Life Changing Turkey Burgers

I have always been a burger purest. In my world there wasn't room for turkey burgers, or veggie burgers or lamb burgers - they were all just cheap imitations of the real deal. Then my sister and brother-in-law gave me this recipe for Southwest Turkey Burgers that has completely changed my mind.

I believe my brother-in-law, JF, made up this recipe. He is the opposite kind of cook from me, he doesn't work from recipes and instead stands in his kitchen and pulls together amazing meals just by adding a little of this and a little of that. He is nice enough to write down the recipes so I can follow along.


The beauty of this recipe is that it's flexible. If I don't have one ingredient, I can add another or just a little extra of something else. It's easy to pull together on a week night and makes 4 burgers, so JR and I get left overs for lunch the next day. It's also healthy! You can use the 98% fat free ground turkey and whole wheat rolls and not feel guilty about shoving a quarter pounder in your face. Additionally these burgers can be made on a grill or in a fry pan, so if you don't have a grill this is still a recipe for you.


These are also the burgers that introduced me to Sweet Pepper Relish which I now cannot live without. I generally do them up with vidaliah onions, my BBQ sauce and some of this sweet relish. The burgers are tender and spicy and it's the perfect summer meal.


P.S. There is no photo of a perfectly made beautiful burger because, um, well...I ate it!

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground turkey (preferably as free of fat as you can get)
2 cloves of garlic (garlic scapes work really well here too)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 small bell pepper, finely chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. grill seasoning (McCormick's, any flavor will do)
couple drops Tabasco
Olive oil
Pepper jack cheese
Whole wheat buns
Condiments

Instructions:
1. Chop garlic, onion, peppers and cilantro or parsley and throw into a bowl with the ground turkey. Add the spices and mix well.
2. Form into 4 equally sized patties. I find that the turkey meat can be a little sticky when it doesn't have a lot of fat it in. Drizzle your hands with a little bit of olive oil while you are forming the patties and they come together much more easily.
3. Cook the burgers in a skillet or on the grill. Be careful not to over cook! They are best when they are still moist and tender.
4. Add the cheese for the last few minutes so it melts and toast your buns.
5. Build a perfect burger!

BEHIND!

I am so far behind, and I have so much to write about, but first the excuses about why I am so late.
1) I started my new job this week and it's keeping me super busy, I love it!
2) I have a number of great things to blog about, and no photos! I keep pushing off on writing about them hoping some photos will show up.
3) I am completely behind on my Reader and if I write another blog, that just adds one more thing for me to read!!!

So the only way to deal with this, is to do a quick hits list. Here are some things I want to tell you all about, but haven't gotten to recently.

- The darn fruit flies will NOT GO AWAY! I have no idea what's going on. I have a fruit bowl, which I generally keep on the counter, but this seems to be the cradle of their birth. However, if I keep all the fruit in the fridge, it never ripens. I tried covering it with Saran Wrap, and then the suckers were just born inside and kept on thriving. Do I need to turn to those awful fly strips?


- I have made, not 1, but 2 AMAZING potato salads recently. Since JR doesn't appreciate them, you will have to. They both come from Food & Wine magazine and have been spectacular. The first was a tzatziki potato salad which replaced the mayo with Greek yogurt and used tons of fresh herbs. The second (which I am still eating with dinner each night) has my homemade BBQ sauce and BACON in it. Could anything be better than that?

- The other day, I made the most amazing BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was out of this world! I took one of the thin crust Boboli pizza shells and gave it a good spreading of the homemade BBQ sauce(did I mention I made another 3 cup batch and we finished it in a week?) Then I sliced a grilled chicken breast nice and thin, and laid it over the BBQ sauce. I sauteed up some red and green peppers and a nice purple onion and put those on top, with a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. I popped it in the oven for 15 minutes, until it was crunchy on the bottom, and PRESTO! Amazing homemade BBQ chicken pizza.,

Tupperware

A couple of years ago, someone gave my mom the AS SEEN ON TV!!! Smart Spin 49-Piece Food Storage System. I thought this seemed a little silly, until she started using it, then I wanted one!



The beauty of the system is that they have 3 size containers all of which use the SAME LIDS. There is no more shuffling through a drawer filled with mismatching tupperware tops and bottoms trying to find the small circle lid to match the container you just filled with your lunch. This system has a great spinning storage unit that holds everything and takes up half the space.

The containers are also the perfect sizes. One is a snack size, one is an individual meal, and the largest is perfect for two meals. I freeze soup in two person servings and JR and I can have it all year round. Right now my freezer is filled with little individual snack servings of BBQ sauce (I made another double batch this week!)

The only problem with these beautiful little containers is that they also make sharing food really simple, and then people don't return them! I think I am going to have to splurge and go buy their expansion pack to make up for all my lost tupperware!

World BEST Homemade BBQ Sauce!

I have always been a firm believer that fresh and homemade is always better that store bought. Even so, as I have been cooking more and more over the last couple of years, I am still continually amazed at how this holds true for some of the simplest things. Some quick examples:

Garlic – Fresh diced garlic is 100% better than garlic powder or jarred garlic in oil
Ginger – Don’t bother having ginger in a jar, just go for it fresh and grated and it's got great flavor
Teriyaki Sauce – I’ll share this at some point, I made it homemade once, and threw out all the bottles of it from my fridge
Basil – I am sure you know this already, it’s like Taste 101
Fresh Ground Pepper – probably the simplest

I have decided this summer, to continue this theory on the condiments that everyone eats by the gallon while they grill. So on Friday, I made up some homepage BBQ sauce for our housewarming party. Everyone I have told about this has asked what’s in it, and the only quick answer is “some of every bottle in your pantry.” Even so, the recipe is quick and easy and makes the whole apartment smell amazing. It has also WOWs everyone who tries it and is so amazing that JR and I have grilled hamburgers and hotdogs every night since, just so we can eat more.

The recipe comes from SmittenKitchen and before her from Ina Garten. Make it tonight and buy lots of meat so you are prepared to keep eating it all week.


Homemade BBQ Sauce
Makes 3 cups

3/4 cups chopped yellow onion
1 T. minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomato paste (10 ounces)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 T. chili powder
1/2 T. ground cumin
1/2 T. crushed red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan on low heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Eat immediately.