BOCA ME THIS!

Ok, my carnivorous friends. We're going to be talking 'non-meat' here for a moment, so either close your eyes or walk away. Wait...come back! You're the very ones who need to hear this!

I know you're aware of the garden variety of non-meat items that have been made conveniently available. Then again, maybe you aren't due to the fact they seem to be discreetly hidden at the end of the freezer section in our area grocery stores. Not only that, the selections available can be described as no less than 'puny'! I have to say, when we who are labeled as "vegetarians" get the urge to bite into a burger, it's a tad more work than scurrying to the meat market and grabbing a chub of ground beef. Locally, we actually have to 'hunt' for ours! (pun intended).

I won't go into a lot of detail on the comparisons of ground beef vs Boca burger, but here's a quick rundown. A 99g patty consisting of 80% lean cooked ground beef holds 13g of fat. A Boca of the same weight is 1g of fat. Cholesterol: 65mg for the beef, 0mg for the Boca. Protein: the beef burger has 25g and the Boca comes close with 19g. I guess I better not show the injected hormone count on the beef, but for the Boca, it's 0g.

Don't be too quick to shrug this off thinking I'm trying to change you into a rabbit. All I'm saying is every once in awhile, replace the meat for a healthier choice. America needs to cut back on so many items in our diet which adds to the obesity in this country. And this is a small way to do it. Besides the original vegan variety, there's also a chicken burger. How nice to serve the kids something that isn't ground up bone and fat which is exactly what the favorite chicken nuggets consist of! Anyone watch Jamie Oliver's first show?

Now that you know the inside scoop on a healthy tip, allow me to take you a step further into a great prep method that I always use. Place the burger in a skillet which a tablespoon of olive oil has been added. DON'T previously heat the oil. Doing so burns off all the beneficial Omega3 from the oil. What a waste that would be! Allow the burger to soak up the olive oil while coming to a medium heat. I cover mine because the burger is frozen and this allows it to cook through quickly. Cook for about 3 min. Uncover and douse with Teriaki or Soy sauce. Flip it and let it cook uncovered for about 5 min more, turning occasionally. You can use any sauce you want, but this is my favorite. Place on a bun and dress as you would any other burger.

One more thing, Sam's sells a box for around $10 of 16 Boca Burgers, and these babies are big! The smaller boxes consisting of 4 smaller burgers found (if you're lucky) in the local grocers sells anywhere from $2.50 to $4. That's fine if you want to try it out before investing in the larger ones, but the large box is the better value.

So, if you read this far, that means there's a possibility you just might try a Boca. It's easy, healthy, good for the budget, and I can guarantee the benefits will far outweigh that of your usual choice. Make it the one new thing you'll try this year for the better. Your heart will thank you!

Always~
Cha