Cooking for Karina

One of us, a gluten-free blogger, has just found out she’s also a highly allergic girl. GF blogger Ms. Bay has railed round to create a bloggy food fest to supply the Goddess with some Karina-specific allergen-free recipes.

Knowing the she’s-allergic-to-everything-what-can-she-eat territory well, I found myself on the other side of the allergic equation: what to make for a friend who has a long list of allergies?

My first response was a slight sinking feeling: what did I have in my arsenal to suit? The second response was a quick mental inventory of go-tos, each of which were shot down: no chicken, no dairy, no peanut butter, and pasta’s too simple. What to offer?

Then, I remembered this simple burger salad. I had created a variation of this for my ex-boyfriend and we both loved it.

So please enjoy this Allergic Girl to newly-diagnosed Allergic Girl Variation on Burger Salad [adapted from Rachel Ray's lamb burger salad ]

1 bulb fennel trimmed sliced thin
1 pound organic grass fed beef or your favorite chopped high quality meat
1/4 red onion, finely sliced [to taste, i love raw red onion in salad]
Salt and pepper
1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
1 head radicchio, sliced thinly
1 navel orange, peeled and sectioned
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil [or any favorite vinaigrette]

Make your favorite yummy burger recipe. Create small burger balls and flatten them into 3-inch meat patties. Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.

Combine lettuces in a shallow bowl with sliced onion, fennel and oranges sections. Dress with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, to your taste. Top portions of salad with 3 mini meat patties and serve.