Heather's Tuna Burgers

My friend, Heather, used to have a food blog that I loved following. In general she ate a more healthy diet than I and one of my favorites that stretched my tastebuds a little (fish in general is NOT one of my favorite things, although I do like a good tuna sandwich with pickles and a great big pile of salty potato chips on the side). I wasn't used to the whole idea of warm tuna but I was game to give it a try. To my surprise, I loved it and so did my family. Heather has since shut down her blog and moved on to new things in her life, but I am glad I printed out the recipe before she closed up blogging shop. Here is her original recipe with comments added to reflect my simpler approach.

Heather's Tuna Burgers
2 5oz cans tuna packed in water, drained. (today I used 5 cans (56 gr each) and ended up with a yield of 6 burgers)
2 oz. cream cheese (I used a little less than 1/4 of a 270 gr container of Philadelphia brand)
1 egg
1/2 cup salsa (I use the organic kind from Costco and added a little extra because my mix was too dry today. I think I had a bit too much tuna)
1 1/2 cups quick oats If you are using old-fashioned rolled oats, you will need to blend them in a food processor before using. (I don't know if the oats in Spain are quick or not but I've never blended them and they've always worked fine so I am guessing they are the "quick" kind)
2 tsp. dried minced onion or onion powder (optional in my house)
2 tsp. garlic powder (same as the onion. I have made this without any added seasoning and it is fine. Might have a bit better flavor with them but these are tasty with just the flavor from the salsa)
** 2 tsp cumin
 ** 2 tsp chili powder
(** I have never used either of these because I cannot handle anything spicy at all. These two spices are never in my cabinet but if you have it and like it -- feel free to spice it up a bit)

Directions
Stir all the ingredients together. Form mixture into 4 large burgers. Cook in a sprayed or lightly oiled skillet or grill pan until lightly browned on both sides and warmed through. About 3 minutes per side. Serve the tuna burgers on whole wheat sandwich slims. Think of these like hamburgers, the bread and patty will seem dry if you don't have any sauce on it. For a light version use salsa. If your calories aren't important to you, go for mayo and then top with whatever topping you like. (lettuce, tomato, onion, pepper, cheese, pickles etc)

Additional notes: These are large, filling burgers. If you have young children, you could make them smaller. If you want to make 6 large burgers instead of 4, just use 3 cans of tuna and 3 ounces of cream cheese. All the other amounts can stay the same. Leftovers warm up great. If you want to make 2 large or 3 medium burgers, halve the recipe but still use 1 egg. Enjoy!