Beef and Zucchini Burgers

My burger has a secret: it's only half beef.

Adding shredded zucchini to my burger is a tip that I picked up years ago from a magazine (Shape? Self? Something along those lines) and, every so often, I pull it out of my bag of healthy-cooking tricks. Since I don't really care for turkey burgers and I'm not always in the mood for a veggie burger, this is a great option for those times when I'm looking for a lower fat alternative to a traditional burger.

The moisture in the zucchini lets you use extra-lean beef without ending up with a dry burger, and the added bulk means a bigger burger for less calories and fat. While you probably won't be able to pull a fast one on your veggie-hating kids with this recipe (after all, you can see the shredded zucchini in there), you'd be hard-pressed to identify it in a lineup of all-beef burgers in a blind taste test.

Thinking about toppings? Blue cheese is my favorite, but you can also go for a more traditional American Cheese/Lettuce/Tomato combo. Or go wild with Onion Jam or Tzatziki!

(Those onion rings on the side are Alexia, another guiltless trick I've been using for years. They're heads above other onion rings you can find at the grocery store ? and even better than some restaurants. They're actually whole rings of onion ? not mushy chopped onion ? and they get wonderfully crispy in the oven. If you haven't tried them yet, I highly recommend them.)