Are you a grass is greener person? If you’ve been reading here a while, you know that The Kid has a severe dairy allergy. The kind like you see about peanuts and bee stings, where we carry the epi pen with us. Because of this, she’s never had the popular kid items like cheese, ice cream, milk. Staples in the diet of red blooded Americans and contents of every kid menu out there.
Every now and then The Kid will ask me to describe what something tastes like. It’s not always easy to put into words. Have you ever tried to describe the taste of mozzarella? Sometimes I think she might feel left out when all her friends are eating mac and cheese and ice cream sundaes. Because of the health trends we’ve got now, we’re lucky enough that substitutes are mainstream.
A while back I found completely dairy free American cheese slices. I got all excited and whipped up burgers for dinner without ruining my surprise. I proudly sat the burger, topped with a slice in front of her. She automatically replied that I had given her my plate and tried to hand it back. Tah dah, nope. Try it!
After I explained, she took a bite… promptly made a face and wiped her tongue off with her napkin. I grabbed a piece of the cheese to see for myself how bad it was. Um, it tasted just like real American cheese. I don’t think I would have known the difference. We’ve had several events like this where she’s tried a substitute and hated it, but it tastes just like the original to me.
Makes me wonder how much of our taste in fast food and other things is learned because we have easy access to it. If we never or rarely ate it, maybe it wouldn’t taste so great after all. Add that to the list of things that make you go hmmmm. Now burgers on the other hand. Burgers could never be greener on the other side. 😉
These babies smelled absolutely divine as they were grilling. Yes, I described them as divine. Pinkies up, please. Even the doggies stood by, noses in air. I’m sure they were hoping something fell down to their level. Have you seen those cans of chile peppers in adobo sauce at the store? You’ll need a chile pepper from one for this recipe.
In case you’re wondering what the heck to do with the rest in the can, they freeze well. I take a ziploc baggie and dump the remaining peppers in and toss in the freezer. I take out just what I need for recipes like this and this. I’ve been working on the same can for quite a while since they go a long way.
BBQ Chipotle Burgers with Cole Slaw
- 1 lb ground beef (I used 93/7)
- 2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
- 1 minced chile pepper in adobo sauce
- 3 Tbsp egg whites from a carton OR 1 egg white
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cole slaw mix (red and white cabbage and carrots)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Crusty French baguette or hamburger buns, optional
Preheat your grill to medium heat or turn on the broiler on your oven. Mix the ground beef, barbecue sauce, chile pepper, egg whites and garlic in a bowl until blended well. I used my hands and squished away. Form the beef mixture into 4 patties. When the grill or broiler is ready, grill the burgers until the desired level of doneness. Flip them halfway through.
While the burgers are cooking, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make the cole slaw and toss to mix. Place a patty on a bun (if using) and top with the cole slaw and other toppings of choice. I had a French baguette so I cut off a piece the width of a hamburger patty and sliced it in half to make a creative bun for The Kid. I had my burger bunless.
Makes 4 servings at approximately 206 calories each (not including bun) – 23g protein, 6g carbs, and 11g fat.
The barbecue sauce I used is Stubb’s original barbecue. I love that one because it’s low in sugar and has better ingredients than your typical bottled sauce that’s full of chemicals. I also used Hellman’s olive oil mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise. I like the taste of this version better than the other, but your preference may be different.
The combo of the spicy burger with the cole slaw was so good. Guess who has leftovers for tonight. Yay!
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