SPICY CAJUN SALSA BURGERS

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1/2 cup your favorite low-sugar or sugar-free salsa
1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

4 whole-grain sandwich thins or your favorite low carb bread

Combine the spices, Creole seasoning and salsa in a large bowl. Crumble and add ground beef; mix together lightly but thoroughly. Shape mixture into 4 equal-size patties.

Grill the burgers, covered, over medium heat or may be broiled 4-inch from heat for approximately 5 minutes per side (or until desired doneness). Note: To be considered healthy burgers should reach a temperature of at least 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Serve on the sandwich thins or kaiser rolls. Personal note: The sandwich thins are better for you, however, the following nutritional information is based on the kaiser rolls and it does fall within diabetic carb/protein ratios.

Yield: 4 burgers
Per burger: 418 calories, 18 g fat (6 g sat), 86 mg cholesterol, 672 mg sodium, 33 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 30 g protein 
Note: The carbs and protein are almost equal, way above the diabetic requirement. The above numbers include the roll which greatly lowers the actual carb count when you omit the roll.

Note: If you avoid red meat, you can always use ground turkey or chicken. However, read the label and be sure it is low-fat, no skin included.

file photo - see note above about the roll