Naked Sliders

My mom used to make us "hamburger steak" all the time growing up. This is my take on her recipe. Experiment with seasonings and flavors that you enjoy; it's hard to go wrong here. I served these alongside a delicious Sweet Potato and Fennel Hash.

1 lb grass-fed beef

2 Tbsp butter or ghee

garlic salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Worcestershire, to taste

Form beef into 8 sliders, sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire, all to taste. Heat butter in a skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Grill burgers for approximately 6 to 7 minutes and then flip. Cook for an additional 6 to 7 minutes or until cooked to your preference. 

Hope to post a pic soon. 

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce with My Spaghetti Squash

My mom is a genius with a pound of ground beef and various cans of tomatoes. This is one of her specialties and one of my favorite spaghetti sauces. Those of you doing a New Years Whole30, eat your heart out!

• Large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (be careful!!) and seeds discarded
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T fresh basil
• 1lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 can(6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1-2 T Chili Powder, or to taste
• 1T Italian Seasonings, or to taste
• Garlic salt, to taste

 To roast spaghetti squash: Heat oven to 375. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish. Add water to the dish, about half an inch. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until squash can easily be cut with a knife. 

 

While your squash is roasting, brown beef very well then add Chili powder. Add other ingredients in order and cover. Simmer 20 minutes or until you are ready to eat, the longer the better though. 

 

Transfer squash to a large plate, hollow sides up, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Next, scrape squash out of rinds with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Toss squash with olive oil and basil.

 

Top a portion of spaghetti squash with a generous portion of sauce. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Meaty Veggie Tacos

Love love love this taco meat recipe. It is one of my favorite ways to pack in lots of veggies and it is super simple.The following ingredients and methods are what happened while making Layered Vegetable Enchiladas from my Whole Foods app using taco meat instead of a bean paste and making tacos instead of enchiladas along with a few other tweaks.

 (This picture does not do this meal justice.)

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
•  2 T taco seasoning (I make my own from this recipe, but I also add cayenne pepper and quadruple the recipe)
• 1 cup frozen corn (leave out for strict Paleo)
• 1 bell pepper, cut in strips, optional (I don't usually buy these-organic bell peppers are so expensive)
•  2 T lime juice
• 4 T chopped cilantro
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch Swiss chard or other leafy green, coarsely chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, brown turkey meat then add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Add yellow onion and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Serving options for taco meat: taco meat on its own or with rice; taco meat over lettuce; actual tacos with tortillas; layered between tortillas for "layered enchiladas". 

Depending on how this is served, the recipe will make 4-6 servings.

Paleo Meatloaf Cups

I followed this basic recipe but made several changes. The ketchup topping is key to this recipe so don't skip it! Try to use an organic ketchup from the store that has the fewest ingredients possible.

• 2 lb ground beef/turkey (or 1lb beef and 1lb uncased sausage)
• 1 ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 zucchini
• 1-2 peeled carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• other veggies you have on hand (squash, etc.) 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp fresh thyme, minced (or substitute dry)
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, minced (or substitute dry)
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp honey, optional
• ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pulse onion, zucchini, carrots, other veggies and garlic in a food processor until they are very finely chopped but not so fine that it is a paste. In a large bowl, combine the meat, salt, pepper, egg, veggie mix, red pepper, thyme, and oregano. Mix well, making sure to break-up the meat.
Lightly grease cupcake tins with coconut or olive oil and fill with 1/4 cup of the meat mixture. Place on top of a cookie sheet (sometimes the grease spills over the top and the cookie sheet catches it but also helps with moving the tins in and out of the oven) and cook for approximately 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ketchup, honey and Worcestershire sauce to make the sauce for the top of the meatloaf. After cooking for 10 minutes, gently spread the sauce on the top of the meatloaf cups. Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and 165 on a meat thermometer.

This makes approximately 20-24 cups that freeze and reheat very well. If you want to freeze them, cool completely, arrange on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen through, transfer to storage container of choice with wax paper between layers. To reheat, microwave for ~1 minute (we have an intense microwave so you may need longer).

Turkey Taco Stoup

This "stoup"(stew-soup) is thick and hearty and oh so delicious. I came up with the recipe during one of our budget-is-tight-so-what's-in-the-fridge nights. It is a combination of several recipe favorites (taco soup, mexican stew, and my mom's famous chili) using what I had on hand.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 T taco seasoning
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow squash, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• optional: 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups water or broth

 In a large soup pot, brown ground turkey over medium heat. After turkey is browned, add taco seasoning and onion and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes. Next add squash and carrots, stir well and let cook for another 2-3 minutes to give flavor; add remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, longer is better if you have the time though. Serve as is for 4 servings, or over rice or quinoa for 6+ servings.

Chinese Five Spice Breakfast and Orange Ginger Chicken

Chinese Five Spice Breakfast is a tasty use of our co-op Swiss chard. This recipe is from the Whole30 Made Simple guide.

• 1 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil (purchased at Vitamin Shoppe)
• 1 diced onion
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. Chinese five spice
• 2 tsp. coconut aminos (also purchased at Vitamin Shoppe)
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 cups chopped Swiss chard
• 2 cloves garlic

Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and saute the onions. When the onions are softened, add and brown the ground turkey. Once the meat is cooked, add the five spice, aminos, water, and chard to the pan and cook until the Swiss chard is wilted. Lastly, add the garlic and cook a few minutes longer.  Done!

Orange Ginger Chicken is a recipe that I adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks. I love bok choy, and our co-op share included baby bok choy this week.

• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 lb. chicken (I used breast meat but the original recipe calls for thighs), chopped into bite sized pieces
• 3 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 lb. bok choy, chopped

Heat coconut oil in large saucepan or wok over medium high heat and then fry the chicken pieces in batches. When all the chicken is finished, place it back in the pan and then add the ginger, zest, and stock. Simmer until the liquid reduces slightly and then add the bok choy until slightly wilted. Delicious.