Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Zucchini Burgers



There’s just something about summer that makes you want to eat a good burger, isn’t there? Something about the grill and outdoor eating environment just screams summertime fun. Well, Zach and I don’t have a grill, or really anywhere to eat outdoors at our apartment, so we revamped our burger experience last week!

Since beginning my journey to eating healthier, I have found that I am craving vegetables more than I was before, so I have been trying to find creative ways to eat more veggies. Let me tell you, these zucchini burgers hit the nail on the head!

They are super simple and really versatile to what you want to include in them. Take stock of your fridge and into consideration of what your family enjoys, and make it your own! Think of this as a base recipe to play around with and experiment yourself.

Here we go!

Zucchini Burgers

Ingredients (makes about 8 patties)
2 medium sized zucchini        
3 to 4 eggs (just depends on the consistency)
½ cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
½ an onion, finely minced
½ cup of mushrooms, finely chopped
½ cup red bell peppers, finely chopped
½ cup feta cheese
2 tsp garlic powder (more if you like garlic like I do)
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Use the largest holes on a grater and grate all of the zucchini. Place in a bowl, cover with a paper towel and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
-Use this time to chop/mince all of your other veggies. This is where you can get creative. If you like green peppers, or cucumbers, or whatever…experiment!
-Take off the paper towel and add your veggies and mix throughout.
-Add in your eggs. You want it to be sticky so they will bind together, but not too much. Start with 3, then add the bread crumbs. If it’s falling apart, add the fourth egg. If it’s too runny, add more bread crumbs.
-Add in your cheese (you can also use shredded pepper jack or any other cheese. We had feta and I love that, so that’s what we used!) and your seasonings to your taste.
-Mix so it is all incorporated, then begin forming them into patties. I made ours a little smaller than the palm of my hand. Place on a greased baking sheet, making sure they have space in between.
-Cook for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides, turning half way through.
-Enjoy on whole wheat slider buns, regular sized buns, Ezekiel bread, or just by themselves!


If you want a great sauce to put on top that’s not going to kill your clean eating, mix up some plain greek yogurt with mustard, garlic powder and paprika, and spread on the bun. Yum!

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