Beef & Sausage Hash w/ apple and yams

(A.K.A. what I'm eating for breakfast this week).  A Paleo breakfast is probably not like the sugar-laden-food-stuff-flakes your neighbors are slurping out of a cold bowl every morning.  Rather than be put off by it being different, embrace it!  No, you can't pour this out of a cardboard box that's been sitting in your pantry for the last 4 months, but I'm thinking that's why it's awesome.

1 lb. grass fed ground beef (I use 85/15 but use whatever you prefer)
3 organic chicken/apple sausages (pick ones without sugar added and are preservative-free)*
1/2 -1 whole apple, diced small (use whatever you got, braeburn, granny smith, fuji...)
sea salt & pepper
**(Extras: diced onion, garlic)

2 small yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds

Put the yams in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Put on the stove-top on high heat until the water boils, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender - about 10 minutes.

While the yams are boiling, place the ground beef in a large saute pan and heat over medium heat.  Break the beef up a bit with a spoon or spatula.  While that's cooking, dice up the chicken/apple sausages and add them to the ground beef mixture.  Continue breaking up the meat and stirring while it all cooks together.  When there is almost no pink left to the ground beef, add in the diced apple, salt and pepper.  Cook an additional 2 minutes to soften the apple and then take off the heat.

By this time the yams should be tender.  Drain and let cool a few minutes.  You can either serve them whole along side the ground beef mixture, or cut them into small pieces and stir them into the ground beef, whichever you choose.  Lately I've been mashing them up into the ground beef when I eat it every morning.  It's just easier to eat that way.

* If using pre-cooked sausages just dice and go.  If your sausages are fresh (sweet!) then you can either cook them whole and then dice, or just open them up and add the sausage meat to the ground beef at the beginning (you will essentially just be adding "bulk" sausage then).

**This would certainly be tasty if you added some diced onion or garlic to the mixture.  I tend to go basic for breakfast because it's usually post-workout and I stomach the more basic foods better then.  Also, it's faster this way.

Sidenote: This will suffice for 5 days' breakfast.  I eat the same thing M-F for breakfast.  It doesn't bother me.  One the weekends I go crazy with some eggs or leftover steak!

Baked Apples

Apple pie is the quintessential fall dessert.  Growing up we would have apple pie with Thanksgiving dinner and we would all eat it for breakfast the following day...(that's normal, right?).  Fruit baked with sweet spices until soft and the juices ooze joy.  I always was the culprit who ate the filling out of the apple pie, so making baked apples seemed like a happy compromise...

2 apples of your choice (I used some from a local organic farm sans wax)
3 medjool dates
2 tablespoons raw, unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons creamed coconut (see bottom)*
3 tablespoons chopped pecans, plus a few extra for topping
1 scant tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Few shakes of nutmeg and ginger
Pinch of salt
coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the core of the apples with an apple corer.  I used mine to remove a little extra from the core of the apple to make room for more filling.  I pretty much doubled the amount of space.  If you feel the need, peel a strip from the apples at this point (I read this was so the apples don't burst in the oven, but I did one with/one without and they both broke a little at the bottom, so....you choose).

Chop the dates into small pieces and place in a small mixing bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mash together with a fork until mixed well.  Then fill the apples with the mixture, packing it in well.  Coat the bottom of a small baking pan or pie plate with a little coconut oil, and place the filled apples inside.  Top the filled portion with a few more chopped pecans.

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, cover the apples with aluminum foil and continue baking another 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.  This recipe can be easily doubled.

**Creamed coconut is basically just the flesh of the coconut.  I found it in a health food store and it comes in small packages like this:

If you can't find it near you, just use equal amounts of unsweetened coconut flakes, though you may need to add a bit more dates or honey to give the mixture just a little more moisture.

Gingered Butternut Squash Soup

Even though the weather in California lately hasn't been very Fall-like, I am still readying myself for the beautiful Fall weather, with soups.  Butternut squash is something I don't buy very often, but definately is a great choice for a bowl of creamy deliciousness.

1 butternut squash
1 can coconut milk (amount used may vary)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or use dried ginger)
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
Chopped walnuts to top (optional)

Cut the length of the squash into three pieces, then cut these pieces in half.  Scrape out the seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon) and then place all pieces into a large stock pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil on your stovetop.  Turn the heat down and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.  At this point the squash should be very tender.  Drain the squash and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Once cooled, remove the skin from the squash.  I find it easiest to just cut them off since they tend to break off in pieces when you try to "peel" it off.  Then place the squash in your food processor (if using a 7-cup do half at a time.  If using a larger you could probably throw it all in at once).  Pulse a few times to break up the pieces, then add in the ginger, chicken broth and half of the coconut milk.  From here you can guage how much coconut milk you want to use, depending on the size of your squash.  Obviously a bigger squash would necessitate more liquid added.  Blend the contents until very smooth, and pour back into the soup pot.  Turn the heat to low to keep the soup warm and add in sea salt and pepper to taste.  When serving, add more cracked pepper and top with the walnuts.

**I added the walnuts because I thought it sounded yummy, but you really can't taste them because of the ginger.  But since it was in my picture I had to add it to the recipe...so, I make no promises that using the walnuts will bring this soup to the next level.

I served this soup along with a green salad and chicken drumsticks (pictured).  The drumsticks were easy.  I just heated up a tablespoon of coconut oil in a saute pan, sliced up an onion and let it cook 2 minutes.  Then added my salted and peppered drumsticks on top.  Covered the pan and let cook, turning the chicken every 4-5 minutes or so and moving the onion around so it wouldn't burn *too* much.  But the onion is fantastic when it gets brown and carmelized like that.

Zucchini Pesto Veggie Dip

It seems that an easy item to bring to parties when you're eating Paleo, would be a veggie platter.  Tasty, crisp, fresh veggies all arranged prettily on a platter.  But then...what do you dip them in?  Most dressings people use are full of dairy or highly processed things I can't pronounce.  Regular Pesto sauce is tasty, to be sure, but isn't quite the right consistency for me.  An easy remedy, I found, was adding zucchini, and you've got a thicker dip that tastes good with any veggie you attack it with!



4 oz fresh basil - leaves torn off
6 sundried tomato halves (use the ones packed in olive oil)
3 large cloves of garlic
1/2 cup unsalted macadamia nuts
 1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 zucchinis (about 6 inches each), ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch rounds
1/2 cup olive oil (give or take...add to the consistency you prefer)
**Optional - add different spices of choice - I added sage to mine
Raw veggies for dipping (carrots, snap peas, broccoli, celery, jicama, bell pepper, zucchini-double dose!, cucumber)

In a food processor, drop in all the basil leaves and pulse a few times to chop them up.  Then add the sundried tomatoes and garlic, pulse a few times.  Add in the macadamia nuts and turn on for about 10 seconds or until the nuts are chopped up small.  Add the salt, pepper and zucchinis (yes, add them raw) and turn on until the zucchinis begin to blend up.  Then pour in the olive oil in a small stream to combine (add in desired spices here too, if desired).  If some of the zucchini pieces don't all blend up, change to pulse for a few times and then switch back.  (makes about 2 cups)

Serve in a bowl with lots of veggies for dipping.

This recipe is versatile.  I also ate a dollop of it on top of my steak for dinner.  If two cups of pesto dip seems like it will be a lot to plow through, you could stick half of it in a jar and freeze for later enjoyment!!

(Sweet and Curried) Potato Salad

Here's another yummy way to prepare sweet potatoes. It requires a bit of prep total time-wise. You could roast the sweet potatoes the day before and stick them in the fridge to make the salad the next day. Whatever makes it easier on you!!

2 Large sweet potatoes (white)
2 Large yams (orange)
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup homemade mayo Mayo
2 celery stalks, cut lengthwise in 3 pieces and chopped small
1/4 red onion, minced
4 eggs, hard-boiled
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
1-2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp each of ground ginger, turmeric, coriander
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the yam/sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss them with the olive oil in a large bowl to coat. Also rub a little oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the yams/sweet potatoes onto a large baking sheet, making sure they are not crowded. (If they are crowded on the pan, split into two and alternate heights in the oven every 7-10 minutes).

Roast yams for 10-12 minutes. (while they are roasting, hard-boil the eggs and then transfer to the fridge to cool down). Turn with a spatula, then increase the oven temperature to 425 and continue cooking another 10-12 minutes or until soft in the center. Do not dispare when the yams/sweet potatoes get brown on a few sides. This is normal. When soft on the inside and a bit crispy on the outside (20-25 minutes total) remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer to fridge to speed up the cooling process.

When the yams/sweet potatoes are fully cooled, toss them into a large mixing bowl along with the mayo, celery, onion, cilantro and spices. Chop up the hard-boiled eggs into pieces and add into the mixing bowl. Toss to coat all of the yam/sweet potatoes fairly evenly.

**I recommend adding half the mayo at first and then toss to start off with. You can always add more mayo into the mix if it looks dry. My idea of large yams could be different then yours, so better safe than sorry :). Enjoy!!

Stewed White Fish

The inspiration for this dish came while reading the Whole9 website a few weeks ago (see "linkage" at left). They had posted a recipe for fish cooked this way, which sounded pretty awesome. Not having all the ingredients that they did, I decided to make up my own version while using up some things I had in the fridge. Win-Win!

1.5 lbs white fish fillets (use a firm fish-I used Cod)
**1 can smoked sardines (optional...see note at end of recipe)

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 carrots, sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 large tomato, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers
6-10 olives, cut into 2-3 pieces (I used green and kalamata)
1 can coconut milk, regular or lite

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
Fresh cracked pepper

3-4 cups fresh, baby spinach leaves

In a large wok or soup pan heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add in the carrots, tomato, onion and garlic (and sardines if using). Cook until onion and carrots begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes. While that's cooking, cut the fish into 1-inch cubes and set aside. Add in the capers, olives, fish, old bay and pepper to taste. Continue cooking, stirring often, until fish is just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Then pour in the can of coconut milk and continue cooking just until the coconut milk is hot. Take mixture off the heat and stir in the spinach leaves.

**A good way to increase the Omega 6 fats in this dish is to add in a can of sardines. I added a can in my dish and was unable to taste them (flavor-wise). During the cooking process they break down pretty quickly and become a part of the liquid, almost. That being said, I could definately taste little particles of the skin and as far as that texture goes, I am not a fan. So if you like sardines then by all means add them, if you are not so dedicated to them (like me) this dish will be excellent without them. Either way, you're good.

Serve in large bowls as is, or you could also serve this over a spoonful of cooked, "riced" cauliflower.

Stuffed Peppers (pizza?) and Wilted Spinach Salad with figs

I started this recipe with full intentions of using ground beef and bacon....and after tasting it while cooking it just didn't seem quite right. So I added a couple of "andoullie" sausages to perk up the flavor. 'Twas a good idea! I also realized upon consumption...that the flavors were reminiscent of pizza (BONUS!). This is one meat-packed pepper. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

4 medium-sized green bell peppers
8 slices applewood smoked bacon
3 cloves garlic
1/2 white onion, minced
1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 andoullie sausages (I used the cooked kind, chopped into small pieces)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
2 tablespoons almond flour
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until crisp. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat in the pan and pour out the rest. Add in the onion and garlic and cook until soft, stirring often. Add in the ground beef, bay leaf and italian seasoning, cook through, stirring often. (While the ground beef is cooking, cut the top 1/2 inch off the peppers and remove the seeds. Save the tops for another use). When beef is cooked, add the tomato paste, almond flour (to thicken), crumbled bacon and chopped sausages. Stir and cook another 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fill each green pepper to the top with the ground beef mixture. Place the filled peppers in an oiled baking dish (whatever they'll fit into. I used an 8x8 glass dish) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Wilted Spinach Salad

1/4 cup walnuts, cut in half
cinnamon
4 dried figs, quartered lengthwise
5 cups fresh spinach
1 tablespoon walnut oil plus more for drizzling

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the walnuts and cover with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Toast the nuts, shaking/stirring occasionally, just until light brown - about 5-7 minutes. Take off the heat and set the nuts aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, heat the 1 tablespoon walnut oil to medium heat, and add in the spinach leaves. Stir constantly to just wilt the spinach (2-4 minutes total), you don't want to cook it all the way through. Sprinkle with figs and walnuts and an extra drizzle of walnut oil. Serve along side the stuffed peppers.