Paleo Beef Stew and Mashed Cauliflower

I have been wanting to try to make some mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes and decided to pair it with a beef stew that was Paleo friendly since I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and wanted to bust out my crockpot. It was a perfect meal for a cold day.




Paleo Hearty Beef stew

Ingredients:

1.5 lb stewing beef
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalk, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 mashed cloves of garlic
1 can of tomato paste
Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning and other seasonings
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put veggies in pot, then add meat on top of veggies.
2. Season generously with salt, pepper, and seasonings.
3. Mix together soup stock and tomato paste. Pour over meat & vegetables in crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 7 hours.



Mashed Cauliflower



Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons grassfed butter
¼ cup of coconut milk
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Wash the cauliflower, remove leaves and bottom of stem and cut into large florets. Peel the garlic cloves. Place the florets and garlic cloves in a steamer basket inside a large stock pot with an inch or two of water. Salt liberally. Steam until soft (~10 minutes). You won’t over cook it.
2. Drain in a colander and place into food processor. Add pepper nutmeg, and butter.
3. Process everything until smooth.

Source: Beef Stew adapted from Everyday Paleo; Mashed Cauliflower adapted from Nom Nom Paleo

Paleo Chocolate Chili

It was a nice cool day and I decided to make some chili. I found this Paleo Chili recipe that used cocoa powder and thought that was a little different and gave it a try. I added some carrots and celery that I had received from my fruit and veggie deliver the other day. I also added kidney beans since I had some on hand, so it was not totally Paleo. It would have been fine without the beans as well. A recipe that is a definite keeper.

Paleo Chocolate Chili
Prep 20 min | Cook 2-3 hours | Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large red onions, diced (about 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
2 pounds ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I used Traders Joe's 21 Salute Seasoning)
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth (I used chicken broth)
½ cup water

Directions:

1. Heat a large, deep pot over medium-high heat, then add the coconut oil. When the oil is melted, sauté veggies and add onions, stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and as soon as it’s fragrant, about 30 seconds, crumble the ground meat into the pan, mixing with the spoon to combine. Continue to cook the meat, stirring often, until it’s no longer pink.

2. In a small bowl, crush the oregano between your palms to release its flavor, then add the chili powder, cumin, cocoa, allspice, black pepper, and salt. Combine with a fork, then add to the pot, stirring like you mean it. Add tomato paste and stir until combined, about 2 minutes.

 3. Add the tomatoes with their juice, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the chili enjoys a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for at least two hours. Do not skimp on the simmer! Serve in deep bowls with big spoons.


Source: Adapted from The Clothes Make the Girl (From cookbook: Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat)

Banana Crumb Muffins

I volunteered to bake some muffins for Baby Bear's Preschool Harvest Sale. I decided to bakes some banana muffins since I had a bunch of bananas. Baby Bear really enjoyed the muffins!



Banana Crumb Muffins

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

 In a large bowl, mix together 1½ cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Source: Annie's Eats