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The Holistic Grail

A Quest For Healthy Living

Grass Fed Burgers with Blue Cheese & Bacon

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Burgers with bacon and blue cheese

Fourth of July has already come and gone.  How did this happen?  It seems like just yesterday I was trying to find my car under all that snow.

One of the other things that disappeared this past winter was our precious grill.  Since we don’t have a lot of yard space, the grill slowly took on snow, like a sinking ship, until we could no longer see it under all that white.  Sometimes I would look out the kitchen window longingly for the day that the weather would warm and the grill would peek out at me again.  Thank God that day arrived.

If you’re like me, you spend pretty much every summer evening grilling (read making my husband grill).  Everything just seems to taste better on the grill, the clean-up is easy, and your house won’t get all swampy from using the oven or stove.  We cook everything on there, from veggies to pizza, and, of course, BURGERS.

Burgers with Blue Cheese and bacon

This recipe is one of my husband’s all-time favorite burger combinations.  Every time we go out to a restaurant and he orders a burger, you better bet there will be blue cheese and bacon.  I added a few veggies on top to up the nutrient content, add some color, and give it a little extra crunch.  The bun is brioche toasted with butter – crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, and HUGE.  It’s the perfect wrapper for this meat on cheese on meat combination.

Burgers with Bacon & Blue Cheese-6

What is your favorite burger topping?  I want to know!  Leave me a comment to share.

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Grass Fed Burgers with Blue Cheese & Bacon
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 lb organic, grass-fed beef
  2. 1 egg, beaten
  3. 2 tbsp ground flax seed
  4. 1 tbsp garlic powder
  5. 8 pieces thick-cut bacon, cooked
  6. 8 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
  7. 4 brioche buns
  8. 4 tbsp butter, melted
  9. Sliced tomatoes for garnish
  10. Bean sprouts for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, ground flax seed and garlic powder.
  2. Separate meat into 4 equal-sized patties - set aside.
  3. Brush the insides of brioche buns with melted butter - set aside.
  4. On a pre-heated grill, place buns on top rack (butter side down), and burgers on bottom rack.
  5. When buns are browned, remove from grill.
  6. Cook burgers to desired level of doneness.
  7. Assemble burgers using 2 tbsp blue cheese and 2 strips of bacon for each, topping with tomatoes, sprouts, and other condiments as desired.
The Holistic Grail https://www.theholisticgrail.com/

Greek Veggie Burgers with Tzatziki & Feta

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Greek Quinoa BurgerWe’ve spent a lot of time outdoors lately, you know, since that 10 feet of snow melted here in Boston.  We’ve been grilling multiple times a week, since everything just seems to taste better that way, and the clean-up is so easy.  And what is easier meal on the grill than burgers?  Nothing.  The answer is nothing.

We’ve also planted our vegetable garden, which is a ton of work because the birds that have taken up residence in our barn roof will eat anything that’s small and green.  We’ve lived in our apartment for five years, planting a garden every summer.  And every summer my tactics to avoid bird-based garden annihilation have gotten more advanced.

Before we planted the garden for the first time, our landlord, Paul, warned us that his father had tried to have a vegetable garden at our house for 20 years, but had never succeeded due to all the wildlife in our area.  I figured he had to be exaggerating, since we lived in a city now.  Even back in the woods where I grew up, animals never seemed to bother our gardens.  Spoiler alert – Paul was right.

Greek Quinoa BurgerThe first summer started with a care-free attitude, excited to be settled in to our new place and to watch my garden grow.  No attempts were made to keep the birds out, since I honestly had never seen plant-snatching birds, and didn’t believe they would even care.  We hadn’t opened our practice yet, and my husband (then just my boyfriend) was covering other offices until we could afford for him not to.  I planned out our business from home, which meant I could take some time to work on the garden here and there.  It also meant that, after planting my seedlings, I could clearly see the birds swooping down from the barn and plucking them out, one by one.

I yelled at the birds and they flew away, but only to the telephone wires hanging above the garden, taunting me.  Have you ever heard the clicking sounds that a starling makes?  To me it sounded like laughing – little feathered jerks.  I knew I had to step up my game, so I started reading up on how to keep the birds out.  I tried CD’s (apparently birds don’t like shiny things), sprayed hot pepper juice on the leaves, and even built scarecrows, but the birds saw right through me.  I bought bird netting and covered the whole garden, but forgot to think about how I would get back in to weed and harvest my veggies.  I was keeping out the birds, but I was also keeping myself out.  I knew there had to be a better way.  I am a human being, for Pete’s sake.  I have to be smarter than a bird – right?

Greek Quinoa BurgerSo I went on the internet, which birds can’t do… or can they?  I made a to-scale drawing of a cage I would construct out of PVC.  I ordered the attachment pieces to connect each section of pipe, and then went to the hardware store to have 1″ PVC cut into multiple sections, each five feet long.  I bought more bird netting – lots more – and Velcro strips to attach it to the cage I would build.  Once the attachment pieces arrived, I grabbed my staple gun (the back of the cage is a fence) and got to work.

The end result was a five foot tall, five food wide, 25 foot long bird-proof cage.  It’s reusable, pretty easy to assemble, and, most importantly, bird-proof.  The birds still taunt me, but now that I work so much there’s less time for it.  Good thing birds can’t use the internet to figure out how to one-up me.  Until they do, I win.

Now please enjoy this burger.

Lightlife Greek Quinoa Burger-18Sharing is caring. 

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Greek Veggie Burgers with Tzatziki & Feta
Serves 4
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package of Lightlife Quinoa Burgers (4 patties)
  2. 4 whole wheat sesame seed buns
  3. 1 tomato, sliced thin
  4. 1/2 cucumber, sliced into strips with vegetable peeler
  5. 1/2 cup hummus (or more if desired)
  6. 1/2 cup tzatziki sauce
  7. Thinly sliced dill pickles (to taste)
  8. Parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. Toast buns - set aside.
  2. Coat burgers with olive oil. Place on hot grill, flipping after 3-4 minutes. Burgers are done when browned on all sides and warm throughout.
  3. Spread hummus on buns or top of burger. Add tomato, cucumber, pickles, tzatziki and parsley. Serve immediately.
The Holistic Grail https://www.theholisticgrail.com/

French Style Quinoa Burger

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Lightlife French Quinoa Burger-13

When it comes to brie, I have a serious problem.  You’re not supposed to eat that much of it, since it’s basically a block of fat, but that’s what makes it taste so darned good.  It’s so smooth, never overpowering, and accents anything from crackers to burgers with perfection.  In my opinion, brie is the creamiest, dreamiest cheese around. 

French Quinoa Burger

Since I’ve been experimenting with different styles of burgers for the vegetarian company Lightlife, I knew something with brie had to be on the menu.  This French Style Burger combines melted brie, an over-easy egg and sauteed onions to produce a protein-packed, satisfying, and out-of-this-world tasty morsel.  Top with a couple pinches of alfalfa sprouts for some added crunch, and you’ve got one heck of a meal.

Lightlife French Quinoa Burger-4

Bon appetite!

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French Style Quinoa Burger
Serves 2
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package of Lightlife Quinoa Burgers (4 burgers)
  2. 2 brioche buns
  3. 4 tbsp olive oil
  4. 1/4 lb brie cheese, sliced thin
  5. 2 large eggs
  6. 1/2 white onion, sliced
  7. Alfalfa sprouts as desired
Instructions
  1. Cut buns in half and baste olive oil onto both inside surfaces. Place buns inside surface up into toaster oven. Remove when browned.
  2. Saute onions until translucent with brown edges. Set aside.
  3. Place a small amount of olive oil in pan and fry two eggs until done over easy (yolk is still runny, white is solid).
  4. Grill quinoa burgers until browned and warmed through.
  5. Assemble burgers by placing two warm quinoa patties on each bun, top with brie slices, followed by egg. This will help brie to melt.
  6. Top egg with onions, sprouts and top bun. Enjoy!
The Holistic Grail https://www.theholisticgrail.com/

Vegan Black Bean Burger Tacos

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Lightlife Black Bean Veggie Burger Tacos-2
Though Cinco de Mayo was a few weeks ago, tacos are always on my radar.  When the weather gets warmer our dinners seem to get lighter and spicier.  A little hot sauce here, a little cilantro there.  And LOTS of creamy avocado.  So when I sat down to write five recipes for Lightlife, I knew that tacos had to be on the menu.

Lightlife Black Bean Veggie Burger Tacos-4Crunchy shells are fun, but for these I wanted soft corn tortillas.  There’s just something about filling them to the brim and trying not to let all the ingredients fall out the back while you bite into the front.  It’s a skill, really.  And with all the healthy fillings inside these tacos, it’s definitely not easy.

Lightlife Black Bean Veggie Burger Tacos-6Lightlife‘s Black Bean Burgers were the perfect centerpiece for this meal.  They added some texture and much-needed protein without weighing them down.  Spread on a little sriracha mayo, and – boom – summer is here.  Serve them with chips and salsa, and, of course, a pitcher of margaritas.  

Lightlife Black Bean Veggie Burger Tacos-5

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Vegan Black Bean Burger Tacos
Yields 6
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package Lightlife Black Bean Burgers
  2. 1/2 avocado, sliced
  3. 6 tbsp salsa (or more, to taste)
  4. 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
  5. 1 tbsp sriracha sauce (or more, to taste)
  6. 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
  7. 12 bib lettuce leaves, torn into smaller pieces
Instructions
  1. In a frying pan or on the grill, cook burgers until browned and warmed through. Set aside.
  2. While burgers are cooking, mix mayonnaise and sriracha sauce thoroughly.
  3. Slice cooked burgers into thirds.
  4. Lay taco shells onto plate and spread sriracha mayonnaise down the center.
  5. Add two pieces of burger to each taco, followed by desired amounts of salsa, cilantro, avocado, and lettuce. Serve immediately.
The Holistic Grail https://www.theholisticgrail.com/

Vegan BBQ Double Decker Burgers

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Lightlife BBQ Quinoa Burger-1

 So this was my first photo shoot for an actual company.  Holla.

I was a vegetarian from the age of 11 to 22, so I’m no stranger to veggie burgers.  I used to bring them with me to every friend’s house to ensure myself a vegetarian dish no matter how much meat was around.  Veggie burgers were certainly an upgrade from melted cheese on a hamburger bun, which is what I used to eat at barbecues.  Basically it was grilled cheese, but it just always looked so depressing compared to what everyone else was eating.  Can you feel the sadness?

Lightlife BBQ Quinoa Burger-2

So when the vegetarian product company Lightlife needed someone to show everyone how grilling doesn’t have to be all about the meat, I was happy to help.

I was challenged to come up with five separate dishes using their Quinoa Burgers and Black Bean Burgers, so you’re about to see a lot more burgers coming up.  They gave me the freedom to design the dishes myself, and the choice to photograph them however I saw fit.

Lightlife BBQ Quinoa Burger-7I was super happy, but nervous, since that was a LOT of freedom and I wanted to get it right.  I wasn’t sure if what I had in my head was what they were looking for.  My friend Jaki, who I am super grateful to for putting my work in front of Lightlife, said, “just do you, girl,” which is how she talks most of the time.  I really appreciated that advice, since it reminded me that they liked my other work just the way it was.  

And so these images were born.

Lightlife BBQ Quinoa Burger-4

To learn more about Lightlife, visit them on their website, or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  With Memorial Day this weekend, you might get some great ideas for impressing your friends at your barbecue.

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Vegan BBQ Double Decker Burgers
Serves 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package Lightlife Quinoa Burgers (4 burgers)
  2. 2 whole wheat sesame buns, toasted
  3. 1 small red onion, sliced thin
  4. 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  5. 1/2 cup coleslaw mix, dry
Instructions
  1. Place buns in toaster on medium while preparing burgers and toppings. Remove when browned.
  2. Saute mushrooms until tender, set aside. Repeat with onions.
  3. Over medium heat, grill Lightlife burgers until browned on all sides.
  4. Assemble burgers in the following order - bun, burger, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, burger, pickles, onions, barbecue sauce, coleslaw mix, bun.
The Holistic Grail https://www.theholisticgrail.com/