Paleo Tomato Basil Beef Goulash with Eggplant

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 shallots, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• ⅓ cup fresh basil, diced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¾ cup coconut cream (thick cream at the top of canned coconut milk)

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
• Add the shallots and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, until fragrant
• Add the ground beef and cook to brown
• In a separate saucepan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the diced eggplant. Cook until soft, around 5 minutes
• Once the beef is browned, drain any excess grease add the diced tomatoes (with juice), basil, and salt. Stir to combine then add the coconut cream, tomato paste, and eggplant
• Serve immediately and garnish with more fresh basil

SLOW COOKER TACO CHICKEN BOWLS

INGREDIENTS
1½ lbs. chicken breasts
16 oz. jar salsa
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can black beans
½ lb. frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Freshly cracked pepper
6 cups cooked rice
8 oz. shredded cheddar
3 green onions, sliced (or fresh cilantro)

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Drain the black beans and add them to the slow cooker along with the salsa and corn. Add ¼ cup water, plus the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).

Give the ingredients a brief stir to distribute the spices. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

After 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be very tender and will shred easily). Taste the chicken mixture and add salt if needed.

To build the bowls, place one cup of rice in the bottom of a bowl and top with 1 cup of the shredded chicken mixture. Top with a little cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of sliced green onions or cilantro.

Warm Couscous Salad With Salmon and Mustard-Dill Dressing

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) salmon filets, preferably wild
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
6 ounces pearled couscous
3 cups homemade vegetable stock or store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup picked dill, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups spinach leaves, chopped in half if large, or left whole if baby

DIRECTIONS

1. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add salmon, skin-side down, and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, pressing down gently with a spatula to ensure contact, until the skin is rendered and crisp, about 6 minutes. If skin shows resistance when attempting to lift with a spatula, allow it to continue to cook until it lifts easily.

2. Flip salmon and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 120°F for medium rare or 130°F for medium, about 1 minute longer. Transfer salmon to a paper towel-lined plate and allow to cool. Once cooled, flake salmon using your hands; discard skin.

3. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add couscous and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, stirring to combine, and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is tender. Strain any excess liquid.

4. In a large serving bowl, mix together mustard and lemon juice. Stir in couscous, along with dill and spinach, stirring to fluff the couscous and wilt the spinach. Stir in flaked salmon and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with dill and serve right away.

Recipe from Serious Eats

Red lentil & squash dahl

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Approx 1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm (prepared weight)
1 (15 oz) can diced tomato
5 c. chicken stock
1 heaped tbsp mango chutney
2.25 c. uncooked red lentils
naan bread, to serve

Method

Put the oil and the onion in a saucepan, and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further 1 min, then stir in the spices and butternut squash. Combine everything together. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and chutney, and season well. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer for about 10 mins. Add the lentils and simmer for another 20 mins until the lentils and squash are tender. Stir in the coriander and serve with warmed naan bread.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2014
BBC GoodFood Magazine

Italian Beef Sandwiches (crockpot)

These are a recent find. Delicious and easy crockpot recipe. Serves 6. Originally found on iowagirleats.com

3 lb roast with visible fat trimmed and cut into large chunks
1 envelope of Zesty Italian dressing mix
8 oz. pepperoncini pepper slices plus a splash of juice (Patrick and I loved the hot peppers, but the boys preferred the mild ones. We bought spicy peppers to throw on top of our sandwiches.)
8 oz. Giardiniera (chicago-style italian sandwich mix). I've never been able to find this so I leave it out.
14.5 oz. beef broth
provolone cheese slices
hoagie buns

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 9 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Shred meat and put back in crock pot for 1 hour on low.

Split buns length-wise. Top with shredded meat, cheese and additional peppers if you want.

Breakfast Sandwiches

These are very easy and can be prepped ahead of time. Great for a special breakfast or to feed a lot of people for a brunch. We made them for our Easter sunrise service, and they were a huge hit.

1 pkg Hawaiian rolls (or other similar rolls)
2 c. shredded cheese.
7-8 eggs, scrambled
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and diced (could also sub cooked, ground sausage)
2 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut the rolls through the middle and arrange the bottom halves in a 9x11 pan. Layer cheese, scrambled eggs and diced cooked bacon. Add the top halves of the rolls. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight if needed).

Before cooking, spread melted butter on the tops of the rolls. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 10 min. covered. Then remove cover and bake an additional 2 minutes.

Date Energy Balls

Originally found on detoxinista. Perfect bite-sized energy boosters for all of us pregnant/nursing mommas. Vegan and Paleo.

2 c. walnuts or other nuts/seeds
1 c. shredded coconut
2 c. soft, pitted dates
2 T. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla

In food processor, process walnuts and coconut until crumbly. Add in dates, coconut oil, vanilla and sea salt and process until a sticky and uniform batter is formed. Make Tablespoon sized balls, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for at least an hour to set. Store in sealed container in fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a longer shelf life.