What's for dinner tonight? - Paleo style!

[kallyn]

Hey guys, they have these "what's for dinner tonight" threads over in the other sections, so I thought it'd be fun to have one here too. :)

Tonight I had Plane's Armenian green beans from the recipe thread, and pan-roasted cauliflower.

[Kskline]

I had chicken apple sausage that I got at our local farmer's market.

Kim

[Bat Spit]

I had orange-marinated turkey breasts done on the grill with shredded cabbage fried in bacon fat and a little ACV and a drop of sweetener. Very yummy.

[Nancy LC]

I had 2 terrific Italian sausages with mustard sauce. :)

[Heidihi]

fresh dungeness crab salad with a coconut milk, lime and chile dressing on a bed of miixed raw veggies ... with some spicy dried pumpkin strips

Please if anything in this is not Paleo tell me ..I am really in learning mode here..thanks!

[kallyn]

Tonight we went to a Mexican restaurant and I got the BEST dinner. It wasn't super low-carb, but it was actually paleo if you can believe it. I had an entire trout, butterflied and panfried in olive oil until both the flesh side and the skin side were crispy (double yum), fresh smashed plantains, and a green salad w/lots of tomatoes and cilantro.

[waywardsis]

bacon and eggs :)

[kallyn]

Giant salad (we eat ate a whole mixing bowl worth)!

Mixed lettuces, carrot, broccoli stems, radishes, mixed sprouts, roasted nuts, broiled chicken breast w/skin on, and (non-paleo) some halloumi cheese that I broiled along with the chicken. Dressing was balsamic vinegar/EVOO.

[Heidihi]

a KuKu ...Persian omelet made with lots of garlic, olive oil, roasted reppers and kalamata olives

I am really looking hard at the feta

[Nancy LC]

I had a huge salad too: Mixed baby greens, a tiny bit of cheddar cheese (not paleo), toasted pine nuts and turkey breast mixed with olive oil and rice vinegar. *burp*

[Bat Spit]

For lunch, I made a reinterpretation of the pumpkin sausage soup listed in the pumpkin thread in the kitchen forum.

1 package of high quality breakfast sausage
1 can pumpkin
3c chicken broth
coconut milk

The basic recipe is to brown the sausage. The original recipe calls for a chopped onion, a clove of garlic, and some amount of mushrooms to be sauteed. I subbed garlic and onion powder because that's what I had on hand. Left out the mushrooms. Mix in the pumpkin, then add chicken broth until you like the texture. I added some poultry seasoning mix to complement the sausage spices, some fresh nutmeg, and some extra red pepper, plus some chicken base (Better than Bouillon Organic is 100% real food except for a small amount of cane sugar). Then I finished it with coconut milk instead of the original cream.

It came out very, very good. Also super easy and quick.
We'll be having the leftovers tomorrow for lunch.

[Nancy LC]

Oh man, I forgot about pumpkin soup! I need to make some.

[Heidihi]

roasted green chiles and dried squash chips over my boss's organically raised mostly grass fed...4 H cowburger ...I will attest to the fact that very well loved/cared for and humanely killed meat tastes so much better ..than ..well the other options and it cost less than any grocery store beef I have seen that is for sure! hover around fairs 4 H'rs and ask if you are interested in this kind of thing...
..
I buy my eggs from a lady who feeds her chickens farmers market scraps ...best eggs on the planet...

people still sell food they raise and I live in an Urbanish area ..you just have to seek them out is all

and prices are not as bad as you would think if you buy directly

not that anyone needs my advice ..I just feel so good about this hamburger I am gonig to eat and wanted to share :)

[MeatGood]

No clue, what’s for dinner yet. I know my lunch is a backed Tilapia with green pepper and onion.

[MandalayVA]

A nice piece of sirloin and some eggs.

[AgeesCatch]

bacon and eggs, V8

[kallyn]

Split chicken breasts that I'm roasting with gremolata under the skin (gremolata is lemon zest, parsley, and garlic).

Steamed green beans.

Either a green salad or turnip greens, not sure which yet. (ETA: if anyone cares, it ended up being a romaine/mache/carrot salad with lemon juice and olive oil)

[ProteusOne]

Homemade chicken-vegetable soup. Romaine salad with shredded beef on top.

[Nancy LC]

I'm roasting a duck right now! So I'll be having some duck for dinner tonight :)

[Jonahsafta]

Italian Sausage and Spinach soup..yumyum

[flyfshgurl]

scrambled eggs and a romaine salad

[PlaneCrazy]

Tonight I had Plane's Armenian green beans from the recipe thread, and pan-roasted cauliflower.

Wow! I'm flattered that someone would actually use my recipe. I hope it was good. (no need to answer, sorry, not fishing for compliments)

Anyway, tonight was a quick meal on the run so I had left-over sliced lamb sirloin from last night and some guacamole.

Plane

[Heidihi]

I'm roasting a duck right now! So I'll be having some duck for dinner tonight :)

I want your dinner!!! I love me some duck!!!

I am having roasted chicken and some kind of veggie yet to be determined on my way home and sauted fuji apple with some pecans

[Nancy LC]

The duck came out GREAT! I am not experienced with duck so I am happy. The skin is crisp and lucious. :)

[Heidihi]

The duck came out GREAT! I am not experienced with duck so I am happy. The skin is crisp and lucious. :)


exactly how it is supposed to be!!! good for you .I am jealous and pretended my chicken was duck but it was not the same.....it is my absolute favorite poutry that is for sure!

[waywardsis]

Duck is my favorite bird too!

But I had steak with butter (not paleo) and mashed cauliflower, and some nuts/raisins.

I am working on a beef stew: beef seasoned with paprika, garlic and cumin, salt and pepper; carrots, butternut squash, celery, red onion, crushed tomatoes and bone broth. It's in the crock, and will likely be for dinner tomorrow with a salad.

Plane, I saved your recipe as well but haven't tried it out yet! It sounds delicious.

[perfectfit]

I'm jealous Nancy. :lol:

I tried duck for the first time about a month ago and absolutely loved it. :yum:

I have to grocery shop tomorrow. I think I will look for one.

[ProteusOne]

I've been making a big batch of chicken broth almost weekly now for a couple months. There is absolutely no way you can go wrong either drinking it on its own or using it as a base for regular "soups." Last night I added some sauted low-starch veggies to it and voila!

Soup again tonight. Maybe with some sausages.

[Nancy LC]

Here's the recipe I used. Pouring the hot water on the duck first was amazing. The skin shrunk.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/235744

Last night I ate it plain but tonight I think I'll make sweet garlic sauce to dip it in.

[Heidihi]

mmmm roasted crispy duck ....

tonight is 4-H cowburgers on the grill ..RARE!!! with all the trimmings
for dessert apple rhubarb compote (still off the artificial sweeteners and feel a better person for it :D ) with (I will try to avoid the whipped cream but argh it is so good on top there is still some Atkinsy girl in me!)

[kallyn]

Tuscan kale soup (sans cream) from here: http://www.lowcarbohydrate.net/httblog/archives/000183.html

[waywardsis]

Steak with butter and mashed cauliflower :) Again. Beef stew for lunch, OMG was it gooooood! Proteus, I am keeping a broth going almost all the time too.

[steveed]

Oven baked pork chops, brushed with olive oil, smeared in creole seasoning and lightly breaded in almond flour, served with baked apples and cinnamon and lemon-garlic green beans.

[Nancy LC]

I did naughty things to fresh baby spinach tonight. I put little cubes of panceta on it (ok, some feta cheese too -- that part wasn't paleo) and I microwaved it. It was awesome. I had that with some left over duck.

[PlaneCrazy]

Yesterday it wasn't dinner that was good (I just grazed on un-interesting leftovers), it was lunch that was spectacular. We have a small, new, gourmet Mexican place near where I work. (Tonali, next to the Shannon Rd. Post Office in Durham). I had a bowl of soup that was to die for.

Prince Edward Island mussels and homemeade smoked chorizo in a tomato and chile "ocean" broth. It had a ton of beautiful little mussels all peeking up at me out of their open shells. It was smokey, it was salty, it was spicy, it was wonderful. Lots of meat, lots of flavor and very paleo. I counted at least four different kinds of peppers in the stew. They also make an awsome cream-less or low-cream, non-sweet pumpkin soup with slivers of salmon ceviche dropped in the middle, and glistening drops of garlic oil and parsley oil on the top. This is NOT Taco Hell.

Plane

[Heidihi]

I worked my ass off this week (today is my friday) and I am having a HUGE bowl of Pho (extra meat no noodles)

I love the combo Pho with tripe and tendons and brisket and flank and and and and ....

not sure if sprouts are in the mix of foods that are paleo but I am having them instead of the noodles ..I know the mung beans are not but the sprouts??

I have been lambasted (tis the season for wheezin) and need some comfort food ...and Pho with its herbs and peppers and sprouts ... very therapeutic food imho...

I am also considering a pint of beer :)

talk me out of it?

[ProteusOne]

Yesterday it wasn't dinner that was good (I just grazed on un-interesting leftovers), it was lunch that was spectacular. We have a small, new, gourmet Mexican place near where I work. (Tonali, next to the Shannon Rd. Post Office in Durham). I had a bowl of soup that was to die for. Plane
Hey, I'm familiar with that area, and I think I'll head over that way next time I go out to eat.

I am so sick of the American-style Mexican restaurants in this area. This sounds like a refreshing change. Peppers!

[Nancy LC]

I am also considering a pint of beer :)
Hope you enjoyed it! I'm the last person to talk someone out of a beer. :) Oh, there is gluten free beer, BTW. Still not paleo but at least it doesn't wreck me.

[waywardsis]

I polished off two bottles of local Cab Sauvingnon last night at my best friend's new house - so go ahead, have a beer :) Make me feel better about my debauchery!

Dinner tonight - steak (I am on a kick) served with yellow tomatoes, and butter/walnut oil-roasted butternut squash and whole baby red onions seasoned with rosemary, nutmeg, garlic and thyme. Later, going to have sauteed apples with cinnamon, almond meal and a touch of maple syrup.

I have GOT to do some baked apples. I love apples and sausage together...mmmm.

[Ann1231]

I'm glad I ate before visiting this thread! You all make great meals :)

I had tuna and a large salad. I'm going to have pears for dessert here in a bit.

[PlaneCrazy]

Hey, I'm familiar with that area, and I think I'll head over that way next time I go out to eat.

I am so sick of the American-style Mexican restaurants in this area. This sounds like a refreshing change. Peppers!

It's completely NOT your average Mexican place. Also out there is a great little hole-in-the-wall, blue-collar Salvadoran/Mexican place that does amazing tacos al pastor and tacos carne asada. It's called Como Rico and it's on University north of South Square. It's bright yellow and there's a money sending place in front. Walk through and in the back is Como Rico. Just stay away from the pupusas, they're pure carbs! But they do sell tripe soup. :) The cold bar in the middle has chopped cilantro, roasted jalapeno peppers, pickled onions, and the green sauce is made with avacados and is amazing. All your tacos come with a little wedge of lime. This place is the real deal. Better and more authentic than some places I've been to in Mexico.

Plane
A great source of dining advice within 5 miles of my office :D

[ProteusOne]

I polished off two bottles of local Cab Sauvingnon last night at my best friend's new house - so go ahead, have a beer :) Make me feel better about my debauchery!
Two bottles? Dang. I'm a sissy I guess.

What did you do with the hangover?

[waywardsis]

I had help! Two bottles between the two of us. :) Then some wanton swing/jazz singing and (gasp) cigarette smoking. Yes...I smoked. Blech. I can't believe I used to do that all day long, every day.

No hangover - wine and I get on quite well. :devil: I sure slept well though!

[Heidihi]

I slept well too last night after 2 pints and a shot of really good tequilla :)

this was a hell of a week

[PlaneCrazy]

Armenian Lamb chops

3 lb. fatty lamb shoulder roast cut into chops, bone-in or boneless (bone-in is tastier)
Brown chops in a large, oven-proof pan. (may have to do this in shifts)
Put on top of the chops in order from bottom up:
1 large can whole tomatoes crushed in your hands
1-2 teaspoons crushed coriander
salt, pepper, paprika
1 large sliced onion sliced thinly
1 optional hot pepper, diced (or add hot pepper flakes with spices)
1 green pepper sliced
1 sweet red pepper sliced

Pop into 350-degree oven for about an hour. Serve with non-paleo red wine.

Your mouth and nose will love you. Your neighbors will envy you. :)

Plane
Simple is often quite good

[waywardsis]

Plane, all this Armenian food! I'm drooling. Lamb is a tad spendy right now in my neck of the woods - wonder how this would taste on a pork shoulder roast?

Tonight - slow cooked, Montreal-seasoned pot roast with carrots, acorn squash, onions and green beans in homemade beef/red wine broth. Holy shee-aat, it was good. Almonds and raisins for appetizer. Some ground beef/pork in spicy tomato sauce a bit later, with a wanton sprinkling of very unpaleo goat parmesan. Almond milk cocoa, I think, for evening treat (or decaf coconut milk latte with cinnamon, not sure).

I'm IFing lately from 5-10, so this is my food for the day.

[PlaneCrazy]

Plane, all this Armenian food! I'm drooling. Lamb is a tad spendy right now in my neck of the woods - wonder how this would taste on a pork shoulder roast?

I imagine it would. The key is fatty cuts of meat. It makes the most amazing "soup" in the pot you could ever imagine. Chuck roast would probably be even better. Come to think of it, I made a Hungarian Pork Soup similar to this but used marjoram instead of coriander. Than put a big dollop of sour cream in the middle. It was really good.

Plane

[PlaneCrazy]

Proteus One's comment in another thread regarding eating leaves got me thinking about grape leaves. Armenian stuffed stuff (they'll stuff anything) is the best I've ever had: better than Greek, better than Syrian, better than Turkish, better than Lebanese, better than Jordanian. The secret is sumac. You usually find it powdered on Middle Eastern salads, it's the small red flakes that taste sour. The Armenians steep the whole seeds in water and use that as a boiling/steaming liquid for their dolma. This stuff is sent from the gods. The problem is all of the rice.

I'm wondering if I could make some rice-free dolma? Next time we make dolma, I might humbly ask my wife (judge of all things Armenian) if I might make some without rice. Oh, God. To have that again would be spectacular.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. I can't imagine that grape leaves have a lot of carbs in them. :) But then the stuffed tomatoes, stuffed cucumber, stuffed eggplants, stuffed summer squash, ... :yum:

Ok, I'm hungry. Time to find some food.

Plane

[ProteusOne]

Nothing. How about nothing for dinner? It's Paleo enough for me...

[Nancy LC]

You make me want to go an find me an Amenian boyfriend who can cook.

[waywardsis]

Seriously. I love stuffed stuff. Never had Armenian dolmas. Now I have to find an Armenian market and source sumac. Damn you, Plane!

I have a fatty pork shoulder ready for the crock pot. Suitable? I'll try it and let you know. Should I trim some of the fat, you think? It has a thick layer that would be damn nice rendered and crisped.

Oh - pot roast with carrots, acorn squash, green beans. I can't get enough of this stuff. Then a meat stick and some almonds/raisins. I am eating the same things over and over lately, and am perfectly happy doing so. I don't know why. All I want is pot roast. I think it's the bone broth - that stuff is the best medicine ever.

[ProteusOne]

Grilled Flat Iron Steak, with nothing but black pepper. Romaine lettuce with olive oil, lime juice, black pepper, garlic & salt. That's it -- I like simple dinners.

Flat Iron has become my favorite steak.

[PlaneCrazy]

Flat Iron has become my favorite steak.


Absolutely love them! I heard that they were a chuck roast cut on the bias real thin, so it has the fattiness of a chuck but with the benefits of short fibers. Who knows if that's true, all I know is that they are magnificent if you can find them.

Update: Look what I found! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_iron_steak)

Plane

[ProteusOne]

Yes! I had seen that before. BTW, Whole Foods has them, but as you might expect, they are WAY overpriced. I'm going to check with my pasture-raised beef supplier to see if I can get it from them.

[Nancy LC]

Salad greens with pico de gallo salsa, chicken and guacamole. Ole!

[PlaneCrazy]

Salad greens with pico de gallo salsa, chicken and guacamole. Ole!


Sounds good.

I have a problem, though, anymore with chicken. My wife only likes chicken breast. To me, it's flavorless and even if I can mix in enough stuff to give it some flavor, it's so low in fat that I can only eat it in a very fatty context. Otherwise, I'm hungry a couple of hours later due to lack of fat. Now, if I can eat a crispy chicken skin to go with it, I'm ok, but again, the request is for boneless, skinless chicken breast. :rolleyes: Wadda ya' gonna do? :)

Tonight was bratwurst for me, brats, peas and a little mac and cheese for the kid. Wife's working. Unfortunately, the brats my wife bought have corn syrup in them. Corn syrup in sausage! Desecration! Normally I shop but work's been nuts so she was helping out. They officially have one gram of carbs per sausage. Sigh... We don't need sugar in our meat too.

Plane
Who ate three of them anyway with stone-ground mustard

[Nancy LC]

Use lots and lots of guacamole!

Do you have costco where you live? Check out the italian sausage.

[kallyn]

Can you buy the split chicken breasts? They come with a little of the ribs bones still attached, plus the skin. You can cook them with the skins on, then just take it off of your wife's portion (it will make her meat a little juicier, too). That makes you double lucky because then you get to eat her skin and yours. ;) They're a lot cheaper than boneless skinless breasts too.

[Nancy LC]

I just remembered I have a duck brining in the fridge and I just popped it into the oven. I haven't tried brining duck before, I hope it is good. I want to make crispy duck sometime, like the Thai do. I think it is just deep fried after cooking.

[ProteusOne]

I just remembered I have a duck brining in the fridge and I just popped it into the oven. I haven't tried brining duck before, I hope it is good. I want to make crispy duck sometime, like the Thai do. I think it is just deep fried after cooking.
Mmmm, I bet the brined duck is great. Actually, I've found that brining will turn just about any meat into something succulent. Let us know how it turns out!

Me, I had ANOTHER. GRILLED. Flat. Iron. Steak. And a curly lettuce salad with raw sunflower seeds. I'll stop eating those Flat Irons. Someday. Maybe.

[kallyn]

What for? :D

[Nancy LC]

Strange, it sounds like everyone hear eats beef constantly. I hardly ever eat beef!

[kallyn]

Beef is just about the only meat I can get that is grassfed and also affordable. The free-range chickens at the farmer's market go for upwards of $20 each, whereas I can get grassfed ground beef for $4/lb and roasts for $3.25/lb.

We do still eat a lot of chicken, it's just usually from Whole Foods instead and we eat it for lunch rather than dinner.

I'd actually like to eat more of a variety of meat but I feel like I don't really have many options around here. :/

[Bat Spit]

My wife only likes chicken breast. To me, it's flavorless and even if I can mix in enough stuff to give it some flavor, it's so low in fat that I can only eat it in a very fatty context.

Try marinating? I like some herbs, with a little acv and plenty of olive oil. Gives them a very nice texture. Alternately, buy boneless skinless for her and thighs for you and the kids. Since they cook in half the time, it should be easy to pop them in halfway of whatever you're doing.

Sumac is available from Penzeys. (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyssumac.html) It is good on everything, so far. I've been using it since they sent me a little sample bottle. Beef, chicken, lamb, salad...

[crinoidgir]

Absolutely love them! I heard that they were a chuck roast cut on the bias real thin, so it has the fattiness of a chuck but with the benefits of short fibers. Who knows if that's true, all I know is that they are magnificent if you can find them.

Update: Look what I found! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_iron_steak)

Plane
I made a beef stew last night. The roast had an obvious flat iron inside it. I got HUGE compliments.

When I drove a truck a couple of years ago, the flat iron started showing up in the menus of the major truck stop chains. I would recommend it. It's well marbled and tender.

V

[crinoidgir]

T
Sumac is available from Penzeys. (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyssumac.html)

And everything from Penzeys is good. Very high quality.

Luckily they opened a store here.

V

[Nancy LC]

I had some rewarmed duck and I made a wonderful dipping sauce of sweetener (not paleo), vinegar, water, mint, cilantro, Sambul Olek (hot chili garlic sauce) and a bit of chopped garlic. Dipped the duck into the sauce. Ummmmmmmm!

[Mayflowers]

I'm new on Paleo and I've lost 4 pounds the first week and I was having some soy creamer and some peanut butter, until I can get to the store for almond/cashew butters. How much compliant are you all? My one problem is salad dressing, Lemon juice gives me acid(probably my citrus allergy) but I can tolerate vinegar. So far I've given up grains and dairy. I can use almond milk in my coffee but I have to get to the store..(snow here) Any tips?

[Nancy LC]

My main exceptions are certain low-cal sweeteners, coffee and tea, olives and olive oil, vinegar and chocolate. I eat tomatoes which are probably not paleo as well as most other crops from the nightshade family, except potatoes.

I've had the greatest improvements from giving up grains, dairy and legumes.

[Mayflowers]

Bat,
How long do you simmer the Pumpkin/sausage soup for?

[frankly]

... until I can get to the store for almond/cashew butters. How much compliant are you all? My one problem is salad dressing, Lemon juice gives me acid(probably my citrus allergy) but I can tolerate vinegar. So far I've given up grains and dairy. I can use almond milk in my coffee but I have to get to the store..(snow here) Any tips?

I don't know if cashews are considered "paleo", or at least given the processing involved to make them edible, I doubt they were a favorite of paleo peoples. I think it's almost impossible to be truly "paleo" compliant, unless you live by hunting and foraging alone. As for the almond milk, I don't eat nuts (or vegetables for that matter) but if I did, I would just buy the almonds and make it myself, I suspect any almond milk you buy in a store will have some crap in it you shouldn't be drinking. Here's some nutmilk recipes (http://nomilk.com/nutmilks.txt)

[Nancy LC]

Today I took leftover duck bones and made a stock from them (onions, garlic, peppercorns, etc). Then I made soup! I put in mushrooms, onions and carrots some chicken. Delicious!

[Bat Spit]

How long do you simmer the Pumpkin/sausage soup for?

....Not very? Maybe 5-10 minutes, until it starts to really smell good.

I recently made another huge batch using 2 packs of sausage, one hot and one mild, and then 2 lbs of just plain ground pork. I left it quite thick. It came out really excellent, and this is a dish that gets better every day its left over, so once you know you like it, make lots. I just ate the rest and now I have to go get more ground pork.

[ProteusOne]

Today I took leftover duck bones and made a stock from them (onions, garlic, peppercorns, etc). Then I made soup! I put in mushrooms, onions and carrots some chicken. Delicious!
Nancy, it seems that duck has went a long way for you. How much did you cook? You either eat like a bird, or that was one big bird! You've inspired me to cook one.

[Nancy LC]

It weighed 5.5 pounds. :) I had to add some chicken bullion (Better than Bullion) to give it more meaty flavor. That sure is good bullion.

I got about 1 cup of fat off the bird that I'm using on veggies.

chicken is starting to taste too plain for me now that I've had all this duck!

[kallyn]

I made up an actual menu plan for this whole week! My sister is making an unplanned visit today, but luckily I have enough food for everyone. Tonight's dinner is going to be bison burgers (I'm debating on whether or not I should try to slip 1/4lb liver into the burger meat...think anyone will notice?), cole slaw made with red cabbage and jicama and carrots, and sweet potato oven fries. I'm splitting one sweet potato among 3 people, so it shouldn't be too many carbs.

[Fitmamajen]

Last night-pot roast cooked in broth and wine with sauteed kale on the side. Apple for dessert.

Tonight-Natural spicy italian sausages, homemade saurkraut, and maybe a salad or cooked veg (still deciding)

[ProteusOne]

I made up an actual menu plan for this whole week! My sister is making an unplanned visit today, but luckily I have enough food for everyone. Tonight's dinner is going to be bison burgers (I'm debating on whether or not I should try to slip 1/4lb liver into the burger meat...think anyone will notice?), cole slaw made with red cabbage and jicama and carrots, and sweet potato oven fries. I'm splitting one sweet potato among 3 people, so it shouldn't be too many carbs.
I wish I could do that -- make a menu for the whole week. But, unfortunately, I get some sort of cheap thrill by deciding what's for dinner AFTER I've already started cooking something.

[gfpaperdol]

Not much time & not much left in the refrigerator, but hungry!!

I took out the stew pot & threw in a package of frozen broth, chopped up the leftover tomatoes, & celery out of the refrig (no onions left), diced two carrots, chopped two handfuls of green cabbage, opened a can of tomato paste, added some water, a large amount of shredded turkey meat from the freezer, boiled this for a bit - to cook the carrots, seasoned & it was very good, with enough left for another meal or two. What made it really good was that I had as much turkey as veggies. I think for leftover it would be good sprinkled with some crisp bacon... I am on a bacon roll, so to speak :help: :lol:

[Nancy LC]

I keep dehydrated onion flakes around for those times when I don't have any onion on hand!

That sounds really good though.

[kallyn]

Tonight we had pot roast w/a pan gravy that I made with arrowroot as the thickener, sauteed summer squash, and salad (salads lately have all been lettuce, carrot, radish, almonds, and raisins or apples).

[noelle1275]

Linda's meatloaf and salad

[gfpaperdol]

Nancy, I only use fresh garlic & fresh onions, If I am out, I do without... I make a few concessions & do keep a couple of dried herbs, to supplement my herb bed. Organic dill for one, I love that stuff...

I do not use bouillion cubes either. I pretty much cook from scratch with minimal processed foods...

[Nancy LC]

Cool! I am such an onion freak that I use dehydrated flakes. I figure removing water from food is pretty minimal processing and has been used as a means of preserving food for a very long time.
I've also been using dehydrated mushrooms at times.

I'm definitely not a "super taster" so these things don't seem to affect any qualities I can perceive.

[kallyn]

Thai green curry made with chicken, squash, and okra. Squeeze of lime, sprinkle of cilantro, and you're good to go. :cool:

[ProteusOne]

Hog jowl. Beef "meatballs" with beef "gravy" and onions.

[flyfshgurl]

steak and lettuce...............MY FAV!

[waywardsis]

Celery, blue cheese dip, and 3 lbs chicken wings from my wonderful Portuguese chicken lady. I never get to have chicken wings bc most places deep fry them in the same oil that they fry gluteny stuff in. She calls me whenever they drain and clean their fryer and replace the oil, so I can partake...and she keeps that fryer turned off until I order. Oh I love her.

I am embarrassed to admit what the rest of my dinners have been over the past month or so - I haven't been off the wagon so much as been dragged behind it at high speeds over a rocky dirt road. Felt it too...got every cold going around in December. Back in full swing now :) Proteus' tales of hog jowl have enticed me.

[ProteusOne]

Welcome back, Sis! Mmmm, chicken wings.... Must. Have. Frank's.

[Metalmama]

Chicken salad:

Whole baked chicken cut up and mixed with garlic, chili powder, mayo, and bacon. Mmmmm good!

[kallyn]

Italian wedding soup! I made meatballs out of ground beef + italian seasoning + dehydrated onions + egg and simmered them in turkey stock along with a head of chopped escarole. Mmm mm good.

[kallyn]

This was for dinner tonight:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/2380678321_ab738c692f.jpg

Pork tenderloin stuffed with a fennel mixture, mashed acorn squash, and steamed asparagus.

[Nancy LC]

Oh wow! Thanks for posting that. Need to make a stuffed pork thingie.

[kallyn]

Stuffed pork thingies are good! The stuffing I made was fennel, onion, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, crushed walnuts, and lemon zest sauteed in lots of olive oil.

[Tarlach]

So last night was time for a steak. Here's a shot of the BBQ.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~centa/BBQ time.JPG
(darn BBQ isn't big enough for many people though)


A quick flame grill while the eggs cook.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~centa/Final grill.JPG


And it feedin' time! :yum: (they are 11" plates)

http://members.iinet.net.au/~centa/Ready.JPG


The boy loves gnawing on BBQ eggs and steak (even though he has no teeth yet, he still eats a fair bit).

http://members.iinet.net.au/~centa/The boy.JPG


And just enough room for some paleo apricot pie.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~centa/Apricot pie.JPG


...and no picking on my BBQ skills. That's how I like my meat so BACK OFF! :lol:

[kallyn]

Wow! Looks delicious!

[lcstudent]

That looks sooo good! What's the topping for the pie? Dang, I want a grill now.

[Nancy LC]

Looks like a nice grill! Yeah, do tell us about that pie.

I have an apricot tree loaded with green apricots. :)

[Tarlach]

The word 'pie' may have been misleading, but it was basically this recipe (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=7315732&postcount=97) with soft apricots instead of the cooked apples and cloves...

[~centa*of*]

I used canned apricot halves (in juice, not syrup) and didn't cook them before hand. I sliced them up before putting them into the pie though.

[Nancy LC]

Kind of like a "crumble" instead of a pie.

[perfectfit]

Kind of like a "crumble" instead of a pie.

Whatever you call it, it sure lookeed delicious! :yum:

[~centa*of*]

Whatever you call it, it sure lookeed delicious! :yum:


Tasted Delicious too :lol: :lol: ;)

[kallyn]

~centa and Tarlach, I think I'm gonna try out that crumble stuff tonight. :) I might de-carb it a little bit though.

[Nancy LC]

I think if it were me, I'd probably add fat to the "crumble" and possibly some egg (and some sort of sweetener) in the hopes of getting it to stick together a bit and perhaps get crunchy.

[~centa*of*]

It sticks together a lot (probably a bit too much) and it is very crunchy (as I don't crush the pecans to a powder, but very small pieces instead - it still gets even crunchier as I cook it) and the fruit makes it sweet enough.. I have no need for any sweetener what so ever.. if I added anything else, it'll be too sweet.

Even my non-paleo friends love it (the only variation is that they have it with whipped cream too).

[kallyn]

Here was my crumble right out of the oven:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2386895047_8cee24a8d1.jpg

And served up:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2390/2386895263_5a865bed6d.jpg

My filling was canned apricots and frozen raspberries with about 1/2 tsp of arrowroot powder sprinkled on to help it make a syrup. The topping was 1/4 cup prunes, 1/2 cup almond flour, and 1 cup walnuts with a little of the juice from the apricots to make it more moist. Also a few drops of stevia. Baked at 350 for 30 min.

I thought it was absolutely delicious! My husband said it wasn't quite sweet enough to satisfy his sweet tooth, so he added a little bit of honey to his. Crazy man. We had some leftovers and I ate them for breakfast today. :yum:

[Nancy LC]

Looks delicious!

Yeah, the sugars from the fruit would probably make the topping crunchy.

[lcstudent]

Oh my, that looks wonderful! I'm going to jump on the crumble bandwagon and try it, maybe without the prunes 'cause I don't feel like running out to get some. Bet it makes the house smell good while baking, huh?

[Nancy LC]

I'm making this duck (http://www.recipezaar.com/274161) with some small modifications. Not entirely paleo but close.

[kallyn]

lcstudent, I bet it would work with any kind of dried fruit.

[~centa*of*]

I'm making this duck (http://www.recipezaar.com/274161) with some small modifications. Not entirely paleo but close.

Not close enough for me - but sounded nice. Seeing how I can modify it... 6 of the 7 ingredients are not paleo enough for me... 3 are easy enough for me to change without really changing the flavour, the other 3 however...

[~centa*of*]

lcstudent, I bet it would work with any kind of dried fruit.

Yep. I have bought a heap of different dried fruits to try. I am thinking the dried apricot will go nicely (maybe mixed with a bit of coconut too).

[lcstudent]

I ended up doing it without in the topping, kallyn. The crumble was delish! Used 2 diced oranges and a lemon, sprinkled with xanthan gum and erythritol. Without the lemons, the erythritol in the filling wouldn't have been necessary. Topping was 1/4c ground golden flax, 1/2c almond flour, 1c chopped pecans, 1/4c erythritol, 2t cinnamon, 2T orange/lemon zest mix, 2t allspice, some liquid stevia, 1t blackstrap molasses, and an egg white. I ate a large serving, but don't feel that guilty about it since the girlfriends had Dairy Queen.

You were right, centaof--the fruit makes it plenty sweet without sweetener, and my parents wanted it with whipped cream! :D

[bb00p04]

The sesame bok choy dish used for dinners and lunch sides this week was made with sesame oil reducing the bok choy for 10 minutes and toasting black and gold sesame seeds off to the side, then add in sesame seeds and a can of clams or oysters to step in for the "oyster sauce" called for by another recipe

The pork chop gets the good stuff from the spice rub in Joy of cooking fennel and mustard seeds sauted thenground and rubbbed essentially.

While noodling on the web looking for more recipes tonight (thanks for the stufing idea with no bread btw)

I found this awesome web site that took an epicurious.com recipe and broke down the nutritional information, showed glycemic load and inflammation load. Awesome.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

So I'll have to get the fennel stuffing to stuff pork chops into that interface and see how it turns out information wise.

Folks, All the pictures look great. *drool*

[lcstudent]

Ideas for chicken drumsticks? Maybe a low carb shake n' bake type coating with almond flour and spices? They were the cheapest organic chicken and I don't know how to cook 'em! TIA.

[Felicie]

Ideas for chicken drumsticks? Maybe a low carb shake n' bake type coating with almond flour and spices? They were the cheapest organic chicken and I don't know how to cook 'em! TIA.

I haven't experimented with low carb shake-and-bake coatings yet. What I do is wrap them in strips of bacon before I bake them. This adds an extra flavor plus crispy bacon when they are done.

[Felicie]

Here is my meatball experiment. Normally, I make meatballs with onions, bread crumbs, milk, and eggs. I need to have some filler in meatballs and meat patties - otherwise I find them too tough. So I substituted bread crumbs and milk with grated zucchini. They gave a lot of liquid which I added to the ground meat. The meatballs came out very tender. Another time I made them with grated turnip. But maybe turnip is too carby for some. The kind they sell where I live is neither sweet nor starchy, so it doesn't trigger me, and I can eat it in relatively small quantities.

[selfmyth]

Since I've finally registered (why did I wait again?) thought I'd chime in! :thup:

The other night I made meatballs too, following this recipie from "Paleo Cookbook":

Zucchini Balls

Ingredients
285g grated zucchini, ends removed
285g minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
1tbs fresh dill, finely chopped
1 1/3 cup almond meal
1tsp salt
Dash pepper

Line a sheet with parchment paper or foil, I usually shape about 6-10 of them depending if they're for snacking or meals. 350f for 30-40 mins.

These come out really nice. Extremely filling and calorie dense, they are great to pack for lunches. Meals like these really make it simple to stick with Paleo eating for me. Quick, tasty, satisfying.

Forgot to mention, thanks to everyone here for the food ideas! I've used a bunch of recipes from this paleo forum to get my low carb plan going, and most have been excellent. I guess it doesn't hurt that I love steak. :yum:

[CandyLee]

:yum: :agree:

[kallyn]

Tonight we had bratwurst, braised broccoli rabe, and fried apples. I fried the apples in butter, which isn't really paleo, but you can do the same thing with coconut oil or lard or something and it would turn out equally yummy. :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2431744923_f76334cfe5_m.jpg
Sausages cooking. I simmered them in 1/4 inch of water for about 15 min, then drained the pan and let them get a little brown.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2431745249_12dd54041e_m.jpg
Apples frying. Just apples and butter, nothin' else.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2431744185_5851b8eaaf_m.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2431744593_5074d2f5db_m.jpg
Broccoli rabe before and after wilting down. I minced a shallot and sauteed it in olive oil until it just barely started to turn brown, then added a bunch of broccoli rabe, about 1/2 cup chicken stock, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Covered it and let it simmer for 20 min or so.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2121/2431745883_a374f90e73.jpg
Dinner is served! I actually only ate one of the sausages. We had some mustard with it too.

[Ann1231]

that looks wonderful!

We're having southwest grilled chicken and salad. I think I'll fry some apples too, we all love those and it would make a great "dessert" after the chicken salad. Thanks for the idea!

Ann

[kallyn]

Mmm, hope you enjoy your apples as much as I did mine! :D

[Nancy LC]

I'm making that lamb stew with the lemon custard sauce only I'm using pork. I think I'm going to love it. :)

[TejanaCJ]

Don't want to get into a discussion of authentic/regional/family tradition debate about Chile Verde. That would require hours if not days of Google research and reading I cannot get into right now. Another day for that.

Tonight, I made my Lazy Cook version of Chile Verde

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt in 1 inch cubes browned in leaf lard after being sprinkled with sea salt and Lawry's lemon pepper. Add one 16-ounce jar of Herdez medium Chile Verde salsa garlic and onion powder if you wish and simmer (I used my new Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven). Lift meat out, shred. Can roast to crispy or not or even fry until crispy or not. I served with fresh pico de gallo with a little lime juice, sour cream, and avocado, can use or discard the cooking sauce. Delish.

Carb count with cooking sauce is 16 gm for entire recipe before salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

[waywardsis]

Fried apples are one of my all-time favorite foods. I fry them either in butter or coconut oil, chuck in some cinnamon and stevia, and once they're getting soft I add nut meal and stir it up. A quick and dirty crumble, if you will. The nut meal soaks up some of the fat, and it's ALMOST like oatmeal. Kinda sorta.

But tonight - chicken wings. A whole lot of chicken wings.

Last night was ribeye steak with grape tomatoes and yellow peppers and a dash of tobasco.

[TejanaCJ]

Tonight I went totally LC Fast Food with Hebrew National Beef hot dogs seared in a frying pain, Gulden's mustard and One Carb Heinz ketchup with drained, rinsed sauerkraut and some grilled onions. Satisfying and under 15 gm. Fast!

Dessert was about 1/3 cup of this mixture: One can of Mae Ploy coconut milk, 16.9 oz., undiluted, two scoops of Jay Robb Vanilla Whey Powder, and 1/4 cup raw cocoa. Used my immersion blender and refrigerated. Like a soft ice cream. Yum. The whole thing made a quart, so there is lots to go. The refrigeration sets up the coconut oil in the coconut milk. Sometimes I add about 2 teaspoons of DaVince raspberry syrup.

[paleogal]

Thank you all for contributing to this thread! I have so enjoyed reading all of your menus! And the pics are drool worthy!
I have a perfectly marbled flat iron steak marinating (olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, onion, garlic) at room temp for later, and right now I am enjoying a lovely slab of sashimi salmon!

[Felicie]

Guys, those of you who eat sausages. Do your sausages contain sweeteners, like maltose, dextrose, lactose? I haven't been able to find a single brand of sausages that doesn't contain some sweetener. Plus there is often some starch or soy flour added, not talking about preservatives. I haven't been able to find a single brand that just contains meat, fat, salt, and spices. I don't live in the North America. I'm just wondering whether sausages are different in North America. I really miss sausages. I used to eat them all the time.

[Nancy LC]

The ones I get at Costco have no fillers or sweeteners.

[TejanaCJ]

Guys, those of you who eat sausages. Do your sausages contain sweeteners, like maltose, dextrose, lactose? I haven't been able to find a single brand of sausages that doesn't contain some sweetener. Plus there is often some starch or soy flour added, not talking about preservatives. I haven't been able to find a single brand that just contains meat, fat, salt, and spices. I don't live in the North America. I'm just wondering whether sausages are different in North America. I really miss sausages. I used to eat them all the time.
Life without sausage? Since you are not in North America, you may have to make your own. Sausage runs the gamut from just ground pork (can be other meat or a mixture, too) with spices in a patty or any shape you want to make it. That is the most simple. With casings and some equipment, you can make what we call breakfast links to the larger links we see from countries with great sausage making histories like the US, Spain, Germany, Poland, etc., and either cure your own or smoke your own. I am not sure you can smoke and store without curing unless you freeze. Work that can be worth it.

For ideas just Google sausage making or charcuterie (French for sausage making), a wealth of ideas will appear, or the simplest would be to just continue reading labels and pray something "clean" will appear in your local markets. Perhaps try a farmer's or open-air market. Good luck. Life needs sausage.

[Felicie]

The ones I get at Costco have no fillers or sweeteners.

You are lucky! We simply don't have such brands, even though I live in a "sausage belt." :mad:

[Felicie]

Life without sausage? Since you are not in North America, you may have to make your own. Sausage runs the gamut from just ground pork (can be other meat or a mixture, too) with spices in a patty or any shape you want to make it. That is the most simple. With casings and some equipment, you can make what we call breakfast links to the larger links we see from countries with great sausage making histories like the US, Spain, Germany, Poland, etc., and either cure your own or smoke your own. I am not sure you can smoke and store without curing unless you freeze. Work that can be worth it.

For ideas just Google sausage making or charcuterie (French for sausage making), a wealth of ideas will appear, or the simplest would be to just continue reading labels and pray something "clean" will appear in your local markets. Perhaps try a farmer's or open-air market. Good luck. Life needs sausage.

I might have to end up doing that. I've just been too lazy. I'll have to buy a smoker, as well, because I love smoked sausage. I guess making cold-smoked sausages, like salami, would be too complicated. I can't buy any deli meat eithyer, with the exception of proscuitto, which is the only thing that has only salt added. Everything else has some sort of sugar in it - ham, turkey breast, even roast beef! :( :bash:

[Nancy LC]

Where do you live?

Like the other poster mentioned, making sausage can be simple. You don't have to use casings or smoking or curing it can be just meat and spices.

[TejanaCJ]

Simmered center cut pork chops in salsa verde, pulled apart with green salad of romaine, cucumber, red pepper, gorganzola, walnuts with a dressing of achovy mashed, garlic mashed, sea salt, EVOO and lemon juice. Yum.

[Nancy LC]

Ok, I gotta try this pork salsa verde thing people keep posting about. :)

[TejanaCJ]

Just tomatillos, onion, chile of your choice (I use serranos and jalapenos), cilantro or I buy the Herdez salsa verde in the jar or can.

I have made a committment to cooking less and less, as I used to be a professional cook and it fed my food addiction and kept me centered on eating and food all the time and it overfed me to the tune of 457 pounds max. My mother, aunt, and I were in the restaurant business for years, catering, too.

I actually gave away to charity appliances, pots, pans, dishes, save for the ones I actually use. QVC/HSN cooking shows or Food Network (there is nothing else on, really! when I want to take a break from working at home--who am I kidding?) always temp me to do some new gadget, pot, pan, appliance, serve ware...all centered, in my mind, on overconsumption, good times. Well I have to make my own connections now.

So, these days, meals are what I KISS (keeping it super simple).

I fry/slow cook meat or fish/seafood in a LC sauce (salsa roja, salsa verde, vindaloo, curry, adobo, BBQ I make from Heinz One, horseradish, hot sauce), add a salad or saute some vegetables.

Sometimes I add a coconut milk dessert, either with cocoa and protein powder or blended with fruit to make an "ice cream". Sometimes, I make mayonnaise and add dill relish to tuna, salmon, or boiled. Always high on the fat and protein.

There are great recipes on this site and others from people who have the desire to do more cooking. I think I have changed now as my satisfaction from simple dishes is higher than the more complex. I just love steamed or sauteed vegetables with sea salt and butter. Maybe some vinegar or lemon. Anything more complex and I am not interested. I think this is a good thing.

Food was too long the center of my life and now I am the center of my life. This note actually started with a comment on salsa verde. LOL

[TejanaCJ]

Swiss cheese slices with ham slices, Gulden's mustard, my home-make mayonnaise, in rollups with chopped salad of avocado, cilantro, onion, cherry tomatoes, finely chopped pickled jalapenos, EVOO, lemon juice, and very thin slices of romaine, like confetti or a slaw, red cabbage cut like slaw for a garnish.
Blueberries with cream cheese topping made with lemon juice, cream cheese, and stevia.

[Felicie]

Where do you live?

Like the other poster mentioned, making sausage can be simple. You don't have to use casings or smoking or curing it can be just meat and spices.

I live in Sweden. Sausages are BIG here. The ones I miss are the smoked ones.

[Felicie]

Just tomatillos, onion, chile of your choice (I use serranos and jalapenos), cilantro or I buy the Herdez salsa verde in the jar or can.

I have made a committment to cooking less and less, as I used to be a professional cook and it fed my food addiction and kept me centered on eating and food all the time and it overfed me to the tune of 457 pounds max. My mother, aunt, and I were in the restaurant business for years, catering, too.

I actually gave away to charity appliances, pots, pans, dishes, save for the ones I actually use. QVC/HSN cooking shows or Food Network (there is nothing else on, really! when I want to take a break from working at home--who am I kidding?) always temp me to do some new gadget, pot, pan, appliance, serve ware...all centered, in my mind, on overconsumption, good times. Well I have to make my own connections now.

So, these days, meals are what I KISS (keeping it super simple).

I fry/slow cook meat or fish/seafood in a LC sauce (salsa roja, salsa verde, vindaloo, curry, adobo, BBQ I make from Heinz One, horseradish, hot sauce), add a salad or saute some vegetables.

Sometimes I add a coconut milk dessert, either with cocoa and protein powder or blended with fruit to make an "ice cream". Sometimes, I make mayonnaise and add dill relish to tuna, salmon, or boiled. Always high on the fat and protein.

There are great recipes on this site and others from people who have the desire to do more cooking. I think I have changed now as my satisfaction from simple dishes is higher than the more complex. I just love steamed or sauteed vegetables with sea salt and butter. Maybe some vinegar or lemon. Anything more complex and I am not interested. I think this is a good thing.

Food was too long the center of my life and now I am the center of my life. This note actually started with a comment on salsa verde. LOL

What an amazing story. You are a really strong person. I love cooking too. I used to love finding some unusual recipes, ingredients or ways of preparing food. Cooking used to be a very important outlet for my creativity. Now it's a real challenge to find interesting ways of preparing LC foods. I still haven't found a substitute for some textures. For example a sticky, syrupy texture of sweet sauces. Is it possible to create a savory sauce with this kind of texture? Right now I'm concentrating on quality ingredients instead. But boy, is it expensive!

[Felicie]

Talking about new ingredients, I discovered bottarga.

http://www.italyculture.it/wp-images/bottarga1.jpg

It's dried mullet roe that has an intense caviar taste. It could be grated and used as parmesan. Or it could be just eaten as it is. I am wondering whether, in its grated form, it could be used as a breading for shrimp. I'll try to experiment with this.

[Nancy LC]

How can a fish have such big eggs? Or is that a case of some sort with logs of eggs in it?

Sounds good, but very expensive! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botargo

[Felicie]

Yes, and for dinner today I marinated veal slices in a mixture of yoghurt, a lot of sliced onions, red chili, garlic, mint and oregano. It stayed in the fridge for 24 hours, because I didn't have time to cook it earlier. Yoghurt can really tenderize meat. I don't know whether it's the bacteria in it that make it so chemically active. I wiped off the marinade and dried the slices really well and then I grilled them a very short time so that the meat was still pink inside. The meat came out incredibly tender and favorful. This would have been a better recipe for lamb, but I didn't have it at home. I served it with a simple vegatable salad. The whole family loved it.

Yesterday I made deviled eggs with bottarga. I blended bottarga flakes into softened butter, and then I mashed the flavored butter together with cooked egg yokes and stuffed them back into the egg whites.

[Felicie]

How can a fish have such big eggs? Or is that a case of some sort with logs of eggs in it?

Sounds good, but very expensive! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botargo

Yes, it's a lot of tiny eggs. they are sort of pressed together. It's a very expensive stuff and not something for every day for regular folks on a budget, like ourselves. Just an occasional splurge.

I bought some in France. It cost 10 euros for 100g. Because it's dried, it's relatively light. A really large piece weighed about 200g.

[Nancy LC]

I see there's sources for it on the Internet... tempting.

[PilotGal]

Do your sausages contain sweetenerschorizo sausage. (http://www.recipezaar.com/102566) i make chorizo sausage from this recipe, only modified. no tequila, no sugar.. tons and tons of dried chili's rehydrated...

started making my own enchilada sauce that can go in so many dishes for flavouring...

chili verde is a great fresh dish.... simple...
you can use the extra verde for dips...
my favorite regions of food are mexican and greek.
i find both of them can be modified to a paleo diet, easily...

[Nancy LC]

Lynne, I make a wonderful soup out of chorizo. I likes it for breakfast! It takes me 5 minutes to make a bowl. It is 1 chorizo sausage squeezed out of it's casing into bite sized chunks (in my bowl). Microwave that for 1.5 minutes to cook. Add a few Tbl of diced tomatoes (canned) with the juice. Pour in chicken broth until bowl is full. Add Mexican spices (I like penzye's Turkish spices -- tastes mexican to me) and Cayanne pepper. Microwave 1.5 minutes, until piping hot.

This is such a satisfying breakfast for me! I get my endorphin release from the hot peppers and my belly feels lovely and warm after I eat it.

[Felicie]

chorizo sausage. (http://www.recipezaar.com/102566) i make chorizo sausage from this recipe, only modified. no tequila, no sugar.. tons and tons of dried chili's rehydrated...

Thanks for the recipe. I'll need to summon my courage to start making sausages. In my mind, this is industrial food - too complicated for a home cook. I'll have to overcome this prejudice.

[TejanaCJ]

In the interest of "sausage," I just bought a stove-top small Cameron's smoker (my old large Cameron's was borrowed and never returned and then I moved). It is not the same as a smokehouse flavor of commercial sausage but even some of that flavor is actually a product called Liquid Smoke, but the smoked flavor to fish, chicken, and pork chops, my favorite, is different than that day-in-day-out fare, especially good the day following the smoking/cooking, and a fairly close approximation of the smoky flavor of some ground meat sausages. It might help, Felicie, in getting close to the flavor you are missing. All this talk of sausage reminded me of how much I used that smoker a few years back.

[TejanaCJ]

Today dinner was scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos in butter, and a side of red and green cabbage slaw, tiny bit of carrot, tiny bit of apple with dressing of home-made mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, and a little stevia liquid.

[gfpaperdol]

How do you make pickled jalapenos in butter????

[TejanaCJ]

Call this a chapter from Eats, Shoots, and Leaves LOL

I used butter to fry the eggs, cheddar, and added the pickled jalapenos from a jar.

[TejanaCJ]

The Cameron's mini smoker arrived!

Last night was hickory smoked center-cut pork chops, spinach with butter (I know, I know), salad with avocado oil and lemon juice dressing and romaine, cucumber, cherry tomatoes (split so the dressing can get in the tomatoes), and green pepper slivers, and slivers of red cabbage, with a few slivers of Granny Smith apple.

Yum.

[Nancy LC]

How do you like that smoker? I have one, I just haven't ever used it!

[TejanaCJ]

Love the Cameron's as I am trying to get more flavor out of my food as I am trying to get "cleaner" with my food. Today I am even giving away my stash of DaVinci's sugar-free syrups and weaning myself to rare use of liquid stevia. Back to Cameron's. I just love splitting the center-cut pork chops I get from CostCo (wheehaw...there is a brand-new one just 3 miles from me, even in Texas) and smoking them. They are actually better the next day. The smoke flavor is more subtle than the commercially smoked, but you can use different wood chips, that go a long, long way. I especially like the hickory, cherry, apple, and mesquite chips. Chicken is good, too, although I think I will brine the next time, as it does not have enough fat as the pork. Fish is especially good and reminds me the smoked fish we used to get when I was growing up. We used to get smoked whitefish from Lake Michigan. Still better cold with some mayonnaise, dill relish, and chopped onion. Shrimp? Yes with Heinz Carb One and horseradish, a "kinda" cocktail sauce.

Next step I am contemplating is ground pork sausage with herbs, spices, and smoking/cooking the patties in the smoker. I'll post on that experiment when I get to you.

Caveat: You need a kitchen exhaust fan unless you want a somewhat smoky house.