That either looks INCREDIBLE to you or it doesn't.  Burgers are hard to photograph from a super healthy perspective, unless we can imagine this one with a black bean patty.  But that's not a black bean patty under melted jalapeno Havarti cheese, it's fresh, farm raised beef straight out of Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Our good friend John, stopped by the other day and dropped off a package of beef patties right about the time I was guessing what to cook for supper.  Have you met John? He's a good man.  He's married to my very good friend, Kim the Dietitian - (duntada! heroic music plays in the background- imagine woman with a red cape and the letter 'D' on her shirt, standing in front of the food pyramid.)

Anyhoo.

I didn't hesitate to grill up the patties along with a couple of slices of smoked bacon and purple onion.  Then I figured since I had come that far, I might as well go all out.  So I found the jalapeno Havarti cheese and the jar of spicy jalapenos.  All that was left was to toast up the wheat buns and layer on the condiments.

Oh yea, it was good, REAL GOOD.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

On nights when I don't feel like cooking something from scratch, I get out one of my favorite freezer staples, Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burgers. They taste the best heated up in the oven or on a grill pan. I'll also heat up a can of Ranch Style Black Beans to serve up to the kids. Sometimes they ask for black bean burritos. Most of the time, they eat them straight up in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips on the side. Either way, works for me.

HERE'S HOW I THROW IT ALL TOGETHER

• 1 box (4 patties) Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burgers
• 1 medium onion cut into thick slices
• 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
• oil
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 to 2 fresh jalapeños, minced
• whole wheat bread or buns
• mayo, spicy mustard (you pick your favorite)
• 1 (15oz) can black beans

Heat oven to 375F degrees. Lightly coat onion and bell pepper slices with oil, season with salt & pepper. Place the black bean patties, onion and bell pepper slices on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

While the patties are baking, chop the cilantro and jalapeños and toss together in a small bowl, set aside. Heat up the black beans in a medium bowl in the microwave on 70% power for 2 minutes.

A few minutes before the bean patties are ready to come out of the oven, toast the bread directly on the oven rack around the cookie sheet until lightly golden. OR toast them in a toaster.

Now let's build that burger; bun, mayo, pattie, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapeños, black beans, bun!

LET'S EAT!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Even if you don't own an outdoor grill, don't let it stop you from having a good burger. I made up a great tasting batch of burgers using a grill pan and a heavy cast iron skillet. The burger shown above had a chunk of goat cheese in the center...ooh baby was it GOOD!

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• goat cheese for filling
• cheddar or American cheese slices
• a small bag of frozen crinkle fries

Preheat oven according to the directions on the crinkle fries bag.
Heat up a large grill pan, sprayed with high heat non-stick spray, on medium high.

In a medium bowl, mix the seasonings, not the goat cheese, into the ground beef, then shape into large thin patties. I've learned to make the patties an inch larger than the diameter of the bun. The patties always shrink up to just the right size.

Place patties on hot grill pan then reduce heat to medium or medium low. You'll get some smoke & popping at first so stand back. To get good even cooking and grill marks, set a cast iron skillet on top of the patties and cooked for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.

While you're waiting for that second side to cook, start baking the crinkle fries. Finished patties can be put in a small roasting pan, covered with foil and kept hot in the oven until it's time to eat.

For the grown ups, put a large spoonful of goat cheese in the center of a patty, and give it a sprinkle of fresh ground red pepper flakes then top it with another patty. Press the edges together so the cheese doesn't ooze out while cooking.

With the cheese filled patties, cook them on medium low heat and cover with the cast iron skillet turned upside down over them. Make sense? Use the skillet like a lid cover and not a pressing tool.

After cooking them for 5 minutes on each side, press down on the patty with a spatula to make sure the juices run clear. I don't know about you, but we like our burgers fully cooked around my house.

The fries should be finished by now, so take them out and set aside. On the kid's patties, lay on a cheese slice to start melting while the bread was toasting.

Toasted whole wheat sandwich bread slices work just fine in place of burger buns.  Set out your favorite condiments, pickles and such and you're ready to eat!

My kids love this simple home cooked happy meal. Come to think of it, I've NEVER had to bribe them with a toy to make them eat it all.
Hmm, that's interesting. Good food doesn't need a toy.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.