Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

I made another Paleo attempt this week.  J loves peppers and hot food so when I saw this recipe I knew I there was no way I would get a veto on it.

1 lb ground turkey, 99/1
½ cup raw almonds
1 egg, beaten
4 jalapenos, rough chopped, as much of the ribs and seeds removed as preferred
3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
Salt and pepper to taste


You can cook these on the grill or in a skillet, so prepare your desired cooking mechanism.

Grind the almonds in a food processer to very small chunks, doesn’t have to quite be a powder.   Add the jalapenos and garlic to the food processer and pulse to further chop up the peppers and garlic.  If you remove all of the seeds from the jalapenos this won’t be hot at all, just have the jalapeno flavor, so you can adjust the heat according to your taste.  Add the almond meal to a bowl with the ground meat, add the egg and season.  Mix well with your hands to get everything well incorporated.  Form into 4 patties.

Cook the burgers on your grill or stove top, about 8 minutes per side.

Serves 2-4, 210 calories, 8 g fat per patty

I thought these turned out pretty decent.  They had a nice jalapeno flavor but I was helping J put up our new mail box while these were cooking and I overcooked them a little so they were kind of dry.  So don’t help your husband while you are cooking, the results are rarely positive.

Sweet potatoes seem to be acceptable according to the Paleo cook books I’ve looked through but not an everyday food, but they seem like a very obvious and easy substitute for grains so that’s been my go to for Side 1.  I made chipotle sweet potato fries with this, which are exactly like they sound.  Sliced sweet potatoes drizzled in olive oil and seasoned with chipotle powder and baked.  I guess I am kind of easing into this Paleo thing, haven’t really jumped all in but making small attempts at every meal.  It isn’t really that different from how I eat now, just a change of mindset to have more calories from fruits, vegetables, or meats on my plate rather than compensating with rice or pasta to make up the calorie deficit.