Chicken Burgers

     For these Chicken Burgers, we used one pound of organic ground chicken, 2 handfuls of fresh, chopped spinach leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1/2 a red onion chopped, one farm fresh egg, and about 2 tablespoons of organic plain yogurt.  We used for seasonings a variety of things.....kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and ground cloves.  We found the ground cloves really brought the flavors all together.  These were attractive little burgers that we grilled on the grill, but could just as easily be baked in the oven for about 30 minutes at about 350 degrees. 
     We ate them on a bed of red and green leaf lettuce, with a slice of tomato.  Never missed the bun!  I really wished I would've taken a picture, because this was a pretty dish as well as being tasty.

H.A.M.

When I saw ham for under $1.50/lb I had to buy it. Now I have a 10lb ham and need to figure out how many different ways I can cook it, and freeze portions until I do so.

Much harder than it looks. Ham itself is okay occasionally, but it’s always secretly paired with non-primal foods. Planning meals is like getting a Q in Scrabble with no U to lay it down. I grew up with leftover ham in cheesy potato casseroles, chopped ham spread on Ritz crackers, ham sandwiches, ham and beans, sugary BBQ goodness… So here’s my list so far, of ways to eat this ham differently than I have the past 30 years.  Double. Word. Score. Check it.

Ham and eggs.

Ham and green beans.

Ham & summer vegetables.

Chopped ham on iceberg salad with tomatoes and hard boiled eggs.

Chopped ham on spinach salad with strawberries and slivered almonds.

Chopped ham and pineapple bits in lettuce wraps.

Broccoli, ham, and egg bake.

Ham and asparagus frittata.

Ham and julienned stir-fry veggies (minus the corn starch).

Heat a wok or large skillet with oil on medium heat. Place carrots, onions, green beans, green peas, broccoli, green peppers and red peppers. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Make a well in the center of vegetables. Place ham in and stir to moisten. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

In a small, lightly greased skillet, scramble the eggs until firm. Cut eggs up into small pieces.

Stir vegetables, ham and eggs together. Mix the soy sauce, water and cornstarch in a bowl and pour into center of wok or skillet. Stir quickly until it begins to thicken.

Pork and Apples.

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

2-3 C. ham, cut into cubes

Dash of oil of choice

1 red apple, cored and chopped

Add cubed ham, celery, and onion and stir fry until near-tender. Add apples and heat through. Serve.

Whats your take on ham? Please leave us your comments!

Carrots and Onions

I was bored of raw baby carrots so last night I tossed the rest of the half-way eaten bag in a skillet and drizzled with EVOO. I chopped a yellow onion into big chunks. Turned on med/high heat and covered partially with a lid. The carrots blackened up a bit and were slightly tender.  Not too mushy, not totally raw.

When I saw this Roasted Carrots and Onions recipe on allrecipes.com, it said to use red onions, but I didn’t have any. It also said to place on a cookie sheet in the oven. I did these in a skillet because my oven was cooking a ham at the time. It all worked out super-fantastic. I'll definitely try this again. Very excited to have found a way to have roasted carrots without the butter and brown sugar. 

Seafood Soup

Seafood Soup

I made this, because it was so cold outside and I was craving chowder.  Well, chowder isn’t exactly part of the primal eating plan.  So, I altered it somewhat, and it turned out pretty darn good.  Even my spouse (who is a chowder critic) liked it enough to eat seconds, and asked for the leftovers for lunch the next day.  Here’s how it went….

1 can of salmon

1 can of crabmeat

1 cup of frozen cauliflower – thawed and drained

Celery, carrots and onion, chopped somewhat finely (you aren’t cooking it for a long time)

Dill, parsley, black pepper (I used a generous portion of coarse black pepper, cuz that’s how I like it), pinch of salt, garlic powder, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes,  and a pinch of nutmeg.

The juice of half a lemon

2 – 2.5 cups of fish stock if you have it on hand, or chicken stock.

1 cup of milk

In the soup pot over med. heat, I put 2 tblsps. Butter and 2 tblsps. Olive oil.  Once heated and melted, add chopped celery, carrots and onion.  After cooking for about 5 mins. add seasonings and lemon juice, stir and let cook with veggies for another 5 minutes.  Add cauliflower and cook for a few more minutes.  Add cans of salmon and crabmeat (add liquid and all, helps with flavor, especially if you aren’t using fish stock).  Once heated through add stock.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes over med. to low heat.  Turn heat off, and while stirring add cup of milk….continuing to stir until well incorporated.  Ready to eat! 

I ate mine with some chopped green onions and lemon zest thrown on top.  Delicious!  I was worried, I would miss the potatoes and thickness of the chowder, but this was so flavorful, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

Mediterranean Sliders

Mediterranean Sliders

These were easy and utterly delectable!  Melted in our mouths!!  These would be great by themselves with a side dish…..added to a tomato sauce or in added into a soup.  I ate a couple right off the cookie sheet….I just couldn’t help it.  

1.         1 lb. of ground lamb (preferred) or ground chicken (gr. Turkey might be too dry)

2.      1 egg (beaten)

3.      ¼ cup of parmesan cheese  (this and the egg act as the binder in the absence of bread crumbs)

4.      1 tblsp. Dried Mediterranean Basil, 1 tsp. oregano, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of ground cloves, a pinch of fennel seed, a pinch of salt, and a couple of pinches cracked black pepper.

Mix all this together in a bowl.  Using a cookie scoop or a large tablespoon, scoop out equal portions of these onto a foil lined cookie sheet, or a broiler pan.  (might need some non-stick spray or light coating of EVOO or butter)  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then at 375 for 5-8 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

Roasting a whole chicken

     I LOVE roasting a whole chicken.  I roasted one this weekend, and could have eaten the whole bird myself, if it wasn't for having to share with my spouse.  It's easy, tasty and versatile.

     I used a 3-4 lb. Harvestland Chicken.  Cleaned it, drizzled some olive oil over the top and then rubbed in some black pepper, crushed dried basil and garlic powder.  Put it in a covered roasting pan at 185 degrees for 3 hours, then turned heat up to 250 for 2.5 hours.  When I checked it, the meat was pulling away from the bone, so I turned the heat up to 300, and cooked it uncovered for about 30 minutes.  Put the lid back on it, turned the oven off and let it sit until it was time to eat.  Seriously!  Seriously one of the tastiest chickens I have roasted.
    
      I picked the bird apart, saving the juicest and yummiest morsels for my salad that night, and ate leftover chicken for 2 days in all sorts of ways, heck I was in there pulling out pieces to eat before breakfast.  Delicious!  Wish I had taken a picture!

Beef Jerky

After this adorable little boxer ate two bags of my boyfriend's beef jerky, I decided to try to make my own.  I found this recipe on the Mark's Daily Apple site. I couldnt' find flank steak anywhere so I bought a cut of top roast instead. I've been told you can use just about any cut. 

One time I boiled the strips in the marinade for a few minutes before placing in the oven at 170 for 7 hours on foil-lined baking sheets (My oven is digital and that's the lowest it would go). Another time I placed the strips of meat and marinade in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 3 hours, then cooked overnight.  I liked the ziplock marinade better, but play around and see what you prefer. 

Flank steak. Cut ¼” strips across the grain. Freeze a bit for easier cutting.
Marinade: For a 2-lb cut:
Instead of letting the meat “soak” overnight in a plastic bag, you can boil your marinade mix and drop in your meat strips for a minute or two (recommended by USDA for meat to reach 160 degrees anyway).
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke
3 minced or crushed garlic cloves
2 ½ tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. hot chili powder
½-1 tsp. each of salt and black pepper
(Hint: For a hotter taste, add red pepper flakes or hot sauce. To add a hint of sweetness, include a Tbsp. of honey.)
Again, if you’re using an oven, you’ll use the power of the dry heat to dehydrate the meat over several hours. Lay the strips across clean wire racks or a broiler pan, and place in the oven. You’ll want to put a lined pan in the oven a couple rack bars lower than the strips in order to catch the drippings. If you don’t have racks that will hold the strips, line backing sheets with aluminum foil, and lay your jerky strips on the pans. Make sure the strips don’t touch. Particularly if you used a hot marinade, you can use a lower temperature (150 degrees is common) for 6-8 hours. Turn strips half-way through cook time.
Jerky is done when it’s darkened and cracks when bent. (It shouldn’t break apart.) Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Seal in bags in the fridge (keeps longer in the freezer).

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-make-your-own-jerky/

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Similar recipe from Alton Brown.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red meat (although you can use elk, bear, venison, wild boar or just about any other critter you can hunt. I stick with beef such as top round steak, flank steak or brisket)

Brine:

• 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Place the meat in the freezer for 1 hour, so that it will be easier to cut.
Slice the meat with the grain as thin as humanly possible.
Mix brine ingredients right in a resealable plastic bag (placing the bag inside a large plastic container will make this easier.)

Place meat strips in brine. Move the meat around so the marinade is evenly distributed around it. Seal bag, working out as much air as humanly possible.

Lay bag flat in the plastic container and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours.

Remove meat from the brine and drain on cooling racks. Discard the brine.

When the meat is dry place it inside Blo-hard 3000 and set fan to medium. Leave overnight or for at least 12 hours. If you don't find yourself in possession of a Blo-hard 3000, place strips directly on oven racks.
Heat oven to lowest setting and use a blob of foil as a wedge to hold door ajar.
Oven-dry overnight or until meat reaches a consistency of your liking.
Store in zip-top bag or jar in a cool dark place for 30 or 40 years or until fuzzy stuff starts to grow on it.