I love reading food blogs and cookbooks. It’s the story that keeps giving. I know I may sound crazy, but the same way you can fall in love with characters in novels – I fall in love with recipes. They tell a story.
I plan to do some more cookbook / blog reviews and who knows, one day maybe meet these people…
One I can’t get enough of right now is: Skinnytaste, the site is unreal for anyone, regardless of food restrictions, she (Gina Homolka) has something for everyone. She also came out with a cookbook that is the real version of “food porn.”
Seriously buy it now. You won’t be disappointed. I mean it…stop reading, and go to Amazon. Here is the link: The Skinnytaste Cookbook. But then come back.
The recipe tonight came from her blog, that I have modified a few ways and it always comes out delicious, so its super versatile – depending on what you like. It’s a solid base that you can add to and make your own.
I used to always eat turkey burgers because it was a compromise for me, I was trying to watch what I was eating (literally watching it go into my mouth) and avoid beef burgers, but eat turkey…it was usually dry and boring.
Somehow Gina figured out God’s gift to dry turkey burgers: ZUCCHINI
The best turkey burger I have ever had and now all other turkey burgers are ruined going forward.
Ingredients:
5 oz grated zucchini (when squeezed 4.25 oz)
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs – can also use gluten free or regular
1 clove garlic, grated (optional) – I omitted this
1 tbsp grated red onion (optional) – I sometimes include this and sometimes don’t
1 tsp kosher salt and fresh pepper
oil spray
Add in’s: you can stir in other items I’ve tested that come out great (black beans, roasted peppers and corn are just a few I tried)
Directions:
Squeeze ALL the moisture from the zucchini with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic (optional), onion (optional), salt and pepper. Make 5 equal patties, 4 1/2 ounces each.
Shredded zucchini -use a few paper-towels to press the water out.
To cook indoors: Heat a large nonstick skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.
If grilling: Clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking. Cook the burgers on medium heat about 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center.
You can easily eat these on a bun just like a burger with all the fixins, but I prefer to eat them bun-less with hot sauce and sliced avocado.
As I am writing this, I just remember I have a handful I need to freeze. I have made these in advance before and refrigerated them for a trip to Fire Island and cooked them when I got there.