Mushroom & Steak Wrap

While visiting my parents in Virginia and taking advantage of the farmer’s market in their town, we needed to do something for lunch.  My parents are supportive of our eating habits, but haven’t decided it’s time for them to take on the same dietary approach.  Growing up in the midwest, I can totally appreciate that after 50+ years of eating a certain way without any pressing health issues they aren’t convinced what we are doing is necessary or right for them.  They usually will eat what we make, and like it, so that’s one fewer meal full of grain and dairy.  We ended up with thinly cut NY strip, even though we were looking for sandwich steaks–the strip was on sale and they didn’t have the other.  Either way, this was a great lunch that was filling and finished in under 15 minutes.

Hearty Stovetop Chili

It may come as a surprise, but Heather and I are huge fans of chili.  Even in the peak of summer, it’s likely that we have plans to make chili, are making chili, or are eating leftover chili.  Our recipe has always relied on cooking up the meat, onions, and peppers in a skillet, transferring that to a crock pot with salsa and diced tomatoes, and then cooking it overnight or all day.  While this makes a great chili, we wanted to attempt something in one pot, and done in under an hour.  This worked out quite well, and I think this may be my preferred method of making chili.  We also experimented with a faux-corn bread, which is so close to being ready.  We will link to it as soon as it’s perfected.

Asparagus, Bacon and Broccoli Soup

Hearty and savory, we think you are going to love this stuff!

Brent aptly pointed out that it is very reminiscent of split-pea soup. But we agree, it’s so much better than that! It’s thick and rich… First, you taste that bold broccoli. Then, a hint of asparagus, quickly followed by a smokey, salty, bacon-y goodness. Last, but not least, a warmth from the red pepper flakes rounds out the flavors on your palate.

Warning: this recipe makes A LOT of soup. How much is A LOT? Four quarts. Or 16 cups. Or 3.78541 liters. Yea… it’s A LOT. We froze one quart immediately. I’m excited to have it on hand once the weather chills out a bit.

Potent Primal BBQ Sauce

If you haven’t discovered Stubb’s BBQ sauce, you are missing out. It’s the cleanest, tastiest stuff on the market. Yes–I did just say tastiest–and coming from a former Sweet Baby Ray’s-enthusiast, that’s A LOT.

However, Stubb’s is not Whole30 approved. In fact, we’ve not seen a Whole30-friendly BBQ sauce at any store, any time, any where. So, we make our own during Whole30 challenges, and this time, I think we made a good one. 🙂 Edit: Since this recipe, we’ve toyed around more with barbecue, and think this recipe is both easier to make and more delicious!
Why do we love this sauce so much? Well, it’s got bold tomato flavor, the natural sweetness of which is subtle but delightful. Then there’s the slightly smokey, lingering heat from the roasted jalapeño and spices. Finally, it has a great tangy bite from the garlic, mustard, and lime juice.
Warning: This sauce is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t like spice or heat, don’t bother reading the rest of this post. You’re wasting your time.

Just kidding! You could easily modify this to suit your tastes, whether you like more kick or less in your sauce. (Follow the recipe below, and then water it down a smidgen with chicken broth or amp up the heat with more spices once you’ve tasted it.)

Potent Primal BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
  • 6 Campari tomatoes, sliced in half and seeded
  • 2 Jalapeños, sliced in half and seeded
  • 3 Garlic cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat, melted
  • 1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 Shallot, minced
  • 1 Teaspoon organic spicy mustard
  • 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 Teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 Cup organic chicken broth
  • 1 and 1/2 limes, juiced
  • 1 6-oz can of tomato paste

Method

First, roast the tomatoes, garlic and jalapeños:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  • Place the tomatoes, garlic and jalapeños in a baking dish or roasting pan (we used a shallow glass baking dish).
  • Drizzle the bacon fat over everything.
  • Sprinkle the 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt over everything.
  • Roast for approximately 15 minutes.

Set aside and allow it to cool. Then, move on to the rest of the recipe.

 

  • Heat coconut oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
  • Press the roasted garlic and add to the sauce pan.
  • Immediately add the minced shallot. 
  • Sauté until shallot is soft and translucent.
  • Add the mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, cumin and the 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  • Stir to blend in the spices.
  • Then, add the chicken broth, lime juice, and tomato paste.
 
 
Stir again (use a whisk if you have one!) until smooth.

  • Add roasted tomatoes and jalapeños, and stir.
  • Bring everything to a soft boil, then reduce it to a simmer and lightly cover it with a lid.
  • Simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool.
Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor (we used our handy-dandy Ninja!), and blend until the whole mixture is smooth.

Wednesday for lunch, we slathered it on slow-cooked pork shoulder and served it on a bed of greens (baby spinach and spring mix, to be specific). It was delicious! Next week, we’re thinking about using it on ribs and/or chicken. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Angry Chicken "Parm"

delicious easy chicken parm paleo

[Updated September 12, 2013]

These chicken parm bites are something that Heather came up with back in June of 2012, very early into our real food journey.  Lucky for us, we had started this blog, so the recipe was kept documented.  Unlucky for us, we were very new with our presentation, so neither our directions or pictures were especially helpful.

Another win in our favor is that we have since made great friends in the community who led us to take better pictures and inspired us to do better work.  As this is one of our favorite recipes, we updated it recently to share with you.  This is absolutely fabulous, and I think you will really like it.  These little “parm poppers” are delicious on their own, but definitely are well suited to the zoodles and red sauce.  I would gather you could likely use this wash and coating on larger cuts of chicken as well, but we haven’t tried it just yet.  Either way, we hope you’ll love this creation.  Let us know what you think!