My low oxalate guacamole-stuffed southwest burgers were modified for oxalate content from a recipe on Mark’s Daily Apple. These burgers are fantastic! I have always loved topping my burgers with guacamole, but somehow cooking the guacamole inside the burgers was truly magic. I love these burgers!  Of course, I always stuff too much guacamole in my burgers, so they never look like that fabulous picture on Mark’s Daily Apple. Mine usually look like a big gooey mass of green oozing out of the side of my burger. But believe me, they still taste fantastic.

Since I’m mostly dairy and grain-free, I don’t dress up my guacamole-stuffed southwest burgers. I eat them plain or on a bed of lettuce. But I highly recommend serving these on a skillet-warmed white corn tortilla if you eat grains, and topping them with a piece of cheese and a dollop of sour cream if you do dairy. Add a slice of low oxalate tomato or a tablespoon of salsa and you’ve got heaven on a plate. Try serving guacamole-stuffed southwest burgers with Santa Fe Bean Salad and Cilantro Lime Slaw and seasonal fruit,such a cantaloupe or watermelon, for a Southwest-themed summer cook-out fit for company.  Enjoy!

Guacamole-Stuffed Southwest Burgers

2 avocados
juice from one half lime or to taste (about 1 tablespoon)
2 lbs ground beef (85% lean works well)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon msg-free chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Six slices of cheddar cheese (optional)

In a small bowl, mash the avocados with the lime juice and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Divide the meat mixture into six balls. Divide each ball in half and form two skinny patties, one slightly larger than the other. Add 1/6 of the avocado mixture to each smaller patty and spread it out a little, leaving a rim around the edge. Put the larger patties on top and press the edges together well, forming a seal around your burger (This is the part I have trouble with. My seal is never complete and my guacamole oozes out.)

Cook on a medium high grill or in a medium hot skillet for about 5-7 minutes per side or until your preferred done-ness. Add cheese if using, cover with a lid and let the cheese melt for about a minute.

Serve on a bed of lettuce or on a skillet-warmed white corn tortilla with a dollop of sour cream and a slice of low oxalate tomato (Early Girls are just starting to ripen in Missouri!) or a tablespoon of salsa.

Makes 6 burgers

Low Oxalate Info: All of the ingredients in guacamole-stuffed southwest burgers are low oxalate except for chili powder and jalapeno peppers, which are medium oxalate. One guacamole-stuffed southwest burger with jalapeno pepper and cheese served on a bed of lettuce has about 4.5 mg. oxalate. One guacamole-stuffed southwest burger with jalapeno pepper, cheese, one white corn tortilla, 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of picante sauce has about  12.5 mg. oxalate.

Picky-Eater Pleaser: I leave out the cilantro, jalapeno and cayenne for a mild-tasting guacamole-stuffed southwest burger without any “green stuff” except the avocado. You could also make a plain burger for your picky eater and let him have a few slices of avocado on the side. Each time I made these burgers for my boys I slowly added a little more spice until they were happy eating my mild version of guacamole-stuffed southwest burgers.

Other Diets: Guacamole-Stuffed Southwest Burgers may be appropriate for Paleo, GAPS, gluten-free, GFCF and dairy-free diets. If you follow the GAPS protocol make sure your chili powder is preservative and MSG-free.

My family loves taco night.  We set out lots of low oxalate fixings, so each person can make their own low oxalate tacos or taco salad.  The picture on the right features last Friday’s taco night fixings: shredded Mexican cheese, white corn tortillas, low oxalate taco meat, corn, kidney beans (medium oxalate), Big Beef tomatoes, and Romaine lettuce.  Some days we use black-eyed peas instead of the kidney beans or Pink Girl tomatoes instead of Big Beef.  Other days we add fresh cilantro, sour cream, plain yogurt, green chilies or avocado.  Low oxalate tacos are always a hit at my house because the boys love serving themselves. It’s easy to please the non-low oxalate dieters, too, by adding a shaker of chili powder or cumin to the table for those who want more seasoning.  Serving low oxalate tacos as a buffet also helps family members who follow Paleo, dairy-free, GAPS or GFCF diets.

My low oxalate tacos have gone through many variations in the past few years.  The following recipe is our favorite because it has the most flavor per mg. of oxalate.  You may also want to add oregano, cayenne pepper, cilantro, or more garlic.  See the variations below for ideas about how to personalize your low oxalate tacos.

Low Oxalate Tacos

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper {UK readers use this link}

8 white corn tortillas
2 – 3 tablespoons lard, bacon fat or olive oil
8 ounces (1 cup) shredded cheese
2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
1 cup Big Beef tomatoes, diced

Brown the ground beef over medium heat, using a spatula to separate the meat into small pieces.  While the meat is still a little pink, pour off the excess fat. (I pour the fat into a second skillet to use with the tortillas later).  Add the onions and garlic and continue to brown for another 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent or slightly browned.  Add the tomato juice, chili powder, salt and white pepper and mix well.  Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld. You may remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking if you want a drier taco meat.

While the meat is cooking, pour 1 tablespoon of the oil or fat into a second skillet. Heat the corn tortillas one at a time for about 10 seconds per side, adding more fat as necessary.  The tortillas can be stacked on a plate or cookie sheet and rewarmed in the microwave or kept warm in the oven.  When the taco meat is finished, put 2 ounces of meat (1/8 of the recipe) in the middle of each tortilla. Add one ounce of shredded cheese, 1/4 cup shredded lettuce and 1/8 cup tomatoes to each taco.  Fold the tortilla in half and eat like a soft taco (or use a fork . . .).

Makes 8 tacos.

Low Oxalate Info: All the ingredients in low oxalate tacos are low oxalate except the chili powder (McCormick chili powder has 8.1 mg. oxalate per teaspoon {UK readers use this link}). Low oxalate taco meat has about 2.3 mg. oxalate per 2 ounce serving (1/8 of the recipe).  Low oxalate tacos prepared according to my recipe have about 6.8 mg. oxalate per taco as long as you use a low oxalate tomato variety such as Big Beef or Pink Girl (early girl, German Johnston, brandy wine and yellow pear all have less than 6 mg. oxalate per half cup and also work well in this recipe with only a slight increase in the oxalate level).  If you use any other variety of tomato or an unknown variety, assume your low oxalate tacos have closer to 8.3 mg. oxalate per taco (based on an average of 10 mg. per half cup of tomatoes).

Updated July 2013: Please see the comments in the comment section below for a discussion of white versus yellow corn tortillas, how and when they were tested and oxalate values of each.

Variations:
Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, basil or cilantro (soak in tomato juice or water for 15 minutes before using to bring out the flavor of the dried herbs).
Add 2 – 4 tablespoons of fresh cilantro.
Add 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Add chopped avocado, sour cream, plain yogurt, green chilies or black-eyed peas.
Use Cilantro Lime Slaw instead of lettuce (YUM!).
Substitute water for the tomato juice (see note).
Serve as a taco salad with strips of corn tortillas or tortilla chips (medium oxalate) on top.

Note: Leaving the tomato juice out only reduces the oxalate by about 0.3 mg. per taco, so I strongly suggest you use it unless you can’t tolerate tomato juice or just don’t have it on hand. I find it really adds a lot of flavor, especially if you plan to use the meat in a taco salad.

Menu Ideas:
Serve with Santa Fe Bean Salad or Cilantro Lime Slaw.

Other diets: Low oxalate tacos may also be appropriate for gluten-free diets.  Low oxalate taco meat may be appropriate for GFCF, Paleo, GAPS and dairy-free diets.