Buttery Parsnip and Sweet Potato Mash

It was an amazing day when I discovered that I could essentially turn any root vegetable into a “mash”. All these years mashed potatoes have stolen the show…but if you think about it….sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets. The possibilities are endless. Over the summer I made mashed beets with coconut butter. I don’t think I blogged about it, but it was good. It was the only way I could get my husband to eat beets.

I spent a considerable amount of time deciding whether to use lard or ghee in this mash. I decided the ghee would give it a nice buttery taste, reminiscent of mashed potatoes. OMGHEE!!!  Get it? So good. The leftovers are sitting in my fridge now taunting me!!! Replace your traditional mashed potatoes with this dish and you will never go back. Mashed potatoes are boring. Ick.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Mash

3 medium parsnips, peeled and diced

1/2 cup cooked sweet potato (about half of one large?? mine were Thanksgiving leftovers so I don’t know how many I started with!)

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 small clove of garlic

1 tablespoon full fat canned coconut milk

1/2 tablespoon ghee

salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare (peel and dice) sweet potatoes and parsnips and rosemary.

2. Fill a pot with your parsnips and water and put on the stove to boil. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender (roughly 10 minutes). If you start with an uncooked sweet potato, I like this method to cook it.

3. Place everything in a food processor and blend it up. You may have to push down the sides to get everything mixed up a couple of times.

^^New can of coconut milk I now order of Vitacost. It’s BPA free and way cheaper than the $3 cans at the store.

Sooooo good! Can’t wait to eat those leftovers! This is a must make.

Dinner last night….beef roast, broccoli and mash! Omg.

What veggies do you like with your dinner?

Have you ever tried a different type of “mashed” vegetable?

WIAW: Easy Dinner Sides

I know that I really only do sporadic WIAW posts…however sometimes I end up with a bunch of pictures of food on my phone that I feel the need to awkwardly take…so might as well do something with them! If you haven’t checked out Jen’s blog yet- go now!  I don’t really have a full day of food to share, but looking through my pictures got me thinking about easy dinner sides that I frequently make.

Generally for dinner, I have a central “meat” and unless it’s a stir fry or curry, 2-3 sides I make to go along with it. I have a semi-picky husband…who so far I’ve really had to train in order to eat some veggies…but there are still some that he won’t eat. So therefore I generally have to make three sides for a dinner: one crossover one we’ll both eat and then another one for me and him respectively (not the most convenient thing but I love to cook so I don’t mind). It’s generally white potatoes or boxed mac and cheese I make for him and another veggie for me I make. Other sides include:

Sautéed or roasted cabbage

Roasted broccoli

Roasted cauliflower with cocoa and chili powder

Green beans with onions and garlic

Mashed cauliflower

Carrot Fries **we have these weekly!

Sweet potato rounds (or fries)

Roasted or steamed Brussels sprouts

Really the possibilities are endless. I never understand why people say they don’t like vegetables….obviously they’re doing it wrong! It never occurred to me to put recipes up for any of these since a lot are pretty simple but I guess looking at them now I will. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the sides until then!

What are your go-to dinner sides?

What creative ways do you like to cook vegetables? I put cinnamon on everything!!

Asian Beef Stir Fry

Finally sitting down to blog about this awesome dinner I cooked up this past week!

I have been working on ways to eat all the ground meat we got creatively…you can only do so many meatloaves, burgers (my husband would disagree) and meatballs. Since we get our meat from a local farmer that does grass-fed beef, it can get quite pricey. That’s why basically all I can afford is the ground meat, sausage, and soup bones nobody else wants! So we end up with a lot of ground beef in our freezer and I have to come up with creative ways to serve it up. Poor me!

This is a variation on stir fry that I’ve played around with the ingredients for. This weeks combo was a winner.

Asian Beef Stir Fry Dinner

1 lb ground beef

2 large heads of broccoli, chopped

1-2 large carrots, shredded

1/2 can of diced pineapple

2 small heads of bac (pac?) choi, stems separated from leaves and chopped

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1/4 cup of beef broth

Sauce/Spice:

1 cup of beef broth

1/4 cup of tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)

1 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tbsp of minced ginger

**Preheat oven to 375

1. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray or coconut oil and place chopped broccoli on. Salt and pepper it and place it in the oven (You could cook this by boiling, or adding right in the stir fry, but I LOVE the taste of roasted broccoli)

2. While broccoli’s cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet then drain (if you’re using grass fed beef there’s no need to drain. I hardly had any fat and what was there I used to cook with. But I would drain if using conventional meat).

3. Place tablespoon of coconut oil in the empty pan and let melt. Then add the garlic and let it become fragrant (I usually burn it. Don’t do that).

4. Add the chopped onion and the chopped STEMS of the Pac choi. Let them cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. While you’re doing this, start the sauce. Combine all ingredients of the sauce, bring to a boil, then simmer.

5. Add the pac choi leaves and add some beef broth in there to get it cooking down (You could just use water).

6. After the pac choi leaves are wilted, add in your sauce to the pan. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes.

7. Add back in your ground beef and then the grated carrots. At this time, check the broccoli. You want to roast it for a good 15- 20 minutes. Take out when done.

8. Let the whole mixture simmer for 5-8 minutes until everything becomes incorporated.

9. Serve over the broccoli with pineapple on top. Drizzle with more tahini. Yum!

 

How do you get creative with ground beef?

How do you make inexpensive meat cuts yummy?

Homemade Chicken Wings 3 ways!

Last night I had a serious craving for wings….something about Friday night really makes me not feel like cooking. Last night I was driving home and was really tempted to convince my husband to go to our favorite local wing place (Randy’s Up the River) to grab some wings and Friday night beers. However I knew it would be much more economical to make it at home and just grab a six pack of beers. So this is precisely what I did!

When I went to the grocery store they didn’t have wings in the meat section, and I had to ask the deli if they had any….they seriously looked at me like I had 8 heads. Why? After getting over their initial puzzlement I left the store with a ziplock bag full of chicken wings. Lol.

I decided to make a variety of flavors. I went with

1. Honey Mustard

2. Traditional Buffalo

3. Smoky Spice blend from Practical Paleo.

I also tried to re-create the sweet potato fries that we had last time we went to Randy’s….last night I whipped up some carrot fries. Just as good!

I had 15 wings (an assortment of wings and legs). First, I rinsed them in the sink and patted them dry with paper towels. Then I melted about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a bowl and tossed the wings. I baked all of them plain except the ones that got the dry rub. In retrospect next time I might try putting the sauce on THEN baking them. I put them on a cookie sheet (sprayed) and I baked them at 400 degrees for about a half hour (Or until the internal temp reached 165).

Honey Mustard Sauce:

2 tablespoons of your favorite mustard

2 tablespoons raw honey

2 tablespoons water

1/2 of a garlic clove

salt and pepper

 

This local mustard we love made them a little spicy as well.

Buffalo Sauce:

1/2 hot sauce (I love Frank’s Red Hot)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

As mentioned, I baked them in the oven and then when they came out I tossed them with the sauces. Except for the smoky spice blend ones. Those I dry rubbed before they went in the oven, and they came out great! They were my favorite. Practical Paleo = My Bible.

Disgusting cookie sheet….sorry.

 

Okay…so maybe they weren’t as good as Randy’s…..but it definitely satisfied the craving!

Wings where we live (in WNY) are really good since we are kind of close to Buffalo. I have yet to visit the “famous” Anchor Bar or Duff’s though.

What are your favorite type of chicken wings?

Have you ever tried to make them at home?

Butternut Squash and Chicken Curry over Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Did someone say squash!?!?!? Seriously way too excited for fall for that sole reason. Regardless of how long the title of this recipe was, it sure was tasty! To tell you the truth, I thought it up while laying in bed Sunday night until approximately 2 am not sleeping. What was I doing? Thinking about food, apparently. Something about knowing I was going into work the next day made me not be able to sleep. Never fails.

I love squaaaaash! I can’t wait to eat massive amounts of it when it’s in season. I’m also planning on blanching and freezing some so I can have it throughout the winter.

We’ve been having chicken for the last three nights because the other night I roasted another delicious pastured chicken from the farm. It seriously feeds us for up to 5 days. So worth it. This is what it looked like before:

Those veggies fried in the fat were to die for. It also makes for yummy leftovers, which I used in this recipe. It took about an hour to put the whole thing together.

Butternut Squash Chicken Curry over Coconut Cauliflower “Rice”

Serves 2-4/ Prep time: 30 mins /Cook time: 20 mins

1 cup cooked, diced chicken breast (roughly one breast. you could add or take away as needed)

4 large carrots

1/2 of a medium butternut squash (I used the narrow, top part)

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

1 can of coconut milk (full fat)

3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1-4 tsp curry powder (I used 4 and it was VERY spicy)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

dash of cayenne

Cauliflower Rice–

1/2 head of large cauliflower

2 tbsp full fat coconut shreds

1-2 tbsp full fat coconut milk

salt, pepper

I first prepped veggies. I peeled the butternut squash by cutting the round bottom off and peeling the top part.I sliced the onion. I peeled and cut the carrots into small, bite size pieces. I minced the two cloves of garlic. I cut the squash into 1 “ cubes. Then I put them on the stove in boiling water and cooked them for 5 minutes. You don’t want them too tender or they will fall apart.

Meanwhile, I cut off the head of cauliflower and rinsed it, then broke the florets into the food processor. If you’ve never made cauliflower ‘rice’ you need to try it! So simple, easy and delicious. (Or you could always use regular rice). After the cauliflower is “riced” I put it in a microwave safe bowl with all the other ingredients, cook for four minutes, stir, then cook for another four minutes. Done.

Set a deep sauté or sauce pan on the stove on medium heat and add some coconut oil or lard. When it’s ready add your garlic. Let them get fragrant and add carrots.

Cook for 5-6 minutes, adding a tablespoon or two of your broth so the carrots get soft. Then add onions and a little more broth.

Cook for another 4-5 minutes until everything is nice and soft. After your squash is par boiled, portion out about 1/2 cup and process it to a puree. Add the rest of the diced squash and COOKED, diced chicken to the pot along with the coconut milk and the rest of your broth. Add the pureed squash to the mix.

The reason I thought I’d add this was because the pureed squash gives it a thicker sauce when finished. It’s optional, but it worked out well!

Now, add your spices! Feel free to experiment here and go up or down depending on your tastes.

Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes on low. When it’s done everything will have a deep brown and smoky smell.

Top coconut cauliflower rice with curry. Eat up!!

‘Twas good !

Do you ever get recipe ideas while laying in bed?

What vegetables do you put in curries?

Paleo Shepard’s Pie (with purple sweet potatoes)

I know I am a terrible, terrible blogger! It’s been over a week!! Needless to say I have been pretty busy with my wedding planning and Ausitin and I are in the beginning stages of buying a house. Yeah we’re crazy….It’s been an interesting and eventful summer…..

Last week I figured the 90 degree temps called for one of the most filling and belly warming dinners out there…Shepard’s pie. Please don’t ask me why……I was already too far into it to quit….plus it’s delicious. I put a spin on the usual topping by using a purple sweet potato that I picked up at Tops. This single sweet potato was probably the single inspiration for me to make Shepard’s pie on a 90 degree day. I should reblog this recipe in December when people actually care.

Paleo Shepard’s Pie
filling:
1 lb grass fed ground beef
4-5 large carrots
4-5 stalks celery
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 a large onion
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken stock ( approx…I used about three frozen chicken stock ice cubes)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut flour

Spices:
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
Salt & pepper <<< use to your discretion!!

Topping-
2 cups cauliflower/ sweet potato purée (use purple sweet potato because it's awesome!!)

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Chop your celery, carrots, onion and garlic.
3. Heat coconut oil in a large, deep sauté pan. When it's hot, throw your veggies in.
(Prepare sweet potato cauliflower purée!!! see other recipe)
4. Cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. Place your meat in the pan and begin to brown it with the veggies.
5. When the meat is browned, add coconut milk, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add coconut flour and let mixture thicken for another five minutes.
7. Spray a large casserole dish with olive oil spray. Place filling in the dish. Cover with potato mixture.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.

I was seriously sweating after making this…. Maybe you should wait a couple months….but it sure is delicious!!

Paleo Shepard’s Pie (with purple sweet potatoes)

I know I am a terrible, terrible blogger! It’s been over a week!! Needless to say I have been pretty busy with my wedding planning and Ausitin and I are in the beginning stages of buying a house. Yeah we’re crazy….It’s been an interesting and eventful summer…..

Last week I figured the 90 degree temps called for one of the most filling and belly warming dinners out there…Shepard’s pie. Please don’t ask me why……I was already too far into it to quit….plus it’s delicious. I put a spin on the usual topping by using a purple sweet potato that I picked up at Tops. This single sweet potato was probably the single inspiration for me to make Shepard’s pie on a 90 degree day. I should reblog this recipe in December when people actually care.

Paleo Shepard’s Pie
filling:
1 lb grass fed ground beef
4-5 large carrots
4-5 stalks celery
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 a large onion
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken stock ( approx…I used about three frozen chicken stock ice cubes)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut flour

Spices:
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
Salt & pepper <<< use to your discretion!!

Topping-
2 cups cauliflower/ sweet potato purée (use purple sweet potato because it's awesome!!)

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Chop your celery, carrots, onion and garlic.
3. Heat coconut oil in a large, deep sauté pan. When it's hot, throw your veggies in.
(Prepare sweet potato cauliflower purée!!! see other recipe)
4. Cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. Place your meat in the pan and begin to brown it with the veggies.
5. When the meat is browned, add coconut milk, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add coconut flour and let mixture thicken for another five minutes.
7. Spray a large casserole dish with olive oil spray. Place filling in the dish. Cover with potato mixture.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.

I was seriously sweating after making this…. Maybe you should wait a couple months….but it sure is delicious!!

Squash & Parsnip Curry

I discovered curry powder about two months ago, and have been obsessed with it ever since. The greatest part is I probably haven’t even tapped the surface of its potential. I know there are probably so many other types of curry powder and curry paste and flavors to experience, far beyond the cheapest brand Wal -Mart had to offer when I bought it. But even that made several delicious dinners!

Ever since then I have been throwing together various meat and vegetables together with some coconut milk and calling it a ‘curry’. But every single time it is SO delicious. I can’t wait to experience other varieties of the spice.

This particular recipe produced a meal that isn’t necessarily pretty- but yummy just the same. It was also my first time making curry with beef instead of chicken.

Squash & Parsnip Beef Curry

Cook & Prep Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4

1 lb of parsnips, peeled and diced

1 large yellow squash, diced

1 lb of ground beef

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of coconut milk (I used light, regular would prob be creamier)

1/2-1 tbsp curry powder (depending on how much you like the flavor)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I like it hot!!!)

1/2 TBSP cumin

Salt & Pepper

1.Peel and dice the parsnips and squash while you cook up your ground beef until browned in a deep sauté pan.

I love parsnips! If you haven’t tried them, get on that stat.

2. Drain fat from sauté pan and set meat aside. Add olive olive of FOC to the pan and add you garlic.

3. When fragrant, add your onions, then your parsnips and squash. Stir around and cook for about 6-8 minutes.

4. Add your can of coconut milk and mix it all up. Then add spices.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn it down to simmer and cook until parsnips and squash are soft (about 15 minutes). Add beef back in and cook for 5 more minutes.

Parsnips are a great addition to any curry dish. I have used them in almost all of the curries I’ve made and their tangy flavor (think super strong carrot taste) really compliments the curry powder.

I never said my food was pretty! But it tastes pretty good!

Please leave me with your favorite curry powder/paste!!! I’m in need of more and would love suggestions!

Acorn Squash Hamburger ‘Rolls’

I love squash!!

All kinds…there are so many types and it’s so versatile. This is an understatement and I’m so glad summer is here so I can enjoy zucchini and summer squash at a low price again!!! On sale the other day I picked up two acorn squash. I had never had it before so I was anxious to try. Originally I was going to roast it and stuff it, but a couple of nights we were having burgers and I thought it would make a great substitute for a hamburger roll since I don’t usually eat bread.

These were based off a recipe I saw in Practical Paleo. <<<awesome book!

Acorn Squash Hamburger Rolls
Serves 2/ Cook/prep time: 30 mins

1 acorn squash
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut flour
1tsp cinnamon ( or more depending on taste)
A dash of salt
Pepper
Coconut and olive oil

1. Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
2. Drizzle some olive oil over the squash and salt and pepper it.
3. Put the squash face down on a sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes ( depending on the size of your squash- cook until you can pierce the skin with a fork).
4. After squash has cooled (or before, because you’re starving and don’t want to wait and end up burning your fingertips like me), scoop out flesh into a large bowl and add egg, coconut flour, cinnamon and a dash of salt.
5. Heat up some coconut oil or fat of choice on a skillet or griddle and place it on medium heat.
6. Scoop out the squash mixture into a patty about 3″ in diameter. Pan fry them in oil until you can see one side is cooking through. Then flip them and cook in the other side. They take about 4 min per side.
7. Eat with a burger, avocado, toppings in the middle!

These are also delicious on their own…….acorn squash has a sweet taste that complemented my delicious grass fed burger! I love the cinnamon taste..if you’re a savory person you can always sub garlic and onion powder instead.

What substitutes for bread do you eat? If any…my favs are squash and cauliflower!

Engagement Anniversary Dinner: Shrimp ‘n Grits

Happy Friday! Today is April 12th which means Austin and I have been engaged for a year. It flew by but it has also been dragging. I can’t wait for our day to get here already!!!

We got engaged while we were vacationing in Charleston, South Carolina last year.

This was right before it happened. I was unsuspecting!

The tastiest meal I had while down there HAD to be the famous Hominy Grill’s Shrimp ‘n Grits.

Sooooo good.

That was my first time ever eating grits and ever since then we’ve been hooked! Shrimp ‘n grits is a regular on our weeknight menu since it is quick and delicious. Of course I’ve doctored the recipe with some healthy substitutions! Tonight I decided to commemorate our engagement making this meal. Needless to say mine is no Hominy Grill’s…..but if you’ve never had it your should try it!

Shrimp ‘N Grits (Two Ways)

4-5 strips  bacon

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp tomato paste

Spices: 1/4 teaspoon of each salt, pepper, garlic salt, curry powder

1/2 tbsp Siracha

3/4 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Grits:

I use Quaker Quick Grits- mixed with 1 tbsp butter and some cheese!

OR for a healthier version, use rutabaga or celery root puree in place of the grits:

Blend in a processor: 1 cup cooked rutabaga or celery root, 2 tbsp coconut milk, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper.

1. Cook your bacon in a large skillet and set aside, keeping the fat in the pan. If you using the healthy version, start boiling your rutabaga or celery root here.

2. Sauté the green pepper, onion and garlic in the bacon fat until soft.

                                                    

3. At this point, you should start your grits if you’re using real grits.

3. Drop your shrimp in the pan and cook until they start turning pink. Add salt and pepper and other spices.

4. Add your tomato paste, siracha and chicken broth to the pan and stir to mix. The ‘sauce’ should be thick.

5. If you’re using real grits, mix in your cheese and butter here. If you’re using the healthy version, puree your cooked rutabaga or celery root with garlic, coconut milk, chicken broth and salt and pepper.

Real ‘cheese grits’

Fake ‘rutabaga’ grits- still yummy!

6. Top your grits with the shrimp mixture, then crumble bacon on top. Enjoy this southern favorite!

Austin would not let me get a picture of his grits plate but it sure looked delicious! You should definitely try this meal! Yum!

What are your favorite southern foods? If you’re from the south please share recipes!!!