Beware the Soy Flour!!
Now, when all was said and done, my husband looked at the bag the burgers came from....and one of the ingredients is soy flour. WHAT! I came a rather unhinged. I start by grabbing that bag and my husband said, "I thought you knew. You read everything else." How did I miss this?! It's a hamburger patty. How complicated is it to create? You press it into shape, right? Why are they adding that!?!! Just when you thought you were safe.
Needless to say, when I grabbed the HEB precooked Lean Patty with it's lonely patty shaking inside the bag, I discover the ingredients are simply beef, spices, salt, and natural flavors. HEB, once again, you are my hero. We won't be buying the Beef Patties Ready-to-Cook ever again. Soy flour, really, people?! Just really?!
They just have to ruin everything.
Cholesterol
My one comment on red meats and cholesterol is this: when my doctor last reviewed my lab results and my previously borderline cholesterol issues had improved numbers. The man stated, "I can tell from your cholesterol numbers you are eating low-carb meals." Did you know that borderline or high cholesterol is a symptom of thyroid malfunction? It is. I have had my fair share of getting rather upset talking with a doctor who starts giving me tips on how to reduce my cholesterol, saying to not eat fried foods. They never believed me when I said I don't fried foods (they make me really sick and nauseated and have for years...now I understand that canola oils and fast-food restaurant oils have soy in them...and why not? Let's make Americans unhealthy for the fun of it!). It appears that bad ol' carbs have the right chemicals in them to help those bad cholesterol (LDL) meanies bind together and wreck havoc on our bloodstreams. So maybe it's not red meat after all?
Eat like a caveman who has figured out how to master the fire (pit...yes, I think in BBQ terms often. I was very happy when winter was over and we could reasonably fire that pit up).
Fun with Hamburgers
Having had my rant (thank you, audience), my reason for writing today is that my husband's quick meal gave me inspiration. How many times do we create a bunless hamburger entree and I'm purring in my socks? At least once a week, we have hamburger night and very rarely are there buns on the table. I wanted to share a few ideas we've come up with that are rather simple and easy for anyone to adopt. If anyone has ideas to share, please send me them and I'll include them!! I'm always looking for new ideas.
1. Double-meat with one slice of real American cheese (HEB deli, once again HEB!) and HEB jalapeno bread and butter pickles. I'd never have thought of those pickles. I think I got into a gravy and hamburger rut. It can happen to anyone, and those pickles aren't spicy. It just livened up the taste.
2. Hamburger patty with pepper-jack cheese and seared avocado slices wins my purr-worthy meals award. Basically, you just sear the avocado slices in the skillet either when hamburger is done or right next to it if you have room. It doesn't take that long. Place the avocado on each patty and cover with pepper-jack cheese and let the cheese melt (a little water around the patty helps steam the cheese into melting without burning your burger). I love pepper-jack cheese!!
3. Hamburger with sauteed Portobello mushrooms and onions and brown gravy is a weekly staple. Usually we make mashed potatoes as other people's side; kids are easy to please once you include potatoes.
4. Hamburger can be easily topped with sauteed Portobello mushrooms (heartier, more filling mushroom) and onions with a melted slice of Swiss (HEB deli!) on top. Swiss! I adore Swiss. Yes, I have always had a cheese affinity. Can you blame me?
5. My brother cooked us some hamburgers this past weekend and I just had to ask: What seasoning is this? It's the Fiesta Steak Seasoning, also found at yours truly's favorite grocery store: HEB. I had steamed a bag of pre-cut HEB broccoli I found in HEB's produce section (check out the link in this sentence, it'll take you to all the HEB prepared vegetables....I love HEB, >sigh<). I had sea-salted and peppered my broccoli and added olive oil and I was a pretty happy. I love easy meals that don't taste like cardboard and that meal was delicious!!
6. Seasonings. Put seasoning and rubs on your hamburger like you would any BBQ meat. I'm digging the McCormick Mesquite seasoning lately, and well...veggies are often greatly improved with steak seasoning. That's a meal that's on the table in about 20 minutes, I bet. Maybe even less.
7. There was one time I placed an HEB deli slice of Gouda on a burger and I was quite content. HEB has packages of precut Gouda, so you can get real Gouda deli-style without waiting. Gouda in general is a fantastic cheese. If you like smokey tastes like Cumin (think tacos, enchiladas), then Gouda is for you. The girls become vultures if I dare to make a plate of fruit (I have it weekly) and Gouda. I try to hide Gouda in the fridge...yeah, that works. Ha! Even my husband who often makes wise-cracks about how my food can be pricey (his opinion, he's Mr. Cheapo...I should tell you about this pair of windbreaker pants he was mad at me for not repairing the pocket. When I asked how much the pants cost, they were $10. I told him I'd give him the cash right then to replace them!)...but even the husband steals the Gouda. He just shoves his mouth too full to have any remark when I raise an eyebrow. He doesn't want to admit I'm right (and that's okay, I'm right even if he doesn't say it).
8. Paleo Grubs has some interesting bunless burger ideas. They have a recipe for a cajun burger, if that's your fancy, and another burger with plantains as the bun. I'm thinking I'm going to have to try the one that uses seared large Portobello mushrooms as the bun. That looks BBQ worthy, don't ya think? Also, there's a stuffed burger with avocado (one of my favorites) and spicy mayo (another favorite). You never know what you might come up with if you look around. I'm still searching for a soy-free mayo that doesn't require me hand-making it. Anyone find that, by all means give me the brand name!!
9. If you're tired of the fork, grab a large Romaine leaf and wrap that bad boy. I stay away from ketchup because it has a high sugar content. I think yellow mustard is too strong, but dijon mustard has the right lightness to it. I love mayo, but I limit because I know it has soy in it. Six Flags Fiesta Texas' Pete's Eats have a burger of just this type. It'd make those outdoor BBQs with family easier if you just bring a bag of uncut Romaine and have a home-made low-carb wrap.
10. Work lunches can be hassle if you're trying to low-carb. Packing leftovers is one idea, but one of my favorites is to take an HEB precooked patty, still frozen, and a bag of frozen creamed spinach, and let it sit together in a container until lunch. It doesn't defrost completely, but not refrigerating it helps it cook in less time (and considering I escort students in/out of the cafteria, I have closer to 20 minutes of eating/heating time, and even less if there was some issue). I make others jealous with that dish. The counselor told me I inspired her to become more strident on her raw food diet. It just makes her feel better. In the end, I wasn't doing anything for anyone else but myself. I need to eat this way, but it's real nice to not receive any ugly comments about my health food. Instead I receive comments that boost my confidence (I've had my share of workplace diet saboteurs).
Experiment!!
I teasingly quizzed my husband on what other concoctions he had in mind. He said he had been real tempted to place sliced pepperoni on the pizza. My teasing look turned to an intrigued one. Pizza burger? Hmm. I'm listening. He can hit up the kitchen any time he wants to! I think there's some experimentation in our future (and hopefully in yours too!).
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