Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Anti-Bloat Garlic and Blue Cheese Turkey Burger!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover the joy of garlic oil. Over a year ago I actually made my own garlic oil, but after that I never really thought about it again. I've now gone two years making recipes for which I've had to find substitutes for garlic and onion (are there really any equal substitutes for garlic and onion? Not so much.) I finally got fed up with it and realized that rather than making my own garlic oil, which takes some time, I should buy it at the store.


You see, I can still get the garlic flavor if the garlic has been sitting in the oil and the flavors have been infused into the oil, just as long as I don't eat any of the actual garlic. Garlic contains something called fructans, which are short chains of fructose linked together. Our bodies do not produce the enzyme to break these down, and in some individuals (me!) it can cause upset stomach and bloating (read more about FODMAPs here).


Poor Nick, who used to sweat garlic, now eats most of his meals garlic-free. But alas, we can now both enjoy the taste of garlic!


The Garlic-Loaded, IBS-Friendly Turkey and Blue Cheese Burger

Ingredients
(Makes about 6-7 burgers)

1 pound ground turkey (94% lean)
2 T blue cheese crumbles
1 T garlic oil

Directions

1. Mix everything together in a medium bowl.
2. Form ~6 patties
3. Heat on medium for about 4 minutes on each side (or until cooked all the way through and internal temp. reaches 165)
4. Serve on your favorite bread, with your favorite toppings (**make sure it's gluten-free if you are low FODMAPs)



Both Nick and I agreed that these burgers were fabulous. Both the garlic and the blue cheese flavors came through and neither flavor overpowered the other. It was so nice to finally taste garlic in a burger again!

And what do you do with your leftover turkey burgers? How about add them to pasta sauce! I had some pasta and some pasta sauce, so I crumbled the turkey burgers into the sauce and made a meaty sauce for the pasta. I served the pasta over some vegetables so I could make half of my plate vegetables (yes, I do practice what I preach). Voila! For more tips and ideas on how to use leftovers, checkout Andrea's post.

QUESTION: What would you make with leftover burgers? Have you ever tried garlic oil?

13 comments :

  1. That's so great that you can have garlic oil - now I want to try it and see how it tastes!

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  2. What a great idea---how do I now know about garlic oil?
    I'm definitely looking for this asap.
    I usually use leftover burgers for an omelet or egg add-on the next day.
    MMMM.....turkey burgers :)

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  3. I had totally forgotten about garlic oil! I used to make it, too, years ago! I liked the milder garlic flavor, and I think it would be nice for the toddler.

    The burgers sound great! And I like what you did with the leftovers! Thanks for the shoutout!

    The toddler just asked me yesterday if I could make a "hamburger sandwich" for lunch next week. I think I'll make some burgers over the weekend, including some small, thin ones for sandwiches. We'll see how it goes. I am afraid the idea may sound better than the actual sandwich (especially to the toddler)...

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  4. I've been CRAVING a good burger lately!!! I'm marking this!

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  5. I've never had blue cheese but i really want to break that with these burgers! Garlic oil you say? now that is a neat twist! probably the smartest way to add just a little extra punch to the burger huh!! SO DELICIOUS!

    xoxo <3

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  6. That looks really good! I like to have a left over burger cut up on a green salad. It's so good that way. Never thought to crumble them into a pasts - great idea!

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  7. Hi Gina. Wow...this is one good lookin' burger!!! Love the use of the leftovers too. Have a good Thurs.

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  8. SO exciting!! We love garlic oil!! I usually chop up leftover burgers and use them to make shepherd's pie... Totally psyched about your idea of using them in pasta sauce!! :-)

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  9. I've never bought garlic oil but I do stir fries frying minced garlic first, so I guess I can say that I use it pretty often!
    leftover burger? meat ball? bolognese pasta sauce?

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  10. I am so intrigued by your no garlic/onion situation. I can't believe you can do blue cheese and not garlic. Interesting. These look great. I use leftover turkey burgers over a salad, not to original but makes me happy the next day. My husband hates blue cheese :(

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  11. i HATE blue cheese but i love me some garlic (obvi which i miss like crazy!) i've used garlic olive oil spray on my salads too! and recently deej bought this amazing infused garlic olive oil which i die for but it's just not good if you know whati mean. wahh i need to try this but swip swap anothe rkind of cheese please!

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  12. Egg in a turkey burger is a must...helps keep'em moist! Turkey burgers are hard to make GOOD, that's for sure. They get so dry so easily!

    I love the use of the leftovers!

    Enjoy the wedding this weekend, that'll be fun! :)

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  13. great idea to add the turkey to pasta sauce. love this leftover redo!

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