Healthy Burger and Tots

A burger and fries is one of the most popular meals in America.  So a burger + tots + Coke at Sonic sets you back 900 calories.

How about we mix things up a bit and make a healthy meatless burger and tots for less than 500 calories.  This meal also contains way less fat than a typical burger meal and was high in protein.  Skip the Coke and opt for a diet soda or better yet, water!

I got these two recipes from Pinterest and tried them tonight.  I LOVED this dinner!

Enjoy...

Black Bean Burgers

Mash can of black beans

2 T. ketchup

1 T. mustard

1 t. onion powder, 1 t. garlic powder

Pinch of ginger powder or turmeric or any spice (I used chipotle)

1/3 cup instant oats (I used 5 minute oats)

Form into patties and cook 7 minutes on each side

So I used my food processor to blend all of the ingredients together and made three large patties and cooked them in a skillet with non-stick no calorie olive oil spray.  I built my burger on a whole wheat sandwich thin with dijonnaise, 1/4 avocado, baby spinach, tomatoes, and cholula.  YUM!  I can't wait to have another one tomorrow!

Zucchini Tots

1 cup shredded, peeled zucchini (about 2 zucchinis)

1 small onion, diced

1 egg

1/4 Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

paprika to garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Using a small spoon, evenly distribute the zucchini mixture among the cups - filling about halfway & pressing the mixture down a little with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with chipotle ranch sauce, if desired.

I shredded one zucchini (skin on) and one large carrot using my food processor.  I used 1/3 cup cheddar cheese to save a little on calories/fat. My recipe made 16 mini tots and yes my calorie calculation for the above burger + 16 tots was under 500 calories. It was delicious and super filling. 

Meatless Meals Day 4: Pizza and Salad

So we all love pizza and salad right?  Well here is a spin on the tradition pizza buffet.  The major bonus here is that this meal is mostly all veggies and very little carbs!

Now if you are a follower of Pinterest then you may have seen the pizza I am about to share, cauliflower crust pizza.

I had to test it out for myself and I have to say I love it!  Next time I am going to try to get the crust crispier and use less cheese, but for now, this is how to create this delicious dish...

First for the salad.  I made most of the salad yesterday because I like the cucumbers and onions to marinate over night but that is optional.  This cucumber salad recipe is from my mom but I added a few more goodies to the mix.

Mom's Cukes n' Vinegar:

1 med. to large cuke, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
dash pepper
1/2 C. vinegar
1/4 C. Canola oil
Combine all ingredients. Cover and refridgerate til ready to eat. Serve with a draining spoon.

Then today I added sliced tomatoes and chopped avocado!

Now onto the pizza...

Makes a small personal pan pizza for one or two to share.  I made this pizza again tonight and I used the rest of the cauliflower (probably more than half a head of cauliflower ~ 2-3 cups) and I added a little more water and I used one whole egg and one egg white.  I also added a tablespoon of Chia seeds for added protein, fiber and omega-3s!  This time my pizza was bigger, about a small to medium sized pizza.  This pizza crust also took the entire 15 minutes to cook as opposed to the recipe below where the personal pizza only cooked for about 10 minutes.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Olive oil (optional)
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Other additional toppings of your choice

Directions:
To rice your cauliflower, take 1 large head of cauliflower, remove the stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to a food processor and pulse just until it looks like rice. Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower with a cheese grater.

Place the riced cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup water, and microwave for 6-8 minutes, stirring half-way through.

To make the pizza, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a pizza pan or cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Mine stuck a little, so next time I will use extra spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, mozzarella cheese and egg together and stir until well incorporated. Add the oregano, garlic, and garlic salt. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and shape into a 9-inch circle. Brush the crust with olive oil to help it brown in the oven.  I wasn't able to brush my dough, it just seemed to sticky, so I used my Misto spray. (What's a misto spray? Check out my recipe favorites tab to find out)

Baked at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and cooked through the middle. I only had to bake mine for 10 minutes but all oven vary.

Remove the crust from the oven, add your sauce, cheese and toppings. Place under a broiler at high heat until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (About 3-4 minutes).  The toppings I chose were mushrooms and red onions.  I sauteed these on the stove top while the crust was baking. I used fresh marinated cherry-sized mozzarella balls as my cheese topping. So yum! 

Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then cut into slices and serve.

Recipe from http://stickafork.net

Meatless Meals Day 3: Saucy Veggies

I can't stop eating vegetables and sauce. It is just so easy and delicious.

Tonight's creations included a vegetable plate topped with pasta sauce and parmesean cheese for me.

Jon wanted pasta so I boiled some whole wheat lasagna noodles and wrapped up the fresh veggies with the lasagna noodles and made lasagna roll-ups.  This dish would be even better if it was topped with cheese and sauce and baked until the cheese gets bubbly but we enjoyed our dinner without ooey gooey cheese.

Veggies we enjoyed tonight (all compliments of Larry's Produce): string beans, yellow squash, onion, red bell peppers, mushroom, asparagus

More Meatless Meals

Italian Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini

Slice your eggplant and zucchini into thick disks.  Toss in olive oil.  Heat your grill and line the grill with foil, sprayed with non-stick olive oil spray.  Carefully lay the zucchini on the foil and season with salt-free seasonings (rosemary, garlic, onion-herb).

While the veggies are grilling, sautee sliced mushrooms on the stove top.  Add 4 tablespoons of California Sun Dry - garlic with sundried tomatoes and sauteed for a few minutes longer. 

In a separate saucepan, heat 2 cups of jarred pasta sauce (or make your own homemade - I didn't have time so just went with the jarred sauce; it was mushroom and olive).  Add the mushroom mixture to the pasta sauce and heat until fully cooked (few minutes).

Flip the grilling veggies.  Once they are cooked through, line the eggplant on the bottom of a glass dish.

Spread1-2 garlic herb Laughing Cow cheese wedges on the eggplant. Top with the grilled zucchini and spread with 1-2 more cheese wedges.  Top with mushroom sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese!

So easy and so DELICIOUS! Pair with red wine if you'd like.  I do!

Skip the cheese for a vegan dish!