A Play on Patties ♥ The Recipe Redux Challenge - March 2014 (Week Two, Day Two - EatingWell Meal Plan)

 

OK, this was supposed to be a healthy challenge for patties, but all I could think about was "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun."

We all know that does not qualify for a healthy stack of patties but I know if you change the beef to salmon and mix the ingredients for that special sauce into the ground salmon, you would have a very healthy and tasty patty. This is what I did. I made two thin salmon patties per serving and made my own version of Micky D's iconic sandwich.
Difference is (and this is the reason for this post) double the salmon patty, double the benefits.

My first obstacle was the bun. Did you know the bun can make or break the burger? Oh, yeah. The Nudge is the expert in that area. While brioche buns are buttery and tender, by the time you finish the burger, they have disintegrated, and that's a big 'no-no'. No seeds or flavorings allowed, and it should be crusty on the outside and dense, but soft, on the inside.

The other problem is finding one that can be sliced into thirds. It's that middle slice that scares me. I decided to buy a pre-sliced burger bun, take the bottom from a second one, carefully slice off the crust and that becomes the middle. The leftover top, crust removed will be the middle on the second sandwich. The crusts will feed the birds. Nothing goes to waste, a win-win all around.

OK, so you don't want to go to all that trouble, I won't tell anyone you didn't cut the buns into three slices. Just stack the patties on top of each other with pickled onions and tzatziki in between.

This challenge worked perfectly into my month of meals because this week was the other half of the 'cook one, freeze one'  bonus recipe (the 'cook one' was eaten two weeks ago), that although was originally scheduled for next Thursday, was easily switched out for another "cook one, freeze one' meal.

This turned out to be one of the easiest challenges to date.
While I have to credit EatingWell.com for the inspiration, the preparation was mine. I also have to give a shout-out to Calphalon for my textured slide and sear skillet which made it possible to make patties with crunch using no coating or fats at all (Calphalon did not supply the pan, I did and this is my opinion).

Let's get cooking........

Salmon Patties with Olives, Lemon & Dill
makes 4 (3/4") patties or 8 (1/3") thin patties
* 2 scallions, quartered
* 1/4 cup Kalamata olives (or olive tapenade)
* 1 1/2 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh dill
* Zest of one lemon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1 1/4 pound wild salmon, skinned and cut into 2" chunks (canned salmon will not work)

* Tzatziki sauce (I used Sabra brand)
* 4 toasted buns (for one patty each) or 6 (for 2 patties), trimmed
* Arugula
* Pickled red onions
* Feta cheese

* Patty maker

1. Place scallions, olives and dill in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in lemon zest, salt & pepper.
2. Working in 3-4 batches, pulse salmon just 2-3 times to finely chop, but not puree. Add the chopped salmon to the bowl; gently mix until combined. Divide mixture into 8 patties, about 3" in diameter. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (or up to two hours) before cooking.
3. Lightly coat non-stick pan with olive oil spray. Add 4 patties and and cook on high heat until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining patties.

To assemble: Place the bottom slice of bun on a work surface. Place one salmon patty topped with a teaspoon tzatziki sauce on the bread.
Add the middle slice of bun to the patty, top that slice with a handful of pickled onion and the second salmon patty. Top that patty with another teaspoon tzatziki sauce and then the arugula and the Feta. Place the bun top on the patties and serve with a sliced tomato salad dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil.
No salad? Add that tomato to the bottom patty.

Enjoy!!

Per serving (patties only): 214 calories; 10g fat (2g sat, 5g mono); 66mg cholesterol; 2g carbohydrate; 0g added sugars; 29g protein; 1g fiber; 339mg sodium; 551mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (1%), Vitamin C (12%), Calcium (1%), Iron (3%), Vitamin B-6 (65%), Vitamin B-12 (106%), Magnesium (16%), Potassium (16%).

My Diabetic Recommendations: If you are allowed carbs on your diet, pick the best bread allowed and cut off the crusts using a 4" plate to cut three rounds out of three slices of bread. No carbs, cut a romaine lettuce leaf in half and use that as your bread.

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