Recipe: Turkey Burgers With Sun-Dried Tomato and Avocado Cream

Change up burger night with these moist and flavorful turkey burgers. A dollop of avocado cream is the perfect complement.

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey meat (look for 15% fat; if all you can find at the store is lean 7% to 10% fat ground turkey breast, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the burger mix)
• 12 large oil-packed, sulfite-free sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: 2 pinches red pepper flakes

For the avocado cream:

• 1 ripe avocado, halved, scooped and pitted
• 1/4 cup organic mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 pinches sea salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, tomatoes, basil, mustard, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) and mix with your hands until incorporated. (You can dampen your hands with a little water so the mixture doesn’t stick.)
2. Divide the burger mixture into four even portions and form into rounded patties about 3/4-inch thick.
3. To make perfectly round burgers, use a 4‑inch ring mold.
4. Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the patties and cook until a browned crust forms, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Turn the patties over and cover the pan. Turn the heat to low and cook the burgers 7 to 8 minutes or until the internal temperature measures 165 F on a meat thermometer.
6. While the patties are cooking, make the avocado cream. Place the avocado, mayonnaise, lemon juice and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
7. Puree the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Serve the burgers, each with a quarter of the avocado cream on top.

Ingredient health benefits

• Tomatoes: Though they’re a common ingredient in Western cuisine, the benefits of tomatoes are anything but ordinary. They’re packed with immunity-boosting vitamin C, bone-building vitamin K and even potassium. Tomatoes also have two important carotenoids, beta-carotene and lycopene. These natural compounds are responsible for the delectable red hue we all know and love, and they provide some perks for your eyes and heart. But wait, there’s more! Eating tomatoes might help lower your cholesterol levels and support your skin by protecting it from sunburns.
• Basil: Herbs aren’t just for flavor and garnish! Inside each little leaf, there are powerful nutrients like vitamin K and antioxidants that fight free radicals and unwanted inflammation. Including basil in your daily meals might also have benefits for your mind, like improving your memory, stress levels, ability to focus and your overall mood. It may even have natural compounds that promote a good night’s sleep.
• Extra virgin olive oil: A cooking oil above the rest, extra virgin olive oil (her friends call her EVOO) is full of polyphenols, heart-healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins — like vitamin A and vitamin D. These vitamins support essential body systems like your vision, immunity and muscles. EVOO also raises your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and lowers your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. And it may help protect your cells from changes that can lead to cancer as a regular feature in your other recipes.
• Avocadoes: So delicious and buttery, you’ll forget it’s considered a superfood! Beyond the bumpy exterior, there’s vitamin K1 (a form of vitamin K), as well as vitamin B6, vitamin E and unsaturated fats for your heart, brain and skin. Avocadoes also have soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which help keep your gut and digestion on track. And like tomatoes, they’re a surprising source of potassium!

Nutrition information (per serving)

Servings = 4
Serving = 1 burger with 1/4 of the avocado cream

Calories: 460
Fat: 38 g
Saturated fat: 8 g
Cholesterol: 135 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 26 g
Carbohydrate: 26 g
Sodium: 470 mg

— From the book, Eat Fat, Get Thin, by Mark Hyman, MD.