Garlic Ginger Veggie Stirfry

I threw this together yesterday for our church's Memorial Day picnic. I wanted a safe side dish not only for my family but also for a dear friend who is dealing with autoimmune issues. I recently purchased The Paleo Approach and The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, so I double checked ingredient lists and hoped for the best. It turned out better than I expected - not only did it hold well in a crockpot, but even "standard American diet" friends complemented it! I wasn't planning to post, so I don't have a single picture or any exact measurements. Use your wisdom, start with less seasoning and add more if needed. Ginger & fish sauce go a long way!

Garlic Ginger Veggie Stirfry :

1/2 a very large head of cauliflower 

7 medium carrots

2 small white onions 

6 ribs of celery 

3oz portobello mushrooms

1/3-1/2 pound asparagus

2 medium small zucchini

Coconut oil

Garlic powder

Ginger powder

Unrefined salt

Fermented fish sauce

1. Chop the cauliflower into bite sized angular pieces. Toss in melted coconut oil, garlic powder, ginger, and salt. Roast in a thin layer at 425* until browned & crispy, approx 20-25 minutes. Drying out the cauliflower will remove most of the cauli smell & taste, especially important if you want to keep it warm in the crockpot or reheat in the microwave without an overpowering cauli stench. If you eat nightshades, paprika is an excellent addition before roasting. Also, don't wash the cauli immediately prior to roasting - the oil will seal in the extra moisture making it soggier. 

2. Chop all your veggies into the size & shape you prefer. Add extra veggies if desired - I just used what was in my fridge that was on the safe list for autoimmune protocol.  

3. Heat coconut oil in a large heavy pan or two - too full of a pan will cause soggy veggies. Sauté carrots and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add celery, asparagus, mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add zucchini, a little more oil, garlic powder, a pinch of ginger, a teaspoon of fish sauce (or more to taste - it increases in intensity so start with less) and salt. Sauté until veggies are crisp tender. Stir in roasted cauliflower. 

I think that's it :)

Naked Cornish Pasty

This is inspired by my grandmother's Methodist church pasty fundraisers and a quick skillet meal posted by Tom, a whole30 forum moderator. This is a regular meal for us, with subtle variations depending on my time restraints. Variation notes posted below. 

Base recipe:

1# ground beef

1# ground pork sausage 

1 huuuuuge rutabaga, diced 

1-2# carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 bunch kale or 9oz spinach, chopped

Salt, pepper, garlic

Tonight I mixed all the chopped raw ingredients together and then baked it for an hour in two open baking dishes at 350*F.  I love the crispy bites! 

Other times I sauté/fry each ingredient separately in my 5qt fry pan (again so they get crispy spots) and stir it together at the end. 

If you want to use the crockpot, you can use either method. Knead the raw ingredients together and cook on high 5-6 hours. Or precook and keep warm until you are ready. Either way works -precooking creates more browning, using the crockpot to cook makes everything more tender. I would recommend using spinach in the crockpot - kale can get rather fragrant with the long steaming time.  

This makes approx 5qts worth, enough for almost two meals if we have sides. Man my girls eat a lot!

I prefer to eat it over fresh salad greens with either ketchup (old habits) or thousand island. A simple oil & vinegar is also delicious! My husband eats his salad on the side. My girls just keep eating. Ha. 

Quick potato soup

Today's potato soup:

2# gold potatoes 

2c ham bone broth

4c chicken bone broth (or use all chicken broth)

2# frozen mixed broccoli, cauli, carrots

1/2# bacon, cut into 1/4" strips

1/2# ham, diced

1 onion, diced

Salt, pepper, garlic to preference

1.Scrub & roughly chop the potatoes. Cook in broth with black pepper & garlic in a heavy pan with tight fitting lid until tender. 

2. Steam frozen veggies. 

3. Cook bacon and onion over low heat. Add ham when the bacon is almost done. Continue cooking until bacon is tender crisp or how you prefer. 

4. Use an immersion blender to purée the potatoes & broth. Add the veggies and use immersion blender to lightly chop if the pieces are too large. Stir in onions & meats. Taste test and add salt, pepper, and more garlic if needed. 

Paleo Shepard's Pie

Comfort food without the carb load, this was a huge winner at my house. You could half this recipe if desired.

Paleo Shepard's Pie

2# ground beef
2 onions, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, stem removed & chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled & sliced
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 medium heads cauliflower
3-4 Tbsp bacon grease
Garlic, salt, black pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
Paprika to garnish
Crumbled bacon to garnish, optional

1. Brown ground beef with onions & minced garlic in a large heavy skillet. Add chopped kale and continue cooking until kale is tender. Add additional cooking fat (coconut oil) is beef is lean. Spread evenly in a 9x13" baking dish.

2. Using the same skillet, melt the 2 Tbsp coconut oil and sauté the carrots over medium heat. When carrots are beginning to soften, add thyme. Continue cooking until carrots are tender. Spread carrots over beef in pan.

3. Chop raw cauliflower into medium sized pieces and then process in the food processor until it looks like rice. Melt bacon grease over medium low heat in the same large skillet. Add cauliflower rice and sauté until translucent and soft. Using your food processor, purée the cauliflower with chicken broth, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. I went heavy on the garlic (used powdered as I ran out of fresh). Spread over top of carrots in the baking dish, sealing edge to edge to hold moisture in. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. You could optionally top with crumbled bacon. I felt the bacon drippings have enough flavor and didn't cook more bacon.

4. Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes. If the cauliflower mash is too runny, bake 10-15 minutes longer. Mine was perfect after 45 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Salmon patties

All of my girls love these - I have to make a double batch in hopes of having any left over! In fact, this is one of the only forms of fish my oldest daughter likes.

Double chocolate butterscotch cookies

Note - if you came to my blog to check on my whole30 progress, these are not for you. These have butter, grains, sugar, everything off limit. Look away ;) I only smelled them, never tasted.

Apple Cinnamon Omelet

I saw cinnamon omelets on instagram and knew I had to try it.  My girls and I regularly ate cinnamon scrambled eggs with maple syrup, but would it be as good without any added sweeteners?  Stacked with coconut cream & topped with warm apples, this version feels even more decadent than our sweet version.  Win!