Build-a-burger

It is nursing school graduation week!  I have never felt more relieved in my life.  I feel like the next couple months are going to be fulll to the max of celebrations. Graduation parties, memorial day, birthday parties, and just your average nice weather picnics.  What comes along with celebrations?? Food, food, beer, food, margaritas, and more food.  Picnic food is always the best/worst.  Worst because its mostly carbs.  Buns for the hot dogs/burgers, fruit salad, potato salad, pasta salad ( you know, every kind of salad, EXCEPT just a veggie salad), deserts, and so on.  I decided to dedicate the next few posts to "paleo party" recipe ideas.

The only purpose a hamburger bun has is to be able to eat with your hands.  Well, ditch the bun and eat with a friggin fork and knife.  Other than holding the burger together the only thing it will add is lb's to your problem areas.  Maybe the bun makes us feel a little more satisfied after eating a burger, because at the usual picnic most of the time the only toppings available are ketchup, lettuce, and tomato.  So why not make a "burger bar" at your next picnic!  Find tons of yummy toppings to give your guests more options for their burgers, leaving them satisfied even without a bun! Lettuce, tomato, onions, salsa ( check out my last post for mango salsa recipe), sauteed mushrooms, avacado, spinach, pesto ( I have a Kale Pesto recipe posted also), sweet potato chips ( yum I just thought of this right now, will have to make these next time), or anything else you can think of!  Maybe have a package of buns available for your non-paleo friends who may think the only thing more evil then Bin Laden is a burger without a bun.

I didn't have myself a little picnic tonight, but I made turkey burgers from the new recipe book i purchased and had a friend over for dinner, so I made a mini " build-a-burger" station in my kitchen.

Turkey Burgers:
- 1 lb ground turkey breast
-1 egg
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 a small shallot, minced
- 1/2 clove garlic minced ( i know this sounds silly, but it was a HUGE garlic clove-- but for garlic lovers add as much as you'd like)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch celtic sea salt

My toppings:
- one avacado-cut into chunks
- 1 tomato sliced
- lettuce
- one package of white mushrooms- sauteed with a couple tbs olive oil and 2 tbsp of red wine- you can leave the wine out if you want.

1.  Preheat oven to broil
2. combine turkey, egg, shallot, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and salt.  Mix well and shape into patties- this made 5 burgers.

3. place on sprayed cookie sheet and put in oven and broil for 4-5 mins on each side.-- You could also grill these if you wanted .
4. set up your burger bar, simple as that! 

Enjoy!
~Nicki "Clean Eats" Peet ~