Paleo Reuben Burger

Paleo Reuben Burger

Paleo Reuben Burger

Welcome back to The Juggernaut’s Cave with another installment from my kitchen. Again, I am taking on a classic sandwich that I have been craving a lot after I have converted my home to the Paleo discipline. One of my all-time favorite sandwiches is a Reuben. Loaded with meat, sauerkraut, cheese and Russian dressing, these are major calorie and fat bombs. For me it’s all about the kraut.

Over the past couple months, I've been making my own sauerkraut and eating it every morning as a way to get probiotics into my diet; naturally and without dairy-based yogurt. The book “Practical Paleo” provided me with step-by-step instructions on how to make sauerkraut. I was nervous of it being safe to eat at first (I had to leave it in my basement unrefrigerated for two-three weeks), but I find that I prefer the homemade version way over store bought. Go to her site to learn how to make your own.

Almost every morning that I have eaten the sauerkraut, I've wanted to put it between two pieces of rye bread and a pile of corned beef and Swiss cheese. I decided that I would try to take this on for dinner tonight, but I was also in the mood for a juicy, delicious hamburger. I figured it would be a great opportunity to satisfy both of these cravings while making something completely original (as far I have seen).\

Reuben Burger Spice Blend

I’ve played with a few burgers since transitioning to Paleo and really enjoy using portobello mushrooms in place of a regular bun. Rather than trying to make a complicated, grain-free bun, I figured this would give me a good base for my Reuben Burger. I began to pull all necessary ingredients from my refrigerator and got cooking.

In an attempt to replicate the distinct flavors of the rye bread, I decided to mimic the seasonings and mix that into my burger. It was also a reason for me to break out my new mortar and pestle to grind up a unique spice blend. My blend uses caraway seeds, onion powder and red pepper to season the beef.

The two major deviations from the standard Reuben recipe are the omissions of bread and Swiss cheese. I found that the mushroom caps, if cooked properly hold up well as a bun option and I really didn’t miss the cheese.

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Paleo Reuben Burger

1 lb Ground Beef (or turkey or bison)
2 Tsp Reuben Burger Spice Blend (Recipe Below)
8 Portobello Mushroom Caps, cleaned and stems removed
Olive Oil, for brushing on mushrooms
Salt & Pepper, for seasoning mushrooms
4 Strips Bacon, Cooked to crispy
1/2 C Russian Dressing (Recipe below

1 C Sauerkraut

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix Spice Blend into ground beef and form into four 4-ounce patties
3. Brush olive oil on both sides of mushroom caps and season lightly with salt and pepper
4. Place mushrooms on baking rack on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn each over and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on counter to cool. (note: if desired, place on paper towels to drain excessive moisture)
5. Put beef patties on preheated grill or frying pan, cook to desired temp flipping one time
6. Remove burgers from heat and allow to set on plate for a couple minutes
7. Assemble the burger as follows:

a.      Mushroom Cap

b.      1/2 Tbsp Russian Dressing

c.      Burger Patty

d.      1/2 Tbsp Russian Dressing

e.      Bacon

f.       1/4 C Sauerkraut

g.      1/2 Tbsp Russian Dressing

h.      Mushroom Cap

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Reuben Spice Blend

1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Peppercorns
3/4 Tsp Caraway Seeds
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Mix in a Mortar and Pestle or Spice Grinder and grind until fine.

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Russian Dressing

1/2 C Paleo Mayo
1 Tbsp Horseradish Sauce
1/4 C Paleo Ketchup
2 Tbsp Dill Pickle, minced

Mix all ingredients until well blended. (Note: There are a plethora of Mayonnaise and Ketchup recipes across the Internet, find one that you like or use a store-bought product.)

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Paleo Reuben Burger with Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Kale Salad

I hope you enjoy making and eating this as much as I did. It may not be the same as the original, but it certainly filled the craving for me.

Thanks for eating.

The Juggernaut B.L.A.T.

Welcome back to the Juggernaut’s Cave. I realize I just moved in, but I have a lot to say. I guarantee the posts will not be nearly as frequent going forward, but I’ll ride the wave while it lasts. As I mentioned in my introductory post, I've recently adopted a new food discipline called paleo. I don’t call it a diet because I don’t live and die by it. There has been a lot of discussion on this subject and I’m not going to go too far down an educational tangent at this time. There is plenty of information available on the Internet on the subject.

What is Paleo?

In a short and sweet summary, the paleo discipline is grain and gluten free, legume (beans/soy/peanuts) free, limited dairy, high protein, high vegetables/fruits and nuts/seeds. Basically, eat natural, organic and nutritious food. In short: eat like a caveman! How could I not get behind this?

I simply like this discipline because it allows me to eat delicious food and fuels my workouts. All the while, I feel better, sleep better, have better digestion (not going too far into this subject, unlike other paleo-enthusiasts) and have even lost some more weight! If you want to really learn the diet (soup to nuts), I’d recommend that you read “Practical Paleo” by Diane Sanfilippo. She has a great approach to the discipline, explains why it is like it is and provides delicious recipes that get you ready to dominate the cave kitchen.

Keep in mind, I’m not a devout paleo at this time. I only adhere to it when I have the control of my home kitchen. I am not one to impose my discipline on others when I am at their house or out to eat at restaurants. I have been known to cook up a cave meal if my hosts are up for it. Typically, I’m pretty easy going. I’ll right the ship on my own time and own terms. After all, life is a marathon and not a sprint. If you go too far from your comfort zone, it’s not likely to become a habit and could cause you to completely abandon it all together.

When the inspiration hits me, I plan to share with you some of the recipes that really help me and encourage a gluten/grain free lifestyle. Which is where I am tonight.

A true “A HA!” moment came to me when I came across a recipe in the “Against All Grain” cookbook by Danielle Walker. I was really craving a sandwich, but didn’t have the time/patience/baking skills to attempt her sandwich bread recipe. (I hope to take it on sometime.)

If the idea of a Paleo Sandwich brings this picture to mind, the recipe below should help change your mind.

I was home for an hour lunch break and really wanted a B.L.T. I had everything: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato, but I didn't want to break discipline and put it between bread. The idea of a lettuce wrap came to mind, but that just wasn't the same. I wanted to pick it up, elbows out and bite into a REAL SANDWICH. I flipped through my new copy of “Against All Grain” when I came across the Blueberry Waffle recipe. With a 15 minute preparation time, I could do this in my hour lunch break and still make it in time for my 1:00 meeting!

I had everything that the recipe called for and went right to work. I riffed on the recipe because Blueberry is not my first choice for the “B” in my B.L.T. I omitted all sweet elements and substituted a few less expensive ingredients (raw cashews are not cheap!) and threw them all into my blender. Within 5 minutes, I had a batter and a ready-to-rock waffle iron.

In less than 15 minutes, I was sitting down with an actual sandwich in front of me. This simple recipe opened my eyes to the fact that this discipline is actually doable and can be sustained. I no longer have the excuse that “sometimes, I just want a sandwich.”

I whip up a batch of this waffle batter and keep it in my fridge. I even plan on trying to make them up and freeze them for even quicker start-to-sandwich turnaround time. Below is a step by step to make my B.L.A.T.—I have since gone SoCal on it and added avocado for another vegetable and healthy fat punch. Keep in mind, I’m not a professional cook or recipe-ographer. Furthermore, I don’t limit my waffle sandwich to only B.L.T.s. Go ahead and put any meat/vegetable combo between it. Hell, add cheese if you don’t want to be totally dairy free…it’s your life! Enjoy it!

Paleo Waffle Batter:

Makes about 3 giant waffle sandwiches worth of waffles

3 Large Eggs
½ cup Coconut Milk
¼ cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
3 tablespoon Cup Coconut Oil, melted
½ cup Raw Cashews
½ cup Raw Almonds
3 tablespoon Coconut Flour
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon Sea Salt

1. Preheat waffle iron to low, I brush it with coconut oil to ensure it doesn’t stick
2. Add all ingredients into blender
3. Blend it until smooth consistency, should look like waffle batter because that’s what it is
4. Pour into waffle iron and spread it out to ensure even distribution and a nice looking waffle
5. Close the lid and cook it according to your waffle irons instructions (they know better than I do)
6. Take it out of the waffle iron and get ready for a sandwich!

The Juggernaut B.L.A.T.

1 Waffle, cooked (from above)
1 tablespoon Paleo Mayo
3 strips of Bacon, cooked
1-2 leaves of Green Leaf Lettuce, washed
3-4 slices of Avocado, thick as you like it
2-3 slices of Tomato, ¼ inch or so

1. Separate the waffle into two equal sizes, it should be easy to tell where the division should be made
2. Spread half of the Paleo Mayo on each side of the waffle (check out Paleo Mayo from Nom Nom Paleo for a great recipe—even a good workout. Note: use your fitbit hand to optimize your step count)
3. Lay the bacon down first, you taste with your tongue and you’ll want this to be the first thing hits those taste buds. (Note: I bake a batch of it in the oven for even cooking and non-curly bacon—375 degrees for 30 minutes… my ABC of Paleo: Always have Bacon Convenient)
4. Lay the remaining ingredients on the bacon
5. Put the second half of the waffle on top and cut it in half and pile on the oven baked sweet potato chips
6. Take it to the table and eat like a civilized caveman

I hope you enjoy this recipe. As I said, I’m not a professional recipe writer nor photographer, but this sandwich is awesome and I wanted to share it with all seven of my Twitter followers.  I hope you find this to be a recipe that you can put into your arsenal when thinking that a paleo sandwich is limited to lettuce wraps or complicated bread recipes.

Thank you for eating.