Confetti Burgers and Broccoli Slaw with Golden Raisins

I’m always looking for ways to make my homemade burgers more interesting.  A Shape magazine recipe calling for corn and chopped up red bell pepper in the burger patties caught my eye.  Served with a cool cilantro-lime sour cream sauce, it was a good call for dinner in the midst of this unbearably hot weather.

Confetti Burgers
(based on recipe from August 2008 issue of Shape magazine)

For the cilantro sauce:

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves (stems removed)
3/4 cup low fat or fat free sour cream
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse, scraping down sides as needed, until cilantro is finely chopped and sauce takes on a light green color.  Transfer sauce to a bowl and chill in refrigerator.

For the burgers:

1 lb ground sirloin
2 scallions, sliced (yields about 1/4 cup)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped (yields about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tbsp Worcestershire’s sauce
salt and pepper
3-4 hamburger buns

Combine ground beef, scallions, red bell pepper, corn, Worcestershire’s sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Mix and combine ingredients with your hands until mixture is evenly coated with Worcestershire’s sauce.  Form into 3 or 4 patties (depending on size of burger desired).

Place patties on grill (or grill pan over medium-high heat) and grill approximately 5 minutes on each side (if cooking larger patties, add a minute or two of cooking time to each side).  Center of burger patty should be 160 degrees.  Transfer patties to a plate and cover with a foil tent.

Assemble the burgers: place one patty on each bottom bun and top generously with cilantro sauce.

Serves 3-4

To throw some veggies into the mix, I made an easy broccoli slaw with prepackaged broccoli slaw mix and a low fat, sour cream based dressing.  The golden raisins and the caraway seeds give the slaw a pleasant sweetness that livens up the broccoli, carrot, and cabbage mix.

Broccoli Slaw with Golden Raisins

12oz packaged broccoli slaw mix
3/4 cup low fat or fat free sour cream
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 cup golden raisins
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, vinegar, caraway seeds, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add in broccoli slaw mix and raisins.  Toss well to coat slaw with sour cream dressing.

Serves 4-5