by Krista A. Parr, R.H.N

Is it possible to make a burger that is truly so flavourful and delicious that it begs to be eaten without a bun or condiments?

Behold these mouth-watering patties of nourishment! For many people, a fertility diet means eating lighter than they are used to; less bread, mayo, meat, dairy, sweets, etc. and more veggies & lean protein. At the same time, I believe enjoyment of food is as important as good nutrition. It’s not helpful to eat bland food that you’re really not interested in just because it’s supposedly healthy. Poached fish and steamed cauliflower anyone? No thanks! Making nutritious food totally scrumptious is often key to maintaining a clean diet. Herbs and spices can really crank up the flavour of your cooking while also offering a variety of vitamins and minerals. For example, the fresh sorrel, rosemary, and oregano in this burger recipe contribute impressive amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A. And unlike traditional meat burgers, these babies are loaded with fiber because there’s so many veggies mixed in. Enjoy these burgers along with a leafy or grain salad, grilled or roasted vegetables, and sliced avocado. Of course, they’re also wonderful on a fresh bun with your favourite fixin’s but they really do shine all by themselves.

This recipe makes about 8 burgers

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 pound ground chicken, preferably organic or free-range

1 cup crumbled feta cheese, preferably made from goat’s or sheep’s milk

1 small onion, shredded or chopped very fine

3 garlic cloves, shredded or chopped very fine

3 celery stalks, shredded or chopped very fine

Approximately 1 cup zucchini, shredded or chopped very fine

1 small-medium potato, shredded (this is the ‘glue’ that holds the burgers together)

Approximately cup sorrel leaves, chopped into ribbons (sorrel is a lemon-y tasting herb that looks similar to spinach. If you don’t have sorrel, use spinach and understand the flavour won’t be quite the same)

3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only, chopped very fine

5 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only, chopped very fine

teaspoon dried cumin

teaspoon sea salt

teaspoon fresh ground pepper

 

Directions:
Place all ingredients except the feta cheese in a large bowl and mix well with your hands. The mixture will seem wet, and you may think there are too many veggies and not enough meat to make this work. Please don’t fret! Work in the feta cheese gently at the very end. If you put it in too early and mix too well, the feta will crumble into very small pieces and its flavour will be lost.

 

Form into  -inch thick patties and either fry in coconut oil on low heat, flipping once golden, or place them on a parchment paper-covered pan and freeze for future use (once they are frozen you can move them from the pan into ziplock bags). If you plan to BBQ them you’ll want to freeze them and BBQ from frozen.

 

Krista A. Parr is a Vancouver Registered Holistic Nutritionist and founder of Root to Fruit Nutrition, specializing in fertility. She is passionate about guiding women onto a nourishing, supportive diet. www.RootToFruitNutrition.ca