We are back again with a restaurant recreation round-up that we are thrilled to share! In recent years we have brought you tasty, paleo-friendly recreations from P.F. Chang’s, the Cheesecake Factory, and today, in collaboration with The Domestic Man and Predominantly Paleo, we bring you perfectly paleo eats from Red Robin.
The original inspiration for this Red Robin recreation was the fact that their Banzai Burger, a previous favorite on the menu, is not available gluten-free. This copycat recipe nails the sweet & salty teriyaki glaze, which is then perfected with a creamy layer of mayonnaise and topped with grilled pineapple.
Go simple with a beef version on a bed of greens, or go for the true authenticity with a marinated chicken breast. Either way, it’s an absolute family-friendly winner! But first, an appetizer and classic side dish complete the experience!
The Domestic Man’s Insane Romaine
While most folks associate Red Robin with burgers, they have an impressive selection of salads as well. This Caesar-dressed and fire-grilled salad, affectionately called “Insane Romaine”, is an absolute favorite, and Russ took the opportunity to recreate their dish and finally try his hand at a homemade Caesar salad dressing – which is easier than you’d think! GET THE RECIPE HERE!
Predominantly Paleo’s [Bottomless] Fries with Campfire Sauce
Fries, glorious fries. If they could be a food group, they would be. Judgers gonna judge, but potatoes are widely accepted as paleo-friendly for those that tolerate them! Jennifer’s mastered the art of perfectly crispy fries and that’s all that matters. And now she wants to share them with you, fellow white potato fans. GET THE RECIPE HERE!
Alright, to the MAIN EVENT!
A big component of this recipe that led to our recreation success was the discovery of our new favorite mayonnaise – Chosen Food’s recently launched avocado oil mayo. The flavor is excellent, a bit sweet and perfectly smooth with a consistency that’s hard to achieve with homemade. Some mayos can overpower a recipe combination, instead of accenting the accompanying flavors, but the Chosen Food’s mayo only compliments the foods we have paired it with! In particular with this recipe, the mayonnaise is absolutely necessary to create a creamy sauce when mixed with the teriyaki glaze from the meat – since we skip the cheese here, it’s a must-have!
Ingredients
- 1/2 C water
- 1/2 C coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari
- 1/4 C blackstrap molasses
- 2 Tbsp pineapple juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 2 lbs ground beef or 6 chicken breasts
- sliced pineapple
- lettuce
- tomato
- red onion
- avocado
- mayonnaise (we prefer Chosen Foods mayonnaise)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients to combine. Reserve half.
- Marinade chicken breasts for one hour or more OR incorporate 1/4 C of glaze into ground beef then form ground beef into 6 1/3-pound patties;
- Heat grill or grill pad over medium-high heat.
- Sear each side of burger or chicken breast for three minutes per side. Then, transfer to indirect heat or oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes for burgers or 15 minutes for chicken to finish cooking. Cook burgers to 135 degrees and chicken breasts to 165 degrees.
- Grill pineapples over medium-high heat as well (we recommend on the same grill pan to absorb the flavors of the glaze that remain in the pan), about 90 seconds per side.
- Top the burgers with the glaze from the pan, and then serve with toppings on a grain-free bun or atop a salad to complete your burger.
Notes
While normally we would always tell you fresh is best, we recommend using canned pineapple for this recipe. It allows for perfectly even slices of pineapple, plus a re-use of the juice for the sauce. Also, organic pineapples are rarely in-season and are usually grown far away from most consumers. That said, if you have access to fresh, organic pineapple and want perfect rings we have and love this fancy kitchen tool and it would work great here!
While this burger will be “gourmet” no matter how you serve it, we recommend either a grain-free bun for a special occasion – or our favorite, a burger “bowl” of lettuce. It’s always a pleasant surprise how quickly burgers on top of greens comes together when we’re short on time, and this one in particular packs a flavorful punch that won’t feel like you’ve skimped on anything!
