Simple Fast Burgers (With Paleo BBQ Sauce)

Yay for simple! Yay for fast! Yay for burgers! Yay for BBQ!! Yay for health!!!

You can’t get much better than that!  I mean, lets just be honest…some times you just need a burger, even if you are being healthy.  Now, I have some really great recipes in my archives for amazing burgers that will rock your world!  (Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Burgers and Turkey Feta Burgers to name a few!) But some days you just don’t have time to prepare a fancy burger…you just need a simple, sweet, “I have to leave soon/I’m just plain tired” burgers.  So….here you go!!

A few days ago, I gave you a recipe for an easy, clean BBQ Sauce recipe that goes great with this burger.  However, you can dress it however you feel fit.  🙂  Mustard is always a good option, there is usually nothing naughty in it.  Just mustard seeds and vinegar.

 

So, here’s what you need:

• 1 lb Beef (preferably grass fed!)
• 1/4 C Flax Meal (Works great for a bread crumb substitute!)
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• Salt and Pepper

And here is how you do it:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Form into two patties, with a small indentation in the middle.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.  Place burgers on the grill, and baste with paleo BBQ sauce.  Cook 6-7 minutes (or longer depending on how well done you like your burgers).  Flip, and repeat!

 

 

Combine all your ingredients in a bowl.

Form into two patties with an indentation in the middle.

Preheat your grill or grill pan.  I smeared mine with a little butter.  Cause I love butter.

Place your patties on the grill

Baste with BBQ!

Cook about 6-7 minutes and flip…

Baste again…cook until desired degree of done-ness…

And BAM!! A big, beefy, protein-y, delicious, filling, paleo, clean, simple, easy BURGER!  BAM!

Easy Paleo-Approved BBQ Sauce

I love barbecue! But it is so hard to have healthy barbecue…it seems to always be crammed with sugar!  But what are burgers and kebabs and these protein filled classics without a little barbecue sauce??  Well I am so pleased to announce that, through the inspiration of Abel James, I have discovered something that works quite well!!  Sweetened with pineapple!  YAAAAY!  I love pineapple.  😀  So let’s get down to it!!

 

Here is what you need:

• 3 Tomatoes, cut into about 6 pieces
• 1 White Onion, cut into about 6 pieces
• 5 Garlic Cloves
• 6 oz Can Tomato Paste
• 1 C Beef Stock
• 1 – 2 C Fresh Pineapple, Chopped
• 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• Few Shakes Chipotle Chile Powder
• 1 tsp Franks
• Black Pepper to taste
• 1 Bay Leaf

 

And here’s how you do it!

1. Place tomato chunks, onion chunks, and garlic cloves in a food processor (in batches if necessary) and pulse until “chopped.”
2. Dump all ingredients (including what you just pulsed) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for an hour or so.
3. Pour sauce back into your food processor and blend until smooth.

Now you are ready to use it how you would any other barbecue sauce!!  Soon I will show you how we used it the first time. 🙂

Peectures!

Chunk your tomatoes, onion, and garlic and pulse till chopped.

Put in a pan with the pineapple…

And the rest of the ingredients!!

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 60 minutes.

Put back in your food processor and blend until smooth!  This is my fancy food processor I got for Christmas.  I love it!

Now you can put it back in your pan to keep it warm, or just get straight to using it however you desire!!

Yummyyyyy!  What will you use your healthy barbecue sauce for?!

Home Made Breakfast Sausage (Pork Free!)

And yes, if you are wondering…it is still flipping delicious without the pork. In fact…I lost count of how many times Mr. Rodgers was going on about how much he loved this sausage, and even that it is the best sausage he has ever had. And he wasn’t just saying that because he had to be nice to me. Because he made it!! Yes, it’s true, my husband is pretty good in the kitchen too. I fall more in love with him every day 😛

This is one of the first recipes we have tried and adapted from our journey with the Fat Burning Man (Abel James.) I must say, so far I am impressed with his recipes!! Pretty darn tasty. I am hopeful for my healthy future. You gotta love it when health is not a sacrifice in the taste department. 😀 Can I get an Amen?!

So, back to our sausage. Yummmmm. (P.S…we ate this for dinner a time or two as well. It probably shouldn’t be called Breakfast Sausage. It’s more like an “Any Time of Day Sausage Cause Once You Try It You Will Crave It All Times Of Day.” But I guess that would be a mouthful, eh? Recipe!

Here’s what you need:

• 1 lb Ground Chicken
• 1 lb Ground Beef (Preferably Grass Fed Of Course)
• 1/4 C Almond Flour
• 6 oz Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (Home made!  Equal parts marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil.  I did a tsp of each and it was about 2 Tbsp.)  <– You really should make your own.  It’s amazing.
• 1 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Ghee
• Red Pepper Flakes To Taste (Optional…I like a kick and love the flavor!)
• Hot Sauce for Garnish

 

And here’s how you do it!

1. Pretty easy.  Mix everything but the hot sauce in a bowl.  Get your hands in there and get messy!  Mix till well combined.
2. Form into sausage-sized patties, about 12 of them.  These can be easily frozen and used for quick breakfasts!
3. Melt Ghee into a large pan over medium heat.  Cook patties until browned and cooked all the way through.  Obviously since there is chicken in these bad boys you want to make sure they are done!
4. Now serve!  Or freeze and be prepared so the pop tarts don’t tempt you in the morning!  😉

 

Peectures, taken by the one and only Mr. Rodgers!!

Throw it all in a bowl (minus the hot sauce, that’s for later!)

Combine it!!

Make yourself some pretty little patties!

Melt your Ghee in a large pan over medium heat.

Toss in your patties…

Flip when nice and browned and continue cooking until both sides are browned and sausage is cooked alllllllllll the way through.

And put on a plate with some hot sauce and devour!  You may never go back to normal sausage!!  Have to love that there are no mystery ingredients in this!

Yum!  Now I’m hungry.  Hope you love it guys!!  Anyone else have good sausage recipes?!

Amazingly Delicious Quinoa Salmon Patties with Caper Sauce

Yum!  I was super surprised by these.  I have always been freaked out by seafood “patties.”  I don’t know why.  I’ve just been afraid to try.  Silly, I know.  But this recipe was product of a two week period where we had to stretch our funds as far as possible.  I had two cans of salmon from my foss (yes, I spelled that wrong on purpose…because she was my friend-boss, so we shortened it to foss.  And I was her fanny…cause I was her friend-nanny.  Yeah, haha.  It’s a special place in a person’s life, being their fanny).  Anywho…when the family I nannyed for moved to California, they gave me free rein to raid their cupboards.  That was back in May and I am still eating food from them 😀 SO…wow, rabbit trails today, sorry.  I had these cans of salmon in my pantry, and since funds were low I decided to be brave and use them up to save some grocery money.  And these beautiful patties were born.  Really, I should be thankful that we ran out of money last month, because I may never have taken the plunge and tried these…and never known how wonderful they are!

These were adapted quite a bit from tasteofhome.com.  A lovely recipe, just tweaked to our health goals…and to use what we had in our house, to be honest hehe.

 

So, here’s what you need:

For Patties:

•  1 Stalk Celery
• 1/2 Small Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 Tbsp Butter or Coconut Oil, divided
• 1/4 C Cooked Quinoa (I used organic red)
• 2 Cans Salmon, Bones picked out
• 1/3 C + 1/4 Cish Flax Meal (My favorite new bread crumb sub)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 tsp Dijon
• Pepper
• Pinch of Cayenne

For Caper Sauce:

• 6 Tbsp Mayo (I like the Olive Oil kind)
• 2 tsp Capers, drained
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

 

Now, I had originally planned to put an egg in there to bind everything together, and realized that my dear husband had eaten them all for breakfast.  However, as long as I was careful these stuck together pretty well…but if you want to change it up and add an egg feel free to do so!

Alright!  Now, how you do it!

1. Start by making your sauce so the flavors can infuse and it can chill!  Simply mix together all the sauce ingredients until well combined, cover, and stick in the fridge.
2. Prep your veggies…chop chop mince mince yeah!  Heat butter or coconut oil (about a Tbsp) in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion and celery for a few minutes, until starting to become tender and translucent.  Add garlic, stir, and cook for another minute or so until everything is tender crisp but garlic is not burnt.
3. In a bowl, dump all patty ingredients (just the first 1/3 C of the flax meal), including the veggies you just sautéed.  Mix with your hands until combined.
4. Form into patties and carefully coat with remaining flax meal.  Honestly, I did this by placing them on a plate covered in wax paper and sprinkling them with flax meal, flipping them, and sprinkling again.  Place in fridge for 10 minutes to set up.
5. Heat remaining butter or coconut oil over medium heat.  Cook patties for about 5 minutes per side, until they have a lovely golden brown color and are heated through.
6. Arrange on a plate, add a dollop of the cool and tart caper sauce, and be amazed!  So delicious, protein packed but still light and…I’d venture to say…pretty darn good for you!  The only thing I’d be iffy on is the mayo, and you don’t use much…and a lot of health people are good with mayo in moderation so yes…feel good about this meal!

Hope you guys love these as much as I did!  I will never judge salmon patties again, hehe!

Peectures:

Combine all sauce ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chop and mince veggies and saute until tender crisp.

Place all patty ingredients in a bowl (only first 1/3 C flax meal…and don’t forget to take the spines out of the fish…they freak me out!)

Combine!

Form into patties and place on wax paper covered plate.  Coat with remaining flax meal, however it works best for you.  I sprinkled them so I didn’t have to move them around to much.

Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Heat remaining butter or coconut oil over medium heat.  Carefully add patties and cook for five minutes, or until starting to brown.

Flip and repeat with the other side.  Please excuse the bad lighting in my kitchen.  Gotta love the awkward over-the-stove lights that you can’t see without but make the coloring awful without!

Plate over your favorite side…I did a steaming hot pile of quinoa!  I could imagine it would also be great over a pile of greens, or some gluten free noodles or crusty bread (not that I encourage you eating bread, but let’s just be honest…it’d be tasty haha).  Drizzle some sauce over the top, and indulge!  Holy yum I can’t even describe how wonderful the flavor was on these!  The hot and soft on the inside, crispy on the outside morsels topped with the creamy tart sauce…it was just the perfect combo and I think you should try it.

Let me know what you think guys!!

 

Valentine “Heart” Salad! (Spring Greens with Ahi Tuna and Fresh “Salsa” Dressing)

‘Tis the season of love! Of showing that special someone how you feel, in sweet, corny ways. Of indulgences and fancy dinners and candle light.  I LOVE ALL OF THESE THINGS!  However, you may be wanting to avoid breaking the bank by going out to that $150 bill restaurant…or perhaps you want to stay on track with your resolutions but still celebrate love in a memorable way…with memorable food.  Have I got a fun, easy recipe for you!!

What I love about this is 1) I completely made it up myself, and 2) the ❤ part of this salad was a completely unplanned accident, that turned out perfect for Valentines Day!  I’m an accidental genius!

Look at this pretty little “love” salad:

How precious is that?  So without further ado…

Here’s what you need:

For Salad: (Whatever you use to build your usual salad, this is what I used)

• 2-3 Handfuls Spring Mix
• 2-3 Handfuls Baby Spinach
• 1 Heart Romaine, Torn into Bite Sized Pieces
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, Julienned
• 1/2 Cucumber, Sliced
• 2 Carrots, Sliced
• Avocado, Sliced

For Fish:

• 2 Ahi Tuna Steaks, 1 lb (They come in this shape! Yay!)
• Sea Salt and Pepper
• Chili Powder
• Cumin

For “Salsa Dressing”  (You may want to double if you are planning on serving more than 2-3 people)

• 1 Lg Tomato
• 2 Tbsp Minced Red Onon
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1/2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• Squeeze of Cilantro Paste (You can use fresh, I was making this up on the fly so didn’t have any on hand)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

And here’s how you do it!

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Place tuna steaks in an oven safe pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin on both sides.  I would not cover the fish as generously as I usually have you season things.  Just a nice sprinkling so the flavor of the fish is not overwhelmed.  Set aside until oven is ready.
3. While you wait on the oven, place all of your salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Combine all of your salsa ingredients and whisk with a fork until evenly incorporated.  It will have more liquid than a normal salsa, since the purpose is for it to be the dressing for the salad.
5. Slide tuna in oven and bake until flakes easily with a fork.  My steaks were thick and I wanted them well done, so it took about 2o minutes.  You can adjust to your tastes and steaks 🙂
6. Place tuna steak on top of salad and drizzle with salsa dressing.  Then hand it to your sweetheart to show them how much you care 😉

 

Peectures:

See how beautiful those hearts are?!  Sorry…they just make me so happy!

Preheat your oven to 350*.  Now sprinkle the seasonings on both sides of the fish…see my sprinkling?  That’s all you need.

Built your big salad (excuse the ghetto nature of my salad bowl…I make big quantities and keep them in giant Tupperware so we always have salad on hand.)

Mix together your salsa salad dressing.

Place your fish on top of some salad…

Sprinkle with salsa….

This was my husband’s romantic salad to go, haha.  Now eat however you desire!!  I shredded mine up and mixed it in.  It.  Was.  Delicious.

 

And bam!  There you have it folks!  Healthy, delicious, and romantic!!  Enjoy!

 

 

Savory Oatmeal Patties (Another Kirkwood Family Secret Recipe)

You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about…savory oatmeal patties, huh! Honestly, when I found out what these were, I was too. Because growing up, even though I think I heard my mom call them “Oatmeal Patties,” I don’t think it ever occurred to me that these really were made mostly of just…oatmeal. They were always those mystery patties that were warm and creamy and strangely comforting.

So the last few weeks in January we were having to stretch our budget immensely. Things were really tight. I found some oatmeal in the pantry, and called up my mamma because I was remembering something about these yummy oatmeal patties. She told me the ingredients, and I realized I had everything I needed! They are all common ingredients that honestly probably EVERYONE has in their house at any time. So if YOU are on a tight budget this month, you may want to check these guys out!!

One of my favorite thing about these is how sneaky they are!!  They are satisfying, they look like a beef patty, and they have flavors of meat…oh, and there is protein from the eggs too!  So it really seriously feels like you are eating meat…but you aren’t!!  Now you all know me, I am ALL about eating meat, but it is often what quickly wracks up the grocery bill.  I asked my husband to guess what he was eating, and some of his answers were things like “sausage” and “stuffing.”  (Kudos to him for recognizing that I use the same seasoning in these patties as I do in my Buttermilk Cornbread Stuffing!!  His palate is so refined.  ;))  That was encouraging to me, because those are two very wonderful, comforting, satisfying things.  So if he thought he was eating sausage or stuffing, I must be doing pretty good.  Little did he know (until I told him of course) that he was eating oatmeal!  Muahahahaaaa.

So, are you curious??  Let me enlighten you to the mysteries of the universe……  Or, at least the mysteries of my mother’s cooking, haha!

So, here’s what you need:

• 2 C Oats, Old Fashioned or Quick!
• 2 Med Onions, Minced
• 2-3 Tbsp Butter or Coconut Oil, divided
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup, Divided (Or an equivalent alternative!  I can’t wait to experiment with canning my own!  On the list!)
• 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning (Or sage if you don’t have it)
• 1 tsp Amino Acids or Soy Sauce
• 2 Eggs
• Milk, 5-6 oz

And here’s how you do it!!

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Saute onions in butter or coconut oil until tender.
3. Mix a few Tablespoons of the cream of mushroom soup with the rest of the ingredients (a little less than half the can.)  The idea here is to get JUST enough of the soup to hold everything together.  Too much makes it fall apart (I learned that the hard way!).
4. Heat butter or coconut oil in the bottom of a pan.
5. Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls into the butter, and gently squish down into a patty shape (using a spatula or your fingers!).
6. Saute until beginning to get beautifully golden brown, just about 2 minutes.  Gently flip and repeat on opposite side.
7. Transfer patties to baking dish.
8. Dilute remaining cream of mushroom soup with an equal amount of milk.  Whisk together till smooth.
9. Smother patties with soup mixture and bake for about 30 minutes until hot and cooked down.

 

Now, to show you.  I wish these things turned out more pretty, but they have never been a pretty plate.  I mean…you have oatmeal and cream of mushroom soup, haha.  But they taste so amazing.  I know I have said it before, but the best way to describe these is “comforting.”  So take a chance!  And let me know how you like them.  🙂

 

Ingredients gathered!!

Saute your onions until tender.  I wanted mine almost caramelized so I kept cooking them until they just started to get golden edges.

Mix a couple Tablespoons of soup with the rest of the ingredients; just enough to bind everything.

Melt butter into pan.  Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls into butter and gently press down into an even patty with your fingers (carefully!) or a spatula.

Saute a couple minutes until starting to get a lovely golden color, then carefully flip and repeat with opposite side.

Transfer patties to a 9X13 baking dish.

Dilute remaining soup with an equal amount of milk.  Whisk together until smooth.

Dump over patties and bake about 30 minutes, until heated through and soup has cooked down.  Yummmmy.

Enjoy!  And see if anyone in your family can guess what they are eating!!