Recipe: Primal Dirty Rice

Allow me to re-introduce myself...

I'm sure you've noticed I've been away for a while. I've been traveling a bit with the Hubby, seeing family and friends. I've also been accumulating some life experiences. I still don't feel comfortable sharing, but let's just say that I'll have plenty of time to blog in a couple of weeks while I get back to being myself.

Wow, that was cryptic.

Anyhoo, here's a recipe I made up TONIGHT! Here is what happens when I start to cook a meal without a specific recipe... I started with the idea of chicken livers and cauliflower rice with gravy. This weekend we went to Hubby' MawMaw's house to celebrate her 85th birthday, and she made the BEST milk gravy I have probably ever had...ever.  I wanted to replicate her deliciousness, but I didn't want to taint it's goodness with coconut milk. I know, I know, I love coconut milk too.  But I made the mistake of getting the sweetened variety, and sweetened coconut milk should not be used for gravy making in my book. So now I had to improvise (actually, I was already improvising, haha!). All of a sudden, after I threw my chopped onions in the sautéing cauli-rice, I realized that I was on my way to making dirty rice!

Primal Dirty Rice...how sexy does that sound?!?


Primal Dirty Rice

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken livers (preferably pastured organic)
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk (optional)
6 tbsp of coconut flour
4 tbsp of corn meal (opional. I had some non-GMO organic on hand)
2 tbsp of cajun seasoning, divided
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 large head of cauliflower, processed or chopped to resemble rice
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of frozen peppers


Directions:
1. Rinse and trim your chicken livers (trim away anything that looks sinewy or tough), then put your livers in a dish with coconut milk and let soak for about 1 hour. This will take away some of the bitter taste of the livers.
2. Pour half of your oil in a deep skillet set on medium high. Mix up the coconut flour, corn meal, 1/2 of the cajun seasoning, paprika, and salt in a bowl to dredge livers. When oil is hot (i.e. shimmering), begin dredging your livers and dropping them into the pan to fry. Make sure both sides of the livers are deep brown. About half way through your frying process, you may need to change out the oil. Dump the old oil in a glass or metal cup or can, then pour the other half of your new oil in the pan and continue frying until all the livers are cooked. Set to the side on a paper towel to drain.
3. In a fresh pan (or a freshly wiped out pan), melt your butter over medium heat. Toss in your cauliflower, onion, and peppers along with the other half of your cajun seasoning and some more salt to taste. Let veggies sauté until the texture of the cauli-rice suits your taste. Then toss in the cooked livers and chop them up in the rice with your spoon or spatula.
4. Eat and enjoy!

For more great recipes from around the Blogosphere, visit: Pennywise Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Party Wave Wednesday!

Recipe: Mushroom and Snap Peas Stir-Fry with Glass Noodles

Hey, bloggy friends!! I'm sorry I've been MIA lately... It's been one of those low energy weeks.  But I'm back with a DELICIOUS stir-fry recipe inspired by The Parsley Thief's version from a couple years back. I made a few tweaks (as I always do) to match my tastes and the ingredients I had on hand. I also want to share an awesome noodle that has become my saving grace on the Paleo Diet so far:

{source}

Korean Glass Noodles, or Japchae, are made from sweet potato starch, making them a great way to satisfy a persistant noodle craving such as mine.  It's definitely not an every day thing - they are very high in carbohydrates - but it's an awesome treat! These noodles about the same thickness as spaghetti, but are much longer and are traditionally cut up a bit before serving. Also, they have a very slippery, springy texture, making them lots of fun to slurp! Finally, you must cook your glass noodles thoroughly. Al Dente will mean very chewy pasta. You can find these noodles at any Asian market, or at an extremely well stocked (and perhaps high-end) supermarket.

Mushroom and Snap Peas Stir Fry with Glass Noodles

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil, separated

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb chicken livers (optional, I just like to sneak them in wherever I can)

Sesame seeds

1 onion, diced

1 16oz pkg of mushrooms, quartered

1 12oz pkg of snap peas, sliced

1 bunch of green onions, sliced and separated

2 tbsp of tamari sauce

1 tbsp of Sriracha sauce

1 tsp honey

1 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 lb of korean glass noodles

Water for boiling noodles

Directions

1. Fill pot with water and a couple tablespoons of salt and set on stove to boil.
2. Add one tablespoon of coconut oil to a deep skillet or wok on medium high heat. When oil is hot, drop in ground beef and livers and cook until browned. Make sure livers are chopped up well and mixed in with beef if you have any leery eaters. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
3. When water is boiling, add noodles. Will cook for about 10 minutes, but taste noodles often to check texture and doneness.
4. Add 2nd tablespoon of coconut oil in your hot pan, along with the sesame oil, and add your onions and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms have shrunken. Next add in your snap peas and 1/2 of your green onions. Cook for a couple minutes more.
5. When noodles are done, drain and set colander over empty pot. With kitchen shears, cut noodles roughly until they are easier to manage.
6. Add meat back in your pan, along with the remaining ingredients. Cook for a couple more minutes, until all seasonings are mixed well.
7. To serve, place noodles down first, then stir-fry. Top stir fry with green onions, sesame seeds, and more sriracha, if preferred.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili

(This recipe is a contribution to Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Thursday Link-Up. Please click the link to find more great inexpensive whole food recipes and other homesteading tips)

This Butternut Squash Chili recipe is probably one of the easiest and most satisfying recipes I came up with while on the Whole30 program. There are many variations on this dish you can find on the Internet, but this combo best suited my budget and time restrictions. I can prepare this chili before I go to work in the morning, and its ready to eat by the time I get home. I recently added chicken livers to this recipe because it stretches the meal a bit, and it also adds nutritional value. Feel free to adjust this recipe to your own palate by changing spices, meats, or vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef (I prefer 80/20)
1/2 lbs chicken livers
1 16oz bag of frozen butternut squash
1 10oz bag of frozen onion and pepper blend
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp hot sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cheese, Avocados, Chopped Onions, or whatever else you like to dress your chili with

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and livers with salt and pepper in slow cooker (if you have a "brown" setting), or in a skillet over medium-high heat
2. If browned in a skillet, return meat to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low setting.
3. Taste chili and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve with preferred toppings and eat up!

It's a CELEBRATION!!!

{source}

     That's right, folks! My Hubby and I completed our Whole30 experience on Friday, which meant this weekend was a celebration of that accomplishment!  Guess how the celebration began??

ZUMBA!!!

{source}

     I got up Saturday morning and headed to Meg Berg's "Zumba Fabulous" zumba class! It was 50 minutes of dancing and then 10 minutes of ab work. The saddest part was that I was probably one of two women still in my twenties, and I simply could not keep up!! I just knew I was about to pass out after just 10 minutes of dancing! But I didn't quit, I would just bring my intensity level down and kept moving. The awesome thing is that I felt great after the class was over! I was energized and alert and ready for the day!  I also had one of these waiting in the car for me...

{source}

     CHOCOLATE!!! I had a little square on my way home while I blasted Sam Sparro's "Happiness" and bopped like a fool!  Once I got home, Hubby and I prepared our brunch - Churros and Cheesy Scrambled Eggs. YUM!!  Every single bit was delicious!  All of my treats truly tasted like treats!

     After brunch, Hubby and I took our "after" pictures, and I honestly couldn't believe the changes in our bodies. I have lost about 10 lbs and could really see the difference in my face and upper body. Hubby lost about 20 lbs and looks incredible! Even if I didn't reap one benefit in my own body from the Whole30, seeing the changes that have taken place in my husband still would've made the process worth it.  He's happier, more energized, more focus, and overall healthier! It's truly a blessing.

     I must skip ahead a little and share what we did on Sunday, because it was awesome! Sunday morning (late), we got up and went to a restaurant called Poole's Diner for brunch with friends. This place is one of our FAVORITE restaurants in the area and a major treat for us. Here is the menu for that morning:

     Yes, that's a real chalkboard. Poole's menus change daily, so they write them on chalkboards all over the tiny restaurant instead of printing paper menus!  But don't think this place is some greasy spoon! Ashley Christensen, the head chef and owner, has been on multiple cooking shows - including Iron Chef America - and has won multiple culinary awards.  She is a true artist and her food speaks for itself. Here's one of her specialties and something I got to enjoy on Sunday:

{source}

     Poole's has the best Mac & Cheese in town! It's gooey and custardy, the macaroni is cooked perfectly, and I crusty top makes my eyes roll! Thankfully, we shared this delectable beauty among four people. But you better believe there wasn't a noodle left!

     The great thing about going downtown is that everything that you need is within walking distance. We were all able to work off a bit of sugar during our walk to a local bar, where we had a couple drinks and talked...and talked and talked! How wonderful! No schedule, just quality time. I love friends like that :)  Soon, however, we had to leave the bar due to a staff party they were preparing for, so one friend suggest we go to a ritzy Mexican restaurant called Jibarra.  This place was beautiful!  The owner (who apparently goes way back with one of friends we were with that day) was a sweet, generous man, and he prepared some delicious snacks to go along with our drinks. One of those snacks was a lovely Tilapia and Scallop Ceviche. OHHH MY GOODNESS!!! I cannot tell you how fresh and amazing it tasted! If that wasn't enough, the owner then brings each of us one of these...

     I honestly can't even tell you what this thing was called, because the chef just made it up!! But it was similar to a tostada, Asian style. There was shredded beef with bulgogi sauce on the bottom, tomatoes and purple cabbage, then a cool mayo and shiracha sauce on top with some black sesame seeds.  Can you say FLAVOR EXPLOSION!! I was truly blown away by the artistry of that beautiful little dish.

     In conclusion - Sunday was a very satisfying ending to an incredible experience. The food was great, and the company was even better!  If I was still eating the way I was, Sunday wouldn't have been nearly as special as it should have been. So I look forward to making good choices 80 percent of the time, so that the 20 percent can be decadent and memorable.

Whole30 Update: Delicious Day #22 + Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

(This post signifies my very first link up! I will be linking up with The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Thursdays from now on. Check her out! She's amazing!)

One of the greatest perks from my Whole30 experience is the new arsenal of scrumptious, healthy recipes! I'm very proud of myself because most of the recipes I have cooked are original (thank you, thank you!)  According to my Hubby, they have all been delicious...but he's a pretty partial judge :)

One of those recipes is what I made us for dinner tonight: Paleo Shepherd's Pie!

Since I have gone through this entire experience and haven't posted a single recipe, I will use the last few days of the program to do so, starting with this awesome make-ahead supper! I literally made this yesterday while watching the premiere of The Taste on Hulu. My new work schedule has me at the office on the same days that my Hubby and I get to have dinner together at home (which is only 3 times a week). That means I get home after Hubby and he's usually starving while I'm just starting dinner. So this week I've cooked meals that are either prepared in the Crock Pot or are make-ahead dinners. Tuesday night was Butternut Squash Chili (I'll DEFINITELY be sharing that recipe soon, it was so easy and delicious!). Tonight we're having the Shepherd's Pie I assembled yesterday on my day off. When I get home, I'll just pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes, and we'll be good to go!

Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef (the best you can get your hands on)
1 head of cauliflower (trimmed and cut into small florets)
4 cups of broth or water (I used turkey, cause that's what I had. I personally wouldn't use seafood)
1 1/2 cups of carrots, diced (or baby carrots cut into rounds)
1 1/2 cups of green beans, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 tsp coconut flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring broth or water to boil with a good amount of salt in a stock pot and add cauliflower florets. Cook for about 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain cauliflower and, if necessary, let cool.

2. Put roasted garlic in blender with cooked cauliflower and blend until its thick and smooth. Set aside.

3. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Remove cooked meat with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Add onion, carrots, and green beans into the remaining fat and saute until the onions are translucent and the carrots and green beans are tender.  Add ground beef back to the pan along with the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and coconut flour. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then take the pan off the burner and allow the filling to cool.

4. After the filling as cooled, pour it into your favorite casserole dish (my 8x8 glass dish seemed to be the right fit for this one. Then spread the cauliflower puree over top and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula or spoon.

5. From here you can either put in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the top of the casserole is caramelized, or you can put it in the friidge/freezer and cook when ready. If you are choosing the make-ahead preparation, let the casserole sit on your counter for a couple hours to thaw/take the chill off, then put in a 350 oven for 30-45 minutes until the casserole is heated through and the top is caramelized.

Happy eating!

Whole30 Update: Day #20 + Aunt Flo

(source)

What's up, friends! Today is Day #20 of my Whole30 experience and I'm pretty much loving life right now! I'm feeling pretty good and I've been eating really good!

Here's breakfast from Sunday morning:

"Purple Rain" Banana Crepes, as dubbed by my Hubby :) The topping is coconut cream, banana, and mixed berries. Then we had sausage and eggs on the side. YUM! That morning we watched "Aristocats" and I was LOLing like I was 5 years old!! I don't know what it is about Disney movies, but I'm instantly a kid again when we they come on.

Dinner that night was Pineapple Chipotle Wings with Tomato and Avocado Salad an Avocado Mayo dipping sauce. DELICIOUS!! I pretty much laid the smackdown on those wings. You could say that we cheated a little bit, because I "shallow" fried them in bacon fat and a bit of olive oil. But all the ingredients were Whole30 approved. Oh, and Hubby came up with the refreshing mineral water in the background. I could have had a gallon of that stuff!

So what's up with Aunt Flo? Well I've definitely been PMSing a bit this week because I start next week. (I know, that's a lot of info, but you're blog family now.)  I haven't had the bloating or the mood swings (WOOHOO!!), but I have had the urge to eat every scrap of food in the house. Honestly, I'm not snacking nearly as hard as I did in months past, sans Whole30. And, though I'm not munching on Mac and Cheese and Oreos, my choices have been very satisfying and I haven't really binged out on anything. I guess the Whole30 program has calmed my hormones to the point that a time like this wrecks much less havoc on my body than before.

With 10 days left (I don't know what I was smoking last time I was talking about having 10 days left...), I'm really pleased with the results I have experiences. I may even get brave enough to share my before and after pics with you guys on day 30!

Have a great week, and we'll keep in touch :)

Whole30 Update: Day #17 and Feeling GRRRRREAT!

source

Yep, that's me, feeling the tiger blood!  I definitely had some gloomy moments this week, but they have all led up to this! I feel AWESOME!  I'm starting to actually crave Whole30 approved foods. I think my clothes are starting to fit a little better. I have been getting great sleep, which is huge for me! (I have never been a great sleeper...EVER!)

Speaking of cravings, I still can't wait to have cheese in my scrambled eggs or maple syrup on my paleo pancakes again, but as far as things I want to have everyday that's kind of the extent of it. I know there will be bread, cocktails, and maybe even some McDonald's Mystery McNuggets in my future at some point (hmmm...maybe not the McNuggets), but now that I understand what it does to my body I'm just not chomping at the bit to have these things on a regular basis. I like who I am right now! I like waking up and continuing to feel awake throughout! I like feeling sleepy and actually falling to sleep...and STAYING asleep! It's a glorious thing that I just don't want to throw away just because I can't say "No" to a Bojangles biscuit.

*Shutter* I know I'm really letting some fellow North Carolinians down with that last statement. Those were my jam back in the day, but I just can't put my stomach through that anymore. But we're still friends...right?

This is what I made for dinner Thursday night:

Oh yeah, Coconut Curry Stew with Shrimp and Peppers. It was delicious, but I think it needs lemongrass. Unfortunately, I've never used lemongrass before! So I'll definitely be experimenting with that idea before I post the recipe.

All in all I'm a happy girl! My body feels good because it's not competing with all the junk to keep me alive and alert. My heart and mind are happy because I'm treating myself well, FINALLY!  Yeah, that whole "love others as you love yourself" idea has taken on a whole new meaning over the last 17 days. So many people, especially women, pour limitless love out on others every day while hating themselves through their choices, speech, and thoughts. We come by this behavior honestly, the generations before us have taught us to care for everyone else before we care for ourselves. There are times when that is necessary, but that shouldn't one's every waking moment. We are not to love and care for others INSTEAD of ourselves, but LIKE ourselves. It's a simple thought, but accomplishing it has proven more complicated than I thought it would be. I'm so happy to have finally started walking this concept out for me.

I can't believe there are only 10 days left of my Whole30 experience. I'm excited because I'm REALLY craving a baked sweet potato with an entire log of goat cheese in the middle, bacon over the top, and finished with a liberal drizzle of honey. YUUUMMM!!! But I'm a little sad, too. What a time of discovery! What a 19-Day journey to cracking my food-code! It's been real, and it's been fun. Thanks for sitting in the passenger seat :)

Whole30 Update: Days #7 and #8

Wow, I can't believe I've been doing the Whole30 for over a week!!

HAHA! Yes I freakin' CAN believe it!!! I've gone through just about every craving I could possibly through, and my tummy has had quite the time trying to acclimate to my drastic diet change.

However, the pros have totally outweighed the cons this week. I've had more energy (except for the last couple days, but I don't think that's the food's fault). I'm not starving! I eat about twice a day, with a couple of snacks (I'll probably cut out the evening snack, though). What makes me the most excited, however, is that IM ONLY ON DAY 8!! I can hardly believe that I've only Whole30-ing it for 8 days and am already experiencing these results!

Now for some pics!!

The first is a picture of this great brand of local, wild-caught shrimp that I bought on sale from Food Lion for $7.99!! If you know anything about wild-caught shrimp, you know that's a steal!

The next is a pic of my lunch a couple days ago - Okra and Sausage Sauté. It's something my Dad used to eat while he was doing the Adkins Diet, and I would always gobble up his leftovers :) This simple dish is only sausage ( I used some INSANELY good pork kielbasa from my CSA), frozen okra and some celery for a bit of crunch!

For dinner last night, I made a huge Chicken Cobb Salad (sans bleu cheese, of course). In preparation for the salad's dressing, the Hubby and I made our first Mayonnaise!! We, like everyone else, we needing up with something the consistency of salad dressing, i.e a soupy, but tasty, mess. Then I had the idea of making a sort of avocado ranch dressing from not-quite-mayo. I simply put half of the mayo mixture, some lemon juice, and 1/4 an avocado into the blender. Then, BOOM!! I had actual, thick, spreadable, scrumptious MAYO!!! It was perfect!! So for all of you who are about to give up on making your own mayo, just add avocado!

The last pic is of my dinner tonight! It was a dreary day here in my hometown, which means the perfect night for soup! I made a quick Chicken and Veal Curry Soup! Why chicken AND veal? Because I had a little veal meat that came off of my broth bones in the freezer :) One of my new favorite things is Trader Joe's canned coconut cream. It's perfect for making any soup creamy and delicious if you are lactose intolerant or refraining from dairy.

So that's all I got for today! This weekend I'll post some recipes that have served me well during my first week of the Whole30 program.

HAPPY FRIDAY!