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Crock Pot Italian Beef

21 May 2013

I am a lot of things to many people. In fact, most of the time I’m amazed that I still only have two hands and one brain because so much is going on at once any given day. I am blessed with kids that are not boring, a husband that loves the bejeezus out of me, friends who keep me laughing, coaches at my gym who show me what I’m really capable of, people who like my food and tell me about it (THANK YOU!) and I’m blessed with… a crock pot.

Do you know how simple this recipe is? If it wasn’t so darn good, I’d almost feel silly posting it. But I believe in food like this. Paleo food is simple food and this is quintessential simple food.

Ingredients:
2.5 – 3 pounds of beef (the good stuff… you know the drill)
2 cups chopped carrots
1 small white or yellow onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of red chili flakes
1.5 cups organic crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
1 TBSP tomato paste

Prep:
Break out your slow cooker. Trim your beef of excess fat, cut into 3-4 inch chunks and set in the pot… crock pot, that is.

Peel and chop the carrots, slice the onion and chop the garlic. Add these to the pot with the beef along with the seasonings: salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, cinnamon and red chili flakes.

Footnote: You know that the secret to great tomato-based Italian sauces is a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of red chili flakes, right? Try it and see for yourself!

Pour in the beef stock and crushed tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and give everything a good stir. Note: This portion of liquid will produce a fair amount of sauce. If you plan to serve the beef sections whole, you may want to reduce the liquid to 1 cup beef stock, 1 cup crushed tomatoes. If you would like to shred the beef in the sauce before serving, keep the liquid measurements as is.

Cover the slow cooker, set to low for 5-6 hours. My crock pot is an over-achiever and cooks everything faster than it should. My beef was perfect at four and a half hours, so 5-6 should work for you.

When it comes to serving this, my mind immediately went to spaghetti squash (I’m a little obsessed, I know). However, you don’t have to treat this like a bolognese necessarily. This would be great served with the beef whole alongside green beans, sautéed kale, chard or spinach. Treat the sauce more like a gravy for the beef — delish!

Protein Topper Hash

20 May 2013

2 Comments

‘Tis the season to break out the grill AKA a Primal-eater’s favorite time of year. I could eat grilled meat and veggies everyday during the summer. Sometimes, though, I must admit that I do miss all of the condiments I used to dip-slather-marinade my meats in. Since whipping up Paleo-friendly condiments isn’t always something I have time for, I figured I could knock out two birds with one stone… veggies and a substitute for sugary, chemical-filled sauces. How about a hash of asparagus, cremini mushrooms, shallots, garlic and bacon? I say yes!

As I try to do with most of my recipes, this one is meant for modifications. Summer squash, zucchini, chard, kale, portobellos, peppers… what else could you use or add??

I made this for our burgers for an easy weeknight dinner, but keep in mind this would be incredible on steaks, chops or simply grilled chicken. Take the idea and run with it!

Ingredients:
6-7 cremini mushrooms
1 small bunch of asparagus (about 20 stalks)
2 large shallots
2 cloves garlic
6 slices thick, chemical-free bacon
Protein of choice (burgers, chops, steaks, chicken…)

Prep:
The method here is simple. Cut bacon into one-inch slices. Cook it in a large sauté pan. When the bacon is nearly done (about 7 minutes on medium heat), use a spoon to remove about 2/3 of the rendered fat. We don’t want this hash to get too greasy.

While the bacon cooks, prepare the vegetables. I prefer a large chop for this recipe, so that’s what I did on the mushrooms and asparagus. I sliced the shallots relatively thin and minced the garlic.

Add all of these things to the nearly done bacon. Toss to bring together and sauté for another 10 minutes or until the asparagus and mushrooms have softened a bit. Overcooked asparagus is nasty to me, so I err on the under-done side, personally.

You will likely have enough time to grill your protein of choice while the bacon and veggies sauté. I love dinners that come together this easily! When it comes time to serve, I like to have a little fresh fruit on the side to offset the richness of the bacon. Yum!

Seasoned Kale Chips

16 May 2013

12 Comments

As it turns out, the only thing that disappears faster than Scotch Eggs in my house is kale chips. These should definitely be kept in your Paleo bag-of-tricks for quick, easy and nutritious snack material.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of regular kale
1-2 TBSP ghee, melted
1/2 to 1 tsp Mrs. Dash original seasoning blend (salt free)
pinch of kosher or Celtic sea salt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit). Wash the kale and tear the leaves into 3-4 inch pieces, discard the stem/rib. Be sure to dry the kale very well! Moisture and chips don’t mix.

Melt one to two tablespoons of ghee or butter. In a bowl, toss the kale leaves in the melted ghee. Once coated, sprinkle with desired amount of Mrs. Dash seasoning blend. (*I am fine using all kinds of spices and use Mrs. Dash in many recipes. If you would like an alternative spice blend, please let me know. Otherwise, just make sure that whatever you season your kale with is salt-free at this step.)

Lay the seasoned kale leaves on a baking sheet, careful not to overlap if possible. Bake for 15 minutes or until the leaves are crisp without being burned. Note that if you like to keep an eye on your food as it bakes, you will see the kale wilt first then crisp up. Don’t worry when you see the leaves droop… that’s supposed to happen.

When baking is complete, remove the chips from the baking sheet, sprinkle with a pinch of Celtic sea salt (or kosher) and allow to cool before nibbling. I promise you, these buttery, flavorful chips will disappear!

Deconstructed Spaghetti Squash Carbonara… Paleo Style!

15 May 2013

17 Comments

My goal was to make this as easy as possible without sacrificing flavor or adding things that are no-no’s (sorry, no parmesan to be found here). The only real deconstructed element is the poached egg in place of scrambled–it works, people!

I’m a fan of runny eggs, but the whole raw-scrambled egg sauce that allegedly cooks from the heat of the pasta has me kinda squeamish… no offense. Poaching gives me control over the doneness of the egg, so I know those whites are cooked and the yolk is at the ideal creamy texture and temperature.

Spoiler Alert: To send this over the moon, I fry thinly sliced garlic in reserved bacon fat and then toss in the spaghetti squash. Incredible depth of flavor through this step! Be careful though–garlic burns easily. So keep your spaghetti squash close and your tongs closer.

I hope you enjoy this one!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, roasted (harvested strands equal about 3 cups)
1 cup chopped, cooked bacon or pancetta
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 TBSP chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup sliced scallions or shallots
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup bacon (or pancetta) fat
Salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 poached eggs (one or two per person)
Garnish with chia seeds, optional

Prep:
Spaghetti squash – Slice lengthwise down the center, remove seeds and roast cut-side down for 40 minutes at 375 degrees (Fahrenheit). Flip cut-side up when roasting is complete and allow to cool slightly before harvesting strands with a fork by scraping with the grain until the squash is cleaned. Set aside for later. Allow to drain, if possible.

Bacon or pancetta – If using pancetta, cut into small cubes. If using sliced bacon, just cook as is. Brown the meat in a sauté pan, set aside to drain and reserve the fat in a separate container. Chop the bacon into bite-sized bits and set aside.

Poached eggs – Bring acidulated water to a simmer in a deep sauté pan or standard sauce pan. I used white vinegar in my water; one teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water (thank you, Alton Brown). Working with one egg at a time, crack it into a small bowl or ramekin. Create a whirlpool in the simmering water and gently slide the egg into the center of it. Allow the egg to poach for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Place on a paper towel to drain the liquid from the egg.

To bring together the Carbonara - Chop the flat-leaf parsley, slice the scallions or shallots and the garlic.

In a clean sauté pan, heat the reserved quarter cup of bacon fat at medium-high heat. When it has come to temp, place the thinly sliced garlic into the fat and gently stir. Garlic burns very easy, so be attentive at this step. As soon as the garlic has some color, reduce the heat to medium and add the spaghetti squash, tossing together right away. Moving quickly will save your garlic and create unique flavor to your pasta.

And FYI – Few things smell better than garlic fried in bacon fat.

Once the spaghetti squash is coated in fat and garlic, add in the teaspoon of white wine vinegar, chopped bacon, scallion or shallots and the parsley. Toss to combine and let simmer for just a few minutes more.

To serve, place desired amount of spaghetti squash on a plate. Top with any extra bacon bits, scallions, parsley and one (or two) of the reserved poached eggs. I like to add a little bit of Celtic sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper at this point as well. I also decided to garnish with a bit of chia seeds — the color is great and they are so good for you! But if you don’t have any on hand, no worries.

Break open the yolk to create a silky, rich sauce for your Paleo Carbonara and dig in!

If you would like to dedicate a little more time to preparing this, I suggest using Paleo Cupboard’s Paleo Pasta in place of the squash. Talk about a decadent treat!

Coconut Palm Sugar Sprouts

9 May 2013

4 Comments

Confession. My very favorite way to make Brussels sprouts before going Paleo was with tons of butter, brown sugar, and a touch of salt and pepper. I’d add carrots and chopped walnuts or pecans when fancying it up for holidays… definitely my go-to simple veggie side dish.

Since walking the Paleo path (a solid 80-95% of the time), I have fallen in love with coconut palm sugar as my sweetener of choice. Coconut palm sugar is made by tapping the coconut tree palm flower, harvesting the sap and cooking it until the sap concentrates, creating a sweet syrup. The syrup is transformed into granules and viola-coconut palm sugar. My favorite part about this sweetener is the nutrition profile. Google it for yourself or check out this link. With loads of minerals and vitamins and a GI value of 35 (honey is 55, apples are 38!), this is more than just a sugar alternative. I’d argue that we should be eating coconut palm sugar.

PS: Be on the lookout for nasty cane-sugar additives that can find their way into impure brands of coconut palm sugar (usually from Thailand). Also, “palm” and “sap” are interchangeable but “palm sugar” is not. As always, do a little homework and make a decision that you are comfortable with.

Ingredients:
About a pound of Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 TBSP coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-1.5 TBSP ghee (for dairy-free), butter can be substituted

Prep:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit). Trim the Brussels sprouts if you haven’t done it already and pile them in a baking dish.

Sprinkle coconut palm sugar and kosher salt over the sprouts and dot with room temperature ghee.

Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When they are finished baking, give the sprouts a gentle toss in the ghee-sugar glaze before serving.

Pork Sugo Tagliatelle

24 April 2013

6 Comments

All right stop. Collaborate and listen… (yes, that just happened). Paleo Cupboard and I have made a lovechild for all of you — and, if we’re being honest, for ourselves too. Paleo Cupboard has developed a Paleo Pasta that is absolutely incredible! I’m Italian and have made a fair share of homemade pastas in my pre-Paleo days, and no joke, I am impressed with what she has come up with! Being the awesome person that she is, she invited me to make a sauce for her beloved pasta. So go big or go home right?

I’m honored to present to you Pork Sugo Tagliatelle…

Ingredients:
3 pound boneless pork loin
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves minced (about a teaspoon)
2 cups organic chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup ghee

Rub:
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
just a touch of fresh ground nutmeg (see picture below)

Garnish with either reserved fennel fronds or flat-leaf parsley.

Prep:
Grab the fennel. Slice off the fronds, cut the fennel in half and slice the fennel bulb across the grain. Shoot for between an eighth and a quarter inch. Crush the garlic, mince the rosemary and set all of this aside.

Next, mix up the rub. It’s just the basics to give the pork some flavor, except for the nutmeg. That’s the thing that makes you go hmmmm, but it can easily become the thing that makes you go BLECH if you go too heavy, so be careful. This is how much I used:

Grab your pork loin and slice into 2-3 inch steaks. Cover both sides with the rub and set aside.

I want to mention a product that I’ve recently come across – Paleo Fuel & Fire: Paleo Butter! We don’t all have the time to make our own ghee (in addition to everything else we’re cooking from scratch!), so if you’re in the market for some good stuff that you can order, check these guys out. It comes from grass-fed cows with no funky stuff mixed in. I used their ghee to sear the pork for my braise and was impressed! Super clean and handled the high temps perfectly.

For braising the pork, it’s a good idea to break out your dutch oven AKA the most awesomest thing to cook meat with… next to a grill… but I digress. Heat the dutch oven to medium-high. Add 1/4 cup of Paleo Butter (ghee) and keep an eye on it. When it melts, place two of the seasoned pork loin steaks in the pan and sear on both sides. Repeat with the second set of steaks then drop the heat to low (no need to add extra ghee though).

To set up the braise, load all the pork into the dutch oven, top with the sliced fennel, crushed garlic cloves, minced rosemary and dried thyme. I like to mound it rather than mixing it up. In the land of Ciarra’s Culinary Imagination, I picture that the fennel and garlic on top steams and creates an aromatic element as opposed to just boiling away, squished by the pork. Finish the pot off with two cups of organic chicken stock. Cover and let simmer for about an hour. At 45 minutes, uncover and test to see how meat is doing. The pork is done when it falls away with a gentle press from the back of a fork. This should happen somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour.

While that’s cooking, make Paleo Cupboard’s Paleo Pasta… Isn’t it beauuuutiful?

So the trick to bringing any meal together is always timing, right? The same is true here. The pork sugo needs to be done and resting before the pasta is ready to drop into the boiling water. Cook time on the pasta is fast — 3 minutes or less — so be ready with the sauce. Thankfully, once the pork is done, you can just remove the pot from the heat and set aside until your pasta is ready for saucing. Here’s how you do that…

Because we’re talking about a fairly high volume of sauce and noodles, it’s a good idea to work in batches. I found that for a full batch of pasta, I only needed half of my Pork Sugo. (Read: This means you just cooked enough for two meals. Awesome, right? Leftovers rule.)

Using a large sauté pan, heat to medium-high temperature. Place one pork loin steak in the pan and ladle in about a cup of broth, garlic and fennel from the dutch oven. While the broth simmers, shred the pork into large chunks and let simmer. Meanwhile, drop half of the batch of fresh pasta into the boiling water. By the time the broth has reduced a little bit, the pasta will be ready to transfer out of the boiling water and into the Pork Sugo. It will finish cooking there.

A spider tool works best for collecting and transferring the pasta from boiling pot of water to simmering skillet of sugo. Make that transfer happen, then gently fold and toss to incorporate sauce and pasta. This should simmer for just a few more minutes, then it’s ready to serve.

Repeat for the second round to get the rest of that delicious fresh pasta cooked and sauced. Add to the batch already waiting in the serving dish, combine the two batches together and garnish with either some reserved fennel fronds or some chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Are Shirataki Noodles Paleo?

22 April 2013

What Are Shirataki Noodles?

Shirataki is a Japanese noodle made from the konjac root (aka Konnyaku potato, konjaku, elephant yam).

Asian Broccoli Salad

22 April 2013

4 Comments

I realize it’s a Paleo cliche to put bacon in everything, and with that in mind I sheepishly offer this recipe… I had some bacon leftover and thought it would be a good in this salad–totally right. Then again, leftover chicken or pork would be equally delicious. Consider this recipe more as a jumping off point. What would you do?

Would you add sunbutter to the vinaigrette to make a faux-peanut sauce?

Would you serve this over cold Cauliflower Rice to use up those leftovers?

Would you swap out the red chili flakes for a finely diced Thai chili to really spice this up?

Would you add more veggies? Maybe some red bell peppers, daikon, water chestnuts or bean sprouts?

Maybe skip the meat entirely to feed your vegetarian and/or vegan friends?

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I want you to want to cook. Tap into your creative side (or succumb to whatever your fridge is currently offering) and come up with something that suits you and whoever you have the pleasure of feeding.

Ingredients:
2-2.5 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup cashews, raw and whole
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1 cup chopped cooked bacon
2 carrots, spiral sliced or julienned
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 TBSP coconut palm sugar
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 TBSP avocado oil
pinch of red chili flakes

Prep:
Chop the broccoli and bacon, slice the scallions and celery and spiral slice (or use a julienne peeler) the carrots. Combine in a large bowl with the whole cashews.

Mix up the vinaigrette by stirring the coconut aminos, coconut palm sugar, rice wine vinegar and red chili flakes, then whisk while streaming in the avocado oil to emulsify.

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Serve!

Roasted Parsnip Hummus

18 April 2013

7 Comments

I’ve seen a couple creative ways to make bean-free hummus and wanted to do something of my own. Cashews and zucchini have crossed my computer screen and I got to thinking about my daughter’s favorite veggie–the minty carrot. She means parsnips, of course. Last night I whipped up the recipe, which came together awesome. I was super excited about it, especially when my husband–a picky veggie eater–said it was by far better than any traditional hummus he’d ever had. (A girl’s gotta love that, right?) I sat down to start writing this post and on a whim jumped on google to see what else was out there. Annnnd then I discovered that I am apparently the last to show up to the no-bean party… holding yet another bowl of parsnip hummus… yay me.

But! Even though there are a host of parsnip hummus recipes out there in internet-food-land, I still think mine stands up. It’s different in that I roast the parsnips first, creating depth of flavor. I also add whole sesame seeds versus tahini and I use apple cider vinegar in lieu of lemon juice. I feel this plays up the roasted root vegetable flavor instead of trying to mimic a chickpea. It takes like creamy, savory parsnips, but is still unmistakably hummus.

Need to accommodate a variety of diet lifestyles? Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken and this would make any vegetarian or vegan smile!

Ingredients:
3 parsnips
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup organic chicken stock (sub veggie stock for vegetarian/vegan friendly)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper, plus a little extra olive oil for roasting the parsnips

Prep:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit). Peel and cube the parsnips. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil along with a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Roast for around 45 minutes or until fork tender and golden brown.

Once the parsnips have roasted, combine all ingredients except for the chicken stock and olive oil in a food processor. Puree for a few seconds, then stream in the chicken stock first and olive oil.

Let the processor run until creamy, transfer to a serving dish and garnish as desired. It will still be warm, so you may prefer to pop it in the fridge for a bit before serving. We ate it at room temp and it was delicious!

Maple Walnut Scotch Eggs

17 April 2013

11 Comments

So maple syrup, sausage, walnuts and eggs? Yep. That’s what’s happening. It’s your favorite maple sausage and eggs breakfast rolled together in one ultra convenient mash up of micronutrient goodness.

If sausage and walnut wrapped eggs seems a little too indulgent, you can think of it this way: a dose of protein, omega-3s, selenium, manganese, copper, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin A and B-complex vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, B-6 and folate). Feel better now?

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
24 oz ground pork sausage (the good stuff!)
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, plus a couple tablespoons extra for garnish

Prep:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using your hands, combine the pork, maple syrup and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Once brought together divide into six even portions.

Grab your plastic wrap. Plastic wrap is the key to making symmetrical, well-rounded scotch eggs. The sausage easily molds around the egg the way you need it without sticking to your hands in the process.

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap down on your work surface. Spread the amount of sausage you have portioned out into a circle in the center of the plastic wrap and place your hard-boiled egg on the sausage patty. Lifting up from under the plastic wrap, gently mold the sausage around the egg and seal completely. Place into your favorite non-stick roasting pan (I love my All-Clad roasting pan–nothing sticks to it! A silicone baking sheet would be awesome too).

Once they are all rolled up, top with the extra chopped walnuts and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. The outside should be a deep brown and the sausage nicely cooked through without being overcooked.

Convenient, rich, nutritious and slightly sweet. These hit all the right notes.

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