Weep with Joy!

If there is one thing that makes staying healthy the hardest, it is the continual abstinence from the foods we love. Well, today I change all that for you! What will I give to you today to make you weep... oh yes, Cheese Burgers. Now we all know the internet loves cheezburgers. But I am gonna give you the real thing!

Delicious, desirable.... but wholesome?

Why? Well the humble but delicious hamburger has its downsides.... high fat content, red meat - not great for your digestive system, dough..... but on the other hand, it can contain tomato, lettuce, onion and pickle - all of which have healthy properties. And now, due to new research I can advise you to cook up a mouthwatering, savory, gooey, beefy tower of deliciousness. It has been found that both meat and cheese contain Menaquinone, a type of vitamin K that has been shown to improve your body's prevention of tumour development and reduce the risk of cancer mortality by 28% - according to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

So, how do you make a delicious but healthy cheeseburger...

For the burger -

400g best quality steak mince
1 egg white
1/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
1/4 tspn cumin
1/4 tspn chili powder

For the rest -

Cheese - your choice. Cheddar, swiss cheeses and blue cheeses work well.
4 wholewheat rolls
Tomato, slices
Red onion, sliced
Gherkin, sliced

Method:
Mix together the burger ingredients in a bowl.
Shape into 1/4 inch patties.
Wrap each in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Then place on a griddle pan at medium hot and turn occasionally for 10-12 minutes until no longer pink inside.

Serves 4. (Or freeze the remaining burgers until next time)

Serve with:

Simple but effective!

That would be a spinach and pepper salad. It is best to keep it simple and quite plain with the burger as that is the meaty star of the show!

Even healthier alternatives -

Turkey burger/Ostrich burger - head on down to the butcher and ask for some turkey mince, or if like me you live pretty close to somewhere like Borough Market (London) then pick yourself up an ostrich burger.... both are leaner, healthier alternatives to beef and honestly, just as tasty!

Tuna burger - for you fish/non-meat eaters you can try a tuna burger. You have two options here. You can either just stick a delicious, marinated and seared tuna steak between two pieces of bread or you can actually make a burger from yellowfin tuna.

Tuna burger - every bit as delicious as its meaty counterpart.

You can get a great recipe from Gordon Ramsay here.

Fine Print - it's great that the scientists have found a healthy reason to include meat and cheese into our diets. Thank you scientists. However, we must remember that red meat and burgers should be eaten no more than once or twice a week if you are looking to lose weight.

Parting words.... enjoy your burger with a single glass of full bodied red wine for added antioxidants, or even better a glass of vegetable juice!