French Toast Omelette

Maybe this is really a "Toasted Pecan Omelette," but the taste reminds me of my mom's french toast, so the title stands.

French Toast Omelette

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Handful of chopped pecans
• A few dashes of cinnamon 
• Honey

In a small bowl or measuring cup, beat the eggs and vanilla together; set aside. In a large nonstick pan, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add pecans, and saute until fragrant and slightly browned (be careful not to burn them). Add cinnamon, and toss once or twice to coat pecans. Pour eggs over the pecans, and tilt the pan around to equally distribute the eggs. When the eggs have mostly set, flip the omelette in half, and remove from heat, allowing the eggs to finish setting for about 20 seconds. Slide onto a plate, and drizzle a little honey over the top. Serve immediately.

--Losterman

Red Thai Curry with Chicken

Snagged this recipe here, and it's excellent, although I found the cooking directions a little bit vague; I've tried to improve them a bit based on my experience with it.

Red Thai Curry with Chicken (makes one serving)

• 1-2 tbsp oil (olive or coconut work well)
• 1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)
• 1 chicken breast, thinly sliced (about 1/4") with the grain
• 2 carrots, sliced into 1/4" pieces
• Handful of fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 c canned coconut milk 
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar (don't attempt to omit this--it's vital to the taste)
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• Chili paste to taste (optional--I use about 1/2 tsp)

In a medium pot, heat oil. Add curry paste, and saute until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add chicken breast, and stir until well coated in the oil/curry paste, about 1 minute or less. Add vegetables, and saute about 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to boil, and cook until carrots are tender, around 5 minutes. Finish with brown sugar, fish sauce, and chili paste; stir for 15-20 seconds. Serve immediately.

("Serve with what?" you may ask. "Do you substitute cauliflower for rice? Do you use rice? What do you do??" Nothing. Curry doesn't need rice to complete itself. Curry is amazing and wonderful and delicious and whole all on its own. Put on your big girl panties and eat the delicious curry.)

--Losterman

Dijon Chicken & Apple Salad

Well, after a 2+ year hiatus, I'm back with new recipes. As it turns out, eating paleo might be sustainable for a busy graduate student, but blogging about eating paleo is less so. We'll see if a newly-appointed tenure track professor can keep up with it. In the weeks to come, expect a lot of curries, of various ethnic origins. I'm very into making curry right now.

Dijon Chicken & Apple Salad

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
• Sea salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 chicken breast, sliced (approx 1/4") with the grain
• 1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salad greens (Romaine lettuce is pictured above, though I actually prefer this recipe with spinach)
• Half an apple (I used Braeburn), quartered and thinly sliced
• Handful of sliced almonds
• Balsamic vinegar & olive oil, to taste
• Sea salt & pepper, to taste 

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season pan with a few turns of sea salt and pepper. Add sliced chicken breast, and coat well with Dijon mustard. Saute until cooked, around 5 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, add greens to a plate, and season with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Add apples and almonds. Top with chicken.

--Losterman

Bambi Burgers--with Bacon!

Native Roots just started carrying ground venison and elk! Yay! Tonight, I had my first voyage into cooking up Bambi, and he was every bit as tasty as I thought he would be.

Bambi & Bacon Burgers

(Makes 4-5)

-2 - 3 oz bacon, minced

-1 clove (1/2 tsp) garlic, minced

-1 shallot, minced

-1 lb ground venison

-1 - 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-1 tsp dried parsley

-1 egg, beaten

-Salt & pepper to taste

Over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a large bowl, reserving bacon grease in the pan. Add garlic and shallots to the bacon grease, and saute until soft, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add garlic/shallots to the bowl with the bacon, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Add venison and remaining ingredients to bowl, knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. Form meat into 4-5 balls, and lightly press into patties.

Cook on griddle, grill, or in a skillet until thoroughly cooked, flipping every few minutes to prevent burning.

I ate mine (as pictured) with spinach and artichoke hearts, lightly sauteed in clarified butter with a little garlic and red pepper flakes, and the combo was really, really nice. Next time, I'll probably saute onions and mushrooms with some bacon; one can never have too much bacon.

Yay Bambi!

~Losterman

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

Another Gordon Ramsay adaptation. This dish is super flavorful and exciting, and most of all, the tangy sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes balances out the salt in the dish really well, so don't let the anchovies scare you off. Despite my love for salt, I find anchovies pretty repulsive in isolation, but they work really, really well in the context of this dish.

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

(Serves 2)

-2 cloves (1 tsp) garlic, minced

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 dried chili, finely chopped

-1 tin anchovies, sliced

-4-5 sundried tomatoes (jarred, in olive oil), finely chopped

-2 tbsp capers

-4-5 large green olives, sliced

-1 tsp dried basil

-2 - 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (prep instructions here)

-1-2 tsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, and chili pepper, and saute briefly, until shallots begin to soften. Add tomatoes and anchovies, and mix thoroughly (make sure that you break up the anchovies well--otherwise you'll end up with big mouthfuls of it, and that's a lot of salt). Add capers, olives, and basil, mix well. Finally, add spaghetti squash, mix well with other ingredients, and cook until heated through.

Lovely!

~Losterman

Pig Peppers

I always struggle to find ways to use leftover pork roast (5lb roast + 1 person = many, many days of pulled pork). Why didn't I consider adding bacon sooner...?

Pig Peppers

-1 sweet pepper (just choose your favorite color)

-2 strips thick cut bacon, chopped

-2-3 oz leftover pulled pork

-1-2 oz chorizo sausage

-1 shallot, chopped

-Salsa to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the top off the pepper, and clean out the seeds. Over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is just beginning to brown. Add chorizo and shallots, and cook until the sausage is thoroughly browned, and shallots are soft. Add pulled pork, and heat through. Stuff as much of the mixture as you can into the pepper (snack on the remainder, if you're me), place the top back on, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pepper has softened. Top with your favorite salsa to serve.

~Losterman

Lotta Frittatas

I've been eating a lot of these lately, and they're all awesome, but it would be pretty obnoxious to do a separate post for each of them, especially because the prep is essentially identical for all omelets/frittatas. But all of these combos are tested and (enthusiastically) approved, and they're super quick--check em out.

Peach & Pecan

-2 eggs

-1/2 peach, diced

-A handful of pecans (2-3 oz), chopped

-Vanilla & cinnamon

-Coconut oil

Carrot & Parsley

(I was surprised that this one turned out as well as it did--the carrots get uber sweet when you cook them down enough.)

-2 eggs

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 carrot, shredded

-1 dried chili, chopped (optional)

-A few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

-Sea salt & pepper

-Coconut oil

Artichoke & Sun-dried Tomatoes

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, diced

-4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (the ones I used were marinated in olive oil), chopped

-Feta cheese (optional, but tasty)

-Basil, oregano & pepper

-Coconut oil

Basic instructions: Heat oil in a small pan (I use an 8" non-stick for these occasions) over medium heat. Beat eggs with a little salt/pepper (or vanilla and cinnamon for the first recipe), and set aside. Add veggies (or fruit) and any seasonings to pan,* and saute until they begin to soften. Pour eggs around the perimeter of the pan, and tilt to distribute the eggs through the veggies. Cook until the eggs set.

*For the carrot & parsley recipe, don't saute the parsley with the veg, sprinkle it on top once the eggs are in the pan.

Be sure not to overcrowd your pan with the veggies/fruit, or the eggs won't cook evenly--burned on the bottom and raw on top. Gross.

~Losterman

Spiced Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

Part two of the I Heart Gordon Ramsay series.

I'm a little bit of a BBQ sauce junkie, and I never eat a pork chop without it. These, however, didn't need anything else. The sweet potato mash was the perfect complement to the pork chop.

And as an aside on prep: if you don't have a mortar and pestle? Get one (I found one for like $13 at Bed Bath and Beyond). Because for some reason, crushing whole spices is crazy fun, and it smells amazing. Words cannot describe.

Spiced Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

(Serves 2)

Pork Chops:

-2 boneless pork chops

-1 tsp coriander seeds

-1 star anise

-1/2 tsp chili powder

-1/2 tsp paprika

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-A few sprigs of fresh thyme

-A few grinds each of sea salt and pepper

-1 generous tbsp olive oil

Sweet Potatoes

-1 large sweet potato

-2-3 cups chicken broth

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-Coconut oil

-Salt to taste

-1-2 tsp fresh sage

-1-2 tsp fresh cilantro

Crush the coriander and star anise, and add to a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Pour marinade onto a plate, and add pork chops. Flip once to get the marinade covering all surfaces. Put into the fridge.

Peel and dice sweet potato. Put chicken broth into a pot over high heat. When broth is boiling, add sweet potato, and boil around 8 minutes, until they are softening (they shouldn't be fully cooked yet). Remove from heat, drain, run under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove pork chops from the fridge. Place a pan over medium/medium-high heat, and get it nice and hot. Add a little bit of oil to the pan, and then add pork chops. Cook on each side for about 45 secs - 1 min, and occasionally tip onto the edges to ensure that you get color on all sides. Then, put the pan into the oven, and bake for about 8 minutes, until meat is just firm when pressed lightly. Set aside to rest.

In a second pan, heat oil over medium heat, and add shallots and garlic. Saute until shallots begin to caramelize. Add sweet potatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, with a fork (or if you're fancy and own a potato masher, use that--I do not), begin mashing the sweet potatoes in the pan. When thoroughly mashed and soft, remove from heat, add the sage and cilantro, and a bit of sea salt to taste, and mix thoroughly.

Plate it up and serve it up. These won't disappoint.

~Losterman

Asian Summer Salad

Does anybody else go through hardcore Gordon Ramsay phases? I've always been a huge fan of his approach to food, which is all about short ingredient lists and fresh flavors. Also, a remarkable proportion of his dishes are paleo-friendly.

Anyway, I just remembered why he's awesome, so the next few posts are probably gonna be at least Ramsay inspired, if not all Ramsay. This one is straight from The F Word, and it's a perfect summer salad. It's light, and all the constituents balance each other really nicely.

Asian Summer Salad

(Serves 4-5)

-2 cucumbers, peeled

-2 carrots, peeled

-1 fresh jalapeno

-2-3 tsp toasted sesame oil

-2-3 tsp rice wine vinegar

-1-1.5 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

-Sea salt to taste

-Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, slice cucumbers and carrots lengthwise into thin strips (my cucumber slices were too wide for my aesthetic sensibilities, so I halved the slices lengthwise). Use the peeler/mandolin to cut the jalapeno into thin rings. Put all veggies into a bowl, and add oil, vinegar, cilantro, and grind sea salt over top. Gently mix together all ingredients with your hands, and plate.

I just had this with some leftover brats (classy), but I think it would go really nicely with baked chicken or pork chops.

~Losterman

Mediterranean Crab and Veggie "Spaghetti"

Mmm. All of these flavors just work brilliantly together. Tangy, savory, with a little bit of a kick from the chili pepper. Great way to enjoy spaghetti squash.

Mediterranean Crab and Veggie "Spaghetti"

(Serves 2)

-2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (if you haven't cooked it before, I have instructions here)

-1/2 cup chicken broth

-2 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped

-1/2 onion, finely diced

-2 cloves (1 tsp) garlic, crushed

-1/2 cup green olives, halved

-1 cup quartered artichoke hearts, halved

-1 Roma tomato, diced

-1 or 2 dried chili peppers, finely chopped

-1/2 tsp oregano

-1/2 tsp basil

-1 6oz can crab meat, drained

-Olive oil and black pepper to garnish

-Prep all your veggies. In a large sauce pan, combine spaghetti squash and chicken broth, and sprinkle with black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer while you saute your veggies.

In a separate pan, add bacon and cook over medium heat until it begins to get crispy. Add in garlic and onions, and saute until the onions begin to soften. Add olives, artichokes, and seasoning, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, and cook for about 2 minutes. Finally, add crab, and gently mix through. Remove from heat.

Drain your spaghetti squash, and plate. Top with a nice, heaping scoop of the veggie/crab mixture. Garnish with a few grinds of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serve immediately. Enjoy.

~Losterman

Survivor "Popcorn"

Survivor is a pretty cool show from a paleo perspective. One particularly interesting little skill that contestants picked up in an early season and perpetuated throughout the series is the coconut "popcorn." Presumably, when you dice coconut meat and saute it, it tastes like popcorn. Why save that for a deserted island?

Survivor "Popcorn"

-1 fresh coconut

Drive a nail into one (or more) of the coconut eyes, and drain the water--do with that what you will. Then wrap the emptied coconut in a towel, and bash it with a hammer until it cracks open. Separate the meat from the shell with a sharp chef's knife. Dice the meat into small pieces (quite small--like 1/2" by "1/4"). Over medium heat, saute the coconut meat in a pan until browned. When it nears doneness, the coconut will begin to make popping sounds--much like popcorn.

It is indeed kind of reminiscent of popcorn. It completely tastes delicious. Yay, Survivor!

~Losterman

Paleo Public Service Announcement: For the Hippies

To my hippy friends: trade in your whole grains for some tasty meat, or you'll lose the ability to spell "psychic."

Much love.

~Losterman

Oven-Baked Beef Brisket

Summer! It means lots of lovely things, like camping and swimming, but it also means a tighter budget if you're a poor grad student, as we often only get funding during the school year. So, roasts are an ideal meat option: per pound, they're often the cheapest cuts you can find (I landed this grass-fed 6.5 lb brisket for about $30), and they're hella tasty. I threw this together early yesterday, and by dinnertime, it was ready to go and my apartment smelled awesome.

Oven-Baked Beef Brisket

-1 beef brisket (mine was 6.5 lbs), thawed

-2 tbsp salt

-2 tbsp black pepper

-2 tsp cayenne pepper

-2 tsp (4 cloves) crushed garlic

-1 onion, thinly sliced

-1/4 c soy sauce (gluten free--they can be found)

-1/8 c Worcestershire sauce

-1/4 c black coffee (I used a dark, bold roast and brewed it at double strength)

-1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic, and rub into roast--use about 3/4 of it on the fatty side of the brisket, and 1/4 on the other side. Set aside. Mix together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black coffee, and vinegar, and pour into a roasting pan. Spread onion slices in the pan. Place the seasoned brisket into the pan fatty side up, and cover tightly with tin foil. Bake for 7 to 8 hrs (i.e., between 1 hr and 1 hr 15 min per pound). Slice it up, and enjoy for days to come. I recommend serving it with a healthy ladle of the juices that accumulate in the pan--and maybe some tasty Grok's BBQ sauce.

Yay summer!

~Losterman

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Cakes

Yay, bacon! I really wanted some bacon wrapped shrimp, but all I have is these little baby shrimp at the moment, and (thankfully) they do not make baby bacon strips. Thus: shrimp cakes. These were pretty tasty on their own (surprisingly, pan-fried plantain mush is really, really good), but in the bacon sleeve, they were unstoppable.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Cakes (makes about 10)

-1 large plantain, green

-1 cup shrimp, chopped

-4 or 5 green onions, finely chopped

-Black pepper and garlic salt to taste (I think I used between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of each)

-Coconut oil for frying (maybe 3-4 tbsp)

-10 strip of bacon

Peel the plantain, and chop it into a few big chunks, then whiz in a food processor until it's a fairly smooth "batter." Mix in the shrimp, green onions and seasoning. Form the mixture into 1" - 1.5" balls and place on wax paper (yes, your hands will get gross, but deal with it--your reward is bacon-wrapped treats). Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, carefully place a ball in, and squash it into a 1/2" thick patty. Repeat until the pan is full--I was able to cook 4 at a time. Cook a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned and crispy, and move to paper towels when done.

After all cakes have been cooked, wrap each cake in a slice of bacon, such that the "seam" is squarely in the middle of one side. Place each cake seam side down in the pan, and press the top with a spatula to help the seam close. Cook on each side until the bacon is crispy. From time to time, it's helpful to tip the cake at a 45 degree angle in the pan for a few seconds, so that the bacon on the sides of the cakes isn't still raw when the rest is done cooking.

Bacon it up!

~Losterman

Seafood-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Yay, this is the tastiest thing I've made in quite some time. Traditional stuffed peppers usually include rice, but I didn't miss it at all--these were crazy good.

Seafood-Stuffed Bell Peppers, Paleo Style

-2 green bell peppers, halved and cleaned

-2 tbsp grassfed clarified butter

-1/2 onion, diced

-1/2 red bell pepper, diced

-4 green onions, diced

-1 clove (or 1/2 tsp) garlic, minced

-1 6oz can of crab meat, drained

-4 or 5 oz frozen tiny shrimp (fully cooked/cleaned), thawed

-1/4 tsp...

...chili powder

...oregano

...basil

...black pepper

-1/8 tsp...

...red pepper flakes

...salt

...cayenne pepper (optional, but really tasty)

-1/4 cup tomato puree

-1/4 head cauliflower, grated (I used a cheese grater; this should come out to be a generous cup)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prep all veggies. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with about 1/8" water, and set aside. Bring water to a rapid boil in a large pot, and parboil the 4 green pepper halves for 2-3 minutes (they should be just beginning to soften); place on paper towels to drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, green onions, red bell peppers and garlic. Stirring constantly to avoid burning, saute until onions become translucent and begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, crab, and spices, and cook until thoroughly heated (2-3 min). Finally, add tomato puree and cauliflower, cook until thoroughly heated (1-2 min).

Place green bell peppers in baking dish, and stuff with filling. Bake until peppers are soft, about 20 minutes.

I easily ate an entire pepper (2 stuffed halves), and was sad when I could not eat anymore. This one is seriously a winner. I'd really like to try this with ground lamb or pork as well--maybe both.

Enjoy!

~Losterman

Paleo Pizza Bake

The semester is finally over, I am for realz ABD, and I realized that I could really go for some cheese. I'll pay for it later, but it was worth it. And honestly, this is barely even a recipe, but it's delicious, so here we go:

Paleo Pizza/Lasagna Bake

-1 pkg large pepperoni (around 20 slices)

-1 pkg large Canadian bacon (around 10 slices)

-1 2.25oz can sliced black olives

-6 oz package of sliced portabella mushrooms

-1/2 lb Italian sausage, cooked

-1/2 lb fresh mozzarella (preferably pastured, of course), grated

-2-3 oz parmesan, grated

-2 cups pizza sauce (I used my recipe)

Preheat oven to 400 F (actually, I initially set it to 350, but the cheese wasn't melting well after 10 minutes, so for the remaining time--6 minutes--I cooked it at 400). Cook up the sausage in a pan, and grate the cheese. In an 8"x8" casserole dish, layer the toppings in the following order (I guess you could do it in whatever order you'd like, but this seemed to create impressive cohesion):

1. 9 slices pepperoni (this should completely cover the bottom of the dish)

2. 9 slices Canadian bacon

3. Half of the mozzarella

4. Black olives

5. Mushrooms

6. Italian sausage

7. Pizza sauce

8. Pepperoni (another 9 slices)

9. Remaining mozzarella

10. Parmesan

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until thoroughly heated, and cheese is melted.

Eating this was enlightening: traditional pizza is totally overrated. The crust just slows you down. Pure toppings is definitely the way to go.

~Losterman

Spicy Shrimp & Sausage Saute with Plantains

First experience preparing plantains--we were both a bit scared. However, this ended up being pretty simple to execute, and also pretty tasty! Enjoy.

Shrimp & Andouille Saute with Plantain "Fries"

Plantains:

-1 large plantain (ours was still pretty green, but beginning to ripen), peeled and chopped into 1/4" discs

-1-2 tbsp coconut oil

-1 dash mustard seeds

-1/2 tsp...

...chili powder

... turmeric

...salt

...pepper

-1/4 tsp...

...ground coriander

...cumin

-1/4 c water

Heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, and cover when they begin to pop, shaking the pan so they don't burn. When they stop popping, uncover and add plantains and all seasonings. Saute until they are well coated, then add water and cover. Cook until all water is absorbed (this only takes a few minutes, so keep an eye on them). Uncover, and saute until crispy.

In the meantime, you can be cooking your saute.

Sausage and Shrimp Saute:

-1 lb bag frozen baby shrimp (peeled, cleaned, cooked and all that jazz), thawed

-1 lb andouille sausage

-1/2 onion, finely chopped

-Black and red pepper to taste (we used around 1/2 tsp each)

-Hot sauce (optional--we used Blair's Mega Death Sauce, but only because we are awesome)

Add sausage to pan, and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to brown. Add onions, shrimp and seasonings and saute until the sausage is cooked, and the shrimp are heated through.

Overall, a super simple supper--I think total prep time was probably 25 minutes, and minimal chopping. Furthermore, the consensus, regarding both the plantains and the shrimp & sausage fry, was: "Solid."

~Losterman

Taro Chips Two Ways

After listening to the Chris Kresser episode of Robb Wolf's podcast, I was inspired to make the taro chips that Kresser described--sounded delicious. I tried making them with two different slicing techniques. First (pictured left) I used a vegetable peeler, which enables you to get super, super thin slices, and yields a product very similar to potato chips. Second, I just used a freshly sharpened chef's knife, and cut the slices as thin as I was able to do--which was pretty thin, but still several times thicker than I could get with the vegetable peeler. The product was somewhere between a potato skin and a pita chip. I think they'll be super great and versatile... I'm seeing paleo loaded potato skins and paleo chili nachos in the near future.

Taro Chips**

-1/2 of a taro root, peeled

-3-4 tbsp pastured butter, melted (or coconut oil, or pork fat...mmm, pork fat...)

-Salt, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice the taro root as you wish--use a vegetable peeler if you want "potato chips," and a sharp chefs knife if you want sturdier potato skinny/pita chippy type things. If the latter, do make a point of trying to get them as thin as you can. Lay the chips in a single layer on a cookie sheet (I had to do this in a couple of batches--1/2 a taro root produces a ton of chips), and brush with butter.

For thinner chips: Bake 6-8 minutes, until they are just starting to brown. They burn quick, so be careful.

For thicker chips: Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown.

Carefully remove from pan with a spatula, and move to a plate to cool/crisp. Sprinkle with salt. Chow.

~Losterman

**Quick note--some people have an allergic reaction to taro (a funny itchy feeling toward the back of the tongue/throat), particularly if it's not cooked thoroughly enough. I don't have that problem, and I don't know if anyone would have that problem with these chips specifically, given how crispy they get, but...thought I'd mention it.

Epic Burger Night, Paleo Style

It was time, we realized yesterday, time to have Paleo Burger Night. In preparation, we gathered pastured bacon and bacon ends, pastured cream cheese, grass-fed beef, jalapeños and avocado, mushrooms, and onions, the ingredients for Son of Grok's BBQ sauce, and proceeded to cook enough food for a small to moderately sized party.

Things started off innocently enough, with grilled Jalapeño Poppers:

Paleo Pepper Poppers

(Makes 16)

-8 fresh jalapeños

-4 - 6 oz cream cheese

-16 strip of bacon

Cut the jalapeños in half and clean out the seeds. Fill with 1-3 tsp cream cheese, then wrap in bacon and skewer with a toothpick to keep the bacon in place. Grill until the bacon is crispy. (Well, we grilled, but you could easily broil them in an oven.)

After the poppers. we moved onto the burgers--more accurately, we made sliders.

Slider Patties

(Makes about 16)

-2 lbs ground beef

-1 egg

-1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

-A few dashes each of...

-Worcestershire sauce

-Paprika

-Seasoning Salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then get in there and knead the meat with your hands until well mixed. Shape into balls, then flatten into small patties--ours were about 3" across raw. Grill (or pan fry, bake, etc) to taste. Very delicious and juicy.

At the start, we crafted some burgers with an eye for aesthetics--perhaps a little overboard on the aesthetics...

Above: Cream cheese, avocado and pan-fried bacon ends on a spinach salad.

Below: Cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and bacon on a bacon salad--smart. Nick doesn't mess around with spinach on Burger Night.

But then we got eager....

Above: SoG's BBQ sauce, mushrooms & onions sauteed in bacon grease, topped with bacon.

And then we got gluttonous, sloppy, and out-of-control....

Above: Half a slider with almond butter, cream cheese, avocado, and bacon, garnished with ghost chili hot sauce.

We also made baked sweet potatoes, but the burgers were way too distracting--we never got to them.

Okay, so seriously. Would anyone really miss having a bun amidst all this crazy burger and bacon action? Honestly, I think buns would have slowed us down, trammeled our creativity, and stifled our bacon-sprinkled dreams.

Paleo burger night, FTW.

~Losterman

Adventures With Hash Browns

I've been working on sweet potato hash browns lately, via two methods: 1) (pictured above, topped with chorizo) sweet potato + egg, and 2) sweet potato only. I think 2) is tastier, but 1) sticks together better, and thus is more picturesque.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns: v1

(Serves 2)

-1 sweet potato, grated (I did this with a cheese grater)

-1 egg

-1-2 tbsp of pastured butter, bacon/chorizo grease, or coconut oil

-Salt and pepper to garnish

Place shredded sweet potato between two paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as you can, repeat as necessary (I went through 2 or 3 sets of paper towels before I got bored). Place in a bowl, and mix with egg. Heat your grease of choice over medium heat. When pan is hot, add half the potato/egg mix to the pan, and flatten with a spatula, spreading it out as evenly and thinly as possible in the pan. Keep pressing it down with the spatula as you cook. Cook on this side until browned/until its easy to flip (around 2 - 4 minutes), then cook the other side, again around 2 - 4 minutes.

Pretty tasty, but i don't find that the hash browns get very crispy, and the egg messes with the texture, as well as the grease-absorption capacity (which I think is very important, especially if you're eating grass-fed meat--don't be wasting that tasty, tasty grease).

So v2:

Sweet Potoato Hash-browns: v2

-1 sweet potato, grated

-1 - 2 tbsp of grease of choice

-Salt and pepper to garnish

Same instructions as above, just cook until the outside gets crispy, but I won't give you any false hopes about this sticking together when you flip it. Clumps of it will adhere, but it doesn't look all Waffle House picture-perfect. However, without the egg, the hash browns are a lot crispier, and they will do a much better job of soaking up the grease of any meat you top it with--I recommend fresh chorizo.

If anyone has a method of doing this that nails both the taste and the aesthetics, I'm all ears.

~Losterman

(Are a disproportionately high number of these posts devoted to breakfast?)