Simple Supper Friday: Mandarin Beef Stir Fry
Mandarin beef stir fry.
Whew, it’s been a busy day so far! I slept in until a little after 7 and then got up, changed, gathered my goods and drove to the food cart to replenish my treats. I was there about 90 minutes, then came home for a cup of green tea and a short bit of downtime before heading to Recreate for a 10 a.m. workout. I foam rolled and chatted with Jesse after the workout, and it was about 11:30 when I got home. Then, I cooked a big breakfast/brunch/lunch, whatever you want to call it (my first meal of the day) and enjoyed it in solitude. Now, it’s blogging and doing some other work at home. Then, after I finish my work, it’s on to studying exercise science and working on my homework. That class is really hard and complex, and I often feel lost when the teacher is lecturing. That equates to a lot of outside studying time to understand and know it!
Regarding the recipe, I’ve been getting a lot of citrus in my CSA boxes lately (grapefruit, oranges, mandarin oranges, etc.) and sometimes it ends up going bad before I use it. Jesse and I aren’t big citrus fruit eaters, so even if we do eat it, it takes effort and time to get through it. We like it, but it’s just not our preferred fruit that we would pick out ourselves. I actually don’t like grapefruit period, so Jesse is always responsible for those.
Anyway, as a means to use up some of the mandarin oranges we recently got in our box, I added some fresh-squeezed mandarin juice to this stir fry. I figured it would work well and boy, did it ever! I know it sounds generic, but the stir fry tasted so good with the mandarin juice. It really helped bring all the flavors together, and added a nice subtle sweetness. We ate our stir fry over scallion cauliflower rice (recipe below), but zucchini noodles or leafy greens would work as well. Heck, you can even eat it by itself.
For the stir fry:
- 1/2 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed tallow
- 1/2 lb skirt steak, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 3-4 Tbsp coconut aminos
- Splash of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 mandarin orange, juiced
- Splash of rice vinegar (yes, it’s okay!)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Melt the tallow in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery and let saute a couple minutes. Then, add the skirt steak and season with a little sea salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook a couple minutes, then add the mushrooms and carrots. Saute one minute more, then add the coconut aminos, mandarin orange juice, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes. Stir well, then after a minute or so, add the broccoli.
- Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once sauce has thickened up a little bit, after about 3-5 minutes, remove from heat and serve over scallion cauliflower rice (recipe below).
Yields: 2-3 servings
For the scallion cauliflower rice:
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 2-3 scallions (green onion), chopped
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Add cauliflower to the food processor and pulse until it’s completely riced. If need be, you can do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add the cauliflower rice and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Continue to cook a few minutes until cauliflower is heated through. If you like your cauli rice a little browned, you can cook it a bit longer.
- Stir in the chopped scallions and serve.
Yields: 4-5 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Mustard Apple Pulled Pork
Mustard apple pulled pork topped with caraway kraut.
I’ve really had a thing for mustard lately, specifically Dijon. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been using Dijon nearly every chance I get. I think it’s safe to say I’m definitely in a mustard phase. It adds such a nice flavor and when something seems like it’s missing from a recipe, Dijon seems to take care of that. It’s easy to find good quality Dijon mustard that doesn’t have any sugar or junk ingredients in it either. Sorry, Grey Poupon won’t cut it.
On another note, I’m going to a healthy fats demo at Whole Foods this weekend. Remember my friend, Ashley at Craving4more? Well, you may recall that she hosted the sauerkraut tasting I went to last weekend, and invited me to the fats presentation this weekend. I believe the healthy fats she’s including are coconut oil, ghee, avocado and grass-fed tallow (house-made from the Whole Foods meat dept). I imagine it’ll be pretty great.
I’m not really sure what else I’ll be doing this weekend, other than grocery shopping and working Sunday morning, but I like not having much of an agenda. What I really need to be doing is reading/studying for my exercise science class, but I’m still waiting for my book to arrive in the mail. Hopefully, it’ll get here soon because that class moves fast and the material is complex, so I don’t want to get too behind!
What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun?
Ingredients:
- 2 lb pork shoulder roast
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pink lady apple, chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Firefly Kitchens Caraway Kraut for serving, optional
Directions:
- Melt ghee in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery and stir. Allow to cook a few minutes, until slightly softened. Then, add to the slow cooker.
- Season the roast with sea salt and pepper. Then, in the same pan, add the pork shoulder roast. Add a little more ghee if necessary. Brown the roast about 2-3 minutes each side and then place inside the slow cooker. Add the chopped apple as well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, mustard, parsley, marjoram and thyme. Add a dash of sea salt and pepper, if desired. Pour on top of the roast and place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Let cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5. Once done, cut string off of pork roast, if need be, and shred with two forks.
- Serve with caraway sauerkraut on top, if desired.
Simple Supper Friday: Fennel and Sausage Bowl
Fennel and sausage bowl.
Dishes like this one have been some of my favorite quick meals lately. There’s so much room for experimentation, and it’s easy to put together based on what’s in the refrigerator. It’s versatile and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also serves well as a side dish.
I actually made this for lunch yesterday, and sat outside on my patio in the warm sunshine, while I savored each bite. It was in the 60s, which was lovely to come back to after the 30 degree temperatures in Michigan (thankfully, there was lots of sun there though). Lucky for us, the warm weather is supposed to continue and supposedly, it’s going to be in the 70s this weekend. Happy Easter to us, right?!
Speaking of Easter, I need to finish planning my Easter meal. It’ll just be Jesse and me for dinner and so far, all I know is that we’re having a US Wellness Meats sugar-free ham. I’m thinking maybe something with fresh pineapple and a seasonal veggie saute. Naturally, there will be some sort of dessert too because it’s a holiday, and I like to have dessert for holiday meals. I guess because it’s always been the tradition and makes the meal that much more special. Oh, and I’ve had deviled eggs on my mind, especially since my mom was talking about them in the car the other day, when driving me down to the Detroit airport. Funny, I’ve never even made deviled eggs before, but I have many good recipes to choose from.
What are all of you doing for Easter? Are you making anything special? Are any of you coloring eggs?
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken and apple Applegate sausage, sliced
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp grass-fed butter
- 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 pasture-raised egg, beaten
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium chicken broth
- 4-5 lacinato kale leaves, stemmed and torn into pieces
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel
- Dash of paprika
Directions:
- Heat coconut oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and turn heat down to medium. Allow sausage to sizzle and brown in the melted fat for a few minutes.
- Next, add the chopped fennel and chicken broth, and continue to cook for a minute. Then, add the beaten egg and pepper. If need be, add a little more fat (butter or coconut oil) to the pan. Stir and allow to cook for a minute.
- Add the kale, red pepper flakes, ground fennel and paprika. Stir and allow to cook until kale is softened, about 1-minute or so. Add more pepper if needed.
Yields: 1 serving
Simple Supper Friday: Chicken with Snap Peas and Carrots
Chicken with sugar snap peas and carrots, served over zucchini noodles.
Hello from Minneapolis! I’m in the midst of my trip home to Alpena, Michigan and am SO tired. I never got a chance to nap yesterday, which didn’t surprise me at all, so I’m running on a few janky hours of airplane sleep and it’s still very early in the morning Portland-time. I’m looking forward to taking a nice nap when I get into Alpena, and lucky for me, I’m flying directly into the tiny airport there, which means no 4-hour drive from Detroit. The 4-hour layover in Minneapolis was the tradeoff though.
Here’s yet another recipe that I modified from my vegetarian days. This was actually a vegan recipe and completely vegetable-based, but I used to add garbanzo beans for protein and then serve it over rice pasta. Now, it features grass-fed butter and chicken chunks. No grains either, obviously. It’s way better than it ever tasted before.
You’ll notice that the recipe calls for carrot baby food, but you can definitely use your own homemade carrot puree by cooking some carrots until tender, and then pureeing them in the food processor. Easy peasy. If you use baby food, just make sure to use a quality brand that doesn’t have any additives or junk added to it. It should only consist of carrots!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1 4 oz jar organic carrot baby food (I used Earth’s Best Organic) OR 4 oz homemade carrot puree
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute a couple minutes. Then, add the chicken pieces and continue to saute. Season chicken to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- After about 5-7 minutes, pour in the chicken broth, carrot baby food and parsley. Stir and continue to cook over medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, steam the chopped carrots in a steamer basket for 2 minutes. Then, add the sugar snap peas and steam for 3 minutes more. Once done, add to the chicken mixture and stir. Adjust seasonings if needed and let cook for a minute or two more.
- Serve over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. We ate ours over zucchini noodles, and it was wonderful.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Skirt Steak Stir Fry
Skirt steak stir fry.
It’s been a really long time since I made stir fry, and this recipe really hit the spot. I remember trying a stir fry variation a while back, but it was only okay. I think it’s because it was missing the salty flavor of soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos. Soy sauce and tamari are both out for me because of the wheat and soy, and I avoided coconut aminos up until recently because they’re considered questionable on the SCD. Since I’m 1-1/2 years in on my healing process, I thought I’d give the coconut aminos a shot. Lucky for me, I had no problems. I used to cook with coconut aminos prior to eating SCD/paleo, because I learned a long time ago that wheat/gluten was not okay for me. Needless to say, I’m happy to have a bottle back in my refrigerator.
This recipe is flexible in the sense that you can use any protein or veggies that you like. I definitely recommend trying it with the skirt steak though. It works great for stir fry and cooks up quickly because of its thin nature. Plus, it’s oh so flavorful. I think I’ve said this before, but it’s one of my favorite cuts of beef.
This is great served with chopped raw cashews and/or green onion, and with an extra drizzle of coconut aminos. I’m not a sesame seed fan, but that would work well as a garnish too.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for eggs
- 1 lb grass-fed skirt steak, sliced into strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 medium broccoli crown, chopped
- 1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, plus extra if needed
- 1-2 Tbsp rice vinegar (yes, rice vinegar is okay!)
- Splash of low-sodium chicken broth
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 3 pastured eggs, beaten
Directions:
- Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery, and saute about 1 minute. Then add the skirt steak strips and season with a little sea salt and pepper. Continue to saute for a couple minutes.
- Then, add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms. Add the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook over medium-low heat.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add a little coconut oil to the pan and once melted, add the beaten eggs. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Once it starts to set, lift the edges of the omelet with a spatula to allow some of the egg liquid to get underneath. When the omelet is stable enough, flip and allow to cook an additional minute. Remove from pan and place on cutting board to cool.
- Add the water chestnuts to the stir fry and stir. Turn heat down to low. Slice the cooled omelet into strips, then chop into small pieces. Add to the stir fry.
- Once everything is heated through and veggies are softened, but still slightly crisp, remove from heat. Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles (use a julienne peeler to make noodles). If desired, you can mix the cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles into the stir fry and then serve. Top with garnishes of choice and extra coconut aminos, if desired.
Yields: 4 servings
Brussel Sprout Hash
Brussel sprout hash featuring apple, prosciutto, leek and pecans.
This meal is incredible and yields the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and savory. It’s a beautiful thing, folks. I threw it together (literally) the other day for lunch and oohed and aahed the whole time I ate it. It came together on a whim and without a plan, which is one of my favorite ways to create and test recipes. There has to be motivation and joy behind it though, otherwise, things are likely to not work out.
A special thanks to my dear friend, Laura, for the Scottish leek. She gave it to me straight from her garden last week. It was leftover from last year’s bounty. This type of leek is much smaller, and roughly the size of a large green onion. A little bit of regular leek will suffice in this recipe as well, so don’t fret if you can’t find the Scottish variety.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup brussel sprouts, trimmed and quartered
- 1 small Scottish leek, chopped OR 1/4 cup regular leek, chopped
- 1/2 Lady Alice apple, diced
- 2 pieces prosciutto, chopped (I used Applegate brand — just pork, salt and spice)
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- Splash of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp pecans
- Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leek and brussel sprouts, and season to taste with pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until brussel sprouts are browned.
- Next, add the apple and prosciutto, and continue to cook for a few minutes more. Mix in the Dijon and chicken broth, and let cook for a minute or two longer. Stir in the pecans, remove from heat and serve.
Yields: 1 serving
Simple Supper Friday: Turkey Cabbage Stew with Multicolored Carrots
Turkey cabbage stew with roasted multicolored carrots.
Another week of school down (hooray!), and I must say, this week went by extremely fast. I’m okay with that too. As much as I’m trying to enjoy the process, I’m really ready for this term to be over. Being busy definitely helps the time fly by though. Full-time school, part-time fitness coaching, part-time freelance writing, blogging, treat making at the food cart, working on a project with Jason Seib, and life. I may even be taking on another project, which will be determined later today. I might be burning the candle at both ends a tad, but it’s awesome to be a busy little bee. I’m learning so much, especially about myself, and I feel ready for the next big thing.
Meanwhile, the sun is shining bright today and it’s a high of 60 degrees. I’ve already had a chance to enjoy the sunshine a little bit, but I’m hoping to get outside later for a walk. I have tons to do, but 60 and sunny is a great excuse to take a break.
Happy Friday all!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fat of choice (I used grass-fed tallow)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2-4 Tbsp chicken broth
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Directions:
- While your carrots are roasting (see instructions below), get started on the stew. In a large pan over medium heat, melt your fat of choice. Add the garlic and saute about 20-30 seconds, or until fragrant. Next, add the ground turkey and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Be sure to break up the ground meat a bit with a spatula.
- After several minutes, when the meat is nearly done browning, add the cabbage, cardamom, chili powder, broth and coconut milk. Mix well and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for several minutes. Adjust seasonings and liquid as needed.
- Once done, serve into bowls and top with roasted carrots.
For the roasted carrots:
- 1 bunch multicolored carrots (about 5-7 carrots), chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 1 Tbsp fat of choice, melted (I used a combo of grass-fed tallow and ghee)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 375. On a baking sheet, toss carrots with fat of choice, and season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.
- Serve atop of turkey and cabbage mixture.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Smoked Salmon Breakfast Hash
Smoked Salmon Hash
Remember how I said I’d work on posting more breakfast recipes last week? Well, I’m on it and have an incredibly easy and satisfying one for you today. This recipe is great not only for breakfast, but also for lunch or dinner. In fact, I made it for my lunch this past weekend. Feel free to swap out the cabbage for another vegetable, based on what you like and have on hand. Kale, spinach, chard or collards would also work well. For a little extra fat and nutrients, serve with sliced avocado too.
Another great thing about this recipe, is that you can make it ahead of time and reheat it later on. So, if you need breakfast to-go in the morning, make this the night before and grab it out of the fridge before you leave. It holds up just fine in the fridge, reheats well and is more exciting than an on-the-go breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and such.
Meanwhile, be sure to check back tomorrow for a tasty, decadent treat recipe. Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday after all! I’ve got to follow suit. No, it’s not a king cake either. It’s much simpler than that, and it’s not cake period.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1 3-4 oz smoked wild salmon fillet, shredded (I like Loki Fish Co. smoked salmon, which is uses honey in the smoking process vs. brown sugar)
- 1/4 head cabbage, chopped
- 2 pastured eggs, beaten
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 Tbsp chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk
- Black lava finishing salt for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Melt butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage and season with sea salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and saute a few minutes, until softened.
- Next, add the eggs, smoked salmon and coconut milk. Add more sea salt and pepper, if desired. Mix together with a spatula and continue to cook over medium-low heat until eggs are cooked through.
- Garnish with black lava salt, if using.
Yields: 1 serving
Simple Supper Friday: Taco Kale Salad with Skirt Steak
Taco kale salad with skirt steak.
Wahoo! I made it through another busy week, got some assignments out of the way, and passed my skinfold practical (2 practicals down in that class, 3 to go, plus a midterm and final project). A little bit of relief feels so good, and I can’t express how excited I am when Friday rolls around each week, even if I still have things to do. Life is definitely great, but man, it’s hectic! I can’t help but count down the weeks until this term is over, especially because I get to go home to Michigan during my spring break, but at the same time, I try to remind myself to take things one day at a time. It’s not always easy, but again, I try.
Anyway, in regards to this recipe, it is fantastic! The part that makes it extra special is the rubdown that the kale gets. Yes, rubdown, massage, whatever you want to call it, but the kale gets some up-close and personal attention. Doing so softens the kale, seasons it and draws out more flavor. This technique works great with cabbage too, which is a nice alternative if you don’t have kale on hand for this recipe. Additionally, you can use ground meat or chicken instead of skirt steak, but I highly recommend the steak if you have access to it. Skirt steak is one of my favorite cuts, as it’s tender, easy and quick to cook, and extremely flavorful.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb skirt steak, preferably grass-fed, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 Tbsp grass-fed ghee or fat of choice
- 2 Tbsp organic taco seasoning blend (no sugar or additives)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1-2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
- One bunch of kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
- Avocado slices
- Fresh salsa (I like the Wildwood/Emerald Valley brand, medium spice)
- Avocado oil for drizzling
- Cilantro for garnish, optional
Directions:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Next add the skirt steak, and season with sea salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and add the taco seasoning. Saute for a couple minutes, and then add the lime or lemon juice and chicken broth.
- Continue to cook for a minute or two over medium-low heat. You’ll know it’s done when the meat is browned and the liquid has thickened up a bit.
- Meanwhile, add the torn kale pieces to a large bowl. Shake sea salt all over the kale and then massage (yes, massage) the salt into the kale with your fingers for 1-2 minutes. This will help soften the kale and bring out more flavor.
- Dish up the massaged kale into each person’s bowl and top with some of the taco seasoned skirt steak. Drizzle with avocado oil and top with fresh salsa. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro, if using.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Indian-Style Turkey Stew
Indian-style turkey stew, served over steamed kale.
I don’t know about all of you, but it’s been one heck of a week for me. I honestly felt like I didn’t have enough time in the day to get everything done, and was tempted to give life a call and say that I wasn’t going to show up. It’s funny, because my yoga teacher said this exact same thing yesterday morning, and mentioned that she was tempted to call in and find a sub, because she wanted a break from life. But, she didn’t…she showed up anyway and shared her honesty. She remembered the bigger picture, and the notion that when we show up on the days we feel like throwing in the towel, we often have the richest experiences.
Everything she said was so reminiscent of my week. I was drowning in assignments, studying, writing, work and projects, and wanted so badly to stop everything. I wanted a reprieve. Instead, I moved forward and did the best that I could, knowing that giving up was not an option. What good w0uld it do, and how would it benefit me? I have goals and aspirations, but challenges and struggles are always going to present themselves. It’s part of the process, and how I face these challenges is reminiscent of my character. This journey is not meant to be easy, and this week especially, I needed that reminder from my teacher to embrace it.
What do you do when you are burnt out, under a lot of pressure and feel like giving life a timeout (that worked on Saved by the Bell, but doesn’t work in real life, unfortunately)?
Meanwhile, here’s a quick and tasty recipe for your Friday. It features garam masala, a warm spice blend that I sadly forget about more often than not. Thankfully, my dear friend, Macala has reminded me about it’s loveliness on numerous recent occasions. It’s one of her favorites to add to ground meat, and I can definitely understand why. I even thought of her when using it in this recipe. Miss Macala, I appreciate you, in more ways than one!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1-2 Tbsp grass-fed ghee or butter
- Steamed greens of choice for serving (I used kale)
- Cilantro for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a couple minutes. Next, add the ground turkey and break up the meat with a spatula.
- Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and allow meat to brown for several minutes.
- Next, add the spices, diced tomatoes and coconut milk, and mix well. Continue to cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat, until mixture thickens up a bit. Then, mix in the ghee.
- Serve over steamed greens of choice (I recommend kale) and garnish with cilantro, if using.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Yes, that is bright, vibrant green grass in my backyard. You’d almost think it was spring.
