Grilled Buffalo Burger Recipe
PIN IT!Is it just me, or did Monday sneak up WAY faster than normal this week? Actually, now that we are on the subject, August was a pretty quick little devil too. As much dismay as this may cause to some of my summer lovin’ readers, I’m ready for fall. I’m stocking up on pumpkin, slowly getting out my fall decorations and am buying sweaters, boots and the like in sheer anticipation. Since I’m going to be out-of-town the next, well, lifetime, I wanted to enjoy one last summer meal before it really starts to feel like fall (which will also be the time I’m back home). So, we hit the grill to make this grilled buffalo burger recipe!
And by WE, I mean E because as good as I am in any other part of the kitchen, the grill is a scary, scary place for me. Once we get a fancy grill (we have an old school tailgating Weber) I am going to tackle it. For now, I think E loves being the master of the grill so I let him 🙂
Now, these burgers, they aren’t your ordinary burger. Nope. As you so coyly deducted from the title, they are made from BUFFALO! Which is a new meat for me. I’ve never had it. While at the farmers market on Saturday, we saw a vendor selling buffalo patties. E loves them so he bought 4 of them. I always get a little apprehensive about new meats. I’m not a huge fan of gamey meats (like duck, rabbit, elk) so I was super nervous it would taste really gamey.
Friends, it’s not gamey AT ALL. It tastes exactly like beef, just a little leaner. And by a little leaner, I mean it has between 70 – 90% less fat than ground beef and contains about 50% less cholesterol. A burger with half the fat but all the flavor? Touchè, buffalo!
Now, you’re probably wondering what that guacamole looking stuff right above the lettuce is. Fair question. And no, it’s not guacamole. It’s something far more wonderful.
It’s a creamy avocado spread made WITH GOAT CHEESE! What a surprise ending there folks, who would have predicted I make anything with goat cheese. As good as the burger is, this stuff gave it such immense flavor. Creamy, tangy, cheesy. This is what burger legends are made of.
My husband grills a fabulous burger, but I know how to top it.
Garden fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced onions and baby arugula. Plus a heaping spoonful of avocado goat cheese spread. That’s really all. No need for fancy sauces or bacon (I know!) Just fresh stuff piled high in between a toasted bun. Not a bad end of summer dinner, not bad at all.
Buffalo burgers with avocado goat cheese spread
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!!
Serves 4.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 14 minutes
Ingredients:
For the burgers:
- 4 buffalo patties (about 16 ounces total)
- 4 light white sesame seed buns
- 1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup of baby arugula
For the spread:
- 1 medium ripe avocado, seeded and pitted
- 4 ounces of soft goat cheese
- 2 – 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Liberal dashes of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat your grill.
- Once grill is hot, place patties down. Grill about 5 – 7 minutes on each side, or until the insides reach 140 degrees F (for a medium rare burger).
- While burgers are grilling, prepare spread. Place avocado, goat cheese, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse on low until creamy. Add additional lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
- Apply spread on the bun and top with the burger, lettuce, tomato and arugula. Enjoy!
Nutritional information per burger (with about 2 tablespoons spread):
Calories: 413.25
Fat: 17.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 29.25 grams
Fiber: 2.8 grams
Protein: 35 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 10
Travel: Broadkill Beach, Delaware
Happy Sunday, y’all! We’re hanging out before we go wine tasting but I wanted to share some photos of my lovely trip to Broadkill Beach in Delaware last week. I’m working on updating my Travel page so please check back for new and exciting trips, hotel and restaurant reviews and a ton of photos!
Such a relaxing, quiet and beautiful beach.
The beach itself is private and only open to home owners and their guests so it was QUIET. Just a few families scattered on the gorgeous seashore. This made for such a relaxing few days. No drunk college students, rambunctious kids, loud families. Only the sound of faraway laughter and rolling waves crashing the shore. This is the kind of beach I love and could sit on for DAYS.
The view from the rooftop deck wasn’t so bad, either 🙂 Minus the dead puffer fish, which was just odd.
We stayed at my family friend’s beach house and it was SO cute. Lots of shells, bright colors and white cabinets. My dream beach home.
Of course, we ate. We had this fabulous brunch on Sunday with eggs, fresh blueberries and, of course, BACON!
And one more for the road.
Have a good rest of your weekend!
Almond & Mango Pancakes Recipe
Can’t you see that its just raining, ain’t no need to go outside..
Maybe we can sleep in, I’ll make you mango pancakes and we’ll pretend like it’s the weekend now.
HAPPY FRIDAY! It’s rainy, it’s gloomy and it’s humid. So naturally, that calls for the lyrical styling of Jack Johnson and a big, heaping plate of pancakes. Right?
Not just any ol’ pancakes, pancakes that remind me of sunny, warm, cozy places far, far away. Like Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and St. Martin. Which, ironically, is exactly where MY HUSBAND AND I WON A FREE TRIP TO. I kid you not. E, the awesome man that he is, signed up for a contest with the search site Hipmunk and they picked US to go on this free getaway. To the Caribbean. I MEAN REALLY. So, obviously I had to celebrate in the form of food. I’m an annoying food blogger after all.
Don’t these just look incredible? Mango is one fruit that will always baffle and excite me at the same time. It’s large and multi colored and fleshy, yet soft. It’s odd. But it always reminds me of the tropics so I feel the need to say “ya mon!” when I’m eating it.
What makes these pancakes so moist is the addition of the yogurt. Can I just tell you how much I love Chobani? I want to scream my admiration from a rooftop. In the pack of goodies they sent, there was a giant tub of mango 2%. What goes better with CHOmango than pancakes?
My favorite part of these fluffy, fruity and nutty pancakes? THE CRIPSY fried mango bits on top. I know. I’m demented. But hear me out. So each pancake has a large spoonful of chopped mango. So, while the cakes were browning to perfection, some chunks fell out. As I was trying to fish them out (without coffee yet, mind you), I saw that they were just perfectly caramelizing. Who am I to waste perfectly caramelized fruit? So, I added more to the pan and topped each cake with a dash of whipped cream and fried mango.
Despite the whipped cream and friend mangos, these are still pretty low in fat. As in, they have no butter or oil ANYWHERE in their fluffy little bodies. Plus, two of these pancakes give you about 10 grams of protein, which is a HECK OF A LOT. So, you’ll be full until lunch! (That is, if you don’t eat 10 cups of friend mango bits). NOTE: The addition of almond flour (which gives them a really great nutty flavor) adds a good amount of fat and calories. To make these lighter, OMIT that flour for regular AP or whole wheat.
Almond & Mango Pancakes
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 9 medium pancakes.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 – 7 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 – 5 tablespoons skim milk
- 1/2 cup Mango 2% Chobani
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup chopped mango
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
Directions:
- Mix together the almond flour, AP flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add in eggs, milk, Chobani and honey and mix well. If batter is still really thick, add additional milk. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped mango.
- Heat half of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a large spoonful of batter to the pan. Once the batter starts to bubble, flip the pancake. Cook for another 3 or so minutes or until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
- Heat the other half of the butter in the same pan. Add rest of the mango and fry until soft and golden on all sides. Serve on top of pancakes and enjoy!
Nutritional information per pancake:
Calories: 154.1
Fat: 5 grams
Carbohydrates: 20 grams
Fiber: 1.8 grams
Protein: 5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
Low-fat Red Wine Chocolate Donut Recipe
I have no words. I, for once in my life, am rendered completely speechless by a recipe. I can’t muster a word about how amazing this low-fat red wine chocolate donut recipe is. I just…no matter what I say, I can’t do them justice.
I’ll try though. These donuts? They are what legends are made of. I’m pretty sure if I made these for my ill-fated audition I would have made it through. Not being cocky friends, these chocolate circles of just pure HAPPINESS are so good. You take a bite and your mouth immediately erupts in joy from the rich, chocolate flavor. BUT THEN! You’re welcomed with gooey, melted chocolate from the chocolate chips which melt in your mouth. THEN! You’re welcomed with the amazing taste of Red Velvet wine and well. guys. shit just gets REAL.
I mean, red wine. donuts. chocolate chips. Is there anything else in this world we need? No. I could sit in a box somewhere with these and be the happiest, most malnourished person ever. I’d marry these. I’d take them home to meet the parents, introduce them as the “love of my life” at social functions. I’d vacation with them. They are THAT MIND-BLOWINGLY delicious.
Oh, and if that’s just NOT ALL. There’s only 1 WEE tablespoon of canola oil. No butter. Just oil and 3 heaping tablespoons of Chobani’s 2% vanilla chocolate chunk yogurt that was included in the amazing box of goodies they sent me!
So one of these rich, sexy, damn right mouth-watering donuts has 6 grams of fat. Yes. You heard that right. And a mere 153 calories. (Which is 100 less than a normal donut!) I know. You want to do a dance and kiss the sky.
And wine. I used the Red Velvet wine from Cupcake. I wanted a wine with a little more distinct flavor than a regular red wine, and I think this definitely held up. You don’t taste a lot of wine, since the rich chocolate overpowers it. But you know when you have a bite of chocolate and a sip of wine, and get that luscious, red wine + chocolate aftertaste? That’s what these donuts taste like.
This means it’s 100% acceptable to have a glass of wine for breakfast when you eat this. I mean, you have to pair it. Duh.
Low-fat Red Wine Chocolate Donuts
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 12 donuts. Recipe slightly adapted from Prevention RD.
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: About 9 minutes
Ingredients:
For the donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose pastry flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- Dash of salt
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup Red Velvet wine (or any other kind)
- 2 tablespoons 2% chocolate vanilla chunk Chobani
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the chocolate icing:
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Gold decorative sprinkles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Liberally grease a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder until combined. Add in egg, skim milk, red wine, canola oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir until ingredients are fully combined. Add in chocolate chips.
- Fill donut cavities about 1/2 – 2/3 the way full with batter. Bake for 7 – 9 minutes, or until they bounce back after you touch them. Let cool completely and remove from the pan.
- To prepare the glaze, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Set power to 50 and melt for 1 minute. Stir slightly and melt another 30 seconds. Repeat (stirring every 30 seconds) until chips are completely melted. Using a knife, frost each donut. Sprinkle with sprinkles and enjoy!
Nutritional information per donut with glaze:
Calories: 153
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 22 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 2.83 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
[GF] Light Confetti Corn with Bacon Recipe
I have to tell you something. Guys, I have absolutely no idea what “confetti corn” means. I even had to seek out help from The Google, without much avail mind you. All I know is this is what the food people are calling a dish like this, so I’m just going to roll with it. So, without further ado, I bring you light confetti corn WITH bacon.
Because I’m not sure how respectable of a person I would be if I called this what it is really is, or “HOLY FUC**IN’ AWESOME, MOUTH ORGASM, SEXY DELICIOUS CORN.” I think I’d probably get reported to the internet police and this little haven of mine would be shut down. So, confetti corn, you ambiguous, strange title, you win.
You could call this dish the worst name in the book and it would still taste like the heavens opened up and let you in. It’s creamy, it’s crunchy, it’s savory, it’s earthy, it’s bacony. This dish has absolutely EVERYTHING you could want in a corn dish, without the annoying kernels in your teeth or weird corn hair hanging from your cob aftermath.
Since I felt like a bad food blogger for eating soup and butternut squash in July, I decided to whip up something a bit more seasonal. So, I hipped and hopped to my nearest market de farmers and picked up a few ears of sweet corn.
Corn is one of my favorite ingredients of summer (after the cherry but before the zucchini) and I’ve YET TO USE IT. I know, I know. However, I’m 858060483308285% sure you’ll forgive me once you take a spoonful of this incredible confetti (er, corn casserole?) to the mouth.
And if you need more persuasion (why would you) IT HAS BACON! Not all that bacon, just half of it. The other half is going into something else I’m sharing next week!
Oh and the corn is cooked in little bits of bacon fat. AND each hefty serving of 3/4 cup still only has 245 calories and 7 WW points. Oh and it’s completely GLUTEN-FREE! Light confetti, you slay me.
GF Light Confetti Corn with Bacon
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 7. Recipe adapted from Southern Living.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 pieces of low-sodium bacon
- 4 cups of sweet corn kernels (about 6 – 8 ears)
- 1/2 cup canned cream corn (gluten-free)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 4 ounce of neufchatel
- 3 ounces of soft goat cheese
- 1/3 cup light cream
- 1 tablespoon water
- Dash of salt
- Dash of pepper
- Dash of dried oregano
Directions:
- Cook bacon in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, tossing the rest out.
- Add onions to the bacon fat and cook until just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in garlic, pepper and corn and heat until corn is soft, about 6 more minutes.
- Add in creamed corn, cream cheese, goat cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, water and cream. Reduce heat to medium and cook until cheeses have melted and mixture is thick and creamy, about 6 more minutes.
- Chop bacon into small pieces. Garnish casserole with bacon and enjoy!
Nutritional information per 3/4 cup serving:
Fat: 12.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 27 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 8.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
