TURKEY, MUSHROOM & BLACK BEAN SLIDERS

Hello!

My husband, originally from the South, loves White Castle Burgers.   We don’t have that fast food establishment here in our neck of the woods so I’ve only had the chance to try them once while on a trip east. However, in the August 2014 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine they have an article entitled America’s Best (& Worst) Fast Food. White Castle ranks as one of the “worst” healthful choices. So, I won’t be choosing White Castle again any time soon.

However, my husband loves burgers and he’s a real meat and potatoes man.  In planning my menu for our  recent 4th of July dinner on the dock I was left with a dilemma:  How do I satisfy my husband’s desire for a burger while still accommodating the desires of several vegetarian guests? Thankfully, my Vegetarian friends don’t object to a little white meat on occasion, so these delicious-yet-nutritious  Turkey, Mushroom & Black Bean Sliders fit the bill nicely.   They are super yummy and are perfect if you’re looking for something a little different to throw on the grill.

Here’s how you make them:

Start by roughly chopping 6 ounces of Cremini Mushrooms.  They are sometimes referred to Baby Bellas or Baby Portobello mushrooms too.

Rough chop 1/2 brown onion and 3 garlic cloves.

Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse to process until the vegetables are finely ground but with some texture remaining. Be careful not to over-process or you will end up with paste.

In a medium sized skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add the processed vegetables to the skillet and cook them over medium heat for about 10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender and most of the moisture should have evaporated.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Next you will need 2 pounds of ground turkey…

along with 1 cup of breadcrumbs, 1- Cup of canned black beans and 1 egg.  (I know, the photo shows 2 eggs but use only 1)

Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat it up with a fork.  Place the ground turkey into a medium sized bowl.  Add the beaten egg…

and 1 cup of bread crumbs.  I used Panko Breadcrumbs this time but regular, unseasoned breadcrumbs are also fine.

Next, finely mince 1 bunch of Italian Parsley and add it to the bowl.

Returning to the cooled, sauteed vegetables, add them to the bowl also.

Using a strainer, drain the liquid from the canned black beans and add 1 Cup of the black beans to the bowl.

Next add 1 finely dice medium sized Serrano Chile to the meat mixture.

For seasoning add 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper…

1 teaspoon Smoked Spanish Paprika…

and finally, 1 teaspoon ground cumin.

Now comes the messy part.  Using your hands, thoroughly incorporate all of the ingredients.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and using a scoop, prepare balls of the meat mixture which will later be flattened into sliders before cooking.  Cover and refrigerate the meatballs until you are ready to grill them. Before grilling the sliders flatten them slightly into small disks and spray them generously on both sides with olive oil cooking spray.  Because of the vegetables in these sliders, they have a tendency to stick to the grill.  Preheat your grill and then grill sliders over medium heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side until the insides are no longer pink.  You may also elect to cook them on a grill pan, in a skillet on the stove or even in the oven.

I like to serve my Turkey, Mushroom & Black Bean Sliders with a variety of toppings including grilled, fresh pineapple.  I simply peeled and sliced a fresh pineapple, brushed the slices with a little olive oil and grilled them on both sides until grill marks were nicely caramelized into the fruit.  I then cut them into fourths, just the right size to fit on my sliders.

I like to allow my guests to assemble their own sliders, so I laid out a tray with the grilled pineapple, lettuce leaves, sliced avocado, pepper jack cheese slices and a spicy mayonnaise.  

For slider buns I use whole wheat dinner rolls, sliced in half 3 quarters of the way through.

Dressed up with all the trimmings they were delicious!  And, they go great with my recipe for Peanut Cole Slaw.

So there you have it:  Turkey Mushroom & Black Bean Sliders.

ENJOY!

 

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