Diet & Fitness

By Shawn McKee
Staff Writer

As the lazy days of summer string together, we're spending more and more time around the grill. And why not? After all, grilling is one of the best low-fat cooking techniques around -- assuming you're not piling your plate with potato chips, pasta salad and ice cream sandwiches.

But sometimes the basic rotation can get boring: Burgers, dogs, chicken, steak, chicken, burgers, dogs, chicken, burgers and so on…

Hamburgers are a staple at a cookout -- they're relatively cheap, easy to make and can be eaten with your hands, making cleanup a snap. However, your standard beef burger can get stale. A hamburger graduates to a cheeseburger, then to a bacon cheeseburger, and before too long, you're just packing on fat and calories to change up the flavor.

Burgers can get boring, but fear not, my grill groupies, here's an exotic way to spice up burger without expanding your waistline:

Indian Beef Patties

1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/3 cup cucumber, chopped and seeded
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeded
1 Tbsp. fresh mint, snipped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. 90% lean ground beef

For the sauce: Stir together the yogurt and cucumber in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the burger: Combine the onion, jalapeno pepper, mint, cumin, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the ground meat; mix well. Form mixture into two 3/4-inch-thick patties.

If you're using a charcoal grill: Place patties on the grill rack directly over medium coals. Grill, uncovered, for 14 to 18 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the patty registers 160 degrees F, turning once.

If you're using a gas grill: Preheat. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on the grill rack; cover and grill as directed above.

Serve the patties topped with yogurt-cucumber sauce.

Nutritional information per serving (serves 2): 214 calories; 7g fat (33% calories from fat); 25g protein; 9g carbohydrate; 56mg cholesterol; 375mg sodium; 0.5g fiber.

For more variety: Try one of the many Indian breads with these meat patties. Look for chapati or roti (soft, unleavened, whole wheat bread), pappadam (paper-thin lentil crackers spiked with black peppercorns) or naan (soft, yeasted flatbread baked in a clay oven).

There are a lot of ways to spice up burgers, but why limit yourself to beef? Try the lower-fat turkey burger or veggie burgers and even tuna or salmon burgers are also a healthy and delicious change of pace.

Your hamburger choices are only limited by your imagination. Do you have a great burger recipe to share? Post it below to help everyone avoid boring burgers.

Labels: cooking, food, recipes

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