I made these last night, and the burgers, together with the sour cream sauce--while neither low calorie nor low cholesterol--were absolutely spectacular! This is my first foray into middle-eastern cooking (and spices!), so I was thrilled with the outcome. My inspiration was Jerusalem: a Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (I can't recommend the book highly enough--it's beautiful visually, the recipes are fabulous yet simple, and they have another cookbook called Plenty which is all vegetarian!)
Turkey Burgers--makes ~18 meatballs or about 10 small burgers. Vegetarians can substitute tofu for the turkey, while vegans can do that and also replace the egg and sour cream with vegan substitutes.
1 lb ground turkey
1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (a scant 2 cups)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large, free-range egg
2 tbsp chopped mint (from the farm!)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (ditto!)
2 cloves of garlic crushed (I used a couple of our "fresh garlic" cloves)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
canola or sunflower oil for frying
Sour Cream & Sumac Sauce--While sumac powder may be unfamiliar to you, trust me--it lends a delightfully tart taste to the sauce. Many grocery stores now carry it; as well, you can purchase it online (e.g., click here).
scant 1/2 cup sour cream
scant 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 & 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sumac powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Make the sour-cream sauce first by putting all the ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Stir well & set aside or refrigerate. Ottolenghi makes his turkey mix into smallish meatballs which are seared first for ~4 minutes in a fry pan in canola oil, then baked in a 425 oven for 5 to 7 min. However, as noted above, I made mine into about 10 small burgers & then sauteed them on both sides in canola oil till they were browned and cooked through. So I'll give you those directions.
In a large bowl, mix together all the meat ingredients except the canola oil. Mash it all together with your hands, mush, mush, mush. (If you use tofu, I'd recommend a soft tofu.) Store in fridge if you're not making the dish right away.
Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to make about 1/16th inch of oil. Heat on medium till hot, then add burgers that you've shaped with your hands from the mix (we got 10 from this recipe). Cook till browned on one side, then flip with a spatula and brown the other side. To be certain the burgers are cooked through, cover the pan with a lid for ~5 min. Cut into a burger to be sure there's no pinkness left. Use a spatula to remove them from the pan and lay them on a few layers of toweling to soak off the extraneous oil. Serve warm or at room temp, with the sauce spooned over or on the side. Bliss!!!!
Here's some info about kale, then the recipes. Kale's in the Brassica family, which includes cruciferous veggies like cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories, 9% of your calcium minimum daily requirement (MDR), 206% of vitamin A MDR, 134% of vitamin C MDR, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K MDR. It's also a good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Curly kale
Kale's carotenoids and flavonoids are the antioxidants associated with many anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in eye-health-promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.
Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when the kale is cooked instead of raw. The fibrous components of kale do a better job of binding with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. That makes it easier for bile acids to be excreted, resulting in lower cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability--just not as much.
**Anyone taking anticoagulants such as warfarin should avoid kale, because the high level of vitamin K may interfere with the drugs. Consult your doctor if you think this may apply to you before adding kale to your diet.**
Kale may be a powerhouse of nutrients but it also contains oxalates, naturally occuring substances that may interfere with calcium absorption. Hence avoid eating calcium-rich foods like dairy at the same time you eat kale in order to prevent any problems.
Kale is higher in iron than beef--and iron helps with the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes and is essential for liver function and cell growth.
1 bunch kale, tough stems and center ribs removed
1 avocado, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 large apple, cored & chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped
Roll up each kale leaf and slice thinly, crosswise. Add to bowl along with avocado and lemon juice. Using your hands, massage lemon juice & avocado into the kale leaves until kale starts to soften and wilt, and each leaf is coated, ~2-3 min. Mix in garlic, ginger, onion, & apple. Top w/ chopped cashews. Serves 4. (recipe source)
