How Big Flavour Lite Came to Be
Wow 2020 was quite a year! Way back before all the covid-19 craziness my husband was supposed to do a cooking show for Rogers TV. One of the things that was black-balled was filming, in all capacities... except over Zoom or a one-man crew. In the middle of all the kerfuffle somehow I became involved in the new show. Since filming was not allowed in studios or with other people we decided that the recently vacated room on our main floor was the perfect place to turn into a studio.
Here we are, 6 months later with a new concept, this one involving yours truly! In each episode I present Adam with a "normal" meal. Something that many people eat on a regular basis. His challenge is to make that food "Jenni" approved while maintaining deliciousness. At the end of each episode I go over some health facts and rate how I think he did from a health conscious and flavour perspective.
Episode 1: Burger & Fries
If you know me or Adam in any way you know that the burger and fries had to be the very first episode! We both agree that North Americans eat way too many of these. I knew the numbers were huge but while doing some research I just about fell off my chair! 50 billion burgers a year! That's ridiculous! Admittedly some of those are not so bad for you BUT most people don't make thier own and restaurant versions are never healthy.
In this episode we talk a lot about calories. I don't normally count or reference calories. My main concern, when it comes to overall health, is nutrient content and restaurant style (particularly fast food) is severely lacking.
Adam's Meal Upgrades
The fact is that a take-out style burger and fries is basically just bad-for-you fats, carbs and protein. Adam met my challenge by:
Switching out the deep fried potatoes for oven baked vegetables. This means you don't get the saturated fats from frying or the cancer risks from acrylamide being produced when starchy vegetables are cooked at extreme high heat.
Root vegetables offer up a load of nutrients including fiber that helps to maintain a healthy gut and keep blood sugar levels in check.
Lean ground turkey versus medium ground beef also reduces the "bad" fats while amping up the nutritional value.
Empty carbs are reduced by using a corn tortilla. He could also have opted for a whole grain bun, a lettuce or kale "bun". OR My favorite way to consume a burger is bottom bun and lettuce top :)
Personally I would have added a lot more vegies! But at least he subbed spinach for lettuce.
By caramelizing the onions in just water he also reduced the amount of fats while bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions. Onions are always a welcome addition as they are loaded with antioxidants and have antibacterial properties. Along with many other health benefits!
Since vegies fries would not be great with ketchup Adam made a yogurt garlic dip. While I don't normally dip my fries this was a great ketchup replacement because yogurt has less sugar and tummy friendly probiotics.