Sleep Inducing Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers

If you want to start getting a better night's sleep, one place you could consider starting at is your diet. Steering away from particular foods like alcohol and caffeine, is helpful as most people are aware of. However, one thing that most people don’t know of is that there are some foods that actually promote good sleep.

Now, eating just before bedtime is not something you would normally be recommended. But, eating one food in particular before bed will insure you don't have a restless night. That food is turkey.

Turkey meat has high levels of tryptophan, which is key for producing sleep-inducing melatonin. Anyone who has ever experienced a 'turkey coma' after Thanksgiving dinner will understand where I’m coming from.

So, to give you a bedtime snack that will promote a good night's sleep, here is a simple recipe for sweet potato turkey burgers:

Step 1: Simple Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers (suitable for Paleo & Gluten-free Diets)

Simple Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers provide you with a delicious, full-flavor alternative to your standard turkey burger. Sweet potato is packed with antioxidants and can be used in making a paleo-diet turkey burger or a gluten-free turkey burger without using a bun.

The benefits of simple Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers are as follows:

• Simple to make

• Moist and succulent

• Full flavored

• Quick to prepare

• Not much preparation required

• Ideal as midweek meal or weekend entertaining

• Gluten Free turkey burger (without a bread bun)

• Paleo turkey burger (without a bread bun)

• Easy to clean up after cooking

Step 2: How to Make Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers

The first thing you need to do to make your Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers is to cook your sweet potato. You can do this either on a conventional cooker or use a microwave oven. The benefits of using a microwave is that it is quicker to cook with and you will achieve a softer texture to your potato skins. Crispy sweet potatoes might be great if you are making fries, but for Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers soft is how you want them.

When you are done cooking your sweet potatoes, mash them into your (already ground) turkey and spices ensuring that you spread the spices evenly to get an all over taste and flavor. A great tool to use for this is a potato masher; it also will avoid you burning yourself on the hot potato, as well as keeping your hands from getting messy.

Once evenly mixed together, mold the mixture into your desired burger or patty size and shape. Next, you are ready for placing them onto a skillet and cook them for a great paleo or gluten-free dietary option. Labeling food in this way, I find, can be off-putting for some people and I just prefer to name my foods and recipes in line with the ingredients. So, rather than paleo or gluten-free burgers, these are simply Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers. People can make their own minds up about them from their ingredients.

Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers are perfect for cooking on a stove, skillet or grill. For this recipe we are going to assume that you are using a skillet. After molding your burgers, place them on your skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes before turning them and cooking for the same time on the other side. Ten minutes tops and your dinner is ready to be served.

Step 3: When Is a Good Time to Make Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers

Well, pretty much anytime of the year is a good time for Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers. And, believe me when I say, the flavor is so delicious you are going to want to be eating these little wonders all year round; cold weather or warm!

Once you've tried making Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers just once, you’ll be hooked and they will become a regular addition to your weekly menu. You’ll also start to add them to your options for entertaining guests; they are a simple and easy way to impress your friends or weekend visitors. What’s more, they do not take a whole lot of cleaning up afterwards, so no stack of dishes awaiting you in the morning or last thing at night.

If you do have guests that have special dietary needs, then Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers can be easily adapted to become paleo or gluten-free suitable by simply leaving off the bread bun. Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers really are versatile and they will fit into pretty much any meal setting.

Step 4: Things to Top Off Your Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers With

Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers taste great topped off with just a bread bun. However, if you want to avoid the bread for dietary restrictions or if you just want something a little different, you can transform your Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers with some creative toppings.

People have got their own preferred choice of toppings; the classic sauteed onions is always a popular choice. Or roasted peppers is another favourite. Of course, the good thing about both of these is that are adding the nutritional benefits of the vegetable to your Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers.

Maybe you would also like to consider the following toppings:

• Roast tomatoes

• Pickles

• Relish

• Lettuce

• Spinach

• Cheese

• BBQ sauce

• Avocado

• Sea salt