Asian Meatballs and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

A few days ago, I signed up with Thrive Market online to receive their emails. I then received a free online cookbook, The Thrive Communal Table, a compilation of Paleo experts' recipes. (Check this site if you're interested)--- 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/free-gift-cooking-inspiration-60-paleo-recipes-plus-a-1000-shopping-spree-sweepstakes/#axzz3cQ5BPT7F

The recipes look so delicious. I made these Asian meatballs and twice baked sweet potatoes tonight. My first thought was that I can't wait to make these for Billie when he gets home! Amazing flavors. 

Asian Meatballs 

Yields 28-36 (serving ~7 people. Or serving me. For 7 days.)

8 Medium shitake mushrooms, minced 

3/4 Cup minced sweet potato

2 T Minced cilantro

2 pounds ground beef

1.5 T fish sauce 

2 T tomato paste 

Salt and pepper 

2 T coconut oil, melted 

Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 375°. 

Combine the mushrooms, sweet potato, and cilantro together in a large bowl. Add the ground beef, fish sauce, and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper. Combine the ingredients. 

Brush the coconut oil on the foil lined baking sheet. Use your hand to roll out three dozen meatballs, around 1.5 inches in diameter.

 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes rotating the tray at the midpoint to ensure even cooking. 

Rosemary Citrus Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes 

Serves 6

6 medium sweet potatoes

4 T room temperature ghee, grass fed butter, or coconut oil 

4 ounces coconut milk 

Zest of 1 orange (I used a little juice as well) 

1 T fresh or dried rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper  

Preheat oven to 375. Wash and dry sweet potatoes and bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until soft, about one hour. 

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside's into a large mixing bowl. 

Place the skins back on the tray. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl with sweet potatoes and mix well with forks. 

Place an equal amount of filling into each sweet potato skin. Bake for 10 minutes, then set the oven to broil until a nice, brown crust forms on the sweet potatoes, 2–3 minutes. Remove from oven and serve! 

*** to make this a bit simpler, I baked the sweet potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil. Then I cut them in half lengthwise, scooped out the middles into the bowl, and discarded the crust. Not too worried about presentation for just me! ;) 

Amazing Paleo Fajitas

I could not get over how amazing this was! The marinade is perfection. Made about 6 servings. 

Guacamole: 

5 ripe (mushy) avocados 

1 small purple onion, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper

1-2 T. minced garlic 

Steak Fajitas Recipe: (I doubled this to feed 6!) 

Copied from: Paleo Newbie 

• 1 lb flank steak (I bought pre-cut grass fed fajita steak)
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper

Marinade (again, double this!) 

• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

***Serve with some sort of salad greens! And make my plantain chips too! :)

Taco Zucchini Boats

Copied from: Skinny Taste

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4  • Size: 2 halves  • Old Points: 6 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 7 pt
Calories: 286 • Fat: 12 g • Carb: 18 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 28 g • Sugar: 6 g
Cholest: 8 mg

Ingredients:

• 4 medium (32 ounces) zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup mild salsa
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 2 tbsp bell pepper, minced
• 4 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese (Omit for Paleo)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions or cilantro, for topping

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup of salsa in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Using a small spoon or melon baller, hollow out the center of the zucchini halves, leaving 1/4-inch thick shell on each half. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside 3/4 of a cup to add to the taco filling, (squeeze excess water with a paper towel) discarding the rest or save to use in another recipe. Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.

Brown turkey in a large skillet, breaking up while it cooks. When no longer pink add the spices and mix well. Add the onion, bell pepper, reserved zucchini, tomato sauce and water. Stir and cover, simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

 Using a spoon, fill the hollowed zucchini boats dividing the taco meat equally, about 1/3 cup in each, pressing firmly. Top each with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through. Top with scallions and serve with salsa on the side.

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash

I forgot where I saw this idea, or I could give some credit! So simple and versatile. I made these ahead of time, stored them in the refrigerator all night, then baked them the next night for dinner!

To serve 4, you need:
2 spaghetti squash
2 lbs ground beef
2 small cans of tomato paste
drizzle of olive oil
fresh spinach
lots of dried basil, oregano, and rosemary
S & P

1. Bake your spagetti squash on a foil-lined baking sheet on 400 for 1- 1.5 hours, until the tops and bottoms are beginning to brown and you can squeeze the outside with your (gloved) hand.
2. Remove and cut lengthwise. Let cool a bit.
3. Scoop out the seeds and throw them away.
4. Fork out the spaghetti squash into a large bowl.
5. Brown meat on the stove top. Once cooked, add tomato paste and seasonings until you love the way it tastes. 
6. Add fresh spinach and stir until it wilts.
7. Add about 1/2-3/4 of the spaghetti squash into the meat mixture. Then fill your spaghetti squash shells.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator until baking time OR bake on 350 for about 15-30 minutes, until warm. After storing mine all night in the refrigerator, I cooked them for about an hour.
9. Remove and drizzle with olive oil.

You could use pork, turkey, or lamp with this. You could also add chopped onions, bell peppers! Sky is the limit.

Crockpot Beef Curry

This was a major winner! 

5-6 lb chuck roast or stew meat 

2 cans coconut milk 

6 Tablespoons red curry paste (I used Thai kitchen brand) 

1 tsp curry powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

Parsley for garnish 

1. Cut pork into large pieces and place in crockpot 

2. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over. 

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. 

4. Shred with a fork. 

5. Serve with cauliflower mash! 

* for cauli mash, steam cauliflower florets until they pierce easily with a fork. Drain and blend in a food processor with garlic, butter, salt, pepper, and anything else you want! 

Crock Pot Maple Dijon Pot Roast

Ya'll. This meal.

Probably one of my favorite paleo meals yet. It was AMAZING.

I served this roast with cauliflower mash (see the bottom of this post for a cauliflower mash recipe) and roasted root veggies (carrots, parsnips, and radishes... tossed with a little olive oil and baked at 425* for 1 hour.) Also, I whisked some arrowroot flour into the gravy to make it thicker! Amazing. I love gravy. 



Maple-Dijon Pot Roast
This recipe is copied from: The Kitchn 

Serves 4-6
 
2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck roast (See Recipe Notes)
4 to 5 slices bacon, diced (or neutral cooking oil)
3 large onions, peeled and sliced into half moons
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh thyme, for garnish


Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
Set a large Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the bacon and cook until some fat starts rendering and it begins to turn golden. Push the bacon to the sides and add the beef. Sear both sides until golden brown, about 10 minutes per side, and transfer all the meat to the bowl of the slow cooker.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in a few tablespoons of chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the onions and pan juices into the bowl of the slow cooker.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining chicken stock, Dijon, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, salt, and pepper until combined. Pour the liquid mixture over the roast. Close the lid and cook on LOW heat until the meat falls apart and is meltingly tender, about 8 hours.


Transfer the roast to serving bowl or platter and cover with foil. Pour the cooking liquids into large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the gravy is reduced to desired thickness (THIS IS WHEN I ADDED THE ARROWROOT FLOUR). Cut the roast into chunks and pour hot gravy over the top.

Recipe Notes

• Beef chuck from the shoulder area is the ideal meat for a pot roast. Cuts of beef chuck can go by many names: 7-bone pot roast, blade roast, chuck-eye roast, boneless chuck roast, shoulder pot roast, mock tender, flat iron roast, and cross-rib roast. Choose whichever one has the size and shape to suit your needs. I tested with a 2 1/2 pound 'boneless chuck roast.'
• To make in a Dutch oven: Prepare the meat and vegetables for the pot roast as directed, then place all the ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and simmer over very low heat (or in a 325°F oven) until the potroast is tender. Cooking time will be reduced, so begin checking the roast after about 2 hours.

Cooking Steak and Chimichurri + New Instagram

Friday nights= date nights for Billie and me. This past week, Billie requested "steak and lots of green" for our date night. Usually we go OUT to eat, but I thought I would surprise him with a dinner at home this time.

I've always been intimidated by steak. For example, which cuts do I buy? and do I want to spend good $$ on something I could mess up? Who's with me? But after a ten minute long pep talk from the butcher at Publix, I was ready to take on the task.

His advice was to broil the steak. (I'm intimidated by the grill too-- we will save that braveness for another day.) So broil, I did! I placed the 2 New York strip steaks in a glass dish and put them in the oven on broil. 7 minutes on each side, until the internal temp reached 145. PERFECT. I'm proud to say they were restaurant quality!

For topping, I made chimichurri sauce from @rochelleswholeplate (on Instagram). Recipe and picture below!

For sides, I served sauteed garlic kale and roasted broccoli.

Steak + Lots of green= what my baby wants, my baby gets. :)


Chimichurri from @rochelleswholeplate:
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I would use a little less)
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
 *Combine all ingredients in food processor. Serve over cooked steak. Or over anything, really! 

*****

In other news, I started a new Instagram account for friends, family, and unknown people to follow for paleo recipe ideas. Follow @kitchenandkale if you are curious or need some food inspiration!

Here are a few Instagram pics from last week... 

Steak with Chimichurri is the top left!!

*****

Saturday, Billie was out doing field training. So I drove to Franklin for a little shopping on Main St.

Tea from Franklin Tea, chipotle powder from the Savory Spice Shop, and a fun soap dish and straws from The Shoppes on Main. 

After shopping, I went to Whole Foods for a little grocery shopping, which is my favorite kind of shopping. I love Whole Foods oh-so-much.

That's all for now folks. Hope you're resting and enjoying the Lord today. He makes everything good.

Paleo Sundried Tomato Meatballs with Creamy Pesto

I can't believe I've never posted this recipe-- it's a go-to! So delicious. And if I can keep my new basil plant alive, I plan to make lots of pesto in the near future! :)

Everyday Paleo's Sundried Tomato Meatballs with Creamy Pesto

2 lbs ground beef (I also use ground chicken or turkey!)

2 tablespoons minced chives

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

½ cup minced sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

2 -3 garlic cloves minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Creamy Pesto

1 cup walnut halves

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 cups fresh basil leaves

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes

½ cup coconut cream (Chill overnight one 13.5oz can of full fat coconut milk like Native Forest brand and the cream will solidify on the top, scoop this out to measure your 1/2 cup of coconut cream.  Save what’s left for a soup or curry.)--- I omitted this last time!!! 

1. Preheat your oven to 375.

2. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT for the coconut oil and shape into golf ball size meatballs.

3. Heat a skillet over medium to medium high heat and add the tablespoon of coconut oil.  Once the oil is melted and the skillet is hot, add the meatballs.  Brown the meatballs on all sides in the hot pan.

4. If your skillet is oven safe, cover it and transfer to the oven and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.  If the skillet is NOT oven safe, move the meatballs to a large baking dish, cover and cook in the oven for an additional 7-10 minutes.

5. While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the pesto as instructed below.

6. To a food processor or blender add the walnuts, olive oil, garlic, and salt and process until smooth.

7. Add the remaining pesto ingredients and process again until smooth. I promise this pesto does not taste like coconut milk pesto – the coconut cream adds a delicious creaminess that this pesto is asking for; you won’t be disappointed….

Paleo shepherds pie

This turned out amazing. I was curious about the sweet potatoes as the bottom layer, but it made for a sweet and salty combo that was perfect! This is a new favorite. 

Copied from: Jules Fuel  (click here to see a prettier picture!!) 

Ingredients: 

Top Layer---

2 large heads of cauliflower 

1/2 tsp paprika (I prefer sweet) 

1 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil 

1/4 c chicken broth 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

Sea salt & pepper to taste 

 Middle Layer---

2 pounds of grass-fed beef 

1 medium onion 

2 large carrots 

1 large zucchini 

1 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 c chicken broth

 2 cloves garlic 

1/2 tsp thyme 

1 tsp rosemary 

Sea salt & pepper to taste 

 Bottom Layer---

 2 large sweet potatoes, grated 

2 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil 

Sea salt to taste 

Instructions for 3-Layered Paleo Shepherd’s Pie: 

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bottom layer: Grate the sweet potatoes (or use your food processor to shred). In a large pan, heat the ghee or olive oil and sauté the grated sweet potatoes until soft. This takes about 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the size of pan. Season with sea salt. 

 Middle layer: Simultaneously, in a separate large pan, heat ghee or olive oil and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Add finely diced carrots and zucchini, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the ground beef to the mixture, along with garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook meat thoroughly, and add chicken broth to the pan and cook down the broth for several minutes. 

 Top layer: Simultaneously, in a large pot, add enough water to boil the cauliflower in, and bring to a boil (without adding cauliflower). Rinse and chop cauliflower into chunks, and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes, until slightly soft to a fork. Drain the water out, and then use a hand blender to blend cauliflower until smooth. Blend in ghee, garlic, chicken broth, paprika, sea salt and pepper. In a large glass dish, evenly spread the grated sweet potatoes on the bottom. Then, evenly spread the middle layer on top, finishing with evenly spreading the top layer. Place the glass dish in the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Taco Casserole

This. Was. Delicious. 

Perfect comfort food after a strange couple of first days at my new job! 

The original recipe is for "Almost 5 ingredient pizza spaghetti pie." I made a few changes to make it Mexican!! 

Here is the original recipe: 

(copied from paleomg.com, which tried to autocorrect to "paleomagnetism." What's that??)

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 600 grams)
• 1 pound italian sausage (I used beef)
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce (used tomato sauce)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (omitted) 
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs, whisked
• (optional: add anything you like with pizza: veggies, even cheese if you do primal)
• I added taco seasoning
• Top with guac and salsa!!!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. Then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
3. Once squash is done cooking, remove threads and place in an 8×8 greased baking dish.
4. Place a large pan over medium heat. Add italian sausage and onion. Cook until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
5. Add pizza sauce, dried basil and salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
6. Add sausage mixture to the 8×8 dish and mix well with spaghetti squash threads.
7. Lastly, add whisked eggs to the baking dish and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.
8. Bake for 45 mins to an hour 

Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls, AKA "Golumbki"

From: Stupid Easy Paleo 
Prep time: 30 min     Cook time: 5 hours (crockpot)     Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 1 large head of green cabbage
• 1 lb (500 g) grassfed ground beef
• 1 lb (500 g) lean ground pork
• 1/2 white onion, diced finely
• 1.5 cups of riced / grated cauliflower
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz can tomato sauce (not pasta sauce)
• Coconut oil or fat of choice

Directions:
1. Rice / grate the cauliflower. I use the grating attachment on my food processor or you could grate by hand. Save  1.5 cups for this recipe and the rest for something else…it’s tasty fried up in this side dish.

2. Dice the onion finely.

3. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

4. Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. To prepare the cabbage for rolling, you’ll lightly boil it whole and peel the leaves off a few at a time. Cut the core out of the cabbage and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the leaves soften, you can peel them off with a spoon. Take care not to rip them in half. The whole process usually takes about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can throw the whole cabbage in and let it simmer for about 15 minutes – the outermost leaves will become very soft but still usable. In either case, peel as many of the leaves off as you can and let cool a bit.

5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat put a spoonful of coconut oil or your fat of choice. Add the onion and grated cauliflower  and and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the cauliflower is softened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

6. Combine the onion / cauliflower with the meat and mix by hand to incorporate all the ingredients.

7. Roll the "golumbki" by taking a cabbage leaf – concave side up with the stem toward you – and placing a large spoonful of the meat mixture at the stem end. Then roll forward, fold the sides in and end with the seam down.

8. Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce (not pasta sauce) in a bowl. Put ~1 cup in the bottom of the crockpot (or casserole dish). Lay the golumbki in with the seam side down. Cover with the remaining tomato mixture once the crock is full.

9. For a crockpot, cook on low for 5 hours. If using the oven, cover the top of the dish with foil and bake for 1.5 hours at 350F (175C).

Easy Pesto!

One of this month's Devo Olive Oil flavors is French Walnut! And it is so tasty! As soon as a I tried it, I knew I wanted to make pesto.

Here is the pesto recipe:

1 cup walnuts 

2-3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 cup basil leaves 

Devo French walnut olive oil 

1/4 tsp salt

*This makes about 1 cup. If you want thinner, creamier pesto, blend in some vegetable broth! You can also add sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) for really good flavor.

1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients but the olive oil.
2. With the blender still on, drizzle in the French Walnut olive oil until your pesto reaches the desired consistency.

I steamed zucchini and asparagus in vegetable broth and cooked Sun-dried tomato meatballs to go with our pesto!

Paleo Stuffed Bell Peppers

I was so happy to be able to cook one of my childhood favorites but to make it paleo!

This recipe is from the Everyday Paleo Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso.

We loved it... Can't wait til you try it. :)

Aren't these babies photogenic??

 "Spicy Speedy Stuffed Peppers"

Ingredients:
- 4 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, finely diced
- 3 carrots, finely diced
- 1 1/2 lbs. Italian pork sausage, casings removed
- 1 lb. grass fed ground beef (mine was not grass fed)
- 2 T. dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small zucchini or squash, finely diced
- 3 C diced fresh basil (I used only the few leaves I had!)
- 3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced or 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 5-6 bell peppers
- 1 T. hot sauce (optional, or more to taste!)

Instructions: 
1.  Preheat oven to 250.
2. Fill a large soup pot with water and bring to boil.
3. While you are waiting for the water to boil, cover the bottom of another soup pot with olive oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrots on medium until onions are translucent. (I pulsed the onion, carrots, and celery in my food processor to get them finely chopped.)
4. Crumble in the sausage and beef and add all dry seasonings
5. Add zucchini, basil, and tomatoes. (Again, I pulsed these in the food processor to get them finely chopped!) Mix well, and let the meat and veggies cook over medium-low heart for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally
6. In the meantime, remove just the tops of the bell peppers and rinse well to remove seeds.
7. By now, your water should be boiling. Place bell peppers gently in water and submerge them for 5-6 minutes, or until the bell peppers are tender, but not falling apart.
8. Pull bell peppers out of the water with tongs and arrange on a large baking dish. Fill each bell pepper with meat mixture (don't be shy... stuff 'em good!) and bake for 20 mins.

First grilling experience...

We are getting ready for our football party Saturday! For the weekend, we are borrowing our friends' grill (Thanks Freemans!) :)

Take a look at this grill... not for amateurs huh?? Half propane and half charcoal. This thing means business.

I don't know the first thing about grilling, so Billie and I decided to do a test run last night! We cooked 1 lb. of burgers with Webber's hamburger seasoning along with some brats.

And we had a little guest observer...

Way to a woman?... A man who cooks and cleans. My man unloaded the dishwasher AND grilled us dinner all in one day. Am I a lucky girl or what?!? :)

 We consulted with my Dad, who is a pro griller. Here was his burger grilling advice:

Grill on 350*.
Cook for about 10 minutes on each side for thick burgers... Don't "squish" the patty with the spatula.
Internal temp should be about 150-160 when you take them off the grill (for medium).
Let the burgers sit for a few minutes then EAT UP. 

We ate the brats with spicy mustard and the burgers on a bed of butter lettuce with avocado on top!

Crockpot Barbacoa

I have grown to love Chipotle, the restaurant. I normally get a salad "bowl" with the barabcoa meat. It's SO tasty. So I did some research and found a copycat recipe.

Billie said it was the best meat I have ever made!

We made salad bowls with romaine lettuce, salsa, salsa verde, and guacamole! I know, I know... I've posted lots of Mexican salads lately. But I just LOVE Mexican food! And it's so easy.

My man doesn't do onions, but some sauteed onions and bell pepper slices would have been a great addition!

Here is the recipe from food.com:

"Chipotle's Barbacoa Copycat Recipe"

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
4 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 -4 chipotle chiles in adobo (I used only 2, and it was plenty spicy!)
4 -5 lbs chuck roast

Directions:

1. To make the adobo sauce combine vinegar, limejuice, chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and cloves in a blender or processor on high speed until smooth.
2. Remove most of the fat from the roast and then cut into large chunks (approximately 6).
3. Pour oil into a frying pan and sear all sides of roast on medium-high heat until browned.
4. Place meat into Crockpot and pour adobo sauce over meat.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and add bay leaves.
6. Cook on high heat 6 hours or on low all day.
7. While still in the Crockpot, shred the meat with two forks and turn the heat to warm.
8. Typical sides include tortillas, rice, black or pinto beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream. (If you are paleo, stick with guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, and coconut sour cream!)

Burger Dry Rub and Sassy Sweet Potato Rounds

Friday night before the triathlon, I cooked (bunless) burgers and sweet potatoes (to get a little extra carb/starch in there.) I searched for an online recipe for a paleo seasoning or marinade for the burgers and I ended up on Everyday Paleo. This post also included a sweet potato recipe... Looks like they had the same idea as me. :)

I was really pleased with both! Here are the recipes...

Everyday Paleo Dry Rub Burgers
1 ½ tbsp chili powder
2 ½ tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground white pepper
2 1/2 lbs grass fed ground beef (makes about 7-9 medium sized burgers)
sea salt to taste

Mix all dry rub ingredients together.  Form hamburger meat into patties and cover both sides generously with the dry rub.  Let the burgers sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking.  Either grill or pan fry about 4 minutes each side for medium, less for rare, more for well… (sprinkle on sea salt once the burgers are in the pan or on the grill).

*We love eating burgers with butter leaf lettuce and stoneground mustard. You can throw a tomato slice or avocado on top as well! 

Everyday Paleo Sweet Potato Rounds
2-3 yams
3-4 egg whites
21 seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s or Oregano, Thyme, and Garlic Powder
ground black pepper
sea salt
olive oil

Slice sweet potatoes into round discs.  Separate eggs and add as much 21 seasoning spice blend and black pepper as you like.  Dip each sweet potato round into the egg mixture and lay flat on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Drizzle the rounds with olive oil and sprinkle on more seasoning – this is key – and then sprinkle on a little sea salt.  Bake at 350 for 30 -40 minutes.  The egg whites make these a little crispy, and I actually finished them under the broiler for about a minute which made them even crispier, but still soft and yummy in the middle.

*If you don't have parchment paper, I recommend using a glass baking dish coated with olive oil. The egg mixture really makes for a mess. Stir the sweet potatoes around half way through to make sure they don't stick!

Paleo Sour Cream

We made taco salads... AKA Mexican mix and match again this week. It's just so darn easy! And good. Billie said he thought he could eat it every day.

I found this recipe for paleo sour cream, and I thought it would be the perfect addition!

Warning: It does still taste a little like coconut milk, but we liked it. Will definitely make again.

Paleo Sour Cream (Dairy-Free)
From: Healthy Living How-To

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut Vinegar or White Vinegar

Directions

1. Refrigerate full can of coconut milk for an hour or two (be careful not to shake).
2. Open can and scoop out the hardened coconut cream on the top (about a 1/2 cup).
3. With a spoon, mix well, coconut cream  and vinegar.
4. Return to refrigerator for an hour.
5. Stir before serving.
6. Enjoy!

*This website also explains the benefits of giving up dairy, if you are curious!

Mexican Mix and Match

I love having company! Our friend Vashti was here from Hawaii for a short course. And she graduated this past week!! But before she left, we got to have her over for dinner one more time. 

I made homemade Taco seasoning (recipe below-YUM) from Marks Daily Apple for the ground beef. And I served it with julienned iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, and hot sauce... plus sour cream and cheese (for the non-paleo.)
I forgot to get a picture of all the filled dishes on the table... but you got the idea!

I love Mexican Mix and Match, because it's so easy! And everyone can get what they want. We did a similar thing for our Cinco De Mayo party this year, and it was a big hit! For the non-paleos, you could add rice and beans and tortillas as well. You know, if you're into that kinda thing. :) So whip out your favorite serving dishes and start filling em up!

Me and Vashti (behind us are the remains of our Mexican Mix and Match)

Billie confessed that he has always wanted black-rimmed glasses. So he tried Vashti's on. Think it fits him??

Homemade taco seasoning 
From: Marks Daily Apple

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teasoon garlic powder or minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb. ground beef 

Instructions:
Simply season raw meat then cook as desired. (I added a little water to the meat as it was cooking in the skillet.)

*I did try to make the Primal Tex Mex Tortillas, but they didn't turn out well for me! When I was through with them, they looked like a skillet full of scrambled eggs. ha! But we sprinkled the remains on top of our salads anyway! 

Our Top 3 Recipes

So I've been looking back over my blog posts. And I've realized that I'm quite..... Well, enthusiastic about almost every recipe I make. And this can be confusing for you, my trusty reader. You may be wondering, "is every recipe really as tasty or simple or delicious as she says?!?" I get it. You're lost in my happy adjectives. And you just want to know. SO, Billie and I sat down and pondered over our favorite recipes that I have made recently. And we decided on a top 3 list. And now I'm going to share them with you, so that you can invest your time and money in these recipes without hesitation. And then write and tell me how delicious (truly) they were.

#1: Apple Bacon Crockpot Chicken

#2: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

#3: Spaghetti Squash WITH Meatsauce 

Curried Meatballs

I have made this recipe several times, and I love it! (Please forgive the not-so-great pictures... we were hungry.) :)

And I so recommend the snap peas as a side- they add just the right amount of sweetness to the curry meatballs. I cut both ends off the snap peas and sauteed them in coconut oil with a small amount of Coconut Aminos.

This recipe is copied from "Everyday Paleo"

Curried Meatballs

Meatballs

3 lbs ground beef

1 cup finely diced red onion

1 cup apple finely diced

1 egg

2 tablespoons curry powder

½ tablespoon sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, place all of the meatball ingredients and mix well.   using your hands.  Form into meatballs just a little bit bigger than a golf ball and place into a large glass baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Makes 24 meatballs.  While the meatballs are cooking prepare the sauce!

Curry Sauce

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 tablespoon raw organic honey (optional)

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup chicken broth

In a large skillet saute the garlic in the coconut oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the honey, curry powder, and tomato paste and whisk together.  Add the chicken broth and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth.  Bring to a simmer.  After the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the sauce in the skillet and coat well.  Cover and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.  Serves 6-7.