Written by Elizabeth Rietz

In trying to stick to our “New Year’s Resolution #3: Eat Leaner Meats,” we went with turkey last night when burgers were on the menu. I don’t know about you, but often turkey burgers turn up dry and uninspiring. This why we wanted to mix it up a bit and decided to try Southeast Asian turkey burgers.

Here’s the recipe that makes four servings. This recipe has been adapted by one from Epicurious.com.

INGREDIENTS:

Cucumber Relish:
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger (optional)
1 English cucumber
1 tablespoon diced red pepper
1 tablespoon diced jalepeno (optional)

Turkey burgers
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of chopped green onion

4 whole wheat hamburgers buns

Make cucumber relish:
In a bowl stir together vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Slice cucumber crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices to measure 1 1/2 cups and add to vinegar with ginger. Add in red peppers and jalepenos. Toss well. Marinate mixture (if you have time) at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Make burgers:
Prepare grill. Spray lightly with olive oil spray.

In a bowl with your hands mix garlic with bread crumbs and remaining burger ingredients until just combined (do not overmix) and form into four 1-inch-thick patties. Season burgers with salt and pepper and grill on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals about 5 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Transfer burgers to buns and top with cucumber relish.

We also made a wasabi mustard to go with our burgers. Take about 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard and add wasabi paste to taste and 1/4 teaspoon of minced ginger.

We ended up with extra meat, so we made meatballs for our toddler, which she loved.