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Make You Hot Jalapeño Burger

One of the keys to making great extra-lean turkey burgers is to add moisture. Here, I quickly throw some egg substitute and bread crumbs into the turkey. Another key is the extra kick of flavor from the fresh jalapeños.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 tablespoon egg substitute
1 tablespoon plain bread crumbs (whole wheat are great if you can find them)
4 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil spray (from a spray bottle, not a store-bought, prefilled one that contains propellant; I used a Misto)
3/4 ounce very thinly sliced 75% light Cheddar cheese
1 (about 3 1/2-inch-diameter) whole-wheat or whole-grain hamburger bun
1 leaf green lettuce
1 thin, large tomato slice, or a few small slices
6 to 12 thin slices jalapeño chile
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise (no more than 2 g fat per tablespoon; I used Best Foods/Hellmann’s)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat a grill to high heat.

    Step 2

    In a small bowl, mix the egg substitute and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey until the ingredients are well combined. Shape the turkey into a patty about 1/2 inch in diameter larger than the bun. Season with salt and pepper.

    Step 3

    Lightly spray both sides of the patty with olive oil spray. Grill it until no longer pink inside, about 2 minutes per side. During the last minute of cooking, add the cheese to the patty. Also, if desired, toast the bun by placing it, insides face down, on a top grill rack or away from an open flame until just toasted, about 30 seconds.

    Step 4

    Place the bun bottom on a serving plate. Add the lettuce, tomato, then jalapeño slices, followed by the patty. Spread the inside of the bun top evenly with the mayonnaise. Place the bun top on the burger and serve immediately.

  2. nutrition information

    Step 5

    Calories: 333

    Step 6

    Protein: 41g

    Step 7

    Carbohydrates: 30g

    Step 8

    Fat: 7g

    Step 9

    Saturated Fat: 2g

    Step 10

    Cholesterol: 53mg

    Step 11

    Fiber: 4g

    Step 12

    Sodium: 635mg

Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.
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