Lemon Dill Salmon Burgers with Spinach Horseradish Sauce

My husband, Peter, and I love to travel.  We especially love Las Vegas.  We've been four times now and every time we're there, we go to The Bellagio for breakfast.  (This last trip we finally got to stay there!)  The thing I look forward to the most on their breakfast buffet is the lox and bagels.  I love all the little topping choices!  So when I saw the ingredients in these burgers, I knew I would love them too.  We will definitely be having these again!

For all of my Catholic friends, I'm posting today so that you have plenty of time to get the ingredients to make these on Friday!

Lemon Dill Salmon Burgers


1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless, wild Alaskan salmon (You can ask them at the fish counter to remove the skin and bones for you.)
1 tbsp. peppercorn mustard (or Dijon mustard - whatever you have on hand)
2 tbsp. finely chopped dill (or more if you really like dill)
2 tbsp. capers, drained
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and white veins removed, finely chopped
3 tbsp. finely chopped purple onion
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Cut the salmon into chunks and put 1/4 of it into a food processor with the mustard.  Pulse until salmon forms a smooth paste.  Add the remaining salmon and ingredients and pulse to break the rest of the salmon up into the paste.

Shape the salmon mixture into patties.  Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Cook for 5 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side.  Even though the patties seem very soft and like they will fall apart as they cook, they stayed together surprisingly well!  Serve with sliced tomatoes, purple onion, and the spinach horseradish sauce below.

Spinach Horseradish Sauce
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1 small handful of fresh parsley
2 tbsp. prepared white horseradish
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. purple onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. water

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  This is a great dip for fresh vegetables also!



*Recipes are originally from Primal Blueprint, by Mark Sisson, but I added and/or changed ingredients here and there.

Honey Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

One of my very favorite smells is the smell of warmed rosemary.  My rosemary plant in the backyard is huge and outgrew its pot faster than I could replant it.  It has rooted into the railroad tie it was sitting on and so I've been forced to just leave it where it is.  This recipe calls for just a little rosemary, but the way it makes my house smell when it hits the warm vegetables makes it so worth it to make this dish.  And, there's something rewarding about going into the backyard to gather an ingredient.  The dressing for this dish is one I got from Southern Living and when paired with this combination of vegetables, it's delicious!

My Rosemary Plant

Honey Rosemary Roasted Vegetables


1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 fennel bulb, tops cut off and sliced
1/2 purple onion, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
olive oil
Kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper 
Italian seasoning


Dressing
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 425F.  Place vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Add a generous amount of salt and ground black pepper.  Toss together.  Then, put vegetables on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until tender and cooked through well.


While the vegetables are cooking, whisk 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 2 cloves of garlic (chopped fine), and 1 tsp. coarse ground Kosher salt.   (salt to taste - I rarely measure salt.  I usually just get a good pinch from my salt dish on the counter so my measurement may be off.)



As soon as vegetables come out and while they are still warm, drizzle the dressing over the top and gently toss to coat. 

Stuffed Peppers

As a kid, I had a list of thing I did not eat: tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, and on and on.  As an adult, I'm a more adventurous eater and eat tomatoes almost every day in my lunch, put celery in as many things as I can, and love raw and cooked bell peppers - especially the yellow and red ones.  Our grocery story had all colors of bell peppers on sale this week, so it was the perfect opportunity to make them.  This recipe is a combination of many different stuffed pepper recipes that I combined into one delicious dinner!  The hardest part is getting everything chopped up, but once you do, it makes for an easy supper and they are great warmed up the next day for lunch.


Stuffed Peppers
4 bell peppers of any color that will stand on their own ~ tops, stems, and seeds removed
(reserve the tops and chop them for later)
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 pieces of bacon
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 chopped green onions
2 large eggs


Fry the bacon until crisp, then, chop and reserve it for later.  Into the bacon grease, over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, reserved pepper tops and celery.  As those begin to soften, add the mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add the meat to the pan and brown the meat, crumbling it as fine as you can as it cooks.  Add in salt and pepper to taste.  Once the meat is cooked through, remove the stuffing mixture to a bowl and add in the chopped bacon, parsley, and green onions.  Let the mixture cool to room temp, then add the eggs and stir together.  Stuff each pepper to the top and bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until nice and brown on top.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Scallops and Spinach

Two of my very favorite things were combined tonight into a dinner made just for me by my sweet husband!  I love scallops so much that they are definitely included in my "last meal of all time" list.  (I'm not planning on needing that list any time soon, but you know what I mean.)  He paired them with sauteed spinach and a baked sweet potato.  It was a delicious and child-free dinner.  We try our very best to sit at the table and eat as a family as many nights as we can.  There are many studies that show what a benefit that is to raising productive, honest, children, but every so often, I need to eat without them - all of the parents of a two-year-old know what I mean.  So thank you to my wonderful husband for a wonderful dinner!

Easy Skillet Scallops and Spinach 
1 lb. sea scallops
bacon - one piece for each scallop
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole spinach leaves
sea salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges


Fry the bacon until almost done, but still somewhat pliable.
In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp. of the coconut oil, along with the shallot and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
Remove the spinach mixture from the pan, add the remaining coconut oil, season the scallops with salt and pepper, (we patted them dry first) and wrap with a piece of bacon, secured with a toothpick.  Cook the scallops over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately over the spinach with lemon wedges.


(taken from Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso)

Chicken BLT Salad

This recipe was inspired by one I found in Primal Blueprint, a cookbook by Mark Sisson.  Hard to believe that this is on my diet plan, but it is, and it was so yummy.  My husband loved it too since he loves just about anything with bacon.  If you love BLT sandwiches, you'll love this recipe too.  And you'll never miss the bread! 


Chicken BLT Salad
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

This isn't that great of a picture, but it still tasted good!

8 strips of bacon
one avocado, sliced
one tomato, sliced
4 tsp. light mayo
mixed greens


Crisp cook the bacon and set aside to drain.  Butterfly the chicken breast so they lay flat.  Warm some EVOO in a large skillet and brown chicken on one side for 4-6 minutes.  Then, turn to other side and continue cooking, with a lid on the skillet for another 8-10 minutes.  Spread each chicken breast with 1 tsp. of light mayo.  Layer mixed greens with tomato slices, 2 pieces of bacon, chicken, and avocado and enjoy!

Pecan Crusted Chicken and Mashed Cauliflower

I'm finally back on the blog and posting great recipes!  We had this one for dinner and it was delicious and easy.  Lately, we've been trying recipes inspired by the paleo diet.  The diet  is founded in the belief that we should eat with  our ancient ancestors' as inspiration.  I have felt a huge difference in my energy levels throughout the day and have lost 8 pounds!  This recipe is from Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso.  Whether you're trying to eat gluten free or not, this is still a great dinner combination!  (And I promise not to post only diet food!  I always make sure it tastes great, and let's face it, I'm still a Southern girl who loves butter and fried food!)


Pecan Crusted Chicken


1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp. honey (raw organic is preferred - but I didn't have that) 
1 cup pecans, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Preheat oven to 350F.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together mustard and honey.  Toss the pecans in a food processor and pulse until nuts are finely chopped.  Pour the pecans in a bowl and set aside.
Using a paper towel, remove excess moisture from the outside of the chicken breasts.  Taking one chicken breast at a time, roll the chicken in the mustard-honey mixture and coat on both sides.
Transfer the coated chicken into the chopped pecans and again cover both sides.
Place the crusted chicken onto a greased baking dish and sprinkle with a little sea salt, if desired.
Bake 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.




Mashed Cauliflower


Boil or steam one head of chopped cauliflower.  (Boiling it in part water, part chicken stock gives it great flavor!)  When done, drain the water off the cauliflower and mash it as you would mash potatoes.  You can add butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to your liking.