Lamb or Turkey burger with Spinach, feta and pine nuts!\\

Serves 4 

Lamb, or , turkey burgers with spinach, feta cheese and pine nuts:

Every time I go onto my blog to check things out, I notice that some of the most searched items surprise me!  One item that is searched more than anything is my , chicken and black bean burger!  This burger was inspired by my daughters love for black bean burgers, so I mixed it up with some ground chicken!  The fact that it is summer time and this is a hot item of interest, I decided to do some more burgers for all of you!  This is one of my husbands favorites!  The lamb is so yummy and the spinach adds that Greek element,,,so we needed to go the whole way to finish this burger and add in the feta cheese,  and pine nuts!  I also find this burger to be just as wonderful with Ground Turkey as well!!  I love ground turkey, and it is just about my favorite new ground meat!  Go for this if you are not a lamb lover!  OPTIONS are there, and, trust me, you will NOT lose flavor here!  I adore ground turkey! :)

 There are some twists to this burger that are so divine you will be surprised a hint of a spice you might never guess, but, is a subtle aromatic that is delightful!
  There are also two toppings to make if you like and those recipes are included and are very simple as well.  One is a honey and mint pesto and the other is my take on tzatziki , a cucumber, red onion and yogurt salad similar to the one my polish grandmother used to make,,but, less bad for you!  I use plain yogurt and she used sour cream!  Both are amazing in different ways!

 I think this is a burger to make for a special occasion!  I made this today for my new and awesome friends, Bev and Lee.  They just closed on their home today in Naples.  This makes for a special occasion for sure,,,but, also a very stressful day.  Who wants to worry about dinner on a night like this?  NOT ME!  So, hopefully they are enjoying this wonderful lamb burger with all the fixings and salads along with roasted sweet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes all in the mix!

Hope you all enjoy these recipes and I hope Bev and Lee start off their evening with a special adult beverage and finish with their special celebration dinner followed by a long, well deserved snooze! :)  Love you my friend! :)

Ingredients:

1lb. ground lamb
1/2 c. good crumbled feta cheese
2/3 c. cooked and drained spinach either fresh and in olive oil sauteed or steamed and drained well
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. pine nuts
1 1/2 t. crushed, minced garlic
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. cinnamon
1T. chopped fresh dill and mint each
Pita bread for 4 burgers

Mix all ingredients together gently and do not over mix.  Over mixing and fussing causes the proteins to tighten up and become tough.  Form into burgers and grill on your grill on medium high heat at first on one side until caramelized, about 5 minutes.  Have the other half of the grill on medium to medium low heat and flip the burger onto that area to finish cooking for another 5 minutes or until the burger is done to your preference.  This should create an 8 oz. burger to about medium rare to medium.  Cook less if you like rare lamb, which is perfectly safe and fine!

Mint and honey pesto:

1 c. mint leaves loosely packed
1 T. honey
1/4 c. pine nuts
olive oil as needed
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lemon


In small Cuisinart add all ingredients and blend well.  Add the olive oil as needed means until you have a creamy mixed texture,,not runny but well blended.  I used about 1/2 c.
This is perfect to top the burger with along with my version of tzatziki, the recipe is below!

 

Tzatziki , my way :

1 whole English cucumber sliced thin
1/2 small red onion sliced thin
2/3 c. to 1 c. to taste of plain Greek yogurt
1 T. chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. minimal and or to taste of apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar....just keep it lite and white!
juice of 1 lemon

In medium bowl mix all ingredients and refrigerate 2 hours before serving!  Enjoy

Assembly:

Take pita bread and stuff with romaine lettuce if you like, burger, top with pesto and tzatziki sauce and extra feta if you like!  EAT AND ENJOY! :)