Garlic Rosemary Potato Medallions

We don't eat white potatoes very often. When we do, it is a treat! We were doing a lamb leg roast (recipe for that will come when we can perfect it, we always overcook it) and needed a fast side. These potatoes are salty, savory, buttery, delicious little bits of potato heaven. First bite made we want to crawl into these and live. We ate nearly the whole thing right then and there.

Garlic Rosemary Potato Medallions

Ingredients
5 medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/4 in thick
1/2 c butter, melted
3 tbsp garlic rosemary spice mixture (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Layer the potatoes in rows in a glass pan (roughly 11x7), pouring butter and sprinkling spice mixture between each layer. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender, another 10 - 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Garlic Rosemary Powder
Combine 1 tbsp Celtic Sea Salt, 2 tbsp dried rosemary, and 2 tbsp dried minced garlic in a spice grinder/coffee grinder. Grind into a fine powder. Store in an air tight container.

Garlic Pulled Pork

Garlic Pulled Pork (A favourite of Cave Dad)

Pork shoulder (about 4 lbs)

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp garlic powder

6 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice of 1 lime

1 onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Mix cumin, garlic powder, lime juice, and salt/pepper to taste in a small bowl. Place sliced onion in the bottom of the crock pot then put the shoulder on top of it. Rub spice mixture all over the pork. Score the pork in six places and insert the garlic cloves. Top with bay leaf and cook on low for 10-12 hours, until it pulls apart easily with a fork. Serve with juices.

We like to do this over night then pop it in the fridge in the morning so it is cool enough to pull with my hands. We also like to puree the juices with the cooked onions and garlic cloves to make a gravy of sorts.

Pair with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and diced green bell peppers to make a garlic pork salad.

Meal in a Meatloaf

Meal in a Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 onion, chopped

1-2 carrots, finely chopped or grated

1 parsnip, grated

Small head/bunch broccoli, chopped small

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1 egg

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, pat in two loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. (Meat thermometer should read 165 degrees or higher.)

Chicken Soup - The Ultimate Comfort Food

Chicken Soup

2 tblsp cooking fat

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

1-1 1/2 quart chicken stock/broth

2 c celery (about 4 stalks)

2 c carrots (about 3-4 carrots)

A few shakes of dried parsley (optional)

1-2 lbs chicken meat, cooked and shredded (sometimes we just chop and cook it)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat a large pot of medium head and add in the cooking fat. When hot, stir in garlic and onions and saute. When onions are slightly translucent add the stock, celery, carrots, parsley, and chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper and give one good stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Thought you could never have a velvety, creamy, smooth tomato soup after giving up dairy? Think again! The other vegetables help give this soup the creamy goodness we have come to know and love from tomato soups without any of that pesky dairy.

Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 carrots, roughly diced

2 stalks of celery, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled

6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

1/4 cooking fat, melted (we used lard)

3+ c chicken stock

3 tblsp fresh herbs of choice (we used basil, marjoram, and thyme) minced

Preheat oven to 400F. On a baking sheet, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and tomatoes. Drizzle with melted cooking fat and salt and pepper to taste. Roast the vegetables in the oven until the carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, add the herbs to the stock in a large pot and simmer.

Once vegetables are done roasting, puree using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender adding in the stock. Depending on how think you like your soup you may need more stock to thin it out. You can either serve it now or let it simmer a little longer to get the herbs infusing with the blended vegetables.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

6 bell peppers, assorted colors

4 strips thick bacon, chopped

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground venison/beef (we used beef because we don't currently have venison)

1/4 c celery, diced

1 c onion, diced

1/4 c garlic, minced

1/2 c green onion, chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

Cut tops out of bell peppers and remove inside seeds. Dice tops and save for later. Soak peppers in boiling water for five minutes to soften. Cook bacon in large skillet until cripsy to render the fat. Once brown, remove from skillet and set aside for later. Add ground deer/beef and pork to skillet. Using a wooden spoon, chop meats well to incorporate. Once meat is thoroughly browned (10-12 minutes), add celery, onion, garlic, and reserved pepper tops. Saute for another 10-15 minutes until onions are cooked. Preheat oven to 350. Mix green onions well with the meat filling. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in bowl. Once cooled, fold in the beaten egs and season to taste with black pepper. Stuff peppers generously with mixture. Place in oven and cook until brown on top (about 30 minutes).

Crock pot varition: Grease inside of crock pot with cooking fat and place the filled peppers in the crock pot. Cook on high for 1-2 hours, until the meat mixture is set(ish, you just want the eggs cooked).

Beef Goulash

Beef goulash

Cooking fat

1/2 lb stewing beef, cut in cubes

2 medium onions, sliced

1 large garlic clove, crushed and minced

1 bell pepper, sliced

2 tbsp smoked paprika (this can be adjusted to taste, don’t be scared to use a lot of it)

1 can chopped tomatoes (fresh tomatoes is even better)

1 1/2 cups beef stock

Chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Brown the beef cubes in a pot with the cooking fat. Set the beef aside and now brown the onions. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook to soften for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Place back the beef in the pot and add the spices, tomatoes, and stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pot and transfer to the hotoven. Let cook for about 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork tender.

Slight variation: we like to do this in the crock pot. I will brown the beef, cook the veggies, then dump everything in the crock pot for an hour or 2 on high then 2-3 hours on low, until the beef is fork tender.

Grilled Ratatouille

I am going to try and get all the recipes from Facebook moved over here. I will do as many as I can tonight. After all the recipes are moved, I will share why I do Paleo!

Grilled Ratatouille

2 small eggplants (1/2 lb each), cut into 1/4 in slices

salt

1 large sweet onion, peeled and soaked for 30 minutes

1 large green bell pepper

1 large red bell pepper

2 tomatoes, halved

1/4 c cooking fat, melted

2 yellow squashes, cut lengthwise into 1/4 in slices

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tblsp fresh dill, chopped

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander. Let it stand for 30 min to draw out some of the liquid.

If using a coal grill, put the onion directly into the coals. If not, then just place in in direct heat. Cook until easily pierced with a sharp knife, about 30 min. Remove the onion from coals/heat and let it cool.

Brush the eggplant slices, (whole) peppers, and tomatoes with the melted fat. Place the eggplant around the edge of the heat and the peppers and tomatoes (cut sides down) in the center, on the heat. Cover the grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until eggplant and tomatoes are tender (about 10 min) and the peppers are charred on all sides (about 25 min). Transfer vegetables to a cutting board. Drape the peppers in a foil tent for 10 min then peel the skin off. Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs, then cut into 1/4 in strips.

Brush squash slices with cooking fat. While other vegetables are cooling, grill the squash, turning once, until tender. About 10 min. total.

Peel the onion and cut in half. Then cut in 1/4 in slices. Transfer to a large bowl. Roughly chop the tomatoes and squash; cut the eggplant into strips. Add into the bowl with the peppers. Add about 3 tblsp melted cooking fat (I suppose olive oil could work here) and the garlic, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with chopped dill.

Best Damn Chicken

I accidentally made this recipe one night. I just wanted a garlic Sriracha roasted chicken recipe but the roasted garlic/Sriracha mixture wasn't enough for the blender to blend up. So I started throwing other things in that I thought were great. This is what happened. I will be completely and totally honest: if I had to eat one food for the rest of my life THIS would be That Food. It works great for whole chickens, chicken parts, and Cornish hens. It is so amazeballs. Cave Dad took leftovers in his lunch for work and got upset that there was no more chicken to dip in the fantastic glaze this makes.



We are hoping to one day amass enough bones and leftover glaze to make an amazing Asian style soup with cabbage and kelp noodles and all sorts of great things. That will be for another day.

On to the recipe!

Ingredients
1 head garlic
3 tbsp cooking fat
2 tbsp coconut aminos
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 tbsp Sriracha (or 5 tbsp of my Homemade Sriracha because it isn't as spicy)
1 whole chicken, innards removed

Peel the garlic and coat in 1 tblsp melted cooking fat. Roast in 350° oven for about 20 minutes. Puree first five ingredients (everything but chicken). Coat the chicken with it. You can refrigerate for a couple hours or pop it right into the oven. Bake in a Dutch oven at 350° for 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°. While it is resting, get all the drippings and juices and pour in a small sauce pan. Boil until reduced by half. Devour chicken dipped in the glaze.

Just the Beginning - Weekly Staples

I am still finding my way around this and attempting to add recipes. Trying to decide if I should do one at a time or sectioned off into groups. With Weekly Staples I am going to start off in a group and decide what to do with everything else.

In looking at other's blogs I notice they type a lot before the recipes. I am not really sure what to begin saying so I figure I will make different parts to my paleo/primal story with recipes attached. Sound good? Cool. Also, Cave Daddy (that sounds weird, might change his nickname later) created an AMAZING barbecue sauce recipe but he won't let me share it. Boo. Hopefully I can talk him out of that stance. 

On with the recipes!

Chicken Bone Broth

chicken carcass (or two or three)

Some peppercorns

bay leaf

3-5 garlic cloves

half onion

chopped celery stalk (optional)

chopped Carrot (optional)

Throw everything in a crock pot and just barely cover with water. Let it cook on low for about 24 hours. Strain the solids out and refridgerate the broth. Use within five days or freeze. If it has a gel-like consistency that is perfectly okay and normal. Could also be done on the stove =]

Beef Bone Broth

Several beef bones

Some peppercorns

Bay leaf

3-5 garlic cloves

whole onion (chunked)

chopped celery stalk (optional)

chopped Carrot (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Place bones in a single layer on a roasting pan and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until browned. Throw everything in a crock pot and just barely cover with water. Let it cook on low for about 72 hours. Strain the solids out and refridgerate the broth. Use within five days or freeze. If it has a gel-like consistency that is perfectly okay and normal. Could also be done on the stove =]

Homemade Mayo

1 egg

1/4 c light olive oil

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp lemon juice OR apple cider vinegar

1 c light olive oil

Put first five ingredients in food processor and blend well. While it is still running, slowly add the full cup of olive oil. You will notice when the mayo starts to come together. The process of adding the cup of oil should take 3-5 minutes. You seriously can't add it too slow but if you add it too fast it could "break" the mayo (the egg and the oil will separate). Should keep in the fridge for about a week.