Guinness Sliders

I, hate beer. I have tried so many times to like it but if I drink I just go straight for the bottle of vodka. Around St. Patty's Day every year though I always buy a bottle or pack of Guinness because it gives such a good flavor to baked goods, burgers, puddings, marinades, you name it. It has such a dark, almost bitter flavor that pairs well with something dark chocolate or mixed in with some whole grain mustard. In this case, it kept these little sliders unbelievably juicy and went along great with the melted cheddar.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (chuck)
2 Tbs. minced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. stone ground mustard
1/4 c. Guinness beer
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
4-5 slices cheddar cheese, cut in quarters
8-10 white dinner rolls (or slider buns), cut in half and toasted on the grill pan

In a medium size bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients together. I know the raw onion looks daunting but I promise, it gets tender during the cooking process.

Form the burger mix into 8-10 small patties. Mine end up being about the size of my palm, because remember, it will shrink substantially while cooking.

Heat two grill pans to medium high heat. Place 4 to 5 mini patties on each grill pan (or take turns and do batches if you need to). Do not mess with them! Let them cook for 4 minutes on the first side. If you keep turning them and messing with them you will get uneven cooking and no grill marks. And do not press down because all of the juice will escape the burgers. Flip them over after the 4 minutes and cook for another 4 minutes. 

Place two (quarter slice) pieces of cheese on top of each  burger and place a lid over to melt the cheese. To assemble, place the patty with melted cheese on the bottom bun. Top with more course ground mustard and a small amount of ketchup and place the lid on top!

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

I am trying to get better with the whole adding personal aspects of my life or little snippets of why I created the recipe to the page but so far I have failed miserably. I will try my best from now on :-).

I love buffalo style everything, minus the fact that 90% of restaurants add bleu cheese, to which I can't stand! So this recipe is a lean version (I always use ground turkey when making burgers at home), of a buffalo style burger, only using a Queso Fresco to get the same crumbling effect, but less of a foot-like cheesy smell.....Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Jennie-O lean ground turkey, 90% fat free
1/2 c. shredded Pepper-Jack cheese
1/4 c. Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. fresh chopped chives
3 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime
Sliced Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
1/2 c. Queso Fresco cheese (or Bleu if you are into that sort of cheese....)
* Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime or Original
4 Foldit, 5 grain Flax, Flatout Bread

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, pepper-jack cheese, Panko, chives and chile n' lime Frank's hot sauce together (I prefer using my hands). Heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Form the ground turkey mixture into four equal size patties, making sure that the center is slightly more thin than the outside so that the turkey will cook more evenly. Place the patties on the prepared grill pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, placing a lid on top while they are cooking. Make sure to check the center of one of the patties if you are unsure if the center is cooked (you do not want to consume raw turkey!). Place a turkey patty on each of the four Flatout 5 grain "hamburger" buns. Top with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, around 1-2 Tbs. of crumbed Queso Fresco, and many dashes more of hot sauce!

(Makes 4 burgers, 9 WW points per burger)

American Turkey Burger Sliders

Who doesn't love bite size hamburgers? My husband and I switched to ground turkey about two years ago now and we will never go back when it comes to burgers at home! I occasionally will eat a normal one out in public, but turkey is my preferred choice for burger making. Add some peppery arugula, some gooey cheese and a slather of BBQ sauce and you've got yourself a great slider!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. Jennie-O Lean ground turkey
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. BBQ sauce (Mad Dog & Merrill) (plus more for tops of bun)
3 slices Kraft Fat Free Singles, Sharp Cheddar
6 Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
Fresh arugula

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs and 1/4 c. BBQ sauce together. Form into 6 small patties, making sure the middle is thin enough to cook evenly. Heat a grill pan (I use my favorite Paula Deen pan) to medium heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Set the 6 mini burgers onto the hot grill pan. Let cook for about 2-3 minutes until the meat caramelizes, then flip over and let cook for a remaining 3-4 minutes. They will cook fast, and make sure you check the middle to make sure they are fully done. They will still have a pinkish red color but only caused by the BBQ sauce. Place a 1/2 slice of the Kraft cheese on top of each burger, place a lid on top until the cheese melts over the sides.

To assemble, spread BBQ sauce on the inside of the top buns. Place the bottom buns on your serving tray and top with a mini burger. To that, add a few pieces of fresh arugula and then the top bun. Stick a skewer through the middle if you want to make them easier to grab (although the cheese sticking to the BBQ sauce on the top bun holds it pretty well).

American Turkey Sliders

 

Ingredients:

1.25 lb. package Jennie-O 93% lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
1/4 c. chives (I use freeze-dried)
4 slices American cheese singles
BBQ sauce of choice
King's Hawaiian Rolls
4 more American cheese singles

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, salt, pepper, 1/4 c. BBQ sauce, and chives together until well combined. Form into approximately 14-16 small patties and set aside. Meanwhile, unwrap the plastic off of the American slices and quarter each square. Then, to each quarter, fold into quarters once more but leave the pieces together so that they form a small stack. Place 1 stack of the American cheese in the middle of each burger patty. Fold the meat over the cheese so that the cheese is fully enclosed.

Heat a large flat skillet on medium heat. Add the patties either in batches or at once depending on the size of the pan. After about 3-4 minutes, flip the burgers over and continue to cook for at least 4 more minutes. Check the insides of one to make sure there is no pink left because the cheese will make the time vary.

Cut the buns in half. On the bottom side of the bun, place a patty. Top with a quarter piece of American cheese. Spread BBQ sauce on the top bun and finish stacking the slider. You could also add onion, pickles, lettuce, and substitute the BBQ sauce with ketchup and mustard. The possibilities are endless. When you cut into these the cheese just oozes out and keeps the sliders very moist.

Southwest Turkey Patty Melt

 

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
Sliced pepper-jack cheese
Sliced tomato
Romaine lettuce, torn
Cilantro
Taco sauce
Bread (I used marble rye)

Heat a large flat skillet at medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the turkey and taco seasoning with hands until fully mixed together. Form into two patties. Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray and add the burgers. Cook for about three minutes on one side and flip, cooking the other side for at least 3 minutes, or until the center of the burger is no longer pink and cooked through. Add a slice of cheese to each burger, and place a lid on top to create steam to melt the cheese onto the patty.

To assemble, place the burger on top of the bottom piece of bread. Add the lettuce, cilantro and tomato. Spread a small amount of taco sauce, or hot sauce if you would prefer, on the other piece of bread. Place on top. Yum!

(Without the bread, the patty and toppings are 6 WW points per serving, which it makes 2 servings. Since I used homemade marble rye bread, each serving would be 10 WW points.)

Taco Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb. Jennie-O ground turkey, lean
3/4 pkg. taco seasoning
1/4 c. mild chunky salsa
1 c. shredded Kraft reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. Picante sauce
1/4 c. cilantro

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Form into 4 patties (in my case, I made two patties out of half of the meat, and used the rest for two different recipes!). Heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Add two burger patties to the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

I served these on toasted white bread, with romaine lettuce and a drizzle of low fat Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. You don't technically need cheese, because there is cheese in the burger.

(Makes 4 burgers, 6 WW points per burger, which doesn't include the bun or dressing)

Turkey Burger Pita Pockets

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
4 wedges Swiss laughing cow
2 pita pockets, cut in half

Mix the ground turkey, pepper and garlic salt together in a small bowl. Form into 2 patties, thinner towards the middle. Heat a grill pan on medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Place the patties on the pan and heat for 2 minutes on that side. Flip the patties over and heat for another 2-3 minutes, until there is no pink left in the center. Remove from the heat and let sit for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, spread a laughing cow wedge on the inside of each Pita half. Line with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Cut each burger in half. Place each burger half into the pita. Add lettuce on top of the patties.

(2 Servings, 2 Pita pockets per serving, 7 WW points)

Asian Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

20 oz. Jennie-o ground turkey, lean
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 Tbs. chives (I used freeze dried)
1 tsp. pepper
4 Laughing Cow Wedges, French Onion
Sesame seeds

Preheat a grill pan to medium heat. Mix all of the ingredients together with your hands and form into four patties. Spray non stick cooking spray on the grill pan and place to burger patties on top. Cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, and flip over and remain cooking for 3-5 minutes more. The turkey will cook pretty fast! Cook the other two, or place between parchment paper and freeze in a Ziplock bag. Spread half of a laughing cow wedge on either side or your bun or breading. Spray the tops of the buns with a light dusting of non stick cooking spray, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

(Makes 4 burgers, 6 WW points each, I used a hamburger bun, which included brought it up to 9 WW points each.)

Sweet Pepper Cheese Turkey Burgers with BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 c. shredded reduced fat mild cheddar cheese
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Jennie-O Turkey burger patties, lean
4 slices white bread, toasted (I used Taystee)
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 c. chredded reduced fat mild cheddar cheese

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1/3 c. shredded cheese, green pepper, Lawry's salt, black pepper, and the lean patties. Using your hands or a fork, mix all of the ingredients together. Form into two patties and set back in the bowl. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. When the pan is hot enough, spray with non stick cooking spray and place your patties. Do not move them around while they are cooking, so that you get the great grill marks. After about 5 minutes, flip the burgers over and continue to cook for about another five minutes, or until the middle is no longer pink and fully cooked. Lay out two pieces of bread and top with 1/4 c. shredded cheese each. Lay your burgers on top of the cheese so that it melts the cheese and gets gooey. Spread about 1/8 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce on the top slice of bread and place on top. (Makes 2 burgers, 9 WW points each.)

Macaroni Turkey Burger

Ingredients:
1 box Kraft macaroni and cheese, spirals (prepared according to directions)
4 Jennie-O Turkey Burger Patties, Lean
Fresh cracked pepper
Garlic salt
12 slices of white bread (I use Taystee)

Heat a grill pan on medium heat, and spray with non stick cooking spray. Lay your four patties out and season with the garlic salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, and as soon as it has great grill marks, flip over to the other side. Season this side also. Continue to cook for 3-5 more minutes, or until the turkey burgers are fully cooked through and there is no pink left. While the burgers are cooking. Toast the bread and set aside. Place each burger on a slice of bread. Top with about 1/2 c. macaroni and cheese, spread out. Top with another slice of bread. When I made these, the burgers were so juicy you don't even need a sauce. If they are too dry for you when you cook them, try adding a hint of BBQ sauce or mustard spread on the bread. (Makes 4 burgers, 9 WW points each.)