Mushroom-Swiss Turkey Burgers

Craving a burger, but don't want to down that many calories in a meal? Well, here's a tasty alternative to a beefy cheeseburger. It's full of flavor, and can be served alongside a tossed salad or sliced, fresh veggies.

You need:

1. 1 lb. ground turkey
2. 2 tspn dijon mustard
3. 1 tspn cajun seasoning
4. 1 tspn garlic powder
5. 1/2 tspn dried parsley
6. 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
7. 1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
8. 3 tspn teriyaki sauce
9. 1 tbsp water
10. 2 tspn dry red wine
11. 1 tspn olive oil
12. 4 hamburger buns
13. 4 slices Swiss cheese

You will:

1. Turn oven broiler on high.
2. Combine turkey, mustard, cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and parsley in a large bowl. Form into 4 patties and set aside.
3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms to pan, and cook for about 6 minutes.
4. Combine teriyaki sauce, red wine and water in a small bowl.
5. Add about 3 tspn of teriyaki mixture to pan with onions and mushrooms. Stir constantly, until sauce is reduced, about 1 minute.
6. Place vegetables in a bowl off to the side and replace pan on stove eye.
7. Add olive oil to pan and rotate the pan so that the oil covers all of the bottom.
8. Place the patties in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
9. Spoon about a tspn of the teriyaki mixture onto each patty and turn them. Cook on the second side about 3 minutes, or until cooked through.
10. Open 4 hamburger buns on a cookie sheet. Place one piece of Swiss cheese on each of the bottom buns, and place under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted.
11. Spread dijon mustard on the top buns. Place a patty on each of the bottom buns. Top with 1/4 of the onion-mushroom mixture. Add the top bun, and serve.

Nam! Nam!

Ranch House Burgers

These are simple to make, but have a very unique and complex flavor profile. The awesome part is that you don't have to add a hundred different spices to get the flavor--instead, just a packet of mix! I just serve these with a dill spear and some canned baked beans for a complete meal that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

You need:

1. 1 lb. ground hamburger meat
2. 4 tbsp barbecue sauce
3. 1 packet of Hidden Valley ranch dip mix
4. 16 dill hamburger chips
5. 2 tbsp flour
6. 2 tbsp corn meal mix
7. Dash of black pepper
8. 1/8 cup vegetable oil
9. 4 tbsp sour cream
10. 4 slices cheddar cheese
11. 8 rings of purple onion
12. 4 hamburger buns

You do:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over med-hi heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix hamburger meat, 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, and ranch packet.
3. Divide the hamburger meat into 4 sections, and pat each section into a patty.
4. There are several ways to cook these burgers: grill, George Foreman grill, oven, or stovetop. I use a small George Foreman on high. So, the patties each cook for 4 minutes. On a regular grill, you'll probably want to cook them about 5 minutes per side. In a 400F oven, cook them for about 15 minutes, and on the stovetop, cook them over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes per side.
5. While the first round of burgers are cooking, add pickles, flour, corn meal, and black pepper to a ziploc bag and shake to thoroughly coat each pickle.
6. Don't forget to check the burger patties if you are having to cook 1 or 2 at a time.
7. Add coated pickles, in batches, to hot oil in the saucepan. Cook each pickle so that it is brown on both sides (about 1.5 minutes per side).
8. Once browned, place the pickles on a paper towel to drain off any oil.
9. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and 2 tbsp barbecue sauce.
10. Heat the buns for 15 seconds in a microwave.
11. Spread the sour cream/barbecue mixture on all of the top and bottom buns.
12. Place a slice of cheddar cheese on the bottom bun.
13. Atop the cheese, place a hamburger patty.
14. Stack 2 onion slices and 4 fried pickles on top of each patty.
15. Top with bun top. Serve with baked beans for a delicious, comforting meal!

Nam! Nam!

Taco Burgers

The best of both worlds: you can't get more American than burgers and, add a little touch of Mexico with some taco seasoning!

You need:

1. 1 pound ground chuck
2. 1 packet taco seasoning
3. 1 tomato, sliced
4. 1/4 large white onion, sliced
5. iceberg lettuce, torn
6. taco sauce (not salsa)
7. chipotle mustard
8. hamburger buns (4)

You do:

1. Preheat grill.
2. Mix ground chuck with 1 tablespoon taco sauce and taco seasoning.
3. Pat meat into 4 burgers.
4. Place patties onto grill.
5. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side, or until done.
6. Heat buns in microwave for 15 seconds.
7. Spread taco sauce on top buns.
8. Spread chipotle mustard on bottom buns.
9. Place done burger patty on bun.
10. Top meat with 1 leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a few rings of onion.

For fries: Place frozen curly fries on cookie sheet. Sprinkle evenly with season salt. Cook according to package directions. Serve with burgers.

Nam! Nam!!

Swiss and "Ham"burgers

I've always struggled with the "hamburger" title...it's made of cow, not pig!! But, these burgers really do include ham, and some cheese, stuffed inside the beef. De-lic-ious-ness! These are large burgers--1/2 pound each, so you won't need a heavy side to go along side them. The recipe below is for just two burgers, but it's easy to scale up (or down) as you like!

What you need:

1. 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground chuck)

2. 2 tablespoons-ish of ketchup

3. 2 slices of ham (any variety)

4. a couple ounces of swiss cheese

5. Salt and pepper

6. Buns, mustard, ketchup, tomato slices, and purple onion slices

What you do:

1. Seperately, shred the ham and swiss cheese with a grater, or you can cut it with a knife. But, make sure it's thin if you choose to cut it yourself. Set both aside for later use.

2. Put beef in medium-sized bowl. Add ketchup, and a dash each of salt and pepper. Be your own judge--if you don't like a lot of salt, don't add so much. If you like your lips to shrivel up when you eat, then add lots. And, really, you can never add too much pepper!

3. Combine ingredients in the bowl with your hands. Be sure to get a good mix especially of the ketchup. It's messy, and be sure to wash your hands well after touching the beef.

4. Separate the beef mixture into 4 pieces. Pat each one into a thin patty.

5. Add half the ham and half the cheese shreds to one patty. Place a second patty on top and pinch sides to form one large burger patty. Repeat with other two small patties.

6. Place patties on preheated grill. Cook approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness. These can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove (med-hi heat). Or, you can put them in an oven if you choose. I would recommend about 15 minutes on 375F.

7. Warm buns in microwave for 5 seconds.

8. Dress buns with mustard, ketchup, tomato slices, and purple onion slices. Add burger patty, and top with bun.

Enjoy!!