Spinach Cheese Turkey Burgers

  This main entree by Debra Veryser of Grosse Pointe Woods won first place in a statewide recipe contest sponsored by the American Diabetes Association in Bingham Farms.

  

  1 1/4 pounds ground lean turkey or ground turkey breast

  1 cup loosely packed leaf spinach

  1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

  1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  1/4 cup egg substitute or 2 lightly beaten egg whites

  1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic

  Salt and pepper to taste

  6 tomato slices

  1 large white sweet onion, sliced and grilled, optional

  12 thin shavings of Parmesan cheese, optional

  6 whole-wheat buns

  

  Chop the leaf spinach coarsely and put in a medium-sized bowl. Add the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, egg substitute, garlic, salt and pepper, and mix well with a fork. Shape into 6 patties, about 3/4 -inch thick. Coat a nonstick skillet with spray cooking oil: Olive oil is preferred. Over medium heat, brown burgers on each side. Turn temperature to low, cover the pan and continue to cook until burgers are no longer pink in the middle.

  While burgers cook, grill onions in separate pan. Slice tomato. Use potato peeler to make 2 small shavings of cheese per burger.

  Serve burgers in toasted whole-wheat buns topped with sliced tomatoes, grilled onions, if desired, and a couple of thin shavings of Parmesan cheese.

  Makes 6 servings.

  Per serving: 174 calories; 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 31 percent calories from fat); 10 g carbohydrates; 46 mg cholesterol; 342 mg sodium; 19 g protein; 1 g fiber.