Getting Healthy in an Affordably Delicious Way

Welcome to The Newlywed Chef! My goal and desire will always be healthy and budget-wise cooking. If you aren't a follower yet, please become one! Always feel free to e-mail me recipes that sound good to you, and I will cook them! Or, e-mail some family favorite that you want posted for others to try, and I can do that as well, as long as its healthy, AND budget-friendly.

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Carribean Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries!

For those of you who participated in the poll ..... I fully expect you to make these... AND COMMENT on them if you like them or hate them. And I quote my husband... "These are the best turkey burgers I've ever had." That's right! So get your shopping list out and lets get to it.

These are HEALTHY burgers, HEALTHY fries, and I cooked up some of our favorite green beans (easiest recipe you'll ever find). This beats fast food calories every day of the week! (Scroll to the bottom to see the final plate!)



Carribean Turkey Burgers
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 1.5 tablespoons dried parsley 
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound LEAN ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
 Optionals:
  • 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 1 medium mango, peeled and sliced (I took this option!)
  • 4 (1/4 inch thick) rings sweet red pepper (I took this option!)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together WELL. Form meat mixture into a large ball. Divide into 4 equal parts, 6 equal parts, or 8 equal parts. I chose 6- and it made pretty small patties. You'll want to press down the patties to about 1/2" thickness.
Saute olive oil over medium-high heat and cook burgers about 5 minutes per side or until juices run clear.


Once they are ready, get whatever toppings you chose ready and doll them up. I just did a red pepper ring with a mango slice



If you want to make sweet potato fries and green beans, keep reading, and don't miss the final plate at the bottom!!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

3-4 sweet potatoes
Cooking Spray
Cumin
Chili Powder
Ground Red Pepper
Paprika
Salt

Preheat your oven to 425
Spray baking sheets (I needed 2 for how many fries I made)
Cut your potatoes in half (short-way, not the length)
Then cut them in half again (long way)
Place cut side down and start slicing small fry shapes, or you could go for wedges

Once sliced, place in a single layer on the baking sheet(s). Spray cooking spray over the fries to coat them. Sprinkle all spices over. (I probably used about 1tsp of each, maybe less of the red pepper!)

Bake on the bottom rack 20 minutes, then move to the top rack for 10. You'll want to watch them CONSTANTLY. They will go from perfect to burned to a crisp quickly depending on the heat your oven puts out. Just monitor and taste test! You'll know when they are ready!

Easy Almond Green Beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen green beans
(If you can get them from Trader Joes, I highly recommend doing so!)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast almonds, stirring constantly until browned. Remove and set aside.
Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the skillet. Bring to a boil (This should happen almost immediately after cooking almonds). Add frozen beans.
Cover, and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain, toss with almonds and serve immediately.

We have this anywhere from 1-2 times a week. NO LIE. Add some salt and pepper at the table, and enjoy! (We also add spray butter!)

So here was the final plating of the meal. So much better than a fast food burger! You felt GOOD after you ate it, not guilty! So please try these and ENJOY them! They are guilt-free!







4 comments:

  1. Owly, these look wonderful! I can't wait to try them on my new indoor grill!!! Thanks for sharing, love you and see you Monday!

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  2. I am having these tonight for dinner! Hope Dad is a fan!

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  3. We really enjoyed these burgers! A nice variation on turkey burgers. I did the green beans, but didn't have the stuff for the sweet potato fries! Next time for sure!

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  4. I had the whole meal.....burgers/fries/beans. We loved it all. We didn't have burger rolls so we ate the burgers between slices of homemade oatmeal bread! YUMMY!

    Aunt Kel

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