Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Mini Super Burgers Bento


Mini Burgers Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.
Around here the summerlike weather doesn't kick in until around lunchtime, so by the time dinner comes around we're feeling in the outdoor mode. We made sliders, or rather super turkey mini-burgers that I "improved" with all kinds of secret stuff! You can do the same. Use your favorite burger recipe -- mine uses turkey (or chicken), an egg, a splash of Worchestershire, crushed garlic, minced onion, a half cup of rolled oats -- and I mixed in finely grated carrot and not-so-finely chopped broccoli. Yes, broccoli! You can see the bits in the patties here if you look closely. I like chunky burgers, and the tiny broccoli pieces cook up nicely while the patties are frying or grilling. You can add any kind of veggies you like; whatever you have available in your fridge. If you serve with homemade barbeque sauce (ketchup, maple syrup, mustard powder, celery seeds, lemon juice to taste) your kids won't even notice. So good.

I put the patties on a lettuce leaf so he can tear and eat them in lettuce wraps (Protein Style), and I added a cherry tomato and yellow bell pepper butterfly along with carrot flowers. Fruit side has black grapes, a half plum, a half peach and a couple of lychee. Oh, and a bunch of forest friends, since otherwise it's a pretty dull-looking bento. Yay!

12 comments:

  1. What a great idea!!! Broccoli burgers ftw! My kids like broccoli so this will be a great way to incorporate even more into their meals. Cute bento and I love the butterfly!!

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  2. Agree with Susan. Healthy mini burgers with a lot of secret ingredients inside, you are genius!

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  3. Thanks Susan! Yeah, broccoli burgers! My kids like broccoli too, so don't have to disguise it here. Woo!

    Thanks Lia! :D

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  4. Love these! We do mini burgers, but I never thought of adding broccoli to them.

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  5. Aren't mini burgers cute? Seems like they eat more of them when they're small, too...
    Could also try spinach or other leafy green.
    Thanks Shannon!

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  6. This is great! Kind of reminds me of my mom's burgers except she instead of the rolled oats and brocolli, she added tofu to the mix (the egg binded it all together). Can't add too much tofu otherwise, even with the egg, it crumbled or was too 'soft'. But it was tasty! Yum yum! I love all the little pandas! I think I'll try this for next week.. I'm so excited! lol.

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  7. Yes, mini burgers are cute! I want to go make a bunch now!

    I see you still have lychee in stock! I keep eating mine all up.

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  8. Thanks Chantale! I've used tofu before too, with similar results. Maybe the oats would improve binding? I like the idea of adding extra protein. Maybe I'll try it again! Can't wait to see yours :)

    Yay for cute Debra! You're the patty queen.
    My local lychee aren't all that delicious, since I've been spoiled and stubbornly resistant to overindulging non-Hilo lychee. Thus they're still around. But I'm still hoping the next batch is better...

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  9. A great tip today - adding veggies to the burger. Thanks for the tip!

    Cheers,
    Laura

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  10. Yum, inspiring! Love the idea of turkey sliders...and making them healthier and more interesting with your suggested additions! Your knack for healthy, charming, tasty bentos (and recipes) is such a delight, sherimiya. Thanks!

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  11. Thanks a lot for your always-thoughtful comments Jenn. Truly appreciate it!

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