Day 21: Paleo Potluck & Zucchini Lasagna

I was invited to a Paleo Potluck and honestly had no idea what to make!  I first thought of the sloppy joes, but knowing how messy that could be I decided to scratch that idea.  I checked the invite to see what other folks were bringing and figured I could make my zucchini lasagna.  I also had some Brussels sprouts and decided to bring a side dish as well (yes, I was really busy in the kitchen that day).  

We had a lot of fun and the food was awesome!  There were salmon, curry meatballs, chicken stir-fry, chicken wings, almond butter, cucumber water, and apple crisps!  The food was so delish that we might have another potluck this weekend.  Anyway, on to a recipe: 

Zucchini Lasagna (adapted from The Food Lovers Kitchen):

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground meat (beef or turkey - I've tried both and loved it equally)
• 1 cup of green bell peppers, diced
• 1 cup of onion, diced
• 1 tbsp of basil 
• 1 tbsp of parsley
• 1 tbsp of oregano
• 1 Zucchini, julienne (thinly sliced)
• 1.5 cups of mushroom, sliced
• 15 oz of tomato sauce
• 6 oz of tomato paste 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Red crushed pepper flakes (optional - if you want it spicy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Brown the meat over medium heat - breaking it into pieces.
3. Add garlic, onion, and green peppers and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato paste and tomato sauce.
5. Then add parsley, basil, and oregano.  Bring sauce to a boil, then remove from heat.
6. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed. 
7. Grab a 9" x 13" baking dish and layer the sauce thinly in the baking dish.
8. Then layer the zucchini and mushrooms over the sauce - repeat and alternate the layering of sauce, zucchini and mushrooms. 
9. Bake the lasagna for 15 minutes - covered.  Then, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 350 and bake for another 15 minutes.  
10. Remove and enjoy!

Whole30 - Day 1: Of Course I Made It! (plus Turkey Sloppy Joe Recipe)

Day one is always the "yay, I feel great! Mission accomplished for now!" but we'll see how it goes when the weekend approaches.  I did prep myself by reading the Whole30 forums all weekend and I think I have it down (somewhat). 

For breakfast, I had 2 soft-boiled eggs with half an avocado and some tomato slices.  It was actually pretty filling because I wasn't hungry at my usual time (between 10:30AM-11AM).  I also had coffee with whipped coconut milk (from the can!).  I was actually amazed by how it good that milk was.  I've found a recipe for creamer that is Whole30 compliant, but I am not brave enough to try it (yet).  It's basically a can of coconut milk, an egg, and a tsp. of coconut oil all mixed together.  I'll be honest, it's the raw egg that bothers me.  I am very... oh, let's say "O.C.D." about salmonella.  I dislike prepping chicken and when I do, I clean and sanitize every. surface. area. of. my. kitchen.  That being said... raw eggs... yes, not sure when I'll try it, but will update when I do!

For lunch, I had turkey sloppy joe except without the bread.  The sloppy joe was made right from my kitchen and the recipe is super yummy!  In fact, I used to make this before I went on paleo and loved it with the 100 calories sandwich thins (with an actual burger bun is super delish too). Oh, and with mustard!

However, you may also eat it on it's own or with lettuce (kinda like a lettuce wrap but with juices coming out).  I actually enjoyed this meal so much that I had it again for dinner!  Now, you're wondering how this is compliant... well, no worries... I'm sharing this recipe with you :)

Turkey Sloppy Joe
Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground turkey or beef 
• 2 tsp of coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 tbsp of tomato paste 
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1 can (15 oz) of tomato sauce
• 4 pitted dates, diced
• 5 tsp of ground yellow mustard
• 4 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c and 2 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or 1 jalapeno, diced) but this is optional if you like spicy food
• Lettuce or burger buns (depending on what you like) 

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
2. Add onions and bell peppers - cook until onions are translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
3. Stir in tomato paste, carrots, and 2 tbsp of water - cook until carrots are tender (about 2 minutes). Remember to stir occasionally!
4. Add ground meat and cook until it is no longer pink.  Stir and break up the meat as it cooks.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, dates, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 cup of water.  Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low, add the red crushed peppers or jalapeno, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. 
7. Serve with bread (if you have no restrictions) or with lettuce!

Sandy's Pot Roast - New Year... New Food... Better Blog

Hello... it's been a while since I last blogged.  I've actually been yelping a lot trying to keep my elite status for 2012 (which I finally received! yay me!).  But! one of my new year resolutions is to post more whether it's about places I've tried or about my baking/cooking adventures.  

So, to start my 2012 blog, I've decided to talk about my "Sunday Pot Roast."  This cozy recipe not only warms your body, but it's very comforting.  However, do know that this takes a few hours to cook.  

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 lbs of chuck roast (if you want more flavor, get 2 lbs of chuck roast and 2 lbs of bone-in beef short ribs)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery, chopped
• 1 cup of baby carrot (or 2 carrots, peeled and chopped)
• 1 lbs of white mushroom (thick sliced or quarter- however you like 'em)
• 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 14.5 oz of chopped tomato (canned)
• 1/2 cup of tomato sauce 
• 2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of red wine 
• 1 whole garlic, peeled and separated 
• 1 tablespoon of dried thyme 
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

First off, make sure you get a nice piece of chuck roast (like the one shown below).  That baby was at least 3 lbs and I trimmed off some of the excess fat to make it a bit healthier.  

Then, pat the meat with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  I usually use fresh cracked peppers and sea salt to season my meat with.  Turn on your oven to 300 degree F.  In a dutch oven, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and brown your meat (at medium-high heat).  I cut mine up to make cooking easier, but you can brown the entire meat intact if you'd like. 

After your meat is browned, take it out and place it on a plate or bowl (make sure it catches all the juice that's still coming from the meat) and set it aside.  

Reduce heat to medium and cook celery, onions, mushroom, baby carrots, potato, and tomato paste until the vegetables begin to soften.  

Then, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, water, 1/2 cup of red wine, peeled garlic, and thyme.   

Place the meat and its juice back with the vegetable mixture.  Turn the heat back to medium-high and bring the pot to simmer.   Cover the dutch oven with its lid and place the dutch oven inside the oven (at the center) and cook for about 3 hours.  The pot roast will be done when the meat falls apart once you stick your fork in it.  If the meat does not fall apart easily, then cook it for another 30 minutes.  

We usually eat this with rice.  If you want more flavor, I recommend adding beef short ribs (with bone) and browning it with the chuck roast.  The bone will fall out once the pot roast is done and it's very good too!  

Bon appetite!