Burger Bonanza!

As much fun as my adventures have been, all this travel means I've been getting a little behind on my food blogging. So I thought instead of posting 3 different entries about burgers, I'd post one entry with 3 burgers. Think of it as the perfect reference tool for whenever you're trying to spice up the grill.

For me, summers are almost synonymous with burgers - picnics, bbqs, parties, or a combination of all three. You saw how desperately we sought burgers on vacation, and at home we probably have burgers once a week - which could get old if you aren't creative and versatile. I mix up my meats (beef, turkey, veggie) and toppings so we never really have the same burger twice.

Turkey Burgers are my favorite kind of burger. I don't know why, for some reason I feel like I can play more with turkey burgers - the taste of the turkey doesn't overwhelm the burger the way beef does. And don't worry about it being dry, just slather on my all time favorite burger topping. Ever since my days of making guacamole 8,9,10 times a night I can find uses for it everywhere!

Southwestern Turkey Burger

• 1/2 lb turkey
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 slices swiss cheese
• tomato and onion slices
• guacamole
• 2 burger buns

1. Mix turkey, salt, and pepper, and shape into 2 patties.
2. Preheat grill pan, cook patties 4 minutes per side.
3. Place 1 Tbsp of chilies on top of each patty, cover with a slice of swiss.
4. Dress buns with tomato and onion slices, top with the burgers, and slather with guacamole.

Now that you have that guacamole all made and ready to go, let's put it on a different burger. First, we'll switch out the turkey for a veggie burger. Usually I have to bend and break arms to get Thatboy to eat a veggie burger, but when I load it up with a ton of other stuff, he doesn't even miss the meat. I like to use a really flavorful cheese like cheddar when I have veggie burgers.


Veggie Burger

• 2 veggie burger patties
• 2 burger buns
• 2 slices cheddar cheese
• onion and tomato slices
• lettuce
• guacamole

1. Preheat grill pan over medium high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes on each side.
2. Place slice of cheese on each patty and let them melt 1 minute.
3. Place guacamole on bottom bun, top with lettuce, patty with cheese, tomato, onion, and more guacamole!

I don't see the commercials nearly as often as I used to, but for a while, everytime you blinked your eye, Carls Jr. was advertising for the portobello burger. Now, I'm no stranger to portobello burgers. When we first moved to California I might have ordered one from every restaurant we went to. A throwback to my vegetarian days. But the difference is, the burgers I used to have subbed the mushroom in for the patty. Carl's Jr. provides both the mushroom AND the beef! I thought this sounded like a pretty good idea, so I attempted to try it myself. The result was a two hander that definitely got all over your face.

Portobello Mushroom Burger

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup steak sauce
• 2 medium portobello mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/2 bell pepper, halved
• 2 slices monterey jack cheese
• 2 burger buns
  

1. Mix ground beef and 1/4 cup steak sauce and shape into patties.
2. Heat grill pan over medium high heat. Cook burgers 6 minutes per side, or till cooked through. While burgers are cooking, grill peppers and mushrooms, brushing with steak sauce as they cook.
3. Add cheese slices and let melt for one minute.
4. Place burgers on buns and top each with a quarter of pepper and a portobello mushroom.