Tomato Soup Elixir

I wanted this historical 30th WiscoPaleo post to be celebratory; something really good, something that is a paleo inspiration to all those trying to be the healthiest version of themselves by sticking to a paleo diet. Instead, it’s an emergency recovery potion from my recent encounter with the Wisconsin State Fair.

So be it. Let this be a reminder to us all that if we want to eat paleo foods we should try to stick to it, but we can and will fail. When that happens, we should really relish that deep fried Oreo, and we should unabashedly lick our fingers after that Cream Puff. And then we should try to bounce back. This soup is my effort to bounce back. Truth be told, it was kind of a big effort, best put together in stages over a period of 24 hours or so. The good news is that it turned out quite tasty, so I didn’t even have to hold my nose while I drank it down.

Tomato Soup Elixir

6 large tomatoes

1 bulb of garlic

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 TBSP dried oregano

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cups bone marrow broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops off the large tomatoes and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a deep dish, preferably cast iron. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and oregano. Meanwhile, peel much of the skin off the garlic bulb while keeping the cloves intact. Slice off the very tops of the cloves and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil (or not at all, if you forget like I did). Cover the garlic bulb in foil and put it in a small baking dish. Place both the tomato dish and the garlic bulb in the oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the dish. Wring out some of their juices for a thicker soup. Place the tomatoes in the blender. Unwrap the garlic bulb and allow to cool, then scoop the garlic out with your fingers and place it with the tomatoes in the blender. Finally, add the bone marrow broth. Blend everything together for a full minute, and drink to your health!

Unpretentious Dry Rubbed Pork & Riced Cauliflower

But I fooled you, didn’t I? Because that pork sure looks pretentious. I assure you it is not. Have you heard of the grocery store brand Essential Everyday? Of course you haven’t. And yes, I got that right. I think it flows better the other way around, but what do I know about marketing? It didn’t stop me from purchasing their entire line, so I guess it’s working.

The point is, this pork is smothered in spices the likes of which a snootier [read: better] cook than I might not touch with a ten-foot ladle. In fact, it would probably be more accurate to refer to them as “spices”. But it sure is a good lookin’ piece of meat, isn’t it? And truly, it tastes even better.

The riced cauliflower is something every devoted fan of paleo eating should have tried by this point in the journey. I’ve been eating this way more or less for nearly two years now, and it’s the first time I threw my cauliflower into the food processor and watched it magically become “rice”. Maybe it took me that long to achieve the depth of inspiration which moved me to add leeks and cilantro, which turned out superbly.

The avid WiscoPaleo fan will notice that I posted something yesterday for the first time in a long while, and would probably advise me to hang onto this one in anticipation of future laziness. Noted, but I just can’t do it. This one’s just too good to keep up my sleeve. Enjoy!

Unpretentious Dry Rubbed Pork & Riced Cauliflower

Pork

2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp parsley

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2-lb center cut pork loin

Mix all the spices together in a large bowl, then cover the pork in the dry rub and tightly seal the bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Then, place the pork in a baking dish with some of the leeks and cauliflower around it for added moisture (or use another vegetable). Bake the pork at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 300 and cover the pork with foil, baking for another 25 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the center of the roast reads 145 degrees.

Riced Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, finely shredded to rice-sized bits (easiest in a food processor)

1 leek stalk, chopped into thin circles

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, very finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Place the cauliflower, salt, pepper, and cilantro in a bowl and mix together. Place the leeks in a pan with the olive oil and sautee them on low heat until they begin to turn translucent. Add the cauliflower mixture and simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

Rabbit Food Short Ribs

The good people of Wisconsin, bless their hearts, are a fickle people indeed. All winter long, we yearn for those ever-elusive dog days of summer, when we can peel off layers of long underwear and feel confident that we won’t regret such presumptuous gaiety come sunset. Yet, here we are in the throes of our short and consecrated summer, and it is not uncommon to hear people pining for wool sweaters and hot chocolate. Go ahead and pine, if you must, but include not on this list of exclusively winter attributes the use of the crock pot. The crock pot, in fact, is a marvelous invention for someone like myself, who lives without the luxury of the air conditioner, but instead toils and perspires through those seven or eight days out of 365 when it might be necessary. The crock pot sits in the corner of your kitchen and minds its own business, taking care not to raise the temperature of the air around it.

Whether consciously or not, on my typical route through the produce section, I pass mounds of carrots and celery with an indifference bordering on haughty. If I thought about it, this is because I believe humans have evolved beyond having to eat food as boring as this; especially celery. It turns out, though, that I only believed this because my own experience as a cook has not yet evolved beyond conventional loyalty to such reliable vegetables as green peppers and zucchini. Since I recreated this dish after it was first served to me, I had no choice but to forfeit my dollar and eighty cents and purchase food which may be better suited for those with more prominent incisors. And so it came to pass that I have made an addition to my ever-growing phyto-repertoire.

So take out your crock pot, dust it off, and fill it with rabbit food and short ribs. May your horizons be broadened and your taste buds rewarded!

Rabbit Food Short Ribs

2-3 pounds beef short ribs

2 tbsp bacon fat (or other fat)

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

3-4 carrots, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup)

3-4 celery stalks, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano (2 tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 8-oz can tomato paste

Brown the short ribs in the bacon fat and set in the crock pot. Brown the carrots, celery, and onions together and add the spices while they sizzle. Add the tomato paste and let simmer about 3 minutes. Add the mixture to the crock pot. Turn on low and let cook for about 8 hours.

Remove the short ribs from the crock pot and set aside. Add the sauce to a high-powered blender and puree it; add salt and pepper if needed. Pour back over the short ribs and enjoy!

 

Ode to the Hobo Pack

Even as a graduate student in the amorphous universe of the social sciences, I often find it difficult to keep up on the latest in terms of offensive language. To account for that possibility, I will just say that if a real live “hobo” is reading this, know that you should be fiercely proud of your affiliation with this miraculous culinary adventure. The hobo pack, in a word, is perfection. Bravo.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of the hobo pack experience, it is a foil-wrapped almagamation of anything and everything in your fridge; or better yet, whatever is in your camping cooler. It’s been a family tradition around the campfire for a very long time, and happens to also be a very easy way to make something that’s paleo.

A delightful grammatical aside is that “hobo pack” can, and should, be used as a verb. Please refer to the following examples when attempting to do this:

Standard hobo-pack verb usage: I think I’m going to hobo pack tonight, which just means that you’re going to be cooking a hobo pack for dinner.

Existentially profound hobo-pack verb usage: I might just hobo pack the rest of my life. A friend and devoted reader (thank you!) recently said this, and I like to think of her exclamation as a muse on the value of living life simply.

Because if the hobo pack is one thing, it’s simple (Note: I could have said, “Hobo packing is simple!”). Here is my favorite variation on the hobo pack; so simple that you too will want to hobo pack the rest of your life. So don’t stop with this Classic Hobo. Fill that foil with the most imaginative yearnings of your heart! The world is your hobo pack!

Classic Hobo

1 sweet potato, unpeeled and roughly chopped

1 pepper (any color will do), roughly chopped

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 TBSP oregano

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Crumble the sausage over the roughly chopped vegetables on a sheet of foil and sprinkle spices over everything. Wrap the foil so that it is tightly sealed. Place over your campfire or right in the coals. Allow between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on how hot the fire is. (Less exciting variation: Place on a tray in a 425-degree oven for 50 minutes.) Beware the hot (aromatic!) steam when you unwrap your pack!

Sea Scallops over Carrot Mash

I’ve put this one off for a while because I didn’t make it. But frankly, my blogging performance has been so despicable lately that I obviously need some assistance. So here it is. Scallops that I didn’t cook, which were delicious. And extra fancy touches, which I wouldn’t have thought of myself.

I hope there won’t be too many of you out there judging me for posting scallops on a Wisconsin food blog. Not very “local” of me, right? Well… your arguments fly right out the window as soon as these sea creatures encounter your taste buds. We shouldn’t have to suffer just because we are land-locked.

Sea Scallops over Carrot Mash

(with asparagus)

1/2 pound scallops

1/2 pound asparagus

1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

zest of lemon

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the carrots and roast for 1 hour. Puree in a food processor.

Leave the oven at 400 and roast the asparagus, drizzled with the other tbsp of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste, for 20 minutes.

Turn the burner on low/medium and melt the butter. Sear the scallops in the butter for 2-3 minutes on each side, until just barely browned. Salt and pepper the exposed sides.

Arrange on a plate in an aesthetic way, and daintily sprinkle the scallops with zest of lemon.

Savor slowly and appreciatively.

Cinnamon Bacon Fudge

Do I have your attention? I thought so. Pairing the word bacon with the word fudge tends to do that. And if that weren’t healthy enough already, I threw in a dose of antioxidant-rich cinnamon to boot. Yes, for real: this fudge is healthy. You read that right. Healthy. Fudge.

How can that be, you might ask. Well, first of all, there are very few ingredients in it. One of those is raw walnuts, and I’ve raved about their nutritious properties before. Secondly, as if I hadn’t said the word antioxidants enough already, there is a whole cup of 100% cocoa powder in it. You’ll be so full of antioxidants that you may actually glow in the dark. Dates do the sweetening and the moistening, and you could definitely do worse than that. Almonds? But of course, a superfood in its own right. As for the addition of bacon? Surely you aren’t really questioning the widom of such a culinary twist. I’ll pretend you didn’t ask.

These are adapted from http://www.mynewroots.org,  a blog I used to peruse often before the days of paleo eating. Making these reminded me to start checking back with Sarah Britton, who is a very savvy and creative Certified Nutritional Practitioner, who happens to also eat grains. Her photography is beautiful and she knows a whole lot about food. Her version of these is called a raw brownie; my adaptation seems to more closely resemble fudge. Whatever you call them, they are finger-lickin’ good and pair nicely with a cup of black coffee. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bacon Fudge

2 c raw walnuts

1 c 100% cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

2 c pitted dates

1 c raw almonds, roughly chopped

3 slices of bacon, fried and roughly chopped

Chop the almonds finely in a food processor. Add the cocoa, cinnamon, and sea salt and blend together until a paste has formed. Add the dates a few at a time, blending thoroughly. Put the mixture in a bowl and add the chopped almonds and chopped bacon, folding together. Line a 9×9″ pan (or thereabouts) with parchment paper and press the mixture flat into the pan. Cover and put in the fridge to set for at least a couple hours.

Family Size Salad for One

Of course it isn’t absolutely necessary that you eat this all by yourself, but I did and I have no shame about it. It was pretty satisfying to reach past those conservative little tupperware containers as I packed my lunch this morning and settle on the really big one in the back. I just knew I was going to have a good day.

You’ll see some alfalfa sprouts peaking out around the piles of beets and chicken, and if you’re very astute you will say “Cheater! Those are legumes!” True. I did not know this until I Googled it a few minutes ago, and it makes me sad, because sprouts are attractive and add a little crunch to the salad. I’ll reluctantly finish the package I bought and think twice before I buy them again. I guess.

Baking large quantities of chicken and steaming a potful of beets means I’ll be enjoying this salad for a few days and can think about other things, like playing outside. Spring is here!

Family Size Salad for One

2 lbs chicken

2 TBSP butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Bunch of sprouts (or something else that’s paleo-compliant)

Bunch of red romaine lettuce

2 large steamed beets, chopped

(Dressing)

1 TBSP olive oil

2 tsp vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Bake the chicken at 325 for 2 hours covered and 45 minutes uncovered. Put all the ingredients together in a big container. Mix up the dressing and pour it over everything.

Rainbow Buffalo Stew

If this stew were entered in a beauty pageant, which I’m not afraid to say it could be, it would be one of those contestants that not only looks good but has actual talents to showcase as well. This stew’s talents are numerous, and they include: being very easy to throw together, providing ample leftovers, and tasting lip-smacking good.

But by the way, I have been making many a paleo exception lately. I like to do this occasionaly just to show that I’m not always a stick in the mud when it comes to my weird, self-enforced dietary restrictions. But low and behold, I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and lymph nodes the size of golf balls. Who will ever know if there are a dozen extraneous variables that would account for this sudden onset of yuckyness? No matter; it was enough to remind me that I love eating this way and feeling as good as I usually do. Anyway, a few healthy doses of bone marrow broth should whip my immune system right back into shape, and having a big tub of this stew in my refrigerator won’t hurt either. Three cheers for getting back on the ole wagon!

Rainbow Buffalo Stew

1 lb buffalo stew meat

1 lb ground sausage

2 TBSP fat (bacon fat, if you should be so lucky)

1 each: red, orange, yellow, green pepper; chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 c free range chicken broth

Sear the buffalo meat in the bacon fat so the sides are just browned and place in the slow cooker. Sear the sausage until just browned and place in the slow cooker. Place all remaining ingredients in the slow cooker and mix them around a bit. Turn on low for 8 hours.

 

 

Beef-n-Turkey Beetballs

One day I will create the category Recipes Which Use the Letter “N” as Though it is a Word. I know, what a tease! May you all wait with bated breath until that day arrives.

There’s been a beet attack around here. I’ve been filling myself and my family to the gills with beets in all forms. I finally made it to a winter farmer’s market, now that it’s nearly the end of winter (hopefully), and I just couldn’t stay away from a table that spilled over with this bold and beautiful member of the root vegetable family. White beets? How can a gal resist?

I have been trying to put my fancy blender to uses other than disguising the act of eating large amounts of kale, so I threw this concoction into its great and powerful depths. A paste that ironically resembled the infamous “pink slime” is what resulted, but that was because of those bright pink beets. No mechanically separated, antibiotic-ridden chicken feet in this recipe! I believe that each time I add a new element to my ongoing meatball-making education, such as the merits of thorough blending, I continue a slow but steady approach towards The Perfect Meatball. I’ll keep you posted on that important journey. Meanwhile, make these. They are not too shabby.

Beef-n-Turkey Beetballs

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb grassfed ground beef

1 c finely shredded beets

1 c finely shredded zucchini

1 TBSP dried parsley

2 eggs

1/2 c almond flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 TBSP coconut oil, for greasing

Place everything but the coconut oil in a bowl and mash it together. Mix thoroughly in a blender. Grease a cookie sheet with the coconut oil. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the baking tray. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, turning and flipping the meatballs at the 25 minute mark.

Bangers & Mash and a Long Winter

I went to great pains trying to capture the hidden beauty contained within a plate of “bangers and mash”, but they just weren’t very photogenic. You will have to imagine them. Besides, I’m really reporting on a matter unrelated to my paleo take on an Irish classic. This morning I went to gaze at our marvelous melting lake; only to realize that it’s not really melting at all and, calendar be damned, we’ve got a ways to go before spring. From a safe distance, it looks like the lake is thawing out cooperatively, so as not to disturb the warming trend that should be happening around this time of year. But as I approached the icicle-laden shore and the biting winds whipped all around me, I could see that the lake declares it is still winter. The most I can say for these ominous and arctic conditions is that they make for a much prettier photo than the bangers and mash.

Bangers & Mash

2 lbs kielbasa

1/2 head of cauliflower

2 sweet potatoes

2 TSBP olive oil

1 TBSP rosemary

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the sweet potatoes into thin rounds and cut the cauliflower into small/medium pieces. Drizzle half the olive oil on a baking sheet and cover the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top of it and sprinkle with the salt and rosemary. Roast for 22 minutes, or until nearly blackened. Place in the blender and blend to a chunky mash.

Slice the kielbasa into 3 or 4 chunks and slice down the middle enough so that it opens like a book. While the vegetables are in the oven, fry the kielbasa in a fat of your choice; I used bacon fat left over from breakfast. Serve on top of the mashed sweet potato and cauliflower.