1 pound of beef (0.45 kg)

 1 cup of oats

 Mix veggies: frozen peas, onion, mushrooms, carrots, corn, etc.

 1 egg

 BBQ sause 

 Spices: pepper, basil, cajuin blend, smoked paprika, etc.

 Buns and burger dressings as you like

The idea with this meal is all about prepping the BEEF.  You can add OATS to make it nearly 2 pounds instead of 1!!  Now you know.  Just prepare a nice clump of tasty smelling uncooked beef, mixed with healthy veggies, eggs, and some oats.  Then, using your hands mix it and press patties into desirable burgers sizes placing on a non-stick wax or tinfoil sheet.  Lastly, cook to perfection… best by BBQ, next you can fry, and if you BAKE it, cover with tinfoil to reduce it from drying out.

Step 1: Add 1 pound of beef to a mixing bowl

Step 2: To that add 1 cup of oats. Why OATS??  Firstly they are healthy, and inexpensive and mix very well with BEEF.  So deal with it.

Step 3: Combine 1 Cup of veggies. As a rule, I like peas, onions, and mushrooms with m’beef.  But it’s all good, such as corn, asparagus, carrots, beans.

Step 4: Add 1 egg to veggie mix combine in a blender – this egg gives ‘stick’ to the mix as well as protein and delicious taste.  If eggs aren’t your thing or you don’t have one or whatever, just add something of liquid base, beer, or olive juice, pickle juice, or even orange juice.  (Really, this is like Hawaiian burgers!!) – Liquify your veggie mix in a blender.  Use a spatula to scrape out every drop into the beef mix bowl.

Step 5: Add Spices like pepper, basil, cajuin blend, smoked paprika, etc.

Step 6: Add BBQ sauce – it’ll provide that kick of expected beefy flavor.  If you have none; use some sugar and liquid smoke.

Step 7: All together now, mix the bowl ingredients until a ball.  Using your VERY CLEAN hands, squeeze through your fingers, over and over while gathering the food contents.  It should hold together, to make a pasty ball, you can add more oats to add more thickness if runny… or if it’s too dry, add liquid like sauce or juice.

Step 8: Once mixed together, prepare a surface for this next step, as you stack or spread out patties of beef to cook.  Use tinfoil or a baking sheet to help with clean up. Separate palm-sized chunks, rolling and flattening into 1/2 inch patties.  Try to match the size of the bun you will be using.  Making ‘sliders’ with mini potato-buns can be more filling and ‘stretch the beef’, (feed more people for less money) even further.

Step 9: Cook the patties. Best done by BBQ, next you can fry, and if you BAKE it, cover with tinfoil to reduce it from drying out.

Finally, dress the buns, packing them with even more helthy stuff like lettuce, pickles, mustard, and tomatoes… or you can stick with simple flavour condiments like relish, ketchup, and mayonase.

Whatever you like, burgers are always a crowd pleaser and certainly pair well with a chilled beer.  This reciepe is brought to you by Nelson BC’s very own, ‘Wild Honey’ organic ale, by the Nelson Brewing Company.