Looking for a healthy burger recipe this Memorial Day? Take a nod from the OnSugar blog Sophie's Sweeties and make these Mediterranean-inspired turkey burgers.
Lighter turkey burgers? Is that an oxymoron? Believe it or not, store bought turkey burgers are not always as lean as they appear. This recipe, however, leaves out all the mystery ingredients and uses only the basics to make a delicious and satisfying turkey burger.
We were mighty surprised Monday to hear that Carl's Jr. and its brother restaurant, Hardee's, were going the healthy route with a new turkey burger under 500 calories — but far less shocked to hear about its commercial campaign featuring a scantily clad Miss Turkey in a bikini. After all, she'd only be following in the footsteps of Paris Hilton, Padma Lakshmi, Audrina Patridge, and Kim Kardashian.
Thankfully, there's no silly statement from Miss Turkey about growing up with fond Carl's Jr. memories. The commercial does have a twist, however: there's even more burger than meets the eye. Check out the spot when you read more.
Hardee's and Carl's Jr. are better known for their This Is Why You're Fat-esque monstrosities, but the chains' parent company, CKE Restaurants, has begun trending the other way. Today, the two chains will become the first fast-food establishments to introduce a turkey burger as a permanent menu item.
Each of the four new Charbroiled Turkey Burgers will clock in at under 500 calories — as opposed to, say, Carl's Jr.'s Double Six Dollar Burger, which tallies up to be 1,522 calories and 110 grams of fat. What's more, the product launch will include a marketing campaign with Men's Health magazine and the bestselling book series Eat This, Not That — as well as advertisements featuring the former Miss Turkey in a bikini.
It would seem there's no such thing as moderation in fast food. These days, it's either all (see: the KFC Double Down and BK Stuffed Steakhouse) or next to nothing (Subway's low-fat egg white breakfast sandwiches). Do you agree?
I've got some big burger fans in my house, so I'm always looking for ways to make them kid-friendly and fun. But I'm not thrilled about serving up plain old fries and hamburgers, so I'm always looking for ways to change things up. Last night, I found just the thing to please my picky crew — a healthy twist on burgers and fries. Instead of red meat, I used ground turkey and added in some shredded zucchini to sneak in more veggies. I baked up some sweet potato fries and used the rest of the zucchini to make veggie chips to serve on the side. I garnished the turkey burger with a slice of cheddar and my son thought his edible owl art was a hoot!
Get the easy recipes and my step-by-step pictures when you read more
In case you haven't noticed, we're going through a burger phase here at YumSugar. For the first 28 years of my life, I was a hot dog girl, but then I got a meat grinder, and all I can think about are burgers! After tackling beef and salmon, I decided it was time to find a great turkey burger recipe. While there's tons of variations out there, there's only one turkey burger that's good enough to serve the First Lady. I'm talking about Spike Mendelsohn's Michelle Melt. 
The Top Chef favorite created this burger at his Good Stuff Eatery in Washington DC in honor of Mrs. Obama. The patty is a mixture of sautéed celery, apple, and onion. Mango chutney and chipotle chiles in adobe make it sweet and spicy. The condiments are classic — lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, and herb mayo — but the resulting burger is far from ordinary. It's juicy and packed with flavor without being overly healthy. In a word this burger is exquisite. You'll love it. Here's Spike's recipe.
It makes me so happy that burgers come in so many varieties now besides straight-up beef. It's not only healthier to enjoy a turkey burger over one made from a cow, but if you're married to your grill in the Summer, it's also less boring to mix it up. We all have our favorites, though, so tell me . . .
