Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers by Trudi Davidoff

I used to be the weird kid at soccer tournaments who ordered a turkey burger and an orange juice while everyone else was enjoying a nice juicy cheese burger and a coke. I'm not sure if I really liked the taste of Turkey burgers better, or if I just thought I was making the "healthy" decision (that certainly wasn't the case for the Orange juice). Either way, I've been eating turkey burgers for years, and only recently have they began to lose thier appeal. There is much tasteier meat out there (duck anyone?). Turkey can be so dry sometimes, so making turkey burgers at home can be very dissatisfying. Even molding the burgers was a little disgusting. I felt like I was playing with pink plasma.

That being said, my parents still love turkey burgers, so I volunteered to find a recipe for the family. I went to google recipes (which is great by the way), typed in "Turkey Burgers" and got the one with the most ratings. So, here it is, the highest rated Turkey Burger recipe on the internet (as of now).

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers by Trudi Davidoff

The Good

• Liked the onions
• Good combo of spices

The Bad

• Too meatloafy

Overall - 3/5 Stars

Better than most turkey burger recipe, but I know there is a better one out there. Granted I used almond flour, but it gave the burgers kind of a meatloaf consistency - which was of putting to me (my dad probably liked it). I'll continue to look for other recipes.

Leek And Sweet Potato Soup by Paleo Diet Lifestyle

Eating (and most importantly preparing) soup is therapeutic.  It takes time to prepare, because you have to chop up a variety of ingredients. The flavors bubble and simmer as they slowly blend together. Even using a spoon to slowly stir your meal is rhythmic and relaxing in itself. 

As a kid, eating soup meant savoring a bowl of Chickarina or Lipton Noodle Soup. Nutrition aside, there is something to be said for a dish that warms you from the inside out. Now that I am older, I have a desire to cook soups that are a little more nutritious. I made a fantastic Turkey soup on Thanksgiving with our leftovers, thanks to this recipe. I even attempted bone broth soup (which was a total failure).

I just purchased leeks at Wegmans, and when I Googled "Leeks and Paleo" I came across this recipe from Sebastien at Paleo Diet Lifestyle. My experience with his recipes has been nothing short of stellar. His recipes are great because of their simplicity, but also because the ingredients always compliment each other well (see here where I reviewed his eBook). So, I was excited to try out one of his soup recipes.

The Good

• Great use of leeks
• Nice consistency with the sweet potatoes
• Filling

The Bad

• Bland - needed a little kick
• Lacking in protein

Overall - 3/5 Stars

Not his best recipe, but one that can be modified to justify cooking it again. The flavors blended well together, but overall it was a bit bland. I modified it by chopping up about a half pound of bacon and tossing the bite sized pieces in. I also added a little bit of chipotle chili pepper. With those two ingredients this soup really packs some flavor.

Seriously Tasty Meatloaf by Health-Bent

In spite of Meatless Mondays, I have for you a recipe that is full of meat. In fact, it contains ground pork, ground beef, and most importantly bacon. Now, I've never been a huge meatloaf fan, but since it's my dad's favorite dish I decided to give this paleo equivalent from Health-bent a try.

The Recipe

The Good
Seriously tasty (the title doesn't lie)
Seriously juicy

The Bad
Bacon wasn't crispy

Overall - 3/5
This is a solid recipe. I opted for jarred sauce to save time, and in total, it took a little over an hour to cook. The best part about this recipe is how juicy it stayed (even for a couple days after in the fridge). I definitely slathered it with ketchup, but this was a mighty fine meal. I gave it three stars because it didn't blow me away (perhaps because I never used to like meatloaf). However, my dad, a longtime meatloaf lover, was very pleased. If nothing else, I like this recipe because it breaks the boundaries a little with what we consider to be meatloaf. Using bacon on top, and then broiling it - genius! I'd like to use that idea for other recipes.

One complaint (and per usual this could be my fault) is that the bacon on top wasn't crispy. It was cooked, but almost soggy as if it had been cooked in the microwave. Perhaps I didn't leave the broiler on long enough, but I would have loved for the bacon to be crispy. That would have given it a contrast to the tender meatloaf below.

Low-Carb Cheesecake from Modern Paleo

I love cheesecake. As a kid it my favorite dessert. Nothing was better to finish a meal than a deliciously creamy slice of Cheesecake. I was also spoiled rotten by my Grandpa who had an award winning recipe in West Virginia. Although, I never understood why he loved to cook it and never wanted to eat it.

Since adopting a Paleo Diet, I've avoided dairy, but every now and again I'll have some cheese with a meal and I won't feel bad about it. I saw this recipe on Modern Paleo and I knew I had to try it.

There is much debate as to whether dairy is paleo or not. But when it comes to dessert, let's face it, sometimes you just want something tasty (it is still grain and legume free though).

The Recipe - Click Here

The Good

• Quick - took me 15 minutes to prepare 
• Uses basic ingredients - nothing I had to run to the store for
• Aroma coming from the oven was intoxicating, reminded me of my childhood
• Low sugar - I used 1/4C Honey (64g of sugar for the whole pie)
• The crust is tasty! reminds me of this pumpkin pie crust
• High protein - pretty good for a dessert 

The Bad

• Took me an hour to cook at 375 (this is probably similar for most cheesecakes though)
• You can tell it's low sugar
• A little bland - could have used some spices (cinnamon ect)

Overall - 3/5 Stars
This is a solid cheesecake recipe. For those looking for a low-carb option, this is one I can recommend. It's not going to blow you away, but you won't be disappointed either. It has a solid texture and light crust. The cream cheese filling is the most dominant flavor here. But it finishes strong with the nuts from the crust (I used hazelnut). You might want to try putting in a tad more sugar than I did, and possible experimenting with some cinnamon to bring out the nuttiness of the crust.

Also, the smell of this cake was so alluring I coudn't wait for it to cool down. About 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven I was already digging in. To be fair, I did have some more today after letting the cake cool down overnight. Don't be surprised if you end up eating more than you intend to (this cake is very light).