Hamburger Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (Whole 30)

Back in October, my friend, ess, rescued this little beared dragon from a very neglectful situation. Reptiles have very specific things they need in their environment to be healthy. He didn’t have them.  He wasn’t being fed properly so he was starving and as a result was severely under weight. He didn’t have anything in his cage to rub on so there were wounds on his body where the shed skin he couldn’t rub off literally tore his skin.

Ess and I took the beared dragon, now named River, to the vet and discovered that River dodged the metabolic problems reptiles get when the don’t have a proper home environment but our little dude was still a sick little guy.  Bearded dragons have a fungus on their scales.  When they are healthy and have the things they need in their environment they  naturally keep this fungus in check.  River wasn’t healthy so the fungus was taking over. When the fungus gets to the stage it was with River it gets in the blood stream and is usually fatal.

Ess decided she wanted to try treating him.  We found out on Monday,  after 8 months of treatment and regular visits to the vet, River is now cured. He is completely healthy.  I could just cry.  I am so happy.

Hamburger Salad With Mustard Vinaigrette

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Paleo Scaleo

Beef Patties

1/2 lb ground beef

3 TBS lightly beaten egg

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 TBS almond flour

Salad

4 cups salad greens

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

1/4 small red onion, sliced

Dressing

4 TBS olive oil

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

pinch salt and pepper

Combine the ground beef, egg and spices in a medium bowl. Using the hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients together. Add the 1 tablespoon of almond flour to the mixture and mix with your hands again. Divide the meat and shape into two patties. Use your thumb to make an dent in the middle of the patties. Place the patties in the fridge. Next, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine, Place a skillet over medium-heat, once hot, place the patties in the in the pan. Cook 4-5 minutes per side or until the preferred doneness. Divide the greens between two plates. Top with tomatoes and onions, add a burger and drizzle with the mustard vinaigrette.

3 Ingredient Breakfast Skillet (Whole 30)

I am so excited! Last week I finally got a new computer. I have been blogging from my phone and the computers at the library for over two years while I have saved for a computer. Blogging is so much easier to do from a computer at home in my favorite chair whenever I have time then to find time to go to the library after work while sitting on very uncomfortable chairs. It also lets me work on a project or two I have wanted to do but can’t do from my phone, like rebuild my recipe index here on the blog. I have been working so hard on my projects, I have barely spent anytime in the kitchen.When I do get in the kitchen I am keeping things really simple. Lately my meals follow the random protien, some kind of Primal Palate seasoning and some kind of random vegetable or vegetables template. This has led me to some yummy, quick and easy meals.This recipe doesn’t use Primal Palate seasonings (but it could) but it is yummy, quick and easy so I can get out of the kitchen and back to my computer projects.

3 Ingredient Breakfast Skillet

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup salsa

3 eggs

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add ground meat and cook, stirring occasionally until no pink remains, about 8 minutes.

Add in salsa and mix to combine, let cook together until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Crack in 6 eggs and cover skillet until the eggs are cooked through to your desired consistency, about 5-8 minutes.

Old Bay Seasoning Blend (Whole 30)

This recipe is for all my followers who reached out to me over my Primal Palate post concerned I wouldn’t be posting any more spice blend adaptions.

You don’t have to be concerned. I still have tons of seasoning blends in my to try pile that I want to adapt and try and I’ll probably find more as I look for and try new recipes.

Old Bay Seasoning Blend

• Difficulty: Easy
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I have been using this spice blend for so long I no long remember where I got it

1 TBS celery salt

1 TBS ground bay leaves

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in a cool, dark place. Note: you will have to grind the bay leaves yourself. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle if you have one or the back of a spoon, if you don’t. You want the bay leaves ground as finely as possible.

Garlic And Herb Vinaigrette (Whole 30)

As of 7 pm tonight I am on vacation. For the next 6 days I have no work, no plans and absolutely nothing to do.

Okay, I do have one plan. I am going to clean my kitchen from top to bottom, sort through all my cooking and baking equipment and get rid of everything I don’t need and organize the rest. I have wanted to do this for a long time but have been procrastinating it for just as long. I have a small kitchen but I have a lot of stuff packed in it.

I want to get my kitchen cleaned and organized so I can start a Whole 30 on July 6th. I have wanted to do one for the last couple of months but it just seemed overwhelming to add to everything that’s going on in the world. I also wasn’t sure I would be able to get the basic staples I would need to do a Whole 30 because the pandemic shut down some of places I normally shop at for my Whole 30.

However, the world doesn’t look like it’s going to calm down anytime soon and I found almost everything I like to have on hand so I thought why not.

Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette

• Difficulty: Easy
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This recipe has been in my big white binder for so long I don’t remember where I got it from

1 medium garlic clove, minced

5 TBS olive oil

3 TBS red wine vinegar

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried marjoram

Combine everything in a jar with a lid. Close the lid and shake it like crazy before serving.

Primal Palate Spice Blends — A Review

In Monday’s post, I said I have only been making simple meals lately. One way I have been keeping it simple is by using the Primal Palate spice blends I bought a few weeks ago.

I bought the spice blends because I was getting bored with my meals. Usually, when that happens I go to the library and get a new cookbook or head out to the farmers markets or my favorite natural food stores to pick out a new ingredient. The pandemic closed those doors to me so I decided to try ordering something new on line.

I chose Primal Palate because it is a small company that works with the Whole 30 program. If I am buying food it’s going to be stuff that is useful on any future Whole 30s I do.

I am really impressed with this company and its product. Here is why.

Things I Like:

1. The spice blends come in glass bottles with shaker lids so they are easy to use and clean and refill when you are finished with the blend.

2. The openings are large enough to fit a standard 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon.

3. Every spice blend uses organic spices.

4. The spice blends smell amazing. Spices that have no smell, have no taste. When you remove the seal on each blend you don’t even need to bring your nose to the bottle to smell how good they taste.

5. They are versatile. One reason I started adapting spice blends for small batches is because it doesn’t make sense to buy a big bottle of a spice blend to use a small amount for one or two recipes then have the rest go to waste. I have found not only can you use Primal Palate spice blends for the specific recipes for them on the Primal Palate website, it is easy to use them for just about anything. I have used the spice blends for salad dressings, marinades, in soups, on several types of meat as a Rub, and over vegetables. I am sure I will discover more uses for them as time goes on.

Things I Don’t Like:

1. Most of the spice blends contain salt. This is my only and very minor complaint. The added salt in the spice blends can lead to overly salty food if you aren’t careful.

I am extremely happy with my purchase so much so I bought 6 more Primal Palate spice blends to play with and I will buy more bottles of my favorites as I run out. Will this mean I no longer adapt small batch spice blends? Of course not, there are dozens of spice blends out there to adapt and play with. However, Primal Palate spice blends will also have a place in my kitchen from now on.

This is not a sponsored or affiliated post. I recieved no compensation for my review. I love the product and thought it might be helpful to those of us who are experiencing food fatigue due to all the cooking from home we are now doing.