So, on last week’s menu I made Turkey Burgers with leftover turkey. When I originally made the menu, I didn’t take into consideration that the turkey would be pre-cooked. Duh! So when I found the recipe for Jack and Guac Turkey Bacon Burgers, I was picturing everything going per the recipe. Well, when the recipe calls for ground turkey, they were actually meaning UNCOOKED ground turkey. I had a slight predicament. I had a bowl full of leftover turkey and all the fixins for delicous burgers (plus a hungry family anxiously waiting….). So, I did what all moms do. I improvised! I’m not sure what the original recipe would have tasted like, but we were very happy with how these tasted. A must-keep for leftover turkey (or chicken).

I appologise for not having many photos. The family was hungry and I was trying to rush the burgers along. I started by grinding up my turkey in my food processor. I had to do this in a couple different batches because I have a small machine. I ended up grinding up about 1.5# of cooked turkey.

I needed something to bind the meat together, so I added 1/2 cup grated Monterray Jack cheese and 8-10 crushed Triscuits. Now, I had planned on adding an egg to this mixture to hold it all together, but the Hubby had taken the rest of my eggs to school for a science experiement. So there I was, already improvising by using cooked turkey and now I had not eggs. Hmmm… what can I use instead of eggs? And then I remembered one of my little “Dietitian Tips”. I mixed together 2 Tbsp ground flaxmeal with 6 T water and let it works its magic for about 5 minutes. Voila! Instant egg replacer. I mixed the flax mixture with the meat and added chopped onion and in 1/4 cup Turkey Bacon bits. I had enough mixture to make 6 patties.

I have found that when cooking burgers inside, I really love our George Foreman grill. Nothing beats the taste from the outdoor grill, but the Foreman is much quicker and easier than a skillet or the oven. I especially love it for cooking our black bean burgers and because of the loose texture of these burgers, I figured that the Foreman would help the “smush” the patties into place. The burgers were grilled for around 10 minutes (until they were crispy on the outside).

While they were grilling, I decied that instead of making up guacamole, I would make up the slaw from my fish tacos (I still had a bit of leftover cabbage) and throw the avocados on top. After the burgers were done, I sliced up some ciabatta rolls and layered the burger, then slaw then avocados. YUM, YUM, YUM!!

Turkey Bacon Burger with Avocado Slaw

Turkey Bacon Burgers with Avocado Slaw
All you need:
1.5# cooked turkey, ground coarsely
1/2 cup shredded Monterray Jack cheese
8-10 crushed Triscuits (your choice of flavor)
2 eggs OR 2T flaxmeal mixed with 6 T water
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup turkey bacon bits
6 ciabatta rolls
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
Lime Coleslaw Recipe

All you do:
1. Combine turkey, cheese, crackers, eggs (or flax), onions and bacon. Form into 6 patties. Cook for 10 minutes on an indoor grill (or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees).
2. While the burgers cook, prepare the coleslaw.
3. Slice open ciabatta rolls. Put 1 cooked patty on the roll. Top with slaw and avocado.