My VitaMix

My parents got Jamaal and I a VitaMix for Christmas last year. (Okay, okay, because it was an expensive gift, it was labeled to both of us, but Jamaal really didn't care for, or understand why we received it. After a quick google search shortly after, he didn't understand why it was as expensive as it was either. But I digress). He told me that I better put it to use. I think I have done a decent job of that so far. It is amazing for making baby food. And I have made Riley a rice cereal by grinding brown rice in the dry container. (You can make flour too, but I haven't done that yet.) Smoothies are simple, and I have made several. Some have been better than others. 


Last night I decided to go a bit further out of my comfort zone. I decided I was going to make chicken burgers. I looked in the instruction booklet and found out how to mince onion. I followed the instructions adding onion, green pepper and 2 cloves of garlic. The VitaMix minced them for me. I set them aside, rinsed out the container and looked into grinding meat. I again followed the instructions and ground up 2 chicken breast halves. It made a very smooth ground chicken. I was amazed by how smooth it was. 


While I wish I could say that this meal won over my husband's opinion of the VitaMix (I still don't think he is convinced it is quite worth how expensive it was), I will have to save that for a later date. I will work on learning new ways to use the machine, in an attempt to prove that it really is more than just an eyesore. A downside to the VitaMix, is that it takes up quite a bit of space on my counter.


My vision was a juicy, tasty, healthy chicken burger. However, the finished product came out a little dry. And that is not the VitaMix's fault. I still stand by my VitaMix, it is the best blender I will ever own. And I will try grinding meat again in the future, that was not the issue. The issue was my execution. Even though it needs some tweaking, I will share my recipe with you, just keep in mind that it needs something else to really make it pop. :D


Ground Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken (store bought or home ground)
1/4 of a large onion, minced
1/4 of a green pepper, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 tsp. chicken seasoning (I used a seasoning for beer can chicken)
4 slices of cheddar or Swiss cheese (if desired)


1. Mix all the ingredients (minus the cheese) in a med/large bowl, it is easiest to use your hands for this. (I buy non-latex gloves at Costco for touching meat, cleaning, and picking up gross stuff my dogs leave for me)
2. Divide the mixture into 4 (or more) equal parts and press into patties. (I made 3 burgers, thinking, that like their hamburger counterparts that they would shrink...there was no shrinking with these burgers, so the size you make them is the size they will come out.)
3. Grill or pan fry until cooked through. Top with cheese during last minute of cooking, so that it melts.


I have a left over patty for lunch, and will be cutting it up and tossing it with my left over green salad. The patties could freeze well too, if you don't want to cook them all up. Just freeze them divided, thaw them before cooking, and you're golden. I once made 6 hamburgers, cooked 3 and froze 3. They make for an easy meal later on. :D