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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Grilled "Meatloaf" Burgers & Zucchini Cheddar Patties

This evening I made burgers for dinner.  I used 1 pound of ground sirloin and added a few tablespoons of ketchup, mustard, chopped fresh parsley, black pepper and a heaping 1/2 cup of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese. Using my hands, I mixed everything together thoroughly and then shaped a large patty for hubby.  Then, to the rest of the mixture, I mixed in about 1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion and formed the rest of the patties.  While hubby grilled the burgers, I made Zucchini Cheddar Patties (recipe below).  It is very similar to making pancakes.  If you find the batter is too wet or runny, just add additional grated Parmesan or almond flour to soak it up. The consistency will vary depending on how well you wring out your shredded zucchini, and is easily remedied by adding additional dry ingredients (you want the batter to be thick). The meal was delicious. The added shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Vidalia onion, fresh parsley, ketchup and mustard, made the burgers extremely flavorful and moist . They tasted like mini grilled meatloaves.  The zucchini patties are easy to make and very similar to making pancakes; the first round don't usually turn out as pretty as the next round. The trick is to make sure your batter is thick enough and that you keep them fairly small so they are easier to flip over.  Since I used sharp white cheddar in the burgers, I also used it in the Zucchini Cheddar Patties, too.  It was a simple, delicious meal and it was great to be able to grill again after all the rain we've had this summer. I snapped a couple photos for you to see below. Enjoy!



Zucchini Cheddar Patties

Ingredients
2 cups of zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (extra, as needed)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup almond flour

2 sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Coconut oil or olive oil (enough to coat non-stick skillet)
  
In a medium bowl, add the zucchini, cheeses, green onions or onion powder, baking powder, almond and coconut flours, eggs, pepper and optional cayenne; mix well.  If mixture is too wet, add a little more almond flour or grated Parmesan to the mixture,  

In a large non-stick skillet, heat a few tablespoons of oil until hot (adding, as needed).  Drop heaping tablespoons of the zucchini mixture into the skillet, pressing lightly; cook on both sides until golden brown (similar to making pancakes).  Remove to plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.  Serve immediately or keep warm on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a 325 degree F oven up to 30 minutes or so.  If desired, season with salt.  

Note: If you find your batter is too wet, add additional almond flour or grated Parmesan cheese to thicken.


  

14 comments:

  1. Looks great. will have to try those meatloaf burgers.

    I've made zucchini cakes before, and I did 1 zucchini, 2 eggs, and a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed. they were very good! haven't made them for awhile, thanks for the reminder!

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  2. Hi there! I really enjoyed the meatloaf burgers...so much better than a plain grilled burger. The flax is a great ingredient to use to help absorb the extra liquid in the zucchini. I love zucchini cakes and forget about making them, too, sometimes! :-)

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  3. Another good use for the zucchini this time of year!
    I'm usually too lazy to mix additions into my burgers, but you've inspired me to try this; maybe during the holiday weekend!
    Enjoy your Sunday!

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  4. I'm afraid my zucchini cakes were not pretty like yours, Gourmet Girl. The hamburgers also fell apart on the grill. Everything was tasty but obviously we need some practice! Next time I do the burgers I'm going to cook them on the Foreman grill. The 2nd batch of the cakes looked better, but still not as pretty as yours. I'll keep trying, though, because they are delicious!

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  5. I hope you enjoy them, Darlene! I actually had one of the leftover burgers and zucchini cakes for breakfast this morning...LOL! :-)

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  6. Hi DrLFRoberts! Sorry to hear your burgers fell apart on the grill! When I shape them, I compact them nice and tight -- one of the secrets is making sure you have cooked it sufficiently before flipping so the meat becomes more solid before you slide a spatula underneath to flip. Also, they break apart easy if there is too much liquid addition. I added a couple tablespoons of each (ketchup and mustard)...also, it might help to dice the onion small as well. But, if you use your Foreman grill, you probably won't have to worry about that. With the zucchini cakes, my first batch was a bit too wet, so I added more grated Parmesan and almond flour (a tablespoon at a time)...you might just need to do a little bit of tweaking with the dry ingredients, depending on how wet your zucchini is. Hope they will turn out better for you next time if you try them again. I had a leftover burger and zucchini cake for my breakfast this morning! :-)

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  7. I will definitely try them again! I had too many burgers so I have them in the freezer and I have more zucchini! Thanks so much for your recipes!

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  8. You are welcome, DrLFRoberts! :-)

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  9. I made the zucchini cheddar patties, and my husband remarked, "Oh man, these are like Scooby snacks!" High praise indeed...my 14 year old daughter asked if there were potatoes in them...which again, is high praise in our family...yum, these will be a regular!

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  10. Hi Sethmu! Wow...both hubby and your daughter enjoyed them...that is really awesome, since they can be some of the "toughest critics" sometimes! So glad the family enjoyed them. Thanks for letting me know! :-)

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  11. Hi GGC,

    We love the zucchini patties!

    I had some leftover spaghetti squash a few days ago and decided to put it in the patties in place of the zucchini, this time. It worked great and was delicious, too!

    Swerve BBQ Contest

    PS: Congratulations on your Blueberry Crumble recipe for Wheat-Free Market Foods!

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  12. Hi CyberSis! What a great idea to use your leftover spaghetti squash to substitute for zucchini in the zucchini cakes! I bet it was good. Good Luck! P.S. - Where did you see the blueberry crumble???

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  13. Hi again, GGC.

    I'm on the WB email list and got a message from them today featuring the recipe. Good job! :-)

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