Cheesy Beef Sliders

Juicy cheeseburgers are the perfect quick dinner and sliders are even faster. Perfect kid food. Perfect weekend sit around the tv cheering on some basketball playoff games. Perfect hurry home from school and sports practice, do your homework and off to church or other weeknight activities and not be late. 

These little cheesy beefy gems are also healthy. You know how I am always trying to make things a bit healthier.... these are packed with nutrients. AND even better the "healthiness" is impossible to detect. This scores high with me and the somewhat picky little smiles in my house. 

This recipe comes from the book the sneaky chef to the rescue. It rightfully boasts that it contains 101 recipes and sneaky tricks for creating healthy meals that kids will love. So far I have tried 2 recipes and both times my oldest CLEARED his plate, AND both times he was eating a vegetable I know he hates with a passion - but had no clue. Seriously amazing. So until his taste buds mature a little bit because truthfully some veggies are unfortunately an acquired taste and have a bitter edge for kids' sweeter taste buds... this little trick will be up my sleeve. This author knows her stuff... here is my adaption of her slider recipe: 

 Cheesy Beef Sliders

Makes at least 12 slider burgers 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of green puree (see recipe below)

1 Tb ketchup

1/4 cup of wheat germ

 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional - I put it in everything)  
1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 lb lean ground beef 

12 soft whole wheat dinner rolls

your favorite cheese, sliced - only need 1/2 slice per slider

optional garnishes - lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, mustard, mayo, avocado, more ketchup, ect...

Directions (the easy part): 

1. Mix the first 6 things together in a large bowl. 

2. Grab a large plate and start forming the 12 patties as you can see I didn't grab a large enough plate lol. 

3. Pan fry with a little non cooking spray or olive oil the burgers or grill them inside or outside for about 2-3 minutes each side over medium heat. They are small. I did them inside in a pan and was able to do 5 or 6 at a time. 

4. While the sliders are cooking cut your cheese, slice the garnishes and heat the dinner rolls

5. Serve warm topped with the cheese. Goes really well with watermelon, crunchy veggies and dip, or even a frozen vegetable heated on the stove since no one will be able to tell that there are veggies in their burgers. 

The green puree

So the magic of this burger is the healthy green puree that you are thoroughly mixing into the meat. This is a green 3 vegetable mixture that you are blending together until its so super smooth. The brilliant thing about this, is that if you do have picky kiddos like me, you can make this puree ahead of time. It keeps really well in the fridge and the freezer. Thus you can make sure they don't see you, using the vegetables they think they don't like. See that. Think of these kids and perhaps husbands as overthinking it. We eat with our minds and our eyes first its a survival thing... but in this case its a disservice to getting some cancer fighting, cold butt kicking, energy delivering nutrients that they need to fuel their daily activities. Its good for you too. Us moms need a bit of help from our food too. Trust me if I could live on just coffee I would but yeah it hasn't worked yet. 

So try this:

Steam 2 cups fresh broccoli until tender takes about 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes add in 1 cup of peas. 

Add the broccoli and peas to a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. Add 2-3 Tbs of water and 2 cups of fresh baby spinach. Blend on high. Occasionally stop and stir if needed and if necessary use 1-2 Tbs of water.

My Notes:

I used leftover broccoli from the night before to save time. I just planned it that way. Since leftovers are given the evil eye and not one of my kids or husband enjoys leftover veggies it was brilliant. I used regular spinach because thats what I had in my fridge. Whatever you have totally works. I used 2 cups of peas instead of 1. The amount of water is an estimation. Start with 3 Tbs of water in your blender with the veggies and add 1-2 Tbs at a time until your blender has gotten it so smooth there are no chunks at all. Should be absolutely smooth. This puree felt much easier to make than I thought it would be. I have used it for 2 meals so far and figure I can get 2 more out of it. Nice. 

Amazing "Rodeo" Cheeseburgers

Howdy. 

Its summer time still, right? I think so at least the warm weather still is screaming summer.   And summer time is the best time for a good burger. Right? Right. This not just a regular burger either. This meaty delight is amazing. I didn't even edit the pic. Theres no filter. All that color, the peeking golden crunchy onion ring, and dark thick cascading ruby colored bbq sauce... 

Hello summer. I guess you aren't so bad. 

I paired it with a veg to kinda balance out some that goodness with the real world. Life. Anyways .... for this burger I would eat 2-3 pounds of steamed veggies if I had to. Life changing-ly flavorful. The only thing that could make it better was if there was bacon on it or it was zero calories. 

And for once in my life I didn't "health-ify" this. Theres no hidden veggies. There's nothing but huge homemade kicked up onion rings, a flavorful seasoning mix in this oversized burger patty, my fav smoky bbq sauce drizzled over the top of 3 crunchy dill pickles, and thick melted slices of medium cheddar cheese on a sesame seed bun. 

P.S. It took less than 25 minutes to pull it together - side dish included. 

Seriously easy. Dangerously easy? 

Possibly. 

Heres how its made: 
Adapted from: Center Cut Cook (amazing blog!) 
Serves 3 with some extra onion rings on the side 

Ingredients: 
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder 
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp salt 
3 hamburger buns
6 slices of medium or sharp cheddar cheese 
*6 crunchy onion rings 
Your fav bbq sauce
1 tsp oil
dill pickles (helps cut through the fat of the burger, cheese, onion rings ect..) 


5 Easy Steps
1. Mix the seasonings into the ground beef and form the beef into 3 very large patties
2. Heat up a large flat pan. Drizzle a bit of oil in your pan and cook the patties according to whatever you want. We do medium well or well in my house so it took about 10-12 minutes because these things are huge! 
3. While the burgers are cooking make your onion rings*
4. 3-4 minutes before your burgers are finished cooking put a single slice of cheese on each top so it has time to melt. 
5. Assemble the burgers. Put cheese and bbq sauce on the bottom buns. Then put the delicious burger on top of the cheese. Then layer a couple pickles and crunchy onion rings and another drizzle of sauce over the burger. Top with the bun and dig in! 

* Onion rings in this pic were homemade and its really really easy. Click on over here to get the recipe. Its basically just dredging raw onion slices into egg mixture and then into crumbs and then baking them. If you have ever baked some chicken or used the shake and bake stuff then you can totally do this. The only changes I made to this recipe was I used bbq chips instead of regular potato chips and I halved the recipe. I thought that was totally enough for 3 people. Be advised... she says to only use half of the cracker/chip crumb mixture at a time. Do it. I didn't and the last few onion rings really didn't do well because the mixture was too wet to stick to the surface of the onion. 

Whole Wheat Chicken Parm Sliders

It's faster than a speeding bullet takeout. 

It's faster than a plane pizza delivery guy. 

It's super fast chicken parmesan sliders on whole wheat rolls.  

Slightly messy, super cheesy, crunchy tasty chicken, delicious bites that are perfect for eating before running out the door to a game, practice, church, or football game. Trust me. You'll wonder how you ever lived without them. 

We watch a lot of super heroes in my house full of boys. Seriously though this super kiddo friendly and wallet friendly dish, might be my new super hero "go to easy fall dinner". 

Speaking of super.... What do you get if you cross the man of steel with a hot broth?

Souperman.

I thought it was funny..... food blog... soup-er :) 

Okay I am nerd. I don't mind. 

The timing of finding this idea is so perfect. We have a super busy fall ahead of us. Soccer. 2 college classes. Piano lessons for everyone. Bass lessons. Orchestra. Working full time. Two busy kids. Physical therapy. Speech therapy. Teaching my first women's bible study (ahhh!). Yeah. Just thinking about this list makes me want go hide under the bed and go back to bed. But its going to be okay. I might be drinking a ton more coffee this fall lol especially ugh with those early saturday morning practices and games, but at least I have recipes like this that literally fall out of the freezer and onto plates. The first time I made this, my oldest ate double what he usually does, and asked me when I was going to make it again. Super hero mom to the rescue.... feeding the kids without breaking a sweat. Lol Okay okay. No more super jokes. Besides not breaking a sweat in August in Southern Az might be impossible. 

Warning: This recipe is unlike majority of what I have on my blog. It uses a bunch of short cuts that aren't exactly healthy but in my mind this is better than a drive through and tastes amazing so yeah. The only thing thats not store bought is the sauce and its because I had leftover pasta sauce in the freezer ready to go. Its been that kind of week. 

Whole Wheat Chicken Parm Sliders

Makes 2- 12 sliders adjust ingredients accordingly to whatever you need

Most people and hungry kids would eat 2 each

Ingredient list: 
1 package of store bought of 12 whole wheat dinner rolls
Sliced provolone cheese - 1 slice per slider
Breaded fully cooked chicken strips 
Pasta sauce - You'll need about 1-2 Tbs per slider (see tips below)

Pasta Sauce Tips: 
1. This recipe only uses a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce so if you are just opening a jar for this recipe. Freeze the rest. It freezes beautifully in a freezer container or plastic freezer bag and you'll have it to use in many places like on top of pasta, as sauce on a pizza, as a dipping sauce for cheesy Italian bread/bread sticks, on top of a Italian pepperoni burger (Yum!), ect.  

2. Or next time you make spaghetti double the sauce and freeze it. Don't use store bought sauce unless you're in a pinch. It only takes a few ingredients and 15 minutes. See my base recipe below - I say base because i am always changing it slightly based on what I have. 

Super easy 15 min pasta sauce: pour into a blender 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, and some italian seasonings - right now I am on an oregano kick so I put 2 heaping tablespoons of that in. Use what you have. Use what you know tastes good. On the stove I sauted a few veg that I already had in my fridge (zucchini, onion, and 1 clove of garlic) in some olive oil and then added that to the blender. Last pour the mostly pureed sauce back into the pan to heat up to use immediately or put in covered containers in the fridge to use over the next 2-3 days or in the freezer. It keeps for a long time. If you like garlic add more. If you have some squash throw that in. If you have eggplant saute that up. Lots of great veggies and nutrition can be added and hidden this way. If you like the taste of red wine pour a cup of that in... super flexible. super yummy. Great way to introduce new veggies to your kids. 

What does a super hero put in his drink?

Just ice.

Lol. Funny? Okay mabye. 

Assembling the sliders: 

1. Cook the chicken strips in the oven as indicated on the package. 
2. Gently slice open the whole wheat dinner rolls
3. After the chicken is cooked cut them in half depending on how large the chicken is. I cut a couple of them in half and put the halves on my kiddos sliders so nothing would be sticking out. Small hands need smaller portions :) 
4. Layer the chicken on the bottom of the roll, then the sauce, and the cheese on top. Put the top of the roll on and let it sit and melt the cheese a little bit. 
5. Eat and enjoy :) 


Super easy 
Super yummy
Thanks for stopping by! 

Stephanie

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

I heart summer bbq food. My last few burger recipes have focused on being light, tasty, and healthy. I have put avocado in burgers, zucchini, and even broccoli rabe. Now here is a burger all about decadence, indulgence, and tantalizing flavors. 

Lets start with some crisp crunchy bacon that tops a mouthwatering juicy bbq-ed beef burger stuffed with cheese. To make it extra indulgent we aren't using any regular common cheese, but super creamy, smooth, decadent brie that oozes out so beautifully as you bite in a few bites towards the center. This will completely impress anyone you know AND is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. That is what I call a win win. 

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

Serves 4 
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray magazine. 

Ingredients:
4 Slices of thick bacon
1 lb lean ground beef
3-4 oz brie cut into 4 pieces
Veg oil
Salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
Optional toppings: Tomato, lettuce or kale, ketchup, mustard, mayo, ect.

Directions:
1. If cooking everything outside, preheat your grill with one part being low heat and the other medium heat. 
2. Grill the bacon over low heat, use lid or cover, turn the bacon over halfway through, until crisp approx 10 minutes. *
3. Divide the beef into 4 burger patties and insert each chunk of brie into the center each burger.
4. Give each burger a brush of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
5. Grill/bbq each burger, oil side down to start, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Turn once. 
6. Toast the hamburger buns over low heat. 
7. Assemble burgers with bacon and any additional toppings you prefer. 

*Side note: Its 107 degrees at my house so I did the bacon inside in my oven where I could relax in the air conditioning. But if the sun is not scorching your feel free to cook everything outside on the grill. 

Enjoy another great burger recipe
From my Az Kitchen
Stephanie

How to add a new vegetable to your life - Italian BBQ Sausage Patty Melt with Broccoli Rabe

Summer to me means bbq. Yes I think in terms of pictures and or food. Its a gift or a curse depending on how far I am away from the kitchen. So as the smell of the bbq fills the weekend air, its the perfect time for a cheeseburger. But...summer also has that conflict between eating lots of grilled foods and still being able to look good in a pair of shorts. Its over 105 degrees at my house... shorts and t-shirts are a must. So let me show you an easy way to add a new veggie into your life with a cheeseburger instead of a salad.

Who doesn't love a good cheeseburger? 

Cheeseburgers are familiar, easy to bbq, great for company and kids. Lets imagine what if our juicy everyday cheeseburger met up with a cheesy patty melt, went on vacation to Italy, and had a burger baby.... that would be the perfect place to put a new vegetable. Not crazy but had two cups of coffee and was up twice with a baby - not exactly running on a ton of sleep but stick with me. I promise real good eats... Think about all those great Italian flavors: onion, garlic, paprika, provolone cheese wrapped up between two of your favorite hamburger buns or lettuce leaves*. 

*P.S. Lettuce wraps in the place of a bun wouldn't work here without some major modifications but if you grilled some romaine it could work and you really could get that great summer bbq smokiness. Just grill the lettuce separately from the meat and the cheese and skip the patty melt part.

What new vegetable are we talking about here? 

This week my family had broccoli rabe for the first time. This veggie may be old hat for those well versed in the produce department but I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when my family ate it without even blinking an eye - maybe the super melted cheese and yummy Italian cheeses and meat helped. I didn't even have to ask the people at the store to help me find it because I googled pictures of it on the way there! Yeah some people google people, I google food. I know I am a little obsessed.  

You should try this this new to me veggie because it is fun and tastes great. Broccoli rabe is a leafy veggie with little tiny broccoli crowns about the size of a small bouncy ball or a 3d quarter hidden around the leaves. It does taste similar broccoli thus its name. But a milder broccoli taste with a sassy surprising edge that reminded me of the difference between parsnips and carrots. It is loaded with nutrients like fiber, protein, vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, iron, calcium, and magnesium. So skip the multi-vitamin and try a burger recipe and a new vegetable into your diet. 

I found this patty melt recipe in an old Rachael Ray cooking magazine 3 years ago. Like most Rachael Ray recipes it has a long list of ingredients. While I am sure this Italian beaut is worth all the effort, I have a sick little guy, and a household to run, so I simplified it, creating a fun twist with a bbq that uses less ingredients, less time, and less dishes than the original recipe. This amazing burger creation, my really really good Italian bbq Sausage Patty Melt with broccoli rabe took less than 25 minutes. Your taste buds will love it, and your body will love another dose of healthy. 

Who says comfort food can't be healthy? Lets slice up some watermelon, grill up or boil some corn on the cob, and lets get this summer weekend food started! 

Italian BBQ Sausage Melt with Broccoli Rabe

Recipe adapted from: Rachael Ray Magazine 

Serves 3 adults

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Broccoli Rabe

1 lb of sweet Italian ground sausage

1/3 cup of grated good quality parmesan cheese

softened butter (for spreading on bread)

6 slices of provolone cheese 

6 slices of thick bread like texas toast 

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in the leaf parts of the broccoli rabe

2. Sprinkle it with salt and cook for approx 3 minutes over medium heat

3. Drain thoroughly, you don't want wet cheeseburgers, and set aside to cool. It will look similar to cooked spinach. 

4. While the cooked veggie is cooling, in a bowl, mix together the meat, cheese, another sprinkle of salt, pepper, and start preheating your grill. 

5. Going back to the vegetable, use your fingers to pull any tough stem pieces out of the cooked green mass of broccoli rabe and chop up the rest. 

6. Add the cooled veggie to the meat mixture and form into 3 large patties. 

7. Grill the patties until they are done. I used a combo of high heat to get a great crust and then lowered it to finish off the burger with less direct heat. Do not flip them more than once. Remember this is sausage and not beef and it is safer to cook pork all the way through. As of 2011 there are new USDA guidelines for pork cooking temperature to help keep it juicy and not cardboard - you can pull it off once it hits 145 as long as you do a 3 minute rest period so it can continue cooking a bit more off the heat. You can read about that here. I prefer to stick with what I know and thats 155-160 but thats just me. 

(I did this last steps inside my house on a cast iron grill pan. My little guy was fussing and I wanted to hold him while my hubby helped.) 

8. Lets build the patty melt! On a grill pan or flat plan make the patty melt part. Heat the pan. Butter one side of 3 pieces of bread. Put the butter side down on the pan. Put one piece of cheese down on each slice of bread. Put one cooked Italian sausage burger patty on each slice of cheese. Top the meat with another slice of cheese and the remaining bread. Carefully spread a bit more butter on the top slice of bread. 

9. Grill until the cheese is melted on the bottom and the bottom bread is golden and toasted. Carefully flip. I had to hand my little fussy one to my husband for this part, because it called for two hands. I tried it with one and the bread tore and I had to redo one sandwich. So don't be like me. Use two hands, a good spatula, and go slowly. 

10. Once all the cheese is melted, and the bread is toasted and wonderful, you are done. And since you are trying a new veggie you don't have to worry about making sure you family gets another veggie on their plate. If they do its just another bonus. Summer is a great time to add crunchy cold veggies with or without dip to any burger meal. 

Golden, creamy, crunchy, meaty, and huge - this Italian BBQ Sausage Patty Melt with Broccoli Rabe will make your taste buds feel like that they have visited Italy. Enjoy. 

From my Az Kitchen to yours,

Stephanie

Juiciest (Zucchini) Cheeseburgers Ever

The sun is out, the baseball game is on, my family is home, and burgers are on the grill. Perfection my friend, let me take a moment to tell you about these amazing burgers. You have to try them! They are loaded with flavor and a surprise. What surprise? You ask. A vegetable, I reply. You know me. I am always looking for a better, healthier way to eat something I love. If I can figure out how to get double the amount of veggies into pizza and burgers - that means I get to eat them more often. Heck yeah. See its not really a mom thing, its a I-love-pizza-and-cheeseburgers-thing. Super scientific. 

I know everyone isn't vegetable-centric like me (even adding zucchini and carrots into chocolate chip cookies - truth), but by adding this mild tasting vegetable, once cooked you can't tell its there, AND gives the lean meat some much need moisture - you'll end up with the juiciest burgers in the world! 

My cheeseburger with sliced juicy tomatoes, fresh crunchy spinach, lots of mayo and mustard 

So I have this thing with eating rare ground beef. Its not the trendy or even what is happening on tv with cooking shows. But I just can't. Steak is another subject entirely. So in my house I always cook ground meat well or well done. It seems safer to me. So that being said, sometimes we ummm have some pretty dry burgers. I hate admitting to real life stuff like this but I can picture how many times ketchup is poured onto burgers to help make them juicier. Sigh. But, alas, this burger I made tonight needed no such help. And yes it was cooked well done. Zucchini is the star secret vegetable that no one will be able to guess, but will make even a well done burger seem like a million bucks. 

Other reasons to make this burger include the idea that you get 5 huge burgers from only 1 lb of meat, which should save $, it will save you some calories, and increase your intake of vitamin c, vitamin a, calcium, vitamin b-6, iron, fiber, and magnesium - all things found in zucchini. Sounds tastier than that mineral-y tasting multi vitamin.... So so make it already. 

Juiciest (Zucchini) Cheeseburgers Ever

Recipe adapted from: Skinny Taste

Makes 5 Burgers 9 (4-5 oz each)

Prep time + cook time : 10 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 zucchini grated on a fine grater into a clean kitchen towel 
(so you can wring out the water)

1 lb lean ground beef (also good with ground turkey)

1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp ground garlic

1 Tbs red onion also grated on a fine grater

5 slices of cheese, I used colby jack - but use your favorite

5 whole wheat buns

Additional condiments: ketchup, mustard, lettuce, fresh spinach, sliced tomato......

Olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix everything together in a mixing bowl

2. Form 5 patties

3. I put a few drops of olive oil on the formed patties to help them not stick on the grill/bbq

4. Cook them for approx 7 minutes over medium. 

5 Once you flip them once put the cheese on top to give it time to melt. 

6. Put the buns on the grill soon after that to toast them up. 

Serve with watermelon, chips, potato salad, corn on the cob or any 

other summer time favorites

From my delicious Az bbq to yours! 

Delicious & Healthy Turkey Avocado Burgers

Hi there. Happy Wednesday to you. I am back! I have missed writing here and sharing fun things to eat. My almost-month long absence on my blog was caused by huge things happening around my house... surgery, and a few other fun things. 



First weekends full of truck shopping....  long weekends of truck shopping. But trust me after YEARS of my sweet hard working husband driving an almost broken-down, used, and loved on van for almost 10 years, he really deserved a cool HUGE looking truck. Silver, F150 king cab with a short bed. Yeah bragging just a little. Ten years is a long time of small trying repairs trying to keep that van. just. barely. going. 

Then redoing the front yard.... tearing out the grass/weeds and putting in a pretty dessert front with golden, redish orange, sunset colored rocks. 

Feeling better after my surgery... thanks for asking. Still on lots of meds but doing well. I am enjoying the nice Arizona spring time! Be jealous of me so I can be jealous of you later when you have nice cooler summer temps and can actually go outside in July; instead of hiding in the a.c. conditioned house, play areas, public libraries, and anyplace you can take kids without disturbing others too much. 

So in honor me feeling better enough to try some new things... Heres a twist on the chicken avocado burger I made a month or so ago. It is moist and flavorful lean ground turkey avocado burgers. Perfect quick solution for school nights and also something to surprise friends with on your bbq once it warms up in your area. No one will guess how healthy it is, or that its turkey - ground turkey usually being dry, overcooked, and boring.  Enjoy!  

Also posted and linked to some other great recipes with other bloggers at Whats Cooking Wednesday.

serves 3-4 

prep + cooking time: approx 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 avocado, sliced into 8-9 chunks 

1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped baby spinach, arugula blend

1 lb. lean ground turkey (93% lean, 7% fat)

Toppings: buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, more avocado if you are an avocado lover like me, mustard, ketchup, ect...  

I used mayo, thick slices of cheddar, some more spinach instead of lettuce and a few more slices of avocado as seen in the picture. My boys did more standard ketchup, cheddar, and a few slices of pickles. Trust me my husband who isn't fond of avocado ate it, didn't notice the avocados, and thought it was great. Enjoy those healthy fats and let it really flavor up your burgers! 

Directions: 

1.Combine everything in a large bowl. Don't smash the avocado into the meat. Keep the chunks for pretty presentation and fun contrasting textures.

2.Separate the meat into four even sized patties (aiming for 1/4 lb each burger)

3.Sprinkle the tops of each patty with salt and pepper. 

If cooking on the stove, use a 1/2- 1 Tbs of olive oil in the skillet to help the lean turkey start. 

If grilling brush the oil directly on the burger so it doesn't stick. 

4.Salt and pepper the tops of each patty. 

5.Heat your cooking medium. You want that nice sizzle and crust that comes from having good heat from the beginning. 

6.Put the salt and pepper sides face down on your grill or skillet

7.Cook until done. Approx 6-10 minutes on each side depending on your heat level. Just keep an eye on it. 

8. Serve with your favorite burger toppings and sides such as green salad, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, fresh cut veggies and ranch, ect. 

Enjoy Spring

From my kitchen to yours!