Gouda Turkey Burgers on Portobello Buns

When I was young I never would have thought a) I'd ever be a huge fan of turkey burgers and b) I would ever steer clear of buns and opt for vegetables instead.  Of course, when I was young I never thought I'd ever love crunchy peanut butter, avocado, artichokes, and....well, the list goes on.  I also never thought I'd be obsessed with taking photos of my food (I wonder what I'll do in the next twenty years that I never would expect at this moment in my life, do you ever think about that?).  I digress....


Let's talk about turkey burgers.  It's difficult to make a good turkey burger. The toughest part for me is cooking them to the appropriate temperature (165 Degrees F) without creating a dry and flavorless burger.  When you cook beef it's generally ok for it to be a little on the rare side (I personally love my beef burgers medium-rare) but with poultry burgers, well...that's another story.  The secret to a juicy turkey burger is to first consider using the broiler or baking in the oven, so they don't get charred on both sides before reaching the appropriate temperature in the center.  Second, add some great mix-ins such as Worchestershire sauce and egg (both are in this recipe) or avocado or ground flax and, and third, use a juicy flavorful "bun" such as; mushrooms.

Gouda Turkey Burgers with Portobello Buns

Serves: 5

Source:  Substitute Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

5 portobello mushrooms **

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pound extra lean ground turkey

1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic **

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce **

3 ounces diced Gouda cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1.  Preheat broiler.  Place the mushrooms on a broiler pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil until just tender, about 3 minutes.  Remove from broiler and set aside.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  In mixing bowl, mix together the turkey, garlic, salt, pepper, egg whites, mustard, and Worchestershire.  Form into 5 patties.  Spray a heavy ovenproof skillet with nonstick spray and heat on medium-high.  Add the patties and sear for 3 minutes on each side until brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (or alternatively, broil the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side, ~4 inches from the broiler).  

3.  While still on the hot skillet top with Gouda and allow to melt by covering the skillet with a lid for about 1-minute (or alternatively, add cheese to the burgers and allow to broil for ~45 seconds). 

4.  To serve, place each mushroom, top side down, on a serving dish.  Top each with a Gouda burger and chow down!

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet omit the fresh garlic and and the flavor back by using garlic-infused olive oil.  Also be aware that there is typically garlic and onion in Worchestershire sauce.  That being said, the small amount in this recipe shouldn't cause any problems.  The portobello buns, however, may cause problems, so you can use a giant piece of zucchini instead (see above), or grilled eggplant or your favorite soft and moist gluten-free bread.  Also, the gouda will have a small amount of lactose, but it shouldn't be enough to cause any side-effects.  The amount used in this recipe is small, but just enough to add some delicious tastes, textures, and aromas.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 burger with "bun"
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 250 calories, good source of calcium and excellent source of protein.

The question is, do you eat these with your hands or a fork and knife? Nick ate his with a fork and knife, I ate mine with my hands.  Imagine juices flowing down my arm as I bit down. That's exactly what happened, but no, I didn't mind.

QUESTION:  Eating mushroom or zucchini "buns" was something I never would have imagined I'd enjoy when I was growing up.  What's something you do now (or eat now), that as a child you never would have imagined you'd be doing (or eating)?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

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