My Ultimate Healthy Turkey Burger

Why is it when a company develops an App, they never beta test it on real live shoppers?
My local, but fairly large chain supermarket has a pretty good app, now, but it wasn't always that way and I say, the last few month's they must have read the reviews and made the necessary changes.

They also got free WiFi so that their newly designed App can be used. We no longer get a paper delivered, so I do not have access to all those weekly circulars. And yes, I would hang out in bed with The Nudge, drink coffee and look through them while making my weekly menu, all based on what was on sale. I used the Reminders App that came with my iPad to set up a list called Menu.

Once that was filled out, I would add my menu foods to another list labeled Shopping List.
Now all that back and forth is all done on their app. They even have the next sale circular listed so that you can bookmark them to take advantage of future sales.

I love that and am one shopper who will use this weekly. With only a bloggers budget (meaning $0.00), sales are a good way to plan a recipe testing.

So, what does this have to do with this post? I happened to see that Jenny-O ground turkey would be on sale the next week, so I put off this post for my turkey burger/meatloaf mixture until I could stock up on that half-priced sale. I might have gone overboard so there will be a few ground turkey recipes upcoming.

My goal was a burger that was not filled with green vegetables but with grains that would absorb the turkey juices as they grilled and melt into the background. The Nudge isn't happy with those frou-frou dishes that seem to include every leftover from the previous week.

I wanted to create a mixture that could stand alone on its own, yet allow the addition of sauces and toppings that can be customized to the recipients tastes. I wanted the ultimate healthy turkey burger.

I think I accomplished that, but The Nudge is the final judge. One bite and no one would know there is quinoa, caramelized onions, navy beans and wheat bran. They blend perfectly into the texture and color of the ground turkey.

The key to this recipe is to plan on making enough to freeze for grilling all summer long. There is a bit of prep work involved such as cooking the quinoa and the onions but most of that can be prepared days before when you may be already cooking something on the stove top. I like to make a triple batch of both and use them all week. The onions are done in my small slow cooker and the quinoa takes only 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 4 (6oz) or 6 (4oz) uncooked burgers per pound of ground turkey. Will even work with ground chicken. Might seem like a large patty but remember, with the shrinkage famous for poultry burgers, these will perfectly fit on a standard hamburger bun.

Let's get cooking.....

Ultimate Healthy Turkey Burger
makes 4 (6oz) or 6 (4oz) burgers

* 1 pound lean ground turkey
* 2/3 cup cooked quinoa, cooked with 1 tablespoon Sazon seasoning
* 1/3 cup caramelized onions
* 1/4 cup pureed white beans
* 1/4 cup wheat bran
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup panko crumbs
* 1/3 cup milk
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until mixed well.
Form a small (2") patty and fry to taste the seasonings.
Make any adjustments.
Divide the mixture into either 4 or 6 parts and form into patties. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours if cooking same day.
If freezing for later, place the wrapped burgers into a quart-sized deli container and freeze.
Make sure you label the container and date it. The burger will separate easily if you only need 1 or 2.

Grill until there is no give when pressed in the center. Remove to a platter, cover with foil and rest while you gather all the condiments.

I like to use a smoked Gouda or Swiss because they go so well with turkey.
The Nudge likes his with lettuce and tomato.
Since these are a blank slate, anything goes.

Now for the nutritionals.

This is exactly what I was going for. A strong on flavor,  basic turkey burger patty that can be adjusted to a person's tastes.

This label is for the 6oz burgers. The 4oz ones come under 200 calories each.

Now, that's a healthy, low fat, great tasting turkey burger.