It's burger season. And I've got a delicious, juicy, lean and healthy burger recipe for ya that'd be PERFECT for a backyard BBQ. Especially for the upcoming 4th of July holiday!
Burgers, hot dogs, fresh fruits, cool cocktails, iced teas...all of these come to my mind when thinking about summertime eats and drinks.
It's not uncommon for my parents and I to throw together some burgers during the summer for our dinner if we're just not really feeling like planning any sort of elaborate meal. They're simple, inexpensive, and we can make extra to have as leftovers. I grew up on homemade venison burgers with occasional homemade beef burgers as well.
I used to eat beef burgers as a kid, but these days I much prefer to stay away from beef as often as I can for health and personal reasons. That being said, I DO enjoy a great meat burger. You won't find this girl giving up her meat burgers for veggie burgers all the time! Not that there's anything wrong with veggie burgers, of course. I do enjoy a great homemade veggie burger occasionally, but when I'm craving a classic, meaty, summertime burger....I just gotta have it!
It's not uncommon for my parents and I to throw together some burgers during the summer for our dinner if we're just not really feeling like planning any sort of elaborate meal. They're simple, inexpensive, and we can make extra to have as leftovers. I grew up on homemade venison burgers with occasional homemade beef burgers as well.
I used to eat beef burgers as a kid, but these days I much prefer to stay away from beef as often as I can for health and personal reasons. That being said, I DO enjoy a great meat burger. You won't find this girl giving up her meat burgers for veggie burgers all the time! Not that there's anything wrong with veggie burgers, of course. I do enjoy a great homemade veggie burger occasionally, but when I'm craving a classic, meaty, summertime burger....I just gotta have it!
My two favorite meat burgers of all time are venison or bison.
Often times, I opt for venison burgers at my household. My father is an outdoorsman and our freezers are stocked with venison most of the year. Plus, I just love the taste of a great deer burger! All you haters out there can hate, thinking "awww, but you're eating Bambi....". That's fine. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But this is my food blog, I'm an Arkansas girl, and I enjoy a great venison burger and, dangit, I'm going to admit it proudly.
This pretty much sums up my face when I find out we're having venison burgers.
Often times, I opt for venison burgers at my household. My father is an outdoorsman and our freezers are stocked with venison most of the year. Plus, I just love the taste of a great deer burger! All you haters out there can hate, thinking "awww, but you're eating Bambi....". That's fine. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But this is my food blog, I'm an Arkansas girl, and I enjoy a great venison burger and, dangit, I'm going to admit it proudly.
This pretty much sums up my face when I find out we're having venison burgers.
Likewise, this sums up my face when I see a restaurant offering a bison burger on their menu.
So yes, I'd choose venison or bison burgers over any other meat any day. But I digress....because these blueberry burgers are actually turkey burgers!
I was actually impressed by these turkey burgers! Ground turkey, from my own experience working with it, is notorious for being pretty dry and can easily turn tasteless if not cooked properly. And who wants a dry, tasteless burger? No sir. That's where the blueberries come in. They provide extra juiciness and moistness in addition to their great flavor and healthy nutritional punch. Blueberries are nutritional greats in the fruit world.
I was actually impressed by these turkey burgers! Ground turkey, from my own experience working with it, is notorious for being pretty dry and can easily turn tasteless if not cooked properly. And who wants a dry, tasteless burger? No sir. That's where the blueberries come in. They provide extra juiciness and moistness in addition to their great flavor and healthy nutritional punch. Blueberries are nutritional greats in the fruit world.
I got this idea from a recent recipe posted on the Arkansas Women Bloggers website. Janeal posted a simple and tasty recipe for a blueberry burger that you can find here:
Blueberry Burger (Foodie Friday)
Blueberry Burger (Foodie Friday)
While I was inspired by Janeal's recipe, I wanted to switch up the meat and seasonings to create my own version of this nifty burger. The end result was something to be remembered and I will definitely be working more with it in the future. Next time, I'm trying it with venison burgers!
Blueberry Turkey Burgers
Serves: 4 (makes 4 good-sized burger patties)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey (or other lean meat)
3/4 cup bluberries, roughly mashed
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
Directions:
Roughly mash the blueberries in a large bowl. Add the ground turkey and spices. Mix all together until everything is well incorporated. Go ahead and use your hands to mix. It's easiest and adds more love to the whole preparation/cooking process.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey (or other lean meat)
3/4 cup bluberries, roughly mashed
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
Directions:
Roughly mash the blueberries in a large bowl. Add the ground turkey and spices. Mix all together until everything is well incorporated. Go ahead and use your hands to mix. It's easiest and adds more love to the whole preparation/cooking process.
Separate the ground mixture into four equal size sections. Form each section into a patty using your hand. Put an indentation into the center of each patty.
Grill over medium heat (whether this is an outdoor grill or indoor grill, that's completely up to you) until meat reaches temp. of 160 degrees in center. For safety's sake.
And now you have a lean, delicious, juicy burger perfect for any summertime meal.
We savored these blueberry burgers alongside some steamed broccoli and baked sweet potato fries. So YUM!!!
Healthy Recipe Tidbits
- I used ground turkey for this recipe to decrease the amount of saturated fat you would typically find in ground beef. Other great choices of meat would be chicken, bison, or venison.
- Turmeric is a wonderful spice because it's filled with many great nutritional benefits. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory spice shown to aid in helping to reduce chronic joint pain especially. It's one of the best, most easily attainable natural pain relievers you can find to add into your foods.
- Blueberries have been recently shown to be excellent brain food! Some studies suggest they may help reverse age-related memory loss thanks to their abundance of antioxidants called flavonoids.
- Blueberries, eaten on a regular basis, can also reduce your risk for heart attacks.They contain high levels of compounds that may help widen arteries, which causes the buildup that generally leads to heart attacks.
Have you ever eaten a burger with a strange ingredient or topping?
What are you most looking forward to cooking up and/or eating for a summertime BBQ or event?
What are you most looking forward to cooking up and/or eating for a summertime BBQ or event?
