Nurgers?

You've gotta love technology.  We've come so far, yet sometimes it seems like all this progress does nothing more than hamper interpersonal communications.  I admit it; I'm guilty of falling prey to the instant gratification communication needs of the cellular technology age.  I am an avid texter.  I'd rather shoot off a quick text message than have a lengthy chit chat.  No small talk, no pleasantries - why should I pick up a phone and actually talk to someone when I can get my message across in 160 characters or less? And, with the advent of smartphones with Swype and Slide-It keyboard technology it's become that much easier to send messages.  I can swipe out a text message in seconds flat (she says with pride)! There's only one problem.  My smartphone isn't as smart as it claims. 

For years, I had cell phones with T9 technology to predict and auto-correct my typing errors.  But could it be?  Was there something better?  A phone that would seemingly know what I wanted to say almost before I did? I had to have it! Welcome 2011 and enter my very first smartphone with Swype.  Simply slide your finger across the touch pad keyboard, drawing the pattern of the word you want to spell, and the phone will correctly predict what you are attempting to say.  A lot of the time, it's surprisingly accurate.  But then there are those times, the times that there's been an entire website (which can be lewd) devoted to, when auto-correct seems to take on a mind of its own and your intended sentiment becomes one big fail. Which is exactly how we ended up having nurgers for dinner one night.



We were out to dinner; nowhere fancy, just a local burger joint - a loud local burger joint where I felt it necessary to text my conversation to Doug.  Partly because I was too busy shoveling juicy delicious char-broiled meat into my mouth and partly because shouting over dinner is just not becoming for a lady.  My inquiry was simple: "how's your nurger?".  Really, phone?  Nurger?  The beauty of technology at work.  I don't know what, exactly, is smart about my smartphone that it a) thought nurger was actually a word and b) thought that that would be my word of choice given all the other words that could be made by the pattern I drew on my keyboard.  Budget, midget - both practical options, and real words to boot.  But, nurger?  Yet there it was staring back at me, after I'd hit send.  Though in hindsight, I suppose "How's your midget?" would not have been a better option.  Regardless, never one to miss an opportunity to mock me shamelessly, moments later I had a post from Doug on my Facebook wall: "You're a nurger.".

Since then, nurgers have become our new name for an old favorite...as well as a silly new pet name to add to the rotation.  So, Doug wasn't surprised at all when he got the following text message from me one night: "Dinner later? Curry turkey nurgers?".  Without missing a beat came his reply: "I love nurgers! Sounds good.".  And so, on yet another rainy summer night when the grill was out of commission (is it me or have we been having an awfully lot of rainy summer nights this year?!) I set out to make my Curry Turkey Nurgers, er Burgers.

Cal: 213  Fat: 9g  Carb: 11g  Protein: 23g  Fiber: 3g
Yields 4 

Curry Turkey Burgers


1 lb lean ground turkey
4-6 tbsp mild curry powder
2-3 tbsp mango chutney
1 clove garlic (grated)
2 tsp ginger (grated)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well with your hand ensuring that all the seasonings are uniformly distributed throughout the meat.  Form into four 4oz patties, slightly indented in the middle to help battle the burger bloat.

Grill (or griddle) for 6-8 minutes per side.

I piled my burger with a mountain of peppery arugula and a smear of Curry Aioli (recipe below).

Curry Aioli
2 tbsp light or low fat mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp mild curry powder
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.  This is fantastic on the burgers but also works well as a dip for french fries or raw veggies.

Bon Appetit!