Jen's Greek Turkey Burgers (with Feta Dip Topping)

I really have not been experimenting with new recipes these past two weeks, since we've had sickness sweeping through our house. Also, I am really trying to use some of the stuff we have already on hand. In fact, I didn't even bother to do a menu plan and coordinating grocery list this week. I just went to the store and picked up things that we needed and figured I would just go from there. These burgers were born out of a desire to use up some Feta Dip that I made for a girls' dinner I had with a couple of my friends. The dip recipe made a ton and I didn't want to waste it, so I devised these burgers and just used the dip as a sauce topping. I must say, they were delicious. I steam-microwaved some frozen veggies and we had a very yummy and simple Sunday night meal.

Jen's Greek Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 (1.25 lb.) package of lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of dried minced onions
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup of whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
garlic salt to taste
5 whole wheat English muffins, toasted
sliced English cucumber
sliced tomatoes
fresh red bell pepper, cut into strips
fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup of Feta Dip (see recipe below)
cooking spray

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, garlic powder, minced onions, oregano, dill, thyme, basil, egg, Panko bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form meat mixture into patties.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook patties for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until browned on one side. Before flipping sprinkle a tiny bit of garlic salt on each uncooked patty top. Then flip burgers over to cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

Toast English muffins and top both sides of the bun with a spoonful of the feta dip. On top of the feta dip, top buns with spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, and red pepper strips. Place cooked burger on top of veggies and top with other side of bun. Serve and enjoy!

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Feta Dip
Adapted From: the Aggie's Kitchen website

Ingredients:
8 oz crumbled feta (I used block feta and crumbled it myself)
8 oz low-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of lemon juice (use more if needed)
1 (6 oz.) container of plain non-fat Greek-style yogurt
2 splashes of pepperoncini pepper liquid from the jar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix well until blended together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve as a burger topping, or as a dip with pretzel chips or pita bread.




The Result:
These were really tasty and surprisingly healthy. I really like to use toasted English muffins instead of regular hamburger buns. It is just a more satisfying bread delivery system. I like the dip better as a hamburger spread than a dip, but it was pretty good either way. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!