• BURGER:
  • Cooking spray
  • pinch of pepper
  • 4 (93% lean) beef patties, 4.75 ounces each
  • ½ cup salsa verde
  • 4 slices reduced-fat pepper jack cheese
  • 4 (100 calorie) whole-wheat hamburger buns
  • ¼ cup shredded red cabbage
  • 4 ounces sliced avocado
  • SALSA VERDE:
  • 2 tomatillos
  • 1 serrano chile pepper, sliced
  • ¼ cup onion, sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon chopped garlic

Directions:

1. Place the tomatillos, Serrano peppers, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Add water to just cover and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the tomatillos are soft and have turned slightly brownish in color, about 20-30 minutes.

2. Add more water if needed to keep the mixture from burning as it cooks.

3. Pour the cooked vegetables into a blender and blend until smooth.

4. Heat a skillet or grill over high heat.

5. When hot, spray with cooking spray and add the patties.

6. Season with pepper and cook a few minutes on each side, to your desired liking.

7. Add the cheese and cover; cook to melt, about 30 seconds.

8. Place the cooked burgers on the buns and top each burger with 2 tablespoons salsa verde, red cabbage, and avocado slices.

Tips:

Trying to eat healthy and thought you had to avoid burgers forever? Think again! This burger, made with 93% lean beef and reduced fat cheese, is a smarter way to indulge. It’s topped with cabbage, a cruciferous vegetable with plenty of beneficial nutrients and less than 20 calories per half cup, and avocado, a great source of monounsaturated fat which helps lower the bad cholesterol. With this homemade salsa verde you are cutting out the high amount sodium typically found in ketchup and mustard.