Father’s Day is right around the corner.  Do you know what you are doing to celebrate?  Well, instead of taking your dad out to dinner this year, why not cook up something special to show your father how much you appreciate him?  These flavor-filled Bacon Blue Cheese Burgers with Bourbon Onions are super simple to make and just the thing to knock your pop’s socks off (have another pair wrapped up as an extra gift)!

By making this traditionally-bad for you recipe with organic, and local (if possible) ingredients, you can make it a bit healthier and have a smaller footprint. Saving red meat-heavy dishes like this one for special occasions like Father's Day, and eating veggie the rest of the time means you can reduce your impact even more (and save your heart!) while still enjoying old favorites like Bacon Cheese Burgers! You can alter the recipe and make it with veggie burgers and veggie bacon, or turkey burgers and turkey bacon, or any combo of the above, so make it YOUR way.

Bourbon Onions

Prepare the Bourbon Onions first as they are best served at room temperature. 

(enough for 4-6 burgers)

1 large organic yellow onion, such as Vidalia

1 cup Bourbon

2 tbsp organic extra virgin organic olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the onion, cut it in half, and thinly slice.  In a large skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until they begin to turn translucent.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add in the bourbon and gently sauté until the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside to cool.

Bacon Blue Cheese Burgers

(makes 4 burgers)

1 ½ lb all-natural organic/local ground beef (or organic/local turkey or veggie burgers (recipes here) for a healthier version)

1 tbsp organic Worcestershire Sauce

8 strips all-natural organic/local bacon (or turkey bacon or veggie bacon if desired)

½ wedge of local Blue cheese, cut into 8 slices.   

Pinch each of Salt and pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Cook bacon to desired crispiness and set aside.  Combine the ground meat (or veggie burger ingredients) with the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Form into 4 burger patties.  Grill 5-7 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.  Top each burger with two slices of blue cheese, two strips of bacon and a pile of Bourbon Onions.  Serve up then chow down!  

>> Check out "Dad into Wine? Green Father's Day Gifts for the Oenophile Pops" for more green gifts for dad!

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This is the holiday where people celebrate the green. So why can't we also celebrate the eco-friendly? So before you down your Guinness and chow down on organic St. Paddy's Day eats, take a moment to think about the ways you can green up your St. Patrick's Day alcohol consumption. Need some help? Check out our green tips!

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St. Patrick's Day is usually associated with beer- and lots of it (of course, the origins have nothing to do with drinking, but falling at the end of Winter, is it so terrible to want a pint - or two?). Of course, the healthiest (and less hangover-inducing) drinking is accompanied by good food. Whether you drink or not this St. Pat's, choosing healthy eats on the Irish-American holiday will ensure that you don't have too many regrets the next day.

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