The Grill- a modern day cavewoman's BFF

Tonight Matt and I had a couple friends over for a Memorial Day cookout b/c we certainly can't be Un-American and not grill on an ALL AMERICAN holiday. (how again is that related to honoring our veterans?)

Back to why the grill is my BFF. :)

One of the guys that came over is interested in the Paleo/Primal lifestyle (but as a pescatarian-health issues) and is actually starting this week to eat this way, going so far as to pay ME to make his meals. So I thought I'd go all out and show him what a feast we can have sans wheat, potatoes, legumes, dairy, or sugar.

As we know guys love the grill, love to be IN CHARGE of the grill, and love to eat virtually anything OFF the grill, so why not showcase meat and veggies that can be grilled up ahead of time and ready for the week?

We (meaning Matt) grilled:
1. 2 T-bones
2. regular steak (I forget which cut)
3. 2 chicken breast (on bone)
4. salmon fillet
5. link 41 (local sausage maker) mole sausage
6. turnips
7.radishes
8. yellow squash
9. red jalapenos
10. orange bell pepper

All the veggies and meat were seasoned w/ an herb blend and evoo in a large Ziploc gallon bag. (I'm ALL about easy clean ups)

Within 1/2 hr we had a huge grilled feast accompanied by the huge salad (made w/ 4 different lettuces, sprouts (sunflower and pea), purple onion, grape tomatoes, walnuts, and a kerns' vinaigrette) and roasted brocoli w/ evoo and garlic.

Side note-I found a new favorite veggie tonight- grilled turnips. I LOVED them. They have a unique taste but it is addicting and w/ evoo and herbs...they're amazing.

Needless to say we ate like kings, had PLENTY leftovers for the rest of the week's lunch, and MINIMAL cleanup.

This, my friends,  is why the grill is my BFF.

What about you? Got any tips to share or suggestions for other foods to try on the grill? I'd love to hear from you all.

'Opa' chicken and squash

Saturday is the day I start to make the week's meals, but after spending 3hrs on making 2 batches of my 10-2cup serving chili I was WORN out.

So I wanted an easy meal with little prep time. I took a moment to take stock of what I had and would go well together. I got an idea!

All I needed was:

1. chicken
2. evoo
3. Wildtree Opa Greek Seasoning
4. salt
5. 3 yellow squash
6. finely grated Parmesan

I pulled out the 4 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast I had and pan fried them in evoo and Wildtree's Opa Greek seasoning. While that was happening I sliced up the squash and put them 3-layer deep in a square Pampered Chef stone baker and between each layer sprinkling the same seasoning. At the top layer I sprinkled the parm liberally and then drizzled evoo also rather liberally. I cooked it in the oven for about 20 minutes. About that time the VERY thick chicken breasts were finally finished. I cut them into large slices and layered them on top.

The family has been very happy with this dish with it's simplicity and very obvious ingredients. :)

Cheese crisps

So I was looking up a recipe for something crunchy I could eat w/ the chili I made. I remembered vaguely that there was a recipe for a cheese straw/crisp out there.

And so I found several how-to's online. They all pretty much said to get shredded cheese (your choice-though soft whites don't do well) and to make them either:

1. in the oven @ 350
2. in the microwave for a minute 3o sec
3. or on the stovetop

I chose to try it #2 and #3 with sharp cheddar bought pre-shredded. I also added a PINCH of Wildtree's ADOBE Seasonsing for added flavor.

I felt that the microwave produced better results and more consistent results. They were definitely tasty, though not as crunchy as I was having a craving for.

So I'm going to experiment with some hard white cheese and see what happens.

Beanless Beef Chilli with 'invisible' veggies

For the 10 servings of 2 cups, I used:

3lbs of ground beef

2 white onions

1 green bell pepper

4 pkgs of button mushrooms

5 cups of squash and zucchini

1/2 cup or more of minced garlic

2 jars of basic medium salsa (no sugar)

6 cans of tomatoes in a various forms (all no sugar, 2 had green chilis)

1/4 cup (or more) of cumin

salt

pepper

(I forgot the carrots)

How I made it:

I browned the meat with salt and pepper.

I softened the onions and bell pepper (in a skillet).

I used the food processer to make the veggies disappear. I added garlic and the beef grease to give them flavor.

I put all the ingredients into a large pot and cooked for about an hour on medium heat. (I was making another batch for the family)

Then I divy'ed it up into my 3 pot crock pot system and let it cook overnight until about noon.

Coconut Curry Chicken dinner, Spaghetti lunch, and Pot Roast dinner

So Sunday was BUSY!!!

I literally cooked for 6hrs! Granted 4 of those hours were for the meal swap we @ Crossfit Brigade had to help jump start our challenge.

Spaghetti with a bolognese sauce and julienned veggies

Anyways, my cooking spree began with lunch right after church. I wanted something quick-ish, so I decided to do spaghetti...with a twist. My daughter set out browning the 4+lbs of hamburger meat (w/ garlic, salt, and pepper) for the bolognese sauce (for us southerners, spaghetti sauce w/ meat). I set out to julienne a squash and zucchini to go along with the carrots.

Why julienned veggies? Well, I figured it would be a healthy substitute to the noodles that are currently a 'banned' substance in the household. Oh there were complaints as I was julienning (sp?) the veggies but once everything was put together, everyone ate their food WITHOUT complaint. I will say that I didn't cook the julienned veggies since they are so thin and rather tender. It was kinda like eating al dente noodles.

Back to the sauce. We had 2 choices for the bolognese sauce since I split the meat into 2 pots. Cherith used for her sauce, the Earthfare Tomato and Basil Sauce we had purchased (b/c there was a tasting- that sales trick never fails!) and I made my own from 3 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 tomato paste, 1 onion, garlic, and WILDTREE perfect pizza blend. (was in a hurry and knew this blend tasted good)

There was enough left overs for the kids to take a portion to school and 2 additional portions.

Coconut Curry Chicken

That night, after the Crossfit meal swap, I got home to a RAVENOUS family. I thought surely they would've eaten leftovers...but no, they did not. They did do some chores however. :)

So I opened the fridge and started thinking what I wanted to eat and was in the mood for and thought...didn't Michelle from the gym make a curry dish? That's right, she did and I've got all the ingredients!! Su-WEET!! :)

I pulled out the 3 large chicken breasts (about 2lbs), cilantro, can of coconut milk, coconut oil, medium onion, garlic, and the prepared veggies (2 cups each of diced carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, cabbage).

The chicken was cubed and browned with the onions, garlic, and coconut oil.

I then added the veggies for a few minutes before adding the can of coconut milk. At this point I added WILDTREE Thai Red Curry Paste to the mix (about 1/2 a jar). -I was out of my other mild curry blends.

Once it cooked down for about 7 minutes, I took it off the heat and added the diced cabbage and topped it with fresh cilantro leaves. There was plenty for all 5 of us and enough for me to eat for BOTH breakfast AND lunch yesterday @ work. (I forgot the yummy breakfast portions from the meal swap, darn it all!)

Pot Roast

Right before bed, I was talking to Matt and trying to out what would be the best meal for tomorrow(Monday). After making 24 servings form the meal swap and 2 full meals for the family, I was done with cooking AND I think he was done with me making a sink full of dishes and being my Sous chef but hadn't prepared for the next day.. :)

So we decided to use the beef we bought @ Greenlife during their 3-day sale. It was for a good price (comparable to BiLo or Walmart), so we bought 3 -4lb portions. I was excited b/c we got to finally use my new crockpot (that locks) that my in-laws gifted me for XMAS. Matt got the recipe and agreed to start it up before he left for work.

Monday rolled around and the game changed... Cherith had a physical therapy appt late so my workout time moved to 5:30 and had us getting home around 6:45. (Boo hiss)

Matt didn't add any veggies to the roast, so I popped 5 small (4-6 in long and 3-4 in diameter) sweet potatoes into the microwave and got the asparagus out.

We sat down about 20 minutes later and ate the food in shifts. (The girls wanted bowls for the broth.)

1st course- 'Baked' sweet potatoes w/ coconut butter and cajun spice

Let me just tell you, Artisana coconut butter is FREAKING AMAZING on sweet potatoes, especially if you add a cajun spice blend on top of it. Even Cherith and Matt thought so. (Emaline and Jonah weren't brave enough). I even had a spoon of straight up coconut butter I was so hungry and it tasted SO good.

2nd course- Beef pot roast

Everyone got a nice portion (hunk of meat) with yummy broth. I don't need to explain how it was done...everyone knows about pot roast. Why Matt didn't add veggies, I don't know, but it still tasted good and we literally drank the broth from the bowls.

3rd course-Asparagus with evoo and salt

For whatever reason, this came last. I think it was because we 'meatatarians' wanted the meat sooner than later. I loved steamed asparagus, actually we all do, with evoo drizzled on and a bit of salt.

Dessert- About an 1/2hr later everyone wanted a snack and since I was preparing the lunches and had washed the strawberries and blueberries...they just ate some of them. I made myself a strawberry, pineapple, and coconut smoothie.

Brocoli Salad

During my cooking frenzy last Monday night, I decided to make brocoli salad for something I could munch on during the week.

My brocoli salad was adapted to be challenge friendly as well as utilize parts of fresh brocoli that aren't eaten by the kids-the stalks.

I also chose to use my EVSO (extra virgin sunflower oil) because I WAS OUT OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS! Oh the horror!!! :)

The ingredients I used:

minced brocoli stalks (from 3 crown bunches)

minced carrots

golden raisins

cranberries

for the sauce/aioli:

sunflower oil

white vinegar

salt

minced garlic

I'm so glad I had it on hand for something to crunchy to eat as a side and being so portable to take back to work. Though I will mention that everyone at work called it cole slaw..... so maybe I should rename this dish Brocoli slaw? What do you think?

Turkey and 'dressing'

So the other day when I went to get my groceries for this week I went to Wal-Mart (boo hiss). I went over to the meat section to see what they had marked down and I found 4 packages of 3 turkey legs. So being the penny pincher I snatched them up figuring I could figure something out.

I decided to try making turkey and 'dressing' to see if one could prepare a traditional meal w/o bread.

To my delight, the 'dressing' tasted DELISH, the turkey legs....not so much. SIGH.

I will try again.

I think by pulling the skin off (per my older daughter's demand for NO SKIN), I did a disservice to the meat. I will not heed her next time.

So my 'dressing' consisted of:

minced carrots (1-2cups)

minced onions(1 cup)

minced celery (1 cup)

minced mushrooms (3+ cups)

finely chopped walnuts (1 cup)

minced garlic (1tblsp-but I LOVE garlic)

parsley (1-2 tblsp)

sage (1-2 tblsp)

salt/pepper (to taste)

EV sunflower oil (1 cup)

1. I prepared the carrots, onions, celery by lightly sauteing them in sunflower oil. I added the mushrooms once I turned off the heat and just mixed them in.

2. I combined the walnuts, garlic, parsley, sage, salt, pepper, and more EVSO to make a pesto consistency goo (for a lack of better terms).

I 'dressed' my 6-skinned and lightly salted/peppered turkey legs with the ingredients above by putting 1. down and around the legs then dolloping 2. (atleast) 2 spoons the walnut 'pesto' goo onto each leg.

I used the smaller container to get a little water(1/2-3/4cup) to pour around the dish.

Then I cooked it for an hour @ 350 (325 convection). It probably could have been less time. I just forgot about it. :)

Any suggestions on making the legs taste better, please let me know...the only way I think a turkey should be cooked is SMOKED. So traditional style...is not as familiar.

Spinach and Meatball Soup

I struck gold with this "throw what ya got in a pot" mentality in making a meal!

This is a soup that I came up with one evening with my friend Aimee when I looked in her WELL STOCKED fridge and saw several things that needed to be used ASAP. We had just made lasagnas (which were delicious) for a business client of hers and I thought I can make something with this!

It must be the Cuban in me hating to see food going to waste because I thought about what she had and quickly realized I could make an Italian inspired soup with all the fresh ingredients she had on hand.

Aimee gave me her blessing to give it a try and just stepped back and let my do my thing! What a good friend to be a guinea pig. :)

These are the ingredients I used:

onion

garlic

bell pepper

celery

carrots

spinach

oregano

evoo

stock (chicken- b/c that's what she had)

meatballs (she had some frozen, so that's what I went with)

I began with making a standard soup stock. In a pan I softened/lightly browned diced onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic with some evoo. Once softened, I added the liquid stock and brought it to a rolling boil. I then added the diced carrots, oregano, and a bit of black pepper. Several minutes later I added the meatballs. After 10-15 minutes I added the rough chopped spinach to the soup. I gave it another 5 minutes or so and tasted it. I added a dash of salt and it was good to go!

Give it a whirl and let me know how it turned out.

I want to try it with homemade meatballs and beef stock.

Buen provecho!