Perhaps like a lot of other people, I really am not into the "meat" taste, if that makes any sense. Growing up in a household where my mother made Indian Food constantly, we ate vegetarian more than not and the meat we consumed was usually boneless, white breast meat of chicken, cubed and doused with spices and curry. I am used to eating meat with lots of flavor (save lamb or fliet mignon, where the essence of taste arrives from the meat itself) and when you're dealing with chicken or turkey, flavor definately needs to be added.
So I tried out a Southwestern-Style Turkey Burger, based loosely on an Emeril recipe. I tweaked and changed, but it turned out quite nice, and quite healthy! Enjoy.
SOUTHWESTERN-STYLE TURKEY BURGER
FOR THE BURGERS:
1 & 2/3 lbs Ground Turkey Meat
1 Large Scallion, minced
2 to 3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 to 2 Serrano Peppers, minced with seeds (or without if you can't handle the heat)
Couple Tablespoons of Worchestire Sauce
1 egg white
1 heaping Tablespoon of Southwestern Grille Seasoning (Whole Foods Brand)
1.5 Teaspoons of Ground Cumin
.5 to 1 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano
Sprinkling of Salt
Sprinkling of Black Pepper
FOR THE TOPPING:
Whole Wheat Mini-Pita
Pepper Jack Cheese
Avocado Slices
Pickled Jalapeno Slices
Opptional: Mustard and/or Mayo
*I served mine with a Simple Green Salad, sans the pita or cheese, and mixed in Avocado to the salad for a low-carb version...
- Prep your scallion, garlic & serrano peppers. Make sure not to touch your eye or skin with your hands after mincing the peppers! Wash your hands with soup.
- Pour all dried seasonings into your mixing bowl (oregano, cumin, southwest seasoning, salt, black pepper). Add your minced prepped scallion, garlic & serrano.
- Add a couple tablespoons of Worschestire Sauce to the bowl & 1 egg white.
- Wash your hands, then add the Turkey Meat and use your hands to distribute all ingredients as evenly as possible. NOTE: Turkey meat is a lot less sturdy than using Ground Beef to make burgers. This is OK. It might feel very wet but that is needed to grill.
- Make 5 even patties, NOTE: do not make these thick (as you would want to with beef burgers) make them about a 3/4 inch high and even--you need to cook these all the way through, do not eat them rare or medium, so the thinner they are, the easier it is to cook them and to be comforted that they are cooked through.
- On your grill pan, preheated for a few minutes on medium-high heat, add your patties 2 at a time. Grill for until you are sure they are done.
- Serve as suggested on Whole Wheat Pita with ecoutrements or as a protein for a salad.
