Chili, ground beef/acorn squash/tomatoes/sage

The weather has turned colder here (this morning and the last I had to turn on the heater!) so I have been absolutely craving a bowl o' meat.

Two nights ago, I made Robb Wolf's easy curry from The Paleo Solution (so simple and so good) but last night I really wanted chili.

And, as I am a single parent with 2 kids until tomorrow when my husband gets home, I did NOT want to spend a lot of (a) time or (b) effort making it.

I also wanted it to be Paleo.  I picked up 1 lb of ground beef the same night I went shopping for the ground turkey for the curry in Robb Wolf's book, and grabbed a few things to restock my "emergency" cupboard (canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, etc.).

Now my main problem with trying to make a super delicious Paleo chili is that  I normally love beans and even corn in it, so I was trying to brainstorm to come up with something that could accompany the meat, onions and tomatoes ... zucchini didn't seem quite right and neither did cauliflower and definitely not green beans.  Then I remembered a recipe my friend Annie gave me for roasted butternut squash with sausage -- perfect! I had half an acorn squash I'd roasted a few nights ago just getting all lonely in the fridge.

I had my chili.

This morning I was rewarded for my efforts when the scale (FINALLY) read 159.0.  My "ultimate" goal was to be 156 by New Year's.  I think it's gonna happen.

Anyway, enough bragging (but I'm really proud sitting here wearing a size MEDIUM shirt), here's what I did (and I realize this ingredient list is long, but aside from the ground beef and fresh sage, you probably have everything in your cupboard already ... at least I HOPE you do):

1 lb ground beef
EVOO
1 white onion, diced (whatever you like -- I prefer white onions, but use what you have)
1 can El Pato tomato sauce (Mexican section of grocery store - you'll see it)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 2 cans water (use the empty diced tomatoes can to get all the tomatoey goodness into the chili)
1 package "beef bouillon" from Trader Joe's (or eliminate the can of water and this and add 1 can beef broth)
1 can (the small one -- 2 oz I think) roasted diced green chiles
1 T. California chile powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano, crushed between your fingers
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder (or whatever "spicy" powder you're into -- or fresh chipotles, up to you!)
2 heaping tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (the Hershey's stuff in the brown plastic container)
1 tsp. allspice
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper/No Salt Seasoning (yes I put it in everything) to taste
1/2 acorn squash, roasted, peeled & cut into whatever size pieces float your boat (mine were about 1/2")
Sage chiffonade (from about 5 or 6 leaves - up to you)

Saute onion in EVOO until translucent and delicious looking.  Add ground beef, breaking it up a bit.  Cook until the beef is browned and add everything else (except the squash and sage), stir, bring to a boil and reduce to low and simmer until you bathe the kids and put them in bed.

Add the squash to the chili, heat until the squash is heated through and sprinkle with the sage.

I like to add a LOT of hot sauce to my chili, because I made it mild to be suitable for my 2 year old.  This turned out SO delicious and SO comforting, and with squash $.48/lb at Food For Less, I now intend to put it into regular rotation.

I didn't even miss the Fritos.

Snap Peas, sauteed

This is so easy I feel almost guilty posting the recipe, but hey -- maybe you don't know how delicious and simple this is.

Snap peas are inexpensive at Costco and the 2 lb. bag will last at least a week, which is more than enough time for my husband to eat them.

Here's what you do:

EVOO
couple handfuls snap peas
1 T. butter (yeah yeah, not 100% paleo, but it needs it okay?)
salt/pepper to taste

Heat a pan super duper scary hot, add EVOO (however much you want) and add your snap peas.  Throw the butter in there and toss.

Let the peas be for a minute or 2 to develop yummy yummy caramelization.  They take about 10 minutes total -- you're gonna want to let them get some brownness on them because that's what makes them taste. so. good.

Once you're satisfied with the level of brownness (seriously, don't be scared of it -- it's going to be DELICIOUS), turn off the burner and serve.

Easy/Delicious/Fast

My favorite combination.

Sweet Potato, fried rice-style

I'm going to be honest with you: this is a lot -- A LOT -- of work.  And I am saying that as a person who really enjoys chopping vegetables.

I know, that makes me "weird", but I find it extremely satisfying and relaxing.  While I was chopping the sweet potato, in fact, I thought "Gah I'm not even going to BOTHER posting this recipe because this is SO TEDIOUS".

But then I made it.  And it tasted AWESOME.  So I'm sharing.

I don't expect you all to jump up and make this, but if you find yourself with some free time (it took me 30 minutes to dice up the sweet potato), please make this.  You will not be sorry.

What to do:

1 large-ish sweet potato, peeled
2 stalks green onion, sliced (the white and the green parts)
1 - 2 tsp. grated ginger (using a Microplane) ((I used 2))
2 cloves garlic, grated (using the same Microplane)
sesame oil
2 eggs

So ... you can probably tell from the name of the recipe that you're gonna have to turn that enormous sweet potato into "rice".  The way I did it was to use my mandolin to slice it thinly, then julienne and then chop into "rice-like" pieces.

Were they perfect?  No.  Was each piece totally uniform in size and shape?  Not at all.  But they were MOSTLY about the same size as large grains of rice.  And that worked out just fine.

Pushing a sweet potato down a mandolin is not for the faint of heart.  What I found worked great (and protected my delicate fingers) was to get it started on the blade -- S L O W L Y -- and then use the flat part of my knife (the part that's usually perpendicular to the cutting board) to sort of "hammer" it down.  I did this with the blade up because I didn't want to dull the blade against the mandolin.  And you do not have to worry about it hitting as there are grooves on either side of the mandolin to help guide the vegetable through and your knife will rest easily on that.

That ended up leaving me with a few "bits" of pieces that were just too small to try to do this safely and those I just cut into rice-sized pieces using my knife.  Again -- they were NOT perfect.  I'm not saying this is a Bocuse d'Or winning dish or anything, but it was close enough.

So that's the hard part!  And that part can be done waaaaay before you intend to make dinner!  I had mine sitting on the counter for like 2 hours waiting to be cooked up.

So now the easy stuff:

Heat a frying pan and add some sesame oil (however much you're comfortable with -- for me it was about 1 T.) and throw the green onion/garlic/ginger in there for about 20 seconds.  Add the sweet potato, toss, and then LET IT SIT there for a good minute or 2 to get some yummy caramelization.

Toss it occasionally for about 10 minutes (or maybe even less -- it cooks really fast) and season with salt/pepper to taste.  Soy sauce is not Paleo, so I am not using it, but I can assure you it would have been a-mazing in this.

When it's almost done, move it off to another burner while you heat up some more sesame oil in another small frying pan.  Add 2 eggs and scramble with a little salt/pepper.

Add the eggs to the "rice", and move it back to the heated burner.  Toss, taste, serve, devour.

Seriously, I know it sounds like a huge pain, but if you're avoiding grains, this is quite delicious.

And you could always add 1/2 cup frozen peas/carrots (slightly defrosted at least -- set them on the counter in the measuring cup while you are frying the "rice") at the end, as well as some additional sliced green onions for a nice touch.

Even my husband -- an avid rice addict -- thought this one was "really good".  I didn't argue.

Cabbage, caraway/green onion/carrots/bell pepper

I love cabbage and all cruciferous vegetables so much I could eat them every day.  My husband? Not so much.  So I try to do different things to them to make him more intrigued. 

This recipe turned out even more delicious than I anticipated, considering I just threw a bunch of stuff in a pan based on what was handy.

Here's what to do:

1/2 head cabbage, shredded up as for coleslaw (better yet - just use a bag o' coleslaw mix already shredded)
EVOO
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 green onions, sliced (use what you have -- shallot, garlic, white onion, red onion, etc. - whatever!)
3 mini bell peppers (or 1/2 bell pepper) sliced, fajita-style
1 carrot, grated
splash of white wine (whatever you're drinking and/or whatever you've got for cooking wine)
splash balsalmic vinegar
splash apple cider vinegar
salt/pepper/no salt seasoning

Heat EVOO in pan over medium and add green onions and caraway seeds. 

Slice the bell peppers while that sautees and throw them into the pan and give it a good swirl. 

Shred up the cabbage and add that to the pan and toss using tongs to make sure it gets coated with the delicious oil.

Add the carrot after the cabbage has had a minute or two to cook, and throw in a splash of wine.  Season to taste with salt/pepper/no salt seasoning.

Let the cabbage sit awhile in the pan, developing YUMMY caramelization on the bottom (mine got burned and it was GLORIOUSLY delicious -- I am not kidding, it tastes like candy).  Stir infrequently for approximately 15 minutes. 

Just before serving, add in the balsalmic (sweetness) and the apple cider vinegar (tart).  Reseason to taste with salt/pepper/no salt seasoning and devour.

The Paleo diet doesn't allow for sugar, but the bell pepper and the little bit of balsalmic vinegar gives it just the right touch of sweetness .. I never would have thought to put bell pepper with cabbage, but this is definitely one that will have a do-over.

The mini bell peppers were like $4 for a 2 lb. bag at Costco and they've stayed fresh for quite some time.  I'm trying to sneak them into things ... what a delicious surprise.

Even my husband liked it.

Pork Chops, apple juice/white wine/balsalmic

RIDICULOUSLY EASY

And unbelievably delicious.

2 pork chops (about 1" thick)
salt/pepper
1/2 cup apple juice
splash white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc because that's the cooking wine I have on hand currently)
apple cider vinegar (about 1 tsp. or 1 capful)
balsalmic vinegar (about 1 tsp.)

Set pork chops out on counter (covered) for about 30 minutes before you start to cook.  This takes the chill off and allows them to cook faster.

Heat your cast-iron skillet to scary-hot and salt and pepper your chops.  When the skillet is hot, add the pork chops and DO NOT TOUCH THEM for 4 minutes.  If you aren't able to easily turn them, they haven't gotten a good enough "crust".  They should easily lift from the pan when ready.

Flip 'em and turn the heat down to medium-low.  Set the timer for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, add the apple juice to the pan and let it bubble away until reduced, then add the wine (should still be bubbling furiously), turn off the heat and add the vinegars.  Flip the pork chops over to coat and let rest a bit before serving.

That sauce is so delicious I was eating it like soup after we finished our dinner.  Vinegar adds a "saltiness" so keep that in mind when you're salting your food.

This is a definite keeper.

Eggs, scrambled, tomato/avocado/cilantro

I realize this is not dinner, but I'm also somewhat posting my meals for people wanting to follow a Paleo diet (and also to remind me of delicious things I've made!).

I eat eggs almost every single morning for breakfast.  I just love them, they're quick, easy and cheap.  And I'm always trying to figure out different ways to cook them.

This is something I did last week and then again today and it was just so fresh and so good, like an "open-faced breakfast burrito" that I had to share.

I usually have all these ingredients in my fridge because I am a Mexican food/flavor junkie.

What I did:

EVOO
3 eggs
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1 green onion, sliced (green and white part)
handful cilantro, chopped
jalapeno, sliced (or shakes from a Paleo hot sauce, I like El Yucateco -- the green, the red and the extra spicy, but it's hot so be careful and yes, picky Paleos, I realize there's "weird" ingredients in there, but I barely use a teaspoon so I'm not worried about it)
salt/pepper/No Salt Seasoning to taste

Dice up tomato/avocado/green onion/cilantro/jalapeno and throw into a bowl to combine.  Or, if you are like me and hate washing extra dishes, just leave it on the cutting board and combine it on the plate you're gonna use to eat your eggs.

Heat EVOO in a skillet set to medium-low and break each egg into the skillet.  Why waste a bowl whisking when it's unnecessary?  I mean, really.

Break up the eggs, add salt/pepper/NSS to taste and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until cooked to your liking.

Put on a plate, stir the "salsa" with the fork you intend to use to eat your eggs (one less thing to wash) and pour on top of your eggs.

Add hot sauce if you like, and devour. 

So delicious I have to watch where I put the hot sauce because -- again -- my 2 year old has wanted to have bites of this every time I've made it.

Butternut Squash, roasted, rosemary/sage

Beyond easy.

1 butternut squash
rosemary, chopped
sage, chopped
salt/pepper/EVOO

Preheat oven to 425.

Peel a butternut squash using a vegetable peeler.  This can get tricky because the squash is slippery, but it can be done. 

I like to conquer cutting mine into pieces by first cutting it in half right where the "bulb" meets the "long" part of it.  Then I cut the long part in half long-ways, and then put it cut side down on the cutting board, cutting slices across and then "triangles" out of those slices.  Just make sure they're around the same size.  All of this really doesn't matter as long as they're all about the same size.

As for the "bulb" part, just cut in half across and then dig out the seeds using hands and then a spoon to really get the fibers out.  Once it's "cleaned", turn it cut side down on the cutting board, cut some slices and then cut those slices into "triangles" more or less.

Throw squash onto a baking sheet as you cut and then toss with enough EVOO to cover, the rosemary and sage and salt/pepper to your liking (really -- whatever amount makes you happy!) ... I will say that the rosemary can get difficult to eat if it's overcooked, so if you want to "err", err on the side of more sage.

I assure you, that is NO error.

Bake for about 40 minutes until it's soft enough to be pierced with a fork (open the oven and poke at a piece or 5 with your fork to determine doneness).

Prep-ahead: You can totally dice and toss the squash in the seasonings ahead of time then just throw it into the oven around dinnertime.  Nobody will suffer for it.

The best part about this is it makes a BUNCH and it's great as leftovers.  Easy and great leftovers? Double score.