american craft beer & national burger week

Wow two things I love have their very own "week" this week... well, I guess they are sharing this week, but that is just fine by me. Who doesn't love a burger and a beer?

Tonight we definitely enjoyed both. We had Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, one of America's more popular craft beers, but delicious none the less, with a lightened-up Western-style burger.

We consider ourselves to be kind of beer-connoisseurs and rarely drink any beer that isn't craft beer, so this wasn't too out of the ordinary.

lighten-up! western burgers

Serves 4

turkey burgers
1 lb ground turkey - we use 96% fat-free
3 tbsp barbecue sauce
1/4 panko bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 slices low-fat cheddar cheese

• Combine all ingredients and form into burger patties. 
• Grill until cooked completely. Top with cheese and leave on grill until melted.

oven-friend onion straws

adapted from Ellie Kreiger's onion ring recipe

1 vidalia onion

1/2 c. skim milk

1/4 c. flour + 2 tbsp

1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Salt & Pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
• Mix milk and 1/4 c. flour in shallow bowl. Set aside. 
• Mix bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow bowl. Set aside. 
• Slice onion in 1/4 to 1/2 inch circles, then cut each circle in half. Toss onion with 2 tbsp of flour to coat. 
• Working with 4-5 pieces of onion at a time, dip in milk mixture, then toss in bread crumb mixture. Place on sprayed baking sheet. 
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. 

assemble

We don't always have burger buns on hand, but I love to use whole-grain bread instead anyway. Toast 8 slices of bread.

Smear each slice with barbecue sauce. We used Ole Ray's Kentucky Gold Bourbon Barbecue, a yellow mustard-based barbecue that we picked up at the Indiana Artisan Market last month. The more common reddish barbecue sauces are tomato or ketchup-based. 

Top with onion straws.