Avocado Bacon Burger

Just because you can't have the bun doesn't mean you can't have the burger...and all of the random assorted toppings that make it truly delicious.

*Serves 2*

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Lean ground beef
1 Avocado
4 Strips bacon (nitrate/sugar free preferred!)
2 Eggs
4 Large leaves of romaine lettuce
Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pan, cook the bacon to your desired level of crispiness and set aside. Form the ground beef into two patties and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook in the bacon grease for about three minutes on each side (medium rare). Plate the lettuce leaves and put the burger on top. Using the remaining bacon grease and burger drippings, cook the two eggs until over-easy (or to desired level). Put the eggs on top of the burger patties, then break the bacon and divide on top of the eggs. Cut the avocado in half and slice, placing that on top of the bacon. Use the remaining lettuce halves as the top portion of the bun. (If you are a primal/paleo cheese lover like myself, a small amount of shredded swiss cheese is also AWESOME on this.) Napkins are a must. You will get messy.

Shrimp and "Grits"

Ok, so those aren't real grits. This isn't exactly prepared in the typical southern fashion, either, but the idea behind it is similar.

*Serves 2*

Ingredients:

1 Head cauliflower
8 oz Large shrimp
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
2 Vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp Light olive oil
1 Tbsp Parsley
2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp Heavy whipping cream
1 tsp Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil the cauliflower until tender. While this is boiling, heat the oil on medium in a large pan. Add the onions, tomatoes, shrimp, parsley, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the oil and stir. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the cauliflower and break into pieces small enough to fit neatly into the basin of a food processor. Combine the cauliflower, butter, cream, and a little salt in the food processor until smooth. Spoon onto two plates and make a pocket on top. Spoon the shrimp mixture into these pockets and serve.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Spaghetti squash is a fantastic substitute for pasta, but sometimes you just get sick of eating it like pasta, no matter how many sauces you come up with. This recipe is another tasty use for this versatile vegetable.

*Serves 2-8* (Leftovers, anyone?)

Ingredients:
1 Large Spaghetti Squash
1 lb Ground Pork
6 Eggs (reduce as needed for desired texture; six eggs makes it quiche-like)
1 can Peas (approx 1.5 cups frozen)
1 can Carrots (fresh are fine too; boil first for desired softness)
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Sage
1 Tbsp Thyme
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Paprika
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With a large knife, poke several holes through the flesh of the squash all over, then place into a shallow baking dish. Bake for two hours. Remove from oven, cut in half, and set aside. While the squash is cooling, brown the ground pork in a large pan, chopping into small pieces with the spatula as it cooks. Stir in the thyme, nutmeg, allspice, paprika, 1 Tbsp of the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. While the meat is browning, remove the seeds from the squash and discard (or set aside for later use if you're a baked seed fan like me). With a fork, pull the spaghetti squash strands apart and loosely pack into a large glass baking dish. Add the pork, onion, peas, carrots, eggs, second Tbsp of sage, and salt and pepper, stirring until well blended. Bake for approximately one hour. Great fresh or reheated!

Cranberry Beef Stuffed Squash

A lot of the recipes on here are relatively quick and easy to make. This one is easy, but it's far from quick. If you want to make a Fall meal that's totally delicious and you're ready to spend a lot of time on it, then read on.

*Serves 2-4*

Ingredients:

1 Eye of round roast (approximately 2 lbs)
1 Acorn squash (2 if preparing for 4 people)
1 Yellow onion
4 Strips bacon
1/2 cup Dried cranberries
1/2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp Ground rosemary
1 Tbsp Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice the onion across the center so it forms rings. Line the bottom of a crockpot with these onion slices. Mix the rosemary, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and rub generously all over the eye of round roast. Place the roast on top of the onions in the crockpot, along with any leftover spices. Cook on low for eight hours. About six and a half hours into cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds, leaving a bowl-like structure. Score the squash meat across the diameter several times (like slicing a pizza, but don't cut through the shell). Rub the butter all over the inside of both squash halves and sprinkle a little salt on them. Bake for an hour, then set aside (best kept in the turned-off oven to keep them warm).

In a large pan, cook the four strip of bacon until crispy, then set aside. While the bacon is cooking, pull the roast apart with a fork and mix with the juices and onion. Pour the roast and onion mixture into the pan with the bacon grease and add the cranberries and stir until well-blended. Continue to stir until the cranberries start to look re-hydrated (approximately 5 minutes). Plate the squash halves and fill each with the beef mixture. Crumble bacon on top and serve. (If you only made two squash halves, you will have a significant amount of extra beef to eat for the next few days. I assure you that you won't be upset by this; if you are, then you're on the wrong blog.)

Shrimp with Garlic Lemon Cauliflower Rice

It's truly amazing what you can do with a head of cauliflower. It is hands down my favorite side to every meal, especially since you can prepare it a number of different ways that taste totally different from one another. This one is giving my cauliflower fried rice and my Mexican cauliflower rice a run for their money.

*Serves 2*

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Jumbo shrimp (preferably those that you shell and de-vein yourself)
1/2 head Cauliflower
1/4 cup Green onion, chopped
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Dill
1 tsp Garlic powder
3 Tbsp Unsalted butter
1/4 cup Coconut milk
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel, de-vein, and clean the shrimp and set aside. In a large pan on medium heat, melt one Tbsp of the butter and sautee the yellow onions until translucent. Meanwhile, rice the cauliflower in a food processor. Add the riced cauliflower to the pan with the onions and stir well. Add coconut milk, dill, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Continue to stir. After about five minutes, add the green onion (save a little for garnish), another Tbsp of butter, and the minced garlic. Cook for another two minutes, then plate. Add the final Tbsp of butter to the pan along with the shrimp and cook until orange (approximately three minutes). Plate the shrimp on top of the cauliflower. Garnish with green onion.

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Once in a while, I just get bored of ground beef. When that happens, I experiment a little bit. This recipe is a take on one of my favorites from P.F. Chang's. Unfortunately, Mr. Chang likely uses cornstarch, sugar, rice noodles, and vegetable or canola oil in his...I've left those out. I also subbed ground beef for chicken. Take it away, photograph!

*Serves 2-4*

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 cup Shredded carrots
1/2 cup Green onions, chopped
1/2 cup Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Bean sprouts
8 oz Water chestnuts, chopped
8 oz Bamboo shoots, chopped
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 Tbsp Garlic
2 Tbsp Sesame oil
1/4 cup Wheat-free tamari
1 tsp Powdered ginger
1 tsp Stevia
1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pan or wok, heat the sesame oil. Add in the carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Stir and toss continuously, adding all dry ingredients. Mix in the ground beef, chopping into tiny pieces with the spatula as you go. Pour in the tamari and allow to simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. When all ingredients appear well blended and cooked through, mix in the garlic and stir for an additional minute. Remove each leaf from the head of romaine and serve the mixture on them. (Fold and eat!)

Chicken Stuffed Bell Pepper Poppers

Another product of having random ingredients in my fridge and throwing them together! These are great served as an entree or as appetizers. In this case, I served them as an entree alongside kale sauteed in the bacon fat.

*Serves 2 (as entree)*

Ingredients:
8 Mini bell peppers, cut in half and seeded
8 strips Bacon
1 Chicken breast
2 Tbsp Cream cheese
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Unsalted butter
Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, cook the bacon on low so that it gets a little crispy but is still mobile. In a separate pan, melt the tablespoon of butter. Tenderize the chicken, season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and add to the pan, cooking on one side until lightly browned. While the chicken is cooking, spread the cream cheese evenly on one side of each mini bell pepper. Flip the chicken and turn up the heat slightly, then add the balsamic vinegar. After about one minute, flip the chicken again, allowing to sit in the balsamic reduction for an additional minute. Remove from the heat, slice, and place into the halves of the bell peppers without cream cheese. Re-form the bell peppers by putting the sides back together, wrap each one in bacon, and place on a lined baking sheet (silpats work wonderfully). Bake at 350 for ten minutes, then broil on high for about three minutes (keep an eye on them so that they don't start burning). Serve immediately. Nobody likes soggy bacon.