Are you a paleo foodie?
Foodie (noun): A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet. I’ve presumptuously considered myself a foodie since age 10, when I had my first taste of real chocolate and concluded that my tastebuds were now to spoiled to ever enjoy a waxy Hershey’s bar again.
As you know, I’m a passionate proponent of a grain free/refined sugar free diet because following a similar dietary protocol allowed me to regain my health after years with a debilitating autoimmune disease. But as a food lover, you may wonder how a limited diet like the Paleo diet can satisfy your palate. I would argue that the culinary opportunities on the Paleo diet are as vast as the health benefits of this lifestyle change – and The Paleo Foodie Cookbook offers proof!
My friend Arsy Vartanian, blogger at Rubies and Radishes, recently released The Paleo Foodie Cookbook. If you are a gourmet at heart but wish to cook healthy meals suitable for everyday and entertaining, this is the book for you.
What you’ll find in The Paleo Foodie Cookbook:
- Gourmet, make-ahead paleo appetizer recipes like Spicy Parsnip Hummus and Smoked Salmon Nori Wraps with Wasabi Mayo
- Simple yet elegant paleo main dishes such as Pork Chops with Pomegranate Ginger Sauce and Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Slow cooker meals chic enough for entertaining (yes, it is possible!), such as Slow Cooker Chicken Mole
- Side dishes that emphasize seasonal ingredients, including Watercress Soup and Spicy Watermelon and Mint Salad
- Easy sauces and salsas to make from scratch, such as Pistachio Pesto and Homemade Ketchup
Paleo portobello “buns”
Portobello mushrooms as paleo hamburger buns – how brilliant is that? When I switched to a grain free diet, I found the simplest solution to paleo hamburgers was to skip the bun and just have the meat patty. But a plain meat patty doesn’t feel as substantial without some type of bun, and it’s certainly not ideal to serve guests. I’ve used both my Butternut Flatbread and Paleo Sandwich Rounds as paleo hamburger buns, but these take a little time to prepare. I love this beautifully easy idea of using grilled portobellos as paleo hamburger buns!
Here, Arsy tops grilled portobello mushrooms with the lamb burger for an open-faced, paleo-friendly meal. If you wish to have two buns per burger, you can use two portobello mushrooms each.
- ½ cup/80 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (find sun-dried tomatoes here)
- ½ cup/40 g dried porcini mushrooms, chopped (find dried organic porcini mushrooms here)
- 2 lbs/900 g ground lamb
- 2 pieces bacon, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ onion, grated
- 1 tsp/3 g chili powder
- 2 tsp/10 g sea salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup/20 g fresh parsley
- ¼ cup/5 g fresh basil
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 6 portobello mushrooms, stemmed (Use 12 mushrooms if you want two "buns" per burger)
- sea salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp/30 g butter, melted
- Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes by placing them in a bowl and covering them with warm water. Let them soak at room temperature for at least 45 minutes or until they feel flexible. Rehydrate dried mushrooms by placing them in a bowl and covering them with warm water for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, lamb, bacon, garlic, onion, chili powder, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, jalapeño and egg. Mix gently. Form into 6 patties.
- Remove the stems from the portobello mushrooms. Generously salt and pepper them and liberally brush with melted butter. Grill burgers for about 4 minutes a side for medium burgers. Cook portobello mushrooms for 5 minutes per side or until heated through and tender.
- Top each portobello mushroom with a burger and serve. Optionally, use two portobello mushrooms for each burger for two buns.
Is the bacon cooked first?
These were amazing!! The only thing I left out was the dried porcinis, because I hadn’t any. (oh, and my jalepeno was pickled…) Bacon went in raw. VERY VERY tasty!!
This is a fabulous recipe! I did this inside with 2 cast iron grill pans. Brushed butter on the mushrooms, grilled, put cheese slice on top, put in the toaster oven while the burgers grilled in the other pan. Side salad. PC caramelized onion spread or applesauce as a topping. Open face is the best way, one per person. Leftovers will be great.