Asian Chicken Burgers and Review of “The Best and the Lightest” Cookbook

With Superbowl this Sunday and game day recipes doing the rounds, I too have a recipe to share with you today that’s perfect for this weekend and won’t be that waist damaging.

Minced chicken combined with asian flavors make some delicious chicken burgers and if you make mini versions of them they are perfect treat to serve up while watching the Superbowl. A serving of these asian chicken burgers is 360 calories, and will be less if you choose to make sliders instead.

The recipe is adapted from the asian chicken burgers recipe in the Best and Lightest cookbook.

The editors of Food Network magazine have taken their favorite dishes and “lightened them up” without compromising on the taste and given us The Best and Lightest: 150 Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Unlike most health food books, this book isn’t too preachy about health food, but talks about eating healthy naturally. And that’s exactly what you get when you go through the recipes. At first look you wouldn’t actually consider any of the recipes to be “healthy” but in reality they are, which is why I like this book.

Flipping through the cookbook, most recipes look delicious and don’t seem too complicated to make. Most of the recipes are quick and easy to put together, with active cooking time less than 30 minutes on an average, making the recipe weeknight friendly too.

Gorgeous full-color photos accompany  each of the 150 recipes in the cookbook and there are a fair share of vegetarian dishes, which is always an added bonus for me. There are a few gluten free recipes too that feature in the cookbook. In tune with the format of their magazine, each recipe has the nutritional value listed. I also love the visual index right in the beginning of the book, which makes meal planning more easy.

My first go with a recipe from the cookbook were these chicken burgers. And they turned out great. They came together pretty quickly too, and baking the patties cuts down on active kitchen time and keeps them healthy. The editors mention that adding grated carrots to burgers (or meatballs or meatloaf) adds a little sweetness as well as moisture to the patty. I made a few minor changes and also made the patties slider size to get better portion control. Plus, sliders make better game day treats.

Other recipes I will definitely be trying from the book are the falafel chicken with hummus slaw, Veggie burger pockets, banana almond pudding and hot peaches and cream. Also, the spicy chicken enchiladas.

Before I leave you with the recipe, if you are still looking for some more game day inspiration check out these tried and tested appetizer ideas:

• P.F. Chang’s cop cat Chicken Lettuce Wraps : Crazy easy to make and super delicious to eat. A great appetizer for parties or if you are trying to keep a check on your weight then the perfect meal. Plus, they are gluten free.
• Cheesecake factory’s avocado rolls: Avocado, Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Onion and Cilantro Fried in a Crisp Wrapper. Served with a Tamarind-Cashew Dipping Sauce.
• Drunken Chicken Banh mi:  A great vietnamese inspired sandwich with soy-rice vinegar marinated chicken filling.

Update: Since posting this review I have also tried the chinese noodle vegetable bowl and the tofu tacos, both with great success.

Disclaimer: “I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”