If there’s anything that I find difficult this time of year, it’s attempting to create healthy dinners when I feel like five kinds of crazy all hopped up on holiday sugar and it’s a million o’clock by the time I start our meal.
That’s where this comes in.
[Oh. And this and this and this and this. And this.]
So let me tell you one thing.
I am totally a burger person, but I have never been one of those people that could eat a burger without a bun. It is just so incredibly unappealing to me – I mean a burger has cheese and bread and bacon, duh! – and if I want to sacrifice the carbs, I’d probably order some sort of seafood dish or a chicken or steak salad. With fries and cheese, of course.
Wait… shut your face. Fries aren’t carbs. Because they are on a salad! Get with the program.
But really, I just can’t do the burgers without buns and stuff. There’s something about eating a hunk o’ ground meat that turns me off. Especially turkey burgers. I really hate turkey burgers. And I’m sure this has something to do with how scarred for life I am from the first three months of marriage when IT’S ALL MY HUSBAND WOULD EAT. Dried out, flavorless, disgusting meat patties. Every single day. Serious.
Soooo.
How crazy is it that I actually ate one of these burgers in a salad?!
I did, I did, I did.
My cousin has been making these burgers from her friend’s recipe for a few months, and my uncle made them last week; we had them on salads with lots of lime and rice vinegar. They are so juicy and packed with flavor that for the first time, I didn’t even need a bun. Which was good because I’m pretty sure he wasn’t offering me one.
But like, this burger was so delicious that not only did I not eat a bun that night… I didn’t even eat it with cheese.
I know what you’re thinking.
Who the heck am I? Me too. Me too.
While I did end up slapping mine on two buns (that’s what she… yeah) this past weekend, I still skipped the cheese because truly? I wasn’t sure what kind of cheese to use. I love the flavors of sesame oil and garlic and soy sauce and was too afraid that the cheddar or fresh mozz I had in my fridge just wouldn’t mesh. Can some of you smart and fancy cheese people help me out here and suggest a great one for next time?
Luckily I made up for that yesterday when I consumed nearly an entire triangle of creamy syrah-soaked toscana from Trader Joe’s (OMGwherehasthisbeenallmylife?!). Get on that people, stat.
Instead of the cheese I wasn’t sure about, I threw together some mayo with sriracha and lots of lime junk. I typically only like mayo on my BLT’s and thousand-calorie diner club sandwiches, but something about this sounded flipping awesome. And then I was even able to top my burger with tomato and butter lettuce (favorite… I wonder why) and eat pretty much an entire month’s worth of vegetables here.
I love when that happens.
Asian Turkey Burgers
makes 4 burgers
1 pound ground turkey breast
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 green onions, thinly chopped
1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
4 whole wheat buns
Combine all ingredients (except buns) in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands until just combined – do not overmix. Form turkey into 4 patties about 1/2 inch thick. Heat a skillet (in my case – a cast iron grill pan) over medium-high heat (or preheat your grill) and once hot, add burgers. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side.
Toast buns if desired, then top burgers with mayo and serve.
Spicy Lime Mayo
1/4 cup mayonaisse
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more if desired)
zest of half of a lime
juice of half a lime
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth and combined.
If you know what’s good for you, these will be on your table tonight.
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
Mrs. Jessica these were delicious!
I don’t think I added enough soy sauce (I didn’t have a 1/2 Tbsp) and I forgot to add the sesame seeds, but that’s fine, I’ll be making these again this Saturday for my girlfriend!
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If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, what can you use as a substitute?
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Can I just say I think it is funny it says: Combine all ingredients (except buns).
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I made these last night and they were absolutely awesome!!!! Loved these! I added almost twice as much Sriracha to the sauce however, but it was awesome and totally made the burger. I think I’ll probably use the sauce for other purposes too, delicious.
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Made this for my 2 kids & hubby yesterday… What a hit! Nothin left!!
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I found this on Pinterest and oh my word…. I LOVE these! I’m allergic to wheat, so I top with the spicy sauce, fresh tomatoes, and wrap in lettuce. I have made these at least 4 times and I am addicted. Thank you so much for sharing!!
-Allie
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Here’s my favorite basic turkey burger recipe – it’s got a secret ingredient to keep it moist and juicy. You could also easily add Asian – or any other spice – to add some extra pizazz :)
http://entreethegiant.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/best-ever-turkey-burgers/
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Cheese-schmeese! I for one have never had a burger that did not require cheese to make it complete – until tonight!! Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!! Now I will go back to licking the lime-mayo off my plate (and I don’t even like mayo!). Thank you!!
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I made these for dinner tonight for my husband and I and we LOVED them!! I have made Thai turkey burgers before from another friend’s recipe that are really good, but these might be tied! I love that turkey is healthier than beef, and using Asian-inspired ingredients indeed keep them moist. I added more ingredients than you used, but thank you for sharing this great recipe!
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