Recipes

Crab Salad “Sushi” Burger

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Burger, meet your new BFF: crab salad. I’ve been seeing variations on a “sushi” burger for awhile now on the Internets and had passed it off as a too-decadent (expensive) dinner for a weeknight. Well, no more. The Asian flavors and crabby sweetness of this salad were a nice addition to what would otherwise just be yet another basic burger/dinner staple ’round these parts. I see this simple salad in my (distant) future for many hot summer nights – kicked up with some cool celery and spooned over some sort of crunch – a plantain chip, shattery tortilla or nut cracker would be delightful here.

This recipe serves 2 for dinner or 1 for dinner + 1 for lunch. For a side, some broccoli slaw would be fantastic here; but I wasn’t starving to death, so I served on its own.

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Crab Salad “Sushi” Burger

Make The Aioli

1 egg
1 egg yolk
2/3 c. neutral oil (like grapeseed or avocado)
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (Red Boat ftw)
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos
2 tsp. sriracha (if you’re feeling froggy, the Whole30 sriracha from Nom Nom Paleo is fantastic)
1 tsp. mustard (I use Gulden’s)
1 tsp. kosher salt

Combine everything but the mayo in a bowl or jar – I use the container that came with my immersion blender. Whiz with the immersion blender, adding oil in a steady stream until everything comes together and thickens up.

Assemble The Salad

Add to a small bowl:

2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 6 ounce can lump crab meat, drained and picked through for shells
1 tsp. minced or grated ginger
zest of half a lime
2 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Pinch kosher salt
3-4 Tbsp. aioli

Mix until combined, adding aioli until your desired cohesiveness is reached. Stash in the fridge for half an hour or so to give the flavors a chance to meet and mingle.

Make Your Burgers

You’ll need:

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
Salt & pepper
1/4 to 1/2 avocado per person

Form ground beef into 2-4 burger patties. Salt & pepper both sides.

Cook 3-4 minutes per side in a large pan over medium-high heat.

While the burgers are working, slice avocado and set aside.

When the burgers are finished, top with generous spoonfuls crab salad + sliced avocado + more aioli and go to town.

Serves 2 for dinner if you want big burgers; 4 if you want quarter pounders.

Lazy Baked Squash with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Lime Vinaigrette

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Thank you so much, Molly Hays of Remedial Eating, for posting the methodology for this squash. This squash is truly a revelation – no longer will I have to endanger limbs and make my Darling Husband cringe in terror as I attack hard squash with a meat cleaver.

If you’re not familiar with Remedial Eating, check the link out. Molly’s writing is full of beautiful prose and her recipes are homey and comforting with interesting flavor combinations/takes on flavors – plus, she lives in (one of) my home town(s). So, there’s that.

I made this squash on a busy weeknight and the whole thing took 48 minutes from start to table. I will be repeating this dish’s success many times over the course of this winter – and see visions of weekly squash roasts in my Monday nights future. I’m dying to try some of the flavor combos listed at the end of Molly’s post – and am itching to add a few more of my own like:

Aged balsamic vinegar & pecorino cheese

Toasted garlic, chili or chipotle powder, egg & stout cheese (pecorino? glouchester? aged sheep gouda?)

Toasted cashews, curry, cilantro & lime

Apple, toasted pecan & lemon/lime vinaigrette

Bacon, toasted pecan & bleu cheese

Apple, sage, bacon & toasted pecan

The possibilities are endless.

This side is fantastic when served alongside a nice London broil – or a minute steak – or alone for lunch; whatever your fancy.

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Lazy Baked Squash with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Lime Vinaigrette

Adapted from Lovely Squash for Lazybones from Remedial Eating

1 acorn squash
1-1.5 ounces goat cheese per squash half (omit if strict paleo, vegan or doing Whole30)
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 tsp. lime or lemon juice (I used my go-to bottle of salvation, Nellie’s Key Lime juice)
1 tsp. spicy mustard (I used Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard)
1 big pinch kosher salt
A few cracks fresh black pepper
Chipotle to sprinkle
1 big hand full arugula per squash half

Preheat your oven to 375. Place your squash on a cookie sheet wrapped in tin foil and slap into the oven. Let bake 30-45 minutes, or until your knife goes in with minimal effort.

Slice the squash in half and place cut side down on the prepared sheet. Slip back into the oven until you can pierce the thickest part of your squash and it gives absolutely no resistance – like a knife through hot butter. This should take 15-30 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool until handleable – or if you’re impatient like me – let cool for 2 minutes and then pick up with a dish towel,  and scoop the squash guts out.

Sprinkle with goat cheese, vinaigrette and chipotle powder. Top with arugula.

Serves 2

Jicama, Pear & Grapefruit Salad

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This little side salad is as delicious as it is versatile. It’s bright, kicky, crunchy and can please a crowd. I served it along side some quick pork chops for dinner and then topped with chicken breast for lunch the next day.

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Jicama, Pear & Grapefruit Salad

Adapted from a recipe I saw while rifling through a cookbook … which one? I was too busy day dreaming after reading the ingredient list to remember things like that

1 jicama
1 pear
1 grapefruit
2 medium carrots
1 lime (zest + juice)
Fresh mint/cilantro/basil (you’re looking for 6 Tbsp. total here)
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
1-2 tsp. sriracha (use Whole30 approved if necessary)
Flaky salt
Cracked black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 c. toasted nuts (I had macadamias on hand)

Peel and julienne the jicama. Julienne the pear. Grate the carrots. Add each to a large bowl when finished.

Supreme & chop the grapefruit into bite sized pieces, squeezing the extra juice into a small bowl. Add the grapefruit pieces to the julienne bowl.

Zest the lime, adding the zest to the julienne bowl. Squeeze the juice into the dressing bowl with the grapefruit juice.

Finely dice the herbs. I did 4 Tbsp. combined mint & cilantro with 2 Tbsp. basil chiffonade. Add to the julienne bowl.

Add the grapeseed oil & sriracha to the dressing bowl and whisk to form an emulsion. Taste and add more acid or sriracha as needed.

Sprinkle two generous pinches salt into the julienne bowl, with a few cracks of black pepper and the toasted nuts. Toss well to combine. Pour the dressing over (you might want to start with half) and toss well to combine (I used my hands). Taste and add more salt or dressing as needed.

Makes enough to serve 4 for dinner or 2-3 big lunch bowls.

Pork Chops with Bacon-studded Sweet Potato Puree and Apple Bourbon Gastrique (paleo)

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This dish screams fall all over. Orange! Apple! Bourbon! Pork! Bacon! And yum, don’t forget yum. Although this dish might look long and complicated, once you get going it is quick to prepare – and only dirties up a single pan + a small pot. Win-win.

Blergh. Picture taking fail - no other pictures turned out.
Blergh. Picture taking fail – no other pictures turned out.

For the apple bourbon gastrique

1/4 c. apple juice or apple cider
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (I used Dr. Bronner’s)
1/4 c. bourbon or whiskey (I used Honey Jack – yes, I’m aware bourbon – especially a bastardized bourbon – isn’t strict paleo. Suck it, paleo police. It’s delicious.)

Add to a small pot over high heat. Boil until reduced by a third.

For the bacon-studded sweet potato mash & apples

2 small sweet potatoes
4 c. vegetable stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme + 2 tsp. thyme leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 granny smith apple

Peel and dice the potatoes (about 1/4 inch cubes – I ended up with about 2 cups). Add to a medium pot and cover with the stock. Add the thyme and set over high heat. Boil 5 minutes, or until tender. When the potatoes are fork tender, drain – reserving about half a cup of cooking liquid – and add to a food processor. Mash with 2 tsp. chopped thyme, the chili powder and salt until smooth, adding splashes of reserved cooking liquid as you go.

While your potatoes are boiling, fry the bacon until crispy and slice the apple thinly. When the bacon is browned, remove from the pan and set aside to drain. Crumble and mix in with the mashed potatoes.

To the hot pan, add the apple and fry in bacon fat until browned. Remove and set aside.

For the pork

2 boneless butterflied pork chops
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped thyme
1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Heat the coconut oil in the vacated pan over medium-high heat. Pat the chops dry with paper towels and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper and thyme on both sides. When the pan is hot, add the chops and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until done to your liking.

Let the meat rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2

Caramelized Onion Mashed Fauxtatoes (paleo)

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This is a new spin on the typical cauliflower mash – a little gussying up, as it were. I served alongside some mini meatloaves topped with a paleo-fied ketchup and dinner was a smash success. Meatloaf & mashed “potatoes” – what’s not to love?

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Caramelized Onion Mashed Fauxtatoes (paleo)

1 head cauliflower
Good quality stock (chicken, vegetable or turkey)
1 medium onion
1 scant 1/2 tsp. 100% maple syrup
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter (or vegan butter substitute)
Kosher salt & white pepper to taste

Thinly slice your onion and add to a medium pan over medium/medium-low heat with the grapeseed oil. Sautee, stirring occasionally and adding the maple syrup about half way through – about 15-20 minutes or until caramelized. Add the onions to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth, adding splashes of the liquid from the pot of needed to get things going.

While the onions are caramelizing, chop your cauliflower into smallish pieces and add to a medium pot. Add stock until the cauliflower is covered by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook 10 minutes or until soft. Drain, reserving half a cup or so of the cooking liquid.

Add the drained cauliflower to the food processor along with the butter, 2 tsp. kosher salt & a few shakes white pepper. Puree until smooth, adding reserved stock as needed. Taste and add salt & pepper if needed.

Serves 3

Butternut Squash Mash (paleo, whole30)

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Mmmmm….. comfort food. A nice heaping bowl of warm is perhaps my favorite thing about the colder months and meals featuring this side (or a side very like it) sustain me through the cold and the dark like none other.

Try it: under a moroccan tomato ragu with sausage and a fried egg, as a base for a nice thick meaty traditional-style tomato sauce, under some firey shrimp & bacon in place of grits, as a sturdy starchy side for a steak, with a bright gremolata & crunchy almonds, as the “anchor” for a topping of crisped veggies, or pretty much anywhere else you need something substantial to make up a meal.

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Butternut Squash Mash (paleo, whole30)

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
Good quality stock (vegetable, chicken or turkey)
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter (or vegan butter substitute)
1 tsp. ras el hanout (optional)
Kosher salt & black pepper – to taste

Place your peeled butternut squash into a medium pot and add enough stock to cover by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Drain, reserving half a cup or so of the cooking liquid. Add the drained squash to a large bowl, along with the butter, 2 tsp. salt, a few twists pepper and ras el hanout (if using). Mash, adding splashes of stock, until the mixture is smooth and almost soupy. Re-taste and add salt & pepper as needed.

Serves 2-3 as the main anchor of a dish.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

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Reformed beet-hater now occasionally craves the color and majesty that is a perfectly roasted beet every once in awhile. When I have those days, I’m happy someone in the health food biz decided to offer pre-roasted beets for sale at Whole Foods.

The recipe is written with a single lunch serving in mind. Feel free to scale up to feed your desired number.

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Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

1 small roasted beet (I took the lazy way out here and bought some pre-roasted beets)
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
3-4 ounces leftover rotisserie chicken (optional but delicious)
1/2 grapefruit
Citrus salt (or other flaky finishing salt)

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1/2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (Braggs ftw)
1 big squirt grapefruit juice

Slice your beets wafer thin, shred the chicken, slice the avocado thin, and toast the almonds in a dry pan until lightly brown. Supreme the grapefruit.

Either add all to a bowl or lay out pretty for a composed salad. Both are equally tasty.

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the top. Finish with some tasty salt and eat.

Serves 1 for lunch, but can easily be scaled up to feed more.

Steak with Shaved Asparagus Salad (paleo)

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Some nights it’s good to be in the house alone. I’d been seeing talk of shaved asparagus on the interwebs for weeks and developed a hankering. Turns out, raw asparagus makes a tasty salad. A finicky, fussy, tasty salad.

This dish serves one, but can be easily scaled up to serve two. The salad could actually possibly serve two as it stands if you’re having something other than just steak and asparagus, but I happily ate it all in one go.

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Steak with Shaved Asparagus Salad (paleo)

1 tsp. grainy mustard
1 tsp. wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
Big pinch citrus salt
12 oz. asparagus
Nice thick steak
1 tsp. coconut oil
Your favorite steak seasoning
Aged balsamic vinegar

First, prep your asparagus by snapping off the woody stems. Now shave. I’ve found the best way to do this with my particular vegetable peeler is to hold the tip and kind of balance the asparagus over something – like the jar of grainy mustard – and carefully go to town. I was left with a bunch of tips + some thicker pieces I couldn’t shave down enough and a few broken stalks from overzealous peeling. Save those rejects for a frittata. Add your asparagus curls to a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, make the vinaigrette by whisking the mustard, wine vinegar and oil to form an emulsion. Hit with a big pinch of citrus salt and set aside.

On to the steak. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. While that is going, pat your steak dry and season with your favorite steak seasoning + salt if it doesn’t already incorporate it. Cook your steak until the desired doneness is reached. I had a 1/2 inch thick strip steak and like my steak rare, so I cooked 4 minutes on 1 side, flipped, and cooked an additional 3 minutes on the other. Remove the steak to rest 5 minutes and cut the heat. Chuck in your asparagus tips and let soften and cook using the residual heat in the pan.

To serve, give the vinaigrette another whisk and toss with the asparagus. Drizzle with some nice aged balsamic for a little extra kick.

Serves 1, with a large portion of the salad.

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (paleo, whole30)

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Yum. This recipe took care of my burgeoning buffalo chicken craving handily, and in a healthy manner. This recipe feeds 1 for dinner but can easily be scaled up to feed your number of choice.

A little note about the zucchini: The cooking method in the recipe below yields just slightly cooked zucchini with some crunch left to it. If you want your squash softer, blind broil before stuffing and broil some more after adding the filling.

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Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (paleo, whole30)

1 large zucchini
2 small carrots
1 rib celery
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 breast leftover cooked chicken
2 Tbsp. aioli
2 tsp. Louisiana (or other) hot sauce
1 scallion

Put your oven to broil on high.

Halve the zucchini and scoop out the middles with a spoon. If you want softer zucchini, blind broil now for a few minutes while everything else cooks.

Dice 2 small carrots & 1 rib celery (you’re looking for about 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling per zucchini, depending upon the size of your squash).

Sautee the diced veggies and zucchini guts if you want over medium in coconut oil until softened; adding the garlic powder, salt & pepper about half way through.

Chop the chicken finely. Add to a medium bowl with the aioli and veggies once they’re done. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine.

Pile the mixture into your two hollowed out zucchini halves and broil 5-7 minutes until browned.

Top with sliced scallions and avocado crema if you’re feeling fancy and you have some. I did not.

Serves 1 for dinner.

30 Minute Meatballs & Red Sauce (paleo, Whole30)

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What?! Meatballs in marinara sauce in under 30 minutes? Blasphemy! Well, I’m here to tell you it can be done. It won’t be a leisurely 30 minutes puttering around the kitchen, but it can totally be done if you have a craving and not much time to satisfy it.

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30 Minute Meatballs & Red Sauce (paleo, Whole30)

Quickie Tomato Sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 onion
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. + water
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter

In a medium pan over medium heat, add the tomato paste and stir to break it up some. While the pan comes up to temperature, slice the onions wafer thin and halve the cherry tomatoes, dropping each into the pan and stirring as ready. When the paste starts to sizzle (a little scorching here is ok), add the water and spices. Stir to combine, drop the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently and adding water when things get too dry (I ended up adding two batches of 1/4 cup each) about 20 minutes. Add the butter and stir to distribute.

This would be fantastic with wine, but since wine is a Whole30 no-no, I had to forego. If you are using wine, sub in 1/4 c. for half the water in the first addition.

Quickie Meatballs

1/2 lb. grass fed ground beef
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley and basil – the ratio is up to you
1-2 cloves garlic
1 egg (optional)
Salt & pepper

While your sauce is doing its thing and trying to burn (seriously. stir frequently or you will end up with a hot mess), address the meatballs. Break off about a third of the meat and get into a medium pan. Brown, breaking into small bits as you go. Add to a bowl with the rest of the beef, the herbs & garlic which you’ve chopped, salt and pepper. You might want to add an egg, too. I didn’t and my balls were fine; but could have been less dense with an egg. The browned meat helps alleviate some of the denseness as well. Don’t forget to salt & pepper. Form into 6 balls and sautee over medium heat until browned on all sides.

And there you have it – a long lunch/quick dinner meal that’s satisfying, meaty and hits (at least for me) the right ‘comfort’ spot. And obsession button. I got addicted to ‘red gravy’ this past winter and have never looked back. To be fair, my talented DH started this addiction years ago with his spaghetti, but since I don’t eat pasta any more, I’ve been eating meatballs & sauce like they’re going out of style.

Serves 1 for lunch with enough sauce left over for ‘pizza burgers’ the next day.