"Hey That's my Dinner!" (Part 2: Turkey Burgers)

Okay, so as promised, I'm continuing my "mini series" on food. Because food that your family likes that is also healthy is awesome. :) Now, I do want to say, this meal was more for the adults in the family but that's just b/c the kids were eating leftovers from the Twisty Noodles .... I like to serve these with Sweet Potato Fries, and those are AWESOME and everyone in the family LOVES them (recipe to come later).

(And, again, these are not "exact measurements", use your best judgement.)

Southwest Turkey Burgers on Ciabatta rolls

For the burgers:
Dice up one half of a red onion very small and saute it in a small amount of olive oil with one clove of minced garlic until it's warm and soft and smells amazing. Set that aside.

In a bowl combine one pound of lean ground turkey, one heaping tablespoon (or two) of your favorite salsa (we like Pace Picante around here), cracked pepper, chili powder (just a little), and the onion and garlic you just cooked up. Mix it up with your hands (that's right, take off your wedding ring, you're getting dirty). This will likely be very wet and you may want to add a handful of bread crumbs for texture, I didn't mind the texture when I was mixing it up, but, in hindsight, I did think the bread crumbs wouldn't have been a bad idea, so it's up to you. Make these into patties. You'll cook them about 4-5 minutes on each side. You want all the pink juices to run out, and you don't want to flip them too often b/c they'll be really soft (hence, bread crumbs maybe), so put your heat on med-high and be patient.

For the Rolls:
Toast the ciabatta rolls (which you can buy at practically any bakery, even Wal-mart) in your broiler. Brush them with a little olive oil or light margarine if you want and just get them warm and golden, don't burn those babies, or you'll be sad.

To garnish the burgers:
In a bowl, combine one avocado and about three or four spoonfuls of that salsa and mix it up. Spread this generously on the buns instead of that mayonnaise, ranch, or sour cream you were reaching for..... *HINT: If you make extra it's a great dip for those Sweet Potato fries. :)

You can also add fresh spinach (instead of lettuce), a thin slice of tomato and/or red onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. :)

Pull the rolls out, slide the burgers out of the pan and onto the bottom slices of the rolls and then cover them with a slice of Fat Free Pepper Jack Cheese. Then stick them back in the broiler, open, for just a quick minute to melt the cheese (this also makes the soft texture of the burger no big deal b/c it holds it all together well).

Garnish the other side of the bun with your avocado salsa, top with the spinach, tomato, onion, and lime juice, and eat up. these are moist, juicy, spicy in a great way, and guilt free. you're welcome.

(sorry for the crappy picture, lol).....