Stuffed Turkey Burgers

We all have a perfectionist inside of us.

Before all of you laid-back people start to disagree with me, I want you to think for a minute: there is some aspect of your life in which you demand perfection.

Maybe you insist on making the bed because your spouse doesn't tuck in the sheets right.  Perhaps you dry clean everything because even after years of practicing, your ironing is sub-par.  Maybe some of you set your alarm earlier than necessary because you need to make your make-up and/or hair just right.

Some of us are more in-tune with our inner type A personality--and I happen to be one of them.  The husband--not so much.

Today, we both realized his "baby" that he won't trust to anyone:

burgers.

As I begin to get out the ingredients for today's burgers, I notice he's hovering more than usual.   "Do you need something?"

"No."

"Okay, well I need to get started on the burgers."

I chop the peppers, grate the cheese...and see he's still standing there.  Hmm.  This is unusual.  Then, it hits me.

"Would you like to make the burgers?"

He smiles and nods, sheepishly.  The inner control freak is screaming inside of me, "I need to make these burgers! It's my blog!"  But...the key to marriage is compromise, and let's face it--the husband doesn't make requests too often.

I concede.

I will now chronicle his steps in the kitchen to create Ellie Krieger's stuffed turkey burgers.

**Note: I'm not a completely insensitive wife.  Every time a recipe requires grilling, I happily allow him to do it.  In our house, he's King of the Grill, and I like it that way.  So of course he was going to cook the burgers--I mean, I'm not trying to strip his manhood away or anything.

Step 1: Chop peppers, grate cheese, and form 8 patties.

Step 2: Top 4 patties with cheese and peppers; top with a "clean" piece.  Seal two patties together and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

**Note: we added our favorite seasoning for burgers: Susie Q's Santa Maria seasoning.  It's basically a slightly fancier garlic salt.

Step 3: Grill to perfection.

I don't know your take on turkey burgers, but here's mine in a nutshell:
Turkey burgers are nowhere as amazing as beef burgers.

There, I said it.  I know, I know--red meat is so much higher in fat and cholesterol, and I generally try to limit my intake...but so far, turkey burgers have been a sad substitute for the 'real thing.'

Until today.

I officially have faith in Ellie Krieger after today's meal.  I'm sure there will be ups and downs, as with any relationship--but today's burgers were so good that I now eagerly anticipate the next month of cooking with her recipes.  Because yes, as previously mentioned--I am type A and already have my next 4 weeks of meals planned out.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Pros:
*quick and easy
*delicious!
*kid friendly--I think
*satisfying and low-calorie
*the anal burger-person in your life will probably volunteer to make dinner

Cons:
*Husband says using previously frozen ground turkey would be tough to work with--so make sure you use fresh.  (Not a huge "con" in my book...but worth noting)

Go buy fresh ground turkey today--you won't be disappointed!

Here's the recipe, which is from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life



Nutritional Info: (per burger patty)

Calories: 256

Total Fat: 7g

Cholesterol 56g

Sodium 630mg

Protein 43mg

Carbohydrates 5g

Fiber 0g

Cowboy Steak with Coffee and Chili Rub

We don't drink coffee. We don't have a coffee maker in our house. I only go to Starbucks if I'm at an airport (mmm, oatmeal) or meeting friends who drink coffee.

I don't have a problem with coffee--I just don't like it.  I will be honest--part of me is scared of becoming addicted to caffeine.  Growing up, my dad required 2 cups of coffee each morning--and I mean required.  To this day, if he's a super grumpy bear in the morning, one of us reminds him to drink his "medicine." 

Naturally, we don't keep any coffee in the house--why would we?  Sure, there have been times where I'm tempted to buy it for a recipe (Cooking Light's "mocha fudge brownies", for example) but my thrifty side always talks the foodie side of me out of it...or it did, until yesterday.

When life is going as planned, I sit down for an hour and plan my meals for the next 2 weeks.  As I flipped through Ellie's cookbook, I noticed a recipe that used one of my favorite words in the title: RUB.  Now, I love to cook--and when I have nothing on my agenda, I'll happily spend hours in the kitchen preparing dinners and desserts for anyone/everyone.  However, I'm a sucker for quick and easy recipes because 85% of the time, dinner needs to be on the table ASAP.  Due to this, my go-to quick homemade recipes are rubs.  Dump a couple of spices in a bowl, rub it on some meat, slap it on the grill--and DONE!  When I came across this recipe in Ellie's The Food You Crave, I was instantly intrigued-and apprehensive.  Let's look at the title: COWBOY STEAK WITH COFFEE AND CHILI RUB--and I'll share my thoughts with you.

         *Cowboy: I live in Texas now--why not?

         *Steak: I like steak!

         *Coffee: hmm...husband hates coffee...this could be a deal breaker

         *Chili: YUM. We love ALL FORMS of chili...and this recipe calls for Ancho Chili Powder, which I have in my cupboard and only use for one specific recipe...

        *Rub: quick and easy!

The ancho chili powder is what sold me--but I still had reservations about the coffee. I went onto Food Network's website and read a few of the reviews for this recipe.  It either received raves or "yuck, the coffee was way strong."  Not helpful.  Several mentioned that they cut the coffee in half based on previous reviews (that I wasn't motivated enough to read)...so that's what I decided to do.

Here's how my night went:

         *5:15--mix rub, cut fat off steak

         *5:20--grill steak

                     make mashed potatoes

         *5:45--eat dinner

Here's the beauty of this recipe--it was ready in 15 minutes; we were waiting on the mashed potatoes (also an Ellie recipe) before we sat down.  I was pleased to see that within 25 minutes I could have my entire dinner on the table: steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, cantaloupe (and garlic bread for the husband).  Not bad!

Was this the best steak I've ever had in my life? No. It was good--but I've had better.  However, as far as "bang for your buck" is concerned--I mean, it took 15 minutes from start to finish--it was pretty darn good.

Pros:

         *Quick and easy!

         *inexpensive ingredients (minus steak)

         *non-perishable ingredients--should all be in pantry

         *minimal clean up

         *plenty of time to make the rest of dinner while it's grilling

Cons:

         *steak doesn't reheat well the next day

         *steak is more expensive than chicken

**Notes: 

• We grilled rather than cook on the stovetop
• I used coffee instead of espresso, and only half the amount (I wasn't willing to shell out the money for espresso, seeing as it's going to sit in my pantry for a while)
• I don't know my steaks. I bought what was on sale at the grocery store that had sirloin in the title--because I know sirloin is a leaner cut of meat--but perhaps my overall calorie count is slightly higher. 
• Several Food Network reviewers recommended adding garlic salt/garlic powder to the rub, so we tried it with half of the rub.  We preferred the original recipe, even though we love garlic.

Cowboy Steak with Coffee and Chili Rub

The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life

Ellie Krieger All rights reserved

Prep Time:
  5 min

Inactive Prep Time:
  5 min

Cook Time:
  14 min

Level:
  Easy

Serves:
  4 servings

Ingredients

    * 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder, or other chili powder

    * 1 1/2 teaspoons fine ground espresso coffee

    * 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

    * 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

    * 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

    * 1/4 teaspoon salt

    * 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    * 1 1/4 pound shoulder center steak (Ranch Steak), or top sirloin, about 1 1/4-inch thick

Directions

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat it over medium-high heat. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the rub and coat the steak well on both sides. Cook steak for 14 minutes, turning once, for medium to medium-rare. Allow steak to sit for 5 minutes before slicing.