A savory and appealing late Fall or Winter main course.
The day before, combine the rice, salt and warm filtered water in a small sauce pan. Allow to soak for at least 12 hours.
Then, bring it to a boil, cover, and over low heat, simmer until the rice is tender (about 45 minutes.) Check to see if it needs more water from time to time. It would be better to have more than enough and have to drain it, than to have the rice burn in the pan.
Carefully cut the “lid” from the pumpkin and scoop out all of the seeds. (Save these for roasting!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a heavy skillet, brown the sausage, chopping it up. While it is cooking, dice the green onion and mince the garlic and add that to the skillet. Stir frequently.
Take the tough ribs out of the kale, chop and add to the skillet. Stir and cook until the kale is well wilted, then stir in the mozzarella. Remove from heat. Add the butter and the cooked hot rice and combine well.
Spoon the mixture into the pumpkin. Replace the “lid” and put the pumpkin in an oven-proof bowl or dish.
Bake until when you insert a sharp knife into the pumpkin flesh, it pierces all the way through easily. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve slices of pumpkin along with some of the filling. This will reheat nicely the next day.
Great way to use up all those summer zucchini’s!
Press grated zucchini between paper towels or cheese cloth to remove moisture. Combine zucchini, eggs, 1 cup mozzarella , Parmesan and flour in a bowl. Stir well.
Spread in a greased 9X13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven, brush with oil and broil 5 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, spread on sauce and top with remaining mozzarella, oregano and red pepper.
Bake uncovered at 350 for additional 20 minutes, lowering rack back down to the center of the oven.
Serve with an Italian salad and a big chunk or rustic Artisan bread, just like the Italians!
Italian flavors are not typical on a grain free diet, but this meal is sure to give you a fix I make a double batch of meat and freeze half of it. Then, all I have to do is bake another spaghetti squash and heat up the meat/vegetable mixture and dinner is ready. Love those kinds of ready meals. I save them for when groceries are low, for company (so that I can do more hosting and less cooking) and for trips.
Cut squash in half and spoon out seeds. Place halves, cut side down, on sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. Do not over bake, noodles should be slightly crunchy. Melt butter in pan on medium high heat. Sautee onion and peppers until soft and beginning to brown. Add ground meat, break up as cooking. Once cooked through, add tomatoes, seasoning and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until liquid reduces. Flake cooked squash with a fork and scrape out with a spoon and place in a large bowl. Add tomato paste and garlic to meat and tomato mixture. Mix in thoroughly. Combine squash and meat. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and drizzle olive oil. Serve. We enjoy it with homemade sour cream.
The marinade is what makes these pork chops so moist and tender. Use a thin cut pork chop for best results. Bone-in or boneless doesn’t matter. Flavor is great and they cook up quickly.
Arrange pork chops in a single layer in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish with a fitted lid. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and tarragon. Pour liquid over the pork chops. Put on the lid and marinate for 4-9 hours, turning over the chops at least once.
About an hour before dinner, take the chops out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once pan is hot, place your chops in the pan being careful not to crowd. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness of the chop.
Keep finished chops in a warm over while others cook.
To make a sauce:
To make an optional sauce, reduce heat of pan to medium-low and dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of arrowroot powder in 1 tablespoon of cold water. Set aside.
De-glaze the pan with about 1/3 cup of white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Pour in remaining marinade and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the arrowroot. Sauce should thicken some. If it does not thicken to desired consistency, reduce heat and allow to reduce some.
Serve over chops.
UMMM! A warm and comforting dish. These pork chops cooked and then smothered in a mushroom onion gravy. Feel free to replace the pork with the chicken.
In a large skillet add 2 T olive oil.
Salt and Pepper meat to taste.
Saute meat until browned (2-4 minutes), flip and saute on other side until brown.
Remove to a plate and let them rest.
Add 2 T olive and 2 T butter.
Add mushrooms and saute until browned add onions and garlic.
Cook until tender.
Add flour to make a roux.
Add wine and vegetable broth and cook until thickened.
Put the chops back into the gravy and cook for another 10 minutes.
The way I see it, chuck roast was made for the crock pot. I mean, when you get a nice, grass-fed roast, you don’t need much to make the flavors pop, it’s already pretty tasty. Not to forget that it’s usually on the cheaper side of the roasts department. Let’s hear it for chuck! Here is a quick, GAPS-friendly, gluten-free recipe that can be started after breakfast with very little prep time. It’s aroma slowly envelopes the home throughout the day with a welcoming, enticing fragrance that is a blessing for hungry loved ones to come home to. Once it’s ready, you can fix it oh so many ways: on a bed of lettuce with grated cheese and creme fraiche as a meal-salad, use it instead of chicken in the easiest enchilada recipe, wrapped in a tortilla with beans as a hearty burrito, spooned atop a steaming baked potato, or thrown into a quesadilla to jazz things up. Needless to say, leftovers are a joy because they can be turned into an altogether different dish than what was made the day before. Cumin is included in this recipe not only for it’s delicious flavor, but also because it’s a potent stress-reliever and memory-booster (quite helpful after a long day). Garlic and red pepper flakes boost immune function. Always helpful.
Rinse off meat and place in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
One hour before serving, use two forks to flake the meat by pulling it apart to bite-sized shreds. Remove any clumps of fat and bones. At this time, if you’d like to add beans to this recipe, do so now to warm them up. Cover and let cook for the last hour.
Serve any way you’d like it (suggestions mentioned above).
A tangy citrus and baslamic glaze is the perfect pairing for chicken. Add a side of oven roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables and you’ve got a fancy dinner in.
Citrus Balsamic Glaze
In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the garlic. When the garlic is browned, add the vinegar, honey, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, and thyme. Whisk together and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately lower heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncovered and stirring often. Continue cooking until the glaze reduces to desired thickness. Do not cook over 20-30 minutes, or the glaze will taste burnt. Also, make sure you watch the heat while it’s simmering. Give it a taste every now and then to make sure it’s not burning. Remove from heat and let cool (it will also continue to thicken as it cools).
Buttery Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Preheat oven to 425. Wash and chop the potatoes. Add them to a large bowl and add the butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss until the potatoes are covered. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they are tender when you stick a fork in them. Drizzle a little extra butter on them right before serving.
Pan Fried Chicken Breasts
Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Season with the garlic, all purpose seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan and melt the butter or ghee (or a combination of both). Over medium-high heat, brown both sides of the chicken breast. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover with lid. Cook until the chicken is done. Serve with the balsamic glaze, roasted potatoes, and vegetables of your choice.
Some people think roast chicken is difficult to make and should be reserved for special occasions, but truly, roast chicken is very simple to prepare. It makes for a great dinner, tasty leftovers, and bones for broth.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Wash and chop veggies. Set aside.
Rinse your chicken, inside and out. Save giblets for gravy or broth.
Once you have rinsed the chicken, dry it well. You want the skin to be very, very dry in order to get that golden, crispy skin so many people love. Make sure you dry under the wings, in between the legs and the body cavity, if your hand will fit. The less water, the less steam, therefore the crispier the skin.
Place the dry chicken in a large oven safe dish. Place the thyme, lemon wedges bay leaves and garlic inside the body cavity. Rub or brush the chicken with about half of the melted butter. Generously coat the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. This will help keep the skin crispy.
Add the chopped veggies around the chicken and then drizzle the rest of the melted butter over the veggies. Give them a dash of salt and pepper and place the pan in the oven. Reduce the heat to 375.
Cook for 60 minutes and then check the internal temperature. You want the final temperature in the thigh to be 165°. If it’s not there, continue cooking for 30 more minutes or until it reaches 165°. Total cooking time will depend on your altitude and the amount of veggies surrounding the bird. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
When you’re done, don’t forget to save the bones for homemade chicken stock!
Lamb, when gently cooked, is tender and delicious. Lamb fat is also very healthy. This uncomplicated recipe cooks them perfectly!
On medium-low heat, in a small cast iron frying pan, melt 2 Tablespoons ghee.
Place the 4 little lamb chops in the pan and cook gently on one side for 3 minutes. Turn over with tongs and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
Serve with unrefined sea salt.
Taco salad is one of my favorite meal salads. When we’re in the cold seasons, we use organic salsa for tomatoes (that also doubles as dressing) instead of the fresh ones offered in the summer.
Brown & season the beef. Wash & shred (or chop) the lettuce. Place lettuce in large salad bowl. Layer avocados, olives, onions, carrots, and sunflower seeds.
Just before serving, add cheese and beef on top of the salad. Place jars of salsa and creme fraiche on the table for each individual to spoon on top of their salad to taste. The salsa can be used as the dressing, or ranch dressing is also a good addition if you like your salad more wet (at least that’s what my family likes to do).
Fabulous, fresh chicken tacos.
For the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake uncovered for 1 1 /2 - 2 hours in a roaster with a rack until the meat reaches at least 165 degrees.
Take out of the oven, cover with foil and let sit for 1 1/2 hours in the pan. This will force the juices back into the meat and make it very moist. The meat will stay hot so don’t worry about it spoiling.
Shred the chicken.
For the sauce, mix together the honey, lime juice, coconut oil and chili powder. Pour over the chicken and mix well.
For the salsa:
Chop each ingredient (mango, honey dew melon, onion, cilantro, jalapeno) in the food processor separately.
Mix all chopped ingredients in a bowl and add the lime juice, honey and sea salt. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
Serve the tacos with soaked whole-grain or corn tortillas.
Ever wonder what to do with your left over ground beef from Taco Night? I’ve got you covered!
Preheat oven to 250.
Halve and core green peppers and stuff with ground beef, place in oven for about 30 minutes or until green pepper is slightly tender.
Top with whatever is left from last night: lacto-fermented salsa, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.