Mexican Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chipotle-flavored hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
non-stick cooking spray
1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
romaine lettuce leaves
5 slices cheddar or colby-jack cheese
5 whole wheat hamburger buns


Directions:
Thoroughly mix ground turkey, salsa, red onion, hot sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Shape turkey mixture into five 3 inch-diameter patties.

Coat large skillet or grill with non-stick cooking spray and heat to medium-high.  Add burgers, cooking on each side for 7-10 minutes depending on desired doneness.  With only two minutes remaining cook time, top each patty with slice of cheese and melt.

Heat buns on grill or in oven on broil until toasted.  Place romaine leaves, sliced avocado and tomato on hamburger bun.

Notes:  Originally I found a recipe similar to this on epicurious.com, but after reading the reviews, I had to adapt the recipe A LOT and add the burger accompaniments.  So, now it's my own - and this is how we enjoyed the burgers...the only condiment I added to the burger's bun was a splash more of the chipotle hot sauce and it was PERFECT!  This burger definitely tastes Tex-Mex, so mainstream condiments like ketchup and mustard would take away from that taste.  We had a side of baked sweet potato fries with our burgers, but it would go really well with tortilla chips and salsa/guacamole, or a light side salad, because the burger is super filling.  I hope you love it!