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.

Beef Enchilada Stew

It's Labor Day. Woo hoo... time to put away the white pants and pull out the slow cooker! OK. That's a lie. I don't own white pants AND I use my slow cooker year-round. But now that it's September and cool weather is upon us (at least in Alaska), I feel much more obliged to make slow cooking part of my weekly routine. Even on a holiday when I'm not coming home from a busy day at work and wanting dinner ready to go, there's something comforting and cozy about a slow cooked meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 1/2 pounds stew meat, cubed
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 to 1 T cajun seasoning
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can (28 ounces) El Pato enchilada sauce

Directions:

1. Add 1/2 T coconut oil and meat to the slow cooker.
2. Cover with slices of bacon and sprinkle with seasoning.
3. Cook meat on low for 4-6 hours, or until meat is cooked through and tender.
4. Heat remaining oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add garlic and fry until frangrant.
6. Add onion and fry until it turns golden brown.
7. Add enchilada sauce and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
8. Stir in contents of slow cooker, including the liquid. Cook 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
9. Serve over roasted or stir-fried vegetables.

Massaman Beef Curry

Just when I thought I couldn't make a better curry...

In one of my earliest posts, I shared how to make a perfect Thai Coconut Curry, but I think I've actually out-curried myself. On this day, I tossed some meat and veggies into the slow cooker in the morning without really knowing what I was going to make for dinner. Coming home to a house filled with smells of a gingery-stew was lovely, but I just wasn't in the mood to eat it as-is. In 15-minutes, I whipped that "plain" stew into the best Massaman curry I've ever had!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds stew meat, cubed
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 2-3 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 1-2 turnips, cut into large chunks
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 tsp Berbere spice or cayenne (optional)
• 1 T coconut oil
• 2-4 T Massaman curry paste 
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tsp coconut aminos (or wheat-free tamari) 
• 1/4 cup cashews (optional)

Directions:

1. Add meat, onion, carrots, turnips, ginger, and beef broth to slow cooker. Sprinkle with Berbere spice or cayenne, if using.
2. Cook stew on low for 4-6 hours, or until meat is cooked through and tender.
3. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add curry paste 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 and oil. Fry for 5-10 minutes or until an oily sheen appears the coconut milks begins to separate.
6. Add the remaining 2/3 can of coconut milk along with the coconut aminos.
7. Add contents of slow cooker into the curry sauce, including the liquid. Cook 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
8. Taste and adjust. Too mild? Add more curry paste. Too bland? Add more coconut aminos. Too thick? Add a little water. Continue adjusting until you reach that taste of ultimate yumminess.
9. Serve immediately.

Note: The store bought Massaman curry paste tends to be much  more mild than the other pastes I buy. I usually have to double the amount of paste to get the level of flavor I like. I don't generally use fish sauce or lime juice in Massaman curry, but you can certainly add those ingredients instead of the coconut aminos if you like.

Oxtail Stew

I have been intrigued by ox tail for ages. I've passed it by many times in our local Asian grocery store and this week, my curiosity finally prompted me to toss a package in my basket. The girls giggled when I explained that this funny cut of meat really was the tail of a cow; followed shortly by wrinkled up noses when they realized they would soon be eating said tail. I was excited to try something new, but also perplexed with the "now what" question. I searched for recipes online and nothing quite tickled my fancy. As I sat at my computer, chilled by the sudden drop in temperatures and cool breeze blowing through the cracked window, I knew my only choice was to prepare the oxtail in a good, old-fashioned, slow-cooked stew. I relied on memories of beef stew from my childhood and began sifting through our recent CSA produce. The result was delicious! The girls were a little "grossed out" at having to discard the fat around the meat, but other than that they practically licked the bones clean.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 T coconut oil
• 4 oxtail pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 turnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 large cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups beef 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 oxtails on all sides. Place them in the slow cooker.
3. Season the oxtails 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 beef broth so you can easily scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour beef 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 4-5 hours on High.

So Not Pho

Last year for Christmas my DH got me a very nice wok and a few cookbooks to go with it. They're full of nearly paleo recipes, and if they're not paleo most of them are easy to convert. I had a craving for Pho. So I found a recipe I had used before, then googled to see what else I could do with it... turns out several similar internet recipes were blasted for not being authentic. Seems the biggest complaint is that you can't make a quick pho, it needs to cook all day. Luckily I make my own beef stock, so I think I got the richness of flavor you would get from cooking all day. If you use store bought stock or broth this is still going to taste good, but read your labels. This is quick, and it's easy, and it may not be "real" Pho, but it is "real(y)" good!

So Not Pho

1 lb grass fed low fat ground beef

1 12oz package of kelp noodles, rinsed

1.2 liters (2 pints) home-made beef stock, or the best you can buy

3 whole star anise

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon (or less) ground red chilli paste.

(I used the kind that comes in a jar like minced garlic, but fresh or dried to your taste would work.)

S&P to taste

Marinade:

1 Tablespoon coconut aminos

1 Tablespoon rice wine

3 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 Tablespoon ground red chilli (1 T in both the soup and the marinade made a nice heat if you like spicy food...adjust down if you do not!)

Garnish:

Chopped spring onions and/or mint and/or cilantro and/or basil

(I used mint and cilantro and will probably do the same from now on.)

What to do:

Mix all marinade ingredients and mix with the ground beef. Marinate for at least 20 mins. in the refrigerator.

Bring stock to a simmer in a wok or large pot.

Add star anise, cloves, & cinnamon and simmer about 3 mins.

Add the beef and bring back to a simmer, cook 1 minute breaking up any clumps.

Add the fish sauce, chilli sauce, S&P and simmer a few more minutes.

Add the kelp noodles and stir them in for a few minutes.

Remove the star anise.

Garnish with the chopped herbs and serve in large bowls.

(if you are more gluten-free than paleo, soak 6-8 oz of dried rice noodles for about 20 minutes in hot water, rinse and set aside... stir in at the end instead of, or in addition to the kelp noodles.)

Osso Bucco

Twice in the past week and a half I've made Osso Bucco. Traditionally made with lamb, I use beef. Osso Bucco is simply the thigh cut cross-wise, and since it has the bone left in it should be no surprise that the translation is simply, "bone with a hole." Its a cheaper cut, with lots of connective tissues, so it needs longer cooking. A few hours in the oven, or perfect for the slow cooker. And it comes with a bonus - Marrow! I have made this recipe with all the ingredients, and also lacking several... (and once I was out of thyme so I used tarragon - loved it.) Change it up as needed... and enjoy!

Slow Cooked Osso Bucco

4-6 pieces of osso bucco

few Tablespoons olive oil or oil of choice

2 onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 carrots, sliced thick or diced

2 sticks celery, cut same as carrots

1/2 cup (or more) good dry wine

1 1/2 cups beef stock

2-3 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes (optional, but you want enough liquid to just cover the meat so use more broth or wine if needed)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or tarragon, not both)

a few bay leaves

Get slow cooker ready.

Brown osso bucco on each side in oil, lay in slow cooker.

Saute garlic, onions, carrots, celery until onions are nicely browned and put on top of meat in slow cooker.

Mix wine, broth, tomato paste, spices, and canned tomatoes (if using) well and pour over meat.

Liquid should come JUST to the top of the meat... or cover barely.

Cook on low for at least 5 and up to 8 hours. Check once or twice during cooking if you're around and stir or spoon liquid over the meat.

Serve with salad, any paleo-friendly veggies, or just plain... So Delicious! I even got all 3 of my girls to eat the marrow.

Kürbispastete (Pumpkin and Meat Pie)

I love pumpkin. And I love beef. Google those two ingredients and you'll find enough recipes to show lots of people like them together. And why not? Yum + yum = double yum, right? From Kaddo Bowrani (Afghani pumpkin) to Pumpkin Chili or Pumpkin sloppy joes... there are a lot of things to try. (My next experiment will be Sarah's meaty pumpkin soufflé in her book, "Everyday Paleo.") But my favorite pumpkin-beef recipe ever is kürbispastete. Kürbispastete is just German for deep dish pumpkin and meat pie. And the way I found this recipe was long ago, when Angie and I and several friends used to get together for dinner parties, we would always pick a theme. My husband swears that the best dinner we ever had was the night our dinner group picked german food, and I have to agree. For the occasion I bought a german cookbook off the bargain table at Border's. And paging thru that book is where I came across kürbispastete. Its not paleo on its own, but its not far off. First of all, it is a pie (crust) ...and the original recipe calls for grated cheese, cream, and butter... but just drop those 4 things and you still have a yummy dish. I frequently make my paleo version without a crust. I usually skip things like crusts instead of paloe-tizing them, but tonight I went for it.

Kürbispastete- Paleotized!

Crust:
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup coconut flour
6 tablespoons coconut oil (solid)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
3 T icewater

Put almonds and coconut flour into food processor. Process until corn-mealy looking, but not so long that the almonds turn to butter. Add remaining ingredients. (3 T water is a good start-- no more than 4) and pulse until it all comes together in a ball... (almost) ... scrape out and put in a bowl or ziploc and put in the fridge until ready to use. Mine was still pretty crumbly but I didn't expect to be rolling out perfect dough circles so that is ok! Dump most of it in a deep pie pan and smush it into the bottom and up the sides. Save a little to crumble over the top.

Filling:
2 lbs. pumpkin
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 & 1/2 pounds ground meat. (I use beef, but pork or any other would work too.)
S&P
Basil (I usually use dried, but this time used about 1/3 cup chopped fresh - highly recommend fresh!)
1/4 cup of thick coconut cream scooped off the top of a can that has NOT been shaken. (Save the rest of the can for something else. Actually, I got about 1/2 cup of cream...could use more, but its pretty rich, so I think 1/4 cup was plenty...ALSO, this dish is still good without it, or use dairy if you like.)

Peel and cube the pumpkin and put in a saucepan. Cover it with water and the vinegar and cook until tender, then drain well. Alternate layers of pumpkin and meat, seasoning each layer. (Yes, the meat is still raw at this point... crumble it into chunks as small as you can.) Dot with coconut cream and sprinkle any remaining crust crumbs over the top. Bake @ 350F for about an hour. (I covered it with foil for about 45 mins to keep it from over browning.)

Enjoy!

Most Awesome Meatloaf

I couldn't decide what to call this... it is hands down by far the best meatloaf ever...and I have tried a LOT. Just about every paleo blogger has their own version...and I've made several of them. They are all good - so what makes this the best? Well, a few things. First - what to use to keep it moist, and take the place of breadcrumbs? Most people use almond or some other nut meal. I like almond meal fine in meatloaf and meatballs, but frankly I don't need the calories. Second - basic meatloaf is well, boring... I've been adding my other secret ingredient in increasing amounts so not to overwhelm the loaf. Totally got it perfect tonight... moist, rich, flavorful... So good, we were all fighting over seconds. So, what are these two fantastic additions? Read on:

My super-awesome, totally-yummy, "keep your hands off my seconds" nut-free Meatloaf!

1 zucchini, grated

1 teaspoon salt

2 lbs grass-fed ground beef

1 diced onion

2-4 minced garlic cloves

1/2 cup fresh herbs - basil, oregano, marjoram, or a mix.

1 teaspoon dried herbs. (oregano or any italian mix)

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons tomato paste (1 foil pack)

1 can diced tomatoes (optional)

4-6 oz marinated liver, grated, or diced very fine if not frozen

(I mentioned this in my last recipe- liver is worlds upon worlds better if you marinate it in lemon juice for at least 30 minutes & up to a day. I cook some of it on its own, and freeze the rest in approximately 5 oz chunks to use later in meatballs or meatloaf.)

What to do:

First, grate the zucchini and salt it. Use your hands to mix the salt in well, then leave it while you get everything else ready. Grate the liver into a separate bowl. Be careful if its frozen that you don't get frost bite on your hands. (trust me!)

Scoop the zucchini up in both hands and squeeeeeeeeze. Squeeze some more. I dump that onto a doubled paper towel and gently squeeze again to get all the water out. Don't skip this, or you won't have a loaf so much as a soup. It starts out as about 2 cups grated zucchini, and ends up about a cup after all the water is out.

Get your slow-cooker ready with a light swipe of oil.

Mix all the ingredients by hand thoroughly and form into a loaf to fit your slow cooker. I get it close, drop it in, and then push the sides in all around to make it a little taller than I want. It will settle a little while cooking.

Sometimes I add a can of chopped tomato over the top. Its not really necessary, but it makes a great sauce that can be served over veggies.

Cook 5-7 hours on low... plus or minus depending on when you want dinner and how your cooker cooks. I usually start on high for an hour and then turn it down for another 4-6.

Serve with veggies, roasted root veggies, or mashed rutabagas...

What to cook for picky kids - Hamburger cut-outs

Usually I hate cooking multiple meals for the family and avoid it as much as I can, but the reality is: DH and I love spicy food but the kiddos are 5 (picky,) 5 (picky,) and 7 (picky) and tend to want meals a little more simple. Luckily, they have taken to the standard veggie plate that starts almost every meal, and tonight's cooking lended itself to "spicy for us" and "simple for them" quite easily. For us? A rockin' penang curry made with ground grass-fed beef and whatever veggies I could find. I keep lime leaves in the freezer so I always have those on hand... See Angie's fabulous post for thai curry basics!

After I grabbed the ground beef I needed for the curry, I put the rest in a large zip-lock bag and pressed it flat (around 1/2 inch thick or less) and popped it in the freezer. By the time the curry was simmering away, the rest of the ground beef was firm, the veggies were almost gone, and I grabbed cookie-cutters and cut out some hearts and initials for the girls.

Difficult? No! Recipe needed? No! But if any of you have picky kids like I do, or are worried about what to feed them, sometimes all it takes is a little creativity. Besides, you need to find a use for all the cookie cutters, ice-cream scoops, and cupcake tins that you really don't need anymore!