January’s Recipe Redux theme is “Start Smoking in the New Year!” The idea is to flavor up recipes with a bit of smokiness or spice. My base recipe was a turkey burger, but I wanted to find a way to bulk it up with extra vegetables and impart a smoky, savory flavor. I loved thekitchn.com’s guide to adding smoky flavor to foods! I used a few of the ideas listed for my turkey burgers. I also added some pureed vegetables leftover from my juicer to make the burgers extra moist and nutritious. If you don’t have a juicer, you can use any of your favorite grated or pureed vegetables!

Ingredients:

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup pureed or shredded vegetables (I used pulp leftover from kale, celery, and cucumber juice)
1 large egg
1/4 cup oat flour (dry instant oats pulverized in a blender)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs minced onion
1/2 tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste (Don’t taste the raw meat! Instead, cook a bit of it on a hot skillet to test the flavor)
High heat stable oil, such as avocado or canola

Directions:

1. Gently fold together all ingredients in a mixing bowl until well incorporated.
2. Wet your hands to form the mixture into four 4″ diameter burger patties. Refrigerate for 20 mins – 2 hours to allow the flavors to combine.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Oil the grates or the burger patties to prevent sticking. Grill 5-10 minutes and flip with a grill safe spatula. Cook until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil; temperature should increase to 165 degrees F while the burgers are resting.
4. Serve over lettuce or on toasted buns with Sriracha sauce, roasted red peppers, and pepper jack cheese.

Check out other Recipe Redux ideas for January 2015!