Veggie Pork Soup

Nothing warms me up in winter like a delicious soup. And with busy evenings full of cross country skiing, girl scouts, and swimming nothing beats walking in the door and having a hot meal ready to eat. My idea for this soup came from a recipe I saw for sage pork chops. The seasonings go well with the ground pork and vegetables and taste even better the next day. Make extra for packed lunches; my girls ate it all week!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped
• 1 cup roasted winter squash or sweet potato, cubed
• 4-6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Fry ground pork until cooked through.
3. Add the meat and all remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Serve hot.

French Country Curry

I think I first tasted curry in college, when my friend's French mother made us a deliciously rich and sweet and spicy gravy served over chicken and mashed potatoes. I loved the flavor from the moment it hit my tongue and soon after searched all my cookbooks (a very limited collection at the time) looking for something similar I could replicate. Finding nothing among my mostly Betty Crocker and Good Housekeeping recipes, I devised my own curry gravy of curry powder, chicken broth, cream, and honey. It was warming and comforting and tasted divine; my foray into a twenty year (and counting) love of curries. This recipe is a recent experiment inspired by that first curry fed to me by Mrs. O. and has quickly become our "new favorite" curry.

 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 pound paleo-friendly smoked sausage, sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 Japanese eggplant, cut in half length-wise and thickly sliced
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, cut in half length-wise and thickly sliced
• 1 cup green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2-4 T Thai yellow curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
• 1 cup sugar-free applesauce 
• 1-2 tsp fish sauce
• 2-4 tsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Fry the onion until it turns golden brown and begins to carmelize.
3. Add the chicken and sausage and fry until the chicken is done. Frying the meats together will impart a nice savory flavor on the chicken. Remove the meat and set aside, leaving any liquid in the pan.
4. Add curry paste to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes. The paste will become fragrant and may begin popping and sizzling.
5. Add about 1/3 can of coconut milk and mix well with the curry paste. Fry for 5-10 minutes or until an oil sheen appears and the coconut milk begins to separate.
6. Add the vegetables and fry 5 minutes, ensuring the veggies are covered with the curry paste and coconut milk mixture.
7. Stir the meat back into pan.
8. Add the remaining 2/3 can of coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
9. Add applesauce, fish sauce, and lime juice and mix well. Reduce the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until the veggies reach a desired consistency.
10. Serve immediately.

Italian Wedding Soup

I have two tweens. And we have been striving for a paleo lifestyle after many years of eating grain-ful, but otherwise generally healthy meals. I think one of the keys to keeping the girls "on board" with paleo is our ability to re-create past family favorites within this new paradigm. Today's challenge was to paleo-ize a commonly requested cold-weather Saturday lunch: canned Italian Wedding Soup. The girls have asked me to attempt this before but they couldn't decide on a replacement for the orzo or couscous usually found in this soup. I suggested we try veggies cut into tiny pieces and cooked al-dente and by some miracle, they agreed! I let the girls pick which veggies to try and they decided on carrots and zucchini. I julienned them with a mandolin slicer then further cut them into tiny orzo-sized pieces. We added the veggies at the last moment so they would maintain some of their texture and resemble a grain. This soup was an instant hit!

 

Serves 4-6

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 T dried Italian seasoning
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 8 ounces ground pork
• salt and pepper 

Soup Ingredients:

• 10 cups homemade chicken stock or paleo-friendly chicken broth
• 1 egg
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, julienned and cut into tiny pieces*
• 1/2 cup zucchini, julienned and cut into tiny pieces*

*I use a mandolin slicer to julienne the veggies into thin matchsticks.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
2. Use a spoon to scoop the meat mixture and roll into small 1-inch balls. Set the meatballs aside.
3. Pour stock/broth into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the meatballs, one at a time, and simmer for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
5. Beat the egg in a small bowl and pour very slowly into the soup.
6. Reduce heat and add the spinach. Simmer for a few minutes.
7. Add the carrot and zucchini and serve immediately.

Alaskan Sourdough Pork

In local slang, a Cheechako is someone new to Alaska while a Sourdough is an Alaskan old-timer. This tangy and spicy barbecued pork is delicious enough to satisfy even the most crusty of old sourdoughs. Pre-paleo, my family loved the yummy barbecued meats grilled up at Sourdough Mining Company, a replica of an old mill house filled with gold mining memorabilia. Since it's impossible for me to eat there without indulging in their corn fritters and honey butter, we have steered clear from there for quite a while. This dinner was my successful attempt at serving the girls a Sourdough worthy meal!

Serves 4-6

Pulled Pork Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 slices bacon
• 2 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper 

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 cup liquid, reserved from the cooked pork
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 T fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/4 - 1 T sambal olek (or another paleo-friendly hot sauce)
• 1 T spicy brown mustard
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T frozen pineapple juice concentrate (100% juice)

Directions:

1. Place chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Add the roast. Cut slits on the roast and embed a garlic clove in each one.
3. Pour chicken broth over the roast.
4. Cover with slices of bacon and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook meat on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat is cooked through and tender.
6. Strain pork, reserving liquid and set aside.
7. In a sauce pan, add all ingredients for the BBQ sauce.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes, until sauce thickens.
9. Stir pulled pork into the sauce and serve immediately.

For a complete sourdough dinner, serve with paleo coleslaw and sweet potato fries.

Paleo Coleslaw: Chop cabbage and carrots or use a pre-packaged coleslaw mix. Whisk together a dressing made with olive oil, rice vinegar, and spicy brown mustard.

Sweet Potato Fries: Peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into fry size pieces. Soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and spicy spice mixture (I like using berbere, an Ethiopian spice mix). Spread onto a cookie sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Pork and Cabbage Fryup

The kiddos and I started a strict Whole30 challenge for the month of April to round out our first entire year of eating primal/paleo! The last couple months have been difficult due to extremely busy school and work schedules (perhaps apparent by my lack of posting here). However, I'm proud to say that even though we've treated ourselves with lots of dinners out and quick-fix meals at home, we've remained at least 90-95% paleo. We're now seven days into the challenge and feeling great. Even better, I've heard very little whining about/begging for "illegal" food items (although I did hear from a third party about someone eating a popcorn treat at school...). My oldest, Sunshine, is a real trooper. She is being exactly adherent to the rules of the game and has taken a pretty interactive role in helping me to plan meals. She also updates me daily on our progress: "21 meals down and 69 more to go".

I previously posted our recipe for Naked Momos. This is one of my family's absolute favorite meals and a quick-fix for me when prepared "lazy mom" style. Earlier this week, I really wanted momos. We didn't have all the ingredients AND I wasn't sure if coconut aminos are ok for Whole30 anyway, so I switched up the spice mixture a bit and ended up with this goregous 20-minute stir-fry. (So delicious... even the spouse suffering from simultaneous kidney+gall stones ate some...)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3-inch piece ginger, grated
• 1-2 T Asian spice blend of choice (I used Penzy's Bangkok Blend)
• 1 bag cabbage and carrot "coleslaw mix"

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Fry pork for 1-2 minutes, then stir in ginger and spice mix.
3. Continue cooking until pork is cooked through.
4. Stir in cabbage and cook until it reaches a desired tenderness.
5. Serve. 

No Guilt Here

Thanksgiving is traditionally a day of overindulgence and guilt. Not here. Not this year. And for that I'm thankful. Since this is our first paleo Thanksgiving, I was super excited to try and "primal-ize" some favorite traditional dishes. I began researching recipes several weeks ago and found some fabulous suggestions for green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, and even almond meal stuffing. My mouth was watering from all the finds and I think that evening dinner was not eaten until the kids' bedtime due to my reckless recipe surfing. However, somewhere between that night and the night I made my Thanksgiving shopping list, my motivation to try several new recipes all at once waned. Hard. I realized that over the past few years, we had already dropped some of those less healthy dishes from our holiday dinner table. Why re-introduce green bean casserole, even paleo-ized, if we didn't seem to miss it last year? Plus, my spouse offered to cook. Do not look a gift turkey in the mouth.

We ended up with a lovely spread. A beautiful bird, roasted to near perfection. Minty peas (peas, mint, vinegar, a touch of agave). Mashed "sweetnip" (sweet potato, turnip, a little butter, salt, pepper). And my gorgeous sausage stuffing. I was just winging it and can say I WILL be making this again. I thought it was divine and I swear I didn't miss the dense bready stuffing I normally love.

Sausage Stuffing Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 to 1 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp Berbere spice
• 2 apples with skins, cored
• salt and pepper, to season

Directions:

1. Roast the apples. We actually cooked them inside the turkey and so they nearly disintegrated in lovely turkey drippings. You might achieve the same consistency and flavor in a slow cooker or roasted in the oven with some bacon grease. In a pinch, you might be able to substitute unsweetened applesauce.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the onion, carrot, and celery until they begin to soften. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Fry the pork. When partially cooked, stir in the spices. Continue until pork is cooked through.
4. Return the cooked vegetables and cooked apples to the pan. Stir into the pork and continue cooking until vegetables reach desired doneness.
5. Serve immediately.

Note: This dish did not taste nearly appealing once it cooled down. Definitely reheat any leftovers!

Naked Momos

I'm amazed that the smell and taste of a simple dumpling can so quickly transport me to my favorite part of the world. Lounging and people watching from a rooftop cafe in Thamel, having a late lunch after the long walk up to Swayambhunath, the monkey temple. Crowded into a tiny restaurant in Shigatse, unable to avoid the generous servings of yak butter tea. Warming up with a tall glass on chhaang on a cool evening along the Annapurna circuit.

Momos are little meat and veg dumplings found in abundance at restaurants in Nepal and Tibet. They are made with a variety of minced meat spiced up onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro. They can be steamed or fried and usually contain a little cabbage and yak cheese. And they are always served with the most tasty of dipping sauces ranging from tomato based to soy based to super spicy chile based!

The first time I made momos, nearly fifteen years ago, I had just returned home from my first adventure to the Himalayas and I was excited to show off my new cuisine ideas to friends. Total disaster! Don't get me wrong. I made a great filling, but the homemade dumpling skins sucked (I never did cook well with flour... perhaps it was a sign). Over the years and especially after subsequent trips there, my cravings returned and I tried again and again. But always stumbling over those #$%& wrappers... until now!

Serves 4

Momo Ingredients:

• 1-2 green chilies, finely diced
• 2-3-inch piece ginger, grated
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 green onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 T coconut aminos
• 2 T oil (I prefer sesame or coconut)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2-2 pounds ground pork or turkey

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tsp green chilies, finely diced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 T cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 T lemon juice

Directions:

1. Mix all dipping sauce ingredients in a glass bowl and let sit while you prepare the momos.
2. Mix all momo ingredients.
3. Form meat mixture into small discs or larger patties.
4. Heat some cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
5. Fry momos in batches, cooking 3-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
6. Serve over shredded cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers with dipping sauce.

Note: Frying an entire batch of small disc shaped momos seems to take forever. This is my favorite way to prepare momos, but since I'm usually short of time, I often opt for larger "momo patties" (fewer = quicker). A couple nights ago, I was in a particularly lazy mood when my momo craving occurred. The resulting "lazy mom momo" was received by my family just as well as any other form of momo and took about half the time! Instead of forming any shapes at all, I dumped the entire mixture into the pan and fried it up like I would taco meat. I normally prefer ground pork, but this was just as delicious with turkey!

Pork Roast

I'm not going to pretend that this recipe is so different from my Oxtail Stew. But a busy work schedule combined with lots of fresh snow in the mountains has my slow-cooker working overtime! When I arrive home from work tired and chilled, the smell of slow-cooked roast meets me at the door and instantly perks me up. Roasts are warming and filling and make fantastic leftovers for packed school lunches!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 1/2 pounds pork (I used a shoulder roast)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 turnip, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• salt, pepper, and cayenne (for a little kick)

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the pork on all sides. Place it in the slow cooker.
3. Season the pork with salt and pepper, and cayenne, if using.
4. Fry the garlic until fragrant.
5. Add vegetables to the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes until they begin to brown.
6. Add just enough chicken broth so you can easily scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour chicken broth into the slow cooker.
8. Add vegetable mixture to the slow cooker. Do not stir.
9. Top the slow cooked contents with chopped bacon.
10. Secure the lid and cook for 7-8 hours on Low.

Ginger Pork

This has always been one of my favorite dishes to order at the local Thai restaurant, two blocks from our house. I had a real craving for it during a period when we were trying to save money and without a second thought, I decided I could make it just as good (if not better) in my own kitchen. And I was right! The simple ingredients create such a tangy, yummy flavor. This is one meal where leftovers are scarce!

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 2 T sesame oil
• 4-5" piece of ginger, grated (watch your knuckles)
• 5-6 T coconut aminos
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (homemade is best!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 1/4 pounds pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 T coconut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped into large pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into large pieces

Directions:

1. In a glass bowl, combine the sesame oil, grated ginger, coconut aminos, chicken broth, salt, and jalapeno.
2. Add the pork and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
3. In a pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
4. Fry the onion until it turns golden brown and begins to caramelize.
5. Add the red pepper and fry until it softens just a little.
6. Remove the onion and peppers from the pan and set aside.
7. Turn the heat to medium-high.
8. Scoop the pork into the hot pan, transferring as little liquid as possible.
9. Fry the pork until no longer pink.
10. Add the reserved liquid and simmer until it thickens.
11. Add the onion and peppers back into the pork mixture and simmer until the vegetables are heated.
12. Serve hot over roasted cauliflower or cauliflower rice.

Roasted Cauliflower: Break apart or chop one head of raw cauliflower into large bite-sized pieces. Spread thinly on a cookie sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, flip and cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until browned. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Rice: There are many ways to prepare Cauliflower Rice and this is my favorite. Finely chop or grate one head of raw cauliflower. Spread thinly on a cookie sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until browned. Stir halfway through to brown the cauliflower more evenly. Serve immediately or it tends to get a bit soft.

Note: In my original recipe, I used soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos. If you use soy sauce, reduce the amount to 3-4 T or it will taste too salty. Also, I love cauliflower rice, but I am not a fan of the mess it makes in my kitchen. Lately I have been opting for the lazy person's cauliflower rice aka roasted cauliflower. It tastes the same and is a cinch to clean up!

The Accidental Sloppy Joe

Known by many names including barbecues, yum yums, and juicy burgers (or perhaps savoury mince roll if you're a friend of Kelle's from Australia)... what is not to love about a good homemade sloppy joe? Except that I didn't start out making sloppy joe tonight. Cool temperatures have put a chill in the air and I was going to celebrate fall's arrival in Alaska with a big pot of chili. Fortunately, somewhere between pulling out all the ingredients and serving up bowls of steaming hot chili, the mixture in the pan tasted so good, I just stopped and served it as-is. Voila! The best sloppy joe I've ever cobbled together!

Serves 4, with plenty of leftovers

Ingredients:

• 2 T coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 T fresh herbs, chopped
• 1 T basil
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 1 T cumin
• 1 T chile powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 can tomatoes with chiles, blended in a food processor

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Fry onion, bell pepper, and garlic, until onion begins to caramelize.
3. Mix in herbs, basil, Italian seasoning, cumin, chile powder, and bay leaves.
4. Add pork, beef, and turkey. Fry until meat is cooked through.
5. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
6. Simmer for 20 minutes then serve.

Note: The chili that never happened was going to have beef broth and additional seasoning added.

Bacon-Veg Brekkie

I am always on the lookout for quick and easy breakfast dishes. I've never been a big fan of sweet breakfasts. I've never found eggs very filling. And so I had a habit of starting my day with hot grains. Since dropping grains from my diet, breakfast is my "challenge meal". I have plenty of inspiration for lunch and dinner meals, but I find my creativity pretty lacking at 5:00 AM. A typical weekday breakfast is fruit and nut butter, smoothie, or leftovers; something I can grab on my way out the door. On the weekends, I like to relax and share a hot breakfast with the family. This dish began as simply fried tomatoes and asparagus and has now evolved into this breakfast hit that everyone in my family loves.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bacon, chopped (we prefer peppered bacon)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to season

Directions:

1. Fry up bacon until nearly cooked.
2. Add veggies and continue frying until desired tenderness is reached.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Pork Vindaloo and Cauliflower Rice

Vindaloo is typically known as a fiery hot Indian curry. It was first introduced to the Goan region by the Portuguese as a meat stew flavored with wine and garlic. The Indians created their own version by switching out the wine for vinegar and adding plenty of spice from red chillies. A spicy Pork Vindaloo is one of the hottest dishes served in most Indian restaurants but if you really want to set yourself on fire, keep your eyes open for the even spicier Tindaloo. This is a mild and creamy Vindaloo, but feel free to adjust the heat with by throwing in some extra chillies!

Pork Vindaloo Ingredients:

• 3 T coconut oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 3 T grainy mustard
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric (or curry powder)
• 1/2 to 2 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 pounds pork, cubed
• 1 can coconut milk

Pork Vindaloo Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add whole garlic cloves and fry until lightly browned.  (If not using a pressure cooker, I crush the garlic).
2. Add onions and fry until lightly browned, stirring as needed.
3. Make a paste by mixing the mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and vinegar.  Stir in to the onions and garlic and mix well.
4. Stir in the meat and coconut milk.
5. Cover and bring to high pressure in the cooker.  Reduce heat and cook with pressure for 20 minutes.  If using a normal stovepot pan, simmer until the meat is cooked through, approximately 60 minutes.
6. Serve immediately over Cauliflower Rice or raw chopped veggies.

Cauliflower Rice: There are many ways to prepare Cauliflower Rice and this is my favorite. Finely chop or grate one head of raw cauliflower. Spread thinly on a cookie sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until browned. Stir halfway through to brown the cauliflower more evenly. Serve immediately or it tends to get a bit soft.