Pecan And Mushroom Burger With Blue Cheese Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese (1 ounce)
• 1 tablespoon prepared blue cheese dressing (plus more for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon chives
• 2/3 cup bulgur
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup boiling water
• 8 ounces mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean and chopped (may sub brown mushrooms)
• 1 cup mixed chopped wild mushroom (optional)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumb (italian flavored work great)
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning (may sub 1/2 t greek seasoning)
• fresh ground pepper

Recipe

• 1 combine yogurt, blue cheese, chives (if using) and dressing in a small bowl and blend with a fork to make a chunky sauce. refrigerate it while you make the burgers; it will keep for up to 2 days.
• 2 place bulgur and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. pour the boiling water over, cover and set aside until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. drain in a sieve, pressing out excess liquid.
• 3 meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and turn on stove to medium heat. add mushrooms, onion and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. stir in vinegar and garlic. immediately transfer the mixture to a plate and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• 4 combine the vegetable mixture in a food processor; pulse briefly until coarsely chopped. add egg; pulse briefly, scraping down the sides if necessary, until the mixture is cohesive but roughly textured. transfer to a bowl; stir in bulgur, breadcrumbs, pecans italian seasoning and pepper. mix well.
• 5 with dampened hands, form the mixture into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each. (i made mine into 13 mini burgers using a slider station).
• 6 place burgers on a cookie sheet (coated with cooking spray) and place under a broiler on high. mine took 8 minutes to crisp ever so slightly and to become heated through. you can also cook them in a frying pan for 4 minutes per side (mine fell apart doing this though, that's why i put the rest of them under the broiler).
• 7 garnish the burgers with watercress and the blue cheese sauce, if desired.