Serve up healthy meals in no time

Little time is no excuse to head out for fast food. A healthy and flavorful meal can be prepared in 30 minutes or less with the help of Food Network's Rachel Ray and her new cookbook, "Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes."  In her world, carbs and other goodies that are lately out of fashion are still allowed in moderation. She was invited on "Today" to share her recipes.

Mini Cheeseburger Salad With Yellow Mustard Vinaigrette
There are many flavors of sharp Cheddar out in today’s markets to choose from, so go plain or go wild! Among the choices out there in sharp Cheddars: five-peppercorn, smoked, dill, garlic and herb, roasted garlic, horseradish, chipotle, habanero, jalapeño — on and on!
4 servings, 3 mini burgers each

2 pounds ground sirloin
1⁄2 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion (1 small onion)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 rounded tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
12-ounce brick of sharp Cheddar cheese, such as Cabot brand or Cracker Barrel brand, any flavor you like
3 romaine lettuce hearts
1 cup sliced pickles, drained (choose from sweet, half-sour, or dill varieties)
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Dressing
3 tablespoons yellow mustard, such as French’s brand
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (eyeball it)
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons drained salad pimientos, or 1⁄4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Preheat a grill pan or a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat or preheat an outdoor grill. Combine the meat with the onion, Worcestershire, and steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Form 12 large meatballs. Flatten the balls into small patties. Drizzle the formed mini patties with EVOO to keep them from sticking to the cooking surface.

Slice the brick of cheese into 1⁄4-inch pieces. Grill or panfry the mini burgers for 3 minutes on each side, then add the cheese to melt over the burgers, closing the lid of your grill to melt the cheese or tenting the mini cheeseburgers loosely with foil.

Coarsely chop the romaine and combine with the sliced pickles and halved tomatoes. Whisk together the mustard and vinegar, then stream in the EVOO. Add the chives and pimientos to the dressing and stir to combine.

Arrange the mini cheeseburgers on the salad and drizzle the yellow mustard dressing over the completed dish.

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
4 servings

2 cups (4 handfuls) fresh shiitake mushrooms
1-1⁄3 to 1-1⁄2 pounds thin-cut chicken breast or chicken tenders
2 tablespoons light-colored oil, such as vegetable or peanut oil
(2 turns of the pan)
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch piece gingerroot, peeled and finely chopped or grated (optional)
1 orange (you’ll use the zest)
1⁄2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market)
1⁄2 head iceberg lettuce, core removed, quartered
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
Wedges of navel orange, for garnish

Remove the tough stems from the mushrooms and brush with a damp towel to clean; slice the mushrooms. Chop the chicken into small pieces.

Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. Add the oil to the hot pan. Add the chicken to the pan and sear the meat by stir-frying for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper, and then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute more. Grate the orange zest into the pan; add the bell pepper bits, water chestnuts, and scallions. Cook for another minute, continuing to stir-fry the mixture. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly.

Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to a serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce alongside. Add the wedged oranges to the platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into the lettuce leaves and squeeze an orange wedge over. Fold up the wrap and eat.

Haricots Frites
Why should potatoes have all the fun? These cute little French green beans are a lower-carb, lower-fat alternative to pommes frites, also known as: a pile of fries. Pair these with any of the Burgers, No Buns.
4 regular servings or 2 super-sized servings

Salt
1-1⁄4 pounds (4 large handfuls) haricots verts (thin green beans), trimmed
2 tablespoons light-colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Bring 2 inches water to a boil in a large skillet. Salt the water once it comes to a boil. Blanch the haricots verts in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and run under cold water to cool. Pat the beans dry on paper towels.

Dry the skillet as well and return it to the heat over high flame. Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the beans to the hot oil and stir-fry, using tongs to move and toss the beans until they are charred and very hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the beans with the sesame seeds and cook for 30 seconds more, to both toast the seeds and distribute them. Pile the fried beans onto a serving plate and sprinkle with salt to taste.

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