Salmon Burgers

You’ve probably heard before that fish is a healthy protein you should be eating more of. Fish, salmon specifically, has lots of omega-3s, AKA healthy fats (plus B vitamins, selenium, and more) which are good for the brain; that fact alone makes me want to make more fish, especially for my two-year-old and her growing brain. There are a couple of issues with serving salmon to my family, though: I’m the only one in my family who truly enjoys salmon, but my husband tolerates salmon…if it’s super fresh and wild caught. That is a wonderfully delicious splurge every now and then, but we can’t afford to spend nearly $20 a pound every week on fish.

I realized to resolve the issues of feeding my family salmon, I simply needed to create a delicious salmon dish while remaining budget conscious. It sounds impossible, but it’s not! This recipe uses exponentially cheaper canned salmon, which is then mixed with spices, and pan fried to crispy perfection! Served with a lettuce “bun” and your favorite burger toppings, it is a quick, tasty, and cheap weeknight meal that will satisfy taste buds and tummies alike!

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz canned, in water, salmon (I used StarKist boneless, skinless), drained, rinsed, and dried
•  1/2 cup of oat flour (you could also use almond flour to keep it paleo)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade version here)
• 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Enough olive or avocado oil to pan sear
• Romaine or butter lettuce for “buns”
• Desired burger condiments, such as sugar free ketchup, mayo, ranch, and fresh chopped veggies

Directions:

• Heat a large, oiled skillet over medium heat
• Combine all ingredients (excluding lettuce and condiments) in a medium mixing bowl
• Form the salmon mixture into patties
• Cook, covered 3-4 minutes per side
• Serve on lettuce “buns” with desired condiments
• Leftovers will keep, covered, in fridge – reheat on the stove

A burger always needs his best pal fries, so be sure to make my Oven Baked Fries to go alongside your burgers! While this recipe is about savings, if you happened to splurge and make my Sheet Pan Salmon, you could also use leftover meat in this recipe! For other budget friendly meals, check out my Roasted Chicken with Carrots, Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocados, and One Pan Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas. Feed your family well while staying on budget…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

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BBQ Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Potatoes

Indulgent Flavors with a Healthy Twist

If you have been reading along with me (either this post or this post), then you know that I love BBQ sauce! I pretty much have to since I was born and raised in Texas, and because of that, baked or grilled BBQ chicken is a staple. A delicious staple. And even more delicious when you combine sweet and tangy BBQ chicken with crispy, salty bacon and cool, creamy ranch. Did I mention it was all dairy free and refined sugar free? Oh, and made in one pan, then stuffed inside a hot baked potato for minimal mess?! It just gets better and better! Flavors so delicious and indulgent, you wouldn’t know it was paleo and Whole30 compliant. Let’s get to the recipe, shall we?

BBQ Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet or sweet potatoes
• 2 lbs of chicken (if you have leftover meat from my Roasted Chicken with Carrots this would be the perfect use for it!)
• 3/4 cup of compliant BBQ sauce (here is mine, and here is my favorite store bought brand)
• 4 slices of compliant bacon
• 1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced
• Six to eight mushrooms, sliced
• Ranch dressing (here is mine , and here is my favorite store bought brand)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper, divided
• 2 tbsp of avocado oil
• Optional toppings:
• • sliced avocado
• • chopped scallions
• • an extra drizzle of BBQ sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Pierce potatoes several times with a fork
• Place in oven to bake for about 45-60 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork
• Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper (skip the next few steps if using leftover chicken meat)
• Cook the chicken in avocado oil in a large pan, over medium-low heat
• Once cooked through, shred or cube the chicken
• Set aside
• In the same pan, cook bacon until desired crispness
• Set aside on paper towels to drain
• Crumble bacon once cooled
• In the same pan, place the sliced onions and mushrooms, season with remaining salt and pepper
• Cover and cook over low heat until desired tenderness
• Place cubed or shredded chicken back into the pan with the vegetables
• Cover with BBQ sauce, stirring to make sure it’s evenly distributed, and cook until warm
• By now, the potatoes should be done
• Slice them open and fill with BBQ chicken/veggie mixture
• Top with crumbled bacon, a generous helping of ranch, and any other desired toppings
• Leftovers will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week

For more potato recipes, check out my Taco Stuffed Potatoes with Avocado Chipotle Ranch, Oven Baked Fries, Creamy Whole30 Mashed Potatoes, Mustard Potato Salad, and Roasted Potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this cozy and comforting, healthy, minimal-mess meal! It’s a win-win; happy family with satisfied taste buds and full bellies, and less time cleaning up after dinner! Get out of the kitchen and go relax…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

This post contains affiliate links; if you purchase using the links it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!

Dairy free Garlic Herb Ranch

The Problem with Ranch…

Alright, listen up y’all! I am from the great state of Texas, where everything is bigger and better…and covered in ranch dressing. We are pretty much raised on the stuff. I remember going out to eat with my mom, sister, and nephew who was 13 months old at the time, and he literally picked up his side of ranch dressing and drank it! My husband and I still laugh about that today; it was so cute and funny!

Personally, I don’t enjoy ranch on my salads because then you can’t actually taste the salad...go figure. However, I love to dip veggies and fries in ranch, and my husband loves it on everything! The problem with ranch (and a lot of creamy dressings you could buy at the supermarket), is that it’s really not too good for you. A serving (2 tbsps) of a popular brand name is 140 calories, and 130 of those are from fat! If you eat a 2,000 calorie diet, this is 22% of your fat intake! Instead of eating a yummy, creamy avocado, you are wasting your fat intake on a measly two tablespoons of dressing. The saturated fat level is 12% of the recommended intake, and the sodium level is 11% of the recommended intake (again, following a 2,000/day calorie intake).* It seems better to me to season our food well so that we don’t need to drown it in fatty dressing.

I will admit, though, sometimes you just need to dunk your crispy sweet potato fries into a bowl of ranch. While on Whole30, that need for cool, zesty ranch dressing drove me to try two different brands of compliant ranch dressing, and they were good, but pretty pricey. I recently decided to try my hand at making my own, and my whole family loved the results! We have used it on salads, meats, baked potatoes, and for dipping fries and veggie chips. Zemirah’s favorite is just to lick it off her fingers!

The base of this dressing is mayonnaise/aioli, so you can either make your own (which is shockingly simple!), or your other option would be to find a high quality mayonnaise at the store made with avocado oil or olive oil without a bunch of yucky additives. After that, all you really need is a blender/food processor, coconut milk, and some herbs and spices!

Dairy free Garlic Herb Ranch

This recipe makes about a cup of dressing, and could easily be doubled if you want more.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise/aioli
• 1/4 cup of full fat coconut milk (it will be thin if you get low fat)
• 1/2 tsp of white vinegar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 scallion, cut into quarters
• 3 tsp chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dry)
• 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, depending on taste (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste (I like a lot!)

Materials Needed:

• Measuring spoons
• Blender or food processor

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in blender/food processor
• Blend until smooth
• Store in the refrigerator, in a covered container, for a week

This is a simple recipe, but I hope having my healthy, dairy free ranch on hand helps you spice up your family’s meals! Have a blessed week…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

 

 

 

 

*Nutritional Facts of Ranch