Western Burgers with Grilled Fennel and Spiced-Up Ketchup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup no-salt-added ketchup
• 4 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. dried bread crumbs
• 1 lb. ground grass-fed bison
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 light whole wheat hamburgers buns, split
• 8 small romaine lettuce leaves

Makes 4 Servings (1 burger per serving)

1. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Preheat grill to medium-high or prepare medium-high fire.
2. Meanwhile, to make spiced-up ketchup, combine ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and pepper flakes in a small saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil.
3. Combine Worcestershire sauce, egg, bread crumbs, bison, salt and pepper into 4 (1/2-inch thick) patties.
4. Place fennel on grill rack and grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate. Place patties on grill rack and grill 4 minutes. Turn and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Grill burgers until instant-read thermometer inserted into side of burger registers 160 F, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer burgers to plate. Place buns, cut side down, on grill rack and grill lightly until lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
5. Place bottoms of buns on 4 plates. Top each with one-fourth of fennel, 1 burger, one-fourth of ketchup, and 2 lettuce leaves. Cover with tops of buns.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. These are what I call gourmet American burgers. These burgers are flavorful, juicy and delicious. I added dried bread crumbs and an egg to make the burgers moist and to hold them together so the point value could be effected. I also added the Worcestershire sauce to make the burgers more flavorful. The Parmesan cheese adds a nice taste of saltiness to the burgers. Serve these burgers at your next gathering and they will be gone.

Bison Sliders with Balsamic-Braised Onions

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 lb. ground grass-fed bison
• 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 (1/2 oz.) slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese, quartered
• 8 mini potato rolls, split and toasted, if desired

Makes 8 Servings (1 slider per serving)

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add vinegar and orange juice; cook until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to bowl and keep warm. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Meanwhile, mix together bison, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt in a medium bowl until mixed well. With damp hands, shape into 8 (3/4-inch-thick) mini patties.
3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add patties and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into side of burger registers 160 F, about 3 minutes per side. Top each burger with 2 pieces of Cheddar; cook, covered, just until cheese is melted, about 1 minute.
4. Place burgers on bottoms of rolls; top each with about 2 tablespoons onion. Cover with tops of rolls.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. Who doesn't love a juicy burger once in a while? You can have your burgers and eat them too when you're on a weight loss journey. Bison is also known as buffalo and it can be found in the meat department of the grocery store. Bison is lean and flavorful. If you don't have bison on hand, use ground beef or ground sirloin and the sliders will be just as juicy. The balsamic-braised onions add a nice flavor to the flavor to the burgers. I highly recommend adding a touch of dried bread crumbs to the burgers to hold them together and a tablespoon of ketchup to each slider for flavor as well.