Mushroom-Bacon-Pecan Burgers

I dreamed this recipe up on our long drive home from Cleveland after my nephew Jordan's wedding. Anything with bacon is, of course, phenominal. And this burger doesn't disappoint. It came together quickly and tasted great on a bed of arugula and cucumber tossed with oil and vinegar. I made 8 burgers so we would have leftovers for mixing in with eggs in the morning and for lunch the next day.

Makes 8 burgers.

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 cup pecan halves, toasted
1 8 oz container mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas.)
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
freshly ground black pepper
good quality balsamic vinegar
1 egg
1 large bunch arugula
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
olive oil

Preparation

1. Saute bacon, onion, and mushrooms in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is cooked through and onions and mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool  for 5 minutes. 
2. In the meantime, combine ground beef, egg, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Transfer cooled bacon mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add pecans and process until finely chopped. Add to ground beef mixture.
4. Use your hands to combine all of the ingredients. Form into 8 patties. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Place a piece of heavy duty foil coated with coconut or olive oil on the grill grate. Place burgers on the foil and grill for 5 minutes on each side or until the burgers reach your desired degree of doneness.
5. While burgers cook, toss arugula and cucumber with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among plates.
6. Serve burgers on top of arugula. Drizzle with additional balsamic, if desired.

Crab Burgers with Red Pepper Dressing

Yes, this is a crab burger, not a crab cake. It is hearty and delicious. The dressing is great on the burger, but would also be perfect with chicken or fish. You'll notice that this recipe calls for ketchup. I'm not a condiment girl, and when I tried to find a ketchup that was paleo, even the organics I saw contained sugar. I was happy to find a paleo recipe on livestrong.com that combines cloves and allspice to give an incredible flavor. Again, just like the paleo mayo, it only takes 10 minutes to make...and you'll have enough to fill a pint mason jar. Give it a try and let me know what you think!


Adapted from epicurious.com.


Serves 4.

Ingredients
Red Pepper Dressing
1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise
2 green onions, thinly sliced (I used red scallions from my CSA.)
2 Tbsp minced drained roasted red pepper from a jar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp paleo ketchup
1 Tbsp chipotle chile in adobo, pureed (see instructions below)
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon peel

Crab Burgers
1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp paleo ketchup
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 tsp chipotle chili in adobo, pureed (see instructions below)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp minced drained roasted red pepper from a jar
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, shells removed
1 3/4 cups almond meal, divided
extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 large bunch mixed greens

Preparation
For Pureed Chipotle Chile in Adobo (enough for burgers and sauce)

1. Remove 2 chipotle chiles, with their adobo sauce and place in a food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet.
2. Puree until liquified.
   NOTE: You can puree the whole can of chiles in their sauce, then freeze it in Tbsp-sized portions to replace chili sauce in other recipes. I think it adds a nice flavor and just the right amount of heat.

For Red Pepper Dressing
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

For Crab Burgers

1. Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add green onion and red pepper and stir to combine. 
3. Fold the crabmeat into the sauce, then add 3/4 cup almond flour and stir gently to combine.
4. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of almond flour on a rimmed baking sheet. 
5. Form the crab mixture into 4 equal-size patties. Set them on top of the almond flour and press into the flour to coat. Flip each patty and repeat on the other side. Cover pan and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6. Place mixed greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and toss to coat. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
7. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil or coconut oil. Working in batches, if needed, add patties and cook about 5 minutes on each side.
8. To serve, divide mixed greens onto each plate. Place one burger top of each plate. Drizzle with red pepper dressing.