Hawaiian Turkey Burgers & Candied Walnut Salad

So after a weekend of eating lots of fried food / snacks - I was in the mood for something a little more healthy!  So besides the complications of not knowing when a turkey burger was "done" - it was super good!!  I was super excited about the salad too cause I got to use my new salad dressing holder -- hehe.  But for real, the salad might be a new favorite!! I'm actually looking forward to eating this salad for lunches this week!!  Got both of these recipes from Our Best Bites

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup green pepper, minced (we actually used diced jalapenos as some"one" forgot the pepper)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 small can pineapple slices; reserve juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Thick Teriyaki sauce

Light mayo (optional, but super yummy)

4 hamburger buns

Gently combine turkey, bread crumbs, bell pepper, green onion / jalapeno, ginger, 1/4 cup reserved juice from pineapple, and salt.  Form in 4 large patties.  Chill until ready to cook.

If you can, pop these puppies on the grill until done (I would recommend waiting till you can use the grill....or shoot me a comment about how to cook turkey burgers!); otherwise, you could put these under the broiler in your over, a grill pan on your stove top, or just a frying pan. Grill pineapple on top the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Baste burgers with Teriyaki sauce during last 2 minutes of grilling.  Spread buns with light mayo and a little more Teriyaki sauce - enjoy!!

Candied Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads of leafy greens - 1 can be spinach / 1 romaine

3/4 cup craisins

2 crisp apples

Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)

2 oz blue cheese or Gorgonzola

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1 recipe of Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

Wash and chop lettuce - set aside to drain.

Candy the nuts......combine the walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Stir constantly....after a few minutes, the sugar will look very fine and then a few after that, it will start to liquefy.  This is when you have to stir and scrap!!  Make sure everything gets stirred around or you will burn something!!  The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts.  When they reach golden brown color, remove from heat - stirring constantly as the nuts begin to cool.  After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet.  Let cool - set aside.

Chop cheese - crumbles only, not chunks.  Chop apples and toss in OJ.  When ready to serve - toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl.  Add dressing if desired; it really is better all mixed together rather than on top, but then you can't have for leftovers - so maybe just mix it all together for each serving.