A - P - P - L - E - S !!!

 

 

Apples with Carmel Sauce

Two weeks ago we picked A LOT of Gravensteins from a friend's house. We also picked up some Bartlett pears. We quickly disposed of the pears, mostly just one at a time. I was able to come up with an  Oven-Baked Pear Pancake recipe that was quite tasty, but mostly, I've been experimenting with the apples.  So far my favorite is the Apple Clafouti. BUT, those two recipes are for another day. To whet your appetite, here's a sweet, high-protein way to snack on apples:

Simply mix equal parts almond butter and honey or agave nectar in a sauce pan over low heat, just until smooth. Slice up your apples, dip, and enjoy! 

Stay tuned for some more apple-pear goodness...

Paleo Meatloaf

When I was a kid, I was not a fan of meatloaf, to say the least. One of my kids said to me recently, "When someone says, 'I don't like meatloaf,' someone else always says, 'Well, then, you haven't tried my meatloaf!'" Ha! It's funny, but it's totally true, and kind-of interesting. Nevertheless, if you don't like meatloaf, then you may not care for this recipe, but I feel like I have nailed this one pretty well, after lots of fiddling around with it. So, if you are the meatloaf type, you're in for a treat! For my vegetarian readers, I will not have a variation for you today, but I do happen to have a killer lentil loaf recipe that is quite delicious...for another day.

Paleo Meatloaf 

2lbs. ground beef 

2 eggs

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 cup blanched almond flour

1 cup marinara sauce

1tbsp. prepared mustard

1tsp. sea salt

1tsp. black pepper

2tsp. each - dried basil, oregano, thyme

1tbsp. each - garlic powder and onion powder

Prepare a baking sheet by wrapping it in aluminum foil, or covering with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ground beef, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, eggs, almond flour, onion, seasonings and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Knead with your hands until well combined. Shape into a round loaf and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes, then pour the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara over the loaf and sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for another 25 minutes. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve! 

Substitutions Possibilities:

-Ground turkey for ground beef. I use hormone and antibiotic-free ground beef.

-You can omit the cheese or use another type. I use organic raw cheddar or jack, and sometimes goat cheese.

-3 slices bread crumbs or 1 cup rolled oats for the almond flour.

-1 cup tomato sauce or 1/2 cup ketchup for the marinara sauce. I use Whole Foods brand marinara sauce.

-You can omit the prepared mustard or use 1tsp. dried mustard. I have used almost every sort of mustard in this with good results. 

-Fresh herbs and/or fresh garlic would be delicious as well. Usually, you substitute 1tbsp. of fresh for 1tsp. of dried herbs. The onion and garlic powders I get from Bulk Herbs Store are so delicious, and truly add a heap of flavor to any dish.

 

 

 

And finally...something I love to do with this recipe, is to preheat my Weber gas grill, instead of the oven, on indirect medium heat. I follow the same baking times and procedures, baking on the prepared pan with aluminum foil, and not directly on the grill. It is a tasty meal and doesn't heat up the kitchen!

...If I can do it, you can do it! Enjoy!

 

Some Souper Ideas

As I mentioned in a previous post, Chickens and Their Stock, weekly, I make a really good stock from some grilled or roasted chickens and make a souper healthy dinner and/or lunch from it. As promised, I thought I'd pass out some of my go-to fillings for the pot. I know I'm mostly preaching to the choir when I talk about being creative in the kitchen, so please, feel free to share your yummy ideas, as the possibilities for soups are endless. The ones I'll share here, I mostly do with my budget in mind. Soup is my money-saving meal, so we can continue splurging on delicious and nutritious foods all week long!

1.) Leftover grilled chicken, grilled tomatoes, bell peppers and onions, maybe a bit of chili powder and some rice.

2.) The more obvious choice...pulled chicken, noodles, carrots, celery, other veggies like parsnips or turnips.

3.) Roasted white fish, a can of coconut milk, curry and rice.

4.) Leftover roast, a can of diced tomatoes, chili powder, rice, olives.

5.) Ground beef, frozen spinach, tomatoes, garnish with cheese and green onions.

Often, I do things as simple as rice and frozen veggies, as you don't need a ton of seasoning, since you've made the yummiest stock on earth already!!! My ideas aren't rocket science, but hopefully, they get the ball rolling for you to make your own souper idea! What are some of your simple soup creations?

Blanched Almond Flour

Briefly, wanted to chat about almond flour and alert you of a sale on my brand of choice. I first learned about almond flour years ago. I wasn't totally ready to go wheat-free yet, but after reading more and more about there being virtually no such thing as GMO-free wheat, we waved adieu to the golden grain...notwithstanding, of course, the pizza order every couple of weeks to bail me out of a serious time crunch. I digress. Really, my family fares so much better with little to no grains at all. We're not totally interested in gluten-free products, as they generally come with a handful of additives that aren't the greatest. Anyhow, as is our fashion, we dove in head first to cooking without wheat. I can honestly say I haven't missed it. Blanched almond flour makes delicious pies, pastries, muffins, cakes, breads, pancakes, etc. You probably know from my previous posts that I have learned much of what I know about cooking with almond flour from Elana's Pantry. She recommended Honeyville for the blanched almond flour. It is important to remember to use BLANCHED almond flour for baking most recipes. I accidentally ordered a 25lb. box of natural almond flour once, and it didn't go to waste, but it wasn't quite as versatile. It was useful in more dense pancakes, crisps and crumbles, and recipes which didn't require the flour to be as fine. The difference? I thought Living Healthy Mom explained it well. Now, more to the point. It's on sale at Honeyville right now. Well, anything you order is. Type in promo code: FOODIE when you check out and get 10% off your order. I buy my steel cut oats from them as well. Enjoy!