5 Spice Turkey Burgers

I love, love love Asian food. I eat sushi, noodles, and squid, and nothing comes between me and a deep fried spring roll. Asian food is very healthy, as long as you don't use too much oil and watch the sodium. I grew up eating stir-fried meat with lots of veggies with sticky white rice nearly every day of my life.

I am trying to cook more Chinese/Asian food. I regret I really don't know too much about it...my mother (bless her heart) wasn't patient enough to show me how she cooked, and all her recipes are in her head. I seriously doubt I will be able to get her to write any of them down for me.

So if you're willing to experiment with me...here's a take on turkey burgers. I realize this isn't Chinese food, but it is Asian inspired. I found the recipe in a light cookbook, and tweaked it because I didn't have the spice they wanted, but 5-spice powder was an excellent substitute. And you can't pour on the peanut sauce--it has calories, so just use a little bit. Instead on one whole egg, I used 1/4 cup fat free egg substitute. I also am using sugar-free, whole wheat hamburger buns to cut back on the carbs and bump up the fiber.

So here's a burger you can eat (David actually ate 2) without feeling guilty.

5 Spice Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup fat free liquid eggs
1/4 dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder (in the spice or Asian section)
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons bottled peanut sauce
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted if desired
2 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, liquid eggs, bread crumbs, and 5-spice powder. Get your hands in there and mix it well; this is no time to be afraid of raw meat!

Oops, wouldn't you know it...I forgot the bread crumbs.

And BTW, the mixture will feel pretty wet until the bread crumbs go it, then the meat will get rather pasty and sticky.

Now divide the meat into 4 equal parts like this. I know Rachel Ray does this...I've been doing it for years. Maybe she got the idea from me, lol--NOT! (Okay, that was bad).
Shape each portion into a nice thick patty. To see how I shape patties using plastic wrap and a peanut butter jar lid, chick here.

Since ground turkey is very low in fat, make sure you oil the grates on your outdoor grill, grill pan, or broiler pan. Our outdoor grill wasn't working right, so David ended up cooking our burgers under the broiler. He said to broil them for about 3-4 minutes per side, and not to cook them beyond medium, or you'll have a dry patty.

Place a few leaves of basil on the bottom bun. Lay a turkey burger on top of the basil, then a spoonful of peanut sauce, and a sprinkling of green onions. Cap the burger with the bun top and serve.

Believe it or not, the basil I bought at the store was fantastic; the leaves were so big,they covered the entire bottom bun!

I hope you enjoy "gobbling" this one down!

God Bless your table tonight!