Meat Pie

This is a really easy recipe and a throwback to a meal I used to eat at a friend's house as a kid. All I remember about it is that it was a big hunk of ground beef and I used to put loads of ketchup on it. We didn't eat red meat in my house very often, if at all. Believe me, I make up for it now. I think the original recipe had potato cubes in it but I opted for sautéed onions instead.

Ingredients

1 whole organic onion of any kind chopped

1 pound of ground grass-fed beef

1 pound (approximately) of seasoned pastured pork sausage removed from casing- I used Herondale Farm's sweet italian

2 tbs organic ketchup

6 oz can of organic tomato paste

1/4 cup of red wine

1 tsp sea salt

2 pastured eggs

Crust

2 and 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour

1/2 cup of tapioca, arrowroot or sweet potato starch

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp grain-free baking powder

1/2 tsp organic oregano

1 pastured egg

1/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you prepare the crust.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl before adding the egg and water. With a fork, mix the liquids through the dry ingredients until the crust sticks together without sticking to your fingers. If you need to add more water, do it in small amounts so the mix does not become too sticky. Powder up your hands with a little of the dry starch or flour and press about 2/3rds of the crust mix into a greased pie pan. Make this base as even as possible and bring it all the way up the sides. The remaining 1/3rd of the mix will be rolled out in between two sheets of parchment paper in the same size as the pie pan. Place the bottom crust in the oven for about 2 minutes, so it sets up just a little. You should see some bubbling in the bottom. Now prepare the filling.

With a spoonful of bacon grease, lard, butter or your preferred fat add the chopped onion to a pan and sauté until soft. Add both meats and break into pieces, cooking until almost fully browned. Add the remaining filling ingredients to a bullet or food processor and blend until smooth. Once the meat is done turn off the heat and add the liquid mix thoroughly. 

Now you can fill the pie and add the top crust. Peeling back one of the pieces of parchment paper on your top crust, you should be able to lay it onto the filled pie and pinch or roll the excess to the top of the bottom crust.

Once this is assembled, bake it for about 30 minutes or until there is a nice golden brown color on the top crust.

Sweet Mashed Potatoes

Here is a great Thanksgiving recipe that will help your whole family eat a little healthier. My sister and I consulted each other on this one in attempts to get our family away from good ol' green bean casserole. Everything in that recipe is canned... it's just so wrong... and yet somehow it became family tradition. Hopefully this week I can post enough recipes to break all of the unhealthy traditions going around.
This is a much healthier potato dish than your standard mashed potatoes. Tried and documented by Kelly Sharon (my sister).

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

3 organic sweet potatoes

½ of an organic sweet yellow onion

1 head of roasted organic garlic

Organic or homemade Chicken broth (set aside 1 1/4 cups)

Butter or lard (for dairy-free)

1 package of bacon 
1/2 tsp sea salt

sea salt & pepper to taste

organic rosemary

Directions 

Put the garlic in the oven to roast. Boil the sweet potatoes in half water, half chicken broth with about 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Boil until fork tender, then drain the water. Mash the potatoes with the roasted garlic, about 6 tbsp of butter and approx 1-1 ¼ cups of chicken broth. Add in the chopped onion and about 5 pieces of chopped bacon.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Put in a greased baking dish with the rest of the crumbled bacon on top and a little more butter.  Baked on 400 deg for about 20 minutes.

Cauliflower Pilaf

Using cauliflower as an alternative to rice is nothing new to some people but perhaps I can offer what I think is the best way to prepare it.  I have never liked cauliflower cooked or raw and have heard the same from many others, so why not mask the taste as much as possible?  This is a recipe inspired by my sister, who proved to be quite a primal chef while putting me up for the last couple weeks at her place in Encinitas, CA.  (Sidenote: Jimbo's is a great place to shop for most of your primal needs if you live in that area.)

Cauliflower Pilaf
1 head organic cauliflower
10 or more cloves of roasted garlic (I roast my own)
handful organic fresh parsley
4 tbs. bacon grease (or organic butter)
4 organic green onions
1 cup organic broth (doesn't matter what kind - I make my own stock)
sea salt and pepper to taste
organic no-salt seasoning

Directions
Grate the head of cauliflower or put it into a food-processor until it has the same consistency or size of rice.  Chop your green onions, roasted garlic and parsley and throw them into a skillet with the bacon grease.  Add the cauliflower rice and seasoning.  *I used a grill seasoning mix and a couple dashes of hot sauce for an extra kick.
After the pilaf is getting a little color (it won't turn yellow- this happens to be the color of the cauliflower we used) pour the broth in the pan and let it soak into the mix.  That's it!

You really can use any kind of veggies or seasoning you want.  The key to the recipe is really the butter or bacon grease giving it that meaty flavor.
The bar-b-que chicken thighs are a recipe passed down from my fiance's family, so I will let him post that one.

Tools: the Bullet

When I used to tell people that they needed to get a "magic bullet" they would look at me like I was a pervert.  You should have seen my mom's initial reaction when I told her I wanted one for Christmas.
Well, for those of you who don't know, it is not a sex toy.
The Magic Bullet is a blender, a whipper, a grinder, a smoothie-maker, an instant gratification machine.  You can make your breakfast, lunch and dinner in it and follow it all up with some chocolate mousse.
If you don't have one, get one.  I use it for almost every single recipe I put together.  We are already on our second one because after one year of 2-3 time a day use, the motor will begin to slow down.  But who cares, at no more than $50 for the whole getup, it is extremely worth it (Costco usually has the best deal).  We will probably be buying many more in our future.

Chili-cheese fries

This is a great chili for fries, dogs, burgers, etc... because it is mild and rich. If you want a hardcore spicy chili, this is not the stuff. However, you can add to it to get whatever spice level you desire.

I have been obsessed with chili-cheese sweet potato fries ever since I took on the challenge. Since I am trying to limit my starch intake, this is a treat I make only once in a while.

Chili

1 tbs homemade lard (saved bacon grease is better for this recipe)

1/2 onion diced

8 cloves diced garlic

2 pounds of ground grass-fed beef, bison or both

2 tsp sea salt

1 tbs cocoa powder

1 tbs Mexican seasoning

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp stevia extract

1/3 cup red wine

1/3 cup brewed coffee

1/3 cup diced jalapenos

2 15 oz. cans organic diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce

2 cups homemade beef stock

Directions:

In a slow-cooker or stock-pot melt the lard and get the onions and garlic sauteing. While that is happening, combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix it together. When everything is hot and sizzling, add the meat to your pot and throw in the dry mix. As soon as the meat is thoroughly browned, add the coffee, jalapenos, wine and stock. The cans of diced tomatoes can be thrown in as-is, however I prefer to blend everything with the tomato sauce before adding to the mix. Let it simmer or cook on low in the slow-cooker until it looks like that disgusting chili they throw on your food at the fast-food restaurants. That's exactly what we're going for; disgustingly delicious!

Sweet-Potato Fries

Get yourself some organic sweet potatoes, peel them and then slice them however you like in a french fry fashion. If you soak them in water for about 10 minutes after you cut them, this is supposed to take some of the starch out. Get the oven heated to 400-415 degrees and move a rack to a low spot above the heating element. On a baking sheet (I also recommend a Silpat) melt a couple tablespoons of lard, bacon grease or butter and toss your fries around on it. I season mine with Old Bay or blackening seasoning or just plain sea salt. Make sure to move them around as they cook. It takes a while because they are so full of water, so expect at least 30 minutes of "frying" time. At some point, they will look ready but not really have a crispness to them. You may never achieve the crispiness you expect but put them on a high rack under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes to come close. Keep an eye on them because they can start to burn quickly.

Put a pile of fries on your plate, add chili and cheese. Need I say more?

Once you start making this, good luck. I promise you will become addicted.