Baeckeoffe (Laundry Day Stew)

Even in warm weather, Heather and I are big fans of stews. Our time in Germany introduced us to many hearty recipes, and during our travels we came across this recipe as well. We had heard of it before, but never made it ourselves. While we didn’t order this at any restaurants, we came home determined to make it ourselves.

This “laundry day” stew has an interesting background, originating from the Alastian region of France, which borders Germany. According to Wikipedia, “women would prepare this dish on Saturday evening and leave it with the baker to cook in his gradually cooling oven on Sunday while they attended the lengthy Lutheran church services once typical to the culture.” Some versions even called for making this with quartered pigs feet—we love cooking with pig feet (talk about gelatinous broth) but left it out for those who either can’t, or don’t, want to use them in the kitchen. This stew is very filling and is a winner cold or warm. Let us know how you like it!

Greek Cobb Salad

Since cleaning up our diet and focusing on real food and paleo, there have been a few steadfast options during dining out. It is usually fair to say that you will be able to find a grilled meat/fish with a side of wilted vegetables or a salad. Many salad with the title “chef’s” or “house” usually have little substance and don’t work as a meal. With the exception of a crab louis salad (best in the bay area), I can reliably count on a Cobb salad without cheese.

That being said, it isn’t often we find a variation on the Cobb, other than an occasional Tex Mex or Asian inspired salad including chipotle or wonton crisps, respectively. This Greek Cobb takes all of the things I love about Cobb salad and mixes it up with what I love most about salad. We think you’re going to like it as well. It will make enough salad for 6-8 servings, so it’s a great weekend or weeknight batch cook salad.

Salmorejo (Cold Spanish Tomato Soup)

Salmorejo is a cold tomato soup like gazpacho, but it is richer in flavor and more pinkish-orange in color because it is traditionally made by puréeing bread soaked in water with the tomatoes. Rather than learning to bake a paleo-friendly baguette, we decided to replace the bread with unsalted cashews.

Pepperoni Pizza “Pasta” Salad

As I write this blog post, I’m happy to report that Heather and I have gone 128 days, or 4 months and 8 days, without having any delivery pizza. Pizza has always been a comfort food for me, and it’s really easy to sit down and devour an extra large pizza when I’m stressed. One day after succumbing to junk food for lunch and dinner, I set an ultimatum—100 days without pizza or Chinese takeout. We’re past this goal and have had little temptation for either Chinese or pizza.

This isn’t to say that we don’t love all the components of pizza (minus the bread and cheese). This pizza “pasta” salad was so delicious we finished it within 4 hours of making it. The flavors develop as it rests, but good luck having it rest very long. This pizza salad is fantastic!

Mom’s Comfort Casserole

Growing up, casseroles and large, make ahead dishes were big in my family. It took me a really long time to come around to loving leftovers; but now that I have a large hand in making sure meals are made and there is food to eat throughout the week, I’ve become more flexible. Mom’s comfort casserole was among the few things that I would happily eat over and over. Sadly, I did this with a lot of vigor, and usually ate the whole thing within the evening, if not over 2 days.

We’ve adapted her recipe to replace elbow macaroni with spiralized sweet potato, and excluded the cheese. If you have a high-quality hard cheese like cheddar, or even something like mozzarella, it would be amazing shredded on top (probably about 1/2 C would do). Dairy is an occasional splurge for us; but if you tolerate it well, sprinkle it on this amazing comfort casserole and go to town. I know we did.