Cilantro Chile Turkey Burgers and Rainbow Salad

You might know that feeling of just wanting to sink your teeth into a hot, juicy, burger and it always tastes best when it's grilled right in your own backyard. Here's a simple recipe I came up with that has now become our favorite burger recipe to make at home for bar-b-ques or weeknight dinners. 

Cilantro Chile Turkey Burgers

Makes 5 Burgers

1.25 lb ground lean turkey breast

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 tsp chipotle crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp cumin

salt and pepper

Whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions: With clean hands, combine all above ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Divide the turkey mixture into 6 even parts and form patties by rolling then patting the mix between your palms.  Heat grill on medium. Before placing burgers on the grill, spray lightly with canola cooking spray to prevent sticking.  Grill on medium until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side. 

 While the burgers are grilling, assemble the  

Corn Cucumber Chile Relish:

Start with 1 jar of tomato-less corn and chile salsa from Trader Joe's. Dice 1/3 of an English cucumber into small pieces. Mix together the juice of one lime, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, half the jar of salsa and the chopped cucumber. You can't get much simpler than that!

On a toasted whole wheat bun, add burger, a slice of tomato and top it off with a mound of  corn cucumber relish.

I served up our burgers with this colorful and delish Rainbow Salad. It's a spinach and arugula salad which is high in antioxidants from the blueberries, Vitamin C from the spinach and satsumas and topped with a bit of creamy goat cheese. Here's how: Fill 2/3 of a large bowl with organic baby spinach, arugula or both. Top with 1/2 cup blueberries, sections from 1 or 2 satsuma tangerines, 1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles and drizzle with 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.

 

In about 30 minutes, you have a lean, high protein turkey burger that is exploding with flavor from the fresh cilantro, smoky cumin and mild spicy chiles. The bright and slightly sweet corn relish is also great on top of a salad the next day, or in a pita with black beans and tomatoes. Let me know if you try it!