ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH SPICED CHICKEN SAUSAGE AND APPLES

I love this time of year.  I love the brilliant colors that cling to the trees and litter the ground with fiery reds and canary yellows.  I love the sound one single crunchy leaf makes when you step on it.

Walk into a grocery store and you’re treated to a similar color scheme.  Bright red cranberries, aromatic oranges, apples splashed with vibrant colors, hearty greens and an array of squash draped in shades of fall. 

There is beauty in every season.  Pause.  Take a second to breathe it in.

I recently experienced one of these deep breath moments.  My husband was out of town hunting, it was just me and the kids for the weekend.  I stood in my kitchen, staring into my depleted fridge, wondering what I could possibly throw together that would be nutritious and eatable.  

I pulled out the following random ingredients, pushed my sleeves up and exhaled.  Less than an hour later, my kiddos and I sat down to a beautiful fall inspired Paleo meal of squash, greens, apples and sausage spiced with warm flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg.

GROCERY LIST

2 Acorn Squash, halved and deseeded
Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
½ Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 lbs. Spiced Chicken Apple Sausage, ground (I found mine at Whole Foods)
2 Apples, chopped into rather large pieces
4 Leaves Kale, chopped

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1)                  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place halved acorn squash, flesh side down – skin side up, and bake 45 minutes. (skin is not eatable)

2)                  In a large frying pan, sauté bell pepper and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.

3)                  Add sausage to frying pan, breaking up into small pieces.

4)                  Cook 10-15 minutes or until sausage in cooked all the way through.

5)                  Toss in apples and kale, cook two minutes more until soft and warm.

6)                  To serve; place cooked acorn squash, skin side down on plate and fill with sausage and apple mixture.

 

 

Seasons change.  Embracing them and allowing ourselves to grow can result in beautiful things.

From my kitchen, to yours... Enjoy!

DON’T DOUBT THE SPROUT!!

There are many ways to prepare Brussels Sprouts, but this one is my favorite. I always make a LARGE portion, enough for dinner and breakfast (leftovers are KEY for a Paleo lifestyle)!! Think your kids won’t want to try?!? Follow along and learn how to take Brussels Sprouts from YUCK to YUMMMmmmm!!

GROCERY LIST

2 bundles of Brussels Sprouts, steamed and chopped
Bacon (at least 6 strips), cooked and crumbled, reserve bacon drippings
Onion, sliced
Red Pepper, sliced
Salt & Pepper


COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Steam brussels sprouts for 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Brown bacon over med/high heat for a few minutes on each side. Don’t overcook!! Set aside on paper towels to drain & cool. 

 

Reserve bacon drippings (ALWAYS!!). I have this cute little tea cup that I reserve our bacon drippings in. Just toss in a pan when making eggs or veggies …. It adds DELISH flavor!! Bacon. Yummm!!

Once brussels sprouts have cooled, chop stems off and cut in ½ or ¼ (depending on the sprout size) pieces. Remove and discard any loose layers.

 

This is where it gets fun & my recipe becomes YOUR recipe. Use whatever sounds good, smells good or you think would taste good. I’m a fan of onions, peppers and BACON!! Chop & add as little or as much as you’d like. Stir in some fresh ground black pepper & the bacon drippings (or olive oil). Spread evenly onto a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Stir once or twice while baking.

 

 

Brussels sprouts are AWESOME with eggs!!

Brussels sprouts pair perfectly with any protein. Try them with spiced rubbed ribs and grilled pineapple!

 

 

From my kitchen, to yours.... Enjoy!!

ZUPPA TOSCANA

Every year, around this time in October, my girlfriends and I pack it up and head to the beach for a long weekend of chillaxing.  We spend our days cozied up at the beach house, chit chattin' and cooking up a storm. At night, we head into the small town of Ocean Shores, to stir up a bit o’ trouble. If you’ve ever been to Ocean Shores, you get my humor.

I always look forward to the night when Carrie cooks – she makes the BOMB Zuppa Toscana.  Realizing it was pretty darn close to being Paleo, it inspired me to make a few tweaks and add it to my Paleo recipe collection.  Talk about flavor to savor – this recipe is most definitely a keeper!!

GROCERY LIST

2 lbs. Italian Sausage
2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
4 strips of Bacon, sliced (I like to take kitchen shears and cut ½ inch wide strips)
2 cups Broccoli Florets
1 cup Mushrooms, chopped into large chunks
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Kabocha Squash, deseeded & cubed, leave skin on
6 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1 cup White Wine, preferably sweet
9 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Heavy Cream
Kale, chopped

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

In a large soup pot, brown sausage and crushed red pepper over medium-high heat.  Cook all the way through (about 10 minutes), breaking up the meat into bite sized pieces.  Remove from soup pot and drain meat of fat.  Set meat aside for later use.

In the same soup pot, over medium heat, brown bacon for 3 minutes.  Add squash, broccoli (not pictured), mushroom, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Sauté 5-7 minutes, stirring quite frequently.

 

Add wine; simmer for 1 minute to insure all alcohol is cooked out.

 

Add chicken broth and cooked sausage; bring to a boil for 3 minutes.

 

Remove soup pot from heat and stir in heavy cream.

To serve, lay a handful of chopped kale in a large soup bowl. Spoon Zuppa Toscana over kale and let rest 2 minutes, until the kale softens.   

This is absolutely my new favorite soup.  So much love and flavor goes into this dish.  Not to mention, ample vegetables filled with mega vitamins and minerals to keep you nice and healthy during cold and flu season.  Paleo goodness.  Mmm, Mmm, Good.

From my kitchen, to yours…. Enjoy!

‘The Godfather’ Sauce

There is no mistaking fall has arrived in Washington.  Smelling the season’s first day of rain, cast a spell on our family and sent us straight into hibernation.  Lazy days are few and far between at our house -- when we get them, we go all out.  Jammies.  Blankies.  Fireplace.  Movies.  Books.  Puzzles.  Bliss.

My husband and I snuggled up to watch his all-time fave movie, ‘The Godfather’.  I got a kick out of Clemenza’s red sauce demo.  Of course, I ended up in my kitchen speaking with a fake Italian accent, throwing together my Paleo version of The Godfather Sauce.

"Heh, come over here, kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh…? And a little bit o' wine. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick." --- Clemenza in 'The Godfather'

There are many ways to enjoy The Godfather Sauce without pasta, remaining in Paleo-rificness.  A few ideas to inspire you:

1)      Smother on top of rosemary chicken, serve with a side of broccoli.

2)      Go with Clemenza’s idea, add meatballs to the mix and serve with spaghetti squash.

3)      Use as a dipping sauce for meatloaf.

4)      Mix with a medley of roasted veggies like zucchini, onions, peas and cherry tomatoes. 

GROCERY LIST

¼ Cup Olive Oil

½ Onion, chopped

6 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Large Cans Tomatoes, crushed

1 Small Can Tomato Paste

1 Cup Red Wine

2 TBSP Italian Herbs, fresh -- OR – 1 TBSP dried

COOKING INSTRUCTION

1)       In a large frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. 

 

2)       Stir in both cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine and herbs.

 

3)      Bring sauce to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer 40 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent sauce sticking to the pan.  If sauce is too thick, add a ¼ cup water to thin it out.  Serve warm.

 

4)      After you’ve enjoyed your meal, allow any remaining sauce to cool and store in freezer for later use.

From my kitchen, to yours…. Enjoy!!

CINNAMON CRUSTED PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES & SAGE

Did anyone else grow up eating Pork Chops & Applesauce? This was a big hit in my house – I LOVED dipping my thin cut pork chop into my mom’s homemade cinnamon applesauce. I can hear her saying in a goofy voice when asked, "What's for dinner?" She'd say, “Pork Chaaaps and Applesaucccce”.

Reflections like this make me smile. I had NO interest in cooking at a young age. It amazes me how mom was able to influence me in the kitchen as much as she did. She’s probably equally amazed that I enjoy cooking and write a food blog!!

I took mom’s version of ‘Pork Chaaaps and Applesaucccce’ and dressed it up a bit by adding sweet Cinnamon, tart Apples and fresh savory Sage. Make yourself a list of the following ingredients and head on out to the market! This meal takes 15-20 minutes to prepare and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Enjoy!

GROCERY LIST
3 Apples
3 Shallots
5 TBSP Coconut Oil
2 TBSP Chopped Fresh Sage
Cinnamon
Salt
5 Large Bone-In Pork Chops (My Mom just blessed us with chops from her pig. Natural. Local. Free. Delish!!)
¼ C White Wine

Slice Apples – I’m always a fan of knowing what I’m eating. I typically slice, dice and chop on the larger side of things. If you have small children or prefer smaller pieces, by all means slice, dice & chop to your liking!

Thinly slice Shallots.

Chop Sage. I used Organic Sage from my herb garden I planted in the Spring – yes, it’s still alive & growing!!

Melt 4 TBSP of Coconut Oil in a large fry pan over Medium heat. Add Apples, Shallots and Sage. Sauté for 5 min. Remove Apple Sauté from pan and set aside.

Show your Chops some love, rub a generous amount of Cinnamon & Salt onto both sides.

Melt the remanding 1 TBSP Coconut Oil in the fry pan.

 

Place your Chops in fry pan.

 

Sear on both sides for 2 minutes.

Measure out ¼ White Wine.

Pour White Wine over Chops. Allow sauce to come to a boil – this will cook all the alcohol out.

Add the Apple Sauté back to the fry pan, over the Pork Chops.

Cover, turn heat down to Low. Let cook for 7 minutes (give or take, depending on thickness of meat).

I served these scrumptious Chops with AmaZing Asparagus (http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/paleo-in-a-pinch/2012/jun/27/amazing-asparagus/).

For more recipes and tips follow my blog at http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/paleo-in-a-pinch/ and find me on Facebook.

From my kitchen, to yours …. Enjoy!!

Curry Chicken Salad

A few years ago, I headed up North to visit my lifelong BFF, Melissa.  She had just given birth to her second child, my God-Daughter – Miss Maggie Dee.  I arrived on her doorstep, sporting a red cooler filled to the brim with enough arsenals to feed a small army! I was ready to cook, clean and hold baby Maggie, so mom could sleep, shower and do all the things that are nearly impossible with a newborn and a two year old. 

It was pure delight to be Mary Poppin’s for the weekend.

 

AND!!  To my culinary pleasure, Melissa requested I make her Mom’s curry chicken salad -- So simple, yet so tasty and super easy to Paleo-fy. Yes, please!

Follow along and learn how to turn a blahhh…. lunch time routine, into a SuperCaliFragilisticExpialidocious (!!!) Paleo cuisine!
 

GROCERY LIST

1 Lb. Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless

1 Garlic Clove, peeled

½ Onion

3 Celery Stalks, sliced lengthwise and diced

1 Apple, cored and chopped

¼ Cup Red Onion, diced

½ Cup Grapes, the small size works great for this recipe – otherwise, cut large grapes in half

½ tsp. Curry Powder (if you love curry like I do, add a bit more!)

½ tsp. Salt

1 Lemon, juiced

Lettuce


DIRECTION

1)     In a large sauce pan, bring pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add chicken breast, whole garlic clove and ½ onion.  Reduce heat to medium high to gently boil for 20-25 minutes, or until no pink remains.

2)     Meanwhile, chop/dice celery, apple, red onion and grapes.  In a large bowl mix together with lemon juice, curry powder and salt.

3)    When chicken is fully cooked, chop.  Add to mixture in bowl.  Stir to combine.  Chill for at least 15-20 minutes. 

4)     Serve over chopped lettuce or as a lettuce wrapped sandwich.

This recipe serves 2-3 people and is easily doubled OR tripled for larger families and/or leftovers.

We can all learn a thing or two from Mary Poppins who says, "Why do you always complicate things that are really quite simple?"  Curry Chicken Salad.  Deliciously simple.

For more recipes and tips follow my blog at http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/paleo-in-a-pinch/ and find me on Facebook.

From my kitchen, to yours ...Enjoy!!

Taco Tuesday, BaBy!!

Before going Paleo, my husband and I were huge fans of Taco Tuesday – here, there and everywhere… give it to me! Now that we live in the grain and dairy free world, it makes it a touch difficult to hit up your local taco joint. Beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, MSG ….. yahhh, they just don’t mix in the Paleo world. I’ve also realized that most taco seasoning packets, Organic or not, either have MSG or flour as an ingredient – making it a challenge to enjoy Taco Tuesday at home.

I’ve given a few attempts at homemade taco seasonings, but none offered the spice I was looking for. Craving Taco Tuesday last week, it was my quest to make a Paleo-riffic taco seasoning worthy of sharing. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when Erin, my friend who has an amazing garden and randomly drops off her bounty to share, left a beautiful box filled with tomatoes and jalapeños on our front porch. INSPIRATION!!

I’m all about spices and seasonings, but what I needed was a real kick in the pants. Jalapeños, BaBy!! I took chopped red onion & minced Jalapeño, sautéed in olive oil and added 100% grass-fed ground beef. Once the beef was browned, I tossed in my special concoction of spices and simmered. Even before the first bite, I could smell this was Paleo-riffic.
I’m so pumped to share this with you – Happy Taco Tuesday!!

TACO MEAT
4 lbs. 100% grass-fed ground beef
1 Red Onion, chopped
4 Jalapeños, minced
Olive Oil

TACO SEASONING
1 TBSP Cumin
1½ tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Onion Powder
1½ tsp. Salt
1½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper

SIDES (optional)
Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Olives, sliced
Green Onion, sliced
Jalapeño, minced
Avocado, sliced
Salsa

1) Sauté red onion and jalapeño in olive oil over medium heat 3-5 minutes.

2) Add ground beef and brown, stirring to break up the meat –about 10 minutes.

3) Turn heat down to low and drain fat from beef.

4) Mix together taco seasoning. Add ¾ warm water to taco seasoning and stir until mixed. Pour on top of ground beef and simmer 5-10 minutes.

5) Layer taco meat on top of lettuce. Add any additional toppings.

And there you have it – Taco Tuesday, Paleo style!!

For more recipes and tips follow my blog at http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/paleo-in-a-pinch/ and find me on Facebook.

From my kitchen, to yours …. Enjoy!!

WAKE UP ON THE SUNNY SIDE

I love that having your own chicken coop has become so mainstream.  Everyone has chickens these days.  Portland hipsters have chickens.  Your average family from The ‘Couve has chickens.  Not me.  I don’t have chickens.  BUT…I have friends that do!

Last week, I went to Madison’s house for breakfast – she’s my paleo lovin’ crossfit coach. She and her fiancé Jake are proud parents to their plump chickens named Salt and Francis. Every so often, on a very lucky day, farm fresh eggs appear in their coop.

I guess it was my lucky day. I was served a delicious farm to fork meal, thanks to Salt and Francis. PLUS!! Madison showed me a new technique for frying eggs. 

Follow along and ‘wake up on the sunny side’.


Grocery List

Eggs, 1-3 per person

Zucchini, chopped. ¼ Cup per person

Red Pepper, chopped. ¼ Cup per person

Green Pepper, chopped. ¼ Cup per person

Onion, ¼ Cup, chopped. ¼ Cup per person

Avocado, sliced

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

 

Sauté chopped veggies in olive oil over medium heat 5-10 minutes, until soft.Toss frequently to brown on all sides.

 

 

 

Remove veggies from frying pan and set aside.  Crack eggs into frying pan. Gently sprinkle veggies over eggs, season with salt and pepper.

 

Place lid on frying pan, leave slightly open.  Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.

 

 

Slide eggs and veggies onto a plate and top with sliced avocado.

Yummm.  Such a simple and delicate way to prepare eggs.  The yolk is perfect in texture and the egg white is light and crisp.  Paired with warm sautéed veggies and cool avocado you can’t help but ‘wake up on the sunny side’.

For more recipes and tips follow my blog at http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/paleo-in-a-pinch/ and find me on Facebook.

 From my kitchen, to yours ….Enjoy!

 

 

Cowboy Breakfast Scramble

Rise and shine, it’s time for breakfast! More often than not, eggs are on the menu at our house. It’s an Egg-cellent (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and affordable way to get your protein fix. Taking very little time to prepare, you can whip up a scramble in less than 15 minutes. One of our favorites is the Cowboy Scramble – my son, Jude, absolutely loves when I make this for him. I wonder if I came up with a Princess Scramble, would my daughter, Bella, start liking eggs again. Hummm…..

Anyways, I love the flavor of Chorizo. Spicy enough to kick start any meal, but mild enough my kids will eat it! Just toss in a few sweet veggies, scramble in farm fresh eggs and top with creamy avocado -- BANG!! You’ll be ready to strap on your boots, saddle up your horses and ROCK the day ahead of you!!

Grocery List

Eggs, 2-3 per person

Chorizo (I buy chorizo sausage links from Whole Foods.  I make 2 links at a time and use 1/2 for the scrabble and save the rest for another scramble OR!! try my BBQ’d Egg & Chorizo Stuffed Peppers. SO GOOD!! Here is the link to the recipe http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/pale...)

Sweet Potato, chopped (1/4 C. per person)
Green & Red Pepper, chopped (1/4 C. per person)
Onion, chopped (2 TBSP per person)
Avocado, sliced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Chop veggies. Make the most of your time and chop enough veggies for 3-4 scrambles. Store in air tight containers and toss in the fridge for easy grab and go cooking. Store potatoes in water to prevent browning.

In a frying pan, brown chorizo over medium heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

 

 

In a separate frying pan, add olive oil and veggies.

 

 

 

Sauté over Medium heat for 7-10 minute, tossing veggies to brown evenly.

Add sautéed veggies to chorizo pan.

 

Add eggs, salt and pepper. Scramble to desired doneness. Serve eggs topped with sliced avocado and fresh fruit on the side.

 

 

 

From my kitchen, to yours….. I hope y’all enjoy!!