Paleo Italian Stuffed Peppers

I have watched my grandmother make the traditional version of these stuffed peppers my entire life. It is one of my favorite things she makes, and I wanted to try to make a Paleo version that would taste just as delicious. I'm not going to tell her, but my version cuts the cooking time in HALF! Since this doesn't have any rice, you just chopped off 30 minutes of prep/cook time. Instead, this uses cauliflower chopped in the food processor as a rice substitute. So good!

Ingredients
6 large bell peppers, tops, seeds and ribs removed

2 Tbsp Ghee

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs. ground red meat (I used bison, you could do beef or turkey too)

1 cup cauliflower, processed into rice sized pieces

1 14oz canned diced tomatoes, drained

1 Tbsp sea salt

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 C tomato sauce

Instructions

• Melt ghee over medium high heat in a large skillet
• Saute onions and garlic for three minutes, stirring frequently
• Add ground meat and stir to brown, about 5 minutes
• Add raw ground cauliflower and diced tomato, stir for about 10 minutes to cook off liquid

• Add salt, pepper and seasonings, stir to incorporate
•  Stuff each pepper to the top of each pepper, spread tomato sauce on top of that
•  Bake the peppers for one hour at 350 degrees until pepper is cooked through and tender



• Serve with extra tomato sauce and on a bed of spinach, duh

Hope everyone is ready for some snatches! Minnie has been practicing. Nighty night snatchiepies!

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs and Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime

My body is tired but my tummy is happy. After being introduced to Wall Walks at RNCF this evening, I don't have much energy to crack jokes, but I wanted to share these two amazing recipes. The first one is adapted from a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Nom Nom Paleo. That site is paleo food porn at it's finest, her photos put my iPhone shots to shame.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

The flavor of these are unlike anything I have ever made. These ribs cook off a lot of fat, so the best thing to do is prepare these at night, let the crock pot do it's magic while you sleep, and stick them in the refrigerator in the morning. When you are ready to eat that night, the fat will be solid and easy to scoop out and toss before reheating.

Here’s what to hunt and gather:

• 6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs (butcher didn't have this cut but it still worked out)
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup organic chicken broth

Here’s what to do:

Preheat your broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heating element. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper and lay the ribs, bone-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil the ribs for 5 minutes on each side.

Stack the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker.

Toss the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, scallions, ginger, and vinegar in a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the sauce evenly over the ribs.

Add the chicken broth to the pot



Cover and cook ok Low for 9-11 hours. Your house will smell amazing and meaty.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime (double batch, makes lots!)

2 lbs brussels sprouts

4 slices bacon

2 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 2 limes

2 avocados, sliced

a pinch of crushed red pepper

avocad oil (or olive oil)

salt and pepper

 

 

While you are slicing your brussels (ends off and cut in half), cook the bacon until crispy in a large skillet.

Remove from pan and set pan aside, you will use it in a minute.

Toss the brussels in a little avocado oil and bake at 375 F for 25 minutes

After the brussels bake, add them back into the pan where you cooked the bacon and add the garlic and crushed red pepper

 

 

Cook for just a few minutes on medium heat, until brussels start to get tender.

Mix in lime juice and crumble bacon into the sprouts. Salt and pepper to taste.

Scoot your sprouts over to the side of the pan, and add avocado slices--just to quickly warm each side. You don't really want to stir them around into the sprouts or they will mash right in. 

When they are heated through, mix everything together and enjoy!

 

Goodnight!

Paleo Scotch Eggs

A Scotch Egg is my new favorite thing in the world. This could be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Who doesn't love sausage and eggs? How about in an eat-with-your-hands-friendly package? These delicious balls of pork are STUFFED with an egg. It looks like pure magic. Stay with me here, because you need to get involved. I think you will enjoy these as much as I did.

Here is what you need:
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 lbs ground pork
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 tbs dried chives
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (flat leaf Italian), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Make your hard boiled eggs ahead of time or this will turn into a 2 hour meal while you wait for the eggs to cool  instead of a quickie weeknight dish.

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, tarragon, parsley, chives, and garlic. Mix together with hands until well combined.

Divide the pork mixture into 8 equal servings

 Flatten the ball in your palm into a pancake shape. Wrap the meat around a hard boiled egg. Roll it between your palms until the egg is completely covered with the pork. If the meat is sticking to your hands add a couple drops of water. Place the wrapped eggs on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, then crank the temp up to 400 F and bake an additional 10 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and crisp. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

People. When I made this tonight, the boyfriend's eyes popped out of his head like I just told him to do 7 minutes of burpees....but in a good way. :) He was seriously impressed (and perplexed?) that I got an egg inside of a meatball. Can't wait to eat these leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

served with a side of garlic sauteed kale

Apologies

Hello dear Paleo people! I am so sorry for the radio silence on the blog recently. I had the flu AND a cold all last week, and I didn't think you would appreciate chicken broth posts for days on end. Now that I am back on solids, I have some good news!  All all that downtime allowed me to find some killer recipes to share with you this week, so get excited! Can't wait to get back into the kitchen. Also...

Who else is excited?!?!

Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Sauce

When I started eating Paleo, I got a little depressed because I had to give up my beloved pasta. Being Italian, it has been a staple in my diet my entire life. I remember my grandmother telling me that "pasta makes you strong" when you are feeling sick or run down, and I truly believe this. When I told her I don't eat pasta very much anymore, she looked at me like I stabbed her in the heart. She asked my boyfriend if I was still cooking for him and that if he needed any pasta just to tell her. I wish I was joking...

This Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Sauce is about as close as I can get. Don't expect an exact match to pasta; the texture is different,  it tastes nuttier and more rich, but is a great comfort food on cold nights and is packed with vitamins.

Bolognese Sauce

•  one teaspoon of coconut oil
• medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 lb of ground beef (can also sub ground bison, turkey, chicken, or pork)
• Small jar of your favorite tomato sauce (way quicker than making your own on a weeknight plus I can't tell you mine :) )
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste

• Heat a pot on medium high for 3 minutes and add coconut oil
• Add the onions and cook until translucent
• Crumble the meat into the pot with your hands and brown
• Once the meat is cooked, stir in the fresh garlic
• Drain the fat (I line a pasta strainer with paper towels)
• Add the sauce and diced tomatoes, simmer for about 30 minutes (while your squash is cooking) and the sauce will reduce and thicken

Spaghetti Squash

• Preheat oven to 400
• Cut the squash in half (lengthwise) and remove the seeds
• Place cut down on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the pan and squash with a little water
• Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the size
• When finished, remove from oven and carefully flip the squash over to cool
• Once it is cool enough to touch, run a fork through the squash and it will come out "noodle-like"



Serve the sauce over the squash. If you are feeling really crazy, serve it all on a bed of spinach. Veggie power!

Good luck to everyone competing in the Garage Games this weekend!

Nighty night lovers.

Superbowl Nosh

People tell me that the Super Bowl is the most important sporting event of the year.  All I really cared about was Madonna and honestly, everything else was just a distraction. Even so, Super Bowl Sunday is always a great excuse to get together with friends and dive into some yummy food. I didn't let this normally unhealthy eating holiday distract me from my Paleo lifestyle. Check out what I made.

Cocoa Chili
Yeah, I said it. Chocolate. The cocoa flavor in this chili adds an interesting depth that makes it spicy, warm, and savory. This is a double batch, cut in half if you don't want a bunch of chili. But why not make extra and freeze the leftovers for a lazy night when you don't want to cook?

• 4 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 medium onions, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 8 cloves minced garlic
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 Tsb dried oregano leaves
• 4 Tbl chili powder
• 4 Tbl ground cumin
• 3 Tbl unsweetened cocoa/cacao powder
• 2 Tsp ground allspice
• 2 Tsp salt
• 12 oz (2 small cans) tomato paste
• 2 cans (14oz each) fire roasted, chopped tomatoes (no salt added)
• 2 cans (14oz each) beef broth
• 2 cups water

• Heat a big mamma pot over medium-high heath then add the coconut oil. When oil is melted, addthe onions and stir/cook until they are translucent.
• Add the garlic and as soon as it starts to smell (delicious), crumble the ground meat in with your hands. Mix with spoon to combine. Continue to cook the meat, stirring often, until it no longer pink.
• In a small separate bowl, combine all the spices and salt. Add the spices to the pot a little at a time, stirring like you mean it.
• Add the tomato paste and stir until combined (about 2 minutes)
• Add the tomatoes with their juice, the beef broth, and the water to the pot. Stir well.
• Gain control of yourself because your house will smell delicious. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least two hours, the longer the better.
• Don't skimp on the simmer, the chocolate likes it.

Want Fixins? Here are the Paleo Friendly choices I provided.

• Crumbled Bacon
• Sliced Avocado (you won't miss the sour cream)
• Sliced green onions



Recipe adapted from Well Fed





Cabbage Salad with Almonds & Blood Orange
This is crisp, refreshing, and utilizes some of the healthiest in-season produce. Even better the next day after the dressing has time to marinate.

• 4 cups savoy (green) cabbage, sliced thin
• 4 cups purple cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 blood oranges, peel and pith removed and cut into wedges (directions)
• 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted (spread thin on cookie sheet, bake for 5 minutes on 350. don't burn!)

Ginger Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 TBS toasted sesame oil
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1 TBS honey
• 1 TBS dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• zest from 1 blood orange
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl until combined. Set aside.

Combine cabbage, orange slices and toasted almonds in a bowl. Pour dressing on top and toss to coat.



Recipe adapted from Roost

And finally...dessert!!!
Coconut Bars
I was a little hesitant to see how these would turn out, since, the batter is very runny. I ended up eating three. Oops. I made myself feel better by reading the positive effects of coconut oil on Alzheimer's patients. So really, these were for my brain.

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup almond almond flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Mix eggs, coconut milk, oil, honey, vanilla and stevia in a food processor (if your don't have a food processor use a hand mixer, if you dont have a hand mixer use a wisk, if you dont have a wisk go to Target)
2. Pulse in almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt
3. Transfer ingredients into an 8x8 inch Pyrex baking dish
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
5. Cool for ½ hour, then place in refrigerator and serve when chilled

NOM!

Original Recipe

I wanted to leave everyone with a lesson I learned today:  be careful when replying to work email that you don't click "Reply All", otherwise you will look like a complete idiot to your entire department. Sloppy move, G.  Guess I need some more coconut bars.