Roasted Squash Slices

The sun is shining! It is spring-like out there, and I could just walk about forever in this weather.

My lunch with a special mayo bowl inside!

This is a simple way to make butternut squash - no need to peel it because it softens in the cooking and is just fine to eat. It tastes best warm out of the oven, but I brought some in my lunch with some leftover chicken, bacon, and homemade mayo, and it was still good cold. The chicken was leftover from the one I cooked Sunday, and I am telling you - it stayed so moist and tender and delicious! I really am a fan of these Hilltop Pastures Chickens, they are noticeably much better than the Kadejan ones.

Lately I feel confused about all of the terms and identifiers of pasture raised animals. In an effort to really eat only grass-fed and pastured, minimally grain fed animals, I just can't make sense of it all. Kadejan chickens at the co-op are much cheaper than Callister Farms or Hilltop Pastures. I assume that there is more grass eating and more greenery eating/less grains in the latter two due to the difference in taste and moisture, and also the higher price, but again, I don't know!

Last weekend, after a tip from my paleo-eating friend, I learned that you can get half pigs from Pastures a Plenty at the Seward for just over $3 a pound. Woah! Total deal (if you are a member and use your 10% discount). When I compare to Hilltop Pastures, which comes out to about $6 a pound, I assume that the pigs are fed differently. Both are pastured, both appear to eat some grains, neither get antibiotics...they are different kinds of pigs, and Hilltop is smaller and says their pigs are known as a forager of pasture, but I just don't know. $3 a pound is a very good deal, and I like the Pastures a Plenty bacon. I need a round table of all these growers to compare and contrast.

Anyway! All that meandering to get us back to the Roasted Squash. This is so easy - I was low on veggies for lunch today, so stuck these in the oven this morning while I ate breakfast. Super easy.

Roasted Butternut Squash
Butternut squash, cut in half, seeded and sliced in 3/4" thick slices (thinner if you are in a hurry)
Fresh or dried herbs (I had some fresh thyme, marjoram and rosemary - but anything is good)
Fat of choice (I used bacon grease because it was in the pan, but olive oil also works)
Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Toss squash slices with oil/fat (either in a bowl, or in the pan/s you will use). Lay squash in a single layer, sprinkle with herbs and salt. bake for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of squash slices. Serve!

*For a nice breakfast treat, use the full round slice from the top half of the squash and have it with sausage for breakfast. It looks pretty all stacked up under the egg.

Sunday Roast Chicken with Carrots (and Kale)

I have had a chicken in my freezer from Hilltop Pastures farm since late last summer - I have not had one of their chickens before, and it was tucked away for some treat later on. This weekend was the day! And oh my, it was delicious - so juicy and tender. Their chickens are pasture raised, and are comparable to Callister farms' chickens that are sold at the co-ops. These ones are cheaper (I can't remember how much now, but I know they were less than Callister) - though of course you have to get them at the market or via their delivery locations. I highly recommend all of their meat - it is all pastured, the beef is grass fed and finished, and the family is great. You will see them all at the Midtown Farmer's Market, including the kids. (I am already waiting for the spring market and their pork chops on a stick!)

Anyhow. Sunday chicken. I never had the "sunday roast" tradition in my family, but while cooking the chicken and a bunch of veggies, I sort of had a longing for something like it. There is something satisfying about making a big roast of some kind, with lots of side dishes, to eat earlier on Sunday for a nice long meal. I don't know, maybe it is also the hint of spring, and the longer days that make me want to linger over early dinner, followed by tea and a whole evening ahead. I mean, I can do things after dinner now! Not just go to bed?!

I decided to make the chicken with a simple compound butter of salt and cinnamon (garlic would be good too). I also made roasted carrots, and kale salad (with just a tablespoon or two of golden raisins instead of craisins). I had just a wee bit of left-over cauliflower mashed potatoes, so they got reheated and spooned onto the plate too. All in all, it was a pretty low maintenance dinner. I love things that roast in the oven requiring nothing from me.

My upside down chicken! It's so fat!

Roasted Chicken
1 3-4 pound chicken
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t salt
3 T butter

1. Get your butter to room temp, and then use a spoon to mix it with the cinnamon to create a light brown butter mix. I put the compound butter under the skin and in the cavity of the bird. I also rubbed some on the outside, but the chicken was coola nd really the butter was not sticking to it. Later I thought I could have melted the compound butter and poured it on top. Anyway, however you do it, it will be good. Let the chicken sit out at room temp for about an hour or two before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Put bird in the smallest pan that it fits in, and set it in the middle of the oven. I just left mine be for 90 minutes. You certainly could flip the bird, but I didn't. I did go in during the last 20 minutes or so and spoon the buttery liquid from the bottom of the pan back over the chicken. (For some reason I put the bird in breast side down. I am not sure if this contributed to the really juicy chicken meat or not!)

Roasted Carrots
8 Carrots, sliced lengthwise (go for thinner carrots than the big fat ones if you can)
1 1/2 T Butter (or coconut oil)
Salt
Fresh rosemary (opt)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Lay carrots in a single layer in a baking sheet or pan that has a rim. Pour butter over the carrots, sprinkle with rosemary and salt. Bake in the 350 degree oven under the chicken for 35-45 minutes. I flipped my carrots once or twice during the cooking, but this does not seem necessary. (If you are making these separately and not with the chicken, you can do them in a 400 degree oven.) They turned out SO delicious.

Breakfast "taco" salad

Well, the winter kinda just keeps coming. I put my winter boots and ski shoes away last week, only to go get them out again on Monday morning. I am happy for all the precipitation though - the farmers will be resting much easier now than a few months ago when it looked like pure drought. I am starting to wonder when the spring green onions will get to show themselves, and when I'll be able to get some seeds in the ground! It's looking like it will be well into April before the soil is thawing. I did come across this handy guide to dates for planting vegetables from the U of MN extension though, just to get the ideas percolating.

I usually try to get in a big bunch of veggies in the morning - reference past piles of food or carrot porridge - and typically that means I cook a bunch early. The time change means that I am generally eating breakfast with the sunrise, which feels quite lovely. The other morning I was not in the mood to cook, and instead made a big delicious salad with bacon-y eggs and some homemade salsa from last fall. It was sort of like a breakfast burrito, without the burrito. And a little reminiscent of the Modern Times' amazing lime-cabbage slaw, which I LOVE. Because it was largely raw, it had a fresh, spring like quality. Which you know - bring it on. It is the equinox afterall!

Breakfast salad (use however much you are hungry for)
Purple cabbage, sliced thin
Green onion, chopped thin
Parsley or cilantro, chopped
fresh lime juice
olive oil
2-3 eggs
bacon
salsa
salt

1. Slice the cabbage as thin as you can manage, and toss in a bowl with chopped green onion and parsley or cilantro. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top, sprinkle salt, and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Chop bacon and saute in a cast iron skillet on medium until crispy, about 5-8 minutes. Pour in 2 whisked eggs, salt and cook until done. Add a good amount of salsa to eggs towards end of cooking, or alternatively, spoon salsa over salad.
3. Serve eggs with salsa over cabbage slaw.
*This would of course be amazing with avocado if you wanted to go really wild!

Hawaiian Feast: Laulau, Poi, and Poke

Coconut friend

This post actually comprises a couple of different meals, but I thought I'd put them all together and call it a smorgasbord. And more than any cooking, this post is highlighting some finds at United Noodles - namely laulaus and poi. You can buy laulaus and poi at United Noodles?! Who knew?! They aren't cheap at $15 and $10 respectively, though they wouldn't necessarily be cheap in Hawaii either. The eating of the feast coincided with me receiving 6 coconuts from my co-worker (she used them for drinks, but did not want the meat inside) - which meant a big coconut processing fest, followed by "fun with coconut shells!"

Laulau steaming....

Laulaus are pork (with some extra pork fat) and a little bit of butterfish wrapped in taro leaves. This ensemble is wrapped again, in ti leaves this time so that the little package can be steamed. When you buy them at United Noodles, they come frozen in a pack of 3. I put them in a steamer basket over boiling water and they were ready in 15 minutes. These were amazing - the taro and ti leaves smell so good! My Charming Companion and I kept trying to think up other (local) greens that could replace the taro, and though collards or spinach or lamb's quarters would do, there is something about the taro that is really unique. We did think about trying laulau with one of the aforementioned greens wrapped up in corn husks - aka tamale wrappers. It would be a laulamale. ha!

I ate my laulau with a simple egg drop soup of chicken bone broth, eggs, sesame oil, and wakame seaweed (which I love - also from United Noodles in the Japanese section). It is about the fastest soup ever and tastes good too. If you make this, be sure to really stir up the broth as you pour in the whisked eggs so that the eggs are thread-like. These got a little clumpy due to not quite enough ferocity in the broth stirring.

Poi is fermented taro root - it is a gooey thick paste that is light purple, that to me tastes faintly of sourdough. I think it is nice with raw fish (lomi salmon or poke), though My Charming Companion just eats it up plain.

Above, the frozen poi is heated over a double boiler so as to avoid defrosting the whole batch at one time. Instead, you can score the poi package down the middle, whack it firmly on some strong structure (like a butcher block) and keep half in the freezer for later. Heat it slowly in the double boiler, adding some water to get a nice smooth, not too thick consistency. Then let it sit to cool to room temp for serving. Otherwise just defrost the whole package and whisk up (with some water) for full consumption. Any leftovers will continue to ferment, so beware if you don't want it to get more sour!

Finished poi! Eat it with your fingers!

Poke is sashimi tuna (or in my case salmon - but could also be swordfish or even octopus - though you would cook that) that is marinated in sesame oil and a little coconut aminos, with hawaiian sea salt, chili pepper flakes, and limu seaweed. You can buy a little packet of poke mix at United Noodles - and really what you are buying is the limu, which seems hard to come by otherwise. I mixed mine with some fresh scallions too. And after you pick up your poke mix, you can pop right next door to Coastal Seafoods for your sashimi grade fish! Just remove the skin, and dice.

Salmon poke - yum!

So, that is the feast. One of my fave Hawaiian dishes that was not made this time around is lomi salmon, which is a salad of raw salmon with green onions, tomatoes, and hawaiian sea salt. This is not the time for tomatoes though, so that will have to wait for summer!

Coconut friend eating a laulau.

Morroccan Preserved Lemons

Meyer lemons are in season right now in places like California. They are sweeter, more orange-y than standard lemons, and are always recommended in fancy lemon desserts. They also seem like a good selection for my first ever attempt at Preserved Lemons.

Preserved lemons are basically pickled in lots of salt, with whatever other spices suit your fancy. I made mine more Moroccan style, but there are lots of ways you could go. My preserved lemons are currently in week two of brining, and after another two weeks they will be ready to eat. You eat the peel and chop it up to put on fish, salads, chicken, veggies, in the previous post's couscous, etc. Apparently you can put it in anything that calls for lemon, and the preserved lemon will be even better. So I hear - this is all just second hand information until mine are ready. Oh the wait!

I based my recipe and directions off of this lovely post by Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (his photos are also way nicer than mine, but so it goes), though modified it to suit my spices. I did not can the jars of lemons (I checked several other preserved lemon recipes and it seems unnecessary) or wash them. I don't know, I'm just not a food washer when I buy it from the co-op. Here is what I did:

1. Slice off ends of each lemon, then slice lengthwise, almost in quarters. You want the lemon to still be in one piece, but almost cut through.
2. Using Kosher, pickling or pure sea salt, stuff the lemon. Pack it in well, and use about a tablespoon per lemon. Mush the lemons into a clean Mason jar. I used a large mouth quart jar and fit 6 meyer lemons, though probably could have smashed a 7th in there. Toss a little more salt on top.
3. Next add in whatever spices you want to use. I went with: Cinnamon (preferably a stick, but I only had powder), peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves (again I only had powder), and cardamom seeds/pods. I debated about putting in some fennel but I think I kept it out. ?
4. "Cover the lemons with vinegar or lemon juice, or not." It seems that many people put some extra lemon juice in there to cover their lemons. I only had a couple of other lemons on hand, so I put in the juice from them and then went for the "mush the lemons until their own juice covers them" method. It took a week or so until the lemons were entirely covered with juice, but nothing seems to have contaminated or otherwise compromised the exposed lemons in the meantime. So, do what you will. After my mushing, the quart jar is now only half full because everything is so squished down in there, releasing all those juices. Put a lid on the jar.
5. Put the jar/s in a dark place for 3-4 weeks. After that they are ready to eat, and they need to be kept in the fridge. They will last at least a year, if not longer.

Once mine are done I will do an addendum to the post about how they taste....to be continued!

Paleo Cauliflower "Couscous"

I ate this cauliflower couscous on Friday. And then I made it again tonight for dinner. It is SO good, I would have it a 3rd time this week if I had more cauliflower. Yum.

In addition to numerous meals of this couscous, my weekend also included numerous repeats of this song by the Roches. Up until Saturday I had never heard of them, but this dear song has been playing in my head or on my youtube since then (I listened to most of their other songs too)! I am finding them quite entertaining.

This recipe originally comes from the Clothes Make the Girl, though I made some modifications that I think make it even better (plus she uses a microwave and I don't). She is such a genius with the paleo foods - I am excited for her new cookbook coming out very soon.

Cauliflower Couscous
1 small head cauliflower
3 T coconut oil (or part olive oil)
1/2 large onion, chopped small
2 T golden raisins, craisins, chopped dates, etc
2 T chopped almonds, cashews, or pine nuts.
1 t. cumin
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. coriander
salt to taste
lemon zest (optional)

1. Heat 2 T of the coconut oil in a large skillet or heavy pot on med heat. Add onions, and saute for 5-8 minutes until translucent (you may need to lower heat a bit).
2. While onions are cooking, prepare the cauliflower. The stalk does not grind well into a couscous, so chop off the florets into somewhat uniform size pieces. You will then pulse/food process the florets in 2-3 batches in the food processor until couscous sized. *This is important, because otherwise you will not get uniform couscous pieces - you will get lots of clumps. So even though it is a pain in the butt, it is worth it! Process in batches!
3. Once onions are translucent and maybe starting to caramelize, add dried fruit, nuts, and spices. Saute another 3-5 minutes, stirring a bit, to get the flavors combined and to really bring out the flavor of the spices.
4. Add the "couscous" to the pan, stirring every so often. Add the last Tablespoon of oil/fat to the pan to keep the cauliflower from burning or getting too dry. Cook for about 8 minutes to make sure cauliflower is tender. Add lemon zest and salt to taste. Serve!

I ate mine with Meatballs with a sprinkle of cilantro and a little melted ghee. OMG it was incredible.

Coconut Oyster Soup

I've been experimenting with less heavy cream in my life, mostly just to see if I have any adverse reactions to eating it (or full fat dairy). I have not been able to detect any - even after doing the pulse test to see if I had any internal inflammation from it (under the assumptions that any internal inflammation impacts health and wellness and disease and all that). I learned about the pulse test from a friend, but you can read Dr. Coca's book for free online - the pulse test is on page 17. He has all kinds of interesting things to say about allergens and disease or chronic pain. I actually did a simplified pulse test, where I took my pulse rate several times over the coarse of a day. I then ate some cream (I had not had any dairy for over a week) and tested my pulse. If it had risen more than 6 beats per minute, it would have indicated some kind of allergic reaction. It didn't - but it did raise some and I am curious to try some of the longer term pulse tests to gather more info.

Anyway - this soup recipe is modeled from one by Terry Wahls, the doctor who treated her MS by diet and had really dramatic results. It is a perfectly good soup - however, the recipe does not highlight the oysters. And if I am going to have oysters, I want them to be the center of attention! So, certainly go for this if you are wanting a dairy free soup, but I might try it with shrimp or fish instead. Incidentally, now is the time to be eating oysters - at least for a just a bit longer (scallops too) - they are in prime deliciousness. Perhaps a ceviche recipe?!

Coconut Oyster Soup
1 lb of shucked oysters
2 T coconut oil
1 1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
2-inch piece galangal, sliced in discs
3-inch piece lemongrass
2-3 cups fish broth, clam juice or chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 T fish sauce (Red Boat is the GF brand)
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 basil leaves, minced
½ bunch of cilantro, minced

Heat coconut oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic, and saute several minutes. Add mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass, broth, coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Add oysters with any liquid and lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add cilantro and basil and serve.

Adding the lovely oysters!

Beef Liver Meatballs

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate organ meats into my diet, and these meatballs are a new addition that I like.  The liver taste is covered up fairly well by the ground beef and spices.  The more spice the better.

I took inspiration from a few different paleo recipes, specifically this one from primal palate.com.  I love the cilantro, it really adds a fresh and zesty element to the dish.  I paired them here with roasted carrots, but I really love to eat them with sautéed spinach.  You can wrap each meatball in a big piece of spinach and that helps to cut the liver flavor even a bit more.

Ingredients:
beef liver, chopped
ground beef
onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped
sea salt
pepper
garlic powder
cumin
paprika

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Form with a spoon or fork and drop into a roasting pan.  Roast at 350 for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Enjoy your dose of vitamin A!

Cauliflower Soup w/Lamb

This is another one of my favorite soups.  I had never tried cauliflower soup, but somehow it sounded like something I would really like.  I put together this simple recipe based on some of my other standby soup recipes.  Roasting veggies before putting them in the broth helps the over-all flavor.  Roasted cauliflower is really good on it's own, and the taste transfers to a soup very easily.  The prep time is short and the end product is satisfying and filling.

Ingredients:
1/4 pound ground lamb
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2-3 cups broth (chicken, beef, your choice)
big bunch of parsley, chopped
sea salt
pepper
coconut oil

Chop and roast the cauliflower at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  In the meantime sweat the onions in a bit of coconut oil in a big pot.  Once the cauliflower is roasted add the broth, cauliflower, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10-15 until the cauliflower softens.  Then, blend with an immersion blender or whatever type of blender you have available.  The lamb can either be sautéed in a separate pan or boiled in the blended soup.  Either way, lamb is a terrific addition to this soup.  It would also be excellent with coconut milk as well.  I actually think the soup has a coconut-like flavor as it is.

I think I may be obsessed with soup these days.  It's my favorite nourishing and fulfilling food at any meal.

Chou Farci (Cabbage Cake)

The Smitten Kitchen had a lovely post about stuffed cabbage recently - and it inspired me to do a bit more research into some of them. I now have a long list of stuffed cabbage items to make - including Sarma, an eastern European roll that is made using fermented cabbage leaves. Sauerkraut as a whole cabbage?! I have never heard of this, but have hopes to try fermenting some cabbage heads this summer.

What I did settle on immediately (though all the local cabbage is finally depleted at the co-op, so it is California stuff from here until July) is Chou Farci, a French cabbage roll that is actually more like a cabbage cake. Or maybe sausage pie. It is beautiful, and uses savoy cabbage, which I have never had the pleasure of meeting in any intimate terms until now.

The ingredients are simple, so you want a solid, good tasting sausage of any variety. I used my homemade Bangers, but you could use anything that you like - just remove the meat from the casing. The Seward seems to be making some pretty amazing sausages lately, so that might be worth a try. I modified the original recipe to be in American measuring terms, but didn't change it other than to add just a bit more meat. This was SO stunning to serve on a plate - I wished I had company to eat it with!

Chou Farci (serves 4)

 Blanched savoy leaves

1 large savoy cabbage
1 1/4 lb. sausage (you could easily do more or less here)
1/2 t fennel seed
2 T butter or ghee
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Set a LARGE pot of salted water on high heat to boil and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Remove 7 outer leaves from the cabbage - these should be the largest, most handsome ones of the bunch. Discard any outer leaves that are damaged or wilted. Once the water is boiling, submerge all 7 leaves in it for a 2 minute blanch. Pull leaves out with a slotted spoon or tongs, and lay on a surface flat to dry.
3. Cut the remaining cabbage head/core into quarters. Put them in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Squeeze out excess water, then remove the tough core part from each quarter. Chop what is left, or just pull the leaves apart. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, fennel, and salt and pepper.
4. Using 1 T of butter or ghee, cover the surface of a rounded oven-proof pot about 8" wide and 3" tall (or something slightly larger in diameter and shorter - you just want the largest cabbage leaf to fit in the bottom with overlap up the sides). Lay the largest, prettiest cabbage leaf in the bottom so that the edges curve up the sides. Then lay the remaining 6 leaves, stem side down, overlapping one another around the dish. (I forgot to take a photo of this step, but there is a nice one in the original recipe.)
5. Place 1/3 of the cabbage filling at the bottom of the pan on top of the cabbage leaves. Top with half the sausage. Repeat so that you end with the cabbage filling on top, and then fold the leaves over so that they create a "tidy parcel." Dot with last Tablespoon of butter/ghee. Bake in the 350 degree oven for one hour.

Before going in the oven

After the oven!

6. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to set. Over the sink (due to hot juices), invert the Chou Farci onto a plate and behold the beauty of the savoy cabbage leaf! Serve with cauliflower potatoes for the ultimate comfort meal.