Giving Up Grains

Sweet Potato, Ham and Apple Hash

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes

2 medium red apples cut into cubes

1  6- 8 oz ham steak cubed (or pre cubed ham in package)

cinnamon

2 Tsp coconut oil

4 TBS grassfed butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put the cubed sweet potatoes and apples in a baking dish where the potatoes and apples can spread out and not be piled too deep. Cut the grass fed butter into small chunks on top of the potatoes and apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon (to taste).

Bake for 20 min and check to see if the apples and potatoes are getting soft. If not, bake another 10-15 minutes until they are soft and a fork can be pushed into them very easily.

Remove the mixture from the oven and set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a large saute pan and stir fry the ham chunks, and cooked apples and sweet potatoes for about 5  minutes on medium heat until ham is browned.

Serve warm for breakfast, reovery meal, lunch or a quick dinner.

Mixed Greens and Fig Salad

This is the same salad I have created before but I changed the blueberry ingrediaents to fig. It was even better than the blueberry I think.

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup fig balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup organic fig preserves or fruit spread

1/3 cup olive oil

1 5.5  oz pack organic baby spinach

1 5.5 oz pack spring greens

3/4 c crumbled blue cheese 

12 - 1 5 chopped dried figs (large)

Heat chopped nuts in a small skillet over medium heat with a little grass fed butter until toasted. Stir often.

Wisk together balsamic vinegar, fig preserves and olive oil in a small bowl.

Combine nuts and greens in a bowl and add blue cheese and figs.

Drizzle with dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

 

We had leftovers and it was good the next afternoon but would not hold up any longer than that.

 

Thanksgiving Bird from East of Eden

My friend Jon Bostic owns/runs East of Eden farm in Huntersville NC. I have ordered one of these Heritage birds for our Thanksgiving turkey. I can't wait. The birds arrive Monday. They are free range (as you can see), non GMO, no soy. I have the brine ready to go. I will post how I am cooking this bird and all the steps I am using to make an incredible turkey this year.

www.eastofedenfarm.com

Flank Steak with Fig Salsa

I saw this recipe in Southern Living and altered it slightly. Enjoy! It was delicious.

1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary

2 cloves organic garlic, chopped very fine 

kosher sea salt

black pepper

3 Tbs olive oil

1 1.25lb flank steak

3 c chopped fresh figs

1 green onion

2 Tbs white wine vinegar

3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese crumbled

Stir together rosemary, garlic, salt,pepper and 1Tbs olive oil. Rub onto steak. Preheat grill to 400 or use broiler oven. Toss figs, green onion and vinegar in a bowl. Add remaining 2 Tbs olive oil. Grill or broil steak to desired doneness. Let stand 5 minutes then slice on a diagonal across steak into thin strips. Arrange on a platter and and spoon fig salsa over steak and sprinkle with cheese.

 

Proscuitto Egg Cups

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 package of proscuitto or 6 slices from deli

6 small to medium organic free range eggs

4 leaves of fresh basil (grow your own in a pot, it's so easy and so good)

Sea salt

Black Pepper

1/4 c Mozarella cheese optional

 

Oil 6 muffin cups of a large cupcake baking pan. Fold in 1 slice of proscuitto to make a "cup" or liner into each of the 6 holes. Sprinkle a little mozarella cheese into each hole. Crack one whole egg into each "cup" and tear basil leaves into small pieces and add to the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10- 12 minutes or until done. Yellow of egg should be cooked. Great the next day too.

 

 

Field Green Salad with Blueberries and Pecan Encrusted Fish

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup organic blueberry preserves or fruit spread

1/3 cup olive oil

1 5.5  oz pack organic baby spinach

1 5.5 oz pack spring greens

3/4 c crumbled blue cheese 

2 cups organic  blueberries, washed and drained

Heat chopped nuts in a small skillet over medium heat until toasted. Stir often.

Wisk together balsamic vinegar, blueberry preserves and olive oil in a small bowl.

Combine nuts and greens in a bowl and add blue cheese and blueberries.

Drizzle with dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

We had leftovers and it was good the next afternoon but would not hold up any longer than that.

Pecan Encrusted Fish Ingredients:

1 stick of Kerry Gold garlic and rosemary butter (found at local grocery)

1 lb of white fish (trout or grouper...whatever you like)

1 cup of pecans, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor

Melt the stick of butter in a glass baking dish.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay the fish filets in the dish on each side to cover with butter.

Place the fish in another shallow dish and cover with nuts. Make sure to coat both sides.

Place fish in a foil lined pan and bake until done. Fish should be white and flakey.  The thickness of the fish will determine how long you need to cook it but I would start with 8 to 10 minutes.

We really enjoyed this dish. Hope you do too.

 

 

Super Fast Spicy Chili with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

2 lbs Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef

2 14.5 oz cans Hunts Seasoned Dices Tomato Sauce for Chili

Mexican Chili Powder

1 small Onion, sliced and chopped

1 half of a butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 c cabernet wine

 

Brown the ground meat in a large stockpot over medium heat until done. Add 2 Tbs (or more if you like it spicier) of chili powder. Add 2 tsp of ground Cumin. Add the two cans of tomatoes and then the raw onion. Stir. Once mixture gets hot and bubbly add the butternut squash cube and simmer about 20 min or until squash has softened. Serve hot with a wonderful salad!

Here is photo of the tomatoes:

Chicken with Fennel, Apple and Raisins.

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb with stalks

EVOO

4 chicken cutlets ( or a breast sliced in half to be thin)

sea salt

black pepper

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 c dry white wine

3/4 c organic chicken broth

1/4 c raisins

2 tsp red wine vinegar

 

Fine chop 1 tbs of fennel fronds. Thinly slice the bulb into 2 inch long thin strips not including the core.Slice 1 small apple into small pieces.( I leave the skin on)

Heat about 2 tbs of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken cutlets and sprinkle with salt pepper and rosemary. Cook 4 minutes on each side until done. Remove from the pan and keep warm in foil. Add fennel bulb to pan and saute 1 min. Stir in wine. Add a pinch of salt, chicken broth, raisins , apple and vinegar; cover and cook 4 to 5 minute until fennell softens. Return chicken to pan and stir. Serve hot.

Sausage and Spinach Scramble with Fried Eggs

This is still a favorite breakfast of mine. I wanted to post it to give everyone an easy Paleo breakfast to start off the new year with.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 oz lower fat breakfast sausage not in casing

2 big handfuls of fresh organic baby spinach

2 omega 3 eggs

Coconut Oil

Fry the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. I like to break it apart into "scrambles".  Turn the heat to low. In a separate skillet fry the eggs in coconut oil to the desired temperature.  Add the spinach on top of the sausage and just as it starts to wilt remove everything onto a plate and add eggs on top. Serve hot.

Paleo Magazine

I made Sunday Dinner using recipes from the Paleo Magazine. They were fabulous and I highly reccomend getting this distribution. I think it would be a great Christmas Present too.

Paleo Magazine Online

 

Paleo Dry Brined Turkey, Sausage Veggie Stuffing, and Holiday Sweet Potatoes.

This week-end I'm going to try the Holiday Prime Rib and maybe some Ginger-Bread Men.Sounds Delicious!