Slider Bar

For Denis's birthday this year I invited both of our immediate families to dinner to celebrate. Instead of doing a formal sit down dinner we did a casual slider bar. It was kind of like having a summer barbeque in the middle of the winter. On the menu were both cheeseburger sliders and pulled pork sliders. Since it was Denis's birthday he chose the menu so I also made lobster mac and cheese. Super tasty! I put a variety of toppings out to go with the burgers and also served a salad on the side. I used two different types of cheeses and used whole wheat and regular potato rolls, both slider size. Since it was a casual dinner I didn't want to be in the kitchen the entire time everyone was here, so I was able to prepare everything ahead of time, all I needed to cook was the burgers. The Pulled Pork was easy because I was able to cook it in the crock pot the night before. I can't wait to try this in the summer!

Cheese Burger Sliders

Serves 12 (2 Burgers per person)

Ingredients

3lbs ground beef

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to grease grill or grill pan

2 large shallots, grated

1 tablespoon dried basil

salt and pepper

6 slices cheddar, halved

6 slices swiss, halved

24 rolls

Directions

In a large bowl combine ground beef, olive oil, shallots, basil and salt and pepper.

Separate into 24 mini burgers.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Coat with olive oil. Cook burgers about 5 minutes on each side then add cheeses, a half per burger.

Place each burger in a bun and serve!

Toppings

Kethup

Sautéed Mushrooms

Sautéed Onions

Tomatoes

Pickles

Lettuce

Mustard

Mayo

Mayo and Kethup (1/4 cup of each)

Salsa

Raw Onions

Pull Pork Sliders

Grilled Turkey or Chicken Parm Burgers

Last week I was watching Rachael Ray and she made these great Chicken Parm inspired burgers. So I decided to make a more low cal version of my own. It is really easy and especially delish because tomatoes are almost in season!

Grilled Turkey or Chicken Parm Burgers

Serves 4

By: Me

1 pound Turkey or Chicken Meat, Lean (I used Turkey)

3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 cup packed fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 medium vine ripe tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon olive oil

8-10 ounces block of reduced calorie Mozzarella cheese, sliced for 4 burgers

Mixed Greens

4 English Muffins

1. In a medium non-stick fry pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated place tomatoes in the pan, be careful of splattering. Reduce heat to medium-low and let sit for 20- 25 minutes (or until tender), covered.

2. While grill is heating and tomatoes are cooking, combine the turkey or chicken meat, Parmesan Cheese, chopped basil, salt and pepper.

3. Put the meat in a mound and score to form 4 sections. Then form into patties. Place on the grill until cooked through, or the thermometer reads about 160 degrees.

4. Meanwhile, toast English muffins.

5. Remove the tomatoes from the stove. Place tomatoes and a slice of mozzarella cheese on each burger on the grill, cover until melted.

6. Place some mixed greens on the English muffins and serve.

Turkey Burger with Special Sauce

Another one of my favorite things are Turkey Burgers with French Fries. I'm always looking for new tasty recipes for turkey burgers and since Denis and I gave up red meat for lent I thought this one from Cooking Light sounded great.

Turkey Burgers with Special Sauce from www.Cookinglight.com

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup Special Sauce (see recipe below)
• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns
• 4 curly leaf lettuce leaves

Preparation

This recipe calls for using the outside grill but since ours is covered with snow I am substituting the grill for an indoor grilling pan.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place patties on grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Spread 2 tablespoons Special Sauce over top half of each bun. Place lettuce leaves on bottom halves of buns; top each with 1 patty and top half of bun. Cut each burger in half.

Special Sauce

Yield: 3/4 cup (serving size: 2 tablespoons)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover; refrigerate.

For those of you on Weight Watchers this is 6 points!

I toasted the bun for a few minutes so it was crispy on the inside. Add homemade fries and a cold beer for a yummy meal.