Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Hey ya’ll…

Yea, I don’t know why I said that. Okay so Super Bowl Sunday is coming up! And besides the football, everyone thinks about one other thing…BUFFALO WINGS! Well, two things I guess…beer too. Anyways, I’ve been craving wings all week just thinking about the Super Bowl and it gave me an idea for dinner last night. I made Buffalo Chicken Burgers and they were delish!!! And best of all, they were definitely a healthier alternative to fried buffalo wings. You want the recipe? Here it is…

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Ingredients: 

Chicken Chop Meat (1 lb)

Onion (Half of an onion, grated)

Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

Salt and pepper (To taste)

Butter (About two tablespoons, for a healthier alternative use olive oil)

Hot Sauce (1/2 cup, more if you like it hotter)

Carrots, Celery, and Lettuce (For garnish)

Blue Cheese (To taste)

Directions:

1. Mix chicken chop meat, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Use your judgement -if you want bigger burgers, roll out bigger burgers…if you want sliders (like me), shape your meat mixture into smaller slider burgers.

3. THIS IS OPTIONAL – I took a little blue cheese and placed it in the middle of the burger to give it a “stuffed burger” effect. Totally up to you whether or not you want the stuffed burgers!

4. Place the burgers on a non-stick baking tray. Drizzle some olive oil on top of each burger. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip the burgers over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on how your burgers look!

5. While your burgers are cooking, start on your sauce. Melt your butter (or let your olive oil get warm) and whisk in the hot sauce. Let that cook for about 5 minutes and then shut off the heat.

6. Once your burgers are done place them in the pot with the sauce. Cook about a minute or two on each side.

7. Plate your burgers and pour all extra sauce on top.

8. Take those burgers and do what you want with them! I poured a little extra blue cheese dressing on top of mine and ate it in a lettuce wrap. If you’re feeling fancy you can even make a carrot/celery slaw and put it right on top! If you don’t want the cheese…I’m looking at you paleo people…you can top it with some avocado so you still get that smooth, creamy taste. AND it will help with some of the heat from the hot sauce!

9. As always…ENJOY!

Happy Super Bowl guys!!!  Go Seahawks!!!

Mango Salsa

One of my favorite things about the summer is all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are available. You can be so creative in the summer with your meals. Here are one of my favorite recipes that incorporates lots of fresh fruits and veggies and that can be used in many different ways.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

Mango (1 1/2)

Avocado (1)

Grape Tomatoes (1 package)

Red Onion (1/2)

Garlic (1 clove)

Lime (1)

Cilantro (I used a about 1/4 cup)

Olive Oil (About a tablespoon)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Jalapeño (1 – this is optional if you want a little heat)

Directions:

1. Chop everything up. Make sure your onion and garlic are chopped up really fine.

2. Mix mango, avocado, tomatoes, red onion and garlic (and jalapeño if you’re using that as well) all together in a bowl.

3. Squeeze the juice of one lime over all ingredients. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro.

4. Mix it up real good.

5. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

5. Enjoy!!!

The best thing about this recipe is it is so versatile. You can use it for just about anything. Top off your grilled chicken or steak. Use it as salsa for tortillas chips at your next party. Mix it up with cooked shrimp for a delicious shrimp salad. You can use it in tacos, in a quesadilla, on top of burgers, salads…the possibilities are endless!