300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (14 page)

Again, all those ingredients make this look intimidating, but it's really just a matter of assembling everything in the food processor and chopping it together.

1 pound (455 g) boneless pork loin

1/4 medium onion, cut into chunks

1/2 green pepper, cut into chunks

1 1/2 teaspoons grated gingerroot

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup (60 g) crushed pork rinds, plain or barbeque flavor

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 g) canned crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice

1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

1/2 teaspoon Splenda

1/2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

Preheat your electric tabletop grill.

Place the pork, onion, pepper, gingerroot, garlic, soy sauce, egg, pork rinds, pepper, and salt in a food processor with the S-blade in place. (You'll need a full-size food processor; this overwhelmed my little one!) Pulse until the meat is finely ground. Add the pineapple and pulse to mix.

Form into 5 burgers—the mixture will be quite soft—and slap them on the grill. Set a timer for 6 minutes.

While the burgers are cooking, mix together the tomato sauce, molasses, Splenda, and mustard. When the 6 minutes are up, open the grill, spread the tomato sauce mixture evenly over the burgers, and then close the grill and cook for 1 more minute. Serve.

Yield:
5 servings, each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 22 grams of protein.

These are low calorie, too! Just 178 calories per serving.

Chili Burgers

Here's all the long-simmered flavor of chili in a fast-and-easy burger.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

1 cup (241 g) canned tomatoes with green chilies

1/2 medium onion, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (8 g) chili powder

2 tablespoons (30 g) crushed barbecue-flavor pork rinds

1 tablespoon (16 g) tomato paste

1 tablespoon (18 g) salt or Vege-Sal

4 ounces (115 g) cheddar cheese, sliced

Sour cream (optional)

Preheat your electric tabletop grill.

Plunk the beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili powder, pork rinds, tomato paste, and salt into a bowl and using clean hands, smoosh it all together until everything is thoroughly combined. Form this mixture into 4 patties, put them on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes.

When the 5 minutes are up, open your grill but do not remove the burgers. Top each with a slice of cheddar cheese and use whatever heatproof kitchen object you have on hand to prop the lid of the grill open slightly for a minute or so. Let the cheese melt and serve with a dollop of sour cream, if you like.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 28 grams of protein. Add 1 gram of carbs and 1 gram of protein if you use the sour cream.

Crunchy Peking Burgers

1/2 cup (62 g) canned water chestnuts, drained

2 scallions

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (28 ml) dry sherry

1 teaspoon Splenda

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon grated gingerroot

Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons (30 g) low-sugar apricot preserves

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon grated gingerroot

Preheat your electric tabletop grill.

Chop the water chestnuts a bit and slice the scallions. Put them in a mixing bowl with all the other burger ingredients and using clean hands, mix them well. Form into 4 burgers and put them on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes.

While the burgers are cooking, mix together the preserves, soy sauce, and gingerroot in a small dish. When the burgers are done, top each with a teaspoon of sauce and serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 20 grams of protein.

Many-Pepper Burgers

Burger recipes don't get much simpler than this one!

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

2 1/2 tablespoons (18 g)
Many-Pepper Steak Seasoning
(see
page 302
)

Preheat your electric tabletop grill.

In a mixing bowl, use clean hands to mix the ground beef and seasoning together. Form into 3 or 4 burgers and cook them on the grill for 5 to 6 minutes.

Yield:
3 or 4 servings. Assuming 3 servings, each will have 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

All~American Turkey Burgers

How spicy these are will depend on what sort of hot sauce you use. They're really good with coleslaw. (See the recipe for
Coleslaw Dressing
on
page 299
).

1 pound (455 g) ground turkey

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon (16 g) low-carbohydrate barbecue sauce, homemade or purchased

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Preheat your electric tabletop grill.

Simply combine everything and form the mixture into 3 burgers. Throw them on the grill, cook for 5 minutes, and serve.

Yield:
3 servings. The carb count will vary a bit depending on what barbecue sauce you use, but it should be in the neighborhood of 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 27 grams of protein.

Wing Burgers

Why are these
Wing Burgers
? Because this combination of seasonings was inspired by the coating of
Heroin Wings
, the very first recipe in my first cookbook,
500 Low-Carb Recipes
, and a perennial favorite. It's no big surprise that the flavors are great in burgers, too.

1 pound (455 g) ground chuck

1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon (1 g) dried parsley

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

This is so simple! Start your electric table-top grill preheating to 350°F (180°C). Plunk all the ingredients into a big mixing bowl and use clean hands to squish them up until it's all well-blended. Make three patties and throw them on the grill for five minutes. If you want to top them with something—though they're good as-is—skip the ketchup and use a little no-sugar-added pizza sauce.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 488 calories, 37 grams fat, 34 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, and 2 grams usable carb.

Salmon Patties

That Nice Boy I Married said these were the best salmon patties he'd ever had. And this recipe calls for stuff that keeps and so is likely to be hanging around the house, making it extra convenient.