Doin' Some Cookin'... Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

I'll never forget the first time I had Greek food. It was a gyro from the mall. I followed my older brother's lead and copied his order. It came with fries and a side of tzatziki sauce for dipping. That sauce was crave worthy and I'd look for excuses to head to the mall just so I could swing over and get that meal. If I wasn't in public I would have licked that sauce cup clean.

I should have learned how to make gyros and tzatziki. I could have saved a lot of money and weight from my hips, waist, thighs, and, and. 

A coworker dropped off a stack of food magazines at my desk one day and that night I took them home and set them on the ottoman to flip through later but Little Man beat me to them. He came across a recipe, ripped it out of the magazine, and requested that we make these Mediterranean Turkey Burgers as soon as possible. I posted the recipe on our family calendar and added the ingredients to our weekly grocery list. 

We made a plan to make these burgers for dinner tonight and I'm sorry I made him wait so long because they are amazing. Of course these burgers aren't authentically Greek but they have a mix of flavors that are quintessentially Greek. Homemade tzatziki sauce adds moisture and tang to these burgers. They are easy to make, incredibly delicious, healthy, and protein packed. I can't wait to make these again. 

Since I finished all my dinner it's now time for dessert and getting cozy on the couch to watch the movie, Get Him To The Greek. See, I told you I'm a sucker for all things "Mediterranean". Ha!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Adapted from: Food Network Magazine July/August 2014

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 (7 oz) container nonfat plain greek yogurt (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup black pepper crumbled feta cheese (about 2 oz)
• 1 cucumber, seeds removed and cubed
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 sesame hamburger buns or potato rolls, split and toasted
• lettuce and tomato slices, for topping, optional
• potato chips, for serving, optional

And Action:

Combine yogurt, feta, cucumber, mint, half of the garlic, few grinds of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.

Combine the turkey, remaining garlic, few grinds of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Form into 4 (4 oz) patties. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add the patties and cook until browned and cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Spread the yogurt sauce on the buns, top with turkey burger, lettuce and tomato, if desired. Serve with potato chips. Enjoy!