Monday, December 5, 2011

Turkey Chickpea Burgers



I have officially completed two months of the Livefit program! I'll post progress pictures in a few days. I still have Phase III to complete, but my friend and I decided to put that on hold until January since we'd rather focus on enjoying the holidays. In the meantime we are going to continue eating clean as much as possible, as well as lifting daily to maintain the progress we've made.

It was kind of a hard decision to make, I think both of us felt hesitant to put the brakes on something that we've been working so hard on. However, health and fitness is a lifetime pursuit, and just like life, you have to take things as they come. The holidays only come once a year, and I'd hate to look back on the month and realize that I made myself miserable with stress and withholding when I could have started right where I stopped the very next month. I'm definitely not going to enjoy the holidays as I have in the past (MONTH LONG BINGE, WOO HOO!), but I'm not going to stay home from the holiday festivities because I can't stand the thought of only being able to eat off the veggie tray.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying awesome recipes like this one. Chickpea puree mixed with ground turkey, making a meaty burger with the great flavor of falafel. We ate them with those Roll Up Flatbreads and a side of sweet potato fries. It was a delicious dinner!


Turkey Chickpea Burgers
Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup roughly chopped scallions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 lb ground turkey breast, 99% fat free
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
olive oil cooking spray

Directions

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, scallions, cumin, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse until smooth.

Transfer chickpea mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add turkey and mix by hand until combined.

Divide turkey-chickpea mixture into four equal portions, shaping each into a three-quarter-inch patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat skillet with cooking spray and cook patties for four to six minutes on each side.

We topped it with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, sauteed onions and pickles. YUM!

32 comments:

Erica said...

OMG! Making this tonight! I had ground turkey and didn't know what I wanted to make with it! You rock!

Arlene Delloro said...

This burger sounds like something I'd really enjoy. I'm going to try it soon.

Dining Alone said...

I love falafel, this is a great idea.

Velva said...

I could sink my teeth into this juicy chick pea burger.

Enjoy the holidays. Eat moderately and enjoy the food.

Lara said...

This looks totally amazing to me. I've always enjoyed a good veggie burger more than a beef burger.

Reeni said...

I love chickpea burgers more so than beef. Sounds delicious!

chow and chatter said...

these look amazing you can easily get through the holidays in a healthy way hugs

Barbara said...

Really healthy burger, Teresa! I'd love it....my son is allergic to chickpeas, oddly enough.

Cathy said...

I think you are so wise, Teresa, to ease up a bit and enjoy the holidays. I would have a very tough time getting through December if I was strictly sticking to a diet. This burger looks like a perfect way to treat yourself in a good way.

Mary Bergfeld said...

They look and sound delicious. I think I'd really love these. I'll try them very soon. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Anonymous said...

That looks really good! I found out the hard way not to put ground meat in the food processor when making turkey or chicken burgers - the mixture was just too mushy!

I'll have to put this on my menu!

Pam said...

I think taking a few weeks off won't hurt you & will help you enjoy the holidays.

The turkey chickpea burger looks and sounds wonderful!

Chris said...

Thanks for inspiring me. I had a back injury (minor muscle stuff, not disc) two months ago and haven't gotten back into my routine even though I'm fine now. Need to get busy.

Natalie said...

I've made chickpea burgers and turkey burgers...can't wait to try to combine the two!

Liz said...

This looks fantastic! Clean Eating Magazine never disappoints.

Jessica | Cajunlicious said...

Healthy, delicious, and I love how colorful this is!

Val said...

WHOA.....just look at that pic. MMM

Joanne said...

My strategy for the holidays is going to be to eat clean whenever I'm in control of my food and then to relax (in moderation) at parties so I can enjoy without guilt! These burgers are just the clean delicious eating I'm talking about!

John Aadam said...

Awesome stuff about Turkey Chickpea Burgers
You actually placed right stuff on the table.Great post ... thanks for the info



aunties fry bread

Brownieville Girl said...

It's easy to eat healthily with delicious recipes like this!!

Best of luck with the Christmas eating.

The Blonde Duck said...

I hadn't seen this! I've got a pound of ground turkey to use too!

Unknown said...

This is very delicious food to eat. I really enjoy to eat this food.
r4

Quirky Jessi said...

I think that's a perfectly reasonable outlook on the holidays, health, fitness, etc. It can be hard to find a good balance sometimes and there's no reason to add more stress if you don't have to. :)

And I'm with the others...this looks delicious.

Sophia Lee said...

That's such a gorgeous shot, Teresa! I love the layers of textures and colors in that burger. :-)

The Blonde Duck said...

Happy Wednesday!

Elpiniki said...

What a delicious burger!
Love your blog! Nice finding you! Visit me at: my-greek-cooking.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

yummy, just looking at the photo... I love chickpea is very good source of fiber, folic acid, and manganese.
would love to try this recipe

Julie said...

Just stopping by to say I hope you have a wonderful Christmas weekend :)

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas Teresa! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Shelby said...

Great accomplishment Teresa and kudos to you for the smart holiday food thinking! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

BTW, all I had to read was that it reminded you of falafal and I knew I would try this. I don't know if I can pass it over Grumpy because he "thinks" he hates anything with chickpeas...but I'm going to try! He's being much more cooperative now that he has been diagnosed with Diabetes!

Sookie said...

Love your turkey recipes! I love chickpea so I know I am going to have to try this soon! Happy New Year!

Unknown said...

I'm not sure if I call this a burger but dangit it looks sooo good.