Southwest Turkey Burgers

You've already seen my maple-apple version, here's the southwest version (Sam actually prefers this one - its a little hot for me). We made ours without the bacon and pepperjack, but if I was you I would definitely include those! Recipe courtesy Rachel Ray:

Ingredients
8 slices turkey bacon or turkey bacon with black pepper or applewood smoked bacon
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, the average weight of 1 package
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 small bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (don't get rid of all the guts if you want the spiciness though!)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne hot sauce, several drops
2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend
Vegetable oil or olive oil, for drizzling
Pepper jack cheese
4 crusty kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

Directions
Chop your garlic and veggies. (There's a lot to chop in this recipe!)

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Wipe excess grease from pan and return skillet to heat.

While bacon cooks, combine turkey meat, garlic, onion, thyme, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, cumin, hot pepper sauce, grill seasoning or salt and pepper.


Divide mixture into 4 equal mounds then form meat into patties. Cook in skillet with olive oil over medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. (Ours were really thick, and we just watched them until they were done all the way through - the 5-6 minute guideline may not work for you). Place sliced cheese over the patties in the last 2 minutes of cooking, use 1 or 2 slices for each patty, as you like.


Pile cooked cheeseburgers into buns. Top cheeseburgers with 2 slices of cooked, crisp bacon or turkey bacon, lettuce, relish, mustard, etc. according to your preference.


I served them to Sammy with some home-made french fries and store-bought potato salad!