and your other favorite hamburger toppings!

Southwest Burger

Had miss Kimmy over for dindin tonight, so Ross made us  these YUMMY burgers!!!  They were super good and had a fun twist to your typical burger!!  We made these with Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Cauliflower....ahhh best dinner ever!!  Super excited to eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!  Make double to the Chipotle-Lime sauce too.....ahhh soo good!!

Burger ingredients:
1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground sirloin
1 1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chipotle-lime Mayo ingredients:
1/2 cup Mayo
2 teaspoon lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato
1-2 avocado
lettuce
optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese

Start by making the sauce.  Place mayo, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl.  Now this is the hard part - Stir it all together - cover it and set in the fridge. You can make this part up to a day ahead of time if you want to. And it’s seriously so good I could dip anything in it. Fries, chips… I actually usually double it so I can serve extra on the table.

Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands (yes, your hands!) to gently mix things together. If you go crazy and over-work ground beef it gets a yucky texture. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients and call it good.

Divide into 4 patties (or 6 little ones) and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet.

If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling. I’d use jack (not pepperjack), cotija, or even some queso fresco. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun.

When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill/pan and then pop onto your prepared buns. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce.

If you made extra sauce, serve it on the table so people can slather it on every bite. Just wait until you sink your teeth into this baby!

Samburgers

Quick meal at the Sodahl household...we had TONS of errands to run - plus the grocery store - so by the time we got home, we needed something quick!  This was super easy - but was a twist on your typical burger.  Then we just whipped up some Grilled Asparagus to go with it - and BAM.....a yummy meal!!  ahhh me likey!!  :)

OBB cookbook

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lb ground beef
3 tablespoons A1 sauce
1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼  teaspoon pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
¾ teaspoon dry oregano

1 tablespoon dehydrated onion 

Combine ingredients. If you want big burgers (and who doesn’t??) shape into 4 patties. If you’re a burger pansy, shape the meat into 6 patties.

Grill for about 7 minutes on each side over medium (or until they’re as non-pink as you want them.)

While the burgers are cooking, you can get your fixins ready. Yes, I just said “fixins.” You're fine.... I like ketchup, mustard, a leaf of Romaine, a couple rings of red onion, a slice or two of tomato, and a few dill pickle slices if I have them. 

If you want cheese on your burger, place it on top of the burger while it’s still cooking (and has about 2-3 minutes left). When the burgers are done and the cheese is melty, place them on your toasted buns and then add whatever you want on top! 

Wild Rice Burgers

Happy Birthday Week Kate!!!  Cookbook club was a blast!!  Ross was playing video games in the basement and commented how fun cookbook sounded :)  

We made up a wicked/awesome meal tonight!  Had these burgers with Stuffed Red Bliss Potatoes and Ginger-Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits.  Super yummy - and actually healthy too!!  The burgers were a little mean to us....as in, we couldn't form them into actual burgers....BUT we made do!  We sort of pan fried all of the wild rice mixture together and then sort of scooped them onto buns.  Might work better with more egg ?? or Italian bread crumbs ??  We weren't sure - but I'll for sure try these again and let you know :)  Even Ross liked them -- and it wasn't even meat!!! 

Makes 4 patties - Birthday girl Kate :)

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup small-diced onion
1/3 cup small-diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded aged Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten

Optional: favorite burger toppings

Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Cool completely. (Can make a day ahead and refrigerate.)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until onion is translucent.

In a large bowl, combine onion-celery-garlic mixture with wild rice, breadcrumbs, Asiago cheese, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Cool completely and then add eggs, stirring to combine.  (Might not want to use a whisk - it didn't work very well....hehe)

Divide mixture into 4 and shape into 1/2-inch thick patties.

Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.

Serve with your favorite burger toppings.