Rosemary-Bacon Sweet Potato Biscuits.

we’ve made this a trillion times for breakfast. it’s based on the recipe here, which is great, but we’ve simplified and also quadrupled it in our own fashion.

ingredients:
4 sweet potato
4 slices bacon
1 tbsp dried rosemary
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
pepper
8 tbsp (ish) almond meal

1) heat the oven to 400. wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and pierce, then bake for 70-80 minutes; you want them to be soft by the end. take them out and let them cool. if you are going to make the biscuits right away, you can lower the temp to 375 here.

2) while the potatoes cool, dice the bacon and fry it good.

3) empty the sweet potatoes into a big mixing bowl; discard the skins. add the diced bacon along some of the rendered fat – maybe about half of what is in the pan.

4) mix the sweet potatoes with bacon fat and bacon; add all the other ingredients and mix well. the mixture should be smooth but not overly runny – it should hold its shape on a spoon reasonably well. (i used to use 4 eggs, but i think 3 helps this better. also, you can add more or less almond meal to help with the texture here).

5) using a big spoon, form your biscuits on two sil-pats on baking sheets. bake in the oven for 25 minutes, switching racks halfway through.

6) let cool and eat! this makes a LOT of biscuits, and i think freezing some is what we’ll try next time.

Mussels with Beer and Bacon.

mussels are the awesomest. and this easy way to prepare them, taken from here, is very easy and very solid.

4 strips of bacon, diced
1-2 large shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup new belgium trippel
2 lbs. fresh mussels, beards removed
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
optional parsley

1) in a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp, then remove and set aside.

2) cook the shallots and garlic in the bacon fat for about 5 minutes, until shallots are soft and garlic begins to brown.

3) add the thyme and beer, scraping the bottom of the pan. as the beer begins to bubble, reduce heat to medium low, add mussels, and cover.

4) after about 5 minutes, remove the lid and take out any mussels that have opened. then cover for about five more minutes, and do the same. toss the closed mussels.

5) whisk the mustard into the beer, then add salt and pepper to taste. then toss the sauce over the mussels with the bacon and parsley, if using it.

6) eat! and get some bread – a good-sized baguette – to soak up the cooking liquid.

Orange Cake.

gluten free, paleo, totes fantastic. i saw this thing on the internet, with this simple recipe catching my eye. whole oranges? so few ingredients? what’s the deal? the deal is that this is an amazing dessert. PERIOD.

ingredients:
2 oranges
4 eggs
2 cups almond meal
3/4 cup honey (or agave)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 oz. chocolate (for topping)

preheat oven to 375.

1) boil the oranges for 90 minutes or so, until they are tender.
2) drop the oranges, peel and all, into your food processor, and blend very well.
3) add in eggs, honey, and almond meal, processing smoothly each time.
4) and in salt and baking soda.
5) pour into a 9-inch greased cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes – toothpick should come out clean, obv. this can also make between 1 and 2 dozen cupcakes, which should bake for only 25-30 minutes.
6) if you want, melt down than chocolate and throw it on top as a ganache, you know?

Coconut Milk Ice Cream.

ice cream is awesome. but finding a version that is awesome and paleo-friendly?

well, these guys have a pretty brilliant base on their site, and we are officially down with it. here’s our version:

2 cans coconut milk (full fat please)
1 packet gelatin
1 cup maple syrup
6 egg yolks
3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 – reduce the maple syrup over medium heat by about half.
2 – pour coconut milk in a large pot. sprinkle gelatin on top, let sit for a minute, then whisk thoroughly. turn heat to medium, add in the maple syrup with a pinch of salt. heat until not quite simmering.
3 – while the mixture is warming, beat the 6 egg yolks very well. when the coconut milk mixture is warm, slowly whisk in the egg mixture. don’t let the yolks cook!
4 – add the butter, again whisking well.
5 – over medium/low heat, blend with an immersion blender for about 5 minutes. this is supposed to improve the texture.
6 – let the mixture chill for several hours, then toss in the ol’ ice cream maker.

one particular version we just made added the following when the ice cream went into the machine:
3 oz. mini chocolate chips
2 oz. sliced almonds
1/2 cup almond butter

this ice cream is sweet and has a wonderfully satisfying texture. it does have a coconut taste to it, but i don’t think that bothers either of us. super effective!

Sweet Potato Spinach Turkey Burgers.

we just discovered these from here, and they are pretty sensational. here’s sort of where we’re at with it:

3 slices bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
2 cups spinach, diced (i think i used about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bunch)
1 med. sweet potato, shredded in your food processor
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp almond flour (plus whatever else you might need to add)

1) fry the diced bacon in a big saucepan, then remove with slotted spoon.

2) saute the onion in the fat until transparent. then add the shredded sweet potato and cook, stirring regularly, for about 20 minutes or so.

3) while that happens, chop the spinach finely.

4) when the potatoes have cooked enough, mix all the ingredients together. i used an extra egg when i made it, because i felt the mixture didn’t hold together enough. i also probably added some almond flour too.

5) cook dem burgers. i baked in the oven on silpats, probably 8 minutes per side at 400 or so. carla is frying them on the stove with some oil, which also works. then eat and they are delicious.

Chipotle Meatballs.

one last meat-tastic recipe, these are a rick bayless recipe.

3 slices bacon, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs (could shift to some amount almond flour for paleo)
1 1/4 lbs gr. pork (again, meat could vary here)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomato, mostly drained (1/4 cup juice left)
2-3 chipotles in adobo
1 med. onion, diced
1 tsp oregano, dried
1.5 tsp chili powder
1.5 cups broth (beef or chicken)
bonus: 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (didn’t use)

preheat oven to 400.

in a bowl, combine bacon, 2 cloves garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, pork, mint, chili powder, and 1.5 tsp salt. make into small meatballs – we used out minimuffin tin and it was a good decision, i think. bake about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

while they bake, saute your onions well, until in they brown a touch. add remaining 3 cloves garlic for a minute, then add tomatoes, broth, chipotles, and oregano. mix well, add salt to taste. when meatballs are ready, mix well and you can serve.

we’ve served this with cauliflower rice, and it’s a nice pairing. it’s also fine by itself, as a sort of appetizer.

Spicy Breakfast Stew.

from paleomg, anything we can put a fried egg on top of is a popular choice around these parts. this was pretty easy and pretty tasty; had enough for probably 4 servings. i would consider doubling it to have enough for a week…

4 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped
2 links chorizo, chopped (~8 oz, and loose instead of link is fine here)
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp chili powder

heat oil, saute garlic and onions until translucent. add the chorizo and cook it. Then add diced tomato, paste, stock, and chili powder. Bring a to a simmer, then reduce heat to low until you’re ready to eat. Add the bacon just before serving; serve topped with a delicious pair of fried eggs (or poached if you’re feeling fancy).

this was very tasty, and we’ll have it again, I’m sure.

Meatloaf.

our eating has shifted towards a more paleo-oriented diet. this meatloaf is a blend of ina garten’s recipe and one from the paleomg cookbook.

2.5 lbs ground meat (i’ve been doing 1 lb gr. pork, 1.5 lb ground beef)
1-2 chopped onions
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce (considering this as a more strictly paleo version)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup almond flour/meal (i didn’t measure last time i made this, but i def. needed a bit more than i cup to get the right consistency)

NOTE: the paleomg recipe uses 1 shredded sweet potato in here. i’d like to try this out.

preheat oven to 325. mix everything into a loaf, then put into a greased meatloaf pan. cook for 60-75 minutes. ina says a pan of water on the lower rack will prevent the top from cracking, though i don’t pour ketchup on this like she does.

anyways, it has been a solid start to meatloafing. we’ll see where it takes us.

 

Brittle.

another christmas gift was making some brittle. it wasn’t too hard, based on alton brown’s directions.

1.5 cups peanut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 cups sugar
1.5 cups water

clean your heavy bottomed saucepan pretty well, then brush the sides with oil to prevent chemistry weirdness from happening. place the sugar in the center of the pan, then add the water and stir to mix well. then place it over high heat. alton says to turn heat down as the boiling begins, but i found that then my mixture just never got hot enough (probably a combo of my pan and my stovetop). don’t stir or mess with the liquid, just be cool. have a baking pan lined with a silpat ready.

as the mixture begins to change color to an amber color, things are ready to go. pour in the peanuts, then immediately pour the liquid out onto the silpat. it will cool very fast, but try to press it into a single layer and keep turning back the liquid portion over the top. once it hardens, break into pieces and eat. it’s very sweet (obv) but good.

Chili Rosemary Roasted Nuts.

we made these for christmas gifts, but they just happen to be superamazing snacks that i just want to eat all the time. they are taken from ina garten’s recipe here.

here is the nut mix i used; obviously, this is very flexible. i don’t like walnuts and peanuts are cheap to buy, and so this plays a factor.
2 cups cashews
2 cups peanuts
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tsp chili powder (we have a nice blend with lime zest)
fresh rosemary (ina calls for 4 tbsp, but i use a little more than half of that)
salt

preheat oven to 350. mix the oil, syrup, sugar, juice, and chili. then toss with the nuts. then toss with 2 tbsp minced rosemary and 2 tsp salt. put onto a well-greased baking sheet and send it into the oven for about 18 minutes, mixing it up twice along the way. (ina says to roast for 25 minutes, but that was way too long for me.) by the end, the liquid portion should be bubbly and sticky.

remove from the oven, toss with 2 tsp each of rosemary and salt, and stir pretty regularly. these will harden and cluster up pretty quickly, and a metal spatula is the best way to get them off the pan and break them up once they are finished.

they will be delicious warm, and they will remain delicious until you are done eating them all.