Sunday, January 6, 2013

Bell Pepper Brilliance


Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorite comfort foods. So tasty and hearty especially on a cold winter's night.

 I used to make this during the week as a quick dinner before I went paleo.  I totally cheated and used meat loaf mix from PW market and grabbed some pre-done rice at the deli counter (or TJ's frozen) and mixed the 2, threw a jar of Rao's Arriabattia sauce in the bottom of the pan and voila, quick prep into the oven, so delish! The leftovers are bomb. My coworkers were always jealous when I nuked it and the smell wafted through the office. Now I use the good stuff, no more cheating! I know exactly what's in my food!

Speaking of microwaves, I want to let you know I DO NOT own a microwave. I do not believe in microwaves based on my nutritionist informing me (and reading) about how it changes the molecular structure of our food. Once I moved I never bought a new one and I am doing just fine without it. I have a toaster oven or I reheat things in a pan.

One of the problems with Paleo is finding some sort of bread crumb or rice substitute. I remember Wolfgang Puck's famous bacon wrapped meatloaf recipe. He used finely chopped mushrooms as a binder and I decided to steal that idea. I make this once a week usually because the leftovers are my favorite breakfast ever (see below).

It's really easy because most of the recipe is just throwing stuff in the food processor. I totally perfected it doing it week after week . TRUST me even if you are not paleo you will love it!
Grab 2 bowls and let's get started, this is amazingly good!

1 bowl for the meat mixture, 1 bowl for the sauce. You are going to 'doctor' up a plain can of tomato sauce, so some of the chopped ingredients go in the sauce. I have those items in BOLD italic font. You are going to spoon a tablespoon or 2 according to your taste into the sauce the rest will go into the meat mixture. The sauce will cook in the oven for awhile so no pre-cooking is necessary.

Finely chop individually a food processor:
1 large Jalapeno
2 cooked bacon slices
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms
6 baby carrots
2 small celery stalks (1 1/2 large)
1/2 small-med onion
Herbs together: 1 sprig of Rosemary, Large handful of Parsley, bunch of Thyme 5-6 large sprigs
1 small cooked sweet potato (leftover baked or cut n boil raw in salted water approx 10 minutes)
1 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 egg
1 Package (1lb) of Grass Fed Beef
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
generous sprinkle of Mrs Dash spicy (optional)

Mix well and stuff into peppers

For the Sauce:
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
8 crimini mushrooms sliced
3/4 head of garlic peeled cloves and thick sliced
1/2- 3/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes-to taste

Add some of the chopped:
herbs
onion
celery
carrot
mushroom

Cover with foil and cook peppers at 375 for 45 minutes. Let rest covered for 15 minutes.
Spoon sauce over peppers when serving. Enjoy the guilt free comfort!



 Now, for my awesome favorite Paleo breakfast ever! I cut a leftover pepper in half and reheat it covered in a non stick pan with the sauce a few minutes. Then I add 2 eggs, which basically poach in the sauce. HEAVEN!


Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes

These are my favorite at breakfast. They are also great as a carb before working out. Sliced, skin on baked sweet potatoes fried to a crisp. I fry them in coconut oil after I sprinkle with Rosemary and Sea salt. So good! My friend Cat made some for me and she likes to slice them thin raw and fry them in bacon fat, that was excellent too!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Souper Sick

New Years Eve I received the wonderful gift of a raging flu! Yay me! Apparently a bunch of my friends all over San Diego did too. It was the same thing, it came right after midnight and was immediate. Cough, runny nose, achey body.. blah. I needed soup stat! My go to soup that always makes me feel better is Spicy Tom Yum soup. My friend and I found Amarin Thai in Hillcrest open on New Years day and it did help.
But, I needed more! I decided to make up my own at home tonight. Excellent for leftovers or to bring to my other sicky friends. I wanted something spicy yet chicken soupish. Spicy always makes me feel better when I am sick. I decided to use a lot of antioxidant veggies to help with a speedy recovery. I used 2 kosher bone in chicken breast. I am a white meat girl, but you can use whatever chicken parts you want just be sure they are bone in it adds depth to any soup. I always eyeball ingredients based on how much broth so you can add or subtract the veggies as needed. Chop the veggies so it can fit on a spoon.

This came out excellent and I feel better already!

Get Well Sicky Chicky Soup

2 slices of chopped up bacon (or fat of your choice e.g. olive oil, bacon, chicken fat,)
2 Bone in skin on Chicken Breasts
Season the chicken with garlic powder, cumin powder, paprika, chili powder, salt & pepper (rub it in good)
1  yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 heads of garlic, peel whole cloves
1 Bell Pepper chopped (I used green)
1 large or 2 small chopped jalapeno's, i left it seeded for kick
2 -4 oz cans green chili's (I used fire roasted)
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cartons of organic free range chicken broth (low sodium)
1 teaspoon dried oregeno
1- can organic fire roasted tomato's with green chili
1 tablespoon Adobo plus one chopped chipolte pepper (comes in can of chipolte packed in adobo)
1 1/2 cups carrots large chopped ( I found these great red carrots at the farmers market)
1/3 cup Trader Joes frozen leeks (optional)
1 package crimini mushroom, cleaned and halved or quartered
2 small Zuccini's
1 package of chopped fresh cilantro
1 large hand full of fresh parsley
Sliced avocado for garnish

In a large non stick or Le Creuset pot brown the chopped bacon add fat as needed
Place the seasoned chicken breast skin side down and brown on high, rotating  as necessary, you are trying to maximize flavor here so it's an important step. Add the onion, around sides of chicken, brown with chicken a minute or 2. Add garlic, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeno.  Brown 2-3 minutes more. Add green chili's, cumin seeds and chili pepper flakes and brown 1 more minute. Add 2 cartons of broth, oregano, and tomatoes, cover and bring to a boil. Cut the carrots while waiting for the boil. Add carrots once it comes to rolling boil. Salt the soup to taste. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.

While the soup is boiling chop/prep the herbs, zucchini, and mushrooms. Add the chipolte/adobo, mushrooms, zucchini, leeks, and fresh herbs and boil 10 minutes more. Remove chicken to cutting board  and with 2 forks shred the chicken and chop to fit spoon. Return boneless chopped chicken to pot. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve garnished with avocado to cut the heat and FEEL THE BURN!!



Oh yeah that flu is getting it's ass kicked! 





Butternutz for squash

Christmas Eve I was fortunate enough to be invited over for dinner at my friend Malia's house. She was throwing an impromptu get together for all the holiday misfit toys aka ME and other familyless individuals. It was quite the spread lemme tell you, it was actually Paleo heaven with Turkey, Ham, Prime Rib, and a barrage of sides (including my endive cups). I thought it was really sweet she looked up a butternut squash recipe and made it especially for me. It was by far my favorite side of the night I had to get the recipe! Well tonight I made it with my own a take on it of course. I figure I can always one up a recipe and usually do. I switched it up and came up with this! SOOOOO good!! I mean it you should try it. Thanks Malia for a wonderful Christmas Eve and great new recipe!! xoxoxox



Butternut Squash with toasted nuts
1 Butternut Squash, pealed and cubed
3 tablespoons of melted ghee
3 tablespoons Organic maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1-2 teaspoons of dried ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
Pecans, or Pine nuts (or your favorite nut)
(or both if you can't decide like me. In the end I liked the pecans best)
Sea Salt

Melt the ghee in small saucepan throw in all the other ingredients.
line a pan with foil and add butternut squash
drizzle sauce over squash and toss to coat. 
Add sea salt to taste.

Roast at 350 for 25-30 minutes (or longer depending on cube size of squash).
sprinkle with nuts and roast 15 minutes more.

Enjoy this delish dish!




Potlucked out they did

So over the Holiday's I had a few Potlucks and sides to bring. I wanted to be sure I had something delicious I could chow down on if there was nothing else Paleo there. I also wanted to show my friends how tasty and easy Paleo can be. I made this beautiful and tasty appetizer! It was a hit each time! People raved about them and devoured all my platters! You should assemble these close to party time they can be covered with plastic wrap and put in fridge for a few hours.



Smoked Salmon and Endive Lettuce Cups


Endive, cleaned and dried

Smoked Wild Salmon
Slivered Red Onion
Slivered Avocado with lemon juice rubbed on them to prevent browning
Drizzle with good quality EVOO
pepper
Truffle Salt


 Viola!! Ready to eat!




I get most of my ingredients from Trader Joes, they are awesome for cheap organics, wild caught fish, grass fed beef and fresh produce!


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year's Lucky Meal!

So every New Year since I can remember I eat the traditional lucky New Year meal on new years day. I am not from the south but I was taught to cook a lot of southern meals from colored folk, yes like the movie The Jerk, I am that guy except a girl. So I was told years ago that I would combust and my life would be a shambles the whole year if I didn't eat collard greens, which represented the dollars i would earn that year, black eyed peas for the pennies, corn bread for IDK what, and sausage, for well *wiggles eyebrows* you know..
So I googled why the cornbread and I came up with new superstitions I had never heard of, like eating 12 grapes one for each month. Who keeps adding foods to this? Overweight people who are still hungry?  Pfft I have never heard of it!  I have googled the cornbread before, it took time to find it, and I am too lazy
All I know is I need some moola and some sausage luck for sure.  I'm tryin to be good on my diet so
Voila my meal below. I got organic, no nitrates, blah blah blah...spicy Pork and Beef Andouille and sliced it up and seared em in some coconut oil. I make THE best collard greens so i really gorged myself with those sucka's. I couldn't find black eyed peas anywhere so I guess I'm really screwed? Guess I will take my chances, besides legumes are not on this diet. I had 12 grapes so I went for that instead 



Collard Greens
2 bunches of Collard Greens, stems removed cut in half
2 pieces of bacon chopped up
1 head of garlic, cleaned and cloves sliced in half
1/2 of any onion large chopped
ham hock or smoked turkey wings 
1/4-1/2 tsp red chili pepper flaked
1 tsp honey or agave
1/2 teaspoon applecider or wine vinegar
Chicken broth
sea salt to taste

Saute the bacon in large pot till brown add ham hock or turkey wings, onion and garlic and brown 1-2 minutes add red pepper flakes honey broth, vinegar, and greens. Salt to taste and stir to coat. Broth should be about 1/4-1/2 inch covering bottom of pot. Simmer for 45 minutes on medium stirring occasionally.
I also made this Gluten Free cornbread mix using coconut oil and coconut milk instead of what the package called for and added chopped jalapeno's. It was pretty meh. I think I will pass on that stuff. I mean it wasn't bad, but i wasn't trying to stop myself from gobbling it up. 
 Hope this work this year! 
Happy New Years and Cheers!