Friday, December 23, 2016

Deep Pot Chili

A really hearty chili is a must for cold winter days. It can be served up on it's own, with frito chips (my kids love that), or over potatoes. It's a gluten free option that's easy to make and warms the bones after working (or playing) all day in the snow. Let's dig in!

Hearty and Delicious

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 1/2 pounds ground sirloin or chuck
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 14 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chile powder
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • Two 28-ounce cans diced Italian tomatoes
  • 3 cups chicken, beef stock or low-sodium broth
  • 1 19-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 19-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • Pinch of cinnamon 
  • 3 large jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced (this is only if you want more heat)
  • Coarsely chopped cilantro, for serving
  • Sour cream, for serving 
  • any shredded cheese desired, for serving
  • frito corn chips if desired, for serving


Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a enameled cast-iron casserole. Add half the ground beef in large chunks and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat until brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and cook until most of the pink is gone, about 3 minutes; keep the meat in large chunks. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.

  2.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the casserole. Add the onion, garlic (and jalapenos if wanting more heat) and cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder and smoked paprika and cook over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste is glossy and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the chicken stock and the cooked beef and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add the kidney and white beans, chipotles, oregano and simmer for 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper and a large pinch of cinnamon. Remove from the heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes. Reheat before serving.

  4. Serve the chili in bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of cilantro (and cheese if desired). Pass the sour cream at the table (and throw in some corn chips if feeling frisky!).

Make Ahead

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 2 months

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Paleo 90 Second Mug Bread

Delicious toasted with butter and jam!
Here is a wonderful substitute for when you're craving a sandwich, or toast with your egg or simply toast and jam, without breaking any Paleo rules. This is grain free and if you substitute the butter for coconut oil, it is dairy free as well.

Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup (35 g) almond flour
  • ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon (1 g) salt
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 2 and ½ tablespoons (37 ml) ghee (or butter if you tolerate it, coconut oil, or olive oil), melted
Instructions
  1. Grease a mug.
  2. Mix together all the ingredients with a fork.
  3. Pour mixture into mug.
  4. Microwave for 90 seconds on high.
  5. Cool for a few minutes.
  6. Pop out of mug gently and slice.
I have doubled this recipe and found that you double all the ingredients except the egg. Then after the initial 90 seconds, microwave an additional 30 seconds, checking after each interval for doneness.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Paleo Banana Bread In A Mug

Cute little rounds of banana goodness that's good for you too!
Are you craving bread? Are you craving banana bread? Are you on a paleo or gluten free/grain free diet? Well, I have just the thing for you! It's quick, easy and you won't have to hunt for ingredients or break any diet rules. Let's get into it!

Ingredients:
  • 1/3C almond flour
  • 1 Tbs coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbs egg whites (or 1 egg)
  • 2 Tbs coconut oil melted
  • 1 whole over-ripe banana
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 pkg of Stevia 
 Instructions: 

Grease a coffee mug w/coconut oil. Mix and mash together all ingredients w/fork in a bowl. Pour mixture into mug. Microwave 3 min on high. Check it. Cook in 30 second intervals until mostly set. Cover w/plate and turn upside down leaving hot mug over the bread. Cool for 5-10 min then slice and enjoy with a hot cup of bullet coffee!

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Chimichurri Sauce: Green Goodness

This is THE sauce that goes amazing on everything savory. I drown my steak in it. Pork, chicken, tortilla chips, toast... you get the idea. I’m obsessed and you will be too!




Ingredients
makes about 2 cups
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Combine all ingredients, except jalapeno, in food processor and blend until desired consistency. I like mine well blended. Add jalapeno and stir well. Refrigerate for an hour. Then you can season with salt to your liking and begin pouring it over everything like I do. If you want to use it as a marinade, remove 1/2 cup chimichurri to a small bowl, and reserve as sauce. Put meat in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining marinade. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and grill.Spoon reserved sauce over grilled meat. Prepare to have an addiction to this green goodness! Enjoy!


Make Ahead Quick Oatmeal

I'm trying to move my family to healthier eating slowly. Something I hadn't tackled yet, was cereal. You know. That staple of Saturday mornings and cartoons. Frosted, marshmallows, fruity, chocolatey, etc. There's a lot of bad junk kids don't need in them. From dyes, to heavy metals to outright poisons. We wonder why kids struggle with ADD, hyperactivity, learning disorders and such. A lot of it is diet related. Of course, the FDA is fine with all this because they're in cahoots with Big Pharma that makes the drugs to help "manage" any adverse affects caused by ingesting this garbage. Nice little partnership they have huh? Ask yourself why these various companies need lobbyists in Washington and start researching. You'll be appalled. I'll include links to valuable info at the end of this post.

So! With that little rant aside, lets dive into this great alternative that my kids just gobble right up. There are many variations so it's easy to make any flavor your kids desire. I like having a bunch made up with instructions on a larger bag that I put individual serving bags into so all they have to do is add water and maybe some additional toppings once cooked. This is great for when I have to be gone for a medical trip and can't be home, so mornings are easier on dad. The older two are also getting more self sufficient and this is an easy breakfast for them to make for themselves and even the younger two if need be. Without further ado, lets dive into the recipe!

Make Ahead Quick Oatmeal
Ingredients: (makes 3-4 servings)
  • 1 cup rolled oats (not quick!)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (Himalayan is my choice!)
Optional additions
  • 1-2 Tbsps cocoa powder
  • chopped almonds (maybe honey roasted?)
  • dried cranberries, raisins, cherries
  • freeze dried or dehydrated strawberries or bananas?
  • peanut butter (or any other nut butter): creamy, chunky, powder
In a food processor or blender, add oatmeal, cinnamon and salt. Blend until desired consistency. I like a little bite to mine, so I don't blend it down to powder. For little ones just starting on solids, fully blending to flour is probably recommended. Blending partially helps it cook quicker and gives a nice mouth feel.

If making right away, you can then add this and the water to a pot and boil for about 8-10min until desired consistency. Then spoon into bowls and add desired toppings. My kids like it pretty basic. So a little pat of butter, spoonful of brown sugar and sometimes a splash of milk.

To make ahead, you can add the blended ingredients to a ziplock snack sized bag and label "cinnamon". OR you can add more ingredients to make it even more adventurous. Here are some of my mini recipes. Following the above directions (minus cooking) you can make up baggies of these and all you have to do then is add 2 C. water and cook!

Chocolate Oatmeal
to the basic oatmeal recipe above, add:
  • 1-2 Tbsps cocoa powder (adjust to how chocolately you want it)
I add to the blender to make sure it is well distributed, or you can just toss it on top in the bag.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
to the basic oatmeal recipe above, add:
  • 1-2 Tbsps cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbsp peanut butter powder (or add instructions to add nut butter after cooking)
Almond Cranberry Oatmeal
to the basic oatmeal recipe above, add:
  • 1-2 Tbsps chopped or slivered almonds (I use honey roasted!)
  • 2 Tbsps dried cranberries
Add these ingredients to the bag with blended oatmeal. After cooking, you can add a Tbsp or two of white chocolate chips for a fun festive breakfast (Christmas?).

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
  • 2 Tbsps freeze dried or oven dried strawberries (diced up is best)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • cream (alternative creams like coconut are also great!)
Add the strawberries to the bag with the blended oatmeal. After cooking, add to your desired flavor level of cream. YUM!

The sky is the limit on all the flavor combos you can create really. What do you think would be a great addition to the recipe? What would you add to the dry mix and what would you add as a topping after cooking? Let me know!

Here are the links to why today's store bought cereals should be banned from our pantries and breakfast tables:
10 Toxic Kid Cereals To Avoid 

Enriched Cereals Full of Metal Filings 
What Is Trisodium Phosphate? Why Is It In Cereal?! 

Past Musings You Might Ponder

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