Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/27/13

Breakfast
Leftover Crispy Glazed Pork Belly
One-Egg Omelette
Bulletproof Coffee (not pictured)

Lunch
Grilled Greek Lamb Steak
Turkish Chopped Salad

Dinner
The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat. Ever.
Turkish Chopped Salad

Weekends are for serious business breakfast.

I've had a pound of pork belly in my freezer for a few months. It had been buried underneath frozen veggies that I'd amassed at the farmers market over the summer, but I uncovered it the other day when I was clearing room in the freezer for my new roommate. I took it out to thaw last night, figuring I'd only have time to cook it on the weekend. For those who aren't aware, cooking pork belly can be kind of an ordeal.

So here's what I did for breakfast this morning:

A perfectly poached egg, Crispy Glazed Pork Belly, and Duck Fat Home Fries. It was all of the delicious at one time.

I was going to make Hollandaise sauce for the egg, but it broke, as have my last two attempts due to my ADD (seriously), so I decided to go without. Honestly, I didn't even miss it so it all worked out.

For the poached egg, I brought a small pot of water to a boil, then added a tsp of apple cider vinegar and reduced the heat to low. I cracked an egg into a small glass just in case I spazzed out and cracked some of the shell into the egg. I slid the egg into the boiling water, covered the pot, and let it cook for three minutes. After the three minutes were up, I scooped it out of the pot, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and enjoyed the hell out of my breakfast.

Crispy Glazed Pork Belly

Ingredients
1 pound pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1/4 plus 1/8 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp whole cloves

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and cloves until sugar is dissolved.

Heat half of the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Add pork belly cubes and simmer for 20 minutes. While pork is simmering, preheat oven to 400.

Brown pork cubs in a preheated cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Place skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

While pork is in the oven, heat the other half of your vinegar mixture over high heat. Reduce mixture to a glaze; you should wind up with about a quarter cup.

Remove pork from the oven and drizzle with the glaze. Serve immediately.

Notes

• I make my glazes in non-stick skillets, which effectively revokes my dirty hippie card. My desire to have a pan that doesn't wind up irrevocably coated in vinegar candy trumps. Always. 
• The glaze is done when it starts to look foamy/really bubbly. Keep an eye on it or it could completely boil away and burn into candy.
• You could probably use honey or maple syrup to replace the coconut sugar. I'm really not sure.

Duck Fat Home Fries

Ingredients
1 medium Russet potato
1/4 cup duck fat
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Heat duck fat in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it sizzles. Smells amazing already, right?

Peel the potato and cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Add potato cubes to the skillet and let brown on all sides, flipping every few minutes. Cook for about 15 minutes until cubes are brown and have shrunken slightly.

Remove from skillet, pat dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Notes

• You could easily use a sweet potato if you don't tolerate regular potatoes very well. Whatever you do, use a starchy potato (not a red potato - too waxy) or the cooking times will be off.
• If you want to use yucca root or some other type of vegetable, it would be best to parboil it first, or it'll take forever to cook.
• I buy my duck fat from Wegman's; it's the D'artagnan brand. The containers for the fat and the stock look almost identical, so make sure you're getting the right thing. Not that I've done that, of course. Ahem.

Gluten-Free Honeycrisp Apple Crisp (say that three times fast)

Filling Ingredients

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and sliced somewhat thinly
1/2 Craisins

Crumb Topping Ingredients
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup grass-fed butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Let butter sit out or microwave on defrost setting until softened. In a large bowl, sprinkle apples with lemon juice, then mix in sugar, cinnamon, and Craisins. Add apple mixture to a 1-1/2 or 2 quart casserole dish. You can grease it with coconut oil first, but I didn't find it necessary.

In a medium sized bowl, combine all topping ingredients except for butter. Cut in the softened butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until pea-sized crumbs form. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 350 and bake for 50 minutes or until crumbs have browned. Let cool/set for at least 15 minutes before digging in

Notes

• You could easily swap out other granulated sugars of your choice; I'm not sure how liquid sugars or sugar-free stuff would work.
• No, you don't need to peel the apples. I used a corer and sliced each of the large pieces it made into thirds.
• You could swap the Craisins for raisins if you want. I just happen to hate raisins. You can also leave out the dried fruit altogether. You can always add another half of an apple or so.
• For the rice flour in the topping, it's possible that you could swap it for arrowroot, tapioca, coconut or even almond flour, all of which would Paleo-ize the recipe. I haven't tested the arrowroot or tapioca and I'm not a fan of the texture of almond or coconut flour crumbs, so I went with the finest flour I had on hand.
• I used Kerrygold salted butter because it's delicious and grass-fed.
• The dish I used was a round glass one about 8" around. If you use a wider one, you may need to reduce your baking time or add another half of an apple to keep things from getting overcooked.

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/18/12

Uhhh, oops. I almost forgot I have a blog. Anyway.

Breakfast
Veggie and egg scramble with hot sauce

Lunch
The last of the best chicken ever and the veggie salad.

Dinner
FAIL - I'll get better at updating.

Sunflower Butter Cookies

I love my mom a lot. I don't think she gets the Paleo lifestyle, though. So when she asked if I wanted her low-cal peanut butter cookie recipe, I politely declined. She had tucked it into one of my St. Nicholas Day gifts anyway and after looking it over, I figured I'd give it a shot with some modifications.
The original calls for peanut butter, which I subbed for sunflower seed butter. It also calls for 3/4 cup of Splenda and 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, which I swapped for 1 cup of blonde palm sugar and 1 tbsp of molasses. The original didn't call for the pinch of sea salt, but it's an awesome addition, in my opinion.
Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seed butter
1 cup blonde palm sugar
1 tbsp molasses
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Sunflower seeds (optional, to press on top of cookies)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine sunflower seed butter, palm sugar, molasses, salt, baking soda, and vanilla in a medium bowl by hand until well mixed. Add egg and stir by hand until a dough forms.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Press sunflower seeds into the top if using.
Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/15/12

Breakfast
Tostones and bacon


Lunch
The Best Chicken You Will Eat. Ever.
Turkish Chopped Salad










Dinner

Oven baked salmon
Stir fried broccoli

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/14/12

Breakfast
Leftover meatloaf

Lunch
I wasn't hungry again so I had a Larabar and some tuna with garlic aioli.

Dinner
Boring poached chicken breast and steamed broccoli.

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/13/12

Breakfast
Chicken baja style - a riff on the guts from Baja Fresh's baja style chicken tacos. I should probably post this recipe so I remember to make it again.

Lunch
Same as breakfast

Dinner
Veggie loaded meatloaf
Baked sweet potato fries

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/12/12

Breakfast
Same as yesterday: two scrambled eggs with veggies & hot sauce
Sugar-free sausage

Lunch
I wasn't hungry so I had a Larabar and some bacon. Didn't feel like that was photo worthy.

Dinner
NY Strip Steak sauteed in herb and garlic butter
Baked sweet potato with butter and pumpkin pie spice
Sauteed onions and mushrooms
Kale chips

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/11/12

Breakfast

Two scrambled eggs with peppers, onion, green onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes

Hot sauce

Sugar-free sausage

Lunch

The rest of the roasted spaghetti squash with sausage and marinara.

Dinner

I sauteed some chicken breast with onions and served it up with roasted broccoli and garlic, and promptly forgot to take a photo before I fed my face. Yay!

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/10/12

Breakfast
Two scrambled egg whites and one scrambled egg with hot sauce
Two sugar-free yuck-free sausage links
One leftover Stuffed Acorn Squash

Lunch
Honeycrisp apple
Coconut butter









Dinner
Leftover roasted spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and sauteed sugar-free ick-free sausage

Sick! Bummer.

I started coming down with some stomach bug last night that's continuing into today, so I haven't been too hungry. I'm still on track with what I've managed to keep down, however.

Yuck.

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/8/12

Breakfast
Leftover orange and shallot glazed pork chop
Leftover butternut squash noodles
Leftover oven baked Brussels sprouts with bacon
Leftover mashed turnips

Lunch
Shredded Beef Roast on a Pure Wrap with spinach and garlic and rosemary aioli.
Cucumbers with garlic and rosemary aioli.








Dinner
Roasted spaghetti squash
Marinara Sauce
Sauteed sugar-free ick-free sausage

Shredded Beef Roast

Ingredients
3-lb boneless beef roast

2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth

Mix spices and garlic together in a bowl. Rinse off roast and dry thoroughly. Rub spice mixture into all sides of the roast with your hands and place roast in a slow cooker. Add broth to slow cooker. Set on low for 8-10 hours.

I've been eating this stuff on butter lettuce or pure wraps with garlic rosemary aioli and spinach like it's my job. It's so good.

But WHY do I want the cookies?

I almost had a major malfunction today.

Here where I work, it isn't too dissimilar from the Seinfeld episode where Elaine flips out on her co-workers for celebrating every little thing (new baby, birthday, returning from a sick day, positive eval, etc.) with cake. We do cake here a lot. At least three times a week, you can find remnants of birthday cakes, cupcakes, and donuts in one of the two main kitchens.

In my heyday, it wasn't uncommon for me to scoop up a piece of cake, sometimes even going back for seconds when the sugar rush wore off. It was gross and I always felt shitty about it.

We also have two vending machines full of absolute garbage two doors away from my office in the mail room. I've asked repeatedly for the vending company to add some healthy choices, but our ideas of healthy are vastly different. Jerky means Slim Jims, and nuts mean honey roasted peanuts or Paydays. Don't get me started on the Snackwells, animal crackers, and fat free gummy candy.

I was standing in the mail room distributing some things when out of the corner of my eye, I saw them.

They were doing the dance of the sugary cookie. Bounce, bounce, sashay. I wanted those damn cookies. More than I remembered wanting any other food.

I stood, paralyzed by the mailboxes, afraid of moving one step closer to the vending machine. I started rationalizing about why I could have them. I mean, I could always get back on track tomorrow. No big deal. Also, they are only $1. One measly dollar for all of those cookies? Come on. I knew I had a bundle of singles in my purse after someone wanted a large bill exchanged. The money was just in my office. I could go get it, and buy the cookies, and  it would be fine. Just fine...

Like something you'd see in a movie, a co-worker walked into the room hopefully unaware of my struggle, stepped up to the vending machine, fed it a dollar, and bought the freaking cookies. It was the last package.

Part of me wanted to tackle him and take them from him, and the other part of me wanted to cry. So I went to the bathroom and had a few snivels, then stepped back out to resume my day.

Fuck you, sugar. I win.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients
1 acorn squash, halved, seeded, and a slice cut off of the other side to make them steady in the cooking pan
2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
2 sweet-tart apples, or whatever kind you want
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Heat oven to 400F. Brush cut sides of squash with 1 tbsp of the coconut oil and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour in the oven until fork tender.

While squash is baking, heat remaining tbsp of coconut oil in a medium skillet. Add apples and onion, and saute until tender. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add cinnamon, cumin, and salt, and remove from heat.

Spoon apple filling into the baked squash and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Delicata Chipotle Chili

This recipe has been adapted somewhat from the Chocolate Chili recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl / Well Fed. The squash gives the chili a bean-like mouth feel, which my boyfriend greatly appreciated since he's not a Paleo eater.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 delicata squash, cut into 1/2" cubes (leave skin on)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground meat (I used a meatloaf mix of beef, pork, and veal)
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp chipotle chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1-1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cans (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 ounces) beef broth
1 cup water

Instructions
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat, then add the coconut oil. When the oil is melted, add onions, stir with a wooden spoon and cook until translucent. Add the squash until lightly browned. Add the garlic and after 30 seconds, crumble the ground meat into the pan with your hands, mixing with the wooden spoon to combine. Continue to cook the meat, stirring often, until it’s no longer pink.

In a small bowl, mix oregano, chili powders, cumin, cocoa, allspice, and salt. Mix well and add to the pot until thoroughly incorporated. Add tomato paste and stir until combined, about 2 minutes.

Add the undrained tomatoes, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the chili enjoys a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for no less than two hours.

I topped mine with halved cherry tomatoes, green onions, and some coconut milk to cut the spice.

Just the Food, Ma'am - 10/7/12

Breakfast
Egg over medium
Leftover Brussels sprouts with bacon
Sweet Potato Chips

Lunch
Pure Wrap stuffed with Shredded Beef Roast, spinach, and garlic and rosemary aioli.
Steamed broccoli with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Dinner
Unbreaded skin-on chicken wings fried in coconut oil and tossed in black pepper and lemon zest. Forgot the photo again. They were that good.