Healthy Burgers for Hollowen

There can be no celebration of the summer's grilling season without a nod to the North American classic: the burger. All the food groups in one place and you don't even need a fork. With varieties that stretch from basic beef to fish to exotic meats, there's something for everyone. And there are so many great veggie burgers out there that vegetarians aren't missing out on the fun, either.

With variety and volume ranging from land to grand, it's nearly impossible to discuss just one favourite. Yet everybody has an ideal, that quintessential burger against which all others measure.

But don't take "simplicity" to mean mindless ease. The best burgers don't come from that cylinder of puck-like frozen stacked patties pulled from the recesses of the grocer's freezer. The humble burger deserves more respect than that. The fresher the patty the better, be it in a backyard or a restaurant.

Per burger (without condiments): 287 calories, 9.4 g fat (3 g saturated, 4 g monounsaturated, 1.1 g polyunsaturated), 28.2 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 74.8 mg cholesterol, 2.3 g fi ber. 30% calories from fat.

Per tablespoon: 76 calories, 7.4 g fat (0.7 g saturated, 4.1 g monounsaturated, 2.5 g polyunsaturated), 0 g protein, 2.6 g carbohydrate, 5.4 mg cholesterol, 2.3 g fi ber. 86% calories from fat.