Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by misocrazy

I used to order teriyaki burgers all the time at the Wood Center Cafe on my college campus. I loved them. I loved the tangy pineapple and the burger cooked in that teriyaki sauce. Before then, I'd never had any kind of burger other than a plain one, perhaps topped with a slice of American cheese. It was like heaven in my mouth.

About 5 years ago, I came across a recipe to make teriyaki burgers at home. I clipped it, stuffed it in my giant stash of must-try meals, and promptly forgot about it. Last week, however, as I was perusing through the giant stash, I found it and decided to give it a try.

It was delicious! I felt like I was right back at the Wood Center, enjoying every morsel of that burger. Well, except for the fact that this burger was made from turkey, I didn't use a bun, and it didn't come with any greasy fries. Even then, however, it was still wonderful! The only things I changed about the recipe were whipping up some homemade teriyaki sauce and making my own bread crumbs.

I made these on our stovetop, but they would be fabulous on the grill. Also, as noted above, we ate them without buns, but you could also use Ezekiel buns, whole wheat bread, or romaine lettuce leaves for a bun if you don't want to eat them plain.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
adapted from Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup homemade bread crumbs (see below)
3 green onions, chopped
4 Tbsp. homemade teriyaki sauce, divided (see below)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 pound ground turkey
sliced pineapple (4 slices)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the pineapple (use only 2 Tbsp. of the teriyaki sauce). Form the mixture into 4 patties and place them on a greased griddle or grill rack sprayed with olive oil. As the burgers cook, brush them with additional teriyaki sauce. Brush the pineapple slices with teriyaki sauce as well, and grill them for just a couple of minutes, then place the pineapple slices on top of the burgers and serve.

You'll notice in the above picture that the photographer has also added sour cream and carmelized onions. You can certainlyadd whatever ingredients you want to add, but personally, I like them just like they are!

Bread Crumbs:
To make your own fine bread crumbs, toast 1-2 slices of Ezekiel bread, then toss the slices in the food processor with the "S" blade and run until the bread becomes fine crumbs.

Teriyaki Sauce:
Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food
(Note: This will make more sauce than you need. Refrigerate the leftovers and use them to add flavor to stir fry vegetables, or for whatever else suits your fancy.)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup tamari
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger, or 1-2 tsp. ginger powder
2 Tbsp. honey

Directions:
Combine the ingredients and simmer for a few minutes in a saucepan.