Meatballs

So a few days ago I took out one of the grass fed chuck roasts that were a part of my bulk beef order with the intention of making a roast.  Well, I'm going to Chicago for the weekend tomorrow and this thing took about 3 days to thaw, so, no roast for me.

Instead, I made meatballs!  And man, there really IS a difference between grain and grass fed beef.  These meatballs were so full of flavor, and not dry at all.  I had to stop after 3, I could have gorged on those things.

• 2# grass fed chuck roast, cut into chunks (if you don't have grass fed, use what you've got)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1T olive oil
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 400.

Take your chunks of roast and toss them a handful at a time into the food processor and pulse until it's ground like hamburger meat.

In a large bowl, combine everything and mix together.  Form the balls (I used a large cookie scoop and ended up with 20 meatballs) and put on a rimmed baking sheet.  Now these will be wet, but don't worry, they won't fall apart.

Bake for 20 minutes.

One of the easiest things you'll ever make

So I'm buying 1/4 of a cow that is due in next week, so I'm trying to make room in my chest freezer in the basement to fit all of the meaty goodness coming my way.  Out came the turkey breast.

This is a little lengthy process (over 2 days), but it's very little hands on work, so it's great!

Ingredients:

• Bone in turkey breast 
• 3-4 tablespoons Penzey's Greek Seasoning (or whatever Greek seasoning you like, or really, whatever seasoning you like)
• 1/2 stick butter
• Olive oil
• Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)-for the gravy (optional)
• Kosher salt

Okay, day 1, get your turkey out of the package and rinse it.  Grab yourself a large stock pot (large enough to hold the turkey breast while it's submerged in water) and fill it with cold water and kosher salt.  You want to make a brine, and a standard one is 1 cup of salt per 1 gallon of water.  I used about 2.5 cups of salt for my brine and it was just a tad on the salty side, but I like salt, so it didn't bother me.

So, get your briny water ready and dunk the turkey breast in and stick it in the fridge overnight.

Next day, take the turkey breast out of the brine and rinse it with cold water.  Put the turkey in a crock pot (it's great if you've got a large oval one) and cut some slits in the skin and stick the cubed butter under the skin all over.  Next, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top and rub the Greek seasoning all over.

Put the cover on the crock pot and cook on high for 1 hour then on low for 5-6 hours or until the juices run clear.

Now this last part is optional, but tasty good.  When the turkey is done in the crock pot, preheat your oven to 450.  Place the breast in a baking dish and drizzle a little more olive oil over the skin and bake for about 5 minutes, just to crisp the skin a little bit.

While the turkey is in the oven, again, optional, but tasty good, take the liquid from the crock pot and put it in a skillet and bring to a low boil.  Mix in some arrowroot powder or cornstarch to thicken and, stirring frequently, keep on a low boil until it starts to thicken, then reduce to a simmer for a few minutes.

Let the turkey stand for a few minutes, slice, serve and enjoy!

Goat cheese "risotto"

• 6 cups of cauliflower, riced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
• 1-2 cups of chicken stock
• 4 ounces goat cheese 

In a large saute pan, add the oil, garlic and onions and saute over medium heat until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add the cauliflower rice and let get a little brown (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the chicken stock (I used 1.5 cups, so start with 1 cup and add as needed) and increase the heat a bit until you get a low boil, then bring down to low.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the goat cheese in and stir.  Resume cooking another 10-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note-the goat cheese is a subtle flavor here, but it was perfect for me.  If you want more of the tangy flavor, add another ounce or two!

Banana chia bread

So several months ago I made this recipe and it came out super amazing, except I added too much coconut oil and didn't let it cool before I tried to take it out of the pan, and it ended up a soggy mess.  Delicious, but messy.

My sweet tooth has been making a comeback and I wanted to give it another go, but I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so I made do with what I could, and the end result was still delicious, especially slathered with some coconut butter.  It was just a tad dry for my liking, so keep an eye on how long you bake it.

Banana Chia Bread

• 2 cups almond meal
• 3/4 cup arrowroot powder (disclaimer: I totally cheated and used cornstarch, only because 1) I only have a small amount of arrowroot powder and 2) arrowroot powder is expensive!!  If you use cornstarch, it's an even equivalent)
• 1/4 cup golden flax meal
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2-3 bananas, mashed (the riper the better!  I used 2 and it gave me a cup.  The bread came out just a little dry for my liking, so go ahead and add another banana if you want)

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together then pour into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until combined.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for at least an hour before removing.

Coconut blueberry bread (and a bonus recipe!)

So it's blueberry season here in Michigan, and yours truly bought 3 pints last week.  Why?  I don't know.  I'm not going to eat 3 pints of blueberries before they go bad....and so, I baked.

Now this isn't going to be your traditional soft, fluffy, pound-cake like bread you are used to as coconut flour is very dense and can dry things out.  However, don't overbake it and slather it with some yummy stuff like coconut butter or sunflower seed butter and you've got a tasty treat.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan.  Grease it good as this will try to stick!

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, mix everything but the blueberries together until combined.  Now, the batter is going to be thick, you can always thin it out a little with some almond milk if you want.  Fold in the blueberries and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges are brown.  Remove from oven and let cool before removing from the pan.

UPDATE:  So while this was tasty, I felt like it could be better so I turned it into french toast, and it was way tasty!  Cut a couple of slices and soak in almond milk (or your milk of choice) for a while (like an hour or two at least), then dip in egg and cook in a skillet with your fat of choice (I used coconut oil).  Serve with syrup or a berry compote (I did a pint of strawberries and blueberries with a splash of almond milk and then mashed the berries a few times to get a nice sauce out of it).  You won't even miss the sugar!

Paleo fried chicken

Okay, because I believe in giving credit where credit is due, the original recipe came from the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook, but below is my take on it.

And I'll tell you right off the bat, this isn't your KFC variety, super crispy chicken skin, but it's also a heck of a lot better for you!  Plus, I didn't use some trans fatty garbage to do the frying, I used organic all natural, all vegetable shortening.  I bought a 4 pack several months ago from Amazon and just noticed that they expire in February 2013 so I thought I'd better get cracking and use some of this stuff up.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to soak the chicken in a brine, but I will definitely do it next time.  It's the best way to go, and no, you don't need sugar for a brine like a lot of recipes suggest.  I usually do 1 cup of kosher salt per 1 gallon of water and soak overnight.

Now, on to yummies...

• 2 pounds chicken (I used legs because it's what I had on hand, but you can use any combination)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, this added the perfect amount of heat for me)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil (just makes for easier cleanup) and place a cooling rack on top (this will keep your chicken crispy as it bakes

Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, melt your cup of shortening over medium heat.

Whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl and add the chicken, making sure it's coated.

In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients and add the chicken.  I tossed my chicken in one at a time to ensure even coating.  It took a few extra minutes that way, but every piece had a nice crust on every side, so to me it's worth the effort.

Once the shortening/oil is melted, put the chicken in and let cook on each side for about 2 minutes.  It's important to let it rest once it's in there and not move it around too much, you don't want the coating to fall off! 

Remove the legs from the skillet and place on the baking sheet until all of it is ready for the oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.  I had to bake the legs for about 25 minutes.

The end result is a crunchy coating and juicy chicken and a much better for you meal then you'd get in the drive thru!

Meat muffins

I've got a freezer full of grass fed ground beef, which is kind of awesome, but you kind of get into a rut with what to do with it.  Using this recipe as a base, I added on to it with what I had.  This isn't very pretty but it comes together quick, stores easily and is a super quick protein addition.

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4-1/2 cup almond meal (my ground beef was really wet, so I needed 1/2 cup to keep it all together, but you may use less depending on how yours is)

Preheat oven to 375 and grease 2 standard size muffin pans

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until combined.  Drop equal amounts into the pan and bake for 15-25 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.  An easy way to take these out is just to grab them with some tongs and put them on a cooling rack over a plate so they can drain.  

Makes approximately 18 muffins.

PS-These are dog approved too!  I came back and noticed 2 were missing, but neither of my animals owned up to the theft.