Rebecca Davis 1/17/17 Rebecca Davis 1/17/17

Buffalo chicken and cauliflower burgers

Buffalo chicken burger | Me & The Moose. This burger is perfect for lunch or dinner or game day snacks. Throw an egg on top and it could also be breakfast. #meandthemoose #Glutenfree #burgers #easydinner #quickdinner #dinnerrecipes #lunch #lunchrecipes #gamedaysnacks #buffalochickenburger

These burgers have all the familiar flavors of a buffalo wing, but with a little extra nutrition from the cauliflower, ground almonds, and ground chicken.

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Frank’s Red Hot and butter do a lot of the heavy lifting, flavor-wise. But these patties are so easy to throw together and taste so good. Using pre-riced cauliflower saves a step. For the rest, you just throw the ingredients together in a bowl, mix with your hands, and sear a couple of burgers in a hot skillet while basting with a mixture of the melted butter and hot sauce.

If you’re worrying that the cauliflower ruins an otherwise good burger, fear not. You can’t actually taste the cauliflower at all.

I also use almond meal or flour (either is fine- use whatever you have) as a binder with an egg, but since these are burgers and not a meatloaf or meatball, the binding is less important. Lots of burgers are simply meat and spices mixed together, so you can leave out the almond meal if you have an allergy or don’t have any.

These burgers are also really versatile if you want to make them into sliders or meatballs as a game day snack. You can also make extras and freeze a batch for the future. I like throwing a fried egg on top and calling these breakfast or tossing them into a salad with some crumbled blue cheese for lunch or a light dinner.

Buffalo chicken burgers

Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 burgers

1 lb ground chicken
1 cup riced cauliflower
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup almond meal
1 egg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp butter
4-6 Tbsp Frank’s hot sauce

Add chicken, cauliflower, onion, garlic, almond meal, and egg to a large bowl and combine using your hands or a spatula. Form into 6 equal patties using a 1/3 cup measure.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.

Melt 1 Tbsp butter and heat over a medium low flame. When hot, add chicken patties and turn up the flame to medium.

While the first side is browning, sprinkle some of the butter/hot sauce mixture onto each patty being careful not to touch the raw meat with your brush or spoon. When the first side has a good sear, flip the burgers over and coat the other side with butter/hot sauce.

After 2-3 minutes, check the sear. If brown enough for your liking, turn the flame down to medium-low, cover, and let cook for another 5-6 minutes. When meat thermometer has reached 165, your burgers are done.

Rebecca Davis 1/13/17 Rebecca Davis 1/13/17

Citrus salad with shrimp and fennel

Celebrate peak citrus season with grapefruit, blood orange, cara cara orange, pomelo, and Meyer lemon which are paired with creamy avocado, cumin-scented shrimp, and crunchy fennel for a quick, filling, seasonal salad.

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The bleak, blech, boring days of winter are here. So I’m combating my seasonal affective disorder with the brightest foods I can find. I’m also not immune to the whole, “new year, new me” fervor that overtakes everyone in January. But truly, after a month of eating cookies and cakes and heavy things, it does feel nice to reset a little with some salads.

But I know, I know. Winter doesn’t exactly scream “SALAD SEASON.” But this one is extremely satisfying. It’s also very filling (half an avocado, 2/3 of a pound of shrimp, and a boatload of fruits and vegetables will do that) so you won't have salad for dinner and then the contents of your pantry for dessert.

Citrus salad with shrimp and fennel

Time: about 30 minutes, all active
Yield: Serves 2 adults and two kids* as a main dish, 4-5 adults as a side

1.5 lb raw shrimp
¾ tsp (heaping ½ tsp) cumin
¾ tsp (heaping ½ tsp) coriander
½ tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch winter greens or lettuce such as kale or romaine (about 3-4 cups chopped)
1 pomelo or yellow grapefruit
1 red grapefruit
2 cara cara or navel orange
1 blood oranges
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
¼ cup roasted pepitas

For the meyer lemon vinaigrette:
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 ½ meyer lemons or 1 regular lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over a medium flame. Add shrimp and sprinkle with cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to coat. Cook until shrimp are uniformly pink and cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.

If the pepitas aren’t already roasted, preheat your oven or toaster to 350 and roast the seeds until just beginning to smell nutty and to brown, about 5 minutes, but keep an eye out to prevent burning.

While the shrimp cooks, wash your greens, remove the tough center rib of any kale or collards, and chop. Add to your serving bowl and set aside. Thinly slice the red onion, fennel, and avocado. Set aside.

Remove the skin from your citrus fruits by cutting a slice from the top and bottom and then running your knife along the sides from cut to cut, removing the skin in pieces. Section the fruit by cutting along the thin inner membrane to remove each piece. Set aside.

Make the vinaigrette by combining all ingredients and shaking well to combine.

Add the vinaigrette to the kale and toss.

Top with shrimp, citrus fruits, avocado, fennel, and red onion in whatever presentation you like. Toss (or leave the components separate if serving this to guests or you just want to be fancy) and sprinkle pepitas over the top.

*For my younger kiddo, I sautéed the onions and fennel and served the salad in its components to make it easier for him to eat.

Rebecca Davis 1/10/17 Rebecca Davis 1/10/17

Spanish-inspired potato, fennel, and chorizo frittata

Spanish frittata | Me & The Moose. This Whole 30-compliant frittata is another fast and easy Whole 30 recipe that is on the table in minutes, requires only a few ingredients, and is interesting and delicious for the entire family. #meandthemoose #whole30 #whole30recipes #frittata #easydinner #quickdinner #dinnerrecipes #fritattarecipes

This easy frittata is inspired by the perfect Tortilla Espanola, but is a) easier; b) faster, and c) includes more stuff. Oh, and it happens to be dairy and gluten-free.

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I based this recipe on Mario Batali's Tortilla Espanola from Food & Wine. After doing a lot of research on tradition recipes for this dish, I realized that they all required frying the potatoes in several cups of oil and then flipping the entire egg and vegetable structure over and over using a large plate and a cast iron pan while cooking. What?!?! Do Spanish people do this with toddlers underfoot? If so, I salute you, Spanish parents. I wasn't game to take this on, but MB's recipe uses much less oil and forgoes the flipping, proving that it can be done! I cooked this like a frittata, letting the eggs set on the side and then cooking the rest in the oven because, laziness.

Spanish-inspired potato, fennel, and chorizo frittata

Time: 30-45 minutes, half active, half hands-off
Yield: 6 adult servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch thick pieces or thinner
1 large fennel bulb (about 8 oz), sliced thinly
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 scallions, chopped
2 small links chorizo (4 oz), sliced OR 1 package of soyrizo
8-12 eggs, depending on how large your pan is or how much filling you use

Preheat oven to 350. Heat your oil in a 10-inch cast iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium heat.

Add the sliced potatoes and fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often to prevent browning, until the potatoes are fork tender. Cooking time with vary depending on the thickness of your potatoes, but plan for anywhere from 10-20 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, crack 8 eggs and whisk to combine the whites and yolks. Don’t overwhisk! These don’t need to be frothy, just combined.

Once your potatoes and fennel are tender, add the scallions and cook for one minute more.

Add the chorizo and stir just to distribute.

Top with the eggs. If the eggs don’t come up at least 3/4 of the way to to the top of the veggies, crack a few more, whisk, and add to the pan.

Cook on the stovetop until the sides begin to set, about 7-10 minutes. Put into the oven to cook through, about 10-12 minutes. Check the middle with a skewer, chop stick, or popsicle stick to test for doneness.

Serve immediately or let sit out for up to three hours. This is also delicious cold!