Take a break from red meat burgers and dive into these flavorful Gluten Free Cilantro Ginger Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayo.
I tend to have really weird pet names or “terms of endearment” for my kids. Usually I end up calling them an array of insults that really are meant to be cute and loving. Some of my favorite are: stink face, poopers, stinker, sassy pants, stinky winky, and plain old turkey. Sometimes “turkey” gets extended into “turkey toots” if I’m in a really good mood.
Doesn’t turkey just perfectly describe children though??? I mean, how can it not be a nickname when turkeys are such an accurate representation of children and their behaviors.
Let’s see:
- They run around like wild.
- They never stop making noise.
- They have absolutely no focus.
- They expect you to feed them all of the time.
- AND they make holidays even better; turkeys because you eat them and children because they’re delicious too. Okay, not really. They just bring extra happiness and excitement to any holiday.
I traded in my own two turkeys for two other turkeys today; children, to clarify. I do not live on a farm, although sometimes I feel like I do. While Braelyn and Emry were at school, I babysat two other children today. Not only did I have two kids that weren’t mine, but they were toddlers for goodness sakes. I forget what it’s like at that stage.
Although I survived the morning quite successfully, there were a few funny lessons to be learned.
- Even though I tackled grocery shopping in record time, I quickly realized that with two children in the cart, there is absolutely no room for groceries.
- In order to distract the little boy from missing his mommy, I bought him a balloon and let him wack me on the head with it. Teaching a 2 year old to whack you on the head is not a good idea, unless you plan on repeatedly playing this same game for the remainder of your shopping trip.
- It is completely impossible to shield your nakedness from two toddlers while trying to take a shower.
- If it is ever too quiet, or you have been left alone for more than 5 minutes, odds are something is being destroyed. In my case, the little rascals took every drawer (about 20 of them) out of Ben’s dresser in his office. Luckily the dresser was just for looks and not practicality. There was nothing in the said drawers, thank goodness.
- Toddlers are completely capable of random emotional meltdowns, with absolutely no cause. The little girl cried in hysterics for about 5 minutes with no rhyme or reason, and as quickly as she began, she all of the sudden stopped. I still have no idea what happened. Does that make me a bad babysitter???
- Last but not least, babies/toddlers WILL poop at the babysitter’s. It doesn’t matter what their “normal poop schedule” is…pooping will occur on your watch.
And thus I repeat, kids are turkeys. Turkeys indeed.
But if you want to enjoy a real live turkey, like the ones that “gobble gobble” and then you “gobble gobble” them up, I suggest you find time to make these Gluten Free Cilantro Ginger Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayo. Even though they are crazy good, they won’t make you quite as crazy as a couple of crazy kiddos will.
These burgers are so full of flavor, you won’t even miss the red meat in them. You know how guys complain that a real man eats red meat??? Well, these burgers will leave every macho man eating those words.
The patties themselves are packed with onions and mushrooms and garlic and cilantro, and then you top that juicy patty with the most delicious sriracha mayo. Plus, you can add a variety of toppings like pepper jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, fresh cilantro, avocados or guacamole, cucumbers, shredded carrots, tomatoes, grilled pineapple, and even a bit of teriyaki sauce to compliment the flavor of the cilantro.
Wow, that’s a long old list of toppings right there. I’ve come to realize that I’m quite the flavor/texture combo kind of gal. Ben laughs at me when I make soup for dinner because there are usually twice the amount of toppings in the bowl than actual soup. And whenever I make sandwiches, or burgers in this case, they end up being so tall that you can’t even open your mouth wide enough to take a bite. That’s a successful burger in my book!
But for picture purposes, and to focus on the patty and the sauce, I opted to keep the toppings minimal. I only wish I was talented enough to capture that pepper jack cheese all melty under the patty. Eh, you live and you learn, right?
These patties reheat nicely for a quick leftover meal as well. I learned that because I was the lucky duck that got to eat another one of these burgers the following day. Besides the outside of the meat not being quite so crispy after having just come off the cast iron skillet the first day, I could hardly tell a difference a day later. And the sauce actually tastes better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to chill and marry.
Wouldn’t that be nice it that’s how all relationships could develop??? Just chill and marry. I like that idea.
I’ve also used this same sauce on avocado toast, open face fried egg sandwiches, BLT’s, and turkey wraps. It’s pretty versatile if you ask me. Even Emry thinks it’s a good dip. She likes it because it has a little spice to it. I think she considers the slight burn on her tongue as a little tickle. I’m trying to raise tough girls over here!
These burgers would also be fantastic on the grill. Just grill up some pineapple slices to go on the burgers as well. Trust me, it’s a great addition indeed.
Just like adding another turkey…uh, kid…to the mix is a great addition. As long as you can give them back after your baby fever subsides. It really is the perfect arrangement. Maybe people should start hiring out their babies/toddlers and let others try them on for size. This could be a genius business. You think it would pass the child labor laws??? Hmmm…
Have you ever tried a turkey burger?
- For the patty:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1¼ pounds lean ground turkey
- ¾ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped mushrooms (about 2 medium)
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- For the sriracha mayo:
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- dash of salt
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- Fixings for burgers: buns, cilantro, tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, pepperjack cheese (or cheese of your choice)
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together ground turkey, ginger, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, onion, mushrooms, and cilantro. Mix together using hands until evenly incorporated.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. While oil is heating, shape turkey into 5 or 6 patties about ½" thick. Season tops of patties with additional salt and pepper.
- Once oil is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, place patties seasoned side down in pan. Season other side with salt and pepper while bottoms are cooking. Cook each side for 5-6 minutes on medium heat or until center is no longer pink.
- While patties are cooking, make sriracha mayo. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
- To assemble burgers, place patty and mayo on bread with desired fixings. Serve warm.
