Breakfast Casserole

I've made this twice now- the first time it was gone so quickly I didn't get a picture. So here it is in all its glory and deliciousness.  A small square of this is perfect for an after CrossFit pick-me-up or over spinach for lunch or dinner.

Breakfast Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 lb sausage
• 1 onion
• 2 cups mushroom
• 3 cups spinach
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Brown sausage in a skillet, leave grease in the pan. Shred sweet potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes (until just starting to brown) in sausage grease. Remove from the skillet and add olive oil. Saute onion, then add mushrooms and chopped spinach (if frozen make sure to thaw first). Whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl and add all cooked ingredients. Incorporate well then pour into a greased baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Turkey and Kale Pot Pie

Growing up in Missouri I dreaded cold weather. The one benefit (aside from cute sweaters) was my grandmother's chicken pot pie, which my mom would make in a large quantity and leave in the fridge for leftovers. I finally decided it was time to do some paleo experimentation to recreate a healthier version of my grandmother's recipe. Here is version number one, which is actually delicious. If anyone knows how to create a flakier crust I'm all ears.

Turkey and Kale Pot Pie:

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoons water

Filling:

• 2 turkey breasts
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 bag frozen kale
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the crust:  Pulse all ingredients in food processor (coconut oil should be room temp). Place dough covered in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Split dough into fourths and roll out on a surface covered in almond flour. When filling is in the pan lay the dough directly on top.

For the filling: Bake turkey breasts on a foil lined baking sheet (cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper). Heat high sided skillet with olive oil, and add chopped onion. Once onion has just started to brown, add almond flour and stir. Then add chicken stock and coconut milk. Add the cubed turkey, carrots, and celery, then the kale. Salt and pepper as desired. Pour into a baking dish, covering with the dough. Bake at 375 for about an hour.

Chocolate Paleo Cake

I didn't get a better picture of this before it was no longer in any condition to be photographed. I will warn you, leaving this cake out on the counter with a knife is DANGEROUS. 

Chocolate Paleo Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• coconut oil

Melt chocolate over low heat, slowly adding coconut milk. Once melted, transfer to a mixing bowl and add eggs. Add in dry ingredients, including shredded coconut and mix well.  Sprinkle almonds on top and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

A Night of Stolen Recipes

Dear blog: I'm sorry for neglecting you. Love, Brittany. P.S. Sorry readers who have come to rely on me for kitchen inspiration.

I hope this massive post of recipes will make up for my lack of posting, which has been a result of an acute hip flexor injury and a few stressful weeks at work.  Luckily my best friend and I both managed to carve out an evening to spend in the kitchen. Lots of laughs and yummy noises came from my kitchen that evening. All three recipes were stolen from other blogs, which I will give ample blog cred to below. Although bringing creativity into food is something I love, after a long few weeks it was nice to follow instructions without much thinking. On top of that, these recipes were actually fairly simple and yielded delicious food (with leftovers, score!)

Paleo Beef Stew:

Recipe: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/hearty-beef-stew/

Our additions: We added lots of fresh herbs and a couple tablespoons of arrow root powder at the end of cooking time to thicken it up.

Fall Harvest Salad with Warm Maple Bacon Vinaigrette:

Recipe: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/10/fall-harvest-salad-with-warm-maple-bacon-dressing.html

We followed this recipe exactly and it was AMAZING. The dressing doesn't keep, so plan accordingly.

Pumpkin Bars:

Recipe: http://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/12/01/grain-free-pumpkin-bars-with-creamy-frosting/

Our additions: We added maple syrup because the batter isn't very sweet as written. We also didn't plan ahead by putting the coconut milk in the fridge, so we beat the thick top half of a can of coconut cream for 8-10 minutes until it reached desired consistency.

Rosemary Dijon Chops

Rosemary Dijon Chops:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb butterfly pork chops
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 3 tablespoons stone ground Dijon mustard
• fresh rosemary
• coconut oil

Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel. Mix honey, mustard, and rosemary in a bowl adding a dash of salt if you choose. Heat a skillet with coconut oil on medium heat. Brush mixture onto chops immediately before frying in coconut oil. Cook about 3 minutes each side. 

Burgers, Two Ways.

Paleo friendly burger options two ways! 

Avocado Sliders:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• salt and pepper
• 2 avocados
• garlic

Mix beef, egg, almond flour, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix ripe avocados and minimal garlic in another bowl. Form beef into 16 flat patties, spooning avocado mixture into the center of 8. Seal the patties together by pinching around the edges. Broil on a foil lined baking sheet 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. 


Kale Turkey Burgers:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups kale
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 1/2 onion
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• coconut oil

Saute onion, garlic, and shallots in coconut oil- low heat 5 minutes. Add kale and mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes. Mix ground turkey, egg, coconut flour, and salt and pepper. Form into 8 flat patties, spooning the cooled kale mixture onto 4 of the patties, sealing them off with the other four. Bake at 375 on a foil lined baking sheet 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.

Basil Steak Stir Fry with Avocado Puree

This is awesome with the avocado puree for dinner, but the leftovers made for a great scramble the next day. Scramble with eggs or kale (or both). Enjoy!

Basil Steak Stir Fry with Avocado Puree:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb steak
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1/8-1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tsp lime juice

Cook steak however you want. Saute all chopped veggies in oil (coconut or olive oil), and add basil. Add chopped steak and saute everything together for about a minute. For the puree: pulse avocado, garlic, and lime juice in a food processor, 4-5 pulses or until desired consistency. 

Fluffy Cookies

I'm calling these fluffy cookies because my job requires a lot of brain cells and I wasn't able to come up with a more creative name. These are really good, and probably the fluffiest paleo cookies I've managed to produce. Definitely dinner party material people.

Fluffy Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix almond butter, eggs, and vanilla, then add baking soda, honey, and coconut sugar. Fold in coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Makes 12 cookies, so share with a buddy! 

Spinach Stuffed and Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

So I really want a fancy digital camera.. and a nice big set of white square dishes. I think it would really improve the quality of my food photos. However that's an investment of several hundred dollars and I would rather go to CrossFit for the next few months, so until my photographic talents are discovered by Canon or someone else with a lot of money it's just me and my IPhone camera.  I think photography would be a super fun hobby; my Facebook friends would probably be pumped to see even more photos of my two neurotic dogs :-) Anyway, about the food I cooked this week. Pork wrapped in more pork. Here it is!

Spinach Stuffed and Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin:

 
Ingredients:

• 2 small pork loins
• 1 package nitrate free bacon
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

Thaw spinach, then saute in olive oil. Lightly salt the pork loins. Cut a slit in each, and stuff with spinach and garlic mix, then wrap bacon around each (pictured below)

Grind fresh pepper over each bacon wrapped pork loin. Put in baking dish, bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes.

Primal Peach Cobbler

I love weekends with my parents. Not only do their visits give me an excuse to do something new, but also it's a great excuse to make paleo treats! Yesterday I drove my dad and my partner out to Herman's Orchard in Saint Charles, MO. They have amazing juicy peaches (the size of softballs) practically falling off their trees and ready for picking. I love the idea of picking my own food- straight from the tree, to my hand, to my kitchen. Knowing where my food comes from has become more and more important to me as I've continued to research the way food is grown, raised, and produced. In addition, a greater understanding of economics and the benefit of supporting local farmers has been a motivating factor in being more cognizant of where I'm buying my food and where I'm going out to eat. Herman's still has lots of peaches, tomatoes, and peppers ready for picking. I plan to make the trip back out in the fall for apple picking if anyone is interested in coming along!

Herman's Orchard:

I've made several attempts at paleo cobbler in the past, all with frozen fruit. I have to say, fresh fruit makes a HUGE difference. Here is my creation!

Primal Peach Cobbler:

Ingredients:

• 3 large peaches, chopped
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons raw organic honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 tablespoons ghee or grassfed butter
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3-4 teaspoons organic maple syrup 

Place chopped peaches in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour lemon juice and honey on top, then sprinkle with coconut sugar. Let sit for about an hour. Chop walnuts or pulse in food processor. Mix with almond flour and coconut flour. Melt butter and coconut oil and stir into the flour/nut mixture.  Sprinkle over peaches and bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle maple syrup on the top and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and it will firm up!

Stuffed Pork Loin

Over the weekend I had the most amazing pork chop at Big Sky in Webster Groves. Served with potatoes and kale (yes, kale again!) Big Sky provided an amazing paleo meal. Their food sources are local and organic, putting the restaurant at the top of my favorites list. I decided I wanted to make some awesome pork too, so I stuffed a pork loin. This was my first attempt, which surprisingly turned out to be blog worthy. However, you can totally expect improved pork loin recipes in the weeks to come :-)

Stuffed Pork Loin:

Ingredients:

• Pork loin
• 8 pieces uncured bacon
• 10 oz mushrooms
• 3 cups spinach
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Freshly ground pepper

Butterfly pork loin, then pound it out with a mallet or hammer as flat as possible. Cook bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon and add coconut oil to the fat left in the skillet. Saute onion, mushrooms, and chopped spinach. Mix with bacon pieces and place on loin. Fold pork loin over once (if it's flat enough you can roll twice, but mine was really thick), then hold it together with toothpicks. Place in a roasting pan and grind pepper over the top. I baked mine at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. I then sliced it and baked the slices in a baking dish for another 15 minutes. Baking time will depend on your oven and how thick the pork loin is. 

Easy Paleo Hash

Paleo cooking does not have to be difficult, time consuming, or a financial burden. Hash is a relatively inexpensive and quick way to throw together an awesome paleo breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Here are two that I throw together regularly.

Beef Hash:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large sweet potato
• 3 cups kale
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• salt and pepper

Brown beef. In a separate skillet heat coconut oil and saute chopped sweet potato about 8 minutes. Throw in green pepper for about 3 minutes, then kale. Add beef and salt and pepper. VOILA!

Sausage and Bacon Hash:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb sausage (Applegate is a good brand)
• 3/4 package nitrate free bacon
• 2 cups kale
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• salt and pepper

Cook sausage and bacon. Saute sweet potato in coconut oil. Add in meat, kale, and spinach then salt and pepper. Enjoy :-)

Primal Walnut Brownies

These are good.. like really good. These are so good that I would recommend making a pan and then rationing them out for a week so you don't over indulge. Sharing with a paleo buddy is also always an option :-) Thanks to my paleo/CrossFit buddy Nikki for taking a few off my hands.

Primal Walnut Brownies:

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients, folding in walnuts last. Bake in a foil lined pan for 20-25 minutes. 

Bacon Guacamole

This week I went to a CrossFit party. Not just any CrossFit party, a CrossFit Saint Louis Endurance Style Paleo Potluck Party. Try saying that five times fast. A couple months ago I had to stop attending my favorite CF class due to health reasons. I left the comfort of my endurance girls and started driving 20 minutes to a new box that was air conditioned (evidently one is less likely to faint in air conditioning, who knew?!). I found a great new community, but I think you always leave a little piece of your heart with the people who you WODed it up with when you were a newbie. The trainer who facilitates the class is one of the most motivating coaches I've ever worked with, and she also happens to know how to throw quite a party.
Exhibit A:

 Exhibit B:

Beautiful table, amazing people, and delicious food. I love going to dinner parties where no one judges me for turning down the dairy and gluten :-) My contribution to the potluck was Bacon Guacamole and Plantain Chips:

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 medium firm tomato
• 3/4 large white onion
• fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 8 slices uncured bacon

Cook bacon on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, until crispy. Mix all ingredients by hand. Plantain chips are from Trader Joes!

*Photo credit to the lovely hostess JoAnna Dettmann. 

Kale- Three Ways

Last weekend I ran into an acquaintance at Trader Joes who caught me throwing inordinate amounts of kale in my shopping cart. She asked what I put it in and I wasn't sure how to respond. I laughed and told her I put it in everything. I don't think she totally believed me, so here is my proof. I put kale in EVERYTHING.. but here are three things you will probably eat too :-)

Skillet Tuna and Kale:

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups kale
• 1 can tuna
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

 Throw coconut oil, kale, and tuna in a skillet for 2-3 minutes. Serve with avocado. YUM.

Stir Fry Veggies with Kale:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10 oz mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 4 cups kale
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Stir fry in skillet- add asparagus first, then onion, then mushroom, then kale.

Kale Burgers:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 2 cups kale
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 1/2 onion
• salt and pepper

Throw kale in a skillet with a spoon of coconut oil for about a minute. Mix the rest of the ingredients by hand and form into six patties. Broil on a foil lined baking sheet, 6-8 minutes on each side. 

See? Eating kale is easy :-) 

Strawberry Nut Blondies

These make for an awesome high-protein snack or a great vehicle for curbing sweet cravings after dinner! You could probably even flatten them and pass them off as cookies for your paleo kiddos.

Strawberry Nut Blondies:

Ingredients:

• 10 figs
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh)
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life mini chips
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Pulse figs in the food processor, then add hazelnuts and walnuts and pulse until finely ground. Add coconut oil and pulse again. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in chocolate chips and chopped strawberries. Roll into balls and roll in shredded coconut. Refrigerate 2 hours before consuming. *Store refrigerated.  

Paleo Lasagna Casserole

This is a casserole version of the lasagna I posted a few weeks ago. This is super easy to throw in a to-go container and heat up at lunch. Meat, veggies, and some carbs from the sweet potato make for a filling lunch all in one dish!

Paleo Lasagna Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 zucchini
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• Italian seasonings

Use a peeler to peel sweet potatoes (without skin) and zucchini, or shred using a cheese grater. Brown beef, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasonings. Thaw spinach making sure all of the water is drained before adding it to the lasagna. Layer all ingredients, starting with tomato/beef sauce and ending with a layer of spinach. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Kale Shake

I went to Penzeys Spices in Maplewood a couple weeks ago and bought the largest bag of high quality cocoa powder I could find. Penzeys is a great place to buy high quality spices for all purposes, however my purpose had nothing but sweet intentions :-) I would highly recommend checking them out if you need to spice up your meat and veggies or you just need a great set of salt and pepper grinders. While you are there, pick up some chocolate so you can make this delicious shake. This is an improvement on the chocolate shake I posted a couple weeks ago, mostly in that I managed to shove in another serving of veggies!

Chocolate Kale Shake:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 bananas
• 1 avocado
• 3/4 cup frozen cherries
• 1 1/2 cups kale, chopped and boiled
• 2 1/2-3 cups almond milk
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw organic honey
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Boil kale (without stems) about 5 minutes. Blend with the rest of the ingredients. Yields 3-4 servings. 

Gluten Free Chia Seed Bread

Ahhh my first paleo bread was a huge success! I did some research and threw together my own bread recipe. Most "paleo" sites will tell you to use brown sugar and/or arrowroot powder, but I managed to make this happen with only paleo ingredients and it tastes pretty good. Plus, this is one more excuse to smear almond butter on something ;-)

Gluten Free Chia Seed Bread:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons raw organic honey

Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together until batter thickens (about 1 minute of vigorous whisking). Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let in cool in pan 15 minutes before slicing. 

Paleo Lasagna

The cute little face in the background is my dog Macie. She's probably the most food motivated beagle you will ever meet (okay, food motivated is a nice word for glutton). I eat most meals with my arm around my plate protecting my food and cook most meals with the risk of tripping over her. Don't worry, she had several chunks of grass fed beef in the making of this meal, plus a piece of zucchini that fell off the cutting board :-)

Paleo Lasagna:

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 zucchini
• 1 1/2 cup spinach
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 2 cans tomato sauce (sugar free, organic)
• Italian seasonings

Brown beef and add tomato sauce and seasonings. Slice sweet potatoes and zucchini, and chop mushrooms. Start layering all the ingredients, starting and ending with a layer of the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.