When I found out about my wheat allergy (and possible celiac disease), I made it my mission to find the best gluten free places in Austin. Restaurant after restaurant, I found myself feeling as sick as I felt after consuming wheat. At first, I’ll admit, I was in a bit of denial. I bragged to my parents about what an accommodating city I lived in (which is true), but I didn’t allow myself to come to terms with the extreme nausea that I experienced after meals (in part, because I became so used to it). So, I went a few weeks without foods that claimed to be “gluten free” on the label, by coincidence, and relied on brown rice and black beans to give my meals more satisfaction. I began to feel significantly better…although I wasn’t exactly sure why. One night, my friends wanted to go to a restaurant. I wanted a burger, and the restaurant happened to have a gluten free bun. It was delicious, and I was VERY happy because I had been craving a burger for so long. Fifteen minutes after I had eaten, a wave of nausea hit me as hard as a baseball bat. I immediately wanted to crawl in a ball. Why the heck was “gluten free” food making me more sick than gluten??? I thought I was an alien, or a freak of nature. My anger pushed me to find out why this was happening to me.
After some research and insight from my nutritionist, I realized that most gluten free goods contain POTATO STARCH and/or CORN STARCH. When I learned this, everything suddenly clicked. Whenever I ate something out of a crinkly bag, even without gluten, I did not feel well. Fruit snacks, tortilla chips, potato chips, you name it! Corn and white potato have always been my enemy, and I did not even know it. From that day on, I exchanged my gluten free bun for iceberg lettuce, and my life changed forever.
Just so you know, if you’re in the middle of Texas, happen to be surrounded by only gas stations and fast food restaurants, and wonder if you’re going to starve to death – ASK FOR A BURGER AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT WITHOUT THE BUN! Maybe you are reading this and thinking that is a no brainer, but when you’re looking at a menu that is full of fried food…it’s a bit depressing. Fast food kitchens obviously aren’t the safest places to avoid cross contamination, but if you’re desperate, it is always an option (depending on the severity of your allergy). If you have an allergy, you can’t deny that you have had a daymare (day dream gone bad) about being stuck somewhere and not being able to have anything to eat. Well, allow this to assuage your fears.
BACK TO THE COOKING!
So another favorite dinner of mine is turkey burgers. They’re juicy, the perfect amount of salty, and SO satisfying. They are such an easy thing to make, and every time I make them I wonder why I don’t every night! Plus, you get to top them with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and whatever else your heart desires. Learning how to make a turkey burger made me feel so independent, and like I could take on the world. I want to share this gift with you!
This recipe makes 4 turkey burgers – If you only need one or two, just wrap the others in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer! You can pop them out of the freezer and let them thaw a few hours before you want to cook them another time!
What you’ll need:
1 lb of ground turkey (93% lean)
Garlic Salt (or Garlic Powder)
Pepper
Iceberg Lettuce*
Condiments of any kind (Ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish, etc.)
*A trick to get the core out of a head of iceberg lettuce: Hit the bottom of the head of lettuce to the counter about three times and it should pop right out once you pull on it! (My mom’s college roommate taught her this genius tip)
First, you grab your container of turkey and cut it evenly into 4 sections. Form each section into flat circles because they will get smaller as they cook! Lightly sprinkle the burgers with a little garlic salt and pepper on both sides.
You can either cook them on the grill or in a pan (with some nonstick spray) for about five minutes on each side.
That’s seriously all you have to do to make a delicious, simple turkey burger.
I like to sauté some onions and mushrooms in a tsp of extra virgin olive oil, which brings so much flavor to the burger.
El Pasoans love roasted green chile more than anything, so I make sure to add them to my condiment bar when I make burgers for my family. You can roast fresh chiles by holding them right over the flame of a gas grill (with tongs, of course) and turning them frequently to char their skin. Then, wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and put the towel full of chiles in a plastic bag to steam them until they’re cool. Take them out, rinse them, and the skin will wash right off! Remove the seeds and voila!
Wrapping iceberg lettuce around the patty is a bit of a science that I haven’t quite mastered yet, but you can probably figure out how to make it work. It’s worth the mess, I promise!
Enjoy!!!
typeaautoimmune 