Bone Broth!

We've all read enough about how good bone broth is for us--for our ow strong bones, for skin, nails, hair, even arthritic or injured joints.  Lately, it's popped up in my reading about autoimmune syndromes...so yes, good stuff!

I've made it off and on for years, from whatever bones we have on hand--leftover turkey carcass, bones from a roast chicken, beef bones, you name it.  I've used it as is, as well as for the basis for some incredibly good soups and stews, even as an addition to sauces and gravies.

Let me tell you, the stuff you buy can't TOUCH home made.  It's thin and tasteless and not at all tempting, and yes, I've tried a lot of diffeent brands.  I add it to soup stock if I have it, but if you plan to drink it you pretty much need to add something to give it a bit of savor.

Enter home made.  Of course grandma used to keep a pot simmering on the back of her old woodstove, but these days the crock pot does a wonderful job!  (I'm sure an Instant Pot would too, but I don't have one.)

It really IS easy...all you need are bones (duh, right?) and whatever vegetables need to be used up in your crisper or garden, and a little salt and herbs for savor.

Get hold of the best bones you can...from grass-fed or free range critters is best.  I brown them or roast them before putting them in the crock pot.  (The last batch of beef bones I got, from Barham Cattle Company and Family Farms had SO much meat on them I ended up with a luscious beef stew instead of broth!  And of course they were marked soup bones!  I'm going to see if they'll save some bone broth bones for me...)

Cut up whatever vegetables you have on hand...I used enough to fill the crock pot.  Here are carrots, celery, onion, radishes, garlic and spinach, with a bit of chard and cabbage as well.  If you have other faves, add 'em.  If they're getting a bit long in the tooth, add 'em anyway.)

Add the bones....

Cover with water (or leftover broth), add salt and herbs, and you're done.  Turn on the crock pot, put on the lid, and walk away.  We do ours for at least 24 hours or more...a couple of days extracts more minerals.  (Sometimes I add a splash of apple cider vinegar to help liberate those minerals...but not enough to make the broth taste sour.)

That's a rich, delightful broth.  I love beef bone marrow, so I scoop it out and eat it when I discard the bones--it's full of nutrients!  Then you can enjoy this as is or strain out the vegetables, which is what we did.  That gave us two big quarts of luscious bone broth I'm enjoying a mug at a time, plus a container of vegetables to eat later or add to other dishes.  (They became part of a mixed vegetable side dish last night, and Lady enjoys the bones with our veterinarian's blessings...we don't waste much.)

As you can see, the hardest part of this is cutting up all those vegetables  A good cutting board and a good sharp knife makes that a pleasure, for me...I Zen out...

Auto-immune Style Stir Fry!

We are both pretty fond of stir fry, but we LOVE this version.  No soy, no wheat, no gluten, no nightshades, no legumes and all just delicious!  I did another version of this dish in THIS post, July 9, but I've branched out a bit.  The seasoning mixture is heavenly...so try them both!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts or thighs or the meat of your choice--beef or pork would be wonderful too, or you could even use tofu (not on the AIP diet, of course, because of the soy.)

A nice variety of vegetables--I like to use up what's on hand.  Here, that's carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cauliflower, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, chard, and even radishes that were getting a bit pithy.  Another time I might have broccoli, Brussels sprouts, squash or who knows what!  If I have those thick broccoli stems saved, I'll peel them to get all the stringy, tough part off and chop up the crispy center.  Mushrooms would be good, as well.  AND when I'm no longer on the introduction phase, I'll be adding snow peas.

Use what you like...and what you have on hand.

Coconut aminos
Olive or avocado oil
Red palm oil (optional, and make sure you get a brand that's harvested sustainably)
Apple cider or red wine vinegar
Red Boat sauce (adds that bit of umami, whatever that is...trust me, it's good!)
AIP "curry powder"  (recipe below)



PREPARATION  (From here the recipe is almost same, so to save typing that much I'm just editing to add the changes!)

Cut the meat into bite size pieces, and marinate in coconut aminos, oil, and vinegar (more aminos than vinegar) for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.  Overnight is fine, if you want.  I put the pieces in a bag or container and turn it this way and that to thoroughly coat everything.

Cut up the vegetables into bite size bits--I like to get fancier with the cutting, making carrots as diagonal slices and celery into decorative half moons, but they taste the same however you want to do it.  I like to keep all the vegetables separate and add them one at a time, slower cooking ones first--especially since J. likes carrots DONE.  No al dente for him, thank you!  I use whole baby spinach, but I cut or tear chard or similar greens into bite size pieces.

Add oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet and dump in the chicken and marinade; I just ued a bit of the red palm oil for rich color, but don't get carried away--it's ORANGE.  This will need to cook off and the marinade gets lovely and thick and browned a bit.

This time, I got the chicken just browned but not necessarily done through, and removed it so I could cook the vegetables in the same skillet--as noted, spinach or other greens last.  When they're close to done (we like ours softer than some traditional stir fries, and browned a bit), then splash with more coconut aminos and if you like, more vinegar, a few drops of Red Boat sauce (find it in an Asian market or online), salt and garlic powder.  (Coconut aminos aren't salty like soy or tamari sauce.)  Add a half teaspoon or more of the "curry powder"* for flavor...it really tastes more like Joseph's wonderful Chinese Five Spice mix, so it's perfect for stir fry!)


I had a LOT of juice left over this time, so I removed everything else from the pan and reduced the animos sauce till it was thickened, then added everything back to serve.  (If I'd cooked the chicken that much longer it would have been tough.)

As always, we look for organic, free range, antibiotic-free meats and organic vegetables if we can get them.  Farmers-market fresh is good, too!

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*AIP "Curry Powder" Recipe  (no seeds or nightshades, in the early phases of the protocol)

Ingredients

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

1 T. turmeric

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. powdered ginger (or more for a bit more kick)

½ t. ground clove (again, I added a bit more)

Real Food & Love blog adds powdered lemongrass, but I was fresh out...

If you're past the introduction phase (or AIP isn't an issue), you can add powdered mustard, cumin, and black pepper to taste, as well.

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and use in any recipe calling for curry powder. Use this in place of traditional curry powder, which usually has coriander seed, cumin seed, cayenne, mustard seed, chili peppers and black pepper, all of which are off the plate for the introduction phase.  

Refreshing Cucumber-Orange Salad

Too bad I couldn't have gotten a more artful photo of this delicious, light salad, but I was anxious to dive into it...and OOOOHHH that marinated and grilled flank steak from Moink Meats...and of course the autoimmune style broccoli salad (no mayo, no seeds, but delicious...)

Fresh Cucumber Orange Salad–REFRESHING

1-2 cucumbers, sliced (peeled if necessary)
1 orange
1-2 green onions or diced sweet onions
Splash of ACV, red wine vinegar or kraut juice
sea salt
 
Cut orange in half, juice half for dressing and add to cucumbers
Remove orange segments from the other half, cut bite size and add to bowl
Zest the fresh orange, add as much or little as you like
Add onions cut into small slices
Add ACV or kraut juice
Salt to taste
Chill and serve
Add a spoonful of local honey if you’re in reintroduction phase.
A great cooling side dish!

Turkey Dinner "meat muffins" (mini-meatloaves)

These little "turkey dinner" flavored meat muffins are great for road food, breakfasts, picnics, or freezing for a later quick and easy meal when you're too tired to cook!  We LOVE them...I've taken them to potlucks and they made a big hit there, too.  I plan to try some other variations, with chicken, pork or beef, but so far I can't stop making these!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 tart apple, diced
1 t. rubbed sage or more, to taste
1/2 t, dried thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder or to taste...I like garlic!
1/2 t. turmeric (optional)
1 t. sea salt, give or take
bacon grease or other oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, saute' vegetables in oil, let cool somewhat, mix well with other ingredients. Line a muffin tin with parchment cupcake papers, and bake 25 minutes.

I always saute' one tiny patty of whatever mix I'm making up to see if it's seasoned right--loved this! But of course you can vary to suite yourself...they'd fit the theme with dried cranberries, which aren't on my autoimmune protocol just now.

Yummy! (Joseph agreed...)

German "Potato" Salad (yep, made with cauliflower)

We often substitute cauliflower for foodstuffs that are off limits for us, on the Paleo diet and now the autoimmune protocol.  (Even as a pizza crust!) As a nightshade, potatoes are definitely up there on the "I don't think so" list.  But this dish is so delicious you don't miss them for a moment!

SOOO delicious!  A great way to get lots of veggies, too...

Give it a try, for a summer potluck or picnic--since it has no mayonnaise it doesn't have to be refrigerated immediately, and in fact it's wonderful hot.  (It tastes hearty enough for winter fare, too...)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 a large head of cauliflower, cut up into chunks (more if you want)
1/2 lb. bacon more or less--we get Pure, from Farmland, with no nitrates or nitrites, and delicous!
2 stalks of celery sliced thin
3-4 green onions or scallions
1/4c c. diced sweet onions if you need more
T. dried or fresh parsley
splash of red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar
1 t. coconut aminos or a bit more (can use honey or maple syrup)
sea salt to taste

Fry bacon till crispy, drain and reserve fat; slice scallions into small bits, green tops as well.  Don't ask me why, but I love the Zen of cutting vegetables with a good sharp knife.  Joseph made this one...

Steam cauliflower till tender

Yum!

I like the celery cut this fine...

Saute celery and onion, if you've cut up more, in the leftover bacon grease till onions are translucent.

Crumble bacon and add it and everything else to a large bowl.  Dump the onions and celery in, splash with vinegar, add sea salt to taste, and the parsley for a bit of color.  Traditional German potato salad is slightly sweet...that's what the teaspoon of coconut aminos does.  Mix well and serve warm or cold.

I added a bit of my home made nettle salt because nettles are SO good for you, but I don't expect most people have that on hand!

And of course you CAN use potatoes if they're not a problem for you.

Baked Pita Chips--or Crackers, or whatever you want to call them! (AIP-style)

 If you're like me, at all, salty-crispy is a HUGE deal.  For a while there, I was eating WAY too many potato chips and such...I'd been diagnosed as low-sodium, so in order to boost that, I got a little silly.  At first I'd only eat potato chips when we went to a restaurant or shop that made their own, fresh--and them I discovered "healthy," organic ones in the health food store.  Oooops.  Hooked!

So now that I'm using the autoimmune protocol, nightshades--as in potatoes, tomatoes, peppers--are right out. I already don't eat wheat or other grains...so what to do?

Enter AIP recipes for just about anything you'd want, including crackers and chips, this one basically--before my changes!--from healingautoimmune.com.

Our biggest problem is staying OUT of them!  They're delicious.  Great with dips, great on their own.  Serious yums.

So..here's my altered version of the recipe for all my salty-crispy-craving friends, suitable for Paleo, Primal, OR autoimmune protocol!


INGREDIENTS

1/2 C. arrowroot flour*

1/2 C. tapioca or cassava flour*

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

5 T. cold water

1 T. or more nutritional yeast (we use Bragg's)---it adds a cheesy flavor

1 t. sea salt

Medium-coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top, if you wish.

Garlic powder, onion powder, chives, herbs are optional and delicious...I used quite a bit of organic garlic powder and maybe a little turmeric for color.

These days I often add crushed chichiaronnes to cut the carb load, plus hemp seeds and poppy seeds.


INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (our toaster oven works just fine.

Mix everything together well with a strong wooden spoon, then finish mixing well with your hands.  It's a bit crumbly, like pie crust.

Put the ball of dough on a sheet of parchment paper and press flat with your hands.  Put another piece on top and roll to about 2 mm thick.

That's THIN, folks, but not too thin.  My second batch were too thick, like 2/8", and they got HARD.  We ate 'em anyway...

Score the dough into cracker-size squares...mine are about an inch.  Poke with a fork a couple of times on each one, sprinkle with medium-coarse sea salt, and slide the parchment paper and all onto a baking sheet and into your oven.

I didn't bother poking the third batch, here.

 Bake 15 - 20 minutes, but check to make sure they don't burn, ovens vary!  You can turn the baking sheet a time or two if your oven has a hot spot.  I like them golden brown like this so I gave them closer to 20 minutes, watching closely.

Remove and cool before breaking apart the crackers...and store in an airtight container to keep them crispy.  A mason jar works fine!

Enjoy with dips, spreads, AIP cheese, or all by their cute, crispy little selves!

In theory, the recipe serves two, but we spread it out over several days...hard as it may be to control ourselves.  I mean, warm, salty, crispy, garlicky...where's that mason jar!?

This is pretty quick and easy...maybe I'll make another batch today, with herbs...

* Arrowroot, tapioca, and cassava flours can all be bought in your favorite health food store or online.

Autoimmune-style Broccoli Salad for Summer!

We've loved our friend Lola's broccoli salad and offered the recipe here: http://starvingartistscook.blogspot.com/2015/05/sort-of-lolas-broccoli-salad.html

But since starting autoimmune protocol*, for now dried fruits, sugar, and mayonnaise are off the plate until reintroduction, over 2 months from now.  I like to have a summer picnic-safe version anyway, and mayo-dressed salads aren't great for that!

So I decided to experiment to see if at least SOME of the ingredients would make the transition...and boy was it a success!  Here it is served with grilled tenderloin kabobs, grilled zucchini, sauteed onions and mushrooms...what a meal.



1 head of organic broccoli chopped bite size
1 C. cauliflower florets, chopped
1/2 to 1 onion
1 large shredded carrot
1 pkg. of nitrite and nitrate-free bacon (that's 12 oz., these days)  (Or however much bacon you have...)



Dress with:
splash of extra virgin olive oil to moisten
2 T. liquid coconut aminos for a touch of sweetness and a hint of Asian flavor
1 T. red wine vinegar or apple cider
sea salt to taste

(I'm not using pepper or Pepperman for now, but I didn't seem to miss it...add it if it's not a problem!)

Add other vegetables if you like...or some home made herb salt...

Mix it all up and let it chill so the flavors mellow into eachother...we loved it!

If you'd like to know more about the autoimmune protocol, here's a good place to start: The Paleo Mom's basic starter guide.  https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/the-autoimmune-protocol/  
It's all over the 'net, though, just Google it and the literally thousands of amazing recipes...

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Fish

This recipe originally called for an entire salmon filet - almost four pounds! So I scaled it back for the two of us. I usually make this with cod and prepare it in a shallow CorningWare casserole in our convection toaster oven.

Note: Kate has recently begun the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), so to accommodate her, I eliminated the Parmesan cheese and used coconut oil instead of butter. It was still marvelous, and that variation, using mahi-mahi, is what's shown in the picture, along with cauliflower potato salad.

In the future I plan to eliminate the Italian herbs and use just fresh garlic and ginger, plus add some shredded coconut to the chicharrones for more of an Island flavor. We’ll see how that turns out.

Ingredients

    1 lb of fish fillets - cod, salmon, mahi-mahi, walleye, etc.
    1/3 cup crushed chicharrones (pork rinds)
    1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 T finely chopped parsley
    1 T Italian herbs or Herbs de Provence
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 T melted butter
    Salt and pepper, or preferably Pepperman
    Lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

    Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the fillet(s), skin side down, on a baking sheet or shallow casserole and set aside.

    Mix together the chicharrones, parmesan cheese, herbs, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour in the melted butter; season with salt and pepper/Pepperman to taste. Mix the ingredients together until the chicharrones absorb the butter (about 40 seconds).

    Spoon the mixture over the fish, pressing it into the top until the fillets are completely covered.

    Bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillets), until the crust is golden and the salmon is cooked and flakes easily with fork.

Chicken Piccata

Again with the chicken!

I blatantly stole this recipe from our friend Greg Haught's blog, The Confounded Cook. I made a few minor changes (like the mushrooms in bacon grease with garlic) to suit us, but it's still Greg's recipe, shown here served with Parmesan roasted cauliflower & onions.

Ingredients
•    2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, rinsed, patted dry
•    Pepperman* & garlic
•    4 T unsalted butter
•    ¼ c lemon juice
•    ½ c chicken broth
•    ¼ c dry white wine
•    8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
•    2 T bacon grease

Preparation

Place chicken in a gallon Ziploc plastic freezer bag and pound until thin. Sprinkle with Pepperman.

Heat 2 T butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add one of the chicken breast halves and cook without moving until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until firm and browned on both sides, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Add 2 T butter to skillet; cook remaining chicken breast half. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

Add lemon juice, broth and wine to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. 

Meanwhile, add bacon grease to a separate pan over high heat. When it melts, add mushrooms and season with Pepperman & garlic. Cook until mushrooms are browned. Add sauce to the pan with the mushrooms and bring back to a boil, again scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all the browned goodies.

Pour sauce & mushrooms over chicken and serve immediately.

*Pepperman is a blend of sea salt and different organic peppers from Frontier Foods, available at most natural food stores. Great stuff!

KC Strip Oscar

As part of our mostly-Primal lifestyle (hey, nobody's perfect!), I’m subscribed to “It’s Paleo” which, among other things sends me a daily Paleo-inspired recipe. One of these was a recipe for Ribeye a la Oscar, which, instead of Hollandaise, called for Sriracha-enhanced sour cream. Primal/Paleo is supposed to be completely without dairy, and granted Hollandaise has butter which is also dairy, but there’s a lot less of it.

Anyway, I decided that one thing this recipe did have right is a bigger piece of meat than the little (albeit tasty) filet Mignon which is called for in the original Filet Oscar recipe. I opted for KC strips. So here’s my first attempt at KC Strip Oscar.

And yes, given the size of the steaks, we had leftovers.




KC Strip Oscar
Makes 2 servings

2 KC strip steaks, room temperature marinated in a little olive oil & garlic
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 pound lump crab meat
Hollandaise sauce (see separate recipe below)

Trim the asparagus by bending in half until it breaks and discard the lower half.

Boil asparagus in salted water, 2 minutes for al dente, longer if you like it softer, which we do.

Make the Hollandaise and set aside someplace warm. (I just turn off the heat, add a little cold water to the lower pan to reduce the heat further, and cover.)

Grill the steaks to desired doneness. For us, this takes almost no time at all, we like our meat that rare.

Turn your broiler on high. (I use a toaster oven.)

Place each steak on its serving plate, top with four asparagus spears followed by the lump crab meat.

Pour half of the Hollandaise on top of each steak.

Place in the top shelf of the broiler. Do not close the oven, and watch them closely. Remove as soon as the Hollandaise begins to just bubble. Needless to say, the plates will be hot.


Hollandaise
Makes 2 servings

2 egg yolks
1 T lemon juice
Dash of salt
Dash of hot sauce (I like Cholula)
4 T butter

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat – do not let it boil.

Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice and salt in the top pan of a double boiler while bringing water to a boil in the lower pan.

Lower the heat to low and let the boiling subside somewhat. Place the upper pan over the boiling water and whisk the mixture rapidly and continually, being careful not to actually cook the eggs. As you can see from the picture, I started off with just a bit too much heat so the sauce got a bit granular. Still tasted good though. Julia Child has a recipe for Hollandaise made in a blender. I may give that a try next time.

Once the yolks begin to thicken, SLOWLY add the melted butter. This should take a couple of minutes: too fast and the sauce won't thicken. Once all the butter is added, add the dash of hot sauce and remove from heat.

--Joseph