Lazy Sunday – Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Mar16

Sunday is a great day for the slow cooker. Especially a warm day like today when you just NEED to be outside! Throw your stuff in and it’s ready when you get home! I served this meal with mashed cauliflower instead of the recommended mashed potatoes to keep it Paleo. It turned out really yummy!

3 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup beef broth

4 fresh thyme springs

1 bay leaf

2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

4 tbsp arrow root

3 tbsp cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown ribs in batches on all sides; transfer to slow cooker. Add carrots, broth, thyme, and a bay leaf.

Add onions to the same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 more minute. Stir in wine , bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Add to slow cooker. Cook, covered on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove beef and vegetables; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a small sauce pan. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Bring juices to a boil. Mix the arrow root and water until smooth; gradually stir into the pan. Return to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve ribs and vegetables over mashed cauliflower with gravy.

This is a nice hearty meal that is great for a weekend any time of the year! This recipe is adapted from the Feb/March 2014 issue of Taste of Home magazine. Happy cooking!

Romantical Meal Series Post 3 – Cocoa-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Carrot Puree

Mar7

This is the final post in my Valentine’s Day series. This was by far my favorite part of the meal. I’ve never done anything quite so gourmet! I bought step 4 filet mignon from Whole Foods for this and while it cost me $30 just for the meat it was worth every penny! This was absolutely delicious! Again, this was adapted from the Feb/Mar 2014 Taste of Home magazine

Puree:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 lbs carrots, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium hat. Add carrots and shallots; cook and stir 12-15 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Stir in garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute longer. Add water to cover carrots; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until carrots are very tender.

Drain, cool slightly. Place carrot mixture, salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.

Meat:

4 beef tenderloin steaks (1 1/2 in. thick and 6 oz each)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

3 tbsp baking cocoa

3 tbsp finely ground coffee

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, mix cocoa and coffee. Dip steaks in cocoa mixture to coat all sides; shake off excess.

Place steaks on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 9-11 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

This is unbelievably delicious and to my delight Rob was very impressed with my cooking prowess! This whole meal took around 2.5 hours to put together which is a lot but for a special occasion it was totally worth it. My food processor broke in the midst of the carrot pureeing but never fear, the Vitamix was near, so if you don’t have a food processor don’t fret, a blender works just as well. I can’t get over how well this meal turned out. I hope you have as much success with it as I did. Happy cooking!

Romantical Meal Series Post 1 – Kale Salad

Mar3

Valentine’s Day was last month and Rob and I decided that our gift this year would be homemade. In true cook form I decided making a big, romantic meal was my best bet. I’m going to do a series of three posts to chronicle what I made for him. I’ll start with this yummy kale salad. This recipe is adapted from a recipe in the Feb/Mar 2014 Taste of Home Magazine, as is the rest of the meal.

10 cups sliced kale (about 1 bunch)

1 medium apple, thinly sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup pepitas

Place kale in a large bowl. With clean hands, massage kale until leaves become soft and darkened, about 2-3 minutes; stir in apple.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until blended. Drizzle over salad, toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepitas.

First off I must apologize for the quality of the picture. I was running around trying to get the meal put together before Rob got to my place so pictures were taken haphazardly. Second, wow who knew what a difference massaging kale makes!! It as the first thing Rob commented on. The kale was soft and easy to eat. I will be massaging my kale from here on out! Stay tuned for post number 2 on our Valentine’s day meal. Happy cooking!

Sunday Funday Dinner – Paleo Turkey Burgers

Mar2

I’m posting this meal at my own risk because when Rob finds out I made turkey burgers and he didn’t get to try them there’s a very real possibility he’ll kill me in my sleep! This recipe is from the Paleoista cookbook and they’re down right delicious (don’t worry baby I’ll make them again for you)!

1 pound ground turkey

2 Roma tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

Garlic powder

2 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped, rinsed and spun dry

1 cup arugula rinsed, spun dry and loosely packed

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 thick slices of beefsteak tomato

1/4 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small avocado pitted, peeled and sliced

Preheat the broiler.

Place turkey in a bowl and mix in the chopped tomato with your hands. Shape the meat into two large patties, season with pepper and garlic powder to taste, and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook 10 to 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

Meanwhile, combine the romaine, arugula, and blueberries with the oil, and lemon juice in a big bowl. Place an even portion on each of two plates.

Place one burger on top of each salad, followed by a slice of tomato and half each of the onion and avocado.

This is a super quick and easy recipe and it is SO yummy! Perfect for a lazy Sunday night or a time strapped week night. Prep and cleanup are minimal. I really enjoyed this one and I hope you will too! Happy cooking!

Game Day Snacks – Chili Cilantro Lime Wings

Feb22

I have a huge back log of recipes I need to post. I fear one may be gone forever because I’ve forgotten what I put in it. But I’ll slowly get through them all and post them for your enjoyment. These are the wings I made for Super Bowl Sunday. While my Broncos didn’t do so well these wings were a huge hit!

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 cup lime juice

1 handful fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, smashed

2 tsp olive oil

3-4 pounds chicken wings

Line a pan with some aluminum foil, lightly salt your chicken pieces, and then broil them for about 4 to 6 minutes on each side, or until the skin is brown and crispy. Mix all of your spices together in a small bowl and lightly dust on your browned chicken wings. Add lime juice, cilantro, garlic and olive oil to a blender and blend until smooth. Place seasoned chicken wings into a plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Make sure the wings are evenly coated then let sit in the refrigerator overnight. Place marinated wings in a slow cooker and cook on low for four hours.

I took these to a party at a friend’s house. I only made a half batch since there were four of us but I should have made the whole thing because they were gone in minutes! Sadly football is over but I feel like wings are good at any sporting event. These are a great choice. Happy cooking!

Slowcooker Wednesday – Beef Plantain Stew

Feb12

I broke out the slow cooker last week and had my way with it. I found this recipe and thought I’d try it out. I love plantains so I had high expectations for it. I would say that it didn’t turn out how I expected but it was definitely good!

2.5 lbs beef short ribs

6 medium plantains

3 c. collard greens, chopped

3 c water

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp allspice

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large skillet, sear the outside of the beef ribs. Transfer to a slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 8 hours on low. Serve.

I expected the plantains to really break down and become a lot more mushy creating a sort of thick soup but the opposite happened! They got very hard, almost the consistency and taste of potatoes! It was unexpected but it made the stew very hearty. If I were to do it again I would add more water. Make sure you mix everything up too. Happy cooking!

Girls Night In! – Paleo Pizza

Feb1

I just recently moved and my new place is finally put together so clearly it’s time to start entertaining. I decided to have a few girls from my MBA program over for a wine night. What goes well with girl talk and wine? Pizza of course! But pizza is not exactly on the Paleo diet so I made my own, Paleo style! I found this recipe on everydaypaleo.com and my non Paleo friends loved it!

Crust:

2 cups almond meal

2 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Toppings:

1 cup organic marinara sauce

1 nitrate free Italian sausage link

2 small crook neck yellow summer squash, diced

3 green onions, chopped

Handful of torn basil leaves

1 small tomato, diced

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a spoon, mix all crust ingredients together until it becomes very thick. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Lightly grease pizza pan with olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the center of the pan and push and pat the dough down into the shape of a circle. Make it as thin as possible. The pizza will be about 12 inches across. Bake the crust in the oven for 20 minutes. When the crust is done, remove from the oven and evenly spread the marinara sauce over it. Add the sausage and remaining toppings evenly over the sauce and bake for another 25-30 minutes.

And there you have it! You can use just about any toppings you can think of on this. One of my friends brought over her cast iron pizza pan and it made all the difference. The crust was light and crispy. Add a few bottles of wine and a few girlfriends and you have yourself a Paleo friendly ladies night! Happy cooking!

Try something new – Lemon Calamari Steak

Jan26

I was at Sprouts the other day and in an effort to always buy wild caught fish I picked up a calamari steak. There was nothing else! I’ve never cooked calamari steaks before and had no idea what I’d do with the thing. I searched online and all the recipes I found were breaded. Then the stars aligned and I found this recipe on pracitcallyprimal.com. I had to tweak it a bit to make it Paleo but it was fate that I had all the ingredients and I had even already put broccoli on to steam when I noticed it suggested serving it with steamed broccoli!

1 squid steak

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

Pat the steak dry and coat both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Don’t let it turn brown. Add the juice of the lemon. Add the squid steak. Cook for 90 seconds per side. Serve with steamed broccoli and pour the lemon sauce over everything.

This turned out really good! I will probably add calamari steaks to my regular rotation. Happy cooking!

Au Jus Doing? – Halibut au Jus with Mushrooms

Jan22

I’ve missed doing big fancy Sunday dinners at my place so when I had the time I decided it was time to put that tradition back in place! Rob wanted fish so here’s what I chose!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 large Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, dark gills scraped out, coarsely chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons died oregano leaves

Two 6- to 8-ounce skin on halibut fillets

Salt-free garlic powder

2 cups mesclun greens, loosely packed and spun dry

2 cups baby arugula, loosely packed and spun dry

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes, until browned. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the tomato has softened.

Pour in the chicken stock and wine and turn up the heat to medium-high until boiling. Set aside a pinch of the oregano and add the rest. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and season to taste with garlic powder. Place the fillets, flesh side down, on top of the tomato mixture, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine the mesclun and arugula and place equal portions onto each of two plates. Place a fish fillet on top of each, followed by half of the sauce. Garnish with the reserved oregano.

If I had this to do again I’d probably add salt. It was a little bland. Or maybe I’m still getting used to the Paleo way of life. But hearty and healthy! Happy cooking!

Get your cold weather fix – Paleo No-Bean Turkey Chili

Jan17

Okay, okay so it was 88 degrees here today and I sweat profusely as I ate this dish but it’s cold everywhere else in the country right?? If there’s one thing I miss on the Paleo diet it’s beans (hey, I’m half Brazilian, we live on the things). I loooooove chili. So when I came across this recipe in the book Paleoista is had to try it out. I wasn’t disappointed either! No chili powder in it so I’m still figuring out how and why is tastes to chili-y!

10 oz ground turkey

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 cup dried cilantro

2 cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat oil in a large cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 more minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up clumps. Add the garlic and jalapeno along with the stock. Bring to a simmer. Add the paprika, oregano, and cumin. Cover and place in the oven. Cook 1 hour, stirring every 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir in the cilantro, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Place 1 cup broccoli in each of two bowls. Ladle the chili on top.

I have been enjoying this for lunch this week. There’s no salt in the recipe so add some in if you think it will be too bland. I recently rediscovered my dutch oven and have been using it a lot more recently. I highly suggest everyone invests in one! I have a Lodge but my next one will definitely be a Le Creuset! Hope you enjoy this chili. Happy cooking!

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Category Archives: Dinner