Paleo Potsticker Burgers with Spicy Asian Slaw

Let me break it down for you, I LOVE me some potstickers. They are super tasty, compact bombs of flavor with a tasty dipping sauce and I live to eat them. When I first went gluten free, my mom was on the search for a gluten free potsticker wrapper so she could make some gluten free potstickers for me. We never found one (though to be fair, we stopped looking because I stopped when G.F. eating wasn’t helping). Now that I’m Paleo, the same problem applies – I cannot eat potstickers (while compliant) because of the dough.

This is a PROBLEM! I constantly crave potstickers and while I found a GREAT substitute for fried rice, it doesn’t quite meet my Chinese food needs. Without a good potsticker, I just feel.. lacking.

Then, as I was searching for Paleo recipes the other day, I came across this recipe for Paleo potsticker burgers with spicy Asian slaw as a side. It became my mission to try this recipe to see if it would quench my thirst for potstickers!

Paleo Potsticker Burgers:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 3-4 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix
• 2 tablespoons minced or micro-planed ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! The mixture may be a little “wet” when you get done – that’s okay, mine was and it cooked up just fine!
2. Preheat a skillet to medium heat and grease with your preferred fat. I used coconut oil because that’s what I prefer but you can use another fat if you like.
3. Cook burgers about 5-6 minutes per side.
4. Remove from skillet and top with Spicy Asian Slaw.
5. Eat.

Spicy Asian Slaw:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used a squirt of Sriracha instead)
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 green onions sliced
• Remainder of coleslaw mix from package.

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients except coleslaw mix. (I wisked everything in the bottom of a big bowl)
2. Toss coleslaw mix in the dressing mixture.
3. Let marinate in the fridge until burgers are done (if you do this prior to making the burgers)

The Verdict:

So how was it? It was okay. It wasn’t as banging as my Paleo fried rice was for sure, but it wasn’t terrible. I think my problem was that while there was potsticker flavor, it was missing something though I’m having a hard time putting my finger on what exactly was missing. I think next time, I will try adding some Red Boat fish sauce to the burgers for more flavor. I’m also having my flavor analyst (my husband) taste later to let me know what he thinks could be added to make them better.

The slaw was good but I think it could have used a little honey or other sugar to balance out the acid in the vinegar. Still, pretty tasty if you ask me 🙂

As always, if I try new recipes or alter existing ones, I will update and post here. I hope everyone had a great weekend and is looking forward to a good week!

As always, keep up the good work!

 

Paleo Fried Rice

Fridays are the beginning of my weekend so I usually spend them running errands, cleaning the house, and other things… It’s my day of the week to get things done. Today was no different – I went to supervision at 8, then when we finished, I went to the bank, and then gave my husband a ride to work. On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things and then I came home and paid all the bills and got in my workout…  have to admit, I half-assed it today because I was EXTREMELY sore from yesterday. I’m not trying to make excuses here, I’m just being honest. I was seriously hurting so I took it easy on myself. Please don’t tell Jillian Michaels. I do not need that woman showing up at my house and beating my ass (especially when she’s already beating my ass 6 days a week).

Anyway, after the workout, I was feeling a little worn out and nauseous so I laid down… and promptly took a 3.5 hour nap. Oops ;/ I generally try to look at these kind of things as “my body really needed the sleep” and move forward but today I was disappointed because there were a lot of things on my “to do” list.

I tried to get some stuff done but then I was just frustrated, annoyed, and I had a headache. I decided it was time for dinner and I was craving Chinese food. Fortunately, I had all the stuff I needed to make Paleo (cauliflower) fried rice so I decided to go for it. And I was NOT disappointed! It was AMAZING and I generally don’t care for cauliflower. It was amazing and pretty easy to make.

I took inspiration from Nom Nom Paleo and Paleo Pot so I can’t take all the credit on the recipe but here are my ingredients and modifications:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 1 pound shrimp
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups (I just used 2 big handfuls) broccoli slaw
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 small yellow onion, diced.
• 2 to 4 tbsp of coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp of Red Boat fish sauce
• 1 tbsp of Sriracha (optional – especially considering Sriracha is not 100% Paleo)
• 2 to 4 tbsp of water
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. Use a food processor to break down the cauliflower into “rice.” I used my Ninja and it worked just fine. You can also use a cheese grater if you don’t have a food processor or Ninja.
2. Get a large pot or dutch oven and put over medium heat.
3. Add your coconut oil and allow it to warm up.
4. Add your onions, garlic, and green onions. Cook until the onions start to become transparent, then add your cauliflower and broccoli slaw.
5. Add your coconut aminos, fish sauce, and ginger.
6. Make sure everything is well mixed to get everything cooked evenly – let it cook for a few minutes.
7. Add 2 to 4 tbsp of water to the pot and stir well again. Lower heat to medium low and cook for up to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower and other veggies are soft.
8. Add shrimp and cook until pink.
9. Add Sriracha (if desired) and stir well.
10. Turn your heat up to high and let excess liquid cook off.
11. Then crack your eggs into the pot and quickly stir to scramble the egg into the “rice.”
12. Stir until the eggs are well worked in (and cooked!)
13. Serve hot!

You can garnish with extra green onions, raw veggies, or a swirl of Sriracha (if you like it hot!) I added a bit more coconut aminos to mine after it was in the bowl. The bottom line is this stuff ROCKED! I ate a whole bowl full and would have eaten another if I hadn’t been full. Delicious!