Kettle Corn

Last week, I randomly DVRed a couple Rachael Ray shows and had the chance to watch them briefly (meaning, I fast-forwarded through most of the show..).  On one of the shows, she was featuring some ideas for homemade Christmas gifts.  I decided to try out her recipe for kettle corn to go along with an ornament I had ordered for our neighbors.  I don't normally like kettle corn, but I really liked this version a lot!  It's super easy and fast to make, too.  I did modify it a bit for our standards - I will post it as I made it.  And really, I didn't measure anything... just tasted as I seasoned.  But I'll post RR's quantities below, because they are probably pretty similar to what I used.  I'm planning to try out another of the popcorn recipes from the show sometime this week. 

Kettle Corn

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons organic cane sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Place the oil in a large stainless steel pot over medium heat.  Once oil is melted, add popcorn kernels.  Cover with lid.  Once the corn begins to pop, give the pot a shake here and there - no need to shake constantly.  When the popping slows, remove the pot from the heat.  Remove lid and quickly sprinkle with salt, cinnamon, and sugar.  Place lid back on pot and holding the lid on tight, turn the pot upside down and all around, tossing to coat all of the popcorn.  Pour into a serving bowl and enjoy! 

PB&J Pork Tenderloin

My copy of Paleo Comfort Foods arrived while we were in Tennessee a few weeks ago. So, I was anxious to try some recipes when we got home. I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so I decided to thaw it and try out the recipe for P, B & J Pork Tenderloin since I had everything on hand for it. So I made this for dinner a few nights after we got home. Pork and apples go so well together, I figured it had to be good. And it was so delicious! It reminded me of some other pork and apple dinners I've made in the past, but this was even better with the nut butter sauce. The recipe in the book calls for pecash butter (pecan-cashew). I just used homemade cashew butter - made with crispy cashews. Any nut butter would work, though. If you have some homemade chunky applesauce, you could just sub that in and make this prep even simpler.

This is definitely a keeper. We all loved it. Kevin had seconds and thirds and fourths and finished off the tenderloin at dinner that night. So much for leftovers on nights when he's hungry. :) I have another pork tenderloin in the freezer that I think I'll be making again in the near future.

P, B & J Pork Tenderloin

2 pound pork tenderloin
2 apples, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup nut butter, homemade with crispy nuts is best
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup hot water

Butterfly the pork tenderloin lengthwise and fold out into one uniform piece of pork. Use a meat mallet to pound out the tenderloin a little.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place apples, cinnamon, lemon zest, and honey into a food processor (I used my stick blender processor attachment) and pulse until it looks like a chunky applesauce. Pour the apple mixture onto the tenderloin and spread evenly. Roll up lengthwise and place into a baking dish.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until internal temperature is 150 degrees. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes.

Mix nut butter, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add hot water until you reach your desired consistency.

Place pork on a serving platter and pour about half of the sauce over the tenderloin. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Paleo Beef Chili

Chili is a perfect dinner for a cool, fall day like the ones we've been having lately.  It's especially good on a night of watching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS series, or some good football games - Go State!  It's also a very easy meal to prepare.  Normally, I make a big batch in the crockpot, but on this particular day, I made it on the stovetop.  However, this would be perfect for the crockpot, as well. 

I have made paleo chili before, but this is the best one so far.  The bacon adds a wonderful flavor and the carob powder adds a uniqueness to it.  It is so delicious!  I used a recipe that a friend of mine posted on her crossfit facebook page and tweaked some things to make it my own (added butter and mushrooms, more onion, more broth, more spices, carob for cocoa, and used beef instead of bison).  I had about a cup of leftover roast beef that I diced up and threw in here, too... but I don't have it listed below since it won't be a normal thing ton include. 

Paleo Chili

2 Tablespoons grassfed butter
3-4 slices chopped, uncooked bacon
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a large stainless steel saucepan, melt butter, then cook bacon for a few minutes over medium heat until some fat has been rendered.

Add onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook another few minutes until onions and mushrooms have softened.  Add garlic and cook a minute or two more. 

Next, add ground beef and brown it a bit.  You don't have to cook it through since it'll continue cooking, just brown it. 

Next, add the spices, broth, tomatoes, and carrots.  Stir.  Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Add vinegar and carob/cocoa powder.  Stir.  Cook another 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced avocado and enjoy! 

Note:  If you want to make this in a crockpot, you can still cook the bacon, onions, and mushrooms before tossing it all in the crock.  Or you can just toss everything in together (except the carob powder and vinegar) and let it cook on low all day.  Add the carob powder and vinegar about 30-60 minutes before serving.


This post is linked to: 
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health

Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl

Kevin and I love a good philly cheesesteak sandwich.  Carson does, too.  But since I’m not making much/anything with bread these days, this means no philly cheesesteak sandwiches.  That’s ok, though.  Because we found out that they’re actually just as tasty sans bread and served in a bowl.  I’ve made them several times.  Sometimes I’ll have cheese on them (primal), but usually I don't have cheese on mine to keep it paleo.  I'll take some out in a bowl for me and put cheese on the rest for Kevin and Carson.  Either way they are super tasty.  And very easy if you have some leftover beef.  That’s usually when I make these – when I have leftover steak or pot roast.  I’ll chop up the veggies ahead of time and this makes for a very quick work-night meal.  

Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl

2 Tablespoons butter

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced

Leftover grassfed beef steak or roast works well, too

1/2 cup beef stock or broth

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon coconut aminos

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Good melting cheese

In a large, ovenproof skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  

Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are translucent and peppers and mushrooms are soft.  

Meanwhile, turn your oven broiler on low. 

Next add the leftover beef.  You can use raw beef if you want, too.  Saute for a minute or two.  

Then add the stock/broth, Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos, and hot sauce.  Saute for a few minutes more. 

Now sprinkle some shredded cheese or lay some cheese slices atop the beef mixture.  Place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Remove from broiler and enjoy! 


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager

Crispy Squash/Pumpkin Seeds

Fall to me always means fresh squash from the garden or farmers' markets.  I love squash.  Kevin doesn't like it pureed (it's a texture thing for him), but he likes it cubed and roasted.  Carson likes it some days, other days not so much.  But all three of us always love the seeds.  I save the seeds from any kind of fall squash or pumpkin.  The method of preparing them is always the same.  And they are all equally tasty.  So the next time you are cleaning out the seed cavity of a squash, set the seeds aside... they make a wonderful, healthy, paleo snack and are a great to addition to granola, trail mix, or baked goods.  So here's how you make them.

Crispy Squash/Pumpkin Seeds

any fall squash or pumpkin of your liking
4 cups water
2 Tablespoons salt

You'll start by cutting your squash in half and cleaning out the seed cavity. 

Place the seeds and stringy squash "guts" into a bowl.  Once you've got your squash baking in the oven, take the time to clean the seeds.  This can be time consuming, depending on the type of squash used, but it's worth it, trust me.  I often will clean them to the point of the second picture below, set them aside for a bit. Then work at cleaning them again to get all the squash goop off. 

Once you have your clean seeds, place them in a clean bowl and cover with warm water.  Add salt and stir it up a little.  Then cover with a plate or cloth and let it sit on your countertop overnight, for at least 7 or 8 hours, but preferably for 24 hours.  (Sorry I don't have pictures of these steps from here on out... I swear I took them, but they did not upload onto my computer...).  This soaking step is necessary to reduce the seeds' antinutrients and help make them more digestible. 

After the seeds have soaked, spread them out evenly onto a dehydrator tray or cookie sheet.  Dry them until crisp and dry.  Dehydrating the seeds helps to preserve the enzymes, which helps with digestion.

Now your seeds are ready to eat!  You can leave them plain, or spice them up.  They are great either way.  If you leave them plain, they'll be nice and crunchy with a salty flavor to them - yum!  I usually fill glass quart jars with just plain crispy seeds to use throughout the year. 


This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Grain-Free Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Grain-Free Dutch Baby Pancakes

I have made dutch baby pancakes many times. They're a quick, easy, and tasty breakfast. I haven't made them since we've been avoiding grains, though. So when I saw a recipe for grain-free dutch baby pancakes on Nourishing Days, I knew we had to try them. So I made them yesterday morning for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and bacon. They were a hit! We couldn't tell they were not made with wheat flour at all. They tasted just like the ones I've made in the past. This is definitely going to be a regular breakfast for us. I served them with sliced banana and nectarine. Kevin and Carson also had some maple syrup on theirs. And I did modify the recipe slightly, with the addition of vanilla.

Grain-Free Dutch Baby Pancakes

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond meal
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + extra for serving generous pinch of nutmeg pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
fruit/honey/maple syrup/yogurt for serving

Place a 12" cast-iron skillet or 9x13" glass baking dish in your oven and preheat to 475 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk the eggs. Whisk in milk and then flours, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt until completely combined.

Once the oven is preheated, very carefully remove the skillet or baking dish from the oven and immediately place butter in skillet. Rotate skillet and allow butter to melt all over and coat skillet. It will sizzle, the pan is so hot.

As soon as butter is melted pour in batter, making sure it is evenly distributed. Place the pan back in preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until the pancake is puffed up in the middle and golden brown all the way around.  (Note that the puffiness will deflate quickly once you remove the pan from the oven and let the pancakes cool... at least mine did.  I took this picture a couple minutes after I had pulled it out of the oven and it had already mostly deflated.)

Meanwhile, chop fruit (banana, apple, pear, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, etc) into bite-sized pieces.

Cut the pancake into slices and serve topped with fruit, maple syrup, honey, and/or some plain whole milk yogurt.

Sausage Zucchini Bake

I am still getting quite a few zucchini from our garden, so I've been trying to use it up in tasty ways.  I saw a recipe for sausage zucchini bake on Kitchen Stewardship and thought I'd try it.  I made a few modifications based on things I had on hand, so click on the link above for the original recipe. 

This was really good!  We all really enjoyed it a lot.  I think this is a new favorite way to use up zucchini.  The leftovers were great, too... and for those of you that know me, you know I don't usually care for leftovers... so for me to say they were good is a pretty big thing.  :) 

This is a really affordable recipe.  Even moreso if you have a garden.  The zucchini, tomato, and onion all came from my garden.  The pasta sauce was homemade.  The pork sausage was local, organic, pastured.  I did use up some conventional shredded cheese that I had in the freezer for this, but I'll use local, raw cheese in the future. 

Another great thing about this dish is that it can be prepped ahead.  I prepped everything ahead 24 hours in advance - cooked the sausage/onions, sliced the zucchini and tomato.  So it was super fast to assemble and pop in the oven for dinner.  We've been more pressed for time than normal lately, with my working longer hours at work, so having something easy to prep and get cooking is essential for us these days. 

Something else to note, I only made a 9x9 pan of this, yet I still used the quantities listed below.  It filled my casserole dish to the top, but it was delicious! 

Sausage Zucchini Bake

1 pound sausage
1 chopped onion
1-2 large zucchini
1 jar pasta sauce, preferably homemade
1-2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups shredded cheese

Slice you zucchini into 1/2" thick slices.  Don't worry about peeling it.  Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let drain. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage. Saute onion in with the meat. 

Pour a little pasta sauce in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Layer zucchini on top.

Mix the remaining spaghetti sauce in a large bowl with the sauteed meat.  Pour over top of the zucchini.

Layer sliced tomatoes on top, then sprinkle with cheese.  (Look at that yummy tomato... fresh from the garden... I love this time of year!)

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15-30 minutes longer, until the cheese is browned and the sides are bubbling.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Zucchini Boats

We've been fortunate to have another bumper crop of zucchini again this year. Although, is there ever a year where everyone doesn't have a bumper crop of zucchini? :) It seems like its the veggie plant that just keeps on giving. Good thing we like zucchini! I generally use a lot of zucchini to bake with this time of year, but since we are trying to eat mostly paleo or primal, I'm not doing much dessert baking with it. We've been using most of it in our dinners - either as the main dish or a side dish. Something we've made a few times this year and have made many times over in years past (but I've never posted them) - are zucchini boats.

I don't ever follow a recipe, per se. I just throw together a bunch of random items that I have on hand and stuff it into the zucchini boats. There are lots of ideas out there for different concoctions and we've made our own versions of most of them... cheeseburger zucchini boats, italian meatball zucchini boats, taco zucchini boats, pizza zucchini boats, greek zucchini boats, etc. You can stuff them with just about anything. The night that this particular picture was taken (sorry I didn't get a picture after they were cooked!), I just through together some ground beef, diced tomatoes, diced onion, and diced bell pepper. Then I sprinkled on a little raw colby cheese about half way through cooking. It was a great tasting, healthy, and very quick weeknight dinner.

The idea for any zucchini boat is the same. I like to use medium sized zucchinis. You'll want to scoop out the seeds, just so you have a small hollow area to stuff. I've even mixed the seeds/flesh into my stuffing mixture before so I'm not wasting anything. Then throw together whatever sounds good to you for stuffing the zucchini. Stuff the zucchini boats. Place them in a casserole dish or on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes at 375, until done. Super easy!

Here are some ideas that I have made and we have liked:

• ground beef, ketchup, mustard, relish, cheese (cheeseburger)
• meatballs, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese (italian meatball)
• ground beef, diced onion, diced bell pepper, minced garlic, pasta sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• ground beef, taco seasoning, salsa - then serve with sour cream, avocado/guacomole (taco)
• ground lamb, feta, diced onions, diced olives (greek)
• ground beef/sausage, mushrooms, banana peppers, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese (pizza)
• ground beef, sausage, shredded cabbage, diced onion, diced tomatoes, ketchup

This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS

Paleo Dolmades (a.k.a. grape leaves)

As I mentioned in my post for chicken souvlaki, we had a greek feast with some friends on Saturday.  I decided to make some dolmades/grape leaves to go along with our meal.  Some people think making dolmades is really labor intensive, but I don't think so.  Yes, they take some time to roll up each dolma, but it goes really quickly, in my opinion.  I prepped these the night before so they were ready to stick in the oven to cook before dinner on Saturday.  And I probably only spent about 20-30 minutes prepping them on Friday night... which I don't consider bad at all. 

I used my own pickled grape leaves for these, but you can pick up a jar at the store in the international section, also.  Normally, dolmades have rice in them, but since we are avoiding grains as much as possible, I decided to try making them without the rice.  They turned out great!  No one missed the rice at all and everyone commented about how delicious they were. 

Paleo Dolmades

1 jar grape leaves
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
3 Tablespoons dried dill
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth

Take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse, and drain. 

Mix the ground beef, onions, dill, mint, tomatoes, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. 

Place one grape leaf on a flat surface.  Place a small amount of the meat mixture (about 2-3 Tablespoons, maybe?) in the center of the bottom part of the leaf. 

Fold the bottom pieces of the grape leaf up over the meat. 

Then fold in each side of the grape leaf.  Once the sides are folded in, start to roll it up.  You'll want to roll it pretty tightly.

Then place the rolled dolma into a casserole dish.  You'll want to pack in the dolmades very tightly so that they are held in place during the cooking and don't risk opening up. 

Once you have all your dolmades in your casserole dish, pour the chicken broth over top, just enough to cover.  I actually ended up switching mine to a different casserole dish so that it wasn't filled to the top edge and wouldn't risk boiling over in the oven.  You can do all of this ahead of time.  If you are prepping ahead, cover the dish and stick it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. 

When you are ready to cook the dolmades, preheat your oven to 375.  Cover your casserole dish with its lid (or foil if you don't have a lid) and bake for an hour to an hour and a half.  I cooked mine for an hour and a half.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve!  I've had dolmades with a tomato based sauce over them, an egg based sauce, and tzatziki.  They are great with any of these!  I decided to serve mine on Saturday with tzatziki. 



This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Chicken Souvlaki

We had some friends over yesterday and I prepared a Greek feast for dinner... chicken souvlaki, dolmades (post to come), tzatziki, greek salad, and fresh fruit.  It was soooo good!  Everyone loved it, even the kids ate really well. 

Souvlaki always goes over really well.  It's such a simple thing, yet full of delicious flavor.  It's one of my favorite things to make in the summer on the grill.  I've tried it indoors in the winter in a grill pan and it's great, too... but you really can't beat the grill.  :)  I posted the recipe for pork souvlaki a couple of years ago, but I most often make chicken souvlaki.  So I figured I'd post it for chicken... plus, I've changed a couple ingredients, which are reflected below. 

Chicken Souvlaki

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 medium onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 3/8 cup cold-pressed, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers, soaked overnight

Cut the chicken breasts into uniform pieces/chunks.  Cut the ends off your onion and then slice into quarters.  Separate the layers into a large bowl.  Add your remaining ingredients.  Then add chicken and toss to coat.  Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight. 

Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that’s filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight.  This prevents them from disintegrating when grilling.

The next day, skewer your chicken.  I add some of the onions on the skewers, too. 

Pre-heat your grill.  When you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlaki skewers for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlaki, followed by a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad

Honey and Vinegar Braised Short Ribs over Spinach

Last month, in preparation for getting this year's grass-fed beef order, I was trying to use up some of the last few remaining cuts of beef from last year. I had some short ribs left, so I went looking for a recipe. I came across this one on Epicurious that sounded pretty tasty.  I did make some changes to it, which are reflected in the recipe below. These turned out awesome. They had a wonderful flavor and we all loved them. They look and sound like a lot of work, but they actually weren't. I multi-tasked while they were browning and during the stovetop cook time, then the majority of the cook time is done in the oven. So they weren't really that labor intensive at all. 

Unfortunately, I didn't snap any final pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination, but they did look quite nice.  I did get a couple pictures of the stove top cooking, which are included below, at least.

Honey and Vinegar Braised Short Ribs over Spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil or lard
4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs (I'm not sure how many pounds I had... but these quantities still worked well)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 pound baby spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil or lard in heavy large pot over high heat. I used my cast iron dutch oven. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Return all ribs to pot. Add carrots, onion, and garlic to ribs; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add honey; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and boil until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add broth, red wine, thyme and bay leaf and boil 5 minutes. Cover; transfer to oven. Bake until meat almost falls off bone, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

Using tongs, transfer ribs to large bowl. Boil cooking liquid until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix 1 tablespoon butter and arrowroot powder in small bowl. Add to sauce; whisk to blend. Boil until thickened, 3 minutes. Mix in ribs.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in another large pot over medium-high heat. Add spinach; cook until just wilted, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach among plates. Top with ribs and sauce.

Meatza

I found this on The Primalist a while back and knew I wanted to try it. So I made it for dinner a few weeks ago. This was really tasty! We all thought it actually did serve as a good substitute for pizza. It's a versatile recipe, too. You can pretty much use whatever you like or have on hand. And its very easy and quick to throw together. If you don't mind your child touching raw meat (I don't... that's what hand-washing is for), its a lot of fun for the kids to help press out the meat layer. Carson loved helping with that, at least.

I made some subtle changes to the original recipe. Mostly, I just scaled it back for our small family of three (and still had plenty leftover for lunches). I'll post the recipe below as I made it.

Meatza

Beef mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Toppings:
Use whatever you like. Here's what we used:
homemade pizza sauce
fresh basil leaves
sauteed mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare a baking dish or pan. I used a 12" x 9" jelly roll pan. You may wish to line the pan with parchment paper... I usually would, but didn't because I realized I was completely out of paper.

Combine all ingredients for beef mixture by hand. Mix well. Transfer the beef mixture to the pan and flatten out all the way to sides and corners of the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Pour out juices that have accumulated in the pan. The meat will shrink away from the sides some, but this is normal.

Set oven to broil. Place toppings on meatza. You can use whatever toppings you like. I had mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper on hand, so I sauteed those up in some olive oil and used those with some homemade pizza sauce, fresh basil leaves from the garden, and some shredded co-jack cheese. You can use whatever pizza toppings you normally like, though.

Place meatza in oven, broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and just starting to brown.


This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays at Real Food Whole Health

Campfire Chicken Fajitas

Last weekend, we headed out to Sleepy Hollow State Park for our first camping trip of the summer.  Of course, I planned out our food for the trip earlier in the week and had much of it prepped before leaving home to make the cooking around a campfire easy and fun.  I had originally planned to make some hobo dinners like we tried on our only camping trip last summer.  I had decided I'd use some chopped up chicken breasts since I had some in the freezer that needed to be used.  Then I got to thinking... why not do chicken fajitas instead of the typical hobo dinner?  So that's what I did.  These were super easy to prep and they tasted awesome!  We're not eating grains much these days, so we opted for no tortillas and just added some toppings to the fajitas and ate it all with a fork.  These will definitely be something I'll make often when we go camping - they were a total hit! 

Campfire Chicken Fajitas

chicken breasts, cut into strips/chunks
bell peppers, sliced
onions, sliced
other veggies are optional (we had asparagus in our since its in season)
taco seasoning
extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed and unfiltered
toppings - diced avocado, homemade salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Cut the meat from your chicken breasts (or you can use boneless) into strips or chunks.  Place into an airtight container and toss with taco seasoning and olive oil.  The amount you use will depend on your tastes and how much chicken you are making.  I used two large chicken breasts and used about 3 Tablespoons of seasoning, plus enough olive oil to coat.  I didn't measure anything, just used what looked right.  Put the lid on your container and place it in the refrigerator or cooler with ice.  I prepped everything the night before we left, so my chicken marinated for about 24 hours or a little more. 

Next, slice up your peppers, onions, and whatever other veggies you like.  I added asparagus to ours since that's what was in season.  If you are taking these camping with you, do this step at home so everything is ready to go.  Then place the veggies in another airtight container or ziploc bag and place in the cooler on ice. 

When you are ready to make your campfire fajitas, tear off some large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil.  You'll want big enough pieces to form into packets around your meals.  Place however much chicken you want in each meal in the center of the foil.  Then top with the prepared veggies.  Wrap up the foil around everything, into a packet.  Then wrap again with another piece of foil - double wrapping helps so the food doesn't get too charred on the fire. 

Finally, place the packets onto the hot coals in your campfire.  You should flip them and rotate them a few times.  Let them cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on how hot your fire is.  Once done, remove from the fire.  Unwrap the foil carefully - the steam escaping is very hot and can burn you if you're not careful.  We just dumped ours out onto our plates.  Then top with your favorite fajita toppings.  We kept it simple and just used some homemade salsa, diced avocado, and sour cream.  If you are ok with grains, serve with some tortillas.  Otherwise, enjoy with your fork - that's what we did and they were delicious!

This post is linked to:

Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS

Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade

Grain Free Real Food Carnival at Real Food Forager

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Its strawberry season here in Michigan.  So that means we are eating strawberries quite a bit.  I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  With all the lettuce and spinach we're getting from the garden, we're also eating a lot of salads.  It dawned on me over the weekend that I should try making a strawberry vinaigrette dressing to eat on our salads.  So I just through a few things together in the blender tonight as I was processing an entire flat of strawberries... yes I got through them all last night... several trays of fruit leather, some frozen topping, some frozen puree, some frozen whole berries, and this dressing.  Not bad for about an hour and a half's work.  ;) 

So anyway, I didn't even look up a recipe.  I just pureed up some berries, added some vinegar, oil, and sea salt.  Then I tasted it.  It tasted great!  So here's what I did.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 Tablespoons vinegar - I used white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a mason jar or dressing bottle and serve or refrigerate.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Homemade Poppyseed Salad Dressing

We went over to my in-laws' house to celebrate Father's Day yesterday.  The family had lunch together after church.  We just had a simple lunch of make-your-own salads.  It was perfect for a hot day and a quick-prep meal!  We had a great assortment of toppings to choose from and everyone got to put together the perfect salad for themselves. 

I made a couple of homemade salad dressings to contribute to the spread... ranch and I tried a new recipe for poppyseed dressing.  I've been wanting to make poppyseed for quite a while now - I think I found this recipe over a year ago... and I didn't write down where I found it, so I'm not sure what the source is for this.  I just never got around to actually making it until Saturday.  This was very quick and easy to put together.  And it was very tasty!  I think everyone who tried it enjoyed it.  Even my husband tried it and said he really liked it (the picture is of his salad). 

Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 cup organic Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients together until creamy.  You can either whisk in a bowl, or put all the ingredients into a glass jar and shake them all up together.   Once ingredients are combined, your dressing is ready to use.   Pour over salad and toss just before serving.  If you are making the dressing ahead of time, you'll want to shake/stir it up well just before using it.


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Traditional Tuesdays at Delicious Obsessions

Homemade Mayonnaise

I've been making homemade mayonnaise for quite a long time... for at least a year now on a regular basis.  As I was getting ready to post a recipe for a salad dressing (coming up next) I made this weekend, I went searching for my mayo post to link it to the new recipe... and I couldn't find it.  So here it is.  I got the original recipe from The Nourishing Gourmet.  I've tweaked it a bit for our tastes (as written below).  My SIL, Mary, also has a great version on her blog for something closer to Miracle Whip if you prefer that.  I'll have to try hers sometime, as Kevin likes Miracle Whip... but he also always liked Hellman's which was always my favorite.  So I usually just make plain mayo.  It really does taste very much like Hellman's. 

You'll notice that this mayo is quite yellow.  This is because I use farm-fresh, pastured eggs.  These are the most nutritious eggs... with very orange yolks.  The contrast between pastured and conventional yolks is amazing.  You'll also see that the yolks remain raw in this recipe.  Please don't make this recipe with eggs you don't trust.  If you are using farm-fresh, pastured eggs from a farmer you know uses sustainable practices... you are most likely safe.  That's who I'd trust, at least.  :)

Homemade Mayonnaise
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar (we do prefer ACV, though)
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
3/4-1 cup oil - I usually use all olive oil, but sometimes will add in some grapeseed oil

Combine everything EXCEPT the oil. I use a quart sized wide-mouth mason jar.  You just want something that fits your immersion blender.  Mix with a stick blender until creamy.

While blending, add the oil in small increments and mix until it’s homogenized. Make sure you lift the blender up and down as it’s blending- the quick up and down motion helps the mixture to homogenize, and it will thicken right up.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Here's another recipe that I've made quite a few times now.  I've made them as written below.  I've also substituted the blueberries with strawberries a couple of times, too.  Both are excellent!!  These are very quick and easy to throw together - perfect for making them with a child.  Carson loves to help make them!  He also loves to eat them and requests these often.  We all love them. 

This recipe comes from Nourished and Nurtured.  Be sure to check out her site for lots of GAPS-friendly recipes.  While we're not doing GAPS at our house, many GAPS recipes are also paleo and/or primal friendly, as well. 

Blueberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 heaping cup frozen blueberries
Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large bowl. If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.

Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly. Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.

Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.
Add mashed banana and mix to combine.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups. Scoop the muffin batter into the paper cups.
Add about 8-10 blueberries to the top of each muffin. Push them down slightly into the batter. If you try to fold the blueberries into the batter, they tend to sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking, making everything a bit soggy.

Bake muffins in 325 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you are in a time-crunch, you could bake them at 350 degrees initially, but you'll need to reduce the heat after a bit so they won't burn before being set in the middle.

Remove from oven and cool.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

I've made this quite a few times now, but I just haven't gotten around to posting it yet. I've made chicken and fish this way and want to try it with pork chops sometime, too. I've also made it with other crispy nuts - almonds and walnuts.  All are great, but pecans are my favorite! It's delicious, fast, and so easy! Perfect for a weeknight meal. I originally got the idea from a recipe I saw in my Everyday Paleo cookbook - you can also view the recipe on the Everyday Paleo website. I've made it exactly as written in Sarah's book/site, but it tastes just as great the way I've written it below. Plus its even easier.

Pecan Crusted Chicken (or Fish or Pork Chops)

4 pastured chicken breasts
1/2 cup organic/natural dijon mustard
1 cup crispy pecans
sea salt, to taste
coconut oil or butter, for greasing the pan

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a glass baking dish with some coconut oil or butter. Set aside.

Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Pour the chopped pecans into a pie plate or shallow/wide bowl.

Squeeze the dijon mustard into another pie plate or shallow/wide bowl.

Take each chicken breast individually and dip into the dijon mustard. Make sure to coat on both sides. Next, dip the chicken in the chopped pecans. Again, make sure to coat both sides.

Place coated chicken into the greased glass baking dish. Sprinkle each chicken breast with just a little sea salt.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

This post is shared at:
Grain-Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious
Traditional Tuesday at Delicious Obsessions
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Primal Egg Casserole

This is just a basic egg casserole recipe.  I almost didn't even post it, but figured since I've made it about 5 times now, I might as well.  Each time I've made it, the casserole has been slightly different - switching out the greens or adding a vegetable.  This is very simple and fast to make.  And it's very good.  I will bake it on Sunday evening, slice it, and store it in the refrigerator for fast, easy breakfasts on our busy work mornings.  This is great straight out of the fridge, or warmed a little in the oven. 

I know my pictures show the casserole with cheese, but I've listed it as an optional ingredient below.  The first time I made it, I used cheese (and took pictures).  But I don't generally add the cheese anymore.  It's great without! 

Primal Egg Casserole

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 pound naturally seasoned sausage
1 bunch greens - spinach, kale, swiss chard, beet greens, etc.8-10 eggs
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
6-8 eggs
a small bunch of parsley or other fresh herb... chives are great in this, too
1/4 cup shredded cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 375.   Heat a pan on medium.  Add butter and swirl around pan.  Add the sausage.  Meanwhile, slice the greens into thin strips.  Add the greens to the sausage and saute until sausage is cooked through and greens are tender.  If you are adding any extra vegetables (we like mushrooms in ours... but its great without, too... my pictures show it without), add them to the pan while things are cooking. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs.  Mix in the fresh herbs.  Then add the greens and sausage mixture.  Pour into a greased 8×8 pan.  If you are using cheese, sprinkle on top of egg mixture.  You don't need cheese.  My pictures show the casserole with cheese, but I don't generally add it anymore. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until middle of casserole is set.  Let it cool slightly before slicing into squares. 

This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday at Read Food Whole Health
Traditional Tuesdays at Delicious Obsessions
Grain Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious

Paleo Salisbury Steak

I made this recipe from Everyday Paleo a couple of weeks ago.  It is a new favorite of ours and will be appearing in our meal plans regularly.  I only used one pound of meat for us and I prepped the patties and chopped all the veggies the night before so all I had to do once we got home from work was cook everything.  It was done within a half hour.  Perfect!  And it was so delicious!  I love that it has healing broth and healthy coconut milk included, as well. 

I've left the recipe as written below, for 2 pounds of meat.  But like I said, I only made a half recipe and used 1 pound of meat for our family of 3.  I made 5 patties with my one pound and we still had 2 patties leftover for lunches. 

Paleo Salisbury Steak

Steaks:
2 pounds of ground beef
1 cup spinach, finely diced
1 egg
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground marjoram
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grass fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil

Gravy:
4 tablespoons butter
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup coconut milk
Black pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl place all the ingredients for the steaks and using your hands mix well.  In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat. While the butter is melting, form the hamburger mixture into thin oval patties (makes 7-8). Place the patties into the hot melted butter, make sure it sizzles, you want the pan to be nice and hot! Cook for 2 minutes on each side, the meat should be nice and browned on both sides. You’ll have to cook these in batches so add more butter or coconut oil if necessary. Once all the steaks are done, place in the oven to keep warm and now it’s time for the gravy!

In the same pan that you just cooked your steaks in, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms in the butter until tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the beef broth and deglaze the pan (scrap all the bits off the bottom of the pan that might still be there from cooking the steaks). Bring to a boil and add the coconut milk and pepper. Mix well, bring back to a boil. At this point you’ll want to turn the heat down until the gravy is just simmering. Now you’ll want to reduce down the gravy by stirring frequently for about 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.

Serve the steaks with the gravy ladled over the top and garnished with diced flat leaf Italian Parsley.