All too often, when I review my clients' food journals, I see these "food-like" items on their have-eaten list. They admit to indulging in them after having a bad day -- they wanted something quick and easy. Which, not surprisingly, means a stressful day can cause us to crave comfort food. (Cortisol, the stress hormone, lowers serotonin, a feel-good chemical, so it's a natural response to crave such dishes.)
The catch is, your body needs a lot of nutrients after a rough day. Stress depletes the body of vitamins B, C and magnesium -- to name only a few.
So the next time you feel harried, or crave some comfort food, ditch the fast food burger and reach for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, chopped
8 sundried tomatoes, sliced into slivers
5-7 cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 clove of fresh garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp hot chilli flakes
1 egg
1 tbsp wheat-free organic tamari sauce
½ kilo ground lean (preferably organic) turkey
Method:
Preheat your grill to medium or your oven to 350F. Chop all of the vegetables and set them aside. Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Whisk the egg, and combine the egg and tamari with the turkey. Add all the vegetables and spices and mix everything together with your hands (it's the most efficient way). Form into patties.
This recipe makes four to six burgers depending on how large you make them.
My grill has a lid, so the burgers took about 10 to 12 minutes to cook completely. If you're baking them, bake for seven to nine minutes on one side then flip them over and cook for another seven to nine minutes.
I enjoyed these delicious bites without a bun on a beautiful bed of arugula greens and some sauteed onion. But how you enjoy them is up to you!
Joy McCarthy, registered holistic nutritionist and health coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well and live well. She's also co-creator of Eat Well Feel Well, a six-week nutrition and yoga course in Toronto. Joy welcomes your questions or comments.
Please note: All of these recipes are created in my joyous kitchen with the healthiest ingredients. I'm not a calorie counter or a professional chef -- I'm a nutritionist who loves to cook and bake, and I'm delighted to share my creations with you.
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