Turkey Veggie Sliders with Avocado Aioli

Turkey Veggie Sliders with Avocado Aioli on Whole Grain Flatbread

So lately we've been eating a lot of vegetarian meals. Partly because it's healthy, but mostly because we don't have any money. Here's what we've learned: contrary to popular American opinion, you WON'T die when you remove meat from a meal. You actually CAN make a filling, tasty, enjoyable meal without meat. Not only that, but it's easy on your family's digestive systems and very easy on the wallet. What more could you ask for?

Okay, so now that I've sold you on eating more vegetarian meals (making a big assumption here, but...whatever) this is a meal that features MEAT. Which is probably part of why it was such a BIG hit with my family last night. This is the first time in five months that we've had a "burger" so it seemed very luxurious. Add to that the fact that I baked Whole Grain Flatbread from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen for the "buns" and my family was beside themselves. I whipped up the bread and stuck it in the oven first...and while it baked, assembled my "sliders".

Since we can't eat mayo (even Vegennaise) or ketchup in our house, I had to come up with something to spread on the buns so they wouldn't be dry. This Avocado "Aioli" was just the ticket! It was the finishing touch that really made the sandwich. I topped it with leftover grated carrot which added a nice color and texture. I used dark turkey meat, because that's what I had available...but you could make this even more healthy using all-white turkey meat. Ground chicken would work fine, too. This is a "burger" you can feel good about serving to your family!

Turkey Sliders with Avocado Aioli

FOR SLIDERS:
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup shredded carrots (reserve 1/2 cup for sandwich topping)
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat grill or grill pan. Mix above ingredients together, reserving half the grated carrots for topping the sliders. (I use my hands for this part). Use an ice cream scoop to form about eight or nine equally-sized portions on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, use your hands to loosely form into patties. At this point, I sprinkled a bit more salt & pepper on the surface of the patties. When the grill is nice and hot, grill the patties. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes...don't flip until you've got  nice grill marks and the patty releases easily from the pan. While patties are cooking, make up your aioli.

FOR AIOLI:
2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice

Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to adjust the salt or garlic powder according to your tastes.

Spread Avocado Aioli on your Whole Grain Flat Bread, gluten-free bread or wrap of your choice. (These would also be excellent wrapped in lettuce if you are avoiding breads.) Top with more aioli and grated carrots, then serve with a green salad to aid with digestion. For an extra treat, serve with roasted sweet potato "fries".