Recipe: Better Burgers for Your Grill - Veggie Burger Cooking Tips, Turkey Burgers (using stuffing mix) and Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

BETTER BURGERS FOR YOUR GRILL
Source: the American Institute for Cancer Research

Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the summer season for many families, and that means cleaning up the grill and fixing burgers. Since a typical cheeseburger can contain 30 grams of fat or more, health-conscious backyard cooks will want to find ways to reinvent a burger with a lot less fat and a lot more nutrition.

Veggie burgers are a popular alternative to hamburgers. You'll find them everywhere from the trendiest restaurants to some major-league ballparks. The average vegetarian burger contains little fat, no cholesterol and substantial fiber. Some varieties are made from vegetables such as mushrooms and onions, and others use grains (such as brown rice or rolled oats), beans, and soy products.

With recent improvements in taste, burgers made with soy can taste remarkably like beef. Be sure to check the nutrition label before you buy, and choose veggie burgers with five grams or less of fat per patty. Most veggie patties are pre-cooked and just need to be lightly reheated. Overcooking can make them tough and dry, so keep them moist by brushing the patties with barbecue sauce before cooking. Fully or partially thawing the patties before grilling will also improve their texture and flavor.

Turkey and chicken burgers are more traditional lower-fat alternatives to beef. A three-ounce serving of ground turkey breast (no skin) contains a mere three grams of fat and ground chicken breast (no skin) has only two grams. Ask your butcher to grind these for you since most pre-prepared ground turkey and chicken includes both white and fattier dark meat. With so much less fat, chicken and turkey burgers should be cooked differently than ground beef. Because ground chicken and turkey breast are so lean, they can clump together and dry out on the grill. Therefore, it's essential to mix in ingredients, such as egg or yogurt, to keep the meat moist and tender.

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TURKEY BURGERS

1/3 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1 egg
3/4 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. of ground turkey
burger bun
cranberry-orange relish

For tender, delicious turkey burgers, beat together yogurt and egg. Add stuffing mix and let stand five minutes or until moistened.

Then stir in the onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Add this to the ground turkey and gently mix.

Form into six patties and grill.

Serve on a bun with a cranberry-orange relish.

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MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY BURGERS

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers offer vitamin-packed spinach and zesty onions right in the meat. On a fiber-rich whole wheat bun with some fruit for dessert, they're the perfect example of "enlightened" picnic fare.

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/3 cup chopped onion
6 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers
4 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 oz. slices

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine turkey, bread crumbs, spinach, onion, 4 Tbsp. mustard, and salt. Shape mixture into 4 patties. Chill 30 minutes.

Grill burgers over medium heat for 8-10 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Top each burger with 1 1/2 tsp. mustard, 1 Tbsp. red peppers and 1 slice of cheese. Cover grill; cook until cheese is melted.

Serve on rolls if desired