BBQ Onion Burger

Hamburgers are probably one of the most difficult things to fit into a low-calorie diet. We've addressed this in two ways: 1) finding lower calorie ingredients to make the burgers from and 2) reducing the size of the meal. These days we don't have any sides with them, but if you're looking for low calorie fries, we found that steak fries tend to have the lowest calorie count of the frozen, oven-baked fries, and even if 3 oz doesn't look like much, it's pretty filling.

For a little extra flavor this time, I experimented with making home-baked onion "straws" - just without the breading. Most of the flavor comes from the onions themselves, so the breading really only serves to make them crispy and easier to deep fry.

Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients:
1/4 medium onion
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 lb lean beef patties (we prefer 96% lean)
Your favorite grill spices (we use the Weber hamburger blend)
4 slices tomato
2-4 pieces of lettuce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I used Rub With Love Ancho & Molasses BBQ sauce)
2 hamburger buns (I use Ballpark or Sarah Lee, as they're both lower calorie)

1. Make the crispy onions
   Preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the onions very thin, and as uniform as possible so that they all cook at the same rate.
   
   
   
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (so that your onions don't stick to the pan) and lightly spray with oil (I use a Misto sprayer for this).
   
   Bake at 300°F for about 20 minutes, or until browned.
   
   
2. Cook the patties
   Usually we use the outdoor grill for this, but when it starts to get cold, dark, and windy outside we opt for the Foreman grill. Sprinkle your favorite grilling spices on the burger and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
   
   


3. Assemble the burger
   Put 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce and half of the onions on one side of the bun. Stack the bun high with a burger patty, tomatoes, and lettuce.
   
   

Approximate calories: 290