Fire Up the Grill for Burgers!

www.flicker.com, photo by ginnerobot

It's summer time, and the smells of freshly cut grass and burgers on the grill are some of my favorites! I love trying out different kinds of burgers, just for variety. The Teriyaki Turkey Burger is a winner, along with the following two burger recipes, adapted from Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious.

Happy grilling!

Spicy Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:
 1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Tamari
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning (check the ingredients)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3 lbs. ground beef
9 slices cheese


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the ground beef and cheese, then mix the ground beef into the ingredients. I like to do this by hand. Shape into 9 patties, then grill them over medium heat to desired doneness, flipping once. Just before removing burgers from the grill, add the slices of cheese. Once the cheese starts to melt, pull burgers off the grill. Serve on large romaine lettuce leaves, Ezekiel hamburger buns, or consider making your own hamburger buns!

Basil Burgers

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
4 slices red onion
1 medium avocado, peeled and sliced 


Directions:
Crumble the ground beef into a bowl, then mix the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into the beef. Shape into 4-6 patties, depending on how large you like them. Grill over medium heat until desired doneness, flipping once. Using buns like Ezekiel buns or romaine lettuce leaves as a bun, spread the cream cheese on the bun, then top the burger with onion and avocado, and place it inside the bun.