Whole30 Turkey burgers with BUNS!

 

I love a good burger, and when you get excellent, locally sourced ground turkey, all the better.  Now these cauliflower buns were a great addition to my repertoire as well, gluten and grain free, they really held up pretty well.  One of the drawbacks of most gluten-free buns is that they disintegrate before you've finished your burger, but these were not too shabby, especially slathered with my homemade ketchup and mayo!

Exact ingredients for the ketchup I made can be found here.  I did the quick and easy version listed, and though it is delicious, it wasn't quite right.  I've continued to tweak this recipe, starting with thinning it out with an additional tablespoon of vinegar and even some water to make it more consistent with store-bought ketchup.  It's a work in progress. 

All I did was throw everything in a bowl and whisk it together.

And voila!

Now the mayonnaise was like magic!  All you do is put an egg yolk, 1T of vinegar, 1T of water, 1t of mustard and 1 cup of oil into a narrow vessel.  I think it being like a glass, rather than a bowl is important to the emulsification process.  Let the ingredients settle, then place your hand blender all the way down to the bottom, start with it flat against the bottom, and it will begin to emulsify the oil and other ingredients together to create the creamy, white mayonnaise we all know and love.  Once your process is going, tilt the head of the blender to the side and slowly raise it to incorporate the oil at the top. Add salt and pepper to taste at the end.

I felt a little like a sorcerer.

Put both into containers and into the fridge

Now onto your burgers!  I had a pound of turkey, about half a cup of chopped onion, 1t each of chili powder, cumin and paprika.  Then salt and pepper to taste. Form into patties.

I did two patties, but in hindsight, probably should have done 3, these were a little big.

Making the buns was actually pretty fun.  I couldn't find the attachment for my food processor, so I just grated the cauliflower on the small side of my box grater and had about 2-3 cups, so I decided to halve the recipe. I added about 6T of almond flour, garlic powder, salt and 2 eggs.  I found the mixture to be really wet, but what do I know?  I decided to go for it.  I formed them into buns and stuck them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes and then under the broiler for a minute or two until brown.  I made one mistake...

You should really grease your pan before you put these bad boys in the oven, don't be like me!

I fried up my turkey patties in a bit of ghee, and then served them all together with roasted garnet yam.

Now, there is a Whole30 concept called SWYPO (it stands for Sex With Your Pants On) that states you should avoid "paleo-izing" junk foods that are off the plan, for example a Whole30 pancake is frowned upon.  Now, I agree that we should not be trying to fit our old eating habits into a new format, but I also think it's great to find creative ways to use the foods you do have.  So, because I'm the boss of me, I'll allow it.  I know that white potatoes, though newly added to the Whole30 plan, are a bad idea for me.  So I'll continue to stay away while the 30 days last. It's about knowing yourself and examining your motivations.
Things like Whole30 buns are a fun and creative way for me to use up the cauliflower in my fridge!  But if you are really trying to break out of old, unhealthy habits, and this will trigger cravings, or make you unhappy about the food choices you're making, skip the bun (or the potato, as the case may be)!

See, the burgers were a little too big, but I'm not complaining!

That's-a turkey meat-a-ball!

My cravings for all complex carbohydrates continue unabated, but I'm trying so hard to be strong.  So when all I could think of were spaghetti with enormous, fat, juicy meatballs...I made these instead.  And they were delicious, even if they didn't come with a plate full of starch.

Does anyone else know this old commercial?  

What you'll need for your meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground turkey (mine was fancy from Whole Foods, but you can use any kind you want!)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (use gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep this recipe, you know, free of gluten)
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (I have an Italian cheese blend, it was on sale). 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (extra for garnish, if you'd like)
• 2 T olive oil, divided

What you'll need for your Primavera sauce:

• 1 16oz. can of diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (can you see a theme here?)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T. butter (because you can)

To start, put your turkey in a big bowl, then add your cheese, red pepper, and bread crumbs, then mix to incorporate. 

Next add your garlic and parsley.

Then mix in your egg.  It's helpful to scramble the egg a little on its own before this step, but obviously that's not what I did.

Form the mixture into balls that are about 1.5 inches in diameter and chill them until you're ready to brown them on the stove.

Put your meatballs in the preheated pan with 1 T olive oil (then add the other tablespoon if needed). I brown meatballs over med-high heat, so you get that nice brown, crispy crust.  It's good to not crowd the meatballs, so feel free to add them in shifts so that they don't bring down the temperature in the pad too much. I also try to brown all sides of the meatballs, though they inevitably fight me at the end when they've cooked into weird oblong shapes.  Remove the meatballs from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Prep all of your veggies for the Primavera, it's the right thing to do.

First saute them over medium heat, onions first until they're transparent, then mushrooms until they've released their moisture, then zucchini and artichoke hearts until they've gotten a little brown.

Add your tomatoes, spices and salt and pepper. Then simmer.

Once the sauce is simmering, return the meatballs to the pan, so that they can cook in the juice. I simmered mine for about 25 minutes.

Add a pat of butter at the end, it will bring a whole new level to your sauce and make it almost creamy.  Trust me on this.  Do it.

Pile your meatballs on a plate, garnish with additional cheese and parsley if you wish and then dig in!

A note on using cast iron with acidic dishes:  I cooked these meatballs in my old cast iron frying pan.  The fancy folks say that the acidity in the tomatoes can ruin the seasoning on the cast iron, and I will tell you that it made mine dull, but I've cooked enough bacon in that frying pan over the years, I would have to do something pretty drastic to ruin the seasoning.  That being said, if you prefer stainless steel or non-stick cookware, that's what you should use!

Sausage, kale and cauliflower, oh my!

I make a lot of soup for myself.  I think it stems from years without a dishwasher and really embracing the idea of 1 pot cooking.  I also eat in my living room the majority of the time, I know you all imagine me dressing for dinner à la Downton Abbey, but usually I'm watching bad TV in my pajamas, balancing my dinner on my lap. That's the other reason soup is great, all you need is a spoon (and possibly a napkin), you don't have to worry about using a knife and fork to cut, while balancing your plate.  

Now, I recognize that I could just sit at the table like a civilized person, but it's just not who I am, man.  The Dudette abides in her bathrobe clutching her bowl of soup.

This soup is a go-to for me, and happens to be a variation on Zuppa Toscana.  Here's what you'll need:

• 3 links of Italian turkey sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets
• 1 bunch of greens, this is Tuscan kale (3-4 cups, chopped)
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups milk
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

I like the Jennie-O Hot Italian sausage, but I like Hot Italian anything

Saute your onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil, after about 5 minutes, add your sausage, make sure to remove the casing first, so you're just adding the ground meat.  Once the turkey is browned, add 4 cups of water and your cauliflower to the pot.

Simmer the soup until the cauliflower is tender, then add your chopped greens and milk.  Spinach is cooked almost immediately, but kale takes a few minutes.  Make sure not to bring the soup to a hard boil after you've added the milk, because it can make the milk separate.  It won't taste bad, it'll just look kind of gross and grainy.

Total time with simmering, etc., about an hour.

When you're all done, throw on your PJs and snuggle up with some 30 Rock re-runs.  The one where Liz gets her own talk show is a personal favorite.