Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorite salad dressings. However, one thing that it usually isn’t lacking is oil. Oil, oil. and more oil!

I’ve lightened up this classic dressing by subbing water and a bit more vinegar for some of the oil. It’s an old but rather faithful trick that I picked up from my mom some years ago when she would make her own italian salad dressing. And by ‘make her own’, I mean mix oil and water with a packet. Tee-hee.

Want to know something else? This vinaigrette makes for a great marinade as well!

Just toss some raw meat into a large container and pour the vinaigrette over it. Seal tight and set in the fridge to marinade for 2-24 hours. Once done you’ll want to discard the marinade and cook the meat by your method of choice. Tada!

Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 8 • Size: 2 Tbsp. • Calories: 56.8 • Fat: 5.3 g • Carb: 2.7 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 0.1 g • Sugar: 0.7 g • Sodium: 50.2 mg

Ingredients:
1/2 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C. Water
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced
1 Tsp. Honey
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:
Careful. This one is a doozy.

Toss all of the ingredients together into a medium bowl.

Whisk together until well combined.

Use right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!

When ready, just give it all a good shake and add to your favorite salad.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Burger

Big, juicy burgers stuffed with a melty jalapeño popper middle? Yessssss!

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club,I was paired with Erin from The Spiffy Cookie. The Spiffy Cookie is mainly a baking blog but because I’ve been sharing so many sweets lately (and have another one that I’ll be sharing later this week) I was determined to find a savory recipe that was easy enough to make for dinner after a long day at work.

Well, I definitely found a winner! These jalapeño popper stuffed burgers are fast, easy, and delicious (And you know how much i love putting jalapeño popper flavor where it doesn’t belong… jalapeño popper mac and cheese anyone?). I’ll spare you the close up photo of the inside, but these burgers are filled with an ooey-gooey mixture of cream cheese, cheddar, and jalapeño peppers.

Served on whole wheat buns with lettuce, red onion and a side of baked sweet potato fries, these burgers were a big hit! (PS – I think they’d be great made with turkey, too. I’m not normally a turkey burger kind of girl, but I have a feeling that these flavors would work really well.)

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Burger

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 large jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
1 ounce shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch cumin
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper
4 rolls
Optional toppings: red onion, lettuce, additional cheddar

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine the jalapeño, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic, and cumin. Mix well.
Divide the beef into eight pieces; shape into patties about the same diameter as your rolls, pressing the centers very thin but leaving a ¼-inch ridge around the edges. Divide the filling evenly between four patties, spreading it evenly to fill the center of the burger. Top with the remaining 4 patties, flipping them over so the thin center forms a pocket over the filling. Press the edges to seal.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Reduce heat to medium-low. Place the burgers in the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. If desired, top with additional cheddar cheese.
Serve on rolls with lettuce and thinly sliced red onion.

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Be sure to check out all the other recipes tested by the Secret Recipe Club this month!

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CARAMEL POPCORN

1. Start with 10 cups of popcorn (either air popped or microwave). Lay popcorn on a large jellyroll pan lined with nonstick foil.

2. In a pot, melt:
1/2 cup butter
Add:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
Stirring all to combine, bring to a boil and then boil without stirring for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add:
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pour over the popcorn stirring well to coat. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove, cool and break into pieces.