After a brief detour onto the critical subject of preventing holiday weight gain, this week I have another festive-yet-nutritious recipe.

Lots of readers have asked me where I get my recipes from, but although some have been passed on to me, most of them I make up myself ? many by accident rather than design. This is one of the accidents!

As husbands go, mine is pretty good at sticking to a healthy diet. He doesn't complain too much either ? after all, he must have known what he was letting himself in for when he married me, surely?

However, after a particularly special meal of tofu and alfalfa sprouts, he did put a request in for a burger which I thought was fair enough. But of course I can't bring myself to buy processed burgers so I thought I'd make them myself.

The problem was that by the time I'd defrosted the ground "beef", I realised I had ground turkey instead. Chances that he would believe my mistake, rather than perceive it as careful manipulation? Zero! So I needed to make a burger that was so good, he really wouldn't mind.

The recipe below was a totally random "hmmm ? what have I got in the cupboards?" experiment, but it turned out really well.

Turkey or vege-burgers can often end up as bland alternatives (especially if you avoid artificial ingredients) but these are extremely tasty.

I used Bragg "Liquid Aminos" seasoning instead of soy sauce as the sodium is far lower. It's also a non GMO product and gluten free (soy sauce often contains wheat flour.)

You can buy Braggs from Lindos and Harrington Hundreds, but if you can't get hold of it, you can use low-sodium soy sauce instead.

Turkey is low in fat and a good quality protein that's naturally rich in magnesium and B vitamins.

However, admittedly, other than this being a burger, it's not all that Christmassy, so if you're feeling especially festive, you could always serve it with a sprig of holly on top! Next week's recipe is for a gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas pudding ? a perfect holiday treat for those with lactose intolerance or celiac disease.

1 regular pack of lean ground turkey

1 medium sized red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp dried basil

? tbsp mild chili powder

1 ? tbsp Bragg "Liquid Aminos" seasoning, or low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp flour (wheat or gluten free)

Black pepper - to taste

Olive oil

4 whole-wheat burger buns

1. Mix the ground turkey, onions, basil, chili powder, Bragg seasoning and black pepper together well in a mixing bowl.

2. If you have time, leave the mixture to marinade for 1 hour in the fridge.

3. Divide the mixture into 4 burgers, using your hands. Shape the mixture into balls and then flatten till each burger is approximately 1-inch think.

4. Warm a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. The oil should get hot, but not so hot that it starts smoking.

5. Cook the burgers over a medium heat for approximately 10 minutes on each side. It's better to cook these over a medium heat for longer, than on a high heat for less time. Make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through before serving as turkey must be thoroughly cooked, unlike beef which can be served rare.

6. Place the cooked burgers in whole-wheat buns and serve with a large green salad!