Soprano Chef

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Tuscan Turkey Burgers
INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup (50 mL) Italian salad dressing
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb (500 g) 93% lean ground turkey
8 oz (250 g) hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup (50 mL) finely chopped fresh basil, divided
1 focaccia bread round (about 12 oz/350 g)
Pesto Mayonnaise (optional, see Cook's Tip)
1 medium plum tomato, sliced
DIRECTIONS
1
Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Combine bread crumbs, dressing and garlic pressed with Garlic Press in Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl. Add turkey, sausage and half of the basil. Mix gently but thoroughly with Mix 'N Scraper®.

2
Form mixture into four round patties, about 1 in. (2.5 cm) thick. Grill, covered, 5 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn burgers over using BBQ Turner; grill 5-7 minutes or until centers of burgers are no longer pink and Digital Pocket Thermometer registers 165ºF (74ºC). Remove burgers from grill.

3
Meanwhile, cut focaccia bread in half horizontally with Bread Knife. Place, cut side down, onto grid of grill. Grill 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Remove from grill and cut into quarters. Spread with Pesto Mayonnaise, if desired. Serve burgers in focaccia. Top with remaining basil and tomato slices.

Yield:

4 burgers,
4 servings of 1 burger

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 540, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 100 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Protein 38 g, Sodium 1210 mg, Fiber 2 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving:

3 1/2 starch, 4 medium-fat meat, 1 fat (3 1/2 carb)

Cook's Tips:

Prevent tough burgers by mixing the ingredients just until they are combined. Break up the sausage over the turkey so that it combines quickly without over-mixing.

For Pesto Mayonnaise, combine 2 tbsp (30 mL) mayonnaise and 1 tbsp (15 mL) prepared basil pesto.

Soaking the bread crumbs in salad dressing tenderizes the burgers.

Placing your formed burger patties onto squares of foil makes it easy to transfer them to the grill. Carefully invert the patty onto the grid of the grill and peel off foil.

Bacon Egg Cups

*Makes 12 cups*
12 slices bacon
8 eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whip the eggs, salt, pepper and cheese with a fork.
Spray non stick spray in 12 muffin tins.
Wrap each piece of bacon inside the sides of each muffin cup.
Fill each bacon lined muffin cup 3/4 of the way with the egg mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg cups are golden brown and don’t jiggle.
Use a knife to scoop them out of the tins.
Serve immediately.
Note: If you prefer crispier bacon, partially pre-cook the bacon and then line the muffin tins.

Zucchini is best eaten while it is still small. If you've accidentally grown your zucchini to baseball-bat sized, go ahead and shred it and sneak it into your baked goods, pancakes, spaghetti sauces, quiches, etc.

A compound butter is a simple way to dress up your food. Compound butter is nothing more than flavored butter, and it's easy to do. I put slices of cold butter in my Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor along with any seasonings of choice. Will probably make some raspberry butter for spreading on bread in the mornings, and I made a delicious Mole' and Sweet Onion butter that I put on our smoked pork from yesterday. Try some with lemon zest, juice, and herbs for topping grilled salmon or a chipotle lime for a steak. It's simple and delicious.

Use the Creative Cutters from The Pampered Chef (aka: me) to make the heart and star shapes. You can also cut a shape out of a piece of wheat and a piece of white bread and reinsert the shape into the opposite kind of bread to make a cute sandwich for your kids. Also a great way to use that crusty end of the bread that most kids don't like. Just cut a shape out, and re-insert after flipping it over.