I like to make veggie burgers but sometimes they fall apart too easily. A nice alternative is adding chopped spinach. It gives color and nutritional value to these burgers.
1 pound of ground turkey meat 85/15%
1/2 cup of almond meal and maybe some more
1 large egg, mixed with a fork
ketchup, I like organic
red pepper flakes
Adobo seasoning w/no MSG (find this near Goya products or spices)
1/4 – 1/2 bag of raw baby spinach – chopped finely
1/2 onion thinly sliced
bacon grease or extra virgin olive oil
optional spices: minced garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, diced up jalapeño, Liquid Aminos.
Finely chop the spinach on a cutting board and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add turkey meat, egg and 1/2 cup of almond meal. Add a squirt or two of ketchup, this gives it moisture and flavor, sprinkle a good pinch of red pepper flakes over the meat. Shake Adobo seasoning gently over the meat just so the meat has an overall light coating. If you want the burgers spicy add a shake or pinch of cumin, cayenne or diced up jalapeño to the mixture. Add the chopped spinach.
Mix all the ingredients well with your hands or a fork. Hands are better. You should be able to get 6 good size burgers from this mixture, 4 if they are really large. Grab a handful and form into a pattie. How does it look and feel? Too wet? Not staying together? If it’s too wet add some more almond meal, this will bind with the egg to help keep it together. Remember the perfect mud patties you made as a kid, that’s what your looking for.
In a non stick skillet, over medium high heat melt a tablespoon or two of the bacon grease. When melted add the sliced onions and gently sauté for about 6 minutes. You should hear the sizzle as the onions go into the pan. Adjust the heat to make sure they don’t burn. You should see the bacon grease gently bubbling around the onions. Yum. After about 6 minutes push the onions to the side of the pan and add your burgers to the skillet. Then leave them alone for about 4 minutes, do not move them around, let the meat get crispy and happy. Please do not press down on the meat, that just forces out the juices. If you push them all over the pan they will crumble or not get that nice caramelization we like. You should see the bacon grease bubbling around the meat as well, if not turn the heat up a little. (This is where I usually add a squirt of Liquid Aminos to the top of each burger, before they get flipped)
After 4 minutes flip the burgers, again leave them where they are. Check your heat, if there is a lot of splatter it might be too high, if you don’t see the grease nicely bubbling around the meat it’s too low. Keep an eye on it. You can move the onions around the burgers to add flavor. The burgers should be done after 4 – 5 minutes, 2-3 minutes longer if the burgers are large and thick.
Remove burgers to a plate and let them rest for a few minutes. This is important for the juices to settle in the burger.
Serve with any assortment of veggies, salad or sweet potato fries and enjoy.
*Liquid Aminos is an all purpose seasoning from soy protein and gluten free.
