Do you ever go into a a grocery store (or any store) and end up filling your cart with shit you didn’t go in for? Well, that happened to me today. I ended up filling my cart at Giant Eagle, then headed for the checkout lane before I realized I had nothing in my cart that I had walked in the store to buy. You see, I walked in and saw the fresh produce section, and a recipe began to materialize into my brain. So, naturally I started running around, talking to myself (it’s an embarrassing habit I’m trying to break – but really, I can’t be the only one who does this??) and figuring out what ingredients would work best for this amazing new recipe I was going to create. And guess what – it was. I ended up making the best meal of my life. Not trying to toot my horn or anything, but I made the world’s best salad & burger (burger recipe inspired/adapted by popular paleo) to go with it. I kept finding random ingredients at the store to add to this recipe, so really, you can thank my ADHD for kicking in to create this awesomeness!

Oh – and this meal is completely Paleo/whole30 approved – minus the bun (I used UDI’s gluten free buns, if you are into that kinda stuff) & cheese, both of which are very optional. So… eat this with a very clear conscience. You are welcome.

Hickory Smoked Sea Salt Mocha Burgers (makes 4-6 burgers)
recipe adapted from Popular Paleo

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke (popular paleo uses ancho cile powder)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup cold brew coffee (i used trader joes, but you could just use leftover coffee)
• 1 tbsp oil (I used olive)
• 1 tsp cocoa/cacao powder
• Bacon
• Avocado
• Optional: Mayo (I used kensington Mayo)
• Optional: hamburger buns or lettuce
• Optional: Gouda Cheese

Directions:
Combine liquid smoke with salt, garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil & ground beef (**Olive oil is optional – I add this to make the burgers extra soft so they don’t get chewy when cooked.. it’s like biting into butter, trust me on this). Form into patties – I had about 1.11 lbs of ground beef and made 5 patties. Pour cold coffee brew over patties – let them soak for 10-30 minutes on one side, then flip and let soak for 10-30 minutes on the other side (I was preparing my salad and ended up letting the meat marinate in the coffee for about an hour).

That time I walked into the Grocery store for baby wipes & potatoes and came out with 100$ + more groceries….

Marinating Patties!

While the meat is marinating, combine the cacao powder and olive oil & mix until there are no more clumps. Dump in the cold brew that was marinating your burgers and mix all together. Place your burgers in a skillet (or pan, or grill, however you want to cook them), pouring the marinade over top. Cook the burgers to your liking (I like medium rare!) and remove from pan when finished. Cook Bacon in left over coffee/cacao sauce. Place burger on bun or bed of lettuce. Top with gouda cheese, bacon & mayo. Enjoy!

Cacao Marinade

Patties cooking in the marinade

Optional: Kensington Mayo

Fresh Kale & Chard Salad

Ingredients for salad:

• 1 bunch of rainbow chard
• 1/2 bunch kale
• 1/2 rutabaga, peeled
• 1 beet
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 avocado
• optional: grated cheese (I used manchego)

Ingredients for dressing:

• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/4 grapefruit
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 3 tbsp oil (i used olive)
• 2 tbsp balsamic (or white balsamic) vinegar
• 2 tbsp white wine (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Chop all salad ingredients up and place into a bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients together, and toss with salad. Serve topped with shaved cheese (optional).

Plate all ingredients and enjoy! Please note that the potatoes were a bit of an afterthought – i just roasted in a skillet with butter until cooked and topped with salt. Totally optional!