Simple Supper Friday: Smoky Beef and Lamb Stew
I am excited to announce my very first lamb recipe! The reason I’m so ecstatic is because I haven’t cared for lamb when I’ve tried it in the recent past. Granted, I’ve only tried its flavors in the form of lamb bone broth and slices of roast lamb deli meat. It was enough to turn up my nose though. Lamb isn’t something I ever ate growing up (it was never something my family bought, made or even ordered when we went out) and so, the broth and deli meat were my first experience with it. I really want to like it because it’s so readily available in Portland and usually always grass-fed, at least where I’ve seen it. Plus, it’s fun to have more meat options in my diet and in cooking.
I figured I’d do okay with lamb if I mixed it with some ground beef, and decided that a lamb sausage would probably go over even better, since it’s well spiced. So, I excitedly picked up a couple fresh Italian lamb sausages from one of our local co-ops and felt determined to like it. And guess what? I did like it…a lot! The recipe turned out phenomenal, and I couldn’t stop ooing and ahhing about it after every bite.
Note, I browned the lamb sausages first to make them easier to slice, but you could try skipping this step if you want. I didn’t want the sausage to fall apart and turn into grounds, so I opted for it. If you’re pressed for time, don’t worry about it.
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On a separate note, I need to cut back a little bit on my blogging. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of extra time to dedicate to it right now and sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day. I have to prioritize accordingly and since my blog is strictly for pleasure and not school or work, it’s a little lower on the totem pole. Yes, it’s still important to me and so are all of you, but other things have to take precedence. With that said, I’m aiming to blog 2-4 days during the week versus 4 all the time. I’ll still be active on Facebook, so make sure you’re following me there. Thanks for understanding!
For the stew:
- 1 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow
- 2 Italian grass-fed lamb sausages
- 1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp smoky spice blend from Practical Paleo (recipe below)
- 1 cup Pomi chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp homemade bone broth or low sodium chicken broth
- Sea salt to taste
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lamb sausage and brown a few minutes each side. Once browned, remove from pan and set aside to cool (sausage may not be cooked all the way through yet, which is fine).
- To the same pan, add the onion and garlic, and saute for a minute over medium heat. Then, add the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon or spatula. While the beef begins to cook, slice the cooled lamb sausage. Add to the pan with the beef and stir.
- Season to taste with sea salt and add the smoky spice blend. Mix well and then add the tomatoes, broth and apple cider vinegar.
- Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer until meat is cooked through and sauce thickens a bit.
- Serve over zucchini noodles, steamed kale or cauliflower rice.
Yields: 3 servings
For the smoky spice blend, courtesy of Practical Paleo:
- 1 Tbsp chipotle powder
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Mix together and store in a jar or spice container.
Yields: 5 Tbsp of blend
Simple Supper Friday: Chicken Chana Masala
Chicken chana masala.
I’m so excited! I now only have one more week of regular classes, then finals. Woo hoo! On the downside, three of my four finals are comprehensive exams. Not fun, but I’ll survive and am not focusing on the downside. Another fun thing? I’ve started receiving big packages in the mail. Specifically, wedding shower gifts. It’s super exciting! I’m having a wedding shower back in Michigan at the end of the month, but some people are sending their gifts directly to me, so I don’t have to have things shipped back or checked on the plane. It’s much appreciated, but obviously, I’ll do whatever I need to do.
On that note, I’m going to have to start making room, especially in the kitchen, for our new things. I love getting rid of stuff, especially when it’s being replaced with something nicer. All in all, this whole process is really exciting, and I’m so grateful that we’re doing a small, private ceremony and a celebratory party back home. With my family helping arrange the party in Michigan, and things in line out here, there really isn’t any stress. Jesse and I are very blessed.
Meanwhile, this is a chana masala-inspired dish. As a former vegetarian, I used to love chana masala when I’d go out for Indian. Since I avoid chickpeas (and other legumes), which are used in chana masala, I substituted chicken instead, which seemed to work well. I wanted a touch of creaminess to mellow out the spices in the dish, so I also added some coconut milk, which isn’t typically used in chana masala. I am a sucker for coconut milk in dishes and besides, I thought it made the dish taste better.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 14.5 oz can unsalted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Dash of cayenne
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute a couple minutes. Then, add the chicken pieces. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and sea salt, and stir. Then, add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more coconut milk, if needed.
- Serve over steamed greens or cauliflower rice and garnish with unsweetened coconut flakes, if desired. Fresh cilantro would also serve as a lovely garnish.
Yields: 3 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.
Simple Supper Friday: Italian Beef Hash with Mashed Cauliflower
Italian beef hash with mashed cauliflower.
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1/2 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium zucchini (or 2 small), sliced
- 3 heirloom tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- White or black pepper to taste
- 1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce (make sure there’s no sugar in it; I like Muir Glen organic tomato sauce)
- Few splashes of broth (any kind you like)
- Olives of choice for garnish, optional (I like Castelvetrano best)
Beautiful and vibrant heirloom tomatoes.
Directions:
- Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meat to the pan and break up with a spatula. After browning for a few minutes, mix in the mushrooms. Continue to cook a few more minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and meat is cooked through.
- Add in the spices and remaining ingredients, except for the olives. Mix together well and let cook over medium-low heat.
- Once the zucchini has cooked and softened to your liking, and the sauce mixture has cooked down a little bit, remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve hash on top of mashed cauliflower and garnish with olives, if using.
For the cauliflower mash:
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into medium-sized florets (I used orange cauliflower)
- 1 – 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Steam cauliflower florets until fork tender, about 10 – 12 minutes.
- Add cauliflower to the food processor with the butter, sea salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Italian-seasoned ground beef and veggies served on top of mashed, buttery cauliflower.
Saucy and meaty with lots of veggies.
Simple Supper Friday: Three-Layer Grain-Free Lasagna
Three-layer, grain-free lasagna.
I know what you’re probably thinking … lasagna is not that simple. Well, yes and no, but in this case, it’s a yes. The ingredients are straight forward, as is the process of putting it together, but do plan ahead time-wise because it has to bake for at least 45 minutes. That’s my one and only forewarning.
I didn’t go off of any recipe for this because it seemed too easy to even bother, and guess what? I was right. To make it even easier, you can sub your favorite marinara sauce for the homemade sauce (I like Cucina Antica or Monte Bene brand - both have no sugar added and are preservative/additive-free). Alternatively, you can use a whole can of chopped tomatoes instead of just 1/2 cup and two fresh tomatoes. I had an open box of Pomi tomatoes in my fridge, which is why I only used 1/2 cup. Luckily, I had two fresh, beautiful tomatoes that came in my CSA box this week to add to the leftover tomatoes. With this addition, I had the perfect amount of sauce. Also, feel free to leave out the 24-hour yogurt cheese. SCD 24-hour yogurt is one of the the few dairy products I can and do eat, but feel free to omit or sub it for whatever you like. 24-hour yogurt isn’t something folks usually have on hand anyway, nor can you buy it in the store.
It’s funny cause I kinda made the yogurt cheese by accident, without even knowing what I was doing. I was heating up some organic whole milk on the stove for yogurt like usual, which I’ve done at least 100 times, and suddenly I noticed the milk starting to separate. It looked watery and the whey and curd were separating from each other. I have never had this happen before and was a bit puzzled. The milk was still good, didn’t smell bad and hadn’t even reached its sell-by date yet, so I wasn’t worried about that, but I had a strong suspicion it would not turn into yogurt. I proceeded on and added the cultures after it cooled and then put everything in the yogurt maker. When done culturing, 24-30 hours later, I put it in the fridge. When I looked at it later on, I noticed that the entire top half of the yogurt container was filled with whey. I dumped it out and strained the contents. What’s left was cheese, and not a typical smooth yogurt cheese (which I’ve made before with whole goat’s milk – it’s yummy), but a drier and grittier cheese. It was like dry curd cottage cheese that had been put into a food processor. It tasted fine, but strong and almost parmesan-like. At that moment, I felt determined to use it for a lasagna. I thought it’d work perfectly. Plus, I wasn’t too drawn to the idea of eating this cheese on its own because it tasted too strong. Anyway, it was a strange mishap that turned out to be a success in a different way. It’s possible my milk separated because it got too hot too fast or the pot wasn’t thoroughly cleaned, even though it looked clean (please know, Jesse cleaned the pot last, not me … busted … tee hee hee!).
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1/8 inch thick)
- 1/2 C SCD 24-hour yogurt cheese, optional
- dash of dried basil
For the sauce:
- 1/2 C Pomi brand chopped tomatoes (or brand of your choosing)
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste (I like Whole Foods brand that comes in a tube)
- 1 tsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- dash of red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Heat two tsp of ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and two minced garlic cloves. After a minute or so, add in the grass-fed ground beef. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Once meat is browned after several minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
- For the sauce, if making homemade, heat one teaspoon of ghee in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic clove and sauté for 30-ish seconds.
- Add in both the Pomi and freshly-chopped tomatoes. Stir in the sea salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes.
- After a couple minutes, add in the tomato paste.
- Continue to cook for several minutes over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a 8×8 or 9×9 pan, spread about 1/4 cup of sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of zucchini slices and then top with all of the meat mixture. Next, pour about 1 or 1-1/2 cups of sauce over the meat and top with a second layer of zucchini.
- If using cheese, spread a thin layer evenly on top of the zucchini. If not using cheese, top a 1/2 cup of sauce or so on top of the zucchini. Garnish with dried basil on top.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 – 60 minutes. Let sit for about 10 – 15 minutes after removing it from the oven.
Gorgeous, vibrant tomatoes.
Homemade marinara sauce in the making.
Zucchini lasagna “noodles.”
Lasagna all put together, before going into the oven …
and after, fresh out of the oven.
Fresh, three-layer lasagna.
Lasagna bite.
Open wide!
