Fried Carrots & Cauliflower

I've seen a lot of posts for Superbowl snacks.  Even though we aren't football fans (un-American, I know:)), we still enjoy the parties and snacks associated with the big game.  We're planning to enjoy some fried veggies - carrots and cauliflower to be exact.  If you've never tried them, you should.  They are an absolutely wonderful treat!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups carrots  and cauliflower florets
• Rendered beef fat (enough for your fryer or deep pan)
• Kosher salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Prepare veggies (peel & cut carrots, cut cauliflower into florets). 
2. Place in a bowl.  Cover with ice water and let sit 15-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in your fryer (or pan) to 325 degrees F.
4. Once the oil has reached temperature, dry veggies and, working in batches, drop into your oil for about 3 minutes.
5. After each batch is finished, remove from the fryer and place on towels to drain.
6. After all of the veggies are cooked once, turn the temperature up to 375 degrees F.
7. Working in batches, fry for another 3-4 minutes until crisp.
8. Remove from oil and immediately season with (a little) salt, cayenne pepper, and a little cinnamon.
9. Best served hot.

Quick and Easy Pear Nutmeal

Personally, I could eat meat (or eggs) and veggies everyday for breakfast and be happy.  Not so much for the family.  Sometimes I make them pancakes or muffins, but this is a nice once-in-awhile breakfast reminiscent of oatmeal from breakfasts past.  I'm not the first person to come up with "nutmeal", but this is my take (see Fauxtmeal, No-atmeal, and Nutty Hot Cereal [where I adapted my recipe] for other variations).  Fast and easy, you can whip this up in no time for a quick and hearty breakfast.  Makes about 2 cups; recipe can easily be multiplied (or reduced).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of nuts (I like macadamia and pecans, but about any nuts you have on hand will work)
• 1 1/2 pears, cut into large chunks (almost any seasonal fruit will work here)
• 2 eggs (preferably from pastured chickens)
• 1 cup coconut milk (I use full-fat canned coconut milk, make sure to get the kind without the "gunk")
• 1 Tbs cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until desired consistency is reached.
2. Pour into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot and bubbly.
3. Serve and enjoy.

Spicy Daikon Radish Salad (Daikon Achar)

Daikon is another pretty new vegetable for me.  I don't know if it's always been available in the stores (I suspect it has, at least for a long time, and I just walked right by it since I didn't know what it was).  I ruined it the first time I made it:)  The next time, I tried the Latke recipe by Marks Daily Apple.  Now, I'm hooked!  My mother-in-law was kind enough to introduce me one Nepali way of making the radish.  Quick, easy, and spicy.  Tastes even better if you are able to make it ahead or the next day.  This was made for a party held for my husband and myself while here in Nepal.  We bought the daikon down the street from a local vendor.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 Daikon radishes, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small red onion
•  5 Tbs ground sesame seeds
• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled
• 1-2 Tbs red pepper flakes, or to taste
• Fat of choice, to fry fenugreek (traditionally, you would use mustard oil)
• 1 tsp fenugreek
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Directions:

1. Shred daikon and carrots (the food processor makes quick work out of this, or you can use a hand shredder).  Place in a large bowl and add salt.  Mix together and then let sit for awhile (you could finish preparing dinner while this sits).  The salt helps release the excess water.
2. Squeeze out the water (you could use a dishtowl or I like to use my salad spinner or you can use your hands).
3. Dice red onion and ginger.  Add to the daikon/carrot mixture.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat (dry).  Lightly roast sesame seeds and add to the salad.
5. Add 1-2 Tbs red pepper flakes (2 Tbs if you like a good amount of spice).
6. Heat a little oil in a small frying pan (you want an oil that can handle high heat).  Add fenugreek and fry until black (it starts out a light brown).
7. Once the fenugreek has turned black. remove the pan from the heat and then add in the turmeric powder.  Stir together and add to salad mixture.
8. Stir well.  It's now ready to serve or you can put in the refrigerator for use later.

Part of Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday, and Pennywise Platter.

Apple Cranberry Crumble (Pie)

I started out intending to make a pie.  But, I got a little careless with the crust and it turned out more like a crumble.  I'm sure you could make a pie with no problem:)  In either case, it turned out fantastic -- sweet & tart, with a nice buttery crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups soaked macadamia nuts
• 4 Tbs ghee (or coconut oil)
• 1 1/4 cup coconut milk (get the kind with no added "junk")
• 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (get the kind with no added sugar -- 100% apple juice)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (I used 1/2 cup)
• 4-5 small/medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, blend nuts until they make a meal or flour consistency.
3. Mix with ghee (or coconut oil) and mash into the bottom of a pie plate.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes (you want the nuts to brown, but not burn).
5. In a saucepan large enough to fit the apple filling, combine coconut milk, apple juice concentrate, cinnamon, ginger, and cranberries.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until cranberries begin to break down.
6. Add apples and coat in liquid mixture.
7. Add to baked pie crust, then bake for another 30-40 minutes, watching to make sure your apples don't burn.

Part of Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise Platter.

Sweet & Savory Celery Root Hash

Three months ago, I didn't know what celery root was.  The first time I saw it, I didn't want anything to do with it.  Even though I've acquired a love of a lot of new veggies, including Brussels sprouts, spinach, collards, and okra, celery is still one veggie that I don't really like.  Aside from not really liking celery, I was a little, well, turned off by celery root's ugly appearance.  The first time I tried celery root was with this Ugly Duckling Salad (which is totally awesome, by the way).  Amazingly enough, after I tried it, I decided celery root is pretty good -- a lot more mild than celery -- kind of a mix between celery and potato. If you haven't given it a try, you should.  After that recipe, I got brave and decided to try my own creation.  This makes a great dinner or breakfast (I had it with over-easy eggs the next morning). 

Ingredients:

• 4 oz prosciutto (you could sub bacon) 
• 1/2 - 1 Tbs ghee or other fat of choice (coconut oil might be really good)
• 1 celery root, peeled and diced
• 1 small apple (I used a Honeycrisp), washed and diced

Directions:

1. Start by browning prosciutto until it has begun to render its fat, but is not yet crispy (mine didn't have a lot of fat).
2. Add ghee (if yours has sufficient fat, you can skip this step...or if you use bacon, you won't need ghee as well).
3. Add diced celery root and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add apple.
5. Cook until prosciutto is crisp and celery root and apples are tender.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Part of Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise Platter.

Buffalo Beef Chili

I'm a big fan of Frank's red hot sauce.  I use it on chicken, beef, pretty much whatever (I know, call me weird!).  When I stumbled across this recipe from Rachel Ray for Buffalo Chicken Chili, I just knew I had to try it!  Problem was, I didn't have several of the ingredients (chicken, tomato sauce).  So, here's my adaptation.  If I would have had other veggies in my fridge (bell peppers, etc.), they would have also gone in the mix. (Not my finest hour as a photographer, sorry:).)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs ghee (I think I could have used a little less and been as happy)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 5 large cloves garlic, diced
• 1 Tbs paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken (or beef) stock
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (I used 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes & green chile (I used Muir Glen)
• 2 Tbs tomato paste (as a thickener)
• Salt and pepper (if needed)

Directions:

1. Place large pot over medium-high heat and add ghee.
2. Once melted, add the ground beef.  Cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring frequently, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the stock, hot sauce, and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer for about 15 minutes to let sauce reduce and bring flavors together.
6. Remove bay leaf.
7. Taste.  Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve.

Part of Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, and Fight Back Friday.

Sweet Potato Fries

This isn't a typical dish for me.  I don't generally eat a lot of sweet potatoes -- not because they aren't nutritious, but because they are a little carb dense for someone still working on body composition.  And, I haven't used my fryer in about, oh, 7 years.  But, it's my mom's birthday.  She's a good sport, eating everything I make, without complaint (even the flops!).  Truthfully, though, my real food/Paleo ways are not her cup of tea.  Thus, for her birthday, I wanted something she would enjoy, but made in a way that I felt was "okay" to eat.  Sweet potato fries were my answer...and boy, were they awesome!  I haven't had fast food since I converted, but homemade fries are SO much better...I can't imagine eating them at a fast food place again.  Also, I read that fries retain at least a 1/4 less oil when cooked in beef fat than vegetable oil.  Amazingly enough, they are also pretty easy to make (if your fat is already rendered, the only difficult part is cleaning up the fryer).

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes (peeled or unpeeled, depending upon your preference)
• Rendered beef fat (enough for your fryer or deep pan) [I rendered the fat myself...that's an adventure to share for another post!]
• Kosher salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Wash and peel (if applicable) sweet potatoes.  Cut into "steak" fries (thick wedges).  
2. Place in a bowl.  Cover with ice water and let sit 15-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in your fryer (or pan) to 325 degrees F.
4. Once the oil has reached temperature, dry potatoes and, working in batches, drop into your oil for 3-4 minutes.
5. After each batch is finished, remove from the fryer and place on towels to drain excess grease.
6. After all of the potatoes are cooked once, turn the temperature up to 375 degrees F.
7. Working in batches, fry for another 3-4 minutes until potatoes are crisp.
8. Remove from oil and immediately season with salt, cayenne pepper, and a little cinnamon.
9. Best served hot.

Part of Real Food Wednesday.

Spiced Carrot Mash (Simple Carrot Halwa)

I didn't set out to make halwa, I simply wanted to use some ingredients I had in the 'fridge.  If you wanted to make a more elaborate version, add some raisins and nuts.  Traditionally, sugar is added to the mix, but I think carrots are sweet enough without additional sugar.  This is great as a side dish for dinner or perhaps even a light dessert.

Ingredients:

• 5 large carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut milk (make sure there is no added "junk" in the milk)
• 1 Tbs ghee
• 1/2 - 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
• Pinch of cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. Boil carrots in water until soft.  Drain and return carrots to pan (or food processor).
2. Add coconut milk (amount depends upon how many carrots you used and how creamy you want the mixture), ghee, curry, ginger, and cinnamon.  Mash (or blend/puree).  Taste and add additional seasonings as needed.
3. Serve warm or cold (yum...both versions were good!) and enjoy.

Part of Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, and Fight Back Friday.  Inspiration abounds, check out some other good ideas.

Pumpkin Pancakes

What can I say?  I love pumpkin!  I woke up today with the notion to make pumpkin pancakes.  These got two thumbs up from the mostly-paleo husband and not-so-paleo mom.  The inspiration for these comes from these totally awesome chocolate pancakes and a similar recipe in Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution.

Ingredients:

• 2 pastured eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded (unsweetened) coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (if using canned, make sure the only ingredient is pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond or other nut butter (if you have a nut allergy, you might try unsweetened sunbutter)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Coconut oil (for cooking)

Directions:

1. Heat griddle or pan.
2. Whisk the ingredients together until a smooth batter is formed.
3. Drop some coconut oil onto griddle or into pan.  Allow to melt.
4. Add pancake batter and cook on one side until bubbles start to form on the top and around the edge, and bottom is lightly golden.  Flip and cook another minute or two.
5. Serve with fruit, unsweetened jelly, maple syrup, or other condiment of choice (also good plain or with a little coconut butter on top).

Part of Real Food Wednesday by Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Pennywise Platter by The Nourishing Gourmet,and Fight Back Friday by the  Food Renegade.

CrockPot Beef with New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

One of my favorite foods is the New Mexico chile pepper.  Red or green, it doesn't generally matter, I love them both.  This recipe is a slight adaptation of one of my favorite dishes - carne adovada - pork in a red chile sauce.  I've made a slight variation of this recipe many times with great success.  I've changed things up to use grass-fed beef and cook it in the crock-pot.  

Warning:  in order for the flavors to fully develop, you need to allow at least 24 hours or more for marinating time.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds grass-fed beef (I used a roast)
• 16 New Mexico dried red chile pods
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 Tbs kosher salt (more or less, to taste)
• 1/8 tsp oregano

Directions:

1. Broil chiles in the oven for about 30 seconds each side, until they are black and blistered.  Leave oven door slightly cracked, and be mindful of the fumes.
2. Once the chiles are cooked, soak them in boiling water for 45-60 minutes (again, be mindful of the fumes).   Reserve this water, as you'll use it to make the sauce. Then, transfer them to cool water.
3. While chiles are soaking, cut beef into cubes (about the size of stew meat).
4. Once the chiles have cooled enough, use your hands to remove the outer skin and the seeds (if desired; the seeds are where the heat is, so use to your taste).  I recommend some gloves during this process.  Please be careful of touching your eyes after you handle the chiles.
5. Place the chiles, garlic, salt, oregano, and about 2 cups of the water in a blender or food processor.  Blend until a nice sauce has formed.
6. Place the meat into a plastic ziplock bag or other device appropriate for marinating meat.  Add sauce and make sure all of the meat is covered.
7. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 24 hours.  I marinated around 36 hours.
8. Place meat in a crock-pot.  Set time for low, 8 hours.
9. Serve and enjoy!  The meat should be really tender, with a flavorful red sauce.

Part of Real Food Wednesday  by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.  If you are looking for more real food ideas, check out the other links!

Savory Beef and Squash Pie

Holy cow, Batman, this dish was so good that I couldn't wait to share it with you.  The squash is slightly sweet, counteracting the spicy and savory goodies underneath.  I love this recipe because you could use whatever veggies you have on hand.  Don't have those I used?  No worries, toss in whatever you have in your 'fridge.  Great way to use up leftover veggies.

The funny thing is, a year ago (okay, seven months ago even), I wouldn't have touched squash with a ten-foot pole.  I most certainly would not have thought squash tasted "sweet".  How the mighty have fallen:)  Our taste buds can, and do, change when you stop the processed food and continue to try new things!

Ingredients:

• Butternut Squash - 1 decent size or 2 small
• Coconut oil (or ghee) - 1 Tbs or so
• Leeks (or onions), diced - 1 cup or so
• Sliced mushrooms - 8 oz or so
• Ground beef (grass fed; or other combination of ground meat) - 2 lbs
• Emeril's Creole Seasoning (note:  I use a lot less salt than the recipe calls for, you may need to adjust depending upon your preference for salt) - 3-4 Tbs (to taste - you probably want to start with less and add until it tastes good to you)
• Garlic powder - 1 Tbs (to taste)
• Onion powder - 1 tsp (to taste)
• Kosher salt - 1/4 tsp (to taste) (if you use the Emeril Creole Seasoning per the recipe, you'll probably want to omit the salt here)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Tomato paste, 1 Tbs
• Fresh spinach - 2 to 3 cups
• Coconut Butter - 2 Tbs (this will depend upon how much squash you have)
• Coconut Milk (canned, get the kind without the "gunk") - 1/2 cup (again, this will depend on your squash, use less and add more as needed)
• Cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp (maybe a little more if you like things spicy)
• Cinnamon - 1-2 tsp

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Cut squash in half.  Remove seeds and membranes.  Put in a pan to roast.  Roast for 350 degrees for about 50 minutes (you can also use water in the roasting process, but this worked for me and seemed easier).
3. Heat oil over medium heat.  Once heated, add leeks (or onions).  After a few minutes, add mushrooms.  Cook until tender, maybe 5-10 minutes.
4. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
5. Add spices (Emeril though salt), tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Cook for a few minutes until tomatoes begin to release their juices.  Then add the spinach.  Cook until spinach is wilted.
6. Put ground beef mixture in the bottom of your roasting pan.
7. Remove cooked squash flesh from the skin.  With the flesh, puree the coconut butter, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon until desired consistency is reached (I put this all in the food processor for a few quick whirls; you could also use a hand blender or hand-held potato masher...whatever you have that works).  Spread squash puree over the tom of the ground beef mixture.
8. Bake about 20 minutes.

Variation:

Use curry powder instead of Creole seasoning; add fresh ginger and some type of spicy pepper to meat mixture; and add a little powdered ginger to squash.

Part of the Real Food Wednesday carnival at Kelly the Kitchen Kop; there are some great website you should check out! 

Cocoa-Rubbed Steaks

This isn't really the most novel recipe for a steak rub, but it was sure good!  I personally love steak any which way.  Salt and pepper work just fine.  But every now and then, I'm looking for something different.  I saw some old Bobby Flay episode on the food network, where he was making coffee-rubbed steak, and thought how great a nice cocoa-rubbed steak would be (I use different spices than he does, but I would think that his recipe, where cocoa is subbed for the coffee, would be great as well).  We don't drink coffee, you see, and so I had to move on to something we did have on hand (I know we are the 2 weirdest folks on the planet -- but there you have it).

Ingredients:

• 1 large steak (preferably some type of grass-fed meat)
• 1-2 T coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp each:  salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Heat skillet.
2. Mix spices (cocoa powder through ginger) together.
3. Rub one side of the steak with coconut oil and spice mixture.
4. Place in screaming hot skillet to sear.  Meanwhile, but other side of steak with coconut oil and spice mixture (careful here not to burn yourself).
5. Sear other side.
6. Reduce heat to low and cook through under cooked to your liking.

Make-ahead Beef in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (Chhoyala)

     I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my dear husband is from Nepal.  More specifically, he is from the Kathmandu valley and is a Newar.  According to my good friends at Wikipedia (they know everything, right?), the term Newar applies roughly to the descendants of citizens of Medieval Nepal (consisting of Kathmandu Valley as the capital and the ever changing territory with the farthest extent being Gandaki river to the west and the Koshi river to the east, Tibet to the north and Terai to the south).  They are united by their common language, which is Newari.  

     Anyway, this is a dish introduced to me by my sister-in-law during Thanksgiving one year.  Basically, it's beef in a spicy tomato sauce.  Yum.   Chhoyala (don't ask me how to pronounce this - my Nepali and Newari are terrible - even my husband can barely understand me, even when he knows what I'm trying to say) is a traditional party dish, typically made early in the day and served later.  One thing about the Newars, they love to party.  There is a festival and feast for everything you can imagine. Yes, feasts.  Newars are big on feasts, or big parties, with lots of food.  Much of the food is simple to prepare, yet very tasty -- my kind of food!  Chhoyala is more than likely to be a snack food or appetizer, but I like it as a main dish.

     It's a perfect make-ahead meal...like on Sunday afternoon when I'm in the mood to cook.  And little prep the night before, and voila, dinner ready for Monday night, when I'm dragging myself home from work and thegym and don't feel like cooking...but sure feel like eating:)  Although you can eat it right after it's finished, it tastes WAY better the next day after the flavors have a chance to meld and the tomatoes have time to break-down (tenderize) the meat.  

     In the Kathmandu valley, one would typically make Chhoyala with water buff.  Since I can't find water buff here (okay, I've not yet had buff, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't taste like chicken), I used beef stew meat, but you could use pork, lamb, chicken, buffalo, etc.  You would typically eat this with beaten rice (and have some rice wine), but since I rarely indulge in rice, I serve it with cauliflower rice or shredded cabbage.

Ingredients:

• Stew meat, 2 lbs (use any meat you have on hand - if you are using another type of meat, you'll want to cut it into cubes)
• Turmeric powder, 2 tsp
• Salt, 1/4 tsp (or to taste)
• 4-5 large tomatoes (you can also use canned, but make sure you get the fire roasted tomatoes, preferably without salt) 
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 Tbs cayenne pepper, or to taste (alternatively, if you have jalapenos or other peppers, you could use those as your heat component)
• 1 Tbs oil 
• 1 tsp fenugreek (also known as methi seed) (optional)

Directions:

1. Roast tomatoes if using fresh.  I pop mine under the broiler of my toaster oven.  You could also put them on your stove if you have a gas range or throw them on the grill.  Roast until blistered, turning as necessary to ensure blistering on all sides.
2. Coat meat with turmeric powder and salt.  You have two choices with the meat:  either boil it in a little water until cooked or brown until no longer pink (or to desired doneness).  Both taste really good.  I like them both equally well.  Once cooked, remove from heat and reserve.
3. Once tomatoes are roasted, transfer to a food processor.  Add garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper (or peppers).  Blend until mixed.
4. If you are using the fenugreek, heat oil in a pan.  Add fenugreek and cook until blackened.  The dish tastes fine without the fenugreek - but if you have it - then use it.  I'll introduce you to other recipes that use fenugreek if you have an interest in trying it, but don't want to waste the money for a "one-time" spice.
5. Add fenugreek (if using) and oil to the tomato mixture.  Mix again.  Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary (you may need a little bit of salt here).
6. Once pureed, mix the tomato mixture with the beef.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.  Tastes great cold or reheated.

Nepali Wedding Soup

It's cold outside today.  About a 25 degree drop in temperature compared to yesterday;  indeed, today is the first day it has actually felt like fall!  What better way to celebrate the change in seasons than a steaming bowl of soup?  

This is a different take on one of my favorite soups -- the Italian wedding soup -- modified to include traditional Nepali flavors and zucchini instead of pasta.

For the soup:

• Ghee or oil
• 3/4 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (optional - I had one that needed to be used before it went bad)
• 2-3 T curry powder, or to taste (start on the low end, you can always add more as you cook)
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 1 T ginger, minced (you can store your ginger in the refrigerator to keep it on hand; but, if you don't have any, sub ginger powder, maybe about 1 tsp)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 or 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, cut in rounds or long, like noodles
• 4 cups homemade beef or chicken stock
• 1 jalapeno pepper, kept whole, but sliced lengthwise (it's going to act like a bay leaf)
• Meatballs (see below)
• Spinach

For the meatballs:

• 2 lb ground meat (you can use any combination; I'm particularly fond of beef/pork)
• 1/4 onion, VERY finely diced (you don't want to be eating large chunks of onion in your meatballs)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, diced
• 1 tsp garlic, finely diced
• 1 tsp ginger, finely diced (again, you could use ginger powder if you don't have fresh)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, VERY finely diced (for less heat, omit the seeds)

Directions:

1. Heat ghee/oil in a soup pan.  Add onion and red bell pepper.  Cook until onions are translucent, but not browned.
2. Add curry powder, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes.  Mix with onions and peppers and cook another minute or so.
3. Add carrots, zucchini, stock, and jalapeno.
4. Bring to a simmer.
5. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients for meatballs (ground meat through jalapeno pepper).  Form into meatballs.
6. Add meatballs to soup.  Let cook about 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender and meatballs are cooked through.
7. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
8. Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.
9. Remove jalapeno pepper and serve.

Baked "Spaghetti"

My sweetie traveled all week and said his stomach hurt from all of the eating out.  This was my creation for his "welcome home" dinner.  I really wanted to try a chicken satay, but didn't get my chicken marinating (maybe tomorrow?).  Of course, his rental had a flat and he didn't get home until late...but he thought it was a great lunch today:)  I'm always looking for inspiration and this one comes from a baked spaghetti dish my best friend's mom made.

Ingredients:

• Ghee or other oil 
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced (I used one red and one orange)
• Mushrooms, diced, about 8 oz or so
• 1.5 pounds sausage (look for a kind with no nitrates, and if you can find it, no sugar)
• Olives, sliced or diced (I had about 10 sitting in the 'fridge)
• 3-4 cups spaghetti sauce (homemade or jarred -- if jarred, look for one with no sugar, and if you're really hardcore, no alcohol)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 3-4 zucchinis, sliced lengthwise
• 2/3 cup macadamia nuts, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat ghee or oil in a large skillet or pot (big enough for veggies, meat, and sauce)
3. Chop veggies (onion, peppers, mushrooms).
4. Saute veggies until they are tender, but not brown.
5. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink.
6. Add olives, spaghetti sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
7. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavor to meld.
8. Slice zucchinis.  If you have a mandolin, you can make pretty fast work of this.  I cut them longways (is that even a word?), for a long "noodle".
9. Crush macadamia nuts.  You could whirl them fast in your food processor or take out the stress of the day and use a meat mallet
10. Pour a ladle-full of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.  Put a layer of zucchini "noodles".  Then add more sauce.  Layer until you are finished, ending with a layer of sauce and covering all of the zucchini.  Top with nuts.
11. Put in the oven and bake between 15-20 minutes, or until nuts are browned, but not burnt.  Then, cover loosely with foil and bake another 15-20 minutes.  Remove, serve, and enjoy.  It might be a little "saucey", depending upon how thick your sauce is.

Browned Cabbage with Hot Pepper

I get a lot of questions asking what I eat for breakfast.  My usual response is: "uh, food?".  I don't know if folks think I eat small children and pets or if they just can't fathom life without milk & cereal; toast & jelly; bagels & cream cheese; etc.  After I mention the food part, I move to the basic explanation: "meat, good fat, and veggies".  That usually leads to the question: "so, what do eat"?  (I'm not kidding here.)  In response to that question, the answer for today is eggs and browned cabbage.  The cabbage (and eggs) is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It come straight from A Fresh Taste of Italy, although it's so simple, I can't believe I needed a recipe:)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cabbage (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut cabbage into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat oil, garlic, and peppers in a large pot over medium-low heat.  Cook until garlic is fragrant, but not brown.
3. Add cabbage and stir to coat cabbage with oil.  Cover and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes or so.  Cabbage should be lightly browned and tender.
4. Sprinkle lightly with salt, if needed.

Curried Ground Meat (Keema, Part 2)

Sorry about the title, inspiration left me.  Anyway, my real inspiration came from one of the recipes in Robb Wolf's new book The Paleo Solution.  As an aside, if you haven't read Robb's new book, you really should.  It's good.  He's funny.  It's a nice blend of the science from the Paleo Diet and the fun writing style of The Primal Blueprint.  Even if you're a Paleo expert, I think you could gain something from the book.  Anyway, back to the recipe.  As I looked at the recipe for Curried Pork, I thought, wow, that looks like a simplified version of Keema, with an added can of coconut milk and some fresh spinach.  But that's one thing I love about making Paleo foods -- the possibilities are endless, and the recipes can be as simple or complex as your little heart desires.  [I made a "double" batch so we'd have leftovers, but you can easily cut this recipe in half.]

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 onion, diced (optional)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork (use any combination of ground meat that you want)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (get the no salt added kind) or 2 firm tomatoes, diced (optional)
• 1 Tbs ginger (optional)
• 2-4 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp minced hot pepper (optional)
• 1 can coconut milk (get the full-fat variety)
• Spinach (I had a big tub)

Preparation:

Heat oil over medium heat until hot.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the meat and cook until no longer pink.  Add the garlic, tomatoes, ginger, curry powder, hot peppers, coconut milk, and spinach.  Cook for a few minutes until blended together (maybe about another 5 minutes).  Cook about another 10 or 15 minutes until sauce has boiled down.  Taste and add more curry powder if needed.

Beef Roast

I've always liked beef, including beef roasts.  The problem was, the roasts we had growing up, were, well, dry (sorry, grandma!).  When I got to college, I thought that the solution was to top it with a can of cream of mushroom soup.  Now adays, I like to think I've progressed to something better.  There's a nice crust on top, but the meat is exceptionally tender.  Even my husband, who has never typically liked beef roast, thinks this version turns out pretty good.  

You'll want to adjust the seasonings for your taste and the size of your roast.  I had a pretty big roast.

Ingredients:

• 1 beef roast
• 1/4 to 1/2 Tbs kosher salt
• 1/2 Tbs black pepper
• 2 Tbs garlic powder
• 1/2 to 1 Tbs onion powder
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime
• Optional: vegetables (e.g., carrots, turnips, brussels sprouts, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Then mix in lemon or lime juice to form a paste.
3. Coat the top and sides of roast with paste.  Put roast in cooking pan and add vegetables (if using)
4. Put roast in oven and cook for about 5-6 hours (cooking time will vary depending upon the size and thickness of your roast as well your oven).
5. You'll know your roast is done when it falls apart with a fork and the paste has formed a nice crust.  If it's still tough when you pull it out of the oven, pop it back in and cook some more.

Grain-free Sunbutter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me start by saying that I think dessert should be a pretty rare occurrence -- a real treat to be savored when you do indulge.  If you are trying to lose weight or cure your sugar demon, you should probably save these for another time, because sugar is sugar, regardless of the type.  But when it is time to indulge, I think you'll enjoy both the taste and ease of preparation of these cookies.  My family gives these two thumbs up!  I love sunbutter - it reminds me of peanut butter, only it's not (it's neither a legume nor nut, so those with nut allergies may be able to tolerate sunbutter).  They are adapted from a recipe by the Healthy Cooking Coach.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup sunbutter (get the kind with no sugar - the only ingredient should be sunflower seeds) 
• 1/2 cup coconut crystals (I like this brand: Coconut Secret - Raw Coconut Crystals / 4 pack)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 cup chocolate chips (I like these ones that don't have soy (and that I can find locally):  Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Gluten, Dairy & Soy Free, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12))

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Spoon onto a baking sheet (grease baking sheet if it is not non-stick).
4. Cook about 12 minutes.
5. Makes about 16 small cookies.

Chicken Curry Clafouti

This recipe comes from a reader-submitted recipe at Marks Daily Apple.  I love it for a many reasons:  it's pretty quick (especially if you have some cooked chicken on hand from another recipe), easy, tastes good, and is easily adapted to other ingredients.  I've had good luck replacing the chicken and curry powder with blueberries and cinnamon as well as bacon, leeks, and tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 3-6 Tbs melted coconut butter or ghee (I think 3 Tbs gives it a wonderful flavor, but use more to taste)
• 3/4 cup full-fat, canned coconut milk (use the portion at the top of the can that is more "cream")
• 4 cups cooked, chopped chicken (don't overcook your chicken and don't add other seasonings to the chicken)
• 2 tablespoons curry spice, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Butter a 10” round or 13×9” baking dish.
3. Whisk together eggs, coconut butter/ghee & coconut milk until frothy.
4. Mix in chicken and curry powder and pour into baking dish.
5. Bake about 35 minutes until top is golden brown.  Really watch this toward the end -- you may need even less cooking time.  If you use ingredients with more liquid (blueberries, tomatoes, etc.) you will need to cook this a little longer.