Simple Bolognese "Paleo Pasta"

Well. The cold persists. That is all I really have to say about that. And in the words of my co-worker Jenna, "This weather just makes me want to go home and eat mashed potatoes." This isn't quite that, but is kind of comfort food-ish. I actually did eat some of this sauce on leftover mashed cauliflower this week though, and it was really good. Not so traditional, but good.

This is my go-to pasta sauce for spaghetti squash or zucchini "noodles" - it is really pretty with some (no longer) frozen garden tomatoes, and is pretty easy. I grew up eating pasta with sauce from a jar - and later homemade sauce without meat. Those were fine - tomatoes are good. But I LOVE bolognese sauce. Really. It's its own classification of pasta sauce I think. I've made a few different versions of it over the past few years, but this is probably the most simple because it uses Italian sausage rather than a bacon/beef combo, and it doesn't use any dairy or other liquids. If you have some dry wine around, or a bit of chicken broth - throw some in - but it's tasty just the way it is.

Simple Bolognese Sauce
1 lb Italian sausage
1 small onion, diced small
1 celery stalk, diced small
1 medium carrot, diced small
2-3 oz tomato paste
2 c (or so) frozen/canned tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Brown sausage in a large heavy skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot to saute in any excess sausage fat. Add extra fat if needed and cook together until sausage is cooked and crumbly, onions are translucent, and carrots are starting to soften.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices/herbs. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for awhile - an hour (ideally), but at least 30 minutes.
3. While sauce simmers, cook your spaghetti squash, or julienne your zucchini! Both are great. I just eat my zucchini noodles raw, and I use an old school mandoline slicer. If you are making spaghetti squash, just cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp and seeds. Roast cut side up in a pan for 45 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and separate/remove "strands" with a fork.

Dark Chocolate Chunks with Fleur de Sel

My birthday is this week, so I am making a treat!
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup quality coconut oil Note: if you do not want your chocolate to taste coconutty, you can opt for quality refined expeller-pressed coconut oil which does not have a coconut flavor. 
• 3/4 cup  cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup liquid sweetener—honey, maple syrup, agave, molasses, or a mix
• 1 tsp vanilla extract OR a good scraping of vanilla beans
• Optional: Fleur de sel or large grained seas salt

Instructions:

Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan, then add in the rest of the ingredients (except the fleur de sel). 
 





 Special bonus tip: I used my mom's old crisco measuring via cold water displacement trick to measure the coconut oil.  Less messy when it is hard. 




 Whisk together thoroughly. Turn off heat.  This happens fast.

To make chunky dark chocolate bars, line a baking dish with parchment paper, and pour in the chocolate. Refrigerate until hardened (it doesn’t take very long). Then, either cut into bars or break into chunks. If you want to add a sprinkling of fleur de sel, do so.

Another yummy idea: chop and toast some nuts, like almonds, and add to the top or bottom.  (I love this with toasted chopped almonds!)

Be sure to store your chocolate in the refrigerator or even the freezer so it doesn’t get melty. Coconut oil liquifies at 76 degrees.

You can also use this chocolate for dipping things like fruits, nuts, marshmallows, or pretzels.

Carrot Soup with Dukkah Spice

It is light out until 6pm! I think the longer days, plus the occasions of snow melting (before more falls again) is giving me some excitement for spring. I really notice the increase in daylight - and even though I still go to bed around 9:30, I feel a little more ambitious in the evenings. You know, I work on my rug braiding or cook rather than just getting into bed shortly after I get home! Which, btw, I've been listening to lots of This American Life lately, and I have several faves, including one about relationships and Gottman's research about successful couples. It references how gay couples outshine their heterosexual counterparts in communication and positive relational skills. In his limited study, he says that the best straight couples are almost as good as the worst gay couples. What!? More research I say!

Anyway. I made a big pot of chicken bone broth over the last 30 hours or so (in the crock pot), only to realize when I got home that I am totally out of containers to freeze the stock in. I used to use cream containers, but now I don't drink cream, and my supply of old yogurt containers is also maxed out. I need to find a new stock container system. After ransacking the cupboards, I found a couple of things to use, and then just decided to make a batch of soup with the last quart. I also drank a mug full because I was sick last week and the healing properties of bone broth seemed like they would be helpful. Gut health, anti-inflammatory and tons of nutrients! I have some stockpiles of both chicken and venison broth in the freezer and I want to start being more intentional about eating it more often. Plus it is so delicious.

So I decided to make a carrot soup, except I actually made it with a combo of carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. This is the 2nd time I've made this soup and the first version of straight up carrots was equally good. Really, the best part of the soup is the dukkah spice. I've never heard of it before, but the original recipe comes from Bon Appetit, and an internet search finds that dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend of nuts and seeds. In this case pistachios, sesame seeds, fennel, cumin, and coriander. Yum. I actually did not have cumin or coriander seeds, so had to use powder, which turned out fine but I think the seeds would be even better. It makes a delicious topping for the otherwise very simple soup - giving it a flavor punch and also a nice crunchy texture. I loved the dukkah and it would also be great on chicken or fish or cauliflower mashed potatoes. Mmmm.

Carrot Soup with Dukkah Spice
2 pounds carrots, chopped into 1-2" pieces*
1 onion 
2 T ghee/lard/etc
1/2 cup unsalted, shelled raw natural pistachios 
2 T sesame seeds 
2 tsps coriander seeds 
2 tsps cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp fennel seeds 
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns 
1 tsp kosher salt plus more
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 quart chicken bone broth
*Or substitute sweet potatoes or winter squash for some of the carrots.

1. Toast pistachios in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and let cool. Add sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and peppercorns to same skillet. Toast, stirring often, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Transfer spices to plate with nuts and let cool. Transfer nut and spice mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to a food processor or a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind. *I ground mine up in a coffee mill, and it ground everything up pretty small. I think a rougher grind would be nice, but the coffee grinder seemed easiest. (This can be done ahead and stored in a container for a week or so.)
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Place the carrots and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with melted ghee/fat or olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast until the carrots are tender and just beginning to brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let the carrots cool slightly. 
3. Transfer the carrot mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the vegetable broth. Blend mixture until soup is very smooth, 1-2 minutes. (I had to do this in a few batches.) Pour the soup into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add water by 1/4-cupfuls to soup for a thinner consistency, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Divide hot soup among bowls. Spoon a dollop of coconut cream/milk into center of each. Sprinkle with dukkah. (I think sprinkle is an understatement, I sort of doused it!)

Salmon and Sweet Potato Hash

This is a pretty simple recipe my friends made for me recently, and I fell in love with it. So had to make it myself.

They served a Paella type rice thing with it that involved lemon zest, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes which was very complimentary...  But I bet some of the Cauliflower rice would be good too.

Anyway, here goes:

Salmon and Sweet Potato Hash 

Get a big chunk of salmon. 

Cover it with some sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon slices. 

Wrap this in a tin foil packet, or place in a pan and cover. 

Cook for an hour at 200 degrees.

Get a couple two three sweet potatoes. 

Cut them into dice sized pieces. 

Do the same with red and green pepper and an onion. 

Throw the potatoes in a pan with olive oil and a clove or three of garlic. 

Cook for about 10 minutes. 

Add the peppers and onion. Cook for another 5. 

When salmon is done, shred the it and add that as well. 

And a generous amount of turmeric. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Paella Rice

Heat up olive or other type oil. Add 3 cloves of garlic (crushed), a healthy dose of red pepper flakes, and 2 cups of your favorite rice. Stir the rice around until coated with the oil. Add a bay leaf, ½ bunch of chopped Italian parsley, the zest of two lemons, and a quart of chicken stock. Bring to a boil (don't stir much), and then reduce to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, covered. Continue to not stir. When the stock is mostly gone, stir it and serve.

Cauliflower soup

Cauliflower soup recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegan margarine or coconut oil or bacon grease
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 potato, diced
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 4  cups vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash nutmeg

Preparation:

If you would like to use bacon: first make bacon, then eat it, or save it to crumble on top later :)

In a large soup or stock pot, sautee the onion and garlic in the oil of choice for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions are soft.

Add the chopped potato and cauliflower and cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the vegetable broth and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 25 - 30 minutes.

(bet you could add ham or something here Megan?)

Remove the bay leaves, then transfer soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt, pepper

Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala

Typical weekends often include me experimenting with a new recipe - or just trying something new. In the past two weeks though, my cooking curiosities have been eclipsed by wool rug braiding. I have spent hours and hours planning out a rug, getting wool, examining rug patterns, etc. Everything was finally assembled this weekend (in order to begin the braiding), and I found myself generating some interest in something other than rug making. The object of that interest is Chicken Tikka Masala - a recipe I bookmarked in Bon Appetit at least a month or two ago. (The rug braiding may continue to trump cooking over the next several weeks, depending on how things go...we'll see!)

I substituted coconut milk products for the cream/yogurt, and it turned out delicious, especially atop some cauliflower rice with cilantro. It's a rich, creamy dish that seems filling and warm on these cold days. Plus, I am always a fan of something that makes good leftovers. Yum.

Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala (adapted from Bon Appetit) 
4 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
2 T minced onion (or garlic)
4 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala 
2 teaspoons ground coriander 
2 teaspoons ground cumin 
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 T lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt 
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons ghee
1 small onion, thinly sliced 
1/4 cup tomato paste 
1 tsp ground cardamom  
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (or equal amt frozen ones)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk 
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
fresh lemon juice to taste 

Marinating Chicken

1. Combine onion/garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Whisk coconut milk, lemon juice, salt, and half of spice mixture in a medium bowl; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill 4-6 hours. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture. 
2. Heat ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and chile pepper and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until bottom of pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes. 
4. Add coconut milk and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Bon Appetit suggests 30-40 minutes - but I did about 20 with good results.
5. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside sheet (I did not have this, so just used a baking tray). Arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to blacken in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes. (I flipped them to get both sides due to lack of wire rack!) *I also added extra marinating sauce to the larger pot - I didn't want to waste any of that goodness!

6. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. 

Serve with cauliflower rice with some cilantro. I made my cauliflower rice by finely chopping 1/2 an onion that I sauteed in ghee in a large skillet. After the onion was translucent, I added cauliflower that I had pulsed in a food processor until it was rice/couscous consistency. I cooked them together for another 5-8 minutes, stirring a bit. I added some chopped cilantro before serving. The cauliflower rice was perfect to absorb all that amazing sauce! Yum. 

Crispy chicken livers

It's February! And there is so much snow everywhere! I've been getting a little more use of my snowshoes with all this snow. I also have been cooking lots of familiar (aka already posted) recipes and simple dishes that really are not so stellar in the blog posting world - stew, meat with roasted or sauteed veggies, carrot porridge, and more pork belly. I had a phone call with my homeopath a few weeks ago, and she was asking me about any food cravings. I told her really the main thing was fat and pork belly. : )

I did also try a new liver recipe from my now-returned-to-the-library copy of Well Fed 2. It's an interesting one because you soak the livers in some coconut milk, then coat them in a mix of spices, coconut flour, and arrowroot powder to fry. They turned out delicious, but I had some difficulty with the coconut milk/flour combo. It's like the coconut milk absorbed the flour, and then fell off the livers, which were then barely coated in the flour mix. (I still fried up some of the floury bits and they were really good!) SO I don't know if I need to really let the livers drip off coconut milk, or maybe my coconut milk was a little too thick? I might try this recipe again and just eliminate the coconut milk step all together. The spices in the flour mix were really, really good - a Moroccan flavored blend with some heat from the cayenne. I ate them with fresh mint, which was really nice. Fresh mint this time of year feels a bit novel - and not local. Maybe I could try growing it in a pot inside?

1 lb chicken livers
1/2 c coconut milk
1/3 c coconut flour
2 T arrowroot powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp coarse garlic powder
1/2 T cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne
2-4 T coconut oil (I used pork belly fat/lard which gets things extra crispy!)
lemon/herbs to garnish (parsley, cilantro, mint)

1. Cut livers into 2" pieces. Marinate in coconut milk for 10 minutes.
2. In shallow bowl, combine flour, arrowroot, and spices. But flour mix in a baggie with drained livers, and shake to coat. *This is where mine got a little messy - the coconut milk clumped in the flour.
3. Heat oil/fat in a large skillet on med-high. Once it is hot, add livers in a single layer and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until brown and crispy. This will take 2-3 batches to fry all livers - add more fat as needed because they soak it up!
4. Serve with fresh herbs and/or some fresh lemon juice sprinkled on top. I ate this with a chilled Moroccan carrot salad, and the two were great together (i love that salad!)