Receta Veggie Burgers and Crunchy Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Everything in moderation….
I’m trying to lose a few pounds. But, I like to eat. So, instead of going on a diet, I’ve decided to cut back a smidge. Trim a little here and a little there—it’s bound to make a difference, right? I think it’s called a lifestyle change. Yeah—I’ve done it before and lost 50 pounds in the process, but I’m thinking it won’t be quite as easy this time. Since I can’t (or should I say won’t) give up everything that I like to eat. My new motto: everything in moderation.
It helps that the other members of my family are hell bent on healthy eating. We been hanging out in the natural foods section of the grocery store and finding out that food that is good for you actually tastes pretty good (for the most part). I have found, for instance, that I really like hummus. Who knew chick peas could be so tasty? More on that later…
Tonight Pete was craving a hamburger. After much perusing in the grocery store, we decided on a veggie burger instead. The one we chose was a Morning Star brand “Turkey” burger. Hmmm…a veggie burger pretending to be a turkey burger? It didn’t make much sense, but it was made out of tomatoes and avocados---yum! I ended up buying just one hamburger bun since Pete didn’t want one and I didn’t want a whole bag to go to waste. Luckily, there was just one lonely bun left in the bin and it looked really good. A little crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, sesame seeds, whole wheat—it was perfect!
Once I got home and commenced to making our burgers, I decided we needed something to go with them. Pete really wanted potatoes of some kind so I ended up quartering a few russet potatoes, boiling them until they were just fork tender and smashing them on a cookie sheet with just a little olive oil (if this looks familiar, I got the idea from The Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes-- I just used russet potatoes instead of red potatoes and I topped mine with onions) In the mean time, I cut up two large onions (I heart onions) sprinkled them with a tiny bit of sugar and sautéed them in a little olive oil for about 20 minutes. Then I topped the potatoes with the onions (saving some for the burgers), some parmesan cheese and some steak seasoning (it’s mostly pepper, garlic and salt).
I baked them in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the tops of the potatoes were crunchy and the onions browned. I actually have a “speed bake” option on my oven that I used---it blows hot air over the food while it’s baking.
Now, you have to admit that the crunchy bits of parmesan cheese and onions baked on the bottom of the pan are the best part of this...
Then, I put my burger together. Pete was on his own at this point---that bun was mine! Actually, the bun kind of dwarfed the burger, so I had to top it with a few things to even it out. A little cheese, some more of the caramelized onions, some catsup, mustard and pickles....I'm getting hungry again, just thinking about it!
And there you have it. Craving solved in a most delicious and somewhat healthier way. Now if only I could motivate myself into dusting off the elliptical.....
And before I forget...check out my new header! Isn't easier to read? A big thank you to my new friend and fellow Bake-Off® Finalist, Laura Stanke for fixing it up for me. You can find Laura at her very cute blog Ohmydoodle.