Try veggie burgers on the grill this holiday weekend

Memorial Day is the beginning of grilling season and a chance to cook while enjoying the outdoors, but there's reason to be cautious when cooking meat on your deck or patio: When meats are charred, burned or grilled, the flames and smoke produce chemicals that can increase your risk for several types of cancer. The culprits are heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Now here's the good news. It's easy to prevent or reduce the formation of cancer-causing chemicals.

Trim the fat. When fat melts and drips onto the flames, temperatures increase and so does your exposure to HCAs and PAHs. To prevent fat drippings from hitting the flaming coals, cover the grill surface with aluminum foil or wrap meat in foil. Keep a squirt bottle of water nearby to contain flames that get too high. Instead of fatty meats, consider grilling lower-fat chicken or turkey.

Don't char your food. Crisp edges and char marks are a sign of harmful chemicals in your meat. Avoid this by grilling food over low heat and flipping frequently.

Choose a marinade. Studies show that using an acidic rub or marinade shortens grilling time and reduces carcinogens. In addition, the acid in lemon or lime juice, wine or red wine vinegar will help to soften meat.

Use a gas grill. Gas grills provide better temperature control. Light the outer burners only, not the center one. Then cook food in the center with the lid closed.

Go meat-free. Grilled vegetables and fruits are delicious and free of fat. When you grill them, only water — not fat — drips into the flames. That means fewer carcinogens and a healthy dose of antioxidants. For a good protein source, try our recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers. You might also want to consider grilling portabella mushrooms, cauliflower steaks, veggie skewers or other meat-free alternatives.

Despite the link between cancer and charred, burned or grilled food, we are not suggesting that you stop barbecuing entirely Instead, remember the old adage: Everything in moderation. Simply take precautions and enjoy a worry-free grilled meal.

Bethany Thayer is a registered dietitian nutritionist with Henry Ford Health. For more recipes and health information, visit henryford.com/blog. For questions about today's recipe, email [email protected].

Makes: 8 servings / Prep time: 30 minutes / Total time: 2 ½ hours (not all active time)

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)

½ cup oatmeal

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon finely ground fresh black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder, divided

1 cup cooked quinoa

15-ounce can of no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup red onion, finely minced

4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves, divided

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

8 whole wheat hamburger buns

8 lettuce leaves

8 tomato slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prick the sweet potato skins with fork and place them on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake potatoes until they are fork-tender, 50–60 minutes. Let cool slightly, then peel off skins. Decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place oatmeal in blender and process until fine. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, paprika, black pepper, salt and ¾ teaspoon of curry powder.

Using a potato masher, mash potatoes and spices together to mix. Add quinoa, black beans, red onion, oatmeal and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Continue to mash with the potato masher, smashing about half of the beans and mixing the ingredients together. Scoop mixture into a ½ cup measuring cup and press. Empty cup onto parchment paper and shape it into a patty. Repeat to form a total of 8 patties. Set the tray in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill. (It helps the burgers hold together while cooking.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together non-fat Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons cilantro, ¼ teaspoon curry powder, and lemon juice; set aside.

Remove baking sheet from refrigerator and place on top rack in oven for 15 minutes. Carefully flip the patties and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Place each patty on a bun with lettuce, tomato and 2 tablespoons of the lemon-curry sauce.

From Henry Ford LiveWell.

283 calories (13% from fat), 4 grams fat (0.5 grams sat. fat), 50 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 417 mg sodium, 1 mg cholesterol, 100 mg calcium, 6 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 2 bread, 4 vegetable, ½ protein, ½ fat