Green Chile Turkey Burger

Green Chile Turkey Burgers:

Served Two Ways

It may come as no surprise to some that my family is not always keen about my healthy recipes.  I do have to say my husband has been impressed with my recent dedication to healthy eating and fitness.  The other day, he came snooping around in the kitchen and asked if I was making something special. I said I was making up these Green Chile Turkey Burgers (using up some leftover green chiles from a can) and I said he might like it.  I told him what was in the burgers and how I could top it for him and he agreed to give it a try. 

For HIS version, I toasted two slices of Italian bread, smeared the toast with a little light mayo, and topped the turkey burger with a slice of Swiss cheese, some Vidalia (sweet onion) slices, some romaine lettuce, and some pickled jalapeno peppers.  He gave this burger "two thumbs up!"  See, he might be coming around a bit to this healthy eating business.  I gave him a hard time and I said, "See, you've been missing out on a lot of good recipes!"

For MY version of the burger, I skipped the toast and cheese.  I had a little Vidalia onion, romaine lettuce, and pickled jalapenos.  I also put a dollop of low fat plain yogurt on my burger (but it's not in the photo) and it was a nice taste, temperature, and texture combination with the burger.  If you are a fan of tomatoes, some sliced tomatoes would be great on these burgers. I just had little grape tomatoes in the house so we did not have tomatoes on our burgers.

I did make a beef version of this burger not too long ago. Zach gave that recipe two thumbs up as well.  Here is the link to the beef version if that interests you:

http://kimscookingfrenzy.blogspot.com/2016/07/green-chile-burgers.html

Green Chile Turkey Burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey (93% lean)

1/2 teaspoon chili power

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons finely mined onion (I used vidalia sweet onion) 

2 to 3 tablespoons diced green chiles from a can (drained well in a fine mesh sieve) 

Directions

Mist a large skillet (or grill pan) with cooking spray and preheat over medium high heat.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix gently with hands to distribute the ingredients and shape into 4 equal patties, less than 1/2 inch think.  Add patties to preheated skillet (or grill pan), reduce heat to medium, and cook until bottoms are deep golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Flip and cook until patties are firm to the touch and cooked through (no pink remains), about 4 to 5 minutes more. 

Helpful Hint:  If you ever have left over diced green chiles from a can, don't let them go to waste.  Just place them in a plastic baggie and place them in the freezer for use in a future recipe.