Lunch: The Lola Burger

A juicy burger with homemade ketchup and pickled onions.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of The Lola Burger

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

8 slices bacon
24 oz ground beef, 75 percent lean
4 thin slices cheddar
4 English muffins, split
4 large eggs
1 dill pickle, thinly sliced
white wine vinegar
sugar
2 lb red onions, sliced
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, divided
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
7 cloves garlic, divided, 3 chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
kosher salt
5 fresno chiles, seeded and minced
1 ancho chile, seeded and minced
black pepper, cracked
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 cups water

Instructions

*Cook's Note: Michael's favorite mix of meats for this burger is chuck, sirloin, and brisket
Build a medium-hot fire in your grill or preheat a stovetop grill pan.
Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat, turning once, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.
Form the ground beef into 4 patties, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Season the patties with salt and cracked black pepper, to taste. Put the burgers on the grill or in the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and top each burger with a slice of cheese. Grill for 3 minutes for medium-rare. Remove them to a plate. Add the English muffins to the grill or grill pan and toast for 1 minute.
Cook the eggs sunny side up in the bacon fat while the burgers rest.
Build the burgers by sandwiching them between the muffin halves along with pickle slices, red onion, bacon, an egg and some spicy ketchup.