Turkey Burgers w/ Roasted Beets & Carrot Mash

Writing this blog has been incredible for me for so many reasons. I am finally able to share my love of eating, cooking, feeding others, and health and wellness with such a wide audience. I am thrilled that in only two weeks, I have had around 1,500 hits from 10 countries around the world! I have reconnected with some old friends and classmates and had the opportunity to meet some fantastic new people as well. I have already provided guidance to people transitioning into a paleo lifestyle, and I taught my first cooking class. I can't wait for all of the adventures to come as this continues!

One of my Pi Phi sisters from Vandy sent me a message last night saying that she is in Boston for work and has been enjoying the blog. She has been doing Crossfit for almost a year and knows about the whole paleo movement. I was so excited to hear Kat was in town, and I invited her over for dinner so we could catch up. It was great chatting and learning how many things we have in common five years after graduation. I tried a slightly new variation on turkey burgers and made two brand new sides. If you can believe it, this was my absolute first attempt at carrots and beets. Kat was very brave and was my taste-tester... I hope she left happy!

Apple Cinnamon Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
- 1 package all natural ground turkey (mine was 1.2 lbs.)
- Olive oil
- 1 apple, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat
3. Add onions and saute for 5-10 minutes until soft
4. Add apples and cook for another 5 minutes
5. Add all ingredients (including cooked onion/apple mixture) in a mixing bowl
6. Form into patties (I made 5 quarter-pound burgers), and put them on a foil-lined baking sheet
7. Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through 

Roasted Beets

Ingredients:
- Two medium beets, chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and shake what your mama gave you (Side note - I let a woman squeeze my butt at the Avon walk campsite because she thought it was fake. This is a true story!)
3. Roast for 45 minutes until slightly crispy, and stir/rearrange beets every 15 minutes so they cook evenly

Carrot Mash

Ingredients:
- 1lb. of carrots 
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp. of chopped garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Trader Joes "21 seasoning salute" (or random herbs/spices from your cabinet)

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Add onions garlic, salt, pepper, and TJ spices, and cook for 7-10 minutes until soft
3. Put carrots in a pot, cover in water, and boil for 6-10 minutes until tender
4. Add drained carrots and onion mixture to the food processor
5. Pulse until smooth and add additional seasoning to taste

Slammin' Salmon Cakes w/ Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Good morning from rainy Boston! Yesterday's cooking class was quite an experience. The turnout was lower than expected, but I still gained the experience of cooking food for 12 people for a solid 7 hours. Needless to say, my feet and back are tired, but it was great. I am separating the three courses into three different posts, and I hope you all enjoy the recipes. Before everyone came, I took out some interesting reading materials and also laid out some of my go-to paleo products so people could see some of the food I eat and ingredients I use. 

We started off the feast with salmon cakes/patties/burgers/whatever. I am going crazy over this canned wild salmon I found at Trader Joes, and I'm sure I will come up with some other salmon recipes over the next few weeks. Salmon cakes are incredibly easy to make, and they are perfect for leftovers. You can have one over scrambled eggs for breakfast, with a salad and sliced avocado for lunch, and with some roasted broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner! This is making me hungry...

Ingredients:

- 1 avocado, chopped

- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

- 5-7 strawberries, chopped

- 1 lime

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

- Two 14.5 oz. cans of wild salmon

- 1 large onion, diced

- 3 eggs

- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut flour

- 2 Tbsp. dill

- 1 lemon

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix avocado, tomatoes, strawberries, and lime juice in a mixing bowl

3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

4. Refrigerate so flavors meld while you prepare the salmon cakes

5. Add canned salmon to a large mixing bowl. Note that this wild salmon from Trader Joes (only $2.99!) has skin and bones. You can mash it all together to get the full health benefits.

6. Add onion, egg(s), coconut flour, dill, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

7. Mix well with a fork, and then dive in with your hands to solidify the mixture

8. Form into patties and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet

9. Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes

10. Serve with a dollop (or two) of salsa