Turkey Club Sliders with Avocado Ranch Dressing

This recipe is from Rachel Ray and sounded pretty easy and a good alternative to a greasy burger. I made a few changes to the recipe, but basically stuck to most of it. I'm pretty much just starting out on eating ground turkey rather than lean ground beef (cholesterol is one of the main things I am trying to cut out of my cooking). Overall this recipe was pretty good, but I won't lie....ground beef tastes so much better! The ground turkey in this recipe had almost a strong sausage taste, and since I'm not a huge fan of sausage, I had to try and hide it with dipping sauce. The avocado ranch sauch was pretty good, but I don't know why they call it avocado ranch....it tastes nothing like ranch! All in all we enjoyed this dish, but next time I will just make regular sized burgers since they are so much easier.

Tips/Changes I made:

• I got wheat hamburger buns and simply 'cut' them down to size by putting a jar over the bun and twisting it until the excess came off.
• I used turkey bacon instead of regular and I didn't chop them up and mix them in with the meat, i just layed it on the burger.
• Keep the avocado ranch on the side instead of on the burger....you may prefer mayo, ketchup, or mustard with this burger.
• I put a few tablespoons of liquid Dale's seasoning to the meat to try and give it more of a 'burger' taste.
• I broiled the burgers in the oven rather than grilling them. About 8-10 minutes on each side.

Turkey Club Sliders with Avocado Ranch Dressing Recipe

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

6 slices bacon, chopped
2 pounds ground turkey
1 small onion
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1 avocado
1 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
a small handful of fresh chives, finely chopped
a small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
16 slices good-quality white or whole wheat bread
lettuce leaves, for serving
2 plum or vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat an outdoor grill or griddle pan to medium high. Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon to the pan and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels to cool, then chop.

While the bacon cooks, place the turkey in a large bowl. Grate the onion on top of the turkey to get 3 to 4 tablespoons onion juice. Add the hot sauce, poultry seasoning, salt and lots of pepper. Add the cooked bacon, mix and form 8 slider patties, about 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide. Drizzle with olive oil to coat lightly. Cook on the grill or griddle, turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the sliders cook, preheat the broiler. Place the avocado in a food processor. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, chives, dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Process into a smooth, thick sauce.

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds of bread (or trim 1 inch of crust all the way around the bread slices to form small squares); discard the crusts.* Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler. Serve the bacon-turkey sliders with the lettuce, tomatoes and avocado-ranch sauce between the toasts.