No Soup For You!

I have been absent entirely too long.  I started a facebook page for my blog and I confess that I would much rather post recipes and pictures there instead of here.  Although I've been a little lazy at that as well.  I must admit that I've been having a rough go of it.  I just have not been trying that hard to stay with Paleo and I can certain feel the inflammation back in my joints and see the pounds back on the scale.  I know what the problem is...my own nature.  I'm one of those that starts a bunch of projects and as soon as the new wears off then it all collects dust.  So, I have to try real hard to keep myself from becoming one of my abandoned projects.  I thought I better get back to blogging as one way of getting the train headed in the right direction.  So tonight I'm going to post some soup recipes although I don't have pictures.  I'll try to get a picture of each one before they're gone and add it at a later date.  Now, I like to puree my soups but you could leave them chunky if you like. 

Zucchini-Chipotle Soup

6 zucchini, cut into large chunks
2 onions, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, diced
1 quart chicken stock
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
1T mexican oregano
2t cumin
2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
2 oz. sherry

1. Heat some lard in a pot and add the onions.  When they become soft add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes.
2.  Add the cumin and oregano cooking for about a minute.
3.  Add the sherry to deglaze the pot and let cook for a minute.
4.  Add the zucchini, chicken stock, tomatoes, and chipotles. (If you do not have enough liquid to adequately cover the zucchini then add more stock or water until you do.)
5.  Simmer until the zucchini are soft.  Puree if you want.



Cauliflower Bacon Soup

1 large head of cauliflower, broke into florets
1 onion, diced
2 garlic, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 oz white wine
1-2 t of Bell's Seasoning
1 quart of chicken stock
1 apple, diced
1T butter
nutmeg
4 strips of bacon

1.  Cook the bacon in a large pot or dutch oven.  Remove when done and reserve for later.  If you had fatty bacon remove some of the grease but keep enough to cook the veggies in step 2.
2.  Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery to the bacon grease and cook until it begins to soften.  Add the wine and cook for a minute.
3.  Add the Bell's seasoning (I got this in New Orleans but I'm sure it's available nationwide, it's a blend rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, and marjoram).
4. Add the cauliflower and chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer.
5.  Add the butter to a skillet and melt.  Add the apple and cook until it's soft. Grate some nutmeg over the apples.  Cook for another minute or two..
6.  When the cauliflower is soft, remove from the heat and add to a blender.  Add the apple and the four strips of bacon and puree.

Chile Verde Chili

Tonight's dinner started brewing in my noggin about a week ago when the weather turned of chilly and everyone began talking about chili, pumpkin bread, Honeycrisp apples and squashes.  Fall could very well be the best time of the year, I know I certainly think it is.  I had decided to make a white chili but since I wanted to use pork my sister kindly told me that it wouldn't be white chili because that is made with chicken.  Who knew?!  Well, I wanted pork and that was about all I was going to say about that.  I then realized that what I was thinking of was a chile verde and not white chili. So I was back on track and the ingredients I wanted to use were popping up in my head and I started scribbling things onto a shopping list.  After looking in the cupboard and the freezer I discovered I had everything I needed except one ingredient which some how did not make my shopping list.  Anyway, after running around all day and going to the retirement home to have dinner with my Grandma I got started on my "chile verde chili".  Why the extra "chili" in the title?  Well, I wanted something super meaty, like the way I make a standard beef-tomato chili, and not a straight up chile verde.  It's the kitchen after all and the cook can do whatever they want.

Chile Verde Chili

1 pound of pork roast/steak, cubed
1 pound ground pork
4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 poblano peppers; skinned, seeded and chopped
2 jalepenos, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1T mexican oregano
2-3 t. cumin
1/8 c. tequila
1 can Herdez salsa verde (or better yet get some tomatillos and make your own)
2-3 c. chicken broth
3 T. coconut cream

1.  Fry the bacon in a dutch oven and remove when crispy.
2.  Working in batches, brown the pork chunks.  Remove from pot when done.
3.  Brown the ground pork and remove from the skillet.
4.  Add the onion and cook until starting to soften.
5.  Add the garlic and let cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
6.  Add the tequila and deglaze the pot.
7.  Add the poblano and jalepeno, stirr to incorporate.
8.  Add the cumin and mexican oregano, mix well.
9.  Add the salsa verde, coconut cream and the chicken broth.  Stir well.
10. Add the meat and mix well to incorporate.  Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.  Add some fresh cilantro before serving.

So what ingredient did I forget?  A plantain.  I wanted to add a mashed up green plantain for the starchy flavor and because I thought it would thicken the chili.  But I had it in my head that I had all the ingredients for this dish and I forgot all about wanting to add a plantain.  Maybe next time or perhaps I'll go the store tomorrow and add it in to the big pot of leftovers that I have.  Then again perhaps I'll just make tostones and scoop up the chili with those.

Some cubed chayote squash or zucchini would have been pretty tasty in this as well.  Next time because there's always another supper to cook for!

Carne Asada

Mexican food is my first love and what I consider to be my native palette, if that makes sense.  I recently discovered fried plantains and have since fallen in love with them.  I keep making them any chance I get.  While at my parent's house this past week I cleared out the plantain supply at their local grocery store and fried up a big batch of tostones.  It was delicious.  My Mom had some super thin beef steak in her fridge so I dug around in her cupboards and found a can of chopped "chili ready" tomatoes and some carne asada seasoning.  I will try to replicate this at home using fresh ingredients and a homemade carne asada seasoning but in was so yummy I decided to go ahead and post a pic and give the basics of what I did.

Cut the beef into small chunks and sear in a skillet with some lard.  Remove to a plate and set aside.  Add a chopped onion to the skillet and saute until soft then add some garlic.  When the garlic has become fragrant add cumin, crushed mexican oregano and stir to coat the onions well.  Add the beef and then add a couple of tablespoons of carne asada seasoning.  Mix well then add the tomatoes and some broth until you have enough liquid in the skillet to just barely cover the beef mixture.  Simmer it covered for about 20 minutes then remove the lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is reduce by half.  Enjoy it with the tostones!

Tostones filled with Cuban Pork Roast

Every now and then I make something that knocks my socks off. Maybe it's because I sometimes just wing it in the kitchen and perhaps it's because I'm trying new ingredients and don't know what to expect. But I just love it when it happens.

A few days ago I was checking out the new post at Modern Paleo Warfare and was completely inspired to try out a new ingredient, plantains.  Now, I think that I have tried a plantain before but since I can't really remember what I did with it, I'm not going to count it.  So for all intents and purposes I'm saying that this is the first time I've used a plantain.

I had decided that I wanted to pair the plantains with pork and I wanted to do something a little Cuban or Caribbean inspired.  I also had come across a site selling tostones (fried plantains) presses.  One of the presses would make little cups and I found these totally cute so I had to try!

I'm pretty sure that tostones are my new favorite thing.  I can't get over the chip like quality they had after frying.  These will take care of a chip craving if you are having one.  They would be perfect for salsa if you want chips and dip.  Plantains aren't sweet like bananas are and are quite starchy.  Perfect for chips, right?!  The green plantains (which are unripe plantains) aren't sweet at all and are perfect for frying.  Heck, for all I know the black (ripe) ones may fry up well too.  A few days ago I had read about soaking the green plantains in salt water and then peeling them and slicing but I had forgot all of that by the time I went out today and purchase them.  I got home and sliced them in about 1 inch chunks and then scored the peel and pulled it off.  I didn't have any problem at all with removing the peel.  I'm not sure why those recipes said to soak them first.  Perhaps it was for flavor and not ease of peeling.  Anyway, I did not soak them because I was really wanting to get started.  To make the plantain chunks into cups I just put each chunk (after frying it first) into a well of a mini muffin pan and using a tart shaper I pressed down until I formed a little cup.  I took them out and put them back in the oil for the second fry.  *Note: I found it easier to press the plantain chunks into cup form while the chunks were still hot from frying.*  Alright, enough babbling!!  Let's get on with a photo and the recipe!

 
Tostones filled with Cuban Pork Roast

For the pork:
1-2 pounds of pork roast cut into chunks
1 small onion, diced
1T of garlic, diced
1/2 of a tiny bottle of white wine (93 mL)
2t. cumin
1t  mexican oregano, crush it in your palms when you add it to the pot
1/2t. smoked paprika
1/2 C orange juice
juice from half a lime
juice from half a lemon
zest of one lime
zest of one lemon
1/2 C chicken stock
1/2 can of coconut milk (I used the cream and not the watery part of my can)
salt and pepper to taste
1T. chopped cilantro
1-2T of FOC (I prefer bacon grease or lard)

1. Heat the fat of your choice in a dutch oven.  Once hot add the pork in batches and sear until browned.  Remove from the pot to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2.  Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute until it starts to soften.  Add the wine to deglaze the pot.
3.  Add the pork back to the pot with the onion and garlic.  Add the cumin, mexican oregano and smoked paprika to the pot and stir.
4.  Add the orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, chicken stock and the zest to the pot.  Bring to boil and cover.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5.  Add the coconut cream and mix well.  Add salt and pepper. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
6.  Remove the lid and allow the mixture to cook at a fast simmer until most of the liquid evaporates and a thick sauce remains.
7.  Remove the chunks of meat with a slotted spoon to a cutting board.  Roughly chop the chunks to get a small bites of meat.  Add back to the sauce in the pot, add the cilantro and mix well to coat.

For the tostones:

3 unripe (green) plantains
FOC

1. Cut the plantains into 1 inch chunks (they should fit in the mini muffin well without sticking out the top).
2. When the fat/oil is hot, add the plantain chunks and fry until lightly golden.  Remove from grease to a paper towel.
3.  Place the fried plantain chunk into the muffin well and press down firmly with a tart shaper.  Remove the plantain cup and place it back in the oil for the second fry.
4.  Fry until they are a deep golden/lightly browned color and remove.
5.  Fill the tostones cups with the meat mixture and sprinkle with some extra cilantro and maybe a dab of fresh salsa or guacamole.

*I had plenty of meat leftover so you could buy a couple more plantains.
*Don't forget to press the plantain chunks while they are hot.  I found they pressed easier while hot.
*If you don't have Mexican Oregano don't worry about it.  However, please do not replace it with the old standard oregano.  They are completely different and you wouldn't want your Cuban feast to taste Italian would you?

Shakshouka

I found this recipe one day while hunting and gathering on the web (my favorite past time).  I've had it tucked away in my notebook and had forgot all about it.  I was digging around for another recipe when I flipped this over.  I decided to just make it as printed although I didn't have pomegranate molasses.  I did have molasses (probably not kosher paleo) and pomegranate juice so I pour a little of each in the skillet.  I have since learned that you can get a sugar free pomegranate molasses online or at a Mediterranean market.  The brand is Cortas and it doesn't list any ingredients except pomegranate juice on the label.  That's what I read anyway so I'll be looking into that for future recipes.
This recipe is apparently a mash up of two dishes, muhammara and shakshouka.  Muhammara is a hot pepper dip containing walnuts and spices.  Shakshouka features eggs cooked in a spicy tomato stew.  That being said, it wasn't a spicy dish.  So if you like heat then bumped up the spice.  It's a wonderful dish and something different for breakfast.  I made the stew base, which makes quite a bit, and stored it in the fridge.  Every morning I put a scoopful in a small skillet and heated it until it just starts to bubble.  Then I cracked my eggs on top of the mixture and covered the skillet until the eggs were poached to my liking.

Shakshouka (found at EatsWellWithOthers)

3 red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, and seeded
2 oz walnuts
4 cloves garlic
1 large onion
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch red pepper flakes
6 eggs
1/4 cup parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine the roasted red peppers, walnuts, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until the combined.

2. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, combine the red pepper blend, molasses, tomatoes, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes so that flavors can meld. Add salt to taste.

3. Crack the eggs into the pan and into the sauce, gently, so that the yolks don't break. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

*The original called for feta cheese which I omitted.

Curried Carrots

The best part about eating paleo are all the endless spice combinations.  I've found that my palate has expanded and that I appreciate other flavors.  I used to be a salt and pepper kind of girl, I think that was the only kind of spice we ever used outside of some cumin for Mexican dishes.  I remember the first time that my family went to an ethnic restaurant.  It was my 18th birthday (I think) and my Dad declared that we were not going to Sirloin Stockade for the usual birthday dinner.  We had moved to a new area and he thought we should get cultured.  He chose this Greek restaurant and we all order something different and Pop even splurged and got some appetizers (flaming cheese!).  It was a total disaster.  We were completely out of our element.  We've not eaten at that Greek restaurant since (it's very popular in town so it wasn't the restaurant's fault) and while it's funny now it wasn't so much at the time.

But now I love how you can change an ingredient with a few spices.  Take my beloved cauliflower.  My Cilantro Lime Cauliflower is worlds apart from my Cauliflower Pilaf and they are both completely different from my Mexican Cauliflower (recipe coming soon).  I've been branching out with my spices and taking on some new flavor profiles like Indian cuisines.  The possibilities are endless and the meals are never boring.

Curried Carrots

2T Lard

1/4 to 1/2 C. shallots, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 pound carrots, sliced in rounds (1/4" thick)

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground fennel

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

1 C. coconut milk

1/2 C. chicken broth (optional)

1. Heat lard in a large skillet.  Add the shallots and jalapeno and cook until they begin to soften.
2. Add the carrots and all the spices.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.  Cook until the carrot are tender.
4. Add the broth if you think the sauce needs to be thinned a little. 

Sabroso!

The other day I saw a pic for Chili Colorado on Everyday Paleo that got my tastebuds all revved up!  I had been avoiding Mexican dishes because I thought it would trigger a craving for homemade tortillas, Mexican rice, tamales, et cetera, et cetera.  Mexican cooking is home to me, it's what my taste buds were brought up on and living without everything that is the soul of Mexican cooking is what always brought me to my knees before.  I always wondered if I was really going to live the rest of my life without a taco and then I'd give in and be back to my old habits.  Well, this time I'm pretty sure I've made it past all the looming doubt and am satisfied with my choice but I've been avoiding anything remotely Mexican out of fear of failure.  I have taken a few baby steps like making Mexican Cauliflower (a riff on the rice dish) and I did eat at Chipotle the other day (salad, thank you).  So when I saw Sarah's chili colorado I had enough of avoiding my favorite cuisine.  I stopped at the store and picked up some stew meat, went to the pantry and grabbed my jars of chiles and spices and got with it!  I never really have a recipe when I'm making a chile sauce and I never knew the proper name for a red sauced beef dish is Chile Colorado.  But it's never to late to learn a few things and now I'll actually have a record of what I put in the pot.   While my sauce is a little darker due to ancho and negro chiles it's still tasty!  I've been eating it for breakfast in lieu of my standard bacon and eggs and I'm loving it!!

CHILE COLORADO

10 Pasilla chiles
2 Ancho chiles
2 Negro chiles
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 small can Herdez salsa casera
Chicken stock
1T. cumino
2T. mexican oregano
1-2 lbs of beef stew meat

1. Stem and seed the chiles then put them in a pot with about 3-4 cups of stock.  When the stock begins to boils turn the heat down and let them simmer 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile brown the beef in a dutch oven or pot then remove.
3. Add the onions to the pot and saute until soft then add the garlic.
4. Add the spices and beef back to the pot along with the salsa casera.
5. Add the chiles and liquid to a blender and puree.
6. Pour the chiles sauce into the pot and stir well.
7. Cook at a low simmer for about an hour so the sauce reduces and the meat is tender.
8. Serve with a big dollop of guacamole!

Bacon Free

This week, due to my still awful shopping skills, is a bacon free week.  Well, not entirely bacon free.  I did use the bacon grease I had been collecting to cook a few things in.  Although at first, I whined like a baby and wondered what I was going to make.  After awhile, when I realized no one was going to go buy some bacon I shut up and I started thinking about what I was going to prepare for my work weekend.  I usually prepare my dinners and breakfast at the beginning of  my work week so that I can just grab and go.  It works really well for me and being prepared is what keeps me Paleo.  I think I'm getting a little better about menu planning and I'm not ending up with two or three kinds of leafy greens to eat all week.  Now, if I just can remember to grab my lunch when I walk out of the house!  I've forgotten it twice in the past couple of weeks.  Thankfully my sister brought my lunch in yesterday thus saving me from the chicken strip, mashed potato, tater tots and corn extravaganza that was available in the cafeteria.  There was also the wilted salad bar and nitrate laden lunch meats.  Yikes, I was in for a long day but she came to the rescue!  Thanks Boo Boo!

So, here are a few food pics of what I'm eating this weekend.  First up is chicken and collards.  The bacon would have been awesome in this.  I pack this in a small container and have it for my midway snack/lunch.  I work twelve hours so I usually eat breakfast at home and then have a small lunch and supper at work.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of collards
8-10 cherry tomatoes (I bought some sweet yellow tomatoes because they were cheaper)
white wine for deglazing
chicken stock or water for steaming

1. Sautee the onion and garlic in bacon grease until it caramelizes.
2. Add the chicken and cook.
3. Deglaze the pan with the wine.
4. Toss the collards in and add a little chicken stock or water, if needed.
5. Cover and let steam until the greens have wilted a little.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook a few minutes so they are heated through and starting to break down.

Next up is my dinner plate for a couple of nights.  I bought some chopped steak type of meat and just browned it in some olive oil.  I'm serving it alongside some sauteed zucchini that I paired with some leftover yellow tomatoes and some spicy chipotle butternut squash.  Here's the recipe for the butternut squash.

Ingredients:
Butternut squash, cubed (1 small)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
1/2 can of fire roasted tomatoes
Cumin, to taste
Cilantro

1. Saute the onion until it's soft and then add the garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until it's aromatic.
2. Toss the squash in the skillet with some fat and let it cook.  I just go to the point that it's starting to brown up on all sides.
3. Add the cumino and toss it all around for a minute of two.
4. Blend the chipotles and adobo sauce with the fire roasted tomatoes.  Add this to the skillet with the squash.  Cover and cook until squash is soft.  (You may have to add a little chicken stock or water if it starts to dry out.  Basically you want the sauce clinging to the squash.)
5. Sprinkle with some cilantro and serve.