Deep Dish Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe

One food that I don't think I'll ever get enough of is pizza.  How can you not love pizza.  It's protein, carbs, dairy, and veggies (kind of), all melted together to make a glorious slab of happiness.

Also being a fan of bacon cheeseburgers, I was very excited to see Shelby's Bacon Cheeseburger pizza and knew it would not be long until I'd be whipping this up.

It meets every expectation of deliciousness, and is quick and fun to make.  I think my favorite part is the whole wheat flour in the crust.  It adds a sweet and soft element to the pizza that I just loved.

Deep Dish Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe
By Grumpy's Honeybunch

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1-3//4 cups white flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
Cornmeal to coat the bottom of pan

For the sauce:
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

For the toppings:
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 large left over hamburger, cooked (I just browned and crumbled 1/2 lb ground beef)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and broken into pieces
Lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion to garnish, if desired

Directions

To make the crust, combine the whole wheat pastry flour and 3/4 cup of white flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast.  Pour the warm water and tablespoon of olive oil over flour mixture and stir to combine.  Mix in remaining 1 cup flour.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed.  Spray a mixing bowl (I usually use the one I mixed the dough in - I just wash it out first) with cooking spray.  Place dough in bowl and then turn over. Cover with a towel and let rise approximately 45 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Punch down dough and let rest for 10 minutes.  While dough is resting, make sauce.  Mix together in a small bowl the ketchup, mustard, worchestershire sauce and mayonnaise.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  I use a glass pan, I like how the crust turns out crispy in this dish.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.  Place dough in pan and press the dough out, making sure to have the dough go up the sides of the pan to create the dish effect.

Spread sauce over top of dough.  Layer toppings as follows:  Sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, spread broken up hamburger over top of cheese, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and then lastly top with cheddar cheese.

Bake in oven approximately 20 minutes or until crust is browned and topping begins to brown lightly. Remove from oven and top with bacon pieces.  Garnish with lettuce, tomato, onion and more bacon if desired.

Guacamole Taco Burgers

I have a confession to make.

I'm done with the summer. Done. I need cooler weather, homework for the kids, and soup on my stovetop. Right now, more than anything, I need my routine back.

As much as I love the summer, sometimes there really can be too much of a good thing.  After almost three straight months of playing, swimming, packing, flying, moving, beaching, eating (a lot), and road tripping, I'm EXHAUSTED!  I love you summer, but it's time to slow down.

 Fortunately, just because summer is coming to an end, doesn't mean that we have to hibernate in the kitchen.  There is still plenty of time to enjoy fresh summer food and outdoor grilling.  And while you still have time, might I recommend these killer burgers. Reeni, who has an amazing blog at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice (seriously, I pin almost everything she posts), came up with these, and they are as delicious as they sound. A taco flavored burger, topped with cheese and guacamole, nestled in a homemade cornbread foccacia bun. Gooey, cheesy, heaven.

So when it does finally cool down and you're wishing you had your summer back, throw these on the grill. The bright flavors will satiate your summer appetite, for an evening at least.

I'll direct you to Reeni's page for the recipe because her pictures and descriptions do this burger way more justice. Enjoy!

Turkey Chickpea Burgers

I have officially completed two months of the Livefit program! I'll post progress pictures in a few days. I still have Phase III to complete, but my friend and I decided to put that on hold until January since we'd rather focus on enjoying the holidays. In the meantime we are going to continue eating clean as much as possible, as well as lifting daily to maintain the progress we've made.

It was kind of a hard decision to make, I think both of us felt hesitant to put the brakes on something that we've been working so hard on. However, health and fitness is a lifetime pursuit, and just like life, you have to take things as they come. The holidays only come once a year, and I'd hate to look back on the month and realize that I made myself miserable with stress and withholding when I could have started right where I stopped the very next month. I'm definitely not going to enjoy the holidays as I have in the past (MONTH LONG BINGE, WOO HOO!), but I'm not going to stay home from the holiday festivities because I can't stand the thought of only being able to eat off the veggie tray.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying awesome recipes like this one. Chickpea puree mixed with ground turkey, making a meaty burger with the great flavor of falafel. We ate them with those Roll Up Flatbreads and a side of sweet potato fries. It was a delicious dinner!


Turkey Chickpea Burgers
Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup roughly chopped scallions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 lb ground turkey breast, 99% fat free
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

Directions

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, scallions, cumin, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until smooth.

Transfer chickpea mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add turkey and mix by hand until combined.

Divide turkey-chickpea mixture into four equal portions, shaping each into a three-quarter-inch patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat skillet with cooking spray and cook patties for four to six minutes on each side.

We topped it with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, sauteed onions and pickles. YUM!

Turkey Chickpea Burgers

I have officially completed two months of the Livefit program! I'll post progress pictures in a few days. I still have Phase III to complete, but my friend and I decided to put that on hold until January since we'd rather focus on enjoying the holidays. In the meantime we are going to continue eating clean as much as possible, as well as lifting daily to maintain the progress we've made.

It was kind of a hard decision to make, I think both of us felt hesitant to put the brakes on something that we've been working so hard on. However, health and fitness is a lifetime pursuit, and just like life, you have to take things as they come. The holidays only come once a year, and I'd hate to look back on the month and realize that I made myself miserable with stress and withholding when I could have started right where I stopped the very next month. I'm definitely not going to enjoy the holidays as I have in the past (MONTH LONG BINGE, WOO HOO!), but I'm not going to stay home from the holiday festivities because I can't stand the thought of only being able to eat off the veggie tray.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying awesome recipes like this one. Chickpea puree mixed with ground turkey, making a meaty burger with the great flavor of falafel. We ate them with those Roll Up Flatbreads and a side of sweet potato fries. It was a delicious dinner!


Turkey Chickpea Burgers
Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup roughly chopped scallions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 lb ground turkey breast, 99% fat free
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

Directions

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, scallions, cumin, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until smooth.

Transfer chickpea mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add turkey and mix by hand until combined.

Divide turkey-chickpea mixture into four equal portions, shaping each into a three-quarter-inch patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat skillet with cooking spray and cook patties for four to six minutes on each side.

We topped it with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, sauteed onions and pickles. YUM!

Celebrating my 300th post with the Best Turkey Burgers Ever

300th post?! It's hard to believe that I've been at it that long. It's been a lot of fun scrolling through the old blog from the last two years and seeing how my tastes, and (ahem) photo skills have changed. I still have a long way to go, and a lot of things to try, so here's to hoping for another 300 posts. In the meantime, thanks so much to all of you for making it so enjoyable and encouraging me to keep going. As Biz says, I consider you all my friends!

Kim, my fellow burger admirer, this is for you! Turkey burgers aren't always what I crave, let's face it, I like my red meat! But, don't make these because they are a lighter substitute, make them because they are so juicy and delicious that you won't, for a second, wish that you were eating a beefy hamburger. I topped mine with sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese, I suggest you do the same!


Favorite Turkey Burger
From Great Food Fast, by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds light ground turkey
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
course salt and fresh ground pepper
4 hamburger buns

Directions

1. Heat grill (I used my Foreman grill) to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine the turkey with the Gruyere, scallions, breadcrumbs, Dijon mustard and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Dividing the mixture evenly, gently form the mixture into four 1-inch thick patties.

2. Lightly oil the grill. Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill; sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move the patties to the cooler part of the grill; continue grilling until cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes per side.

3. Split the hamburger buns and toast if desired. Top with preferred toppings and place burger on buns. Get ready to say MMMmmmmmm with every bite!