The MIND diet is one of U.S. News & World Report's top diets, and this Asian-inspired turkey slider* and lemony spinach salad* prove that you don't have to sacrifice flavor to eat MINDfully.
Ingredients
Lemony Spinach Salad
- 8 cups (about 12oz) fresh spinach, cut into chiffonade (ribbons)
- 1 large orange bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 ½ cups small diced cucumber
- ¾ cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of ½ lemon or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (if available)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Turkey sliders
- 16 ounces lean ground turkey meat
- 1.5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 clove garlic, mashed
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 mini whole wheat buns
Tangy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup (can use low sodium ketchup if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
Salad
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, pepper, cucumber, and feta cheese.
- In a small bowl whisk together honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and lemon zest. Slowly whisk in olive oil until incorporated. Pour over salad and toss to coat
Sliders
- In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, soy sauce, ginger, honey, garlic, green onions, cilantro, bread crumbs and egg until incorporated.
- Form into 8 small patties and refrigerate covered for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The colder the patties are, the better the shape will hold when cooking.
- Bring a medium pan to medium high heat. Add oil and heat for 60 seconds. Cook burgers 2-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, ketchup and Dijon mustard.
- Spread sauce on burgers and place in buns.
MIND Lifestyle Tips
Eating larger portions of vegetables paired with smaller portions of meats and starches is a great way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Mini burgers help you reduce the portion size of both, without compromising taste.
If you're following the MIND diet, use at least 93 percent lean ground turkey in this recipe to keep the saturated fat to a minimum and be able to count this as a lean poultry item on your MIND diet. Add another point if both your bread crumbs and mini buns are 100 percent whole grain.
Spinach is a definitely a brain superfood. Spinach salads are a convenient, accessible way to get in your daily serving. I love this salad because the thinly sliced spinach leaves make it easy to mix together and easy to eat! It is great on its own or as a base to whatever vegetables you want to throw in. Add chicken or fish or your favorite grain/legume to make a more filling meal.
All vegetables count: The more, the better. Deeper, darker leafy greens are rich in brain-healthy antioxidants.
Use reduced-fat cheese to avoid brain unhealthy saturated fats, and rest assured your extra-virgin olive oil will retain all of its polyphenol content when used non-heated on a salad.
Condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, and Dijon mustard can be high in sodium, so choose low sodium versions whenever possible.
Nutrition Information
Salad
Serving size: 2 cups
Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Carbohydrate: 9g
- Dietary fiber: 3g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Turkey sliders
Serving size: 1 slider
Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 250
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Protein: 17g
- Carbohydrate: 30g
- Dietary fiber: 3g
- Sodium: 430mg
- Cholesterol: 60mg
*Recipes courtesy of Diet for the MIND: The Latest Science on What to Eat to Prevent Alzheimer's and Cognitive Decline, by Martha Clare Morris and Laura Morris
