Burger Bowl

The burger craving comes on hard in the Summer. I love gourmet burgers with strange toppings and flavors, but in the Summer, there is nothing like a juicy grilled burger with the classic all American toppings. 

Because I really hate soggy bread, I actually really like burgers without buns. I can pile on toppings and not worry about everything falling apart and spilling onto my plate. Bonus points for skipping out on the extra carbs and making it healthier.

We are LOVING burger bowls this Summer. They are so simple to put together and I almost always have everything on hand. Pickle drizzled on top of it all is a necessary step...it's strange but good! This is far from a recipe and more of a here's what you need and just pile it all together type of post. Enjoy!

Burger Bowls

Lean ground beef burgers- grilled inside or out
Iceberg lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, sliced
Hamburger dill pickles with some juice reserved
Salt + pepper
Mustard
Ketchup

I start with my bowls and fill with a pile of chopped iceberg lettuce. Layer on sliced tomatoes, pickles and even onions or mushrooms- whatever else sounds tasty to you! Finish with a warm burger and drizzle it all with a little pickle juice. Add mustard and ketchup and devour it all! I also sometimes serve mine with oven roasted potatoes. 

Greek Salsa Salad with Naked Basil Burgers

Sometimes, leaving the lettuce out of a salad is a fun way to mix it up. A lot of my favorite salads don't have any lettuce at all. This Greek Salsa Salad is a perfect example and one that I can almost always whip up in my kitchen because these ingredients are some of my kitchen staples. 

I originally had my eye on this Southern Living recipe, but I ended up using it as more of an inspiration and just went with my own little method. The Greek Country Salad at my favorite local restaurant, Ilios Noche is one of my favorite things to re-create at home. I chopped up my fresh ingredients a little smaller this time, making Salsa Salad the perfect new name. I served with Naked Greek Burgers on top, again, a little something I just came up with on my own. Using lean grass-fed beef, I mixed in garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and grilled them up on my trusty grill pan! 

Another salad success!

Greek Salsa Salad with Naked Burgers

Salad-

1 cucumber, diced

2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped 

1/4 red onion, diced

fresh dill

4 oz. feta, crumbled

3 Tbsp. Pour Olive Organic Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good quality olive oil

3 Tbsp. Pour Olive Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic or 3 Tbsp. lemon fresh lemon juice

salt + pepper, to taste 

Burgers-

1 lb. lean grass fed beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

handful fresh basil, chopped

salt + pepper, to taste

Chop all fresh ingredients for the salad and place in a salad bowl. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a grill pan with olive oil and place on medium heat. 

For the burgers, using your hands, mix in garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper with the beef. Make burgers the size of your liking, I normally do 3- 4 per pound.

Cook burgers 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked how you like! Serve on top of the salsa salad. I piled my salsa salad on top of a little pile of organic baby spinach.

Put an Egg on that Burger!

My little sister cannot get over the fact that Mark and I recently enjoyed eggs atop our grilled Jalapeno Basil Burgers but my response to her was why the heck not!? Don't knock it till you try it.

I actually despised eggs (except for omelettes) up until the past couple of years and now I cannot get enough. I'm just in time, too, because it seems as though the incredible edible mainstay has become somewhat of a trendy ingredient. I can dig it. 

We typically skip the bun when but our grilled burgers are far from naked. We like to load up on fresh toppings of all flavor families. Guacamole, grilled onions, pesto, roasted mushrooms, arugula, heirloom tomatoes...we can now add fried eggs to the rotation. A slightly runny yolk of an over-easy adds fantastic texture but if you are like Mark and prefer your liquid chickens fully cooked, fry it up on both sides- it's just as delicious!