tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162842449190651992024-03-13T17:27:23.273-04:00the cookin cutieThe cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-64177133217483617422014-08-15T20:36:00.002-04:002014-08-15T20:36:30.057-04:00Yogurt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">One of the staples in my little man's diet is yogurt. He's not a huge fan of drinking milk. We don't have any dairy allergies and we haven't noticed any negative side effects from having it, so we keep good quality, full fat dairy in the rotation. Also, I like the live cultures and probiotics that come wth the yogurt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">The only issue I've found, is that it's hard to find full fat, grass fed yogurt. Most of the yogurts out there are made with milk from cows fed GMO corn, are low fat/calories (i.e. packed with chemicals) or are so full of sugar and artificial chemicals, that there is pretty much no nutritional value left. I used to eat those Pina Colada flavored yogurts all the time, but when I realized that I couldn't pronounce half the ingredients, I cut that out!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">So... I took to Pinterest and found a bunch of recipes for homemade yogurt! I was a little intimidated because I thought that you needed to buy a yogurt culture starter or something fancy, but this is super simple and the results are amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">All you need is milk and yogurt with live cultures already in it. You can buy any yogurt with live cultures. I've heard that you need plain yogurt with no flavors added. I always try to save some of my own yogurt to use for the next batch. It's sorta like that Amish friendship bread where you save a little bit and it's used pretty much forever. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">So first, I poured all of the milk into my crockpot and turned it on high.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Then I put the lid on and let it sit for a while. The temperature needs to come up to 180, but not boiling.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Once it gets to 180, then you turn the crockpot off and let the milk go back down to 120. If you have time, you can just let it sit and wait. If it gets late (because I never remember to make it until later at night), you can take the "pot" out of the heating element of the crockpot. That should help it cool down more. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Once the milk came down to 120, I mixed in my "starter" yogurt. I just dumped it in and mixed it around with a fork to get it all broken up and let the cultures spread out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Then, I took the pot part out of the crockpot, wrapped it in a blanket, and set it on the counter for 24 hours. Usually, I just put the whole thing in the oven (which is cold and turned off), but this time, I was using the oven, so I needed to improvise. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">This part kinda freaked me out a bit at the beginning... I thought that yogurt was supposed to be cold at all times. Apparently, though, you want to create a warm environment for all the little cultures to grow and multiply.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">After 24 hours, you take the lid off and stir everything up and voila! you have yogurt! It's not your standard thick yogurt... it's kinda thin and clumpy. It's kindalike the drinkable yogurt stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">If you'd like, you can add in some flavors or sweeteners or whatever you think. I usually like my yogurt thicker, so I drain it which makes it thicker.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSOr8X29EQ8pvNv0lneVmtP5DLewtts47R_wuMHXAHvUqijh7k3fYdCWgEmf83HsLJhyphenhyphen9IHWodu3ixwpnQOtBcaIszAXkwa0zhyOVN05GtFoV7yMLjTBmHxRGs0Q4xD84Cb8nICKQ29g/s1600/IMG_2342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSOr8X29EQ8pvNv0lneVmtP5DLewtts47R_wuMHXAHvUqijh7k3fYdCWgEmf83HsLJhyphenhyphen9IHWodu3ixwpnQOtBcaIszAXkwa0zhyOVN05GtFoV7yMLjTBmHxRGs0Q4xD84Cb8nICKQ29g/s1600/IMG_2342.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Basically, I get a big bowl and put a colander on top of it. Then, I line the colander with paper towels and pour the yogurt mixture into the colander. Then, I just put the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours (or a day, depending on how thick you want it).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBnfvyga_6un8nWPcrSoPf-YObqpVoeu1F8grpKeTSTbkXmv66ry-kQ_FlH0KXHiw0ipHQjo5O-eagm3CXYHkeRAGYobylfMfQE6rwuK47X1G70QuzVoTV3ChoURKx-5gPKgDSpIqJfM/s1600/IMG_2344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBnfvyga_6un8nWPcrSoPf-YObqpVoeu1F8grpKeTSTbkXmv66ry-kQ_FlH0KXHiw0ipHQjo5O-eagm3CXYHkeRAGYobylfMfQE6rwuK47X1G70QuzVoTV3ChoURKx-5gPKgDSpIqJfM/s1600/IMG_2344.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">I had trouble taking a good picture, but here's what it looks like once it's drained.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8XvTI6pViA29zEH-ny_CczD8bzlwFtgSWLtiaYHOZqDL2FOE19axSVLuxmE9uPXl_3N55cEl2TGKMKQ6o4iq8l8OZXUfv90KxICBgA4yHGp8uux3FOZHMLlo2u34NXMuSpqili1mLPw/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8XvTI6pViA29zEH-ny_CczD8bzlwFtgSWLtiaYHOZqDL2FOE19axSVLuxmE9uPXl_3N55cEl2TGKMKQ6o4iq8l8OZXUfv90KxICBgA4yHGp8uux3FOZHMLlo2u34NXMuSpqili1mLPw/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">In the bowl under the colander, you'll see all the leftover whey that drains out. Some people swear by it... apparently, you can drink it or add it to smoothies or do all sorts of things with it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUxPpMHRq5vNqSBbSNNRLpIQI3sK8LzP-xBx5AuZ8oUtv58OHez56ZKRxt5Ak4b1jR8FCXNAt2oy_P8IehrFawcNMy_f1naZgFNmWDssPlrm55lHt1nPwWXgVu7JX96Kv7P5XqRfeWJA/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUxPpMHRq5vNqSBbSNNRLpIQI3sK8LzP-xBx5AuZ8oUtv58OHez56ZKRxt5Ak4b1jR8FCXNAt2oy_P8IehrFawcNMy_f1naZgFNmWDssPlrm55lHt1nPwWXgVu7JX96Kv7P5XqRfeWJA/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">So what you have left is this delicious, thick yogurt! Now, you can add flavoring or keep it and use it as a substitute for mayo or sour cream. I sometimes chop up fresh herbs and mix it with some other savory flavorings and use it as a veggie dip.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hj20rUs_GNY-cs6IL1yJTs3mPB2BBZTkWBmDwvWngQ-Apt1NAt7AxIq232Dggacq0bxrOsTVYgCQ2jwsYO-pLu6HIJIrdTXg5PywsTlxSt7bsNxkM4sCu2LyiPKSVPE8Uh-hV5I8MpY/s1600/IMG_2347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Hj20rUs_GNY-cs6IL1yJTs3mPB2BBZTkWBmDwvWngQ-Apt1NAt7AxIq232Dggacq0bxrOsTVYgCQ2jwsYO-pLu6HIJIrdTXg5PywsTlxSt7bsNxkM4sCu2LyiPKSVPE8Uh-hV5I8MpY/s1600/IMG_2347.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Most of the time, though, this little cutie prefers a fruity yogurt. I'll mix in some homemade jam or maple syrup and vanilla. If I don't have any available, I'm always a fan of some vanilla extract, almond extract, and a little bit of sugar. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWed0hDWMlDNsVxU0NKXuTo8f_WpG5utgPgihPOwkU_HGp-jfGQYhPr4JtEqDncSTwhcTMpqIemNKpJ1iI9fjFlsaemcuwU9YAGRETzpYJ5wkr4EFo3G933BlBwRqozBRtZ7o-i6eqZn0/s1600/IMG_2348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWed0hDWMlDNsVxU0NKXuTo8f_WpG5utgPgihPOwkU_HGp-jfGQYhPr4JtEqDncSTwhcTMpqIemNKpJ1iI9fjFlsaemcuwU9YAGRETzpYJ5wkr4EFo3G933BlBwRqozBRtZ7o-i6eqZn0/s1600/IMG_2348.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">Chase definitely approves! His favorite flavor, as of recently, has been yogurt mixed with some almond butter and maple syrup (pictured below).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ1f6sAMtFMvJxGZR2cyn1UWZ997wIqcuq2KxvrjUkoCRQagKbdxrfI2if3KwBPhd3w5ogv6nKFE3D2xgDA178Qx5GfAFKPD0p7ZCHE2v-yU3Na9HiNGPo1d59NuxFZtvyR5zmyI9SB4/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ1f6sAMtFMvJxGZR2cyn1UWZ997wIqcuq2KxvrjUkoCRQagKbdxrfI2if3KwBPhd3w5ogv6nKFE3D2xgDA178Qx5GfAFKPD0p7ZCHE2v-yU3Na9HiNGPo1d59NuxFZtvyR5zmyI9SB4/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 36.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Homemade yogurt<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 26.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">½ gallon of whole milk (preferably
grass fed and organic)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 cup of a yogurt starter (any plain
yogurt that has live cultures should work)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 26.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pour milk into a crockpot and turn on
high.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-28594580619501082472014-07-23T16:01:00.000-04:002014-07-23T16:01:08.897-04:00Potato Zucchini Pancakes<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">I think I'm pretty lucky to have a kid who eats a lot of different foods. I don't know why he's a pretty good eater, but I'm going to blame it on the fact that I LOVE food and also that we exposed Chase to lots of different foods from a young age. We did baby led weaning and Chase ate pretty much everything we did. It makes life easier for me when I don't have to make a separate meal for Chase. I've known parents who make 2-3 different meals just so everyone can have something to eat. If that works for your family, then cool! I know that it just wouldn't work for me! </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Anyway, I'm always trying to find new recipes for veggies to make them more interesting. A lot of people who hear that we eat mostly Paleo automatically think that all we eat are steaks and burgers for dinner every night. Actually, veggies make up a large part of our diet. With that being said, I get tired of the same old grilled asparagus or sauteed spinach. Luckily, Pinterest has a billion different recipes to try! Even if they aren't Paleo (this recipe wasn't originally) I can usually modify the recipe enough to have a new dish to try! </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Tonight, Curt, Chase, and I are sharing a big old T-bone steak with some creamed spinach (one of Chase's favorites) and these awesome potato zucchini pancakes. Now, I know most people who do Paleo don't do potatoes... you can easily swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes, turnips, or just leave them out altogether and use all zucchini.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">Potato Zucchini Pancakes</span></h2>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">First, I minced garlic and onions and threw them in a pan with some olive oil and butter. I sauteed them on medium low until they were soft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: purple;">While the onions and garlic were getting soft, I shredded the zucchini and the potato. I used a hand grater, but I definitely need to invest in a food processor!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">After the zucchini and potato were shredded, I put everything on paper towels and squeezed out all of the extra water. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next, in a bowl, I stirred up the eggs, potato starch, salt, and baking powder. The original recipe called for flour, but since we don't eat flour, I used potato starch. You could probably use almond flour or tapioca starch, but I figured that since the recipe called for potatoes, then potato starch would work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once the egg mixture was combined, I added in the shredded zucchini, potatoes, and the onion/garlic mixture.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcJ2ua_dwpODFVtipdIcTDiimMFqtV1NT4Dg7zu0jUNacx1mqVuXzeOdqvAR5mco2WzYUnX5GRyC-VZN8HdOjHFu4in_kK1_QDpeL5M6mz5haz6WUiUAoBicfNTnKdRtx5n9sf5z0sm0/s1600/IMG_2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcJ2ua_dwpODFVtipdIcTDiimMFqtV1NT4Dg7zu0jUNacx1mqVuXzeOdqvAR5mco2WzYUnX5GRyC-VZN8HdOjHFu4in_kK1_QDpeL5M6mz5haz6WUiUAoBicfNTnKdRtx5n9sf5z0sm0/s1600/IMG_2237.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next, I heated up some butter and olive oil in a skillet. The hotter the pan, the crispier the pancakes. I like crispy pancakes, so I did it on Medium high. I dropped a spoonful of the mixture into the hot fat and flattened them slightly with the back of a spoon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once the bottom was nice, brown, and crispy, I flipped them over to let the other side get crispy too.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlRwe0_PPU_QxU2Tp1qUje_efMcDJZVuuGJWMypaYsvH-B9UsC56Z0VwWPyQWgJKkQXE9i7lVWZ92WGkWv5ADrddeXrDxf9DnCtG68EvbRTD1CJTN5Pl3FB8LHMU_fZv5nE3stnLt8Vs/s1600/IMG_2240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlRwe0_PPU_QxU2Tp1qUje_efMcDJZVuuGJWMypaYsvH-B9UsC56Z0VwWPyQWgJKkQXE9i7lVWZ92WGkWv5ADrddeXrDxf9DnCtG68EvbRTD1CJTN5Pl3FB8LHMU_fZv5nE3stnLt8Vs/s1600/IMG_2240.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">So here's the finished product! I thought these were really good! They were crunchy, flavorful, and a nice variation on zucchini and a starch. I'll definitely be making these again!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Paleo Potato Zucchini Pancakes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2012/09/07/potato-zucchini-pancakes/">http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2012/09/07/potato-zucchini-pancakes/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">2 cups shredded zucchini <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">2 cups shredded potato<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">2 eggs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">1/3 cup potato starch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">¼</span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">
onion, minced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">2 cloved garlic, minced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">Fat of choice (I used a mix of butter and olive oil)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">½</span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">
tsp baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">¼</span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif";">
tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shred zucchini and potato, then squeeze out extra water with a
paper towel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a sauté pan,
cook onions and garlic with fat of choice until soft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a separate
bowl, whisk the egg. Mix in potato starch, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add zucchini and onion mixtures
and stir until well combined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Heat some oil
in a pan (medium-high heat) and drop the mixture in portions. I used a big
tablespoon. Then, flatten the pancakes a
little bit with the back of a spoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fry until crispy on both sides, flipping them when edges turn
brown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Elephant; mso-fareast-font-family: Elephant;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Elephant","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serve
immediately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-67844512610373783912014-05-17T22:29:00.001-04:002014-05-17T22:29:50.713-04:00Meal Planning<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been forever since I've posted anything.... over a year, actually! Life with a 19 month old has been pretty hectic, in a good way. We're actually expecting our 2nd little nugget in the end of August. This pregnancy definitely has not been as easy as the first one. I've had lots of headaches and morning sickness- something I never experienced with Chase. I've been joking that if this little one is a girl (and we aren't finding out until the big day, so who knows!) she's already making my life difficult! Anyway, life's been pretty crazy, but I love every minute! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnavMFu23zYgDToiwgI6r0TmIwOYnykgm7Heoih3-4t2UqZKfnaVSvW4oAgbIKTbt48-l9exoFb-TQz2I8jq7MCxfS4rn44-4Lt3X3ly5h-xAV0NwJh8_BR19c_EVCUb0XF5Lvg-tO3c/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnavMFu23zYgDToiwgI6r0TmIwOYnykgm7Heoih3-4t2UqZKfnaVSvW4oAgbIKTbt48-l9exoFb-TQz2I8jq7MCxfS4rn44-4Lt3X3ly5h-xAV0NwJh8_BR19c_EVCUb0XF5Lvg-tO3c/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just wanted to take a minute to update the blog and re-commit to eating healthy again. A few weeks ago, I started to document all my food on my facebook page (just look up The Cookin Cutie on Facebook and you'll see the page). It helps to keep me accountable and I always find it helpful to see what other people are eating! Being preggers, I'm sticking with pretty much paleo, but I've been following Chris Kresser's recommendations from the <a href="http://healthybabycode.com/signup" target="_blank">The Healthy Baby Code</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically- it's paleo, but it adds in a few "safe" carbs and a lot of dairy. So the dairy I'm eating is grass-fed and full fat. It's hard to find grass-fed, full fat yogurt, so I've been making my own (future blog post to come). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of people ask me how I manage to continue with healthy eating while working full time and caring for a toddler. At least 4 nights a week, there's a home cooked meal on the table. There are always healthy packed lunches for me, Chase, and Curt. Not because I'm a Martha Stewart wanna be.... and not because I'm killing myself to be the "perfect mom and wife"- heaven knows I'm nowhere close... but because to me, healthy eating is a priority. I want Chase to grow up knowing what REAL food is. I don't want him to be that kid in college who only eats Chipotle or hot dogs (I actually knew a guy who ate only that!). I like that he eats what we eat and it definitely makes my life easier that I don't have to make 2 or 3 different meals each night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, back to the point of how I find the time to cook at least 4 meals and 5 lunches each week... the key is PLANNING! Here's what my planning consists of:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje20igUfEeLmDSrYNvIzoimXc5uPMhlwZup7lgDUxm_pNuUuYExUT2nAszSn_ELlCXKh083f-sZfarze0sZJ2Ugk_J_r6VM8Gc1E652XMg7k8TdNUIGuiA80Vgm0J3Kt52atMiccG9pjw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje20igUfEeLmDSrYNvIzoimXc5uPMhlwZup7lgDUxm_pNuUuYExUT2nAszSn_ELlCXKh083f-sZfarze0sZJ2Ugk_J_r6VM8Gc1E652XMg7k8TdNUIGuiA80Vgm0J3Kt52atMiccG9pjw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I come up with a few different ideas for meals: my inspiration comes from Pinterest, the Food Channel, the Cooking Channel, and my pregnancy hormones haha. I just jot down what I want to make for the week. Dinner plans are the main focus because lunches are either leftovers from the dinners or salads with a bunch of stuff on them (craisins/almonds/cheese/veggies/fruit). I also check out the sales flyer at Whole Foods to see what's on sale. If there's a good sale, I'll plan a meal around that. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxqRdL1cjPQlhOW3cYJBvNqmAkjYjNkNR4sfeOgIHAZdKya1PExo2ETQB8BOeCOuVl6jQ2zlh8cRMRN6nmG-VM-NSLpIPB6fJ595Z7X13jOVBR3RQDHE4j-qybQ2xbU_Z0H9GWOhK71E/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxqRdL1cjPQlhOW3cYJBvNqmAkjYjNkNR4sfeOgIHAZdKya1PExo2ETQB8BOeCOuVl6jQ2zlh8cRMRN6nmG-VM-NSLpIPB6fJ595Z7X13jOVBR3RQDHE4j-qybQ2xbU_Z0H9GWOhK71E/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then, I write down the "menu" for the week along with the sides I'll make to go with it. I also like to write down the recipes- that way, I'm not searching for which recipe went with what. I keep my weekly menus and the recipes all </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">together in my little composition notebook. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It's also nice because I can keep track of what I made and when and which recipes I like. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then, I'll make a grocery list with EVERYTHING I need, sorted by grocery store section - all the produce together, all the dairy together, etc.... that way, I can get through the grocery store faster. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I usually do my grocery shopping and prep work on Sundays. Once I get home, I wash and prep all the food I can. I wash and chop all the veggies and fruits. If possible, I'll prep the meals too. I'll marinate any meats and portion everything possible. For example, if I'm making a soup on Wednesday, I'll cut up all the veggies, so all I have to do is dump everything in the pot and turn on the heat. Curt is amazing and takes Chase out to play when he gets home so I have some time to get dinner ready... but I definitely don't have hours to prep an entire meal from start to finish. If I can minimize the process as much as possible, it makes everyone's lives easier!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So anyway, that's what I do. Prep and plan as much as possible! It takes a lot of time on the weekends, but it saves sooooo much time and effort during the week and is totally worth it! </span>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-58313211729579746292013-03-25T22:41:00.000-04:002013-03-25T22:41:21.549-04:00Week 1 Recap!<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's now Monday night, and I am officially 1/3 of the way done with the <a href="http://the21daysugardetox.com/?hop=55off" target="_blank">21 Day Sugar Detox</a>. I have to say that it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy to say no to all of the junk food I am constantly surrounded by. I do, however, feel pretty good when I am able to resist the temptation! Here's a recap of my week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Last day of Junk</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">- I went crazy... I ate so much stuff! I had pretty much any junk food that you could imagine. I ate as if I would never eat anything else in the world. Was it a good idea? no! Was it childish? yes! Was it worth it? no! Did I know that I would feel terrible after eating all of that junk? yes! Did I do it anyway? yes! I felt sooo gross afterwards, that honestly, I didn't want to eat anything but healthy foods! This is how I felt at the end of the night!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO4fVyKwMd9dQmHwD3uT_2PVl8ec4L2TWVFxNV1GLipQ8aAFkWL7Ah_3HXGJf-aJDLipcf1oUoMkYKizi4-SQJmv5gH-sJtt0vEHT_xjh3sIBF_UrDykRYbQyR2JPgui4WOQg6buLRio/s1600/d4f50d27bb2562f7768eb61b1fb0abd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO4fVyKwMd9dQmHwD3uT_2PVl8ec4L2TWVFxNV1GLipQ8aAFkWL7Ah_3HXGJf-aJDLipcf1oUoMkYKizi4-SQJmv5gH-sJtt0vEHT_xjh3sIBF_UrDykRYbQyR2JPgui4WOQg6buLRio/s320/d4f50d27bb2562f7768eb61b1fb0abd1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via pinterest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Day 1</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">- I skipped breakfast. I know, I know, it was not a good way to set myself up for success. Honestly, though, I felt so nauseous from the crap I ate on Monday that the thought of putting anything else in my stomach made it just churn. I didn't have time to make anything super fancy for lunch, but I just had some tuna. I managed to avoid any student birthday treats. By the end of the day, though, I really wanted a cookie or some little dessert to treat myself though. I wanted to throw myself a little pity party to grieve all of the foods I'll never eat again... (again, the stupidity of addiction to stupid foods that I shouldn't like to begin with!!!)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfLpzwdm92vywDhkoOQ_P44GU7DKFWyH2gf87G1Ywjo1kfOavxV9Sn1fsPK74iEkh61FtFnJ1Bw_lyIYXyl3b8_8vvb14jdofb9ay0l4StFwur6tnPsJOGNQikLgN528pevtLGnQgcgY/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfLpzwdm92vywDhkoOQ_P44GU7DKFWyH2gf87G1Ywjo1kfOavxV9Sn1fsPK74iEkh61FtFnJ1Bw_lyIYXyl3b8_8vvb14jdofb9ay0l4StFwur6tnPsJOGNQikLgN528pevtLGnQgcgY/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via pinterest</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 2</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- I've realized that I was mindlessly consuming a lot of calories throughout the day, mainly from sugar. A few skittles here, a few pretzel sticks there, a little bit of popcorn after lunch, etc... I've never been more aware of how much junk is around me!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 3</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Telling everyone that I'm on a sugar detox helps! It can be hard to resist sweets, but when you tell people that you are avoiding them, you are even less likely to cheat because you know that other people are watching!!!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 4</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Some of my junk eating is so mindless, that I don't even realize I'm doing it. I've had to stop myself a few times because I didn't even think of the fact that I had a tootsie roll in my hand (I give a lot of candy as motivators at school haha) I was proud of myself too because the principal was really sweet and bought all the teachers pizza, but I said no thanks and passed for the salad :) </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also made it through a meal out and stuck to the detox plan! I ordered a burger with no bun and had them switch the fries for sauteed mushrooms. I even resisted the fried calamari that was ordered as an appetizer! </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Score a few points for me!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNgixRQ9Q-qsgpFpt6CPGwseC97pYOPtYmspQDsGY7EMy7Og6_LTzWac3-ZD4BPj4i5cqJ1sYOfAjXKMcLVX7X_6Ti8fxPT565JikmzMynA4eOYlTLufXlWqLrjNdYzFrNNyBLbyXoE0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNgixRQ9Q-qsgpFpt6CPGwseC97pYOPtYmspQDsGY7EMy7Og6_LTzWac3-ZD4BPj4i5cqJ1sYOfAjXKMcLVX7X_6Ti8fxPT565JikmzMynA4eOYlTLufXlWqLrjNdYzFrNNyBLbyXoE0/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Pinterest</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 5</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Went to a party with yummy temptations like chocolate covered strawberries, chips, spinach dip, meatballs, etc... I thought ahead and prepared by bringing my own food... kinda weird, I know, but I was ready and since I could eat my own yummy food, it was a little bit easier to resist!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 6</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- When you fall down, don't wallow, just get up and start again! I cheated a bit... I work with a youth group called <a href="http://www.jobsdaughtersinternational.org/" target="_blank">Job's Daughters </a> and I drove some of the girls to Fredericksburg for a meeting and a dinner. Long story short, the girls hadn't eaten all day, we missed the dinner, and it had started to snow so we needed to get back on the road fast. I also had Chase with me, making getting in and out of the car with a carseat and girls and snow etc... just a mess... so I broke down and we all went through some crappy seafood drive through. I had some fried shrimp that was totally not good or satisfying. It was a mistake, but I'm still proud of myself for getting right back on track rather than saying, whatever, I'll just eat anything I want now.... </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Day 7</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">- I'm on spring break! I was able to cook a leisurely breakfast, work out, and spend some much needed quality play time with Chase! Despite the junk meal I had for dinner on Day 6, I got right back on track. I even resisted some queso and tortilla chips that a friend had brought to our weekly small group Bible Study... that was really really really tough because I LOOOOVE chips and queso!</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Overall</span></b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">-</span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> it's been tough at times, but I really am proud of the fact that, aside from that one meal, I have totally stuck to the plan. I've realized that the few little cheats I've been sneaking have really added up over time and I need to cut it out! Thank goodness for this detox. I've been doing really well on the baby weight loss, but I need to get motivated again and remember:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Pinterest</td></tr>
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The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-46053310269748583142013-03-20T20:33:00.000-04:002013-03-20T20:33:49.161-04:00Just a few little caveats<div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I've just finished reading the whole 21 day sugar </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Pinterest</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After reading the program, however, I do have some terms and conditions that I wanted to share with you all. I do plan to share all of my meals and snacks on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cookin-Cutie/180853763631" target="_blank">facebook page</a>, but there will be a few different things that I will be eating that aren't exactly on the plan. I don't want anyone to be looking at what I'm eating and say... <i>"Hey! You ate THAT?! That's not allowed!"</i> I'm also going to give you my rationale behind it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, as I mentioned before, I'm a nursing mom, so the plan actually has modifications for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. According to the plan, I need to eat a little bit of a nutrient dense carb at each meal. This includes sweet potatoes, butternut squash, white potatoes, etc... So, I'll be eating some foods that others who are doing the 21 DSD shouldn't eat. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmWce2kwZxQjJesHXVOAjQsB5ahssN19CCWOYB1aM3gFcijxZsUTmy_xz8260AdFTgX-gSIgjP0LA2vnlc_lTyKlzzoBr3fd-lcjfRR-9Q3YqqXhIbUH30TuDNUdWEtmhrpoFNj-nu-0/s1600/sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmWce2kwZxQjJesHXVOAjQsB5ahssN19CCWOYB1aM3gFcijxZsUTmy_xz8260AdFTgX-gSIgjP0LA2vnlc_lTyKlzzoBr3fd-lcjfRR-9Q3YqqXhIbUH30TuDNUdWEtmhrpoFNj-nu-0/s320/sugar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, according to Chris Kresser's </span><a href="http://healthybabycode.com/signup" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">The Healthy Baby Code</a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, I need to drink about a quart of full fat, grass-fed milk/dairy per day. I'm eating as much dairy as possible to get to that goal, but I have never been a fan of milk. I don't like it and never really have. The only time I ever really had milk was in a bowl of cereal or with some oreos, but since both of those are out of the question, I've had to find some way to stomach the taste of milk. Sooooo, I've been drinking chocolate milk. Now I know that this is definitely not on the detox, but I'm going to keep drinking about 1/4 cup of chocolate milk mixed into my whole milk. I'll hopefully be able to get rid of the chocolate soon, but I just can't choke down plain milk. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, peanut butter is definitely not on the detox, or on paleo. I do, however, want to eat a little bit per day. Since Chase is getting exposure to whatever I eat, I want him to have the exposure to peanuts. I don't intend to eat peanuts or feed them to him when he's older, but I don't want him to have a peanut allergy. I work in a school and I have seen some crazy allergies and definitely don't want him to go through that if he doesn't have to. I know that Chase will be less susceptible to allergies because I'm infusing his gut with tons of good probiotics, nor do we have allergies in our family. I just don't want to push it, so I'm going to eat a little bit per day. Don't worry, it's not that super processed, sugary stuff that hardly resembles a peanut. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other than that, I'm going to be gung ho! Let the journey begin!</span></div>
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The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-76082353878428786852013-03-17T22:37:00.001-04:002013-03-17T22:37:42.608-04:0021 day sugar detox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #45818e;">So...it's been FOREVER since I've made a posting! As it turns out... I've been super busy training my new sous chef!</span></span></div>
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This little cutie is the reason that I've been somewhat MIA. Having a baby seems to actually take up a lot of time! Who would have thought?! </span></span><div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Chase was born on October 9, 2012. He's an incredibly healthy and happy little guy. Curt and I are so blessed to have this little nugget with us!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">All that being said, I've tried my best to be super mom and get home from work, cook a healthy Paleo meal, work out, do laundry, and spend some quality snuggle time with the hubs. Some days, though, something had to get cut, so often, it was nutrition/exercise. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">I've fallen off the hard core paleo bandwagon and am now ready to jump back on! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">I've never questioned whether or not paleo was the way to go. Besides just wanting to lose the baby weight (I gained 60 lbs <which body="" half="" more="" my="" of="" than="" was="" weight=""> with that little Peanut!!!), paleo is just so much better for you. I'm a big follower when I understand why I am doing something. </which></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Knowing how bad grains (even oatmeal and whole grains) are for you, how could I, in good conscience, continue eating them? I'm typically pretty good about avoiding grains, I can't even remember the last time that I had pasta. Sugar and desserts.... THAT'S a different story. I CRAVE sugar. I love cookies and cakes and brownies and donuts... also, I'm a teacher, so there's always some opportunity to eat a tasty bit of a birthday treat or some banana bread left in the teacher's lounge. Believe it or not, being a teacher is EXTREMELY stressful. I keep chocolate (granted it is good quality dark chocolate) in my filing cabinet to "get me through the day."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">The thing is...sugar is just as bad for you as grains! I really need to kick this habit that I've gotten into. This is especially important because I have diabetes all over both sides of my family tree. Being a new mom, I want to set a good example for my little guy. I don't want him to think that macaroni and cheese and doritos and lunchables (staples in a majority of student lunchboxes) are "quality food" to nourish him and help him grow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Anyhoo... I turned to pinterest to find some paleo detox tips and I found <a href="http://the21daysugardetox.com/" target="_blank">the 21 day sugar detox</a>. It's called a sugar detox, but it helps you to kick the sugar and carb cravings. Carbs just break down into sugar anyway. The best part is that they have personalized plans for nursing moms!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Why do a detox? Why not just go back to hard core paleo? Well... like I said, my sugar craving has gone out of control. I wouldn't say that I am as bad as I was in college. Back then, I would put 10 sugar packets in 1 single glass of iced tea! But, I've started making excuses for myself to eat a little bit of sugar every once in a while, which turned into eating a little bit after each meal, which turned into eating a dessert of some sort because, hey... I'll start paleo tomorrow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">So, long story short... I'm starting this detox plan! I'm excited to start it. I am sad that I won't be wanting an occasional cookie (see how messed up it is that I don't want to give up something that I KNOW is terrible for me?!), but that is exactly why I need to do this! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">I'll do my best to chronicle my experiences and hopefully even upload a recipe or two! I figure that by publishing this, I'll be more accountable since people actually do read my blog! </span></span></div>
The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-60783265358468934152012-11-13T12:34:00.001-05:002012-11-13T12:34:38.463-05:00Paleo Lamb Stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With the weather getting colder, I'm always in the mood for soups and stews. For me, it's just comfort food! The other week, I was wanting to try a nice cold weather soup. I had picked up some lamb from Whole Foods that week, intending to marinate and grill it... but with my penchant for soups, I decided to turn it into a lamb stew. I hadn't made a lamb stew before, so I turned to pinterest. There weren't any recipes that really caught my eye, so I decided to make up my own concoction. So here's :</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 1/2 lbs boneless lamb (I used butterflied leg of lamb)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 cup mushrooms</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs thyme</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 small onion, diced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 2 bay leaves</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1/4 lb of bacon (3-4 strips)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 cup of baby carrots- cut in half</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 4 cloves garlic, minced</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">First, I cut the bacon into smallish chunks and threw them into the dutch oven to brown. I had the heat on medium low so that it would cook slowly and not burn, but get nice and crispy. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">While the bacon was cooking, I cut up the lamb into bite sized pieces and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Some people like big chunks of meat, so if you're one of those people, go ahead and make huge pieces. I just typically take small bites and like small chunks of lamb. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">After the bacon was nice and crispy, I took it out and set it aside, but left in the yummy bacon fat. I added in the lamb and let it all brown up. Also, I didn't trim any of the fat from the lamb because through the cooking process, it broke down and added delicious flavor to the meat. Also, the fat is good for you since the lamb was grass fed. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Once the meat was browned, I added in the onion and the garlic. I just stirred everything up so that the onions and garlic were coated nicely with the bacon fat/lamb juices. I cooked it all until the onions were soft. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Next, I added in the beef broth. I used store bought broth because I didn't have any home made broth ready. Anyway, I brought the whole thing to a boil, then, reduced the heat to medium low, covered it, and let it simmer for an hour and a half.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">After the hour and a half, I added in the mushrooms, bay leaves, and carrots. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I also added in the white wine and the reserved bacon. Then, I covered it again and let it simmer for another half hour. The veggies had a chance to soften up and soak up all the flavors from the stew. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">When it was all finished, the house smelled amazing. The veggies were soft and the lamb was tender and delicious!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I loved this stew. I'd never made lamb stew before, usually favoring the classic beef stew. Next time, I might try adding in more veggies. The stew was a little thin, which I like. If you like a thicker soup, you can always thicken it up with a little bit of tapioca or potato flour. Also, if you eat potatoes, you can serve the soup with a scoop of mashed potatoes to give it a bit more thickness. I hope you like it!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><strong>Jenn</strong></em></span> </span></div>
The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-50638054214317937992012-10-07T16:28:00.003-04:002012-10-07T16:28:28.553-04:00Paleo Roasted Tomato Soup<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The weather is starting to change. I absolutely LOVE it. Fall is, by far, my favorite season. I love when the leaves start to change colors and the air becomes cool and crisp. I also love the food that comes with fall. It's time to make the roasted pork loin, dishes with apples, anything with cinnamon, and soups! I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes. Actually, I'm not a fan of tomatoes at all.... but, I wanted to try making a roasted tomato soup. I did some research and found a recipe from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roasted-tomato-soup-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Tyler Florence</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've talked <a href="http://thecookincutie.blogspot.com/2011/08/local-gold-mines.html" target="_blank">before</a> about how amazing local farmers markets are. On Friday, I stopped by the farmer's market and picked up some good stuff, including all the ingredients to make this:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Paleo Roasted Tomato Soup</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">* 2 1/2 lbs mixed tomatoes - I used grape, heirloom, and some sort of orangey yellow thing</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">* 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">* 1/4 cup olive oil</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">First, I made some chicken broth. You definitely don't have to make it from scratch, but I think it's healthier and tastier if you do. I didn't have a ton of extra veggies floating around, so I just threw the frozen stewing hen, a few black peppercorns, and a bay leaf into the pot with a bunch of water. The stewing hen was frozen solid, so it didn't quite fit in the pot, but that's ok. I turned the heat on high and brought the whole thing to a boil, then turned down the heat to medium low. I let it simmer for a few hours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's what it looked like after a few hours. You can see how yellow the broth is from all the flavor. Can you say "yum!"? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">I took the chicken out and shredded it to use in a different meal. I also strained the broth and froze some of it since it made about 2-3 quarts. I put 1 quart back into the pot. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, I cut up the tomatoes and onion into big chunks. I also peeled and crushed the garlic and put it on a foil lined pan. I tossed everything in the olive oil and sprinkled some salt and pepper over the whole thing. Then, I thew it in the oven at 450 for about 15-20 minutes, or until everything looked like it was starting to caramelize. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's how great the tomatoes and the onions and garlic looked after roasting. It just brings out this delicious flavor!</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Next, I threw all of the roasted veggies in the pot with the chicken broth and the basil leaves. I turned the heat to medium high and let everything simmer/boil until the liquid was reduced to about 1/3 of what it was. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here is what it looks like when it had reduced a bit. When you reduce a soup, you're basically letting a lot of the water evaporate out. This leaves all of the flavor in the soup and just makes a more concentrated flavor. </span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At this point, I used an immersion blender and pureed everything up. I'm sure it would have been good if all the tomatoes were cut into bite sized chunks, but, again, I'm not a fan of tomatoes and wanted it all to be pureed. You could always throw everything into a blender if you don't have an immersion blender. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">After pureeing, I added in the heavy cream (which is totally optional if you don't like/can't handle dairy). The original recipe didn't call for oregano, but when I tasted it, I thought it needed a bit more flavor, so I added in some dried oregano. Next time, I'll add in the oregano when I add in the basil. </span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's the finished product. I added a little bit of parmesan cheese to the top, which just made it taste that much better. The final result? Curt LOVED it. He's not a huge soup fan, but he definitely had a few bowls of it. I loved it too. It had the flavors of a yummy pasta sauce, but it was a soup. I think it's a big success if you don't like tomatoes, but like this soup. It's just perfect for a crisp fall day! It's also a great way to use up some of those summer tomatoes that you might have left over.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jenn</span></i><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-90145911027460566152012-09-23T14:22:00.000-04:002012-09-28T22:06:41.328-04:00Paleo Beef and Lamb Meatballs with goat cheese<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My hubby is Italian, meaning that before we went paleo, he LOVED eating a big bowl of pasta with meat sauce, lasagna, ravioli, or any other form of pasta. I loved it too, but we made a choice to change our eating habits. One of the good things, though, is that meatballs are still a delicious paleo treat! I just decided to get a bit creative. Instead of serving the meatballs over spaghetti squash (which is definitely a yummy alternative), I served these over a bed of sauteed spinach. I also made a cream sauce rather than a marinara sauce. My little baby is still growing and needs the grass fed, full fat dairy, so I added a bit with the goat cheese and the cream sauce. To make these "true paleo," just make a different sauce and don't add in the goat cheese.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Paleo Beef and Lamb Meatballs</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b> with Goat Cheese</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb ground beef</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb ground lamb</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup minced onions</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 egg whites</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 3 tbs minced garlic</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs parsley flakes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp pepper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs garlic powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs onion powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 8 oz goat cheese (optional)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the sauce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 pint heavy cream</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp pepper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs garlic powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, I mixed pretty much everything up in a big glass bowl. I mixed the ground beef, lamb (I like the taste of both mixed together, but you can certainly change it up with pork or just using all lamb or all beef... whatever you like). I also added in the onions, garlic, spices, and egg whites. You could also use a whole egg, but I had egg whites that I needed to use. I just used my hands and mixed everything up. Make sure not to work the mixture too much because the last thing you want is the meat turning rubbery and tough.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most people add some sort of breadcrumb, white bread soaked in milk, or some other jazz... I've made several batches of meatballs without them and really haven't missed them. These are moist enough without having to add bread to make them soft.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once everything was thoroughly mixed, I took the goat cheese and put it into a small dish, getting it ready to stuff these bad little meatballs! Like I said before, if you don't do well with dairy or don't like it, then just leave this part out. The meatballs will still be delicious without the goat cheese. You could probably use a different type of cheese here too. Those little buccatini (mozzarella balls) would be perfect for this! I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but now I want to try it... I'll save that for another post, though!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I took a small bit of goat cheese and rolled it into a little ball. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I took a pretty good amount of the meat mixture, rolled it into a ball, then flattened it so the goat cheese ball would fit in the middle. </span>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I put the goat cheese ball in the middle of the meat mixture. I then wrapped the meat mixture around the goat cheese. You have to make sure that there is enough meat to cover the whole thing because you don't want the goat cheese to melt and leak out of the meatball when you cook it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just repeated this process until I was out of goat cheese and meat mixture. I lined them all up on a foil lined cookie sheet to get all situated. </span> </div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">These meatballs turned out to be HUGE, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can bake these in the oven, but I like mine browned on the stove. I didn't even need to add any butter or oil to the pan because the meat had enough. I just turned the stove to Medium High and threw in a few meatballs at a time. I let them brown and kept moving them so they would cook evenly and not burn.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">So here are the yummy little meatballs, just waiting to be eaten.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I mentioned before, I served these over a bed of sauteed spinach. I just threw the fresh spinach in the same pan that I cooked the meatballs. That way, it didn't need any oil or butter. It just cooked in the leftover juices from the meatballs.... talk about delicious flavor!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's what they look like with the cream sauce. If you want to make the sauce, it's super easy. Basically, you put the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan and heat everything on Medium heat. Keep stirring it all so that the sauce won't burn on the bottom (which can happen quickly if you aren't careful). Eventually, the cheese melts and you have a yummy alfredo sauce that is amazing with the spinach and the meatballs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I loved this dish. It was delicious and it was relatively simple. The best thing about this is that you can double or triple the batch of meatballs and freeze them before you cook them. Our little Peanut is due to arrive in two weeks (so any time now). I'm planning to make a batch of these suckers and freeze them so we'll have some food during those first few hectic weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Jenn </i></span></span>
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<br />The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-88701562655062882352012-09-05T20:02:00.001-04:002012-09-05T20:02:27.094-04:00Paleo Mexican Chicken Soup<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's always important to eat healthy and to nourish your body. Being preggers, I'm even more conscious of what I eat. I definitely want our little Peanut to grow healthy and strong. One of the best things to eat is bone broth. Rather than buying canned chicken broth, it's super easy and super cheap to make it yourself. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">With it being summer, I'm not too terribly in the mood for super thick stews, but more brothy soups. I've always loved Chicken Tortilla Soup, however, the way I always used to make it was filled with corn, beans, tortilla chips, and cheese. Being pretty much paleo now, I can't really eat the corn, beans, or tortilla chips. So.... I decided to create this recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paleo Mexican Chicken Soup</span></span></span></strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">My baby bump is so big that I can't hide it from the camera anymore...</span><br />
<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"> you can see the black bump at the bottom of the picture! sorry :)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 whole free range chicken</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs fat (bacon fat, butter, olive oil) - I used bacon fat </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 red onion, minced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 2 cans of diced tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 zucchini</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 4 tbs minced garlic</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 jalapeno</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 poblano pepper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 red pepper, diced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">*1/2 cup of chpped mushrooms</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 small can of diced green chiles</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 2 tbs ground cumin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs paprika</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">*1 tbs chili powder </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs. garlic powder<br />* * 1 tbs dried oregano</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5tGb7ivYNGBeRVHeipmPBLl7AjGUzIHCsVXi0kzNeF0W8r7s45EO5_gb1oyOWitBY5H-8fLua-HovCu5M5gWnuqo7ZUXl7lDco3HGKT9CYyDfdfbmyjBlTsqP8uCNI9Vpxq-i1JSl9M/s1600/Jenn's+Pictures+1390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5tGb7ivYNGBeRVHeipmPBLl7AjGUzIHCsVXi0kzNeF0W8r7s45EO5_gb1oyOWitBY5H-8fLua-HovCu5M5gWnuqo7ZUXl7lDco3HGKT9CYyDfdfbmyjBlTsqP8uCNI9Vpxq-i1JSl9M/s320/Jenn's+Pictures+1390.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">The first thing I did was chop up all the veggies and garlic. I wanted to cut all of my veggies up pretty small. You can definitely leave some of the veggies in bigger chunks, but when I eat soup, I like having a little bit of a bunch of different veggies on my spoon. But, if you're one of those people who likes big chunks, go ahead and leave big pieces of them in the soup! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Once all of the veggies were cut, I but the bacon fat into a big soup pot and turned the heat to medium. Once the fat was melted, I threw the veggies into the pot and let everything start to soften. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Notice that I left the jalapeno in big chunks. I wasn't sure how spicy everything would be, so I left them big enough to pull out just in case!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Next, I put the whole chicken into the same pot as the veggies. Make sure you take all of the organs and stuff like that out of the chicken! I did season it a little bit withsome salt and pepper, but that's it! After I put the chicken in, I filled the pot with regular old water. You are essentially making your own chicken stock.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I then stirred up the veggies a tiny bit so that they weren't squished under the chicken. Then, I covereed it all up with the lid and turned the heat to medium high. Once the soup came to a boil, I turned the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for a few hours. If you want, I'm sure that you could throw the whole thing into a crock pot and leave it for a few hours. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">After the soup simmerred for a few hours, the whole chicken should be thoroughly cooked. I took the chicken out of the pot (very carefully!!!) Then, I let the chicken cool because it was super hot after being in soup for hours! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Once the chicken was cooled, I shredded all of the whole thing. This was the part where the dog sat drooling and staring at me for a while. :) Once it was all shredded, I threw it back into the pot with the diced tomatoes. At this point, I had a pretty nice chicken and vegetable soup, but I wanted the yummy Mexican flavors... so I added in the spices - cumin, chili powders, oregano, paprika, and garlic. I let everything simmer for a little bit longer so the flavors would have a chance to meld together. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">So here's the soup! The whole thing was sooo flavorful! I garnished the whole thing with some chopped up avocado. It wsa delicious. I thought it was great and will definitely be making it again. It was full of vegetables, chicken, and all of the great nutrients of the bone broth. I loved it and hope you do too!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Jenn</em></span> </span></div>
The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-55552584453097144962012-08-03T09:17:00.001-04:002012-08-03T09:17:54.950-04:00Super Simple Slightly Spicy Shrimp Skewers<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With my pregnancy, I've been SUPER lucky to not really have any morning sickness! I've heard horror stories of friends who are sick every day... I guess this baby is just cooperating and taking it easy on me. While I never actually felt sick, I did have a few food aversions. The idea of protein just grossed me out. I could only eat a few bites of chicken or a tiny little slice of steak. This could really be a problem for someone who typically only eats protein and veggies! Luckily, even when I was feeling sick, I could almost ALWAYS eat shrimp! My local Whole Foods sells frozen wild caught key west shrimp. I'm not really sure what a key west shrimp is, but it was the only frozen option that was wild caught. Each week, I would buy at least one huge bag of frozen shrimp, so that if I was feeling queasy, I could quickly thaw out and cook up a few shrimp. This recipe is one of the most simple recipes ever!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Slightly Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb of shrimp - preferably wild caught</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 6 cloves of garlic</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 tsp paprika</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp chili powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp red chili flakes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp cumin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some people like to have shrimp with the tail on because it makes a nice little handle when you go to pick them up. Curt, however, doesn't need or want an extra step between him and food, so I usually just take the tail off and devein the shrimp while I'm at it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl54JojagINrUOmmMWWFdb2exWVkrn3dKS86vpIrP5WExWnb17pjcpjhmhCuRdOnA80mJbDzYH9RU7C-gCL2xbvmqjzBk6t_tyT5bHhovecjBWv2IcG-WBLhgQw2JFesvi2bEBJBkkP8/s1600/Jenn's+Pictures+1157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl54JojagINrUOmmMWWFdb2exWVkrn3dKS86vpIrP5WExWnb17pjcpjhmhCuRdOnA80mJbDzYH9RU7C-gCL2xbvmqjzBk6t_tyT5bHhovecjBWv2IcG-WBLhgQw2JFesvi2bEBJBkkP8/s320/Jenn's+Pictures+1157.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Next, you just throw all of the ingredients in the bowl with the shrimp and mix it all up so that the shrimp have a nice coating. I usually use my hands because, for me, that's the best way to make sure that everything is thoroughly mixed and that every little shrimp is covered in the flavor.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I let the shrimp marinate for a few hours. I prepped this in the morning, then just let it sit through the whole day and grilled up the little suckers at night. You probably don't need to marinate them very long at all since it's more of a dry marinade and would probably stick to the shrimp even if it was only for a few minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That night when I got home, I took the shrimp out of the fridge and started skewering the bad boys. I'm sure that if you didn't feel like skewering and grilling, you could just bake them, or saute them in a little bit of fat over the stove. Coconut oil or some butter would probably work just fine. I like mine grilled though since it's summer... how many times throughout the year can you really enjoy grilling, right?!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here are my little skewers all ready to go. I turned on the grill and let it heat up a bit. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the best part about grilling shrimp.... it only takes a few minutes to cook! I let them sit for about 3 minutes on each side. You just want to make sure that you keep an eye on them because overcooked shrimp are rubbery and dry!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here they are! Yummy grilled shrimp!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I served them with some creamed spinach. Yes, I know that dairy isn't paleo, however, when you're preggers, full fat dairy from grass fed cows is great for the little one... so I've been loading up! If you don't do dairy, you can always find a billion other sides.... some cauliflower rice, sauteed spinach, or even a green salad would be great with these skewers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCq4QfrfwMfX8BO3eoW08PzDX-5kfuy2JbT_zs-2xtpzZYamFsLi3VS3S1ykGuhzTNWywP7yscTw5njLjWmO2gReXVrqw0qy_ec6fERtdNVbQCETyXXXCrIBX-CiaZZCHhpu4gCe-cWRU/s1600/Jenn's+Pictures+1168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCq4QfrfwMfX8BO3eoW08PzDX-5kfuy2JbT_zs-2xtpzZYamFsLi3VS3S1ykGuhzTNWywP7yscTw5njLjWmO2gReXVrqw0qy_ec6fERtdNVbQCETyXXXCrIBX-CiaZZCHhpu4gCe-cWRU/s320/Jenn's+Pictures+1168.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I loved this dish. It was super easy, it was fast, it was delicious, and it filled me up while providing me with some protein. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Jenn</i></span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-41699211516466656122012-06-19T15:35:00.000-04:002012-06-19T15:38:17.991-04:00Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Summer is here! I feel like this year has really flown by. I'm definitely going to miss my students, but I'm also looking forward to some time to relax, enjoy being preggers, and getting the house prepared for a little one to take over! With the increase in free time, I'm also looking forward to trying out some new recipes and experimenting. I've never been a huge fan of pork because if it isn't done correctly, it can be really dry. I've found that by stuffing it, though, you can add lots of flavor and keep it very tender! Here's one experiment that went well:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork Loin </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 boneless pork loin (3-5 lbs)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 3/4 cup goat cheese (optional)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 Tbs. dried oregano</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp garlic powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 3 cloves garlic, minced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1/2 cup onion, diced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">* 1 Tbs. butter/bacon fat</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">First, I wanted to start off by making the "stuffing." I used bacon grease as my fat to get the whole thing going. I added in the onions and the garlic and sauteed them until they got nice and soft. Then, I added in the spinach and let everything mix together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">While the "stuffing" was cooking, I butterflied the pork loin. It wasn't too hard to do, but it allows you to really get an even layer of pork so it all cooks relatively evenly. If you don't know how to do it, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz391Urnk30" target="_blank">Here's a video on how to butterfly a pork loin.</a> </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXTb-I0dCjY/T6729TI8ZCI/AAAAAAAAHVg/y1I6QSFADQs/s1600/IMG_0905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXTb-I0dCjY/T6729TI8ZCI/AAAAAAAAHVg/y1I6QSFADQs/s320/IMG_0905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">So here's the pork loin after I butterflied it. I also took a mallet and pounded it out a bit to make sure it as even as it could get. I then sprinkled both sides with salt, pepper, and the garlic powder just to give it some flavor.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bqfJzb07zDU/T672_Bw34aI/AAAAAAAAHV0/wzo3vqo94k8/s1600/IMG_0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bqfJzb07zDU/T672_Bw34aI/AAAAAAAAHV0/wzo3vqo94k8/s320/IMG_0909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Next, I added the goat cheese. Now, I know that cheese isn't paleo, however, I'm following Chris Kresser's The Healthy Baby Code and according to that, dairy is good :) I just eat full fat, grass fed dairy. If, however, you don't do well with dairy, then just skip this part.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dT4iuELq3Go/T673A9yqK6I/AAAAAAAAHWE/NmcjzwiGZuY/s1600/IMG_0910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dT4iuELq3Go/T673A9yqK6I/AAAAAAAAHWE/NmcjzwiGZuY/s320/IMG_0910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Next, I put the spinach mixture layer right on top of the goat cheese. It was starting to look good!</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldkEg-gn2hk/T673aojCJ7I/AAAAAAAAHWM/xReKHa5bpa0/s1600/IMG_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldkEg-gn2hk/T673aojCJ7I/AAAAAAAAHWM/xReKHa5bpa0/s320/IMG_0916.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Very carefully, I rolled the pork loin up into a nice little oblong bundle. After that, I tightly wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap to help it keep its shape and let all the flavors meld together. Also, I didn't have time to cook it that night, so I just let it sit overnight. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">The next night, I unwrapped the pork loin and tied it up. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">You probably don't need to do this step, but I did just because i didn't want to risk cooking the roast and have it all unravel, leaving a sloppy mess on the baking pan.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I had preheated the oven to 350, so when it was ready, I put the whole roast on a roasting pan. You could probably just put it on a regular baking pan, but when you lift the roast up so the air can circulate underneath the roast, it cooks more evenly and you get a little color and crispness on the bottom too (which is something I like).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I baked it for about 45 minutes. I wanted it to be cooked all the way through without being dry. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I let the whole thing rest for about 10 minutes so the juices would all redistribute. Then, I took a nice, sharp knife (I just bought a great new set!! YAY!!!) and cut a few slices. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">So here they are! They looked so pretty and they tasted great too! There was already a bit of spinach in them already, so I served them with some broccoli as a side. The whole thing was yummy... it had flavor and wasn't dry. It's definitely a keeper! I also liked the technique because it kept everything tender and there are so many options!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Jenn</em></span> </div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-35328225005252737552012-05-04T20:35:00.001-04:002012-05-05T11:33:46.789-04:00Paleo Triple Meat Meatloaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I've come to the realization that when little baby C comes, I'm probably not going to be able to stick with my Sunday routine of strolling around Whole Foods and farmers markets for hours (yes, I said hours - as sad as that is) figuring out what I'm going to cook for the week. If I want to be supermom and continue making homemade meals, I'll have to be a bit smarter with my time. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">With this in mind, I'm starting to use >gasp< grocery lists! I figure out what I'm going to make, then write down the ingredients, then when I get to the grocery store, I just buy the things on that list! (Except the occasional splurge item for fun). This past week, I rummaged through the freezer to see what I had... I found sweet Italian sausage and some ground beef. I had made spaghetti squash with meat sauce last week, so I didn't want to do anything Italian... so... I decided to go all-American and make meatloaf!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Triple Meat Meatloaf</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvx4t1Igsi_U6TRiKV5ajoucQI3nsX41tZlFUgYMkWA-0DcDNFgoCVPFLJCugJ9Ps3URBWZF7wvOz4Kq331yxoHg94hjdSKPrYhOYk4CHkUQ-4QFwAUsnuIP0JAAPf4A5asAXU-89MV0/s1600/IMG_0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvx4t1Igsi_U6TRiKV5ajoucQI3nsX41tZlFUgYMkWA-0DcDNFgoCVPFLJCugJ9Ps3URBWZF7wvOz4Kq331yxoHg94hjdSKPrYhOYk4CHkUQ-4QFwAUsnuIP0JAAPf4A5asAXU-89MV0/s320/IMG_0892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 lb ground beef</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 lb Italian sausage</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 handful fresh parsley</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 4 cloves of garlic, minced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 6 slices of bacon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 yellow onion, diced</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs mustard (I used stone ground)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* salt and pepper</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39FGpnu1yr1htpsPe5K_8ruaKEuWXckBbo8EsvuYP1rVZk2qe2FzmSQbZZZvtFGAqAJm7uBUHoLtgb5kDp3_ORJmRgs-nmga8tHHOheVaXeZY2nrpS_aQOcb7eDevpf7thPSAVai9Iqo/s1600/IMG_0893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39FGpnu1yr1htpsPe5K_8ruaKEuWXckBbo8EsvuYP1rVZk2qe2FzmSQbZZZvtFGAqAJm7uBUHoLtgb5kDp3_ORJmRgs-nmga8tHHOheVaXeZY2nrpS_aQOcb7eDevpf7thPSAVai9Iqo/s320/IMG_0893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">First, I put the sausage and the ground beef in a bowl. I removed the casing from the sausage. I used sweet Italian because that's what I had in the freezer, but use whatever you have!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHWqMFnjs8Sf3PtKg1LcduhRba5bagLxaaFW4dgetvCYAXgoBCa3AtY5DlnBcFZ2MVdI1WmUgZ5Fdm6drK7IQpqmEFA_wT4VyKCeyT-tQR452TBnFVzUsHU2k9GXsY7pf0pF6uiD7vb4/s1600/IMG_0894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHWqMFnjs8Sf3PtKg1LcduhRba5bagLxaaFW4dgetvCYAXgoBCa3AtY5DlnBcFZ2MVdI1WmUgZ5Fdm6drK7IQpqmEFA_wT4VyKCeyT-tQR452TBnFVzUsHU2k9GXsY7pf0pF6uiD7vb4/s320/IMG_0894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, I just added in all the other ingredients, except the bacon. I chopped the parsley up pretty finely. I bought a huge bunch of it at the store, but saved the rest for other recipes. If you still have extras, freeze them and save them for making chicken stock! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, I mixed everything by hand. I'm sure you could use a spoon or fork or something if you're one of those people who doesn't like to touch raw meat. Personally, I feel like I have a better sense of how well everything is combined if I can actually feel it. Make sure everything is well combined, especially the egg. The last thing you want when you bite into the meatloaf is one big bite of cooked egg! Most meatloaves call for breadcrumbs soaked in milk or crumbled Ritz crackers or something like that.... the theory is that it keeps everything moist. I find that it's completely unnecessary (and un-Paleo). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, I formed the mixture into a "loaf." It's kinda like playing with play doh. You just keep patting and pushing at it until it is in the shape you like. I formed it in a loaf and set it on a cooling rack, set inside a jelly roll pan. Many people just throw the whole thing in a loaf pan, which is totally fine. I just wanted mine to cook all the way through and not sit in it's juices or become soggy. Others may feel, though, that sitting in its juices will help add flavor... to each their own!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, I wrapped the whole stinkin thing in bacon... yup... bacon. I've seen people do this before and I decided to do it because: I love the flavor of bacon and I had some. :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">So, after the whole thing is nicely wrapped, I just gave it one more pat down and threw it in the oven at 350. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">It didn't take too long to cook, relatively speaking. It was in the oven for about an hour. The bacon crisped up really nicely and also served as a little insulation to keep all of the yummy flavors in the meatloaf. Like all meat, you want to let the meatloaf rest a bit so all of the juices don't run out. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">So here's the final product! What is meatloaf without mashers? Rather than mashed potatoes, I used mashed cauliflower. It's super easy to make and tastes delicious!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">I thought the meatloaf was very moist and flavorful. I don't think anyone would notice the fact that there is no bread or anything in the meatloaf. The only thing I think was missing was some ketchup! I know, I know, ketchup isn't paleo, but having a tiny bit of ketchup every once in a while isn't the end of the world to me :) If you're truly a Paleo person, you could always make some Paleo ketchup on your own!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><em>Jenn</em></span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-34613689894951832702012-04-25T20:05:00.001-04:002012-04-25T20:05:44.023-04:00Rockin Roasted Red Peppers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last week, I found a recipe for grilled garlic steaks with a yummy roasted red pepper sauce. I have a new found appreciation and fondness for red peppers. I never liked them, or any pepper for that matter. Recently, however, I've started to like them. I'll eat them raw with some dip, or chop them up in a salad. I've also realized how delicious they are when they are roasted. Buying them in a pretty jar looks cute, however, they are surprisingly expensive!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">I decided that paying $10 a jar was ridiculous... so I decided to make them myself. I'd worked at various restaurants for years, so I've seen the makings of many roasted red peppers. Here we go:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Rockin Roasted Red Peppers</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0n8C14iCVZam3zqq2DJxvjqvBRrSyhZwbi-N2b5JZbOMx-Il-yW499Q9m28sAt7k1le8VXWvriZlf7ZsQmhaWWBBDyiyEJjLvjXofgnjkHFOPEoyzkD7QuttMGNazHn27_v3UXjZBnQ/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0n8C14iCVZam3zqq2DJxvjqvBRrSyhZwbi-N2b5JZbOMx-Il-yW499Q9m28sAt7k1le8VXWvriZlf7ZsQmhaWWBBDyiyEJjLvjXofgnjkHFOPEoyzkD7QuttMGNazHn27_v3UXjZBnQ/s320/IMG_0875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Ingredients</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">* Red peppers - I used 2, but use as many as you want :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">First, I turned the oven to 350. I washed the red peppers and then dried them off. Next, I just threw them in the oven. You could also throw them on the grill or a gas stove if you wanted to. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Keep an eye on the peppers because you don't want to forget about these babies in the oven.... that won't give us roasted red peppers, that would result in a charred, dry mess. After a few minutes, you will see the skin of the pepper start to blister and turn dark brown. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">As you keep an eye on the peppers, rotate them. When one side is blistered, then flip it on the other side so that it can blister evenly. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Keep rotating them again until each side is nice and blistered. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Once the peppers come out of the oven, immediately put them in a plastic bag. Seal the bag right away because you want these peppers to steam.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Leave them in the bag for at least 10-15 minutes. This will steam them, making sure that the peppers turn nice and soft. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dR-FH3_Buods18lTdYRfBNtO4lV_qNv1awNxPePxGcAm_gVuGGlMLS6b4bnE_RLmtqNhqO1uuTDRv_mN67QBVou7gqH93LaB7zkmbkV9QBVmIhOx_h62XZmYe7TrX8FgDuWjntjhD6Q/s1600/IMG_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dR-FH3_Buods18lTdYRfBNtO4lV_qNv1awNxPePxGcAm_gVuGGlMLS6b4bnE_RLmtqNhqO1uuTDRv_mN67QBVou7gqH93LaB7zkmbkV9QBVmIhOx_h62XZmYe7TrX8FgDuWjntjhD6Q/s320/IMG_0882.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">When they come out, they will look somewhat deflated. But this is good! Let them cool a bit so you can handle them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Now that they are cooled, you just peel them. It's pretty easy to do. The peel feels almost like paper and the pepper itself is really soft, so it just slides off easily. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Just take your time and peel all of the skin off the pepper. You don't want to leave the peel on because it won't taste good at all.... the texture will be off too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Once they are peeled, just cut them in half so you can remove the stem and the seeds. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">So here you have these yummy roasted red peppers! It was super easy, cheap, and fast. I used these babies to saute with onions and garlic, then I topped a nice steak with them - super yummy! You can puree them with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make a roasted red pepper vinaigrette. You could put them on a salad. You could even chop them up and stuff them into a chicken breast with some feta and oregano. The possibilities are endless!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Enjoy,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #93c47d;"><em>Jenn</em></span></span> </div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-76911530085693583512012-04-08T21:18:00.000-04:002012-04-08T21:18:14.527-04:00Roasted Pork - Pernil al Horno<div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">As you may have noticed, I've been a bit MIA recently. Life has been super busy! I was taking 2 night grad school classes on top of working full time as a teacher. Sooo, between taking classes and teaching classes, I've been super busy. On top of that, Curt and I have some exciting news! Our little family of 3 (two plus pup) is growing! In October, we'll be welcoming in a new little bundle of joy. Needless to say, being pregnant in my first trimester did not make any of the above any easier!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Luckily, I haven't had any morning sickness, but I did have a lot of food aversions. I would make a big meal and be excited about it, but when it came time to eat the food... I just couldn't stomach it. I tried to stay as</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"> paleo as possible, but at the same time, I needed to eat. A lot of my meals consisted of white rice and potatoes. The more bland the food, the better. With the first trimester behind me, I'm starting to feel better and hopefully go back to paleo as much as possible. </span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Anyway, today being Easter, we had some friends from church over for a big lunch/dinner. I love having friends over... the more the merrier. I was trying to figure out what to make. Being preggers... I'm not supposed to eat red meat unless it's well done- I don't know about you, but I like my steaks medium rare.... I'd rather not have it be well done and taste like a hockey puck... sooo... steaks and burgers were out. I found a nice 5 lb pork shoulder roast at Whole Foods and decided to figure out a recipe for that. It turned out to be delicious and perfect for a group! Here's the version of:</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Pernil al Horno</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Pernil is a Puerto Rican roasted pork marinated with vinegar and herbs and slowly roasted until it is oozing with flavors! I found this recipe <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roasted-pork-shoulder-pernil-al-horno-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">here</a> and pretty much followed it with only a few minor changes - I know, I know... I almost never do that :)</span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM49QluiCKTRtaNEavONFiMf75K5PVEJDopUeTwy6EJNiIQbSwHMT-bU6hRQlQqyUOwmL8b69I1S0Gznkh9uRtxP0Q5uGie5N5ydG2E5jOLl0K2DYZ_TGLDKsgUqi6VoecHFR2Z_Newp8/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM49QluiCKTRtaNEavONFiMf75K5PVEJDopUeTwy6EJNiIQbSwHMT-bU6hRQlQqyUOwmL8b69I1S0Gznkh9uRtxP0Q5uGie5N5ydG2E5jOLl0K2DYZ_TGLDKsgUqi6VoecHFR2Z_Newp8/s320/IMG_0887.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt) with skin on - mine was 5 lbs</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 6 fresh garlic cloves minced</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 handful of fresh oregano</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs of Kosher salt for every lb of meat</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs freshly ground black pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 3 tbs of olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">* 2 tbs white wine vinegar</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">First, I minced the fresh oregano and the garlic. I'm sure you could probably use dried oregano, but I think fresh is so much better. It was pretty simple. Just chop up everything until it is really as small as possible and mix it up together and chop them together. </span></div><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, I put oregano and garlic in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Here, you just mix it all up until it forms a sort of oily paste. </span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Next, you need to put the roast, fat side up, on a cutting board. I scored the top of the meat so the marinade will reach further into the meat and really infuse the taste much better. Scoring the fat also helps to make a crunchy crust on top. Then, I rubbed the paste all over the pork. Make sure you rub the marinade so it all gets into the cuts. After that, I put the roast on a plate and wrapped it in plastic wrap. It's supposed to marinade for at least 3 hours, but I marinated it overnight.</span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">The next morning, I pulled the roast out and set it on a roasting rack over a baking sheet. You have to wait 30 minutes while it comes to room temperature. Because you want it to cook evenly, you don't want to put it in the oven cold. While I waited, I went ahead and preheated the oven to 350. Once it came to the right temperature, I threw it in the oven for 3 hours... yup... 3 hours! If your roast is not exactly the same size, you can always use a meat thermometer to make sure it's cooked through to your liking. Just make sure that the internal temperature is around 145.</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXGhiBf_CcfuWsHsLlCGOwdkJOeJUYm4hYEQZ0YLev1wkuBB5LIX7qEP47Ew7J6kR2iE0koXqR98i5C17n5CgUw-oXcdc74z4TlLfDd3sfrDFF5BPCCJ2silIfIa0uYNg8fDtyY4bPxc/s1600/40778C5B-2C1F-4AE7-8CF6-B216FBB280EA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXGhiBf_CcfuWsHsLlCGOwdkJOeJUYm4hYEQZ0YLev1wkuBB5LIX7qEP47Ew7J6kR2iE0koXqR98i5C17n5CgUw-oXcdc74z4TlLfDd3sfrDFF5BPCCJ2silIfIa0uYNg8fDtyY4bPxc/s320/40778C5B-2C1F-4AE7-8CF6-B216FBB280EA.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">It sounds like a long time, but it was definitely worth the wait! While it was roasting, I could hear the sizzle of the juices dripping onto the baking sheet. The whole house started smelling delicious! The pernil came out looking amazing. There was a nice crunchy crust on top. Now here's the hard part. Leave it alone for 10 minutes! If you start cutting into it now, the juices will leak out everywhere and you'll lose a lot of moisture. </span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">After the agonizing 10 minutes, I started slicing the roast into nice slices. I placed them on a serving platter so no one had to take the time to slice their own portion. </span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">The best part of the whole thing is that all of the yummy juices collected in the baking pan. After the whole roast was sliced and nestled nicely on my serving tray, I poured all of the tasty juices over the pork slices. This just added a bit of extra flavor and moisture. Why waste it?!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Overall, this was a delicious meal! It was very tasty and tender. I was able to cut my slices with a butter knife. Everyone seemed to like it too :) I also have lots of leftovers, so I'm pretty excited about it. The best part was that I was able to eat it... no food aversions... so our little baby peanut (that's what we call it) approves!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">enjoy!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Jenn</strong></em></span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-77876784531736143632012-02-03T18:04:00.000-05:002012-02-03T18:04:59.689-05:00Fig and Chile Glazed Pork Tenderloin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">This past weekend, my friend Anne and I went to </span><a href="http://www.chicamarun.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chicama Run</span></a><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> to pick up some more meat since Curt and I were running low! In addition to buying a "Box of Beef," I happened to pick up some pork tenderloin! I tend to stay away from pork tenderloin because it can be dry if you don't cook it right. Also, I find that there are a lot of plain old boring pork tenderloin recipes. I looked on my new favorite website, Pinterest, and found this recipe which looked amazing! Here's the recipe!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 cup fig preserves </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/4 cup rice vinegar</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tbs chile paste with garlic</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> 1 tbs soy sauce (or coconut amino/wheat free alternative)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp kosher salt, divided 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So this was easy peasy! First, just mix all of the ingredients ( fig preserves, rice vinegar, chile paste with garlic sauce, and soy sauce) in a small bowl. I was able to find some fig preserves that were only fig and some pectin, so pretty much paleo :) Also, for the soy sauce, you can either use the coconut amino things that is a soy sauce alternative or else at least go for a gluten free soy sauce! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8MaFPDCefM/Twh0vnbOWBI/AAAAAAAAGbA/VoXJL7DBRGM/s1600/335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8MaFPDCefM/Twh0vnbOWBI/AAAAAAAAGbA/VoXJL7DBRGM/s320/335.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">My mother in law had given me a tiny little wisk for Christmas one year and this was the perfect size for wisking all of the ingredients together! I must admit that I was a little skeptical of this recipe, but I figured I'd give it a try. I liked all of the ingredients individually, but I wasn't sure about how I would like them when all mixed together!</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AyhR-jgIzfI/Twh0wAgIM1I/AAAAAAAAGbE/QPAZGUNXMhQ/s1600/336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AyhR-jgIzfI/Twh0wAgIM1I/AAAAAAAAGbE/QPAZGUNXMhQ/s320/336.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I had to take the silverskin off the pork tenderloin. The silverskin is the thin, white membrane along the pork tenderloin which connects it to the actual pork loin. You don't want it for a few reasons. First, it doesn't look pretty when you cook it. Also, it is tough and chewy when it is cooked. Chewy is great when you're describing gum... not so much when you're describing a pork tenderloin. Anyway, you just take a short and sharp knife and make little cuts and pull it away from the tenderloin. Make sure to be careful not to cut the meat itself!</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nkyWJu3VLE/Twh0wtlem_I/AAAAAAAAGbI/SEug-j7ZGQk/s1600/337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nkyWJu3VLE/Twh0wtlem_I/AAAAAAAAGbI/SEug-j7ZGQk/s320/337.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's the lovely little pork tenderloin. I took the salt and pepper and seasoned the tenderloin on all side. This was a snap! Meanwhile, heat up a skillet to very very hot! I used an oven safe skillet so that I could just throw the whole thing into the oven afterwards. That reminds me... heat the oven up to 350!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FX3d89ZGWXQ/Twh0xC1WCXI/AAAAAAAAGbM/PpqU-n3353I/s1600/338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FX3d89ZGWXQ/Twh0xC1WCXI/AAAAAAAAGbM/PpqU-n3353I/s320/338.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, you want to brown the pork tenderloin. I did put a little bit of bacon fat into the pan to help the tenderloin brown a little bit. You just want to brown the whole tenderloin. You will cook it the rest of the way in the oven. Caution - this browning may cause smoke in your house and may set off a fire alarm - mine is almost permanently disconnected!</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--jjnhizWMPQ/Twh0xjjgn5I/AAAAAAAAGbQ/DNpp-4osSzo/s1600/339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--jjnhizWMPQ/Twh0xjjgn5I/AAAAAAAAGbQ/DNpp-4osSzo/s320/339.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, with the tenderloin still in the pan, I spooned the fig mixture over the tenderloin. I put almost all of the mixture over the pork tenderloin. Then, I put the whole thing in the oven. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1j9lSJ-LOM/Twh0yL01ycI/AAAAAAAAGbU/S0oKRtA8S9c/s1600/340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1j9lSJ-LOM/Twh0yL01ycI/AAAAAAAAGbU/S0oKRtA8S9c/s320/340.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since my pork tenderloin was somewhat tiny, it really didn't take long at all to cook. It was in there for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how well you like your pork cooked. I trust the farm where mine came from and I don't like things dry, so mine was cooked about medium to medium wellish.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--TPHlzJjfYM/Twh0y0zSaXI/AAAAAAAAGbY/DoCYr9ZLd2c/s1600/341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--TPHlzJjfYM/Twh0y0zSaXI/AAAAAAAAGbY/DoCYr9ZLd2c/s320/341.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I removed the pork tenderloin from the pan and set it on a plate to rest and let the juices settle down. The last thing you want is to cut into it immediately and have all of the flavor run out everywhere. While I was doing this, I set the pan back on the stove, over medium heat. Make sure you don't burn your hand when you touch the pan... remember - it's been in the oven!!! I thickened up the sauce a little bit and added a little pat of butter to finish it off. I let everything get all mixed up nicely and whisked it together. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hM5pfLben2Y/Twh0zvB-dXI/AAAAAAAAGbc/oKfLdmxV9PA/s1600/342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hM5pfLben2Y/Twh0zvB-dXI/AAAAAAAAGbc/oKfLdmxV9PA/s320/342.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the tenderloin had settled, I sliced it up and spooned the fig chile sauce over the top. I have to tell you that this unlikely combination was amazing!!! It was sweet and spicy and salty and delicious! I'm definitely making this one again!!! Curt loved it too :)</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzL9-TsAKE8/Twh0z9_BMdI/AAAAAAAAGbg/nsZYX3sELJE/s1600/343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzL9-TsAKE8/Twh0z9_BMdI/AAAAAAAAGbg/nsZYX3sELJE/s320/343.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pure deliciousness! I think I served mine with some broccoli or some other green... maybe asparagus? I don't remember... I do remember how good this recipe was though!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><em>Jenn</em></span></span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-47192380246032187872012-01-07T12:54:00.000-05:002012-01-07T12:54:22.567-05:00Super Short Ribs<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So one of my New Year's Resolutions is to become more efficient at the grocery store. I can literally spend hours at Whole Foods... Curt is amazed at the amount of time I spend there. Part of the reason I take so long is that I don't have a grocery list. Sometimes, I have an idea of what I want to cook, but when I get to the store, I get dazzled by the arrays of veggies and meat counter, that I forget what I wanted. Anyway... the point is.... I'm trying to write a list of the dishes I'll make each week and also write down a specific shopping list. Last Saturday, as I was creating my list, I checked Pinterest (one of my new obsessions) and I found </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/23784704251735031/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">this idea</span></a><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> from Pioneer Woman. It looked delicious and different, so I decided to give it a try! I LOVED it!!! Also, I didn't really need to change much from the recipe at all!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Short Ribs with Wine and Cream</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">original recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGFeSLU1ppo/Twh00cJlZ_I/AAAAAAAAGbk/McZIi7TCgo8/s1600/344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGFeSLU1ppo/Twh00cJlZ_I/AAAAAAAAGbk/McZIi7TCgo8/s400/344.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 12 individual short ribs</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 3 Tbs bacon fat</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup good red wine</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 qt chicken stock </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 Tbs fresh minced rosemary</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 Tbs Dijon mustard</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup heavy cream (optional)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 Tbs capers</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhG_gv0jCVk/Twh00452KPI/AAAAAAAAGbo/lP94-2-Y_1c/s1600/345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhG_gv0jCVk/Twh00452KPI/AAAAAAAAGbo/lP94-2-Y_1c/s400/345.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, I seasoned the short ribs on both sides with some salt and pepper. I also heated up my heavy bottom cast iron pan and added in the bacon fat. You want the pan to be super duper hot so that you can sear the short ribs. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2g2KegxeI/Twh01GZ1dbI/AAAAAAAAGbs/ZTKl23GdwZU/s1600/346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2g2KegxeI/Twh01GZ1dbI/AAAAAAAAGbs/ZTKl23GdwZU/s400/346.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here, you can see me browning the short ribs. The point isn't to cook them through, but to develop a nice brown sort of crust to seal in all of the yummy flavors. Once each side is nicely browned, you take them out and put them on a separate plate. You'll have to cook them in batches, unless you happen to have a freakishly large pot!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Y4erEz33mQ/Twh02cjI7OI/AAAAAAAAGb0/roybLMibFfU/s1600/348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Y4erEz33mQ/Twh02cjI7OI/AAAAAAAAGb0/roybLMibFfU/s400/348.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once you're done, you'll have a huge pile of nicely browned short ribs. Just let them hang out a bit and turn the heat on the stove down to medium.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yCCZBSydKzY/Twh0211_ALI/AAAAAAAAGb4/LUaJuI2Z_oU/s1600/349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yCCZBSydKzY/Twh0211_ALI/AAAAAAAAGb4/LUaJuI2Z_oU/s400/349.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, you'll add the red wine and mustard to the pot. Don't worry about the browned bits at the bottom of the pan... even though it looks like gunk... it's the most delicious gunk ever! Once the red wine is in there, take a wooden spoon and scrape up those bits and they will dissolve and add so much flavor to the meal!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHz3WqLvofQ/Twh03ryHbmI/AAAAAAAAGb8/PTCErtdPtM4/s1600/350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHz3WqLvofQ/Twh03ryHbmI/AAAAAAAAGb8/PTCErtdPtM4/s400/350.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, add in the chicken stock and rosemary. The original recipe called for beef broth. I think this would have been really really good, but... I didn't have any beef broth. I did have home made chicken stock, so I figured that would be a nice enough swap. Luckily, it worked! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iVavufxsWEM/Twh04jygi5I/AAAAAAAAGcA/W-aGGde8Cs8/s1600/351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iVavufxsWEM/Twh04jygi5I/AAAAAAAAGcA/W-aGGde8Cs8/s400/351.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Next, you'll add the short ribs back to the pot and nestle the little ribs as much as possible into the sauce. You want to have it covered as much as possible. Then, you'll cover it, reduce the heat to medium low, and the patience comes into play.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrfSS4jbnmQ/Twh054XmQ9I/AAAAAAAAGcM/e0VtCDWJdio/s1600/IMG_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrfSS4jbnmQ/Twh054XmQ9I/AAAAAAAAGcM/e0VtCDWJdio/s400/IMG_0811.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">You just set it and forget it. You'll simmer the whole dish on the stove for 2-3 hours. You could probably also throw it in a crock pot or the oven for a couple of hours too.This is a cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow to really enjoy all the flavors. If you try to rush it, it will be tough and not as flavorful. Every 30 minutes, I opened the lid so I could enjoy the smells, but also so I could push the short ribs around and make sure that they were all getting a turn to be covered by the broth. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1xW68NhUnc/Twh066XSVFI/AAAAAAAAGcU/biNAwYGG6v4/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1xW68NhUnc/Twh066XSVFI/AAAAAAAAGcU/biNAwYGG6v4/s400/IMG_0813.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, Curt was getting annoyed that he could smell all the yummy food, but he couldn't eat it. After 3 hours, I carefully took the short ribs out and set them on a different plate. You have to be careful because, at this point, they are so tender they they will just fall apart when you touch them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ3mnP3DVMw/Twh06Xqy6DI/AAAAAAAAGcQ/-3JBpYowLRM/s1600/IMG_0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ3mnP3DVMw/Twh06Xqy6DI/AAAAAAAAGcQ/-3JBpYowLRM/s400/IMG_0812.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I turned the heat back to hi and added in the cream. At this point, it was really really really starting to smell good. I also added in the capers. I wasn't sure about this part of the recipe... I don't dislike capers, but I've never really added them in for fun either. So, I just let it boil pretty nicely for a cood couple of minutes to thicken up a bit. While I was waiting for the sauce to thicken, I sauteed some asparagus. The Pioneer Woman (Ree) originally served it over a pile of roasted mushrooms, but we all know that Curtman's not a fan of mushrooms, so I chose asparagus.... I did add in some mushrooms for me, though. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78pdTeabgNs/Twh07tFje_I/AAAAAAAAGcc/jg9JYVZPSUQ/s1600/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78pdTeabgNs/Twh07tFje_I/AAAAAAAAGcc/jg9JYVZPSUQ/s400/IMG_0815.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's the finished product! Absolutely amazing! The rosemary and cream and wine and beef... just everything! It was so good! I'm definitely making this recipe again and again. It was relatively simple, super delicious and the flavors were great. Short ribs are really trendy now, but most of the recipes are pretty similar. This one is different, unique, and delicious! Thanks, </span><a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/short-ribs-with-wine-and-cream/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pioneer Woman!</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Jenn</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EtLZnESyab0/Twh07zgVPEI/AAAAAAAAGcg/Vx71vYpwlHM/s1600/IMG_0816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-30775387791547450022011-12-28T17:49:00.000-05:002011-12-28T17:49:35.866-05:00Apple Sweet Potato Bake<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">In my last posting, I made this yummy </span><a href="http://thecookincutie.blogspot.com/2011/12/paelo-stuffed-pork-loin-harvest-style.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stuffed Pork Roast</span></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">. I was surprised at how well it turned out! I needed a side dish to go with it, so I pulled out this recipe. When we were in Massachusetts over Thanksgiving, my mother in law had this Kraft magazine that had a bunch of recipes. Many of them were FAR from paleo, but this </span><a href="http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/apple-bacon-sweet-potatoes-128074.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">one</span></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> seemed promising. By the time we had gotten back to Virginia, my sister in law, Tracee, had texted me saying that it was really good! So here it is... with a few minor twists, of course!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Apple- Bacon Sweet Potato Bake</span></strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjTqDKO61mY/TvJ3M5YR1FI/AAAAAAAAGXw/8aWa0RkB0JY/s1600/12-14-11+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjTqDKO61mY/TvJ3M5YR1FI/AAAAAAAAGXw/8aWa0RkB0JY/s400/12-14-11+015.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 large onion, chopped</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 6 slices bacon, chopped</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 apples (I used Braeburn), peeled and chopped</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 cup apple cider (no sugar or anything added- just apples)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/4 cup chopped pecans</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JoNkJC0g1Kw/TvJ3SVEHA1I/AAAAAAAAGYA/SdQ5CCzMr1c/s1600/12-14-11+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JoNkJC0g1Kw/TvJ3SVEHA1I/AAAAAAAAGYA/SdQ5CCzMr1c/s400/12-14-11+018.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">This recipe was easy peasy. First, preheat the oven to 350. Then throw the chopped bacon into a pan on medium high heat and let it get nice and crispy. Once it's crispy, turn the heat down to medium low and remove the bacon to a separate plate. Keep the bacon fat in there because that's what you'll cook the onions in. Make sure you let the fat cool down a bit because you don't want to fry the onions, just make them soft. So you throw the onions in there and cook until soft. Then add the bacon back to the pan for another minute or two.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUznclnOWaU/TvJ3VMYaVJI/AAAAAAAAGYI/HI3l6Sbjv28/s1600/12-14-11+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUznclnOWaU/TvJ3VMYaVJI/AAAAAAAAGYI/HI3l6Sbjv28/s400/12-14-11+019.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">While all the bacon and onions were cooking, I took the time to chop up the apples and the sweet potatoes. Then, in a baking dish, just throw the cubed sweet potatoes and the apples. Mix them up so they are all combined nicely. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YesWkgmEKpU/TvJ3XH0NJ6I/AAAAAAAAGYQ/YMmiVM2J3Gw/s1600/12-14-11+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YesWkgmEKpU/TvJ3XH0NJ6I/AAAAAAAAGYQ/YMmiVM2J3Gw/s400/12-14-11+020.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, you'll add in the apple cider and cinnamon. Then, you'll mix everything up so it's evenly distributed. You could use a spoon to make sure it's evenly distributed, but I think using your hands is easier and faster... and why dirty a spoon when you don't need to, right?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tD5T6ndBOw/TvJ3YV4-15I/AAAAAAAAGYY/uY-kb7tIbeE/s1600/12-14-11+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tD5T6ndBOw/TvJ3YV4-15I/AAAAAAAAGYY/uY-kb7tIbeE/s400/12-14-11+021.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, pour the bacon and onion mixture over the sweet potato and apple mixture. Then, cover the dish with some aluminum foil and pop it in the oven. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvkCLajO4hU/TvJ3c6lvwII/AAAAAAAAGYk/Au6W3fctWkI/s1600/12-14-11+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bvkCLajO4hU/TvJ3c6lvwII/AAAAAAAAGYk/Au6W3fctWkI/s400/12-14-11+031.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">It will bake for 40 minutes, then you pull it out and remove the aluminum foil. Top it with the chopped pecan pieces, and then put it back in the oven, without the aluminum foil top. You'll just bake it for another 10 minutes or so. I baked mine a bit longer because I like it to the point that it is nicely browned.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYJtnnWggOQ/TvJ3gCwbLbI/AAAAAAAAGYs/55oJPFd5yVY/s1600/12-14-11+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYJtnnWggOQ/TvJ3gCwbLbI/AAAAAAAAGYs/55oJPFd5yVY/s400/12-14-11+037.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So there you have it! Super simple and really really tasty. It'd probably taste good as a side to anything, but I think it'd be best with a lighter meat like pork or chicken. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I do!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Jenn</em></span></div></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-22326665331396508202011-12-14T13:54:00.001-05:002011-12-14T13:55:16.753-05:00Paleo Stuffed Pork Loin - Harvest Style<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Normally, I'm not a fan of pork. I feel like it tends to get really dry or not flavorful. Recently, though, I've been making more pork recipes. There are a lot of recipes that look really good, but use bread as a stuffing... corn bread, brioche bread, even wheat bread.... blah to bread! I needed to find something else to add some body to the stuffing. This is one concoction that I just kinda threw together. I had made pork loin a few weeks ago stuffed with raisins and apples and it was surprisingly good. This week, I decided to try it again, but this time, with different "stuffing" things. I had some dried apricots and figured that I could find a few things to complement the flavor... and I did!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Paleo Harvest Stuffed Pork Loin</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7ifRo-bwOpON_8anI0akEBvdCLz7zOjiskvNyH0nctZ2zoRWSJ_wfEqXhp0Y7p8qsLT5l0-FrtwgvQwu1qE61B7zLlsq0a7jir1SWzobAVR40Pn7uN5rRS0DmHbq9PZKiwyDugwZmFc/s1600/12-14-11+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7ifRo-bwOpON_8anI0akEBvdCLz7zOjiskvNyH0nctZ2zoRWSJ_wfEqXhp0Y7p8qsLT5l0-FrtwgvQwu1qE61B7zLlsq0a7jir1SWzobAVR40Pn7uN5rRS0DmHbq9PZKiwyDugwZmFc/s320/12-14-11+005.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 3 lb boneless pork loin roast</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 cup of dried apricots (no sugar added)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/4 cup of natural apple cider (apples should be the only ingredient!)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/4 cup of chopped pecans</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 3 cloves of garlic</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 tbs rosemary</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp bacon fat/butter/etc</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBCjCtfp2WDsCGvCPFxxX5peiK8rMP1WLQYnIq4ZsBFNTfZDi9RwkdOtoDNy89Bt_8TCGsJvfcOE1Z-d-h1K8arTtVkU-6-ZxqfP-AGGIp3aPYPnwbNDyBknWBte0-rd8ixXtiyY5-98/s1600/12-14-11+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBCjCtfp2WDsCGvCPFxxX5peiK8rMP1WLQYnIq4ZsBFNTfZDi9RwkdOtoDNy89Bt_8TCGsJvfcOE1Z-d-h1K8arTtVkU-6-ZxqfP-AGGIp3aPYPnwbNDyBknWBte0-rd8ixXtiyY5-98/s320/12-14-11+006.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, I tried to cut the pork so that it would lay flat. I'd done it before where you go in a circle and get 1 nice long, flat piece of pork. This time, I didn't have the patience and just cut the whole thing down the middle to butterfly it. I also seasoned the whole thing with some salt and pepper. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0R69M0ndvnqF3-Lyh6Ykube9zJRiXrEFOQa23x3DR9CjWWvhiYq4IoticKvi1FT2x3guUusM5ISO2MySgHOsXA6x1tlt3x3VKqBxERE3xN0MUyIwxnNc8oJCDrsVJpMtjNCboQ87pIw/s1600/12-14-11+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0R69M0ndvnqF3-Lyh6Ykube9zJRiXrEFOQa23x3DR9CjWWvhiYq4IoticKvi1FT2x3guUusM5ISO2MySgHOsXA6x1tlt3x3VKqBxERE3xN0MUyIwxnNc8oJCDrsVJpMtjNCboQ87pIw/s320/12-14-11+007.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I chopped the garlic and added it to a saute pan with some of the bacon grease and the rosemary. I let it cook for a little bit to get a bit of the sharpness out of the flavors. I wanted them to mellow out and just taste really good together. I also used dried rosemary, so I didn't want the little leaves to be all spiky and stuff.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jd0P9PKuJ4XB76gZcC7_661qwx8xkJik3Zba13zq7Hbv_YgaE3YkToAdXCyX4SfRXA4zqtfzFOfcMnxu9A36AbbBFsk-bHjrlY3QavGxTnslJM8x0n9iJOGYFetPNiVXAejDsF3KsPg/s1600/12-14-11+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jd0P9PKuJ4XB76gZcC7_661qwx8xkJik3Zba13zq7Hbv_YgaE3YkToAdXCyX4SfRXA4zqtfzFOfcMnxu9A36AbbBFsk-bHjrlY3QavGxTnslJM8x0n9iJOGYFetPNiVXAejDsF3KsPg/s320/12-14-11+008.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the garlic and rosemary were cooking, I chopped up the apricots into nice little bite sized pieces. I hate it when you bit into something and this HUGE chunk comes out. So, anyway, I cut them up and threw them into the pan to warm through.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFoYM526_D_j4pgQbkamw_2jFFRTxliU4np-O-xTzh_-CdGc4wwb74H5ZPqn_Qb_zOhE-yjk3Kf0oLS0cs9yQMvl0xkRaC6iBhIdzX2fg78q5N9iRpVqyVTp3DP0IXlLiiXhV2ACO-dc/s1600/12-14-11+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFoYM526_D_j4pgQbkamw_2jFFRTxliU4np-O-xTzh_-CdGc4wwb74H5ZPqn_Qb_zOhE-yjk3Kf0oLS0cs9yQMvl0xkRaC6iBhIdzX2fg78q5N9iRpVqyVTp3DP0IXlLiiXhV2ACO-dc/s320/12-14-11+009.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">After that, I added in the apple cider. I'm not sure why I added it in there. I just had some in the fridge and thought, what the heck, why not?! So anyway, it did help to soften up the apricots and the pecans. It also helped all of the flavors to really blend together. I cooked it all, stirring continuously, until most of the apple cider had evaporated or had soaked into the other ingredients. I then took it off the stove and let it cool until it was a good temperature for me to handle it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpPUYOLUMlmdOk3W2ELqtNlm17xRyEzB8zgtNai5dIOrwtAdKa_2lkY32dBqt_N-PlQMse5x-1DmIMvFeXyIMsNRxjqwDLltPxx_kWKCK3bNhft3fM7aEcZPMaecG1hnQW_UpoWdohxA/s1600/12-14-11+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpPUYOLUMlmdOk3W2ELqtNlm17xRyEzB8zgtNai5dIOrwtAdKa_2lkY32dBqt_N-PlQMse5x-1DmIMvFeXyIMsNRxjqwDLltPxx_kWKCK3bNhft3fM7aEcZPMaecG1hnQW_UpoWdohxA/s320/12-14-11+010.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I then placed all of the stuffing in the middle of the pork loin. I wanted to make sure it was spread evenly so that there was a lot of flavor in every bite. No one wants to be stuck with that one end piece that doesn't have anything fun in it, right?!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmJyRuwvpwoBYS30kIDu4OipvZPwWxZwg7cgdcSsabRHAZBJCvBUHVXozH2fvUlBTuWJWNPyr-nE3cN9GFS3hPUaaqNk09HZH-71XVawgWGy9w0p8nx6OiM5H5YArRX3t1M7gV3w31ow/s1600/12-14-11+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmJyRuwvpwoBYS30kIDu4OipvZPwWxZwg7cgdcSsabRHAZBJCvBUHVXozH2fvUlBTuWJWNPyr-nE3cN9GFS3hPUaaqNk09HZH-71XVawgWGy9w0p8nx6OiM5H5YArRX3t1M7gV3w31ow/s320/12-14-11+011.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I folded the pork back up into its original round shape and I tied it up with some kitchen twine (which I have since misplaced and have gone CRAZY tearing up the kitchen looking for it!!!). There are videos on youtube on how to tie up a roast. Really, any way you can get it to stay together is good! You really just don't want to throw it in the oven and have it open up so the stuffing can spill everywhere. The stuffing adds so much flavor and makes it tender. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbEJW9S_I4KeLR8ykRCnBlTRMTtJj34O6VL5U9BOJvEyPAL-tMePS_fR73nbfyEy0pp5mBvgDBa5TODB1ip53ljnmw-VvhkdjPwtAeROrYEmIqMVYCmuBCwAZjoq2dyjIhTEdsjSSa0w/s1600/12-14-11+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbEJW9S_I4KeLR8ykRCnBlTRMTtJj34O6VL5U9BOJvEyPAL-tMePS_fR73nbfyEy0pp5mBvgDBa5TODB1ip53ljnmw-VvhkdjPwtAeROrYEmIqMVYCmuBCwAZjoq2dyjIhTEdsjSSa0w/s320/12-14-11+033.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I threw it into the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes. You want to keep an eye on it because the last thing you want is to burn it! They've recently said that you can eat pork medium now (you don't have to cook it well done throughout like you used to). So really, just cook it to your desired amount of doneness. Just make sure that you let the roast rest for about 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven. You want to give it time for the juices to redistribute. The last thing you want is to cut it immediately and have all of the yummy flavor to slip out... that will cause you to lose flavor and also make it more dry.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH-bggdvu9YQRUp0a1bo-4aYa5vy4WB68lr3INvOraTcFP7_yJHTnMe2QgmpN2mhjP48L9lEDVGRVWmjGEFgK3TmRcA8mY1rvbwYBR6C3b2ffUFq5QfbzY01aVW79GmzTVNF3T9qA9PY/s1600/12-14-11+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH-bggdvu9YQRUp0a1bo-4aYa5vy4WB68lr3INvOraTcFP7_yJHTnMe2QgmpN2mhjP48L9lEDVGRVWmjGEFgK3TmRcA8mY1rvbwYBR6C3b2ffUFq5QfbzY01aVW79GmzTVNF3T9qA9PY/s320/12-14-11+036.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is the finished result! It was delicious! I really liked it! I think the rosemary added a nice little kick to the sweetness of the apricots. The pecans also added some good flavor! This is a great dish which I will definitely be making again!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpBH3P7hlmCi41BvonLuZfhyQ8prBj8liFGr2b96HGJY0PKRTyEubkeTGTszLCwi8pe48qyLP2HX1t1TrLhy3Z5r0Dm6UEoCxlB0JZ4PYV7hGZQL23XCiIrcNpemCUOKqMn9T2vnR7J0/s1600/12-14-11+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpBH3P7hlmCi41BvonLuZfhyQ8prBj8liFGr2b96HGJY0PKRTyEubkeTGTszLCwi8pe48qyLP2HX1t1TrLhy3Z5r0Dm6UEoCxlB0JZ4PYV7hGZQL23XCiIrcNpemCUOKqMn9T2vnR7J0/s320/12-14-11+037.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's pictured here, served with a sweet potato and apple bake. The recipe will be coming soon because it paired up sooooo well with the dish. Of course, you can add any veggies that you like. I tend to think of harvest flavors and orange veggies - squash, carrots, sweet potatoes. Enjoy!</span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-31498745301438359892011-11-24T13:47:00.000-05:002011-11-24T13:47:44.053-05:00Braised Short Ribs<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Curt and I go to a local farm to buy fresh grass fed beef. We don't have enough room in the freezer to buy a whole quarter of a cow, so we end up buying a share of a cow. Basically, we get 2 grocery bags full of random cuts of meat. In the last one, we got some short ribs! To me, short ribs are perfect for cold weather! Most recipes call for the same sort of ingredients, so here's a different rendition!</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Braised Short Ribs with hidden veggies</strong></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0ypfK61gp0/TqzVhKPwEwI/AAAAAAAAEjQ/nFrb4EifjlE/s1600/696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0ypfK61gp0/TqzVhKPwEwI/AAAAAAAAEjQ/nFrb4EifjlE/s320/696.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 4 lbs of short ribs</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup red wine</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 whole onion</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 small can of tomato paste</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup of carrots</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup of mushrooms</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 stalks of celery</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 cups of beef broth</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 5 cloves of garlic</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6j0G7qsG24/TqzVhXuVfaI/AAAAAAAAEjY/WgpGwPdevSY/s1600/697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6j0G7qsG24/TqzVhXuVfaI/AAAAAAAAEjY/WgpGwPdevSY/s320/697.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">First, I seasoned all sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper. I heated up some bacon grease in a heavy bottomed pot and browned all sides of the short ribs. I'm not totally sure of the science behind why you want to brown the meat before cooking it for a long time, but I know all of the professionals do it, so I did it too!</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-56lxznAUlbw/TqzViCC0ERI/AAAAAAAAEjg/w_p1eJpgtz0/s1600/698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-56lxznAUlbw/TqzViCC0ERI/AAAAAAAAEjg/w_p1eJpgtz0/s320/698.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the meat was browing, I started working on the veggies. I had to shred the carrots and celery in the food processor. Make sure the lid is on tight though! I guess I didn't have mine closed all the way and carrots flew all over the place! Kylie was just wishing it had rained short ribs, rather than carrots. haha</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNtlLkC_9uI/TqzViS_OwKI/AAAAAAAAEjo/EIeDlyd3eV4/s1600/699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNtlLkC_9uI/TqzViS_OwKI/AAAAAAAAEjo/EIeDlyd3eV4/s320/699.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Here's a picture of the shredded carrots and celery. I figured that the smaller they were shredded, the faster they would cook and really break down. I thinly sliced the onion and garlic, but I did that by hand.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FyiaHbAENFA/TqzVi4m6M9I/AAAAAAAAEjw/JQ5dGBP_OWA/s1600/700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FyiaHbAENFA/TqzVi4m6M9I/AAAAAAAAEjw/JQ5dGBP_OWA/s320/700.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Once the short ribs were browned on all sides, I removed them from the pot and set them aside. Then, I added in a little bit extra bacon grease. Then, I added in the onions and garlic to let then start cooking.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YZaGRL0hurE/TqzVjbTdLaI/AAAAAAAAEj4/9-eG4MViK0s/s1600/701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YZaGRL0hurE/TqzVjbTdLaI/AAAAAAAAEj4/9-eG4MViK0s/s320/701.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I added in the carrots and let everything start to cook through.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eIQnTztBxV4/TqzVj4IIAXI/AAAAAAAAEkE/HJH5Q-bRqmc/s1600/702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eIQnTztBxV4/TqzVj4IIAXI/AAAAAAAAEkE/HJH5Q-bRqmc/s320/702.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Next went in the tomato paste. I just let everything get all combined while still on medium heat. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gNihlDukIA0/TqzVkPScGmI/AAAAAAAAEkA/8Ne5ymSeeSg/s1600/703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gNihlDukIA0/TqzVkPScGmI/AAAAAAAAEkA/8Ne5ymSeeSg/s320/703.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Next went in the red wine. I kinda eyeballed it, but I think I used about 1 cup. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aM9iYHwM2hc/TqzVkzwa9FI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/iA_V7Gzautc/s1600/704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aM9iYHwM2hc/TqzVkzwa9FI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/iA_V7Gzautc/s320/704.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I stirred everything together until it looked somewhat like a veggie soup. Then, I put the browned short ribs back into the pot. I put the lid on and baked it in the oven at 400 for 1 hour. Then, I lowered the temperature to 250 and let it bake for another 3 hours. It probably would have worked in a slow cooker too, but I just felt like using my pretty new cast iron pot. :) Also, when cooking short ribs, I think I heard that they are better when they are cooked for a long time. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXIk0aom7Ws/TqzVl8lDAII/AAAAAAAAEkg/OUCYSsgYOqY/s1600/705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXIk0aom7Ws/TqzVl8lDAII/AAAAAAAAEkg/OUCYSsgYOqY/s320/705.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I took it out of the oven, I again removed the short ribs and set then aside. I added in the mushrooms. I didn't add them in the beginning because, well, I forgot they were in my fridge. Then, I realized that I had them, so I chopped them up and threw them in the pot. The heat from the soupy mixture cooked them through pretty quickly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BStojLRlyro/TqzVlTPs00I/AAAAAAAAEkY/0nUJkv8t8-c/s1600/706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BStojLRlyro/TqzVlTPs00I/AAAAAAAAEkY/0nUJkv8t8-c/s320/706.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I did put the pot on medium heat to thicken up the sauce a bit. Like I've said before, Curt wasn't a huge fan of veggies, so I wanted to puree everything so he couldn't pick the mushrooms and stuff out. So out came my immersion blender. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jYX0O-IMawY/TqzVmVhKCXI/AAAAAAAAEks/jgTGoHjzqLw/s1600/707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jYX0O-IMawY/TqzVmVhKCXI/AAAAAAAAEks/jgTGoHjzqLw/s320/707.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I just blended everything for a few minutes so that it was just a nice yummy, super flavorful sauce. I left it on the stove on medium to thicken up a bit while I shredded the short ribs. They had cooled down enough for me to handle them a bit. They had cooked for so long that the meat really just pulled apart easily. I removed the bones and shredded the meat into fork sized pieces. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueOMrKr34fM/TqzVmjw6VKI/AAAAAAAAEk0/4k8xR-cbNx4/s1600/708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueOMrKr34fM/TqzVmjw6VKI/AAAAAAAAEk0/4k8xR-cbNx4/s320/708.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Then, I added the shredded meat back to the sauce to warm up. Then, it was ready to serve!</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WKk3AJF0pg/TqzVoBdQPNI/AAAAAAAAElE/WqG8s_hrRe0/s1600/709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3WKk3AJF0pg/TqzVoBdQPNI/AAAAAAAAElE/WqG8s_hrRe0/s320/709.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I served mine over some mashed cauliflower. It was a perfect little comfort food meal for me. The dish had a lot of flavor, but few veggie chunks, which I'm sure that Curt loved. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLNvCoi-AF4/TqzVnk-ewxI/AAAAAAAAEk4/tev5ZDUpxpY/s1600/710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLNvCoi-AF4/TqzVnk-ewxI/AAAAAAAAEk4/tev5ZDUpxpY/s320/710.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm definitely going to make this dish again! Curt liked it a lot too. I sent it with him for lunch, so I didn't really see much first hand reaction, but he ate it all, so I'm assuming he enjoyed it :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-65807140072782090572011-11-02T18:32:00.000-04:002011-11-02T18:32:40.980-04:00Fantastically Foolproof Fish<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Soooo it's been FOREVER since I've made a posting. Things have been crazy around here with school lesson plans to write, my own grad school research projects to complete, and housing renovations in the works. Sadly, that meant that my poor little blog has been left on the back burner.... Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with postings so I can share all of the yummy recipes I've been trying out!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes you want a simple and yummy meal. I was watching the food channel and they were making fish en papillote. This seemed pretty easy and I needed a fast dinner for me and the hubby. This is a really simple, healthy, and tasty dish that you should definitely try!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Fish en Papillote</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OIoZkNcAowk/TqzVsddNr0I/AAAAAAAAEmI/WQm1x-m1BeA/s1600/1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OIoZkNcAowk/TqzVsddNr0I/AAAAAAAAEmI/WQm1x-m1BeA/s320/1042.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 zucchini</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 red bell pepper</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/4 red onion</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 cloves minced garlic</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 cup sliced button mushrooms</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 sole fillets</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 tbs grass fed butter</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 lemon slices</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tbs white wine</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp thyme (fresh is best)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl9cVOXAuCs/TqzVs6vsNcI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/1nQXeS9t3-g/s1600/1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl9cVOXAuCs/TqzVs6vsNcI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/1nQXeS9t3-g/s320/1043.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first thing I did was to julienne all of the vegetables. I don't know that this is a necessary step, but I think that all of the vegetables cook better and more evenly when they are the same size. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">I will say that when I did this, I had put all of the vegetables in when they were all raw. When it was finished, the onions were still pretty raw since they take a bit longer to cook through. There was just a lot of bite to the onion in the dish. I recommend slightly sauteeing the onions first or else cut them REALLY thin. </span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSfKVfl09-s/TqzVtpVwgqI/AAAAAAAAEmY/CHwoN9G2VQ0/s1600/1044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSfKVfl09-s/TqzVtpVwgqI/AAAAAAAAEmY/CHwoN9G2VQ0/s320/1044.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I threw all of the veggies into a bowl and tossed them with the thyme, then added a bit of salt and pepper.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jif8IELTY88/TqzVtvMIB5I/AAAAAAAAEmc/0E_TZebcCsY/s1600/1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jif8IELTY88/TqzVtvMIB5I/AAAAAAAAEmc/0E_TZebcCsY/s320/1045.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I cut 2 pieces of aluminum foil to a size that would be enough to fold some of the foil over the fish. I put 1 piece of fish on each piece of foil. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D71sBH0FCiE/TqzVufT--mI/AAAAAAAAEms/_3KIPnV5U68/s1600/1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D71sBH0FCiE/TqzVufT--mI/AAAAAAAAEms/_3KIPnV5U68/s320/1046.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I covered each fillet of fish completely with the veggies. I like having a lot of veggies with my meal, so, as you can see, the veggies totally cover the fish. I put a lemon slice and a little bit more of the thyme on the very top. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27M7IlGqA9U/TqzVudP8B2I/AAAAAAAAEmo/4vS-zxKtGB8/s1600/1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27M7IlGqA9U/TqzVudP8B2I/AAAAAAAAEmo/4vS-zxKtGB8/s320/1047.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, I added in a little dollop of butter and 1/2 tbs of the white wine to each packet, just to give it a little extra flavor. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUnUvNSsV2Y/TqzVvLFefbI/AAAAAAAAEm4/5OIlzFr5Xi8/s1600/1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUnUvNSsV2Y/TqzVvLFefbI/AAAAAAAAEm4/5OIlzFr5Xi8/s320/1048.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After everything was assembled, I rolled the foil down and sealed it so that all of the steam from the wine, fish, and lemon juice would get trapped and give some extra flavor to the fish. Don't these look like giant Chipotle burritos? haha</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pbsAgBbX-sQ/TqzVyOgsyuI/AAAAAAAAEn4/q-WjUF6OHg0/s1600/1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pbsAgBbX-sQ/TqzVyOgsyuI/AAAAAAAAEn4/q-WjUF6OHg0/s320/1054.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had the oven preheated to 375, and threw the fish packets in for only about 12 minutes. The fish is very thin, so it doesn't take long to cook through at all. One nice thing is that you don't have to worry about overcooking the fish. Obviously, you don't want to keep it in the oven for too long, but since its basically steaming, it's hard to really mess up! Thus my title Foolproof Fish! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaLHEHjk1kY/TqzVy7IABFI/AAAAAAAAEoA/FXGhRCJ7uDU/s1600/1055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaLHEHjk1kY/TqzVy7IABFI/AAAAAAAAEoA/FXGhRCJ7uDU/s320/1055.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I let the fish packets sit for a few minutes just to cool down a bit. If you open the packets right after you take them out of the oven, you could end up with a pretty bad steam burn!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5FZfBv8l38/TqzVzDsUi4I/AAAAAAAAEoI/FJoGwHqeiX4/s1600/1056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5FZfBv8l38/TqzVzDsUi4I/AAAAAAAAEoI/FJoGwHqeiX4/s320/1056.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's the fish in a dish for you to eat when you wish ( sorry, I teach elementary school and every once in a while, the Dr. Seuss has to come out!) Anyway, the fish was really, really good! It was so incredibly simple (you can even buy frozen julienned veggies to help make your job even easier!). It had a nice flavor, it was very good! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like I mentioned above, the only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the fact that the veggies and fish were all cooked, but the onions were still a little bit raw, giving the whole thing a bite. I love onions, but I think that when you have such a tender fish, the flavors all have to be pretty light. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Overall, I'm totally making this dish again. It was easy, cheap (sole isn't expensive at all), and it was fast! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-17742900320105848652011-08-19T08:13:00.000-04:002011-08-19T08:13:34.567-04:00Local Gold Mines<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Growing up, I remember going to farmers markets with my mom and sister. I didn't really understand why we went to a farmer's market when we could just go to the grocery store and get the same food. Now, I really appreciate and LOVE going to farmer's markets. There are so many in the Northern Va area, so pretty much any day, I can find a market close by! Just look at some of the stalls and the beautiful displays of fruit and veggies! One thing I love about farmers markets is that the food is local. We don't always think about the fact that sometimes, our organic watermelon was grown on a completely different continent and probably cost a LOT of money to ship it here. Then, there's also the fact that there was probably a lot of pollution created by having the food shipped so far away.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrE2TPLykrz0btgxChUlW8DuAQRYk8It6ZCN_9-JLPCdffhe_zR9UjhrS1JYUaMiylMiobiIPtEeffwrdCfJnI4P_Bt15TMcCC3U03gSFj1rqYIpW0QAwtBAbfGZIiptNyGxvnAlMYzY/s1600/August+2+205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrE2TPLykrz0btgxChUlW8DuAQRYk8It6ZCN_9-JLPCdffhe_zR9UjhrS1JYUaMiylMiobiIPtEeffwrdCfJnI4P_Bt15TMcCC3U03gSFj1rqYIpW0QAwtBAbfGZIiptNyGxvnAlMYzY/s320/August+2+205.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another thing I love about farmer's markets is that a lot of the time, the farmers are right there! You can ask them all sorts of questions. I've asked them if they are organic or if they use chemicals... I've asked where they are located... I've asked what type of vegetable I'm holding... I've even asked what I could cook with a certain vegetable. Most of the time, the farmers love answering questions and having the opportunities to brag a bit about their products.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2X1-EaepM_5BEwXhYr87qxkGOvusXlQlbVg8cUBYBGlCdYtOeLxngO-lv8Sr7oPzt9pwgZw7Nz7SqTY1i5Vm-GgCqY5cxm59wrFK62vnnPvOEAixXAxP0S4LoTPKjOa2Q-1_b3Y3mUo/s1600/August+2+206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2X1-EaepM_5BEwXhYr87qxkGOvusXlQlbVg8cUBYBGlCdYtOeLxngO-lv8Sr7oPzt9pwgZw7Nz7SqTY1i5Vm-GgCqY5cxm59wrFK62vnnPvOEAixXAxP0S4LoTPKjOa2Q-1_b3Y3mUo/s320/August+2+206.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, sometimes, local markets have other goods besides just fruits and vegetables. This market had a beautiful and large selection of flowers! The prices were very good and the arrangements were really big. A lot of markets have local ranchers too. I'm not sure what the difference is between a farmer or a rancher, but I always thought a farmer grows veggies and fruit and a rancher grows animals... so that's the context I'm going to use here. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bxQUXwcdDfpKmq2-q2G2uxJ5MWJwjXl2wasVKd7BTR9oih6lwwLpmgVX2QtmX1PK2N14kMPQetFJ8mjJXGl1g7jcnfwjbzOkinWjAImkrA20F3e-UnrTaOP3x4fq0vrYosRvzoewRmI/s1600/August+2+208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bxQUXwcdDfpKmq2-q2G2uxJ5MWJwjXl2wasVKd7BTR9oih6lwwLpmgVX2QtmX1PK2N14kMPQetFJ8mjJXGl1g7jcnfwjbzOkinWjAImkrA20F3e-UnrTaOP3x4fq0vrYosRvzoewRmI/s320/August+2+208.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I actually get my grass fed beef, pork, and chicken eggs from a local place called </span><a href="http://www.chicamarun.com/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chicama Run Farms</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. They raise everything themselves and everything is hormone free, chemical free, and free range! Their products are delicious and they sell products at their farm or at the farmers markets they attend. The quality is amazing, the prices are great, and the taste is wonderful. The eggs they sell have deeper yellow yolks and their shells are browns, whites, and soft tans. Also, they are guaranteed to be laid by their free range hens that week, so they stay good for 60 days! Which leads me to my next point...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqcRy5sdWQ_r5fE3dkLGqHmoJh5KmWEHQrCvd9Jcrm9Ayt5WaxvwW75TuGtnITyTKdUTng41oQjBdUImtU7SdW5yQidz8oF6BYECTNTFqw1AanvCpdUqCHj3YXBNAd99s43KYknvtUPU/s1600/August+2+211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqcRy5sdWQ_r5fE3dkLGqHmoJh5KmWEHQrCvd9Jcrm9Ayt5WaxvwW75TuGtnITyTKdUTng41oQjBdUImtU7SdW5yQidz8oF6BYECTNTFqw1AanvCpdUqCHj3YXBNAd99s43KYknvtUPU/s320/August+2+211.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Food that you get from a farmer's market usually stays fresh for longer! I hate it when I buy some veggies from a grocery store, then 2 days later when I want to use them, they have gone bad! Doesn't that suck?! If you think about it, when you pick up veggies from a farmer's market, they have been picked recently and brought to market on a truck that day! Then compare that to veggies that may have been grown in a different state, picked then put on a truck to a distributing center, then taken on a different truck from that distributing center to another store, then maybe it sat in the back for a day, then displayed, then sat there for a day when you pick it out and take it home. It's easy to see that farmer's markets are more fresh! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlDY4QqLnElHt2hcin0IHZM1G92uJ-q2w6nDzOTuaL8esIe0nTvBOPT8xV0e2NrobpENtCQQNb734kD3b655Tt5tPIY9JYbcy3YsswHRi9MHAPoYGXwcxMeSAA08Y222kX-l8H7QneM0/s1600/August+2+212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlDY4QqLnElHt2hcin0IHZM1G92uJ-q2w6nDzOTuaL8esIe0nTvBOPT8xV0e2NrobpENtCQQNb734kD3b655Tt5tPIY9JYbcy3YsswHRi9MHAPoYGXwcxMeSAA08Y222kX-l8H7QneM0/s320/August+2+212.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Farmer's markets also offer opportunities to try new things! Did you know that there are several different types of avocados? This nice guy actually cut up 2 different types of avocados, Reed and Haas. Then he told me I had to try them both and taste the difference. The Reed were very sweet - perfect to put on a salad or eat lightly dressed. The Haas were what I am used to. They were very good too, but I definitely noticed a very distinct difference! You learn something new every day!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBT6M6KQJApw2XGHHRbvGBJI7Oia1ig_dhyphenhypheniHp6ebOotaA0UNdoM8IqvneO9SCPaWLKYkG4qeD1iJhibsGFsfsV_G5pJKgvLb636k-bg2IMaMoHVdIX6G2N_hZpvu9CA0j8261k2cRJY/s1600/August+2+213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBT6M6KQJApw2XGHHRbvGBJI7Oia1ig_dhyphenhypheniHp6ebOotaA0UNdoM8IqvneO9SCPaWLKYkG4qeD1iJhibsGFsfsV_G5pJKgvLb636k-bg2IMaMoHVdIX6G2N_hZpvu9CA0j8261k2cRJY/s320/August+2+213.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Look at all the vendors that lined the street! There were even people selling hand crocheted blankets and goat cheese (made by the guy who was at the booth - he milks the goats 2 times a day! - delicious!!!!) Then there are also those people who sell cookie and breads and other glutinous stuff that I stayed away from... mainly because of the gluten, but also because there was a kinda creepy guy that was trying to flirt with me >yuck<</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6a-cozpfZHzQ__VK91-P4zAkRPXJ0ibwTxa0dXPlhpaHnpeNuC22pe9ocxmZGSbaBIFPI8a5xQs3vhDD4UBfDJCMZkfIaxa15fM_D970_c5MuhqUnPIVhsZQc75Du3AbRGTvxEmFgFoY/s1600/August+2+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6a-cozpfZHzQ__VK91-P4zAkRPXJ0ibwTxa0dXPlhpaHnpeNuC22pe9ocxmZGSbaBIFPI8a5xQs3vhDD4UBfDJCMZkfIaxa15fM_D970_c5MuhqUnPIVhsZQc75Du3AbRGTvxEmFgFoY/s320/August+2+215.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One last picture- look at those artichokes! I didn't know that they had flowers to them! According to the farmer, you cut the flower off, boil it in water, then strain it and drink it as a tea... I think I might stick with my favorite mint tea personally... but at least now if I'm ever on one of those extreme cooking show where I get a flowered artichoke, I know what to do!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... there you have it! The best local gold mines ever - farmer's markets. If you haven't checked one out, you definitely should. I think the ones on Saturdays tend to have a bit more vendors at them, but you never know! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you don't know of any near you, just google your city or county and then farmer's markets. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Good luck and enjoy!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-44565122068622824912011-08-10T23:48:00.000-04:002011-08-10T23:48:22.335-04:00Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">I've never really been a salad person. I was never one of those girls who, on a date, would eat a big bowl of lettuce and miraculously claim that "Wow, I'm stuffed!" When I went out, I was more of a ribeye and asparagus girl. However, since going paleo, I've had a new appreciation for salads! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">One of the problems was that I used to count calories (I know! pointless! but that was my pre-paleo days). Anyway, for me to like a salad, I needed to add so many toppings (cheese, croutons, spiced pecans, those toasted noodle thingeys). After all of those things were added, the calories were totally not worth it! Now, I've realized that I CAN eat a whole bowl of lettuce and throw on all sorts of toppings (paleo friendly of course!) Now that I can be creative and not have to worry about pointless calorie counting, I've started to actually like salads! With this in mind, here's a paleo friendly salad dressing in case you want a change from the old oil and vinegar :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">(Bobby Flay's recipe!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kVqtD303z_UzdUaGitS3hss6UrDNaJt2SpkAbcRhPFd5THsQQFo9lN8YPIDbnwr3qW8pl3aTgM_k14g6IvtBj8InP0djZL_WMhZ2lllwVU4oNTbg58z7_LG3GqczP0iPAWUM2qn26vw/s1600/August+2+097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kVqtD303z_UzdUaGitS3hss6UrDNaJt2SpkAbcRhPFd5THsQQFo9lN8YPIDbnwr3qW8pl3aTgM_k14g6IvtBj8InP0djZL_WMhZ2lllwVU4oNTbg58z7_LG3GqczP0iPAWUM2qn26vw/s320/August+2+097.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><ul class="kv-ingred-list3"><li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">2 poblano pepers, roasted, peeled and seeded </span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">1/4 cup chopped red onion </span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">3 tablespoons fresh lime juice </span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">3/4 cup olive oil </span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">1/2 cup spinach leaves </span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">1 teaspoon honey (optional)</span></div></li>
<li class="ingredient"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Salt and freshly ground pepper </span></div></li>
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<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopmZzGyuCuL68XQFV-0EtrXjO2fOLaprSvjV5PkvLlxCg8MTQTq2SaAbM9UWbmKNIgsneT0QmntvIaIKVLgogZ2X78WR4hJ8_gN7-3UFPnUr26NgisncfcrBCwSn0h51f3YamuaFFYqA/s1600/August+2+098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopmZzGyuCuL68XQFV-0EtrXjO2fOLaprSvjV5PkvLlxCg8MTQTq2SaAbM9UWbmKNIgsneT0QmntvIaIKVLgogZ2X78WR4hJ8_gN7-3UFPnUr26NgisncfcrBCwSn0h51f3YamuaFFYqA/s320/August+2+098.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">I've seen people roast poblanos and other peppers before, but I'd never actually done it before. The other day when I was grilling up </span><a href="http://thecookincutie.blogspot.com/2011/08/grilled-beef-kabobs.html"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">these babies</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"> I just threw on the fresh poblanos that I bought from a local farmer's market. You just throw them on the grill and let the outside char... they will look like you burned them to a crisp, but it's ok... it's just the skin that's black, the inside is nice and roasty and yummy. Anyway, you throw the peppers on the fire and let them get nice and black. Afterwards, throw them in a ziplock bag because this helps the peppers to steam and the skin to loosen. Then, you can scrape off the skin, then remove the stem and cut the seeds out. Then you'll have peppers that look like the picture above.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQoMfmFyb8T1pEPIUOyqvJphdjnM3GumMjv5Ja1j7fT1n-OtE8oaU4tCzfvlrrNaeEA-ZylRoYBQFyFxmwsk3G45nF3TXcbYQW1lPZ5t8Duu-48b3UlUTLtRE_r-hIjZRvk61LTT2czQ/s1600/August+2+099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQoMfmFyb8T1pEPIUOyqvJphdjnM3GumMjv5Ja1j7fT1n-OtE8oaU4tCzfvlrrNaeEA-ZylRoYBQFyFxmwsk3G45nF3TXcbYQW1lPZ5t8Duu-48b3UlUTLtRE_r-hIjZRvk61LTT2czQ/s320/August+2+099.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">While I was letting the peppers steam, I juiced the limes... I think it took 2 small limes to get the right amount of juice. For this recipe, you definitely want to use fresh juice. The stuff that you can buy from concentrate never tastes the same, and especially since we aren't cooking this recipe, you'd really be able to taste the freshness!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyinocCDJ8OhV0nSdQ_erMIxT4r4SPcnvuXKXp3q-rjJAIqEzsPNcWkin3LFkgqBhEXqod5mqstINFiqew6tGoX6Fu0zp2zelgJMKsewXURiGP-np5wsPITRtH1PFqxafY-RxFhKRGWQ/s1600/August+2+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyinocCDJ8OhV0nSdQ_erMIxT4r4SPcnvuXKXp3q-rjJAIqEzsPNcWkin3LFkgqBhEXqod5mqstINFiqew6tGoX6Fu0zp2zelgJMKsewXURiGP-np5wsPITRtH1PFqxafY-RxFhKRGWQ/s320/August+2+100.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Next, I pulled out my trusty mini food processor and threw in the 1/4 of the onion (Bobby used red, but I only had a white onion, so that went in). I also put in the garlic, honey, and the roasted poblanos. Then, I whirled it all together until everything was about the same consistency.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrZBVYS25XBc3HDuGn_cDI_GkkLh_VrUs_FEmLK9HXjoQHhtn9Ys57PJGI8vb91iveqRJhXH37zVcJiMM6Exjd63Ygqxcy3YbcyJruNc4xC22DhvPZTyUZ5r0RkGZBibEpE5WPLDNKLc/s1600/August+2+101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrZBVYS25XBc3HDuGn_cDI_GkkLh_VrUs_FEmLK9HXjoQHhtn9Ys57PJGI8vb91iveqRJhXH37zVcJiMM6Exjd63Ygqxcy3YbcyJruNc4xC22DhvPZTyUZ5r0RkGZBibEpE5WPLDNKLc/s320/August+2+101.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">It will all look like this when it's pureed to the right consistency. Doesn't look much like salad dressing yet, but just wait!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQxe0b0rdC1HbE_hFpM3HzguoTHpuvBPlb1ohaD-f3uJH_gGgQ03rF9THT8UJDf20IR93zRsB51hwXIY6Y9JO1Gf6oTAp4bin_jbynJQ55X2E5aKyFK2ZbREIZPbl0MJTB81VJq4UgJY/s1600/August+2+102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQxe0b0rdC1HbE_hFpM3HzguoTHpuvBPlb1ohaD-f3uJH_gGgQ03rF9THT8UJDf20IR93zRsB51hwXIY6Y9JO1Gf6oTAp4bin_jbynJQ55X2E5aKyFK2ZbREIZPbl0MJTB81VJq4UgJY/s320/August+2+102.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Next, you'll want to stream in VERY SLOWLY the olive oil. This little food processor had 2 tiny little holes in the top of the lid, so I slowly poured the olive oil in. You have to do it slowly so the salad dressing can get to the right texture.... it's called emulsification. I'm not 100% sure of the science behind it, but I know that it won't turn out right if you don't do it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXTMmJG5uz0PqMpJzNUmuN7qRrc9PZTicffXTjaxC63VcjO-e8AGWMnyuxUcaJ3VGxATP46HFQAopTUY4fXnLOUMPQHhIiKBUZ1EhI3Axy2MdqQljzgBwd1L44s-qzWBG6AEUri6hj7k/s1600/August+2+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXTMmJG5uz0PqMpJzNUmuN7qRrc9PZTicffXTjaxC63VcjO-e8AGWMnyuxUcaJ3VGxATP46HFQAopTUY4fXnLOUMPQHhIiKBUZ1EhI3Axy2MdqQljzgBwd1L44s-qzWBG6AEUri6hj7k/s320/August+2+103.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Next, you want to add in the spinach leaves. I'm not sure why this was a part of the recipe... maybe to give it more green color? Either way, I followed the recipe and I thought it worked out :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3fL6Ejlj4_Ufweo4Ra4gDMiEvBbjTXxYKTGAQjpo0EnXGmseJAOEm0fF1brLTIXRqL91TnwZxchIP2rqqKxc-8GamNzVlLIupxysH5Vhb1iFjq4GuInbrn5nleLxK3w8PUaDjB1U1Tc/s1600/August+2+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3fL6Ejlj4_Ufweo4Ra4gDMiEvBbjTXxYKTGAQjpo0EnXGmseJAOEm0fF1brLTIXRqL91TnwZxchIP2rqqKxc-8GamNzVlLIupxysH5Vhb1iFjq4GuInbrn5nleLxK3w8PUaDjB1U1Tc/s320/August+2+104.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">So you puree it again until everything is pureed until its nice and smooth. Basically, you don't want big chunks of garlic or spinach in your dressing - at least I didn't, but if you do, then just go for it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtupF89eshmJj3H8Wpc4fNd8ai6bzLDPZdQ_aGpY6oHTuq9wVmOLYH09yUWI6f6cf1SDf-NbYIU-8oD6g-cTh2TIaIVoBK0__-rAKlkgzP3T3JJqhlpZZBOstYa1KAtJLVxcmW7SU9Os/s1600/August+2+105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtupF89eshmJj3H8Wpc4fNd8ai6bzLDPZdQ_aGpY6oHTuq9wVmOLYH09yUWI6f6cf1SDf-NbYIU-8oD6g-cTh2TIaIVoBK0__-rAKlkgzP3T3JJqhlpZZBOstYa1KAtJLVxcmW7SU9Os/s320/August+2+105.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">So here's the dressing on a steak salad. It's just some greens with sliced steak and the vinaigrette. I typically put more stuff in my salads (onion, carrots, peppers, etc) but this one was for Curt and he likes just lettuce and meat haha. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Overall, I thought this was a great recipe! It was easy and made about 1 1/2 or 2 cups. I saved it in this little mason jar and stuck it in the fridge for the rest of the week. It would go well with a spicy meal... like fajitas or tacos or something else similarly delicious!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBny4UVkLSGFMOPSlaYoBq1d1a22wXfb_wOMx35y0hm1XJVbC2J736rHzKTNZHQ_2ipPl86DHF1rpWAHo7lU00zYLne0IfzBL43oK2O0OyylvP7i26TZz3gAA3jNI0B8RzlXGHzkN7mg/s1600/August+2+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBny4UVkLSGFMOPSlaYoBq1d1a22wXfb_wOMx35y0hm1XJVbC2J736rHzKTNZHQ_2ipPl86DHF1rpWAHo7lU00zYLne0IfzBL43oK2O0OyylvP7i26TZz3gAA3jNI0B8RzlXGHzkN7mg/s320/August+2+106.jpg" width="240px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">Enjoy!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"></span> </div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-35734690034685808762011-08-04T21:15:00.000-04:002011-08-04T21:15:59.444-04:00Grilled Beef Kabobs<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's been FOREVER since I've made a posting! Sorry about that... my camera decided to call it quits and then my computer decided to do the same... anyhow, everything is up and running and we're back in business! So here's a yummy recipe I made recently!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Summertime, for me, is all about grilling. It's such an easy way to make a meal... and, unless you burn the food, it's pretty hard to mess up. Have you noticed that? You can pretty much marinate anything in anything else and come up with a yummy meal. I had a lot of beef tips that were perfect for kabobs, so that's what I decided to make. I did some research on Bobby Flay's website (because he's the king of the grill) and found this recipe!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: cyan; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Garlic Mustard Grilled Beef Skewers</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbN0dqnY8394PbdPyquI6GTsuAiDSRt8WSfN1FHtAWisgCMZl7igtzD6Ro6RA25eIyJ9m_fBaMQm-K8HgbXTsTHb6w_80hnifIln0olRd1FtlQAFCAHGFPwrBMhMLFH_fagODeCxeuv8/s1600/August+2+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbN0dqnY8394PbdPyquI6GTsuAiDSRt8WSfN1FHtAWisgCMZl7igtzD6Ro6RA25eIyJ9m_fBaMQm-K8HgbXTsTHb6w_80hnifIln0olRd1FtlQAFCAHGFPwrBMhMLFH_fagODeCxeuv8/s320/August+2+090.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 lbs beef tips (or cut up roast)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 cloves garlic, finely chopped </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/4 cup grainy mustard </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoon Dijon mustard </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 teaspoons paprika </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/4 teaspoon salt </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/4 teaspoon pepper </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons white wine vinegar </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tablespoon honey </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">any veggies you like grilled</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpU4bmFuPTUjDaAU38M5hfK97jjgJBZudPoG3Yyjq_P0Xqe-Of4XLrwU6jM8CkLLF-Vj9GLE7eqPaXnqAmUYuK9_0kItU9KuMVOjfvGUa2cSPO_hNFtAw3ph2SC08a5q7YTXbiajNbOk/s1600/August+2+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpU4bmFuPTUjDaAU38M5hfK97jjgJBZudPoG3Yyjq_P0Xqe-Of4XLrwU6jM8CkLLF-Vj9GLE7eqPaXnqAmUYuK9_0kItU9KuMVOjfvGUa2cSPO_hNFtAw3ph2SC08a5q7YTXbiajNbOk/s320/August+2+091.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was super easy peasy! In a small bowl, mix the mustards, paprika, salt, pepper, soy sauce, garlic, white wine vinegar, and honey. The honey is optional, but I'm not a huge fan of mustard, and I think the honey cuts up the spicy taste of the mustard. I bought 2 different types of mustard: 1 is a grainy mustard with the big mustard seeds and the other is a dijon mustard. I'm still slowly trying to make myself like mustard, but it's a slow process! I've gotten myself to like onions, pepper, and red wine, so I figure I'll try to add mustard to the mix.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, when all of the ingredients were combined, I threw the beef in the bowl and tossed it all together to make sure that each piece was nicely coated in the marinade. I then covered it and let it marinate for 30 minutes. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYVO0SicBqa0TmYQJeOg4CvK5yHBVXaIcUh60ODOZim__NGIc1QvxPV2ee5hQ8ofmOZL4eCSGsZZyz9DUHbjKMnETU9KWMslaqVswLcvVZmz4pTjKBn6NNmpnVRSK1rYaZOkJcy1AVs/s1600/August+2+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYVO0SicBqa0TmYQJeOg4CvK5yHBVXaIcUh60ODOZim__NGIc1QvxPV2ee5hQ8ofmOZL4eCSGsZZyz9DUHbjKMnETU9KWMslaqVswLcvVZmz4pTjKBn6NNmpnVRSK1rYaZOkJcy1AVs/s320/August+2+093.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While waiting for the meat to marinate, I set out to cut the veggies. This is really easy... it just depends on what you like to eat! I love grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, potatoes... almost anything! I did just visit a farmer's market the day before, so I already had a red, yellow, and green pepper, a red onion, and some zucchini, so I washed them up and cut them into big sized chunks. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RIp31AxqgqrpeZCkZ14nPJTJvHWSDvqRBI7dl1M9UCYD3nVetaqdDUGzhiJ_feSv2a1I5BOLagPdnMgCkbbMSSIc-bQSLNO_skIpR6uMWMv-9r6vruRAAAqOPr-AiU517f-2Q248ivM/s1600/August+2+092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RIp31AxqgqrpeZCkZ14nPJTJvHWSDvqRBI7dl1M9UCYD3nVetaqdDUGzhiJ_feSv2a1I5BOLagPdnMgCkbbMSSIc-bQSLNO_skIpR6uMWMv-9r6vruRAAAqOPr-AiU517f-2Q248ivM/s320/August+2+092.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the meat had fininshed marinating, I threw everything on skewers. Typically, you are supposed to soak the skewers in water so that they don't burn when they go on the grill. I didn't have time to, though, so I just skipped that step. I threw the ingredients onto a skewer and set them on a foil lined pan. I had the grill heated up to a pretty high temperature. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZvj6LJCnYXqwOhmcINmXCVTC2oKroh0L4lsQsmPwMs8CYD2zyWMDRGTf50tWneveHDpvi4IPsppoFRXEcwHnYsWg6JyPViPKUlUsONqo0HCENZHcZ2Cl8xiJOhFb-Fmvtn8dIKr1Dus/s1600/August+2+095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZvj6LJCnYXqwOhmcINmXCVTC2oKroh0L4lsQsmPwMs8CYD2zyWMDRGTf50tWneveHDpvi4IPsppoFRXEcwHnYsWg6JyPViPKUlUsONqo0HCENZHcZ2Cl8xiJOhFb-Fmvtn8dIKr1Dus/s320/August+2+095.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before throwing the kabobs onto the grill, I took the extra marinade and brushed it over the whole kabob, including the veggies. This is how the veggies were seasoned since I didn't season them with anything else. Might as well make use of all the yummy flavors we created, right?!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzLE8Z6t7oqmrrDFPCG6jSGvEMy3veimlrz2106zEFEAVmJ26Oi0nf1H8aTq7f23ofLKob2G4gFuzWkMkGhIEBC9CsMOnFjQFzaB32zI8HzPYyVDk2f6S4BPnY0BqPRMCTWyffWS88E0/s1600/August+2+094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzLE8Z6t7oqmrrDFPCG6jSGvEMy3veimlrz2106zEFEAVmJ26Oi0nf1H8aTq7f23ofLKob2G4gFuzWkMkGhIEBC9CsMOnFjQFzaB32zI8HzPYyVDk2f6S4BPnY0BqPRMCTWyffWS88E0/s320/August+2+094.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> So here the kabobs are on the grill. It didn't take very long at all. Curt likes his meat charred on the outside but medium rare on the inside. Hence, why I put the grill on high. When the heat is high, the outside can get a nice char, just keep turning it so there is char on all sides. Then, you can either turn the heat down, or you can move the kabobs to a part of the grill that isn't so hot. Overall, they only took about 10 minutes to grill.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzXyxwM-68n_aI06Rp2yq9YHG3pjckaFEhAH6Oz5rztEyxrbEjU2BIdWaSUtnP79URmw6EZ6U51-P-9A0X-prLyN7SY4f-HbzKvq4opvLeyI6oenVb2drlHzlhUMuuE-gv8TpxYbH-C4/s1600/August+2+096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzXyxwM-68n_aI06Rp2yq9YHG3pjckaFEhAH6Oz5rztEyxrbEjU2BIdWaSUtnP79URmw6EZ6U51-P-9A0X-prLyN7SY4f-HbzKvq4opvLeyI6oenVb2drlHzlhUMuuE-gv8TpxYbH-C4/s320/August+2+096.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here they are! Super easy and pretty tasty too. You could definitely taste the mustard. I think that next time, I might add a bit more garlic, just because I LOVE garlic. The flavor was really good and it was just an easy dish to make. It was perfect for a hot summer day. There wasn't much prep work or clean up either! This is definitely a must try! You could probably use it on chicken or just brush it on a regular steak too.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have a few more kabob recipes up my sleeve too! Keep your eyes open for them! </span></div>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216284244919065199.post-75924987536340048192011-06-07T22:21:00.001-04:002011-06-07T22:21:40.392-04:00Perfect Paleo Gumbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love soups... chicken soup, beef soup, chili, mushroom soup, maryland crab soup, cioppino... I love them all! This past winter, I attempted to make some gumbo! We have some good friends who are from New Orleans who KNOW how to make some authentic dishes. One day, I was just craving some anduille sausage and figured I'd try my hand at some gumbo. I shot a quick text message to Angele asking her for any tips when making gumbo. She immediately called me back and asked me if I had a pen and paper to take notes! I combined a bunch of different recipes and made a DELICIOUS gumbo. Here's my version of </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Pefect Paleo Gumbo</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOGmJSmsBOC8igw-6Ag3Ow3dRmSeDP84jVzcXxJgnCWd4nNCnaUtW5n5yI50e0Rx8mezCi-kAUgJezsSp5ne8vuo03XEkiKnklrzl6MW9rRzz56cxx6kqUDqpv2BCOEIqElkrDVlfM8/s1600/Picture+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOGmJSmsBOC8igw-6Ag3Ow3dRmSeDP84jVzcXxJgnCWd4nNCnaUtW5n5yI50e0Rx8mezCi-kAUgJezsSp5ne8vuo03XEkiKnklrzl6MW9rRzz56cxx6kqUDqpv2BCOEIqElkrDVlfM8/s320/Picture+002.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 bag frozen chopped okra</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 whole roasting chicken</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 large onion, diced</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb peeled shrimp</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb anduille sausage</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 lb lump crabmeat</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/4 cup bacon grease</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 cups seafood stock</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 can diced tomatoes</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 3 ribs celery , diced</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 green pepper, diced</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 6 cloves garlic, minced</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1/2 tsp cayenne</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 1 tsp paprika</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">* 2 tbs creole seasoning (I used Zatarains)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOGmJSmsBOC8igw-6Ag3Ow3dRmSeDP84jVzcXxJgnCWd4nNCnaUtW5n5yI50e0Rx8mezCi-kAUgJezsSp5ne8vuo03XEkiKnklrzl6MW9rRzz56cxx6kqUDqpv2BCOEIqElkrDVlfM8/s1600/Picture+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOGmJSmsBOC8igw-6Ag3Ow3dRmSeDP84jVzcXxJgnCWd4nNCnaUtW5n5yI50e0Rx8mezCi-kAUgJezsSp5ne8vuo03XEkiKnklrzl6MW9rRzz56cxx6kqUDqpv2BCOEIqElkrDVlfM8/s320/Picture+002.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before you get started, you'll want to cook the whole chicken. I just threw the chicken in a big pot and covered it with cold water. Then I put a pinch of salt and pepper in the water and coverfed the whole thing with a lid and let it boil. It took a while to cook the whole thing, but you want to boil and cook the chicken. Once it's cooked all the way, you can remove the chicken from the water (but save the water- you'll want the flavor for later!!!). Then, pick through the chicken and set the meat aside because you will use this for your gumbo. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlDfNIQxq0HN04Ykgr3WNB_IPFOzjlcIVAAYfmfwgZEr2R1Jtl7gPXM48XhGiq172P3FGhyphenhyphenXb6-TpaU7vHbwfl4kcLa8qTudG8MqytrtAgChxnbhv_wqPclzY35kXqNLT7YKC8FVDmcA/s1600/Picture+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlDfNIQxq0HN04Ykgr3WNB_IPFOzjlcIVAAYfmfwgZEr2R1Jtl7gPXM48XhGiq172P3FGhyphenhyphenXb6-TpaU7vHbwfl4kcLa8qTudG8MqytrtAgChxnbhv_wqPclzY35kXqNLT7YKC8FVDmcA/s320/Picture+004.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started off the gumbo by putting the bacon grease in a large heavy bottom pot. Once it was liquidy, I added in the okra. I put it in still frozen because it will obviously thaw out once it cooks through. You'll want to start this early because the okra needs to cook for a while. As it cooks, you will notice that it's getting slimy... you can literally see the slime stuff on your spoon as you stir it up. Don't fear! Keep going... the slimey stuff will eventually go away, leaving a deliciously flavored okra that helps to thicken the gumbo.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4j0XRI2TCyag-QrwUcjNYQlZdiY9NAEv2ngJCU7xEJBXZWc4DEM5JYcUubFuAw5zlFeHzzjTjSY3GbEkn83UQ4MThfug49vXCe1B1jw-6351EU7JL2xZ1r7CEEKYJmL2QWqkUiWGIiw/s1600/Picture+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4j0XRI2TCyag-QrwUcjNYQlZdiY9NAEv2ngJCU7xEJBXZWc4DEM5JYcUubFuAw5zlFeHzzjTjSY3GbEkn83UQ4MThfug49vXCe1B1jw-6351EU7JL2xZ1r7CEEKYJmL2QWqkUiWGIiw/s320/Picture+003.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the okra is cooking down, you can dice the onion and the garlic as well as the green pepper and the celery. Once the okra is past the slimy part, you can add in the onions and the garlic. Let it cook down and get all soft and cooked. This is definitely a slow process that you don't want to rush! </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4oWPhf5aGFrxSwmHSXsIGfqfbfL9D3eYN4qBdnqzH2igtobQvZBkMgXPbylmPFuEJpSIzVX3tx_C7UKzx03kyyg7WYNbP1v2Cfand5r070U41BPRDlvdk87WUXEn_zbbt0YJSgRmrfM/s1600/Picture+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4oWPhf5aGFrxSwmHSXsIGfqfbfL9D3eYN4qBdnqzH2igtobQvZBkMgXPbylmPFuEJpSIzVX3tx_C7UKzx03kyyg7WYNbP1v2Cfand5r070U41BPRDlvdk87WUXEn_zbbt0YJSgRmrfM/s320/Picture+005.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stir in the celery and the green peppers and cook everything down. I didn't want any crunch in my gumbo, so I just kept adding in a bit of bacon grease when it all seemed to dry up. I didn't have to add too much extra, just enough so that the veggies didn't brown and crisp up. I just wanted them sauteed and soft. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPkDb4MsA4ZHx_27npZDv3xl0f8o2UIYE3pu3b9v-bOtGcNSUV39beQJi-8-ZJ4ex8VrjTE2b1e2lSjc3zgo9wsZyJ4Pda4J9CxM56FHiV-y_nTqhNPGFiuWUj56vcPBa8kBWaWanP6A/s1600/Picture+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPkDb4MsA4ZHx_27npZDv3xl0f8o2UIYE3pu3b9v-bOtGcNSUV39beQJi-8-ZJ4ex8VrjTE2b1e2lSjc3zgo9wsZyJ4Pda4J9CxM56FHiV-y_nTqhNPGFiuWUj56vcPBa8kBWaWanP6A/s320/Picture+006.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next, I added in the can of diced tomatoes. I always use the organic, salt free tomatoes that are diced. You could probably use fresh tomatoes if you want, but I just had canned... so that's what went in! I mixed it all together and started seeing some promising results!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOBWHruU1lLKhoK5CXbKZejW1XWudapsJ5DoRFKfdTqBeb89Khfks-rcCl9Kr1qnmQAsYq6jlFwtELMSObTbJE0LArenpLlpmnDpIQu6F7jTPPaFqrjFVnSXZHufnR6Go9EZ6Vs4bErk/s1600/Picture+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOBWHruU1lLKhoK5CXbKZejW1XWudapsJ5DoRFKfdTqBeb89Khfks-rcCl9Kr1qnmQAsYq6jlFwtELMSObTbJE0LArenpLlpmnDpIQu6F7jTPPaFqrjFVnSXZHufnR6Go9EZ6Vs4bErk/s320/Picture+007.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I added in the seafood stock (which I make from scratch, but you can certainly buy). I like my soups very liquidy, so I added in about another 2-4 cups of the water that was reserved from cooking the chicken. You can add in chicken broth, or skip this step altogether if you'd rather have yours more chunky. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, in went the reserved chicken meat that I left in nice bite sized chunks.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYbmETwxcstVEqUAC8-8WFTyTABBoeYJWIt4SuxbFf_xe-upHXds5FkBDQP8qPuwzpJg22WXjzliwAu09YiS8yYTfzIAGURTHCYFxqaldDCgHujF0L19ZO8M8y985E9Avn102AjpN6zk/s1600/Picture+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYbmETwxcstVEqUAC8-8WFTyTABBoeYJWIt4SuxbFf_xe-upHXds5FkBDQP8qPuwzpJg22WXjzliwAu09YiS8yYTfzIAGURTHCYFxqaldDCgHujF0L19ZO8M8y985E9Avn102AjpN6zk/s320/Picture+008.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also threw in the shrimp and crabmeat. The first time I made this gumbo, I used chicken, shrimp, and anduille sausage... unfortunately, the grocery store I went to didn't have anduille sausage... btutI remembereed Angele saying that she used crabmeat sometimes... so I took a trip to the seafood department and picked up a pound of crab meat! Being a girl from the Md area, I love crab and decided that it would be a nice addition! So in went some crab. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys01aLI4lXYUBkzvJVobE6JDVHX8DWmVpQEr-kAhPisaD1xTM_WAl5PVUnaa-n6bppNdvqP_shR1kuugQ9DE6s8ks8sYxSV9gY1xQgiyDF-aWJSB0CsgM64qZk3QDz3pcU2QtexBPpgA/s1600/Picture+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys01aLI4lXYUBkzvJVobE6JDVHX8DWmVpQEr-kAhPisaD1xTM_WAl5PVUnaa-n6bppNdvqP_shR1kuugQ9DE6s8ks8sYxSV9gY1xQgiyDF-aWJSB0CsgM64qZk3QDz3pcU2QtexBPpgA/s320/Picture+010.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stirred it all together and let the shrimp cook through (which only took a few minutes). I then added in the cayenne and paprika. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2HTE69rtk6duBNSYW1gh6jRrhGBxSWFb21kIaZJiIxxEgJu2XONahK2POLSRPH2riywP3T0ys7nNcnPlqyw7jNywtEhok_RQM-_xJIxSDaDxA_0sdXYhobTJVA1tz1bUt06azjlmdKk/s1600/Picture+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2HTE69rtk6duBNSYW1gh6jRrhGBxSWFb21kIaZJiIxxEgJu2XONahK2POLSRPH2riywP3T0ys7nNcnPlqyw7jNywtEhok_RQM-_xJIxSDaDxA_0sdXYhobTJVA1tz1bUt06azjlmdKk/s320/Picture+009.jpg" t8="true" width="240px" /></span></a></div><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also added in the creole seasoning. I love spices so I actually added in a lot more than 2 tbs, but you should really add it to your own personal taste. There are tons of different creole spices you can use, but this stuff was what the store had, so in it went! It was pretty darn tasty!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's the finished project! Seafood gumbo! It was soooo delicious... I'm definitely a fan of gumbo now :) Now I will say that, traditionally, gumbos need a roux which is basically a cooked paste of flour and butter. Flour, as we know, is definitely not paleo, so I just omitted this part. I thought it still tasted great and didn't miss it at all. If you want to make the gumbo thicker, you could probably add in some tapioca starch or something gluten free... but I didn't think that the lack of a roux detracted in any way shape or form. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span>The cookin cutiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16583697008400238251noreply@blogger.com0