The Kitchen Prep: turkey burgers
Showing posts with label turkey burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label turkey burgers. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bacon & Kale Balsamic Turkey Burgers with Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries


I have a confession to make: Sometimes we eat burgers and fries for dinner. But it's not what you think.

Our schedule is probably a lot like yours. We're always rushing here or there to meetings, events, errands or family gatherings. It's constantly go, go, go. And it can be tempting to pick up something in a greasy paper bag to quiet growling stomachs at the end of a long day.

With a little bit of foresight and planning, putting a quick meal together at the end of the day is completely possible and not at all stressful.

One tip for making this possible is picking up some pre-made or quick cooking things to round out your meal. For ages, we have been totally smitten with Alexia Foods Frozen Sides. {Specifically their Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries. Oh my yum. The husband could take down a whole bag all by himself.} We appreciate the fact that they're creatively crafted with real ingredients, which is probably what makes them taste so darn good!


Keeping a bag of these {or one of their many tasty frozen sides} in the freezer is sort of like our version of "Break Glass in Case of Emergency". We don't eat them all the time, but they're sure nice to have around for those evenings when quick comfort food is all that will do.

Our version of "burgers and fries" is guilt-free and all natural. These "loaded" turkey burgers cover all the bases -- flavorful, satisfying and even filled with some greens! Wrapped with a big piece of Swiss chard or your favorite large leafy green, you get a double dose of veggies to even out the tiny bit of bacon that crept its way into this luscious burger. Caramelized onions and a splash of balsamic add a little extra something, too.


Served with a side of Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries {or Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries as pictured here}, you'll be glad you didn't pull up to the next window. It's the best version of "fast food" you can have!


Stay in the loop of Alexia's products and promotions by joining their Club 350 newsletter, or head over to their recipe page for more ideas!

Bacon & Kale Balsamic Turkey Burgers

1 bag Alexia Waffle Cut Fries
2-3 slices bacon
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cups finely chopped kale
2 tablespoons balsamic
2-3 tablespoons chicken broth or water
Pinch of salt
1 pound ground turkey meat
4-5 large leaves of Swiss chard or favorite large-leafed green, washed, dried & stemmed

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking pan with foil and bake fries as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet {preferably non-stick} over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add bacon and cook until beginning to crisp up. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent.

3. When the skillet begins to look a bit dry, deglaze the pan with balsamic and chicken broth or water. Add chopped kale and cook for about 2-3 more minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

4. In a medium bowl, season turkey meat with a pinch of salt. Add cooled kale mixture. Gently incorporate throughout turkey meat; divide and shape into 4-5 patties.

5. In same skillet over medium-high heat, add a bit of olive oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place burgers in skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side or until browned. Flip and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side or until burgers are cooked through. Remove from skillet and allow to rest.

**Don't forget your fries in the oven!**

For Assembly:

Place condiments & toppings on burger {tomatoes, sauces, etc.}. Place burger on top of Swiss chard leaf to create an edible wrapper.

Serve with Alexia Waffle Cut Fries!

Alexia Foods offers frozen potatoes, appetizers, breads and side dishes with minimal, but distinctive, real ingredients that serve-up exceptional taste. Alexia frozen sides are a delicious addition to a balanced meal with that little something extra and can be ready in 25 minutes—or less. Sign up for Alexia’s Club 350 newsletter for more great meal inspiration!

Alexia. Farm to Flavor.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alexia . The opinions and text are all mine.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

#BurgerWeek: Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers


You know why I love my friends over at NoshOn.It? Because they get as excited about food as I do. {Plus, they're pretty cool in general.} They get so excited, in fact, that they dedicate an entire week to recipes honoring one type of food, and share all kinds of new and exciting ways to enjoy something that might seem like it's been done otherwise. My kind of folks.

This week, NoshOn.It is hosting #BurgerWeek and asked if I could come up with an original burger recipe to share for the occasion. I, of course, was happy to oblige.


So many possibilities swirled around my head... but I finally settled on these Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers. And I'm glad I did!


I probably haven't had a "real" {i.e. beef} burger in over 10 years. I stopped eating red meat a while ago and never looked back. It was sort of a natural progression since I was never much of a fan anyway. But sometimes it's nice to sink your teeth into a yummy, grilled patty... though to be honest, I think I like burgers more for the toppings than the meat itself!



I make turkey burgers all the time and love the versatility of turkey meat. It's a bit on the lighter side than beef {specifically if you buy lean, white meat turkey rather than the dark meat} and it agrees with me a lot more. Seasoned with Asian-inspired flavor in this recipe, the patties turn out anything but bland. Broccoli & carrot slaw tossed in ginger vinaigrette adds some crunch and zip to these flavorful burgers, and a runny egg adds delicious richness!


If you think you don't like turkey burgers, I suggest you give these a try first! You can certainly swap out the turkey meat for whichever type you prefer, but I promise these are worth making. And the best part is you can make them in a skillet, on a grill pan or -- the ultimate summertime method -- on the grill.

Do you want to become a grilling pro? Need a new grill? #BurgerWeek sponsor Broil King wants to give you the chance to win one of their high-performance gas grills (a $549+tax value) plus burger grilling accessories to use in your home!

Made entirely in North America, every one of Broil King’s gas grills are made of the highest-quality materials and engineering that allows you the versatility to sear the perfect burger or steak, roast chicken or vegetables, or even bake a dessert right on the grill. Their grills are already in more Canadian backyards than any other brand and they’re available in the U.S. at Lowe’s and many other retailers! To enter to win your own Broil King grill, just click on the banner below:


Need more burger inspiration? Head over to these blogs for more delectable ideas!

Jalapeno + Cheddar Burger with Charred Corn Mayo from Simply Scratch
Vegetarian Patty Melt from Naturally Ella
Pork Belly Pimento Cheese Burger from Climbing Grier Mountain
Chili Cheese Tot Burgers from A Zesty Bite
Turkey Reuben Burger from Mountain Mama Cooks
GF Vegetarian Tex-Mex Black Bean Burger from Beard and Bonnet
Peanut Butter Burger with Savory Strawberry Relish from Foodness Gracious
Al Pastor Burger from NoshOn.It

Asian Slaw Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 burgers 

1 lb ground turkey meat
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 - 2 teaspoons sriracha

1. Heat grill, grill pan or a large pan over medium-high heat.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well-combined. {Try not to overmix and toughen the meat.}

3. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into patties. Cook over medium-high heat on a skill or grill pan, or grill for about 3-4 minutes on one side; flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle.

4. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil until ready to assemble burgers.

For Slaw:
1/4 cup broccoli slaw
1/4 cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons prepared ginger vinaigrette {I use this kind}
1 - 2 teaspoons mayonnaise

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until slaw is well-coated. Set aside.

For Egg:
Fry or poach an egg to desired runniness. I like mine cooked for a couple of minutes on one side over high heat in a frying pan, then flipped and cooked for under a minute on the other side.

Assembly: 

Toast buns if desired. Place burgers on bun and top with a heaping serving of slaw, thinly sliced red onion, and an egg. Drizzle with extra sriracha if desired.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Gourmet Summer Grilling with Cobblestone Bread


Summer = Grilling. It's sort of an unwritten law.

But you may have some tunnel vision when it comes to grilling. Meaning that you might be stuck in the burger - hot dog - chicken - steak rut. Not that there's anything wrong with the classics. It's just that it's nice to reimagine what is into what could be.

These burgers are a great place to start. Turkey burgers, no less. {Since I don't do the cow thing around here.}


Lemon-rosemary turkey burgers with melty brie, raspberry jam and arugula... and a little schmear of walnut-honey butter. Say what???

Here's the thing: You can't have all that goodness on a mediocre bun, right? That's like Dom Perignon in a plastic cup. It just won't do.

If you're gonna go gourmet, you've gotta go all the way. My friends at Cobblestone Bread Co. have got this whole "gourmet bun" thing down pat and they helped me out by sending me some of their most popular breads to try. Generic grocery store buns just weren't going to fly here.

I chose their Cracked Wheat Kaiser Roll as the fluffy bed for this anything-but-ordinary burger.


Since turkey burgers can be kind of "blah", I jazzed them up with the bright flavor of lemon zest and herbaceous rosemary. And guess what else is in these patties? Almond flour! It helped the burger stay nice and juicy all while giving them an extra hint of flavor and texture. Because I love brie on just about everything, I smothered the burgers with a generous helping which I allowed to come to melty perfection right on the grill.

I figured it couldn't hurt to toast the buns, but wanted to make sure they got extra crisp, so I slathered them with a Walnut-Honey Butter that I whipped up in minutes. Once they were nice and toasty, a smear of raspberry jam finished them off. The sticky jam helped hold the arugula in place. Love a double-duty ingredient.

It's not your typical backyard burger... but then again, who wants one of those? Amp up your summer with gourmet grilling! For more amazing summer sandwich recipes, be sure to check out Kitchen Daily's slideshow featuring lots of tasty ideas!

Disclosure: Compensation for this post was provided by Cobblestone Bread Co. via AOL Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Cobblestone Bread Co. or AOL.

Rosemary-Lemon Turkey Burgers with Brie, Raspberry Jam & Arugula
Makes 4 Burgers

For turkey patties: 
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup almond flour {you could probably also use bread crumbs}
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
Pinch of salt

Toppings:
8 slices of brie {2 per burger}
4 Cobblestone Bread Co. Cracked Wheat Kaiser Rolls
Walnut-Honey Butter {See below for recipe}
Raspberry Jam
Arugula

Walnut-Honey Butter
5 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup walnuts {toasted if desired}
1/2 teaspoon honey
Sprinke of salt

In a food processor, pulse ingredients together until smooth. Transfer to a container with an airtight lid and refrigerate. Great for use on these burgers or on sandwiches, rolls, biscuits, waffles...etc.

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until mixture is uniform. {Try not to overmix.}

2. Divide the mixture into 4 equal sections. Lightly oil your hands and shape each section into a patty.

3. Grill patties on an outdoor grill or on a grill pan. Cook about 4-5 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side until just about cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, butter the tops {and bottoms, if desired} of the buns with Walnut-Honey Butter. Place on the grill until toasty and golden, about 3-4 minutes.

5. Before the burgers are fully cooked through, top with 2 slices of brie. Close grill and allow heat to get the cheese nice and gooey.

Assemble burgers:

Place cooked burgers with cheese onto toasted bun bottoms.
Spread a generous layer of raspberry jam on the top half of each bun. Arrange arugula on top.
Carefully flip tops onto burger. Enjoy!
 photo cred.jpg