Classically Irish (mostly) Paleo Beef Stew (in the crock pot!)

Summer has suddenly disappeared here in the Nation's Capital. One week it was sunny and in the 80's, the next week it was rainy, and now it's chilly and that lovely autumn smell is in the air. Its time for chunky sweaters and pumpkin spiced everything!

Its also time for a multitude of soups and stews to make their way to the front of the stage. I am thrilled! I love soups and stews. There is something so comforting about a big bowl of hot, filling stew. Big chunks of beef, lots of hearty vegetables, flavorful broth. Every bite filling your tummy and your soul with tasty goodness. Whats not to love?

As with most meals I cook, I got inspiration for this stew from multiple sources. I usually read a few different recipes, both online and from my huge cookbook library, and then I take this and that from each recipe and make up my own concoction. Usually this turns out a pretty good dish, its only once in a while that the whole pot ends up in the trash. This was one of the good times.

Most of my inspiration for this Classically Irish (mostly) Paleo Beef Stew came from The Functional Foodie. I left out the onion and added a lot of extra veggies, namely a turnip, a sweet potato, a parsnip, some celery, some white potatoes, and some lima beans. (Leave out the white potatoes and the lima beans for strictly paleo.) I also added some organic beef broth and a little coconut flour to thicken it up. I will say that the addition of the coconut flour didn't seem to do much, and for that reason I am leaving it out of the recipe below.

The other thing that I really liked about The Functional Foodie's recipe is that she insists on browning the meat before transferring it to the crock pot. I understand that this means more dishes to do, but trust me (and The Functional Foodie) this small extra step adds TONS of flavor. According to The Functional Foodie, "color = flavor."

Once you have browned the meat and scrapped up all the bits and juices from the bottom of the browning pan, just transfer the meat to the crock pot and add the other ingredients. Then you are good to go, you can leave your crock pot going for hours. Its really that simple. Yea for simple hearty meals!

Classically Irish (mostly) Paleo Beef Stew (in the crock pot!)

• 2 pounds of stew meat
• coconut oil (or your choice of fat) for cooking
• salt & pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup of baby or 2 regular carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 turnip, peeled and cubed
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen lima beans or green peas
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• several glugs of good red wine (I used if you wouldn't drink it you shouldn't cook with it!)
• 1-2 cups good beef broth
• 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes

Preheat your cast iron skillet or dutch oven and add the coconut oil over high heat on the stove top. While this is preheating, dry off your meat with a paper towel. You want to get all the extra juices off the meat. After it is dry season it well with salt and pepper, make sure to get all sides.

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and chopped garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. Watch this very closely you don't want burnt garlic. 

Add the meat to the pot and brown on all sides. Don't worry about "cooking" the meat, you just want to brown it. You want to get as much color as possible. Remember COLOR = FLAVOR! 

Once the meat is brown on all sides, transfer it to the crock pot. Pour your red wine into the hot skillet and scrap the bottom of the pan. The goal is to get all the wonderfully flavorful bits and pieces from the meat off and into the crock pot. Transfer the wine (and all the goodies) to the crock pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the frozen lima beans/peas) and cook for 8-10 hours on low. About 15-20 minutes before serving add the lima beans or peas. 

My Whole 30 Journey - Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

I am one of those people who can eat soup any time of year for pretty much any occasion  I know there are people who don't eat soup in the hot weather of summer, but that's not me. So, when I found a lovely butternut squash at the store I knew I wanted to make some soup despite the 90 degree heat.. 

The sweet and nutty flavors of butternut squash taste so lovely with the spicy flavors of curry and the creaminess of coconut milk. Even J, who is 23 months, loved this soup. 

This recipe produces a pretty spicy soup. If you aren't into the spicy thing than just reduce the spices by half and taste it, if you want more spice you can always add it in later.

Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

(loosely adapted from The Novice Chef)

Recipe Note: some brands of coconut milk solidifies in the can. Before opening, warm the coconut milk by submerging the can in hot water for 5 minutes. See my post on Coconut Milk Reviews for more information.

ingredients:

2.5 lb Butternut Squash (basically one large squash), deseeded, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

¼ yellow onion, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon curry

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cumin

ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup coconut milk, full-fat

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

cilantro, optional - for garnish

directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the squash with 3 tablespoons olive oil and spices and spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the squash for 45-55 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork.

Heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Add onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the roasted squash and stir together.

Add stock and coconut milk and stir to combine. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend up the soup until smooth.

Serve hot with a little extra drizzle of coconut milk and cilantro.

If preparing ahead, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Then reheat in a non-stick pan on the stove.

My Whole 30 Journey - Week 2

This week I want to share some of my frustrations. This is not easy. Its not particularly hard, but its not easy. Its not eat whatever you want and feel awesome. Its eat really great and good for you food and feel awesome.

Excuse the  lack of makeup, I have a newborn.

I MISS CHEESE! And bread. No, but seriously, cheese.

I knew when I started my Whole 30 Journey that cheese and yogurt would be the hardest things to give up. I love cheese. One of the reasons for doing my 30 days in July was so that, when the county fair opened in August, I could eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

Side note: If you are ever in the DC Metro area in mid-August you have got to come out the the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and go to the Big Cheese. They seriously have the BEST grilled cheese sandwich you will ever eat. EVER!

I have had so many craving this week. Chocolate (brownies, cookies, cake, bars, etc...), bread, cheese, yogurt, milk and cereal, chips, cream and sugar in my coffee, fried mozzarella sticks, rice, wine, pasta, Dr. Pepper, etc... Pretty much anything and everything not allowed on the Whole 30.

It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

I miss baking. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love to bake. I will come up with any excuse to bake. Its Sunday afternoon, need to bake something! There is a birthday at work, need to bake something! Husband is coming home from work, need to bake something! 

Its been really hard to cut back on my baking adventures. One of the ideas of the Whole 30 is to break your bad food habits. They suggest not simply replacing regular pancakes with paleo pancakes because this isn't teaching your body good habits, its just perpetuating the old ones. Now, I will admit, I have made pancakes. I have also made muffins. They have followed the rules of the Whole 30 ingredients wise, but haven't exactly followed the rules.

One of the justifications I have given myself for baking muffins and pancakes is that I really don't like eggs and what else am I supposed to eat for breakfast? I have never liked eggs. When I was little I couldn't even be in the kitchen when someone was cooking them because I would puke. I know its gross, but that's the truth. Unless they are baked into a cake or cookies or frozen in custard, I am not interested. And don't try to change my mind, I have tried them in many different forms and flavor combinations. I don't like eggs.

While we are talking about foods that I don't like lets touch on seafood. Its gross. So is lamb, and pork (bacon and some sausages excluded) and veal, and goat and duck. Its interesting because I wouldn't say I'm a picky eater, because I love trying new flavors and ethnic dishes, and love experimenting with recipes. But maybe I am. Anyway, these dislikes have always limited my diet and even more so now that I can't supplement with grains and dairy.

One of my greatest frustrations is that I haven't been experiencing the results that I was hoping for. I am still really tired, although that could admittedly be from a lack of sleep due to the fact that I have a three week old baby. I am hungry all the time and can't seem to get enough food in my belly, again, could be from breastfeeding. My skin hasn't cleared up at all. I haven't seemed to lose any weight. I haven't weighed myself, but I haven't noticed a difference. My husband who isn't even doing the Whole 30 other than when he eats at home is losing weight. Ugh, men! 

My sister keeps saying to push through the first two weeks and it gets much much easier by the third week. Here's hoping she is right! On the bright side, its summer and the produce is wonderful! 

Leave a comment and let me know how your Whole 30 is going!

XOXO,

Coco

My Whole 30 Journey - Guacamole Chicken Salad Recipe

Guacamole is one of those things that, up until recently, I was convinced I hated. I had never had any guacamole that I liked and I thought I hated it so much that I was sure I hated avocados in general. Oh how wrong I was! 

As it turns out I LOVE avocados and guacamole. It was the onions in guacamole that I hated. I don't like onions, like super don't like them. I pick around them in pretty much anything that contains them. I won't eat anything that has too much of an onion flavor, especially a raw onion flavor. 

Sometimes I get sad if I go to dig into something that I usually really like and I get a huge mouth full of onion flavor. If I'm really hungry and PMSing I have been known to cry over this culinary catastrophe. I just really don't like onions.

Guacamole Chicken Salad

All that said, take the onions out of guacamole and you have one of my favorite dishes of all time! Toss in some fresh cilantro and tomatoes and you've got a flavor explosion!  Add the fact that avocados are packed with healthy fats and I'm totally on board!

My brother makes the best guacamole. He is the one who converted me. His secret? Fresh squeezed orange juice. 

I took his recipe for awesome guac and added some grilled chicken and orange bell peppers and served it over a bed of lettuce and BAM! an awesome Whole 30 approved meal that is packed with good for you foods. Trust me, your body and your taste buds will be thanking you!

One of the things I like to do at the beginning of the week, is grill or boil some chicken that I then chop or shred it and leave it in the fridge for salads or other quick meal options. If you have the chicken already cooked you can toss this meal together in 10 minutes. You can even use store bought guacamole if you want an even easier fix. Whole Foods has fresh guacamole made every day in the produce section.

Guacamole Chicken  Salad

• 2 breasts of chicken, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces or shredded
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 sweet bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 clove(s) garlic, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 orange, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: chopped onion, chopped jalapeno

Scoop the avocados into a large bowl and add the lime, lemon and orange juices. Smash up the avocado with a potato masher or a fork until smooth. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper and cilantro. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until the everything in well coated with avocado. Serve over a bed of lettuce.

That's it ladies and gentlemen! 

Super simple, quick, delicious, and healthy meal. 

Enjoy this!

Let me know what you think of the recipe.

XOXO,

Coco

P.S. Lucky you! You have stumbled upon two recipes in one! Just leave out the chicken and you have the best guacamole recipe on the face of the planet! You're welcome :)

Beef and Broccoli and Easy Pea-sy Fried Rice Recipe - Guest Post

Today's guest post comes from a very dear friend of mine, Kerri Anne. This woman is a fantastic cook and I think everyone who was in the theatre department at our college would agree that she is (almost) single-handedly responsible for our freshman (sophomore, junior, and senior) 15. She was always showing up with a pan of turtle brownies, or some kind of cookies, or just awesome food. To this day I don't have any idea how she managed to make us all that wonderful food and graduate with honors. I cannot recommend this ladies recipes highly enough. Try it out, and let us know how it  turns out for you!

Xoxo,

Coco

Hello, friends!  First off, let me say how honored I am that my bestie, Coco, has deemed me worthy to post my humble musings on the yummies (food, that is) on this amazing blog! 

Normally, my recipes are a celebration of all things comforting and delicious (damn the extra minutes on the treadmill, full speed ahead!)  However, lately, in observation of Lent, I have been abstaining from my favorite carbs (pastas, breads, rice, etc.)  In my search for Lent-approved recipes that also please my husband’s non-abstaining palette, I came across this Beef and Broccoli recipe.  It is nothing special, comes together quickly, and is composed of relatively inexpensive ingredients—and it’s actually delicious!  Fear not, if you are a carb-oholic, you’ll love the bonus Fried Rice recipe! 

So, enjoy this quick, weeknight meal… and look forward to my more indulgent recipes to come!  J Viva la Domestic360!

Kerri’s Beef and Broccoli
Adapted from Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons corn starch (divided)
• ½ cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water (divided)
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1lb boneless round steak  (or the super convenient “beef for stir frying” at your local grocery)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or pecan oil)
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Method
1. Cut beef into thin strips.  Discard fat.  (Unless you have purchased the “beef for stir frying,” which is already sliced for you.  In this case, do a little celebratory dance, you efficient person, you.)

2. In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp corn starch, 2 tbsp water, and garlic powder until smooth.  Add beef and toss to coat.

3. In a large, high-sided skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) over medium high heat.  Stir-fry beef for about 5-6 minutes, or until it reaches your desired pinkiness.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

4. Add more oil to the pan, if needed, and scrape together any brown deliciousness.  Stir fry the broccoli and onion for about 4-5 minutes, or until tender.  I recommend covering the pan during this process—it creates a delicious broccoli sauna.

5. Return the beef to the sauna—er, pan. 

6. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining 1 tbsp cornstarch and ½ cup water.  Whisk until smooth.  Add to the party in the pan.

7.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes, making sure everything gets covered in the yummy sauce. 

8. Serve over hot cooked rice, or over….

Easy Pea-sy Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup yellow onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 2-3 eggs, whisked
• 3 cups hot, cooked rice
• 1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Soy sauce, to taste

Method

Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute’ onion in butter for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. Add in minced garlic.  Saute’ for about a minute.  Scramble eggs with the onion and garlic, adding more butter if necessary.  Add peas and rice.  Stir fry with the veggies and eggs for a few minutes, until heated through.  Add salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste.

A New Dunn Family Lifestyle - With Recipes

My husband is on a new healthy "lifestyle" quest. He has been going to the gym, we have been watching less TV (he even unplugged it and hid it!), we have been hanging out as a family outside as much as the weather has permitted, and I have been asked to reinvent our weekly meal plans.

Now, I would say that usually I am a pretty health conscious cook and that the problem is that my dear hubby doesn't want to eat the whole-wheat, low-sugar, still-tastes-great-but-weirds-him-out, "healthy" food that I make. Half the time I don't even tell him that what I'm feeding him is healthy and usually he doesn't notice and loves it, but now that he is pursuing this new lifestyle I have free reign to make all the healthy, unprocessed food I want!

This week is the first week in my healthy menu quest. I have made salmon (first time ever cooking fish), and homemade fruit snacks, cilantro lime hummus, Vitatop knockoff muffins, and tons of other awesome things for my family. I wanted to share my success and some recipes.

• Triple Chocolate Chunk Vitatop Knockoff Muffins (seriously tastes like decadent bakery chocolate muffins. So yummy!)
• EASY Salmon (or chicken) Packets (I don't like fish so I used a thin piece of chicken. Also, I can't stress how easy this recipe is! I haven't ever made fish before, like never ever, and my husband said it was really good)
• Power Breakfast Cookies (I kinda made up my own recipe, but this link is pretty close to what I made. My 15 month old son ate these like candy, seriously he ate about two good-sized cookies every morning)
• Homemade Fruit Snacks (these are really good and easy and cheap, and I don't know why you would need to buy fruit snacks from the grocery store again)
• Cilantro Lime Hummus (this is a little spicy, and we like spicy. I think next time I will cut down on the cayenne pepper just a little)

Let me know what your favorite healthy recipes are!