Savvy Savories & Such: Lean and Juicy Cilantro and Jalapeño Burgers

Last weekend Paul and I went on our annual camping trip with some friends. Instead of having traditional hot dogs I whipped up some tasty burger patties that we cooked over a grill plate on the bonfire. Processing the ground beef in the Marinade Express makes the meat light and extra juicy, but without being greasy. This recipe is something that I came up with because of what I happened to have on hand. A lot of cilantro adds a freshness which mixes perfectly with the spice of the jalapeños. Of course you can mix and match your own flavors but this recipe was so delicious, I had to share it. We loved them so much that we made them for dinner again the following night.

Ingredients:
1 lb of lean ground beef
1-2 tbs of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (or more) of fresh cilantro, minced,
1 tablespoon of onion, minced. (I used white but any kind would work).
1 Jalapeño, minced (remove all or some seeds depending on your spice preference).
Salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, to bind the beef
Sliced cheese of choice, for topping
Sliced tomato, for topping
Spinach leaves, for topping
Whole wheat buns

Raw Patties. Notice The Gorgeous Cilantro!

Directions:
1) Process the ground beef in the Marinade Express using Santa Fe Salsa MX seasoning. Make sure your beef is tightly packed together. Be careful to only allow the Marinade Express to rotate 3 to 4 times, otherwise the beef will begin to fall apart. It doesn't take very long for the Marinade Express to work its magic. Stop the drum unit so that the beef is outside of the water. Let it stand for 10 minutes to let the water drain from the beef. Then carefully remove the beef and dump out the water. (Use a colander if you are worried about losing some of the ground beef.)

2) In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, garlic, cilantro, onion, Jalapeño, salt & pepper. Using your hands, get messy and mix all of the ingredients into the beef together.

3) In a separate bowl crack one egg and whisk until frothy. Add the egg to the beef mixture. Mix the egg with your hands into the beef.

4) Flatten the beef evenly into the bowl. Use your hand to divide the beef into fours; this will help you to make evenly-sized patties. Take each section and pat tightly into a patty shape.

5) Grill, bake, or fry the burgers on a pan until cooked as desired . I prefer some pink in my burgers and after using the Marinade Express it is safe to do this, as up to 99.5 % of all bacteria is eliminated!

5) Top the burger with a slice of cheese-- we used Munster but any will be delicious--, top with a slice of tomato and spinach. I used whole wheat buns because they are healthier and tastier. These burgers were so flavorful and juicy I didn't use ketchup and mustard for my second serving! For the veggies I whipped up a side of sautéed asparagus minus the mushrooms; view my recipe here.