Italian Pepper & Egg Sandwiches

 Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 large eggs
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 reduced-calorie hamburger rolls, toasted if desired

Makes 4 Servings (1 sandwich per serving)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer vegetables to plate. 
2. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into skillet and cook over medium heat until eggs begin to set, about 1 1/2 minutes, pushing eggs toward center of skillet to form large, soft curds. Return vegetables to skillet and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until eggs are just set, about 2 minutes longer. 
3. Place about 3/4 cup egg-vegetable mixture on bottom of each roll; cover with tops of rolls. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. These sandwiches are flavorful, filling and delicious. The combination of eggs, egg whites and vegetables is quite delicious when it's done right. If you don't have hamburger rolls on hand, use whole wheat bread or whole wheat tortillas and the sandwiches will be just as delicious. I also highly recommend adding shredded Italian cheese such as Parmesan or Asiago for more flavor. You can enjoy these sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and you will be satisfied. 

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. 

Italian Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/3 cup onions, finely chopped
•  2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
• 2 small ripe tomatoes, red or yellow, thinly sliced
• 1 cup basil, fresh, leaves, torn or thinly shredded
• 4 reduced-calorie hamburger rolls
   

Makes 4 Servings

1. Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper; form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Coat burgers and inside of rolls with cooking spray.
3. Grill burgers for 5 minutes; flip burgers and add rolls to grill. Grill open-face rolls until lightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove to serving plates. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
4. To serve, top grilled rolls with burgers and tomato slices; garnish with basil.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. Sometimes you feel like having a juicy burger and it totally hits the spot. If you're ever craving a big, fat, juicy burger with lots of flavor, this one's for you. It's a different kind of burger in that it's made of ground turkey and has Italian flavor and seasonings in it. The fennel, onions and garlic give these burgers a taste like an Italian sausage. If you have to, add a pinch of bread crumbs to the burger meat to hold the burger together and add a little Parmesan cheese to give the burger a little more Italian flavor. I also recommend adding a little arugula or spinach leaves to give your burger more flavor and color. The addition of spinach, arugula, Parmesan and bread crumbs may affect the point values but they are worth it. one bite of these burgers and you'll never go to a fast food joint or Italian restaurant again.

 



Blue Cheese Chicken Burger

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 lbs. uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
• 1/2 cup scallion, sliced
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs,
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 4  mixed-grain hamburger rolls
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices
• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled

 Makes 4 Servings

1. Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
2. In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, barbecue sauce mixture, scallion, celery, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and blue cheese. Using wet hands (to prevent mixture from sticking), form chicken mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; brush top of burgers with some remaining barbecue sauce mixture (if you have any leftover).
3. Place burgers on grill. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Lightly toast open-faced buns on grill during last minute of cooking.
4. To serve, place 4 bun bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices and burger.
   

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts (1 burger per serving)

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. I already made barbecue sauce and I was in the mood for a good burger. Turkey and chicken burgers are just as delicious as beef burgers. If you're a fan of buffalo wings, this burger is definitely for you. It has the combination of what you normally order in a restaurant if you order buffalo wings: blue cheese, hot sauce, celery, etc. But there's some added ingredients to make this burger more flavorful: Barbecue sauce mixed with the hot sauce, scallions, garlic and bread crumbs. This juicy burger melts in your mouth with all the savory flavors combined. You can add more hot sauce if you want. I highly recommend serving this burger at a tailgate party because you'll be the only one serving gourmet burgers.