Ginger Scallion Turkey Burgers

Is anybody else doing a version of the 7-365-20 dinner challenge? (It's where you feed kids every single night for 20 years). I'm currently struggling a bit to keep it going. I recently had hernia surgery, and then our water heater broke, and we're in the middle of the end of the year sprint, so I've been giving my kids (and myself) a lot more processed food than I would like.

The problem is, once my family gets in the habit of sugary cereals, greasy takeout and frozen dinners, it's hard to get everyone back to balanced eating. When I feel like I'm eating too much garbage, I just want to eat this Perfect Kale Salad and Edamame, Fennel and Mint Salad. My kids, however, are different. After a couple of weeks of processed foods, they really resist going straight from "tan (fried) foods" to all beans and greens. They need to stair step back to healthier habits.

These turkey burgers are a nice bridge away from fast food and, if you're already eating healthy, just an all around nice meal. The kids love that they're still eating delicious burgers. I love that these burgers taste herbaceous and don't taste like sweaty fast food. They come together in less than 30 minutes so they make for a great weeknight option.

Plated Turkey Burger with a Bun

Note About Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey gets a bad rap. People tend to see it as a healthy substitute for ground beef. This means that most people cook against ground turkey's flavor and not with it. But ground turkey is not beef. That means that it combines well with lighter/"grassier" flavors as compared to the richer flavors we often pair with beef. Ground turkey sings when combined with cilantro, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Because turkey complements these lighter flavors so well this turkey burger is the perfect introductory burger for spring and the perfect use of all those green onions and herbs at the farmers market. Pair them with Brioche Style Buns and your family will be living the spring dream. You can elevate them even further with some Aleppo Avocado Mayo for yourself.

Note about Grilling Turkey Burgers

We grill everything in our house. We have absolutely grilled these burgers. That said, they can get a little messy on the grill so for best results, I recommend cooking them on the stove top instead.

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Ginger Scallion Turkey Burgers

Makes 5 adult sized burgers or 6-7 smaller burgers. Takes 10 minutes to assemble 10-20 minutes to cook.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

3 cloves crushed or minced garlic

2 knuckle's worth of fresh ginger peeled and minced

4 large scallions chopped into 1/6 inch rings

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 large egg

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup panko breadcrumbs or home made bread crumbs divided

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste

neutral oil for pan frying the burgers

Step One

Spread 1/2 cup bread crumbs on a plate and set aside. Combine all the other ingredients (including the other 1/2 cup bread crumbs) in mixing bowl and kneed with your hands or a fork until thoroughly mixed.

Step Two

Form the burgers into roughly 4" diameter by 1" thick patties and then place them on the plate with the bread crumbs. Press the patties gently into the crumbs so that they stick and then flip the patties over and press breadcrumbs onto the other side.

Step Three

Preheat a wide pan with about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat until a bread crumb sizzles when dropped into the pan. Then, add however many burgers fit on your pan without crowding them, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 4-6 minutes until bread crumbs form a golden-brown crust. Flip and cook the burgers on the other side until they get crispy and until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove once cooked and add more oil as needed to cook the rest of the burgers. (I usually cook 3-4 burgers at a time)

Serve with slices of avocado, mayo, extra cilantro or other greens, hot sauce, or Aleppo-Avocado Mayo

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Aleppo-Avocado Mayo

5 minutes to make. Adapted from Love and Lemon's Avocado Sauce

Ingredients

1 medium avacado

3 tablespoons mayonaise

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 handful of fresh cilantro included smaller stems

1/2 teaspoon of dried Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

juice of 1/2 lime

Step One

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor bowl or in a small mixing bowl. Process to combine. Or mince cilantro and mash the ingredients together with the back of a fork.

Best if used within 2-3 days. Store covered in the fridge.