11 Oct Tomato-Basil Burgers

Paleo Burgers are a favorite in the Kremer household all year round. I came up with this recipe hoping for a slightly different spin on burger night.  It was an instant hit! This recipe may feel like it has a lot going on with the burger patties, toppings, sauce and fries, however its a fun recipe to get the kids involved by having them help with the sauce and toppings.

Ingredients 

Burgers

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbs dried basil or about 1/2 cup fresh
• Optional: about 1/2 cup chopped zucchini (a great way to sneak the veggies in for the kiddos)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt  (optional)

Toppings

• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small white onion, sliced
• 2 small roma tomatoes or 1 medium heirloom, sliced
• Ice burg, butter or romaine lettuce

Sauce

Equal parts mayonaise, mustard of choice and sauerkraut juice (simply pour a little bit of the liquid from your jar of refrigerated kraut). I used about 1 tbs each.

Fries

• About 1/2 butternut squash (the long, thinner part of squash, not the round end)
• 1-2 tsp oil (I prefer coconut)
• Pinch sea salt and granulated garlic

Steps:

1. Run sundried tomatoes, basil, and spinach through food processor to finely shop. Add to burger meat form into burgers and grill for about 5-7 minutes each side.
2. Combine sliced onion and mushrooms in skillet with a small amount of oil and sauté until brown, stirring frequently (about 8 minutes)
3. Slice tomatoes and prepare lettuce leaves to be used in place of buns
4. Combine ingredients for sauce
5. Using lettuce as bun, top with burger patty, tomato, mushrooms and onions and sauce

Butternut Fries

TIP: I usually place my butternut squash in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes when I get it home, then store in fridge for 2-3 days until ready to consume. This makes it much easy to peel and slice when I’m ready to add it to recipes!

1. Slice rounds off of butternut squash, then slice into desired sized fries (I like to do steak fries).
2. Add about 1 tsp oil to frying pan, then add squash fries, top with salt and garlic, and cook on medium heat about 4 minutes per side.
3. Transfer to oven and bake at 375 degrees, about 15 minutes.