Some people find the idea of meeting friends online a little, well, strange. I’ve met many of my dearest friends online, including my husband! Blogging has introduced me to a whole new world of like-minded people who I look forward to chatting with daily. It seems like every day we learn new things about each other and find more and more in common – and why not? We started with a love for food and healthy living so it makes sense that we share similar life experiences and other interests. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of these friends in person, and look forward to finally coming face-to-face with others. When I first started reading Dawn’s blog, Florida Coastal Cooking, I felt I had found both a new friend and an old one. Dawn’s enthusiasm for wholesome, healthy living and her drive to be a confident, strong role model for her young daughter inspire me every day. Not to mention she is sweet, generous, and understanding. I know you’ll enjoy her delicious food too!
I was so honored when Cara asked me to guest post so once I agreed the search was on; what could I make that could live up to Cara’s Cravings standards? I searched for ideas for desserts, salads, soups, sandwiches….I knew it had to be healthy and unique. In the end I decided to scrap all the original ideas and just create something completely original and impromptu. Healthy, delicious, low in carbohydrate and high in protein; Cara, I think you will be happy with this one!
One of the best things as a healthy cook is when you have absolutely no plan other than picking one element and building a completely impromptu meal that not only is perfectly executed but the entire family absolutely loves. Especially with a picky two year old and an even pickier husband.
This dinner started out with a trip to my local natural food store, Native Sun, to buy avocados and a few other things such as some free range ground beef and dried dates that my daughter loves to snack on. Later that night, when doing our usual; “What do you want to eat?” “I don’t know what do you want to eat?”.
Burgers came to mind because they are so versatile and simple and when I looked at my avocado, the idea to stuff the burgers with this creamy substitute rather than our usual cheese stuffed burgers sounded like an interesting thing to try. We always have a surplus of sweet grilled corn in the summers that I have to freeze some of it. I decided that would be my second interesting add. What seasoning though? Something spicy of course to counter the creamy avocado.
These are so simple to make even my two year old could help while wearing bumble bee antennae.
The burgers were stuffed and grilled in no time then we topped them with or desired toppings; a bit of cheese, some additional avocado and some store bought all natural garlic roasted salsa as a flavorful time saver.
I was so happy with how this turned out I’m adding it to my favorites and it is now going to be added to our rotation of the very few recipes that we repeat. The texture of the mild and smooth avocado is a pleasant surprise when the juicy burger is cut open and the seasoning flashes a nice kick in the finish. I topped mine with some gooey and melt-y Mexican cheese and some cool roasted garlic salsa. This melody of flavors and textures creates a perfect balance that I think you will enjoy too!
Avocado Stuffed Southwestern Burgers
Created for Cara’s Cravings by Florida Coastal Cooking
Serves 5
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/4 lbs grass fed, free range, organic, lean ground beef
1/2 cup grilled corn (or frozen thawed)
2 Tbsp minced onion
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
3/4 tsp Southwestern seasoning blend (or I used Tony Chachere’s)
5 thin slices fresh avocado
Optional Toppings
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Additional avocado
Tomato
Lettuce
Thinly sliced onion
Garlic Roasted Salsa
Directions
1. Preheat grill to medium-high. Mix the ground meat, corn, onion, ketchup, mustard and seasoning in a medium bowl. Form into five even portions. Divide each portion in half, place avocado on top and cover with second half.
2. Grill 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare; cook longer for more well-done. Top with optional toppings.
Nutrition Facts
5 Servings (burger only)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 344.0
Total Fat 25.4 g
Saturated Fat 9.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.4 g
Cholesterol 85.1 mg
Sodium 268.3 mg
Potassium 405.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 6.6 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 2.1 g
Protein 21.0 g
Vitamin A 3.5 %
Vitamin B-12 44.2 %
Vitamin B-6 16.5 %
Vitamin C 4.0 %
Vitamin E 2.3 %
Calcium 1.6 %
Copper 6.0 %
Folate 6.7 %
Iron 12.6 %
Magnesium 8.0 %
Manganese 4.0 %
Niacin 28.0 %
Pantothenic Acid 7.1 %
Phosphorus 18.0 %
Riboflavin 15.6 %
Selenium 28.7 %
Thiamin 6.7 %
Zinc 30.4 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Thanks for visiting Cara’s Cravings. If you like what you see and want more, subscribe via email or in a reader, follow me on Twitter, or visit me on Facebook.
I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
Junia @ Mis Pensamientos — July 5, 2011 @ 3:59 pm
ahhh i love dawn's recipes too! wonderful idea of stuffing the burgers with avocado!!! 😀 healthy and delicious crowd pleaser for sure :D.
Kaytorade — July 5, 2011 @ 4:07 pm
Online is a fabulous place to widen your community.
Dawn Hutchins — July 5, 2011 @ 8:51 pm
What a sweet thing to say Cara! I hope you are having a blast on your trip!
Food Hunter — July 5, 2011 @ 9:24 pm
Love this burger recipe!
Joanne — July 6, 2011 @ 1:37 am
Dawn is absolutely one of my favorites and it's so great to see her here! I used to love stuffed burgers and would usually stuff them with cheese. But let's me real….avocado is way better.
Laura — July 6, 2011 @ 11:57 am
I love the idea of the creamy avocado in the middle of the burger. I can't wait to try these!
Emily — July 6, 2011 @ 1:57 pm
Yum! Avocados and burgers are a match made in heaven!
Abby — July 7, 2011 @ 5:59 pm
Yum – this sounds AMAZING! Dawn, do you have a recipe for garlic roasted salsa, or is there a particular brand you prefer? That sounds like a great topper…
Alyce — July 8, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
These looks so good! I'm cooking them tonight for dinner. What a great idea to have avocado in the middle.
grace — July 14, 2011 @ 8:06 am
this burger contains everything i ever want in any dish. seriously tasty stuff, dawn!
Jen — August 6, 2011 @ 3:26 pm
I just made these last night and they were amazing!! Â My husband and our friends who were in town visiting loved them…thank you! Â I put fat free sour cream, cilantro and red onion on mine…yummo:)
Free Spirit Food — August 30, 2011 @ 11:09 pm
Wow, this looks so good. I would have never thought to stuff the burger with avocado but I love it!
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