Indian Burgers and Greek Style Salad

Frantically searching through my cookbooks for something that didn't take inordinate amounts of modification, I discovered this recipe that I had printed off from allrecipes.com years ago and possibly never tried. Much to my delight, all I had to do was eliminate the garlic (which I've now ceased to do - happy!) and there was still enough flavour from the other spices. It's now one of our favourite meals.

You don't have to roast the garlic, but believe me, it makes a difference and as it hardly takes any extra work I think you should just do it.

Indian Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 4 large unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey (I always just use beef - ironic, yes?)
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

1. Set garlic in a small skillet over medium-high heat; toast until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Peel, mince, and set aside.
2. Mix salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Break up turkey (or beef) in a medium bowl; add garlic, spinach, spice mixture, ginger, and jalapeno; stir lightly with a fork to combine (or use hands, it's more fun). Divide mixture into 4 portions. Toss meat back and forth between cupped hands to form a ball. Pat with fingertips to flatten to about 4 1/2 inches wide.
4. Can be grilled on a BBQ, broiled in an oven, or cooked in a skillet on the stovetop.

Serving suggestions: serve with warmed/grilled pita bread, chutney, salad (recipe below), and baked fries (recipe coming soon). Really, one of the best meals ever.

I usually opt to make several smaller burgers and cook them in a skillet.

Serves 3-4

Greek Style Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large cucumber, sliced thin
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• feta cheese (optional)
• juice of 1 lime
• drizzle of olive oil

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and serve as a side or on top of Indian burgers.

bon appatit!