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California turkey burgers with cucumber-mint salad and avocado

Paleo-Friendly, Dairy-Free

4 Servings, 640 Calories/Serving

25 – 35 Minutes

Lean ground turkey burgers get a mild kick from mayo spiked with (optional) sambal oelek chile paste and a tangy boost from lime and cilantro.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 or 2 shallots
  • 2 limes
  • 3 or 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 or 3 red radishes
  • 3 or 4 sprigs fresh mint
  • ¼ cup paleo mayo
  • 1½ teaspoons sambal oelek (optional)
  • 2 or 3 Roma tomatoes (about ½ pound total)
  • 2 avocados
  • 1 head butter lettuce
  • 4 whole wheat buns*
  • *Not paleo; omit for a paleo-strict version.

Ingredient IQ

It’s true, there’s no butter in butter lettuce. The leaf lettuce is said to have earned its name because of its buttery-soft texture. It’s also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce, the latter named for John Bibb, an amateur horticulturist who cultivated a variety in the mid-19th century.

Instructions

1

Prep the turkey burgers

  • Cut a small corner from the ground turkey packaging and drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel.
  • Peel and finely chop enough shallots to measure ½ cup.
  • Zest the limes.
  • Juice the limes. Set aside the juice for the cucumber-mint salad.
  • Coarsely chop the cilantro.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, shallots, lime zest, and cilantro. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix gently until just combined. Using wet hands, form the mixture into four ½-inch-thick patties.

2

Cook the burgers

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan.
While the burgers cook, prepare the rest of the meal.

3

Make the cucumber-mint salad

  • Peel the cucumber, if desired, and trim off the ends; cut the cucumber on the diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices.
  • Trim the ends from the radishes; thinly slice the radishes.
  • Strip the mint leaves from their stems; coarsely tear the leaves.
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, radishes, mint, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.

4

Prep the toppings and lettuce; toast the buns

  • In a small bowl, stir together the mayo and as much sambal oelek as you like.
  • Cut away the cores from the tomatoes; thinly slice the tomatoes.
  • Cut the avocados in half. Remove the pits, scoop out the flesh, and cut the flesh into ¼-inch-thick slices.
  • Trim the root end from the butter lettuce; separate as many larger leaves as desired (paleo-strict diners can build their burgers on lettuce leaves instead of buns).
In the same pan used for the burgers, place the buns, cut sides down, and cook over medium-high heat until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

5

Serve

Set out the burgers, buns, lettuce, mayo, tomatoes, and avocados and invite everyone to assemble their own burgers. Serve with the cucumber-mint salad.

Kids Can!

  • Juice the limes.
  • Strip and tear the mint leaves.
  • Toss the cucumber-mint salad.
  • Stir together the mayo and sambal oelek, if using.
  • Separate the lettuce leaves.

Nutrition per serving: Protein: 25g (50% DV), Fiber: 6g (24% DV), Total Fat: 44g (68% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 21g (105% DV), Cholesterol: 100mg (33% DV), Sodium: 510mg (21% DV), Carbohydrates: 31g (10% DV), Total Sugars: 7g, Added Sugars (Trace amounts of sugar in hamburger bun): 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Contains: Soy, wheat (both in the optional buns), eggs (in buns and mayo).

Paleo-strict nutrition per serving: Calories: 510, Protein: 25g (50% DV), Fiber: 3g (12% DV), Total Fat: 42g (65% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 20g (100% DV), Cholesterol: 100mg (33% DV), Sodium: 320mg (13% DV), Carbohydrates: 9g (3% DV), Total Sugars: 5g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Contains: Eggs (in mayo).

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