Food is more than just fuel for our bodies. It symbolizes who we are and what we stand for. For Americans, that is anything from a big juicy burger to a Chicago-style deep dish pizza.  

For those curious about how to make these classics a little healthier, we’ve got you covered. Check out these tasty twists on classic American cuisine. 

Plant-Based Beyond Burger

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2 burgers 

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion 

• 1 roma tomato 

• 1 romaine lettuce 

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 dill pickle 

• 2 potato buns (contains wheat, milk, eggs, soy)

• 2 tablespoons sour cream (contains milk)

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard 

• 8 ounce Beyond Burgers

• ½ cup cheddar cheese (optional)

• 1 teaspoon sugar 

• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

• salt & pepper

Instructions:

Wash and dry all produce. Finely dice onion and thinly slice tomato into circles. Slice pickles into circles and mince a few slices until you have two tablespoons worth. Tear off a few romain leaves for the burgers. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, ketchup, mustard, minced pickle, one tablespoon sugar, and ¼ tablespoon garlic powder. 

Drizzle oil on a large pan over medium to high heat. Add onion, stir occasionally until browned, typically about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then transfer to a second small bow. Season patties with salt and pepper and heat a drizzle of oil in the pan used for the onions. Add patties and cook until bounce, typically 3 to 5 minutes on both sides. Optional, top each burger with cheddar cheese and reduce heat to medium until cheese is melted. 

Then, toast buns until golden brown. Fill the buns with patties, romaine leaves, tomato, pickles, cooked onion and sauce from the small bowl. 

Crunchwrap Supreme

Serving: 4 crunchwraps

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey 

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 1 package taco seasoning

• 8 burrito-size flour tortillas

• 4 tostadas OR 1 bag of tortilla chips

• Shredded Mexican cheese OR queso 

• salsa

• sour cream OR Greek yogurt

• 2 avocados 

• Shredded lettuce 

• 2 tomatoes diced

Instructions:

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add in ground beef or turkey until browned. Season with taco seasoning and use a spatula to break up the beef or turkey into small pieces. This typically takes about five to seven minutes until it is finished. 

While meat is cooking, put four large flour tortillas on a large cutting board. Place either tostada or tortilla chips in the center and cut around to get a smaller tostada sized tortilla. Next, place taco meat on a large flour tortilla and top with either shredded cheese or queso, salsa and sour cream or greek yogurt. 

Place a tostada or tortilla chips on top of your “crunch layer.” Add mashed avocado, shredded lettuce, and tomatoes on your “crunch layer.” Add the small tortilla that was cut on top of that layer and gently fold in the large tortilla to form the crunchwrap. Place the crunchwrap fold side down on a hot oiled pan on medium heat. Cook for one to two minutes on each side or until browned and crispy. 

Chicken Sandwich (Chick-fil-a) 

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves

• ½ cup pickle juice

• ¼ cup water

• ½ cup milk 

• 1 large egg

• Oil for frying

• 4 hamburger buns 

• 1 cup flour

• 3 tablespoons paprika

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• ½ teaspoon chili powder

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• Pickle, lettuce, tomato 

Chick-fil-A-sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 3 teaspoons yellow mustard

• 2 teaspoon barbecue sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon paprika 

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

To marinate the chicken, combine the pickle juice and water in a ziploc bag. Add the chicken breast halves and marinate for about 30 minutes. To make the sauce combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, set aside for later. 

Next, in a large bowl mix flour, powdered sugar, paprika, black pepper, chilli powder, salt and baking powder. In a different bowl mix the milk and egg together. Heat two to three cups of oil into a large saucepan. 

Dip the marinated chicken from the ziplock bags into the egg mixture first, then coat in the flour mixture. Repeat this step twice, then place the chicken into the hot oil and fry for three to four minutes on each side. Remove and place them on a paper towel to dry. 

Next is to assemble the sandwich! Toast the sandwich buns then add the Chick-fil-A sauce on both sides of the buns. Top with lettuce, pickle, tomato and crispy chicken. 

Pulled Pork (Sandwich)

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Serves: 6 to 8 sandwiches

Ingredients for pork:

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder

• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Black pepper

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 12 oz lager

Ingredients for the Barbecue Sauce & Sandwiches:

• 1 ½ cup ketchup

• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

• ½ cup dijon mustard

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• Buns 

Instructions:

To make the pork, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Trim the excess fat from pork and cut into large pieces. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Then season with black pepper and rub all over pork. 

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add pork and sear on all sides. Pour 12 oz lager all around the pork and cover with lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for about three hours. Remove the lid and cook until pork is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork, about 1 to two hours longer. Remove pork from the Dutch oven and let rest. 

To make the barbecue sauce, use the pan drippings in the Dutch oven. Whisk in ketchup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Over medium to high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened for about five minutes. Shred the pork using two forks and toss the meat with about half the barbecue sauce. Add the meat to buns and add more barbecue sauce. 

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza 

Total time: 1 hours

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 medium green pepper

• 1 small onion

• 1 jar pizza sauce

• 10 slices bacon

• 2 packages pizza crust mix

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 4 ounces sliced pepperoni

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop green pepper, onion and bacon. In a large skillet, cook beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat for eight to ten minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Break up the beef into crumbles while cooking, then drain when done. 

Stir in pizza sauce and bacon, remove from heat. Prepare dough according to the package directions for the pizza crust. Press the dough into the bottom and one inch up the sides of a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Add meat sauce into the pan with the crust. Sprinkle the top with cheese and top with pepperoni. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another five to ten minutes or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.