Chilli Burgers

I am a huge fan of Tex-Mex food. Before I began my Slimming World journey I could usually be found devouring an entire plate of nachos topped with grated cheese, chilli, salsa (and the rest) at least once a week. The truth is, it wasn’t really the tortilla chips I wanted, it was the spicy kick of all those wonderful Mexican flavours topped with the oozing flecks of burnished cheese making each mouthful more than worth the sticky fingers and general food debris left behind at the end.

I have tried to create a few different Mexican inspired recipes using the rules of Food Optimising and this is one of my favourites. Homemade burgers are, as far as I’m concerned, always preferable to shop bought but they can often be bland and lacking in flavour, leaving you wondering whether it was really worth the effort. Well, trust me – these truly are worth a few minutes of chopping, mixing and shaping!

The spices I’ve used are those I would put into a chilli con carne but just in greater quantities. The smoky subtle fire of the paprika mixed with the deeper, earthier flavours of the cumin and coriander followed by the ultimate kick of the hot chilli powder turn these burgers into a real treat for the tastebuds!

Ingredients

·        500g extra lean mince

·        1 red onion, finely diced

·        1 teaspoon paprika

·        1 teaspoon cumin

·        1 teaspoon ground coriander

·        ½ teaspoon hot chilli powder

·        Fry light spray

·        28g grated cheddar cheese per person

·        Sliced gherkins

·        Wholemeal buns/rolls to serve

Makes 4 burgers

Method:

1. Put the finely diced onion and extra lean mince into a bowl and mash up with a fork.

2. Add the spices and mix everything thoroughly together.

3. Line a plate with some clingfilm. Take ¼ of the mince mixture and shape into a ball. Place on the cling film and flatten with your palm into a burger shape. Repeat until you have 4 burgers.

4. Put another sheet of cling film over the burgers and place in the fridge to chill and firm up for around 30 minutes.

5. Spray a non-stick frying pan with Fry Light spray. Turn the heat on and let the pan warm up. Place the burgers into the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the burgers over and cook a further 5 minutes on the other side.

Burgers cooking away nicely

6. Whilst your burgers are cooking, slice open some wholemeal buns and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle 28g of cheddar cheese onto one half of each bun and place some sliced gerkhin on top of the cheese.

Lonely cheese and gherkins waiting for their burger!

7. When the burgers have cooked, place on top of the cheese and leave for a minute before serving.

                                                  Served…

You can serve these with anything you like really. I usually serve them with Slimming World chips or some sort of salad. I also like to dip the chips (OK…and the burgers!) in some chilli sauce (only ½ Syn per level tablespoon). Remember, if you’re not using the wholemeal bun/roll and the cheddar cheese as your healthy extra a and b choices for the day, this recipe would actually have 12 Syns per person in it (assuming each person only eats one burger!).

Notes:

• If you don’t have time to let the burgers chill and firm up before cooking, add a whisked egg to help bind the mixture together and prevent it breaking up whilst frying.

• If you’re in the mood for an extra kick, add a few drops of Tabasco sauce (Syn Free). Don’t get carried away as this stuff could really make your eyes water!

• If you want to add a bit of salsa either on the top or the side or your burgers, keep back some of the red onion, add 1 chopped tomato and some coriander leaf and lime juice to taste. All Syn free!