Monthly Archives: November 2013

Soups

Slow Cooked Leftover Lamb Shank Soup

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I mixed the leftover gravy and vegetables that was in the slow cooker from my Slow Cooked Lamb Shank with Carrots and Leeks Served with a Cauliflower Puree recipe with the last of the cauliflower puree. This puree, which is just mashed cauliflower with some sea salt and black pepper is what makes this soup look like it has cream even though it is vegan. The richness is from the rendered animal fat, not dairy. Since I have been trying to incorporate more fat into my diet, as I eliminate more sugar and grains, this makes an ideal healthy and satisfying meal. Plus, an economical one. All of the organic vegetables and grass-fed animal fat is being made into another healthy meal, instead of thrown away.

Dinner

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank with Carrots and Leeks Served with a Cauliflower Puree

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Lamb Shank

 

This dinner was surprisingly easy, even though it looks impressive. Slow cooking the meat made it literally fall off the bone when I tried to remove it from the slow cooker. Plus, I mixed the leftover gravy and vegetables that was in the slow cooker with the last of the cauliflower puree together, and ate it as a soup the next day.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank with Carrots and Leeks Served with a Cauliflower Puree
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 grass fed lamb shanks
  • 1 chopped leek
  • 3 rough chopped carrots
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 3 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 3 cups of water
  • 2 small heads of cauliflower
  • sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. Add 2 cups of water to the slow cooker.
  2. Then fit 2 lamb shanks into slow cooker.
  3. Add sea salt and black pepper to top of lamb shanks
  4. Rough chop leeks and carrots and add to slow cooker.
  5. Finely chop garlic and pick off thyme leaves and then add both to slow cooker.
  6. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours.
  7. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
  8. Rough chop cauliflower and add to pot with 1 cup of water.
  9. Let water steam/boil cauliflower for 15 minutes or until knife slide in easily.
  10. Transfer cauliflower to Vitamix, and add a small amount of the water to blend easily. You can also add more water so try to blend with as little as possible for a thick puree.
  11. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

This recipe is posted in the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable
Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtabl
Soups

Paleo Asian-Italian “Abondigas” Soup

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I used Italian flavored meatballs, since that was what I had cooked earlier, but you can easily add Asian flavors to make this meal more consistent with the Asian Beef Broth. I oftentimes add spices and scallions to my bone broth, when I’m in the mood for something other than my usual bone broth with fresh ground black pepper.

Paleo Asian-Italian "Abondigas" Soup
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 1lb of grass fed ground beef
  • 4 large cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp of fresh chopped rosemary
  • ½ tsp of fresh chopped thyme
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 cups of homemade beef bone broth
  • 1 tbsp of dried ground ginger
  • 1 clove of fresh grated garlic
  • 1 tbsp of coconut aminos
  • 3 stalks of chopped scallions
  • 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Mix together ground beef, garlic, rosemary, sea salt, and thyme. Form into balls.
  2. Grease baking sheet with coconut oil and bake meatballs for 20-40 minutes depending on their size.
  3. Add remaining ingredients to a pot, including meatballs when cooked.

This is recipe is on Healing with Food Friday.

Soups

Basic Blended Broccoli Soup

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This is one of my favorite soups, partly because it’s so easy. I like to use all of the broccoli, including the stalk. You can also save your broccoli stalks that you might throw away, and use them to make this soup. The color won’t be as intense, but it’s a great way to save money and avoid waste. I also have a recipe for Vegan Mashed Broccoli, which is similar, just with less liquid. These recipes can be made paleo or vegan. For some added nutrition, I love using bone both in this recipe, but a vegetable stock or water works just as well. This recipe will be included in the ebook I’m working on called Easy Blended Vegetable Soups, which will be available for free to my monthly newsletter subscribers.

Basic Blended Broccoli Soup
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 heads of broccoli
  • 2 cups of water (or bone broth, or vegetable stock)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Rough chop broccoli heads, including stalks, and add them to a pot with liquid.
  2. Let steam for 10-15 minutes, or until fork or knife slides easily in.
  3. Use an immersion blender on ingredients in the pot or transfer to a blender. I prefer my Vitamix.
  4. Add more liquid if needed, for desired thickness.
  5. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Sides

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Coconut Aminos

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This recipe was really easy, and tasted delicious. I used coconut aminos, which is a great healthy alternative to soy sauce. You can find this at your local health food store or online.

Despite using coconut oil and coconut aminos, this dish surprisingly did not taste like coconut. I definitely plan on making this again.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Coconut Aminos
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 2 cups of brussel sprouts
  • 1 tbsp of coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Slice brussel sprouts in half.
  2. Saute in coconut oil, until desired tenderness. I did ten minutes on high heat.
  3. Add coconut aminos, sea salt and pepper.
  4. Transfer to bowl, and top with more coconut aminos.

This post is on Healing with Foods Friday

Drinks

Ginger Tea for Pain Relief

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Ginger Tea

 

This tea mainly tastes like ginger, which I love, but also includes powerful pain-fighting herbs such as turmeric and lemongrass. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or herbalist, if this helps you feel better, that’s awesome, but this tea is not meant to replace your medication or your health practitioner’s advice. I wanted to make something delicious and healing for myself, and of course, share it online with my followers. Feel free to change up the ingredients as desired, or add a sweetener of your choice.

Herbal Benefits

Ginger Uses: Indigestion, nausea, motion sickness, may help reduce cholesterol and narrowing of arteries, and relieves muscle pain. (White and Foster 560)

Turmeric Uses: Peptic ulcers, hardening of the arteries, indigestion, liver problems. Curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric, has been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-reducing, and cancer-fighting properies. (White and Foster 574)

Cardamom Uses: Indigestion, detoxification, oral and kidney health, improves blood circulation, and has antioxidant properties.

Lemongrass Uses: Contains anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties, reduces inflammation, helps relieve pain from headaches, joint pains and muscle pains.

Ginger Tea for Pain Relief
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 slices of ginger
  • 2 slices of tumeric
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch of lemongrass
  • ½ lime
  • 5 cups of water
Instructions
  1. Fill pot with water, bring to boil.
  2. Slice lemongrass lengthwise.
  3. Add remaining herbs to water.
  4. Squeeze in half a lime.
  5. Let it boil until desired strength. I gave it 10-20 minutes.

References:
http://www.diabetesguide.info/cardamom/
http://letsgohealthy.blogspot.com/2012/12/health-benefits-of-lemongrass.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/029986_ginger_muscle_pain.html
The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D., and Steven Foster