pork shoulder + sauerkraut

This recipe looked so delicious on the Nutty Kitchen's site. It calls for a pork shoulder but I ended up using a Boston Butt. The meat ends up so tender and the sauerkraut is really tasty. I've never had sauerkraut before and I would definitely eat it again. My mom, who can't stand sauerkraut, ate the dish. My dad loved it. 

The last time I made the rice I hand chopped the cauliflower and it was a failure. Use the food processor. The bacon cauliflower rice recipe is almost like pan fried rice and is delicious.

Ingredients

▪   3 lbs of pork shoulder, cut into big chunks

▪   2 lbs of sauerkraut (washed it really well – drain well too)

▪   2 tbsp coconut oil

▪   1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

▪   1/2 tsp Caraway seeds

▪   A pinch of sea salt to taste, as well as some fresh ground black pepper

▪   1 red chili

▪   2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped

▪   1 tbsp of paprika powder

▪   3 – 4 whole pepper corns

▪   1 bay leaf

▪   1 cup of water

▪   1 tsp of Chef’s Shake

Preparation

In a very large soup pot, roast onions and garlic with coconut oil until golden brown, add Paprika, stir well and add meat. Stir in meat and add Sauerkraut, and all other ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours. After about 2 hours, turn back up to medium high until almost all the moisture has evaporated, and serve.

▪   1 head of cauliflower (finely chopped in food processor)

▪   2 thick strips of all natural pork bacon

▪   1 medium onion, finely chopped

▪   2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

▪   1 green chili pepper, finely chopped

▪   S&P to taste

In a pan cook the strips of bacon, remove the bacon, and chop them up into small bits.  Use the bacon fat to saute the onions, pepper, and garlic until golden brown.  Add cauliflower rice and bacon bits. Pan-fried for 10 minutes.

spagetti squash pasta

Sometimes I just feel like pasta, well really its the pasta sauce I crave, especially in the winter. Good thing squash is a winter vegetable. When choosing a spaghetti squash look for the yellow-est ones as those will be the ripest and best to eat. When it comes to choosing a jarred pasta sauce, be sure to read the labels for added sugars. I'm really fond of Scarpetta's sauace. 

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash, halved with seeds removed
1.5 lb. medium shrimp
1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 lemon zest
Chili flakes

Prep:

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds from the interior. Drizzle the flesh with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Lay each squash half flesh side down on a foiled oven tray and pop in the oven until a knife pierces the flesh easily. Smaller ones will take less time to cook than larger ones so check them about 45-60 mins. Larger squash can take up to 1.5 hrs.

Once ready, remove from oven, let cool enough to handle and using a fork gently scrape out the ‘spaghetti’.

Place tomato sauce, zest, and chili flakes in a sauté pan and gently simmer shrimp until pink and firm to touch about 15 minutes. When ready to serve add spaghetti squash to sauce and toss to coat. Of course you can eliminate the shrimp and eat on it’s own or you can add grilled chicken.

rainy weekends = chili

A rainy Saturday morning paddle to see the manatees left us chilled and desiring a warm cup of soup. Not that many manatees around the springs, however there were lots of people, probably 10 for every manatee.

With three different types of meat this chili recipe is hearty and not for the faint of heart. The spice blend is a little on the sweet side so if you like it spicy up the cayenne pepper. There are no beans so if you must have them in your chili add a can or two.

All or Nothing Chili

Ingredients

1.5# pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chuncks

1.5# flank steak, cut into ½-inch strips
1# ground buffalo

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. instant coffee powder

1 tsp. mustard powder

½ tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

5 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped

28-ounces diced tomatoes

14-ounces stewed tomatoes

18-ounces beef broth

Salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine the pork tenderloin and flank steak. Pulse until chopped, but not ground. Don’t overdo it. Set aside.

In a large, dry stockpot over medium heat, combine the seasonings. Toast the seasoning, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Watch them closely as I almost burned mine. Transfer the seasonings to a plate or small bowl and set aside.

Return the stockpot to the burner over medium-high. Add the oil and heat, then add the onion. Saute until the onion is just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add the chopped pork tenderloin and flank steak, as well as the ground buffalo. Cook until the meat begins to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the reserved spice blend, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle bubble. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes.

kale chips

The greens at the market have been so wonderful this year. This recipe was posted on the Beasley's Farm webpage, a local farm in Brooksville. I think the recipe was delicious and an easy way to get your veggies. My dad wasn't so sure of them, he definitely preferred his Fritos. To get through the entire bunch of kale I bought it took me four batches so you need to scale this recipe to how much kale you have. 

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

dash of sea salt

dash of garlic powder if desired

ground black pepper if desired

chopped fresh herbs if desired

Prep

1. Preheat an oven to 250 degrees.

2. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3. Carefully remove the thick stems from the leaves and tear into bite size pieces. (The stems are tough and contain a lot of water).

4. Wash kale pieces and thoroughly dry by patting dry with towels or use a salad spinner.

5. Place about 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into a zip top baggie, and thoroughly smoosh oil around to line baggie inside.

6. Put dry kale pieces in the baggie, zip it tightly, and shake until all pieces are lightly coated with olive oil.

7. Place kale pieces on parchment paper, taking care to separate pieces and only having a single layer (more than one layer will prevent the drying process).

8. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, herbs and any other spices or seasonings you enjoy.

9. Bake until the edges are brown but not burnt, 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Some recipes say to bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. 

paleo sandwich bread

Felt like a little bread today so I made this recipe borrowed from Elena's Pantry. Pretty good although I think I'd leave out the salt next time. My aunt Wendy, visiting from Colorado, and my mom both liked it as well. Looking forward to a sandwich tomorrow for lunch; my first in two years.

Ingredients

¾ cup roasted almond butter, at room temperature

4 large eggs

¼ cup blanched almond flour

¼ cup arrowroot powder

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp ground flax meal

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 7 x 3-inch loaf pan with grapeseed oil and dust with almond flour.

In a large bowl, mix the almond butter with a handheld mixer until smooth, then blend in the eggs. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda, and flax meal. Blend the almond flour mixture into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, until a knife inserted into the center of the load comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve.