Healthy Burgers- Jalapeno Lime, Greek, and Bleu Burgers

It's bbq season!  Well, almost.  We are grilling though, because I can't wait for the actual season to be here.  The kids' favorite are turkey burgers; so why not?  It took a long time experimenting with recipes before I found one that was worth repeating.  Here is the basic, plus a few variations below.

Turkey Burger Patties:

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg (I used a farm fresh egg from my gpa's chickens- it's worth it!)

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs seedless jelly 

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (I use my food processor)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely

3 tbs bbq sauce (I used homemade, so it was a balsamic/ honey flavor, but store bought would work)

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and form into patties.  Make sure to cook completely.  You can use any type of meat you would like.  Sometimes we have elk or deer instead.  A few times this week I used 1/2 turkey and 1/2 beef (very low fat beef, if the percent is too high, the patties fall apart), which is cheaper and still healthy.  

Now for some of the variations I have tried this week...

Jalapeno Lime Burgers:

Substitute 1/2 the parsley for cilantro.  Add two chopped green onions.  Add the zest and juice of one lime.  Add 2 fresh jalapeno peppers (chopped finely in the food processor), and sub salsa for the bbq sauce.  Serve with pickled jalapeno peppers and avocado.

Photo Credit: Kalyn's Kitchen

Greek Burgers:

Sub lemon for the lime.  Add 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, and a few chopped sun dried tomatoes to the meat before forming into patties. 

Bleu Burgers:

Thinly slice a purple onion (only about 1/4 of the onion) and sautee it in a little olive oil and add it to the meat.  Also add about 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (or, substitute bleu cheese dressing for the bbq sauce).  Serve with pickled onions and bleu cheese dressing.