Saturday, May 4, 2013

Greek Chicken and Grain Burgers: Col’s VB6 Recipe of the Week

I'm a huge Mark Bittman fan, and my plan for getting back to Weekend Cooking was actually a review of his new book, VB6, which outlines the eating plan he described in his previous book, Food Matters. But then I read the reviews of the book, and many noted there wasn't much in there except a more persuasive case for his vegan-during-the-day-omnivore-at-night concept, and some very easy recipes based on it. And since I've been making an attempt -- sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much -- to incorporate VB6 into our lives since I read the previous book, I didn't think I could justify the cost of (yet another) book. So instead, I thought I'd share where I took one of his ultra-flexible Meat and Grain Burger recipe from Food Matters. Both my carnivorous husband and omnivorous daughter LOVED these, and they'll definitely be finding their way to the grill throughout the summer!

Greek Chicken and Grain Burgers 1 6 oz. bag baby spinach 2 tbsp. olive oil 12 oz ground chicken thighs 1 cup rolled oats 2 ounce block feta, diced finely ¼ cup minced red onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 egg 2 tbsp. ketchup 1 tbsp. Greek seasoning Salt and pepper, to taste 8 small whole wheat rolls Tzatziki for serving

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Don't dry spinach -- just toss in hot pan, and cook until the spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool, then wrap in a clean kitchen cloth and twist to release as much water as possible. Chop the little spinach block that remains finely, and toss with all ingredients through salt and pepper. Refrigerate for an hour, then form eight small patties. Grill until cooked through (165 degrees), and serve on whole wheat buns with tzatziki sauce -- or ketchup, if you're my daughter!

These make small burgers, so they don't dry out during cooking -- kids will likely eat one, but my husband eats 2.


Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. Thanks to Beth Fish Reads for hosting!

9 comments:

  1. well, so long as a carnivorous love it! lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds yummy to me but I'd eat it without the roll.

    ReplyDelete
  3. These sound yummy! I love Mark Bittman too and although we aren't vegan before 6 we are pretty much always vegetarian before 6 and often vegetarian after as well.

    Welcome back to Weekend Cooking!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't read Mark Bittman's books, but these burgers sound delicious. Only problem is I have no idea how to get ground chicken thighs! lol (Do you grind your own?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Laurie, we do grind our own meat -- we think the thighs make a tastier ground chicken.

      Delete
  5. This sounds delicious, I'd like to try them. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a most unusual burger, though it does sound tasty. I like this idea of vegetarian before 6. For me, vegan and vegetarian only vary by egg as I try not to eat any dairy due to the lactose.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great recipe! I need to get back into cooking - the city makes it too easy to order and eat out but a home cooked meal can be so satisfying.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds yummy, but I'd use chicken breast instead of thighs, and don't like feta at all, so would try muenster or something.
    Here's My WC

    ReplyDelete

I absolutely love comments. Thanks for taking the time to share! Col