Cilantro-Lime Turkey Burgers

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of half a lime
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 leaves butter lettuce
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 4 tomato slices, 1/4-inch thick

Makes 4 Servings (1 burger per serving)

1. Place the ground turkey, onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix by hand until combined. Form into 4 patties. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 4-5  minutes on each side until cooked through, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the patties reaches 165 F. 
3. Transfer the burgers to a plate and let them rest. Serve them on butter lettuce wraps topped with red onion and tomato. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet Book. Who doesn't love eating a juicy burger once in a while? The people at South Beach Diet know how to make delicious burgers. Turkey burgers are so succulent and juicy you won't miss the red meat/beef. The combination of lime juice and cilantro is quite delicious mixed in with ground turkey making the burgers. If you don't have garlic powder on hand, minced garlic will work just as well. 

1

Blue Cheese Chicken Burger

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 lbs. uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
• 1/2 cup scallion, sliced
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs,
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 4  mixed-grain hamburger rolls
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices
• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled

 Makes 4 Servings

1. Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
2. In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, barbecue sauce mixture, scallion, celery, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and blue cheese. Using wet hands (to prevent mixture from sticking), form chicken mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; brush top of burgers with some remaining barbecue sauce mixture (if you have any leftover).
3. Place burgers on grill. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Lightly toast open-faced buns on grill during last minute of cooking.
4. To serve, place 4 bun bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices and burger.
   

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts (1 burger per serving)

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. I already made barbecue sauce and I was in the mood for a good burger. Turkey and chicken burgers are just as delicious as beef burgers. If you're a fan of buffalo wings, this burger is definitely for you. It has the combination of what you normally order in a restaurant if you order buffalo wings: blue cheese, hot sauce, celery, etc. But there's some added ingredients to make this burger more flavorful: Barbecue sauce mixed with the hot sauce, scallions, garlic and bread crumbs. This juicy burger melts in your mouth with all the savory flavors combined. You can add more hot sauce if you want. I highly recommend serving this burger at a tailgate party because you'll be the only one serving gourmet burgers.

Middle Eastern-Style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey breast
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 4 (7-inch) whole-wheat pitas, warmed
• 1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices

Makes 4 Servings

1.  Spray the rack of a broiler pan with nonstick spray and preheat the broiler.
2. Mix together the turkey, the egg white, onion, pine nuts, oil, cumin, paprika, salt, allspice and crushed red pepper until well combined. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 (1/2-inch thick) patties.
3. Place the patties on the broiler rack and broil 4 inches from the heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of a burger registers 165 F, 5-6 minutes on each side.
4. Cut off the top third of each pita (save for another use, if desired). Stuff wach pita with 2 tomato slices and a burger.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW in 20 minutes Cookbook. I was craving a burger and I wanted to try something new. I've always been questionable about Middle Eastern food and now that my palate has improved over these last few years I decided to take the plunge. This was a delicious burger that has a lot of different flavors to it. The paprika and the cumin are the key spices that give this burger an extra kick of heat. If you don't have any whole-wheat pitas, you can use buns instead. I also highly recommend adding lettuce and some condiments such as mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard to add more flavor.

The Ultimate Sicilian Burger: Katie's Own Creation

Ingredients:

• 6 sun-dried tomato halves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 oz. shredded reduced-fat mozzarella or any Italian cheese (1/2 cup)
• 2 tbsp  homemade pesto sauce
• 4 tomato slices
• Shredded lettuce or arugula
• 4 whole wheat buns or pitas (optional)

Makes 4 Servings

1. In a smal bowl, combine the sun-dried tomatoes and mayonnaise. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and cheese. Form the mixture into 4 patties about 1/2-inch thick.
3. Lightly coat a nonstick sillet with cooking spray and heat ove medium-high heat. Cook the burgers until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 F.
4. Serve burgers on buns, if using, and garnish with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and pesto sauce.

WW POINTS VALUE: 10 pts. (I think)

Note: This was a recipe that originally appeared in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. I modifed it bcause my mom and I were in the mood for burgers and I always wanted to try this recipe. The original recipe calls for the following:  a small head of garlic to be roasted and then squeezed into a cup with the mayonnaise and sun-dried tomatoes; 1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, trimmed of all visible fat, chopped; 4 slices fontina cheese, arugula and fresh basil for garnish. I decided to put a little twist on this recipe and kick it up a notch. I decided to use ground beef instead of chopped sirloin and mix it with  shredded Italian cheeses, chopped garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. The toppings/garnishes for this burger were sun-dried tomato mayonnaise, homemade pesto sauce, lettuce and tomato. The result: a delicious gourmet burger. Ths burger was so delicious it melted in my mouth. My mom thinks I should open my own business with my own burger place or restaurant. Look out Mario Batali and Emril Lagasse, I'm giving both of you a run for your  $$. Heck, I'll even use this burger recipe in a Throwdown with Bobby Flay, if he dares!

 

 

North African-Style Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, split
• 4 tomato slices
• 4 sweet onion slices
• 4 green leaf lettuce leaves

Makes 4 Servings

1. Combine the beef, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle and set over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of the burger registers 160 F, about 4 minutes on each side.
3. Put a burger on the bottome half of each bun and top with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice and 1 lettuce leaf. Cover with the tops of the buns.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 (1 garnished burger)

Note: This recipe appears in the WW in 20 Minutes Cookbook. The weather was nice and my mom and I were hungry for some burgers. As always, homecooked burgers are simply the best. Different herbs added to these burgers add flavor  to the beef. I also recommend putting sliced cheddar cheese, ketchup and mayo on the burger for more flavor.