Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki

Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki

I have been on a healthy, clean eating plan since the beginning of June. I've been exercising at least 30 minutes a day (in addition to daily walks with the dogs) and it feels great to have lost nearly 15 pounds and it feels even better to be able to fit into my clothes so comfortably.  I've been eating a lot of grilled chicken, raw vegetables, and hard boiled eggs.  I have to admit, I am growing tired of some of those things. 

Yesterday was one of those days where I started to ask myself, "Is it really worth it?"  I enjoy food, I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy eating out.  I guess I was feeling a little deprived and missing some of the foods I really like.   But I did not throw in the towel.  My husband and I went for a walk and then my husband suggested we go to the store so I could pick up just a few things to make some different meals.  I quickly came up with a game plan to make up some grilled salmon (with lemon), some sweet potato veggie hash, and turkey zucchini burgers with tzatziki. 

The inspiration for the Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki came from THIS RECIPE and THIS RECIPE.  Basically, I made the Turkey Zucchini Burgers from www.skinnytaste.com, but from that recipe, I eliminated the bread crumbs, and I added ground cumin and coriander and a little extra onion.  I also made up some cucumber-yogurt sauce (also known as tzatziki) to finish it off.  The results were delicious.  I grilled my burgers indoors on my stove top grill pan.  I was worried my burgers would fall apart since I did not use any bread crumbs but they held together okay; I handled them with care.  If you are grilling outdoors, you might want to use the breadcrumbs as recommended on www.skinnytaste.com. That might help the burgers hold together a little better while grilling.

TURKEY ZUCCHINI BURGERS

Servings: 5

INGREDIENTS

• 5 oz grated zucchini (when squeezed 4.25 oz)
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1/4 of a small yellow onion, grated
• 1 tsp kosher salt and several grinds of freshly ground black pepper 

DIRECTIONS

Squeeze ALL the moisture from the zucchini with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, zucchini, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Make 5 equal patties, 4 1/2 ounces each, not too thick so they cook in the center. To cook indoors: Heat a large nonstick skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through. If grilling: Clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking. Cook the burgers on medium heat about 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center.

Tzatziki Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of plain, lowfat yogurt (I used a little less)
• 1/2 of an English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, finely diced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 garlic clove, finely grated
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; stir well to combine.  Serve the tzatziki over the turkey zucchini burgers.

So good! I will definitely be making this recipe again!