Slow-cooker Corned Beef Brisket

Happy March!!  Here is one I can never get enough of...CORNED BEEF!  I know, cooking corned beef in a slow-cooker is stupid easy, but I am always looking back and wondering "what did I do last time?"  And, we already did hard boiled eggs, so the bar is pretty low around here.

Slow-cooker Corned Beef Brisket

Ingredients

1 corned beef brisket (as big as your slow-cooker will fit, about 3 lbs for mine)
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1-2 inch sections
4 carrots (depending on size), cut into 1-2 inch sections
1 onion, quartered
1 sweet potato or yam (or more if you have the room), cut into 1-2 inch sections
1 small head of cabbage (optional), quartered
scant 1 Tbsp fresh or dried thyme
Water

Directions

Into your slow cooker, place all the vegetables and the thyme.

Wash, dry, and trim your corned beef if necessary.  Place your corned beef on top of the vegetables with the FAT SIDE UP, rubbing the spice packet on both sides of the meat once it is in the slow-cooker.  Add enough water to almost cover the meat (about 4 to 6 cups).

Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 4 1/4 hours (or 8 1/2 hours on low).

When done, remove the corned beef to a platter and slice as desired.  Place the vegetables around the meat on the platter for consumption and decoration or in a dish to the side.

Notes
Your slow-cooker will likely be jam-packed.  My husband hates the smell of cooking cabbage so I typically will omit the cabbage, since I don't have the room for it anyway.  The potatoes/yams make a great addition because they soak up the yummy corned beef flavor.

This recipe usually provides about 6-8 adult portions.

The amounts, cooking times, and yielded number of portions will really depend on the size and efficiency of your slow-cooker, and your elevation (add more cooking time if you are above 3000 ft, about 20 minutes per 1000 ft above 3000 ft).

Any questions or suggestions?  Feel free to add them to the comments!

Enjoy!!

Garlic Soup

What to eat when you're feeling under the weather?  Garlic Soup! according to the wise women of the Upper Himalayas of Nepal.  This is the most basic recipe for making something that you want to eat and that is good for you when you don't have the energy for anything more complicated.

Garlic Soup

Ingredients

1 carton of chicken stock (about 5-6 cups)
6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp EVOO
sea salt as desired

Directions

Heat a heavy bottom sauce pot over low heat and warm the olive oil.  Add the garlic and allow the garlic to warm gently until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock and allow the stock to come to a boil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.

Notes

You can add anything you want to this recipe.  Saute some carrots and celery with the garlic and olive oil in the beginning.  Cut up some leftover chicken and add it to the broth at any point.  Cook some white rice in the broth if you're needing the carbs.  My husband likes to add some Creole seasoning, which makes it really tasty as well.

Enjoy!!

Saag ("Creamed" Indian Spinach)

For this leafy green delight, I have started with Rick Stein's recipe and modified it by doubling the amounts and swapping some of the ingredients.  It goes great with the Paleo Flatbread from my last post and it cooks down really small in no time.  With this recipe you can feed about 5 adults as the main meal.  You can also add chicken, lamb, or homemade cheese to this dish for some protein.

Saag

Ingredients

5 oz Ghee or grass-fed butter
1 and 1/2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 oz fresh ginger, grated
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp Garam masala spice mixture
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
2 and 1/4 lbs (or about 3 large bunches) of fresh spinach, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk**
1/2 cup coconut cream**
Handful of cilantro (coriander leaves), chopped

Directions

Heat the ghee or butter in a large heavy-bottom fry pan or wok over medium heat.  Add the onions, ginger, and garlic to the hot butter and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Stir in the spices (turmeric, garam masala, and chili powder) and protein (if adding any) and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have evenly coated the mixture.

Add the salt, spinach, coconut milk and coconut cream.  Allow the spinach to wilt (use a lid if possible) and then cook the mixture another 3-4 minutes or until it has reduced to a thick and creamy sauce.  At this point I usually give it a few whirls with the immersion blender to get it to the right consistency and not so chunky or leafy.

Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve!!

Notes

**Originally, the coconut milk and coconut cream are replaced with yogurt and double (heavy) cream, but the substitutions I made help get the consistency and flavoring right.  You can experiment with your own raw milk products if you are so inclined.  Also, the spinach can be substituted with kale, chard, or any other leafy green; just remember to cook the hardier greens for a bit longer so that they are not too tough.  Refer to my post on Kale Chips for a quick and easy way to de-stem leafy greens.

Enjoy!!

Paleo Flatbread/Naan

When trying to stay strict Paleo, there are some food items that you really start missing.  But paleo flatbreads have really become my weakness lately, they are SO GOOD!!  I started with this awesome 3-Ingredient Paleo Naan recipe from My Heart Beets (so quick and easy!).  However, I found it to have too much of a sweet coconut flavor and looked to modify it a bit.  This recipe has evolved to yield a wonderful flatbread with a depth of flavor and a great chew.  Depending on the size of each flatbread, this recipe makes 8-12 breads.

Paleo Flatbread/Naan

Photo by MyHeartBeets.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup Arrowroot flour/starch
1/2 cup Tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup Almond meal/flour
1/4 cup Coconut flour
1 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup Full fat coconut milk
1 large egg
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp EVOO
Ghee for cooking (optional)

Directions

Heat a skillet or large frying pan over medium heat until hot.  (If you are using a non-stick pan, no additional fat is needed.  If you are not using a non-stick pan, you may want to add a very small amount of ghee to the pan in between breads.)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a mixing bowl.

Add all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mix and whisk together until smooth.  Let the mixture sit together and meld for about 15 minutes (this allows the flours to absorb some of the fats in the recipe).

For a 6-8 inch bread, pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the hot pan and spread to a desired thickness carefully.

Allow the batter to cook until the edges begin to get golden brown and the batter appears dry on the top (about 1 minute).

Using a spatula, carefully flip the flatbread and cook on the other side until brown spots begin to appear on the bottom (about 1 - 2 minutes).

Once done, place the cooked bread in the folds of a flour-sack towel (or similar) until ready to serve.  These can also be keep in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Notes

You can really do anything you want with these; soft taco shells, Indian naan, sandwich wrap, dessert crepe, the possibilities are endless!  I like them so much, I always having at least one plain while I cook them up.  ;-)

Enjoy!!

Paleo Banana Pancakes

I have a hard time enjoying "Paleo-ized" breakfasts.  But, after experimenting with many different recipes, this one my husband begs me to make often.  The original recipe was from The Little Foodie with some minor adjustments.

Photo from The Little Foodie

Paleo Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

Coconut oil, to cook with
1 banana, mashed with a fork
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon (adjust to taste)
Pure cocoa powder (optional)
Maple syrup (optional)

Directions

Heat a skillet or large frying pan over medium heat and add about 1 Tbsp of coconut oil when hot.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter mixture into the hot oiled pan for one pancake, cooking about 3 to 4 pancakes at a time.  Flip the pancake when the edge starts to look dry and you see bubbles throughout the pancake (about 2-3 minutes).  Continue to cook the pancake until the batter is cooked all the way through (about 1-2 minutes).

Remove the pancake from heat and serve immediately.  You can add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and/or some maple syrup if you prefer.

Notes

If you want chocolate banana pancakes, start with about 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder added to the batter with the other ingredients and adjust the amount to your taste.

The pancakes can be kept warm in the oven if they will not be served immediately.

Pancakes are great improvisers, so feel free to try these with other ingredients added to the batter or on top.  Some examples include: shredded coconut, berries, apples, walnuts or pecans, etc.

Enjoy!!

Paleo Fudgesicles

It's almost time for the heat of summer and bikini season (joy).  Keep on course with your Paleo efforts with this AWESOME, refreshing treat.  Warning: these are additive!!  My favorite version of these came from the genius of the The Creekside Cook.

Photo from The Creekside Cook

Paleo Fudgesicles

Ingredients

1 13 oz can of coconut milk (full fat, of course!)
1/3 cup pure cocoa powder
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or 2 Tbsp honey)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous (about 1 min).

Allow the mixture to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the cocoa to absorb the coconut milk.  This will make the result much more creamy, but this step can be skipped if you are in a rush.

Give the mixture one more quick blend before pouring into the mold of your preference.

Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours before enjoying.

Notes

Our blender is disappointing and so I use our immersion blender for this recipe and it works just fine.

This recipe is seriously delicious and tastes very nearly like the real thing!  Enjoy!!

Perfectly cooked, easy to peel, Hard Boiled Eggs

How do you get perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel?  It's simple, timing.

Perfectly Cooked, Easy to Peel, Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients

1 dozen eggs
Ice

Directions

While the eggs are still in the fridge, fill a large sauce pot about 2/3 full with water.  Put on high heat until the water comes to a full hard boil.

Carefully lower the cold eggs into the boiling water and bring the water back up to a boil.

Reduce the heat from very high to high and allow the eggs to boil for about 8 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the eggs to continue to cook in the hot water on the hot burner for about 3 more minutes.

Remove the eggs from the heat and use an ice bath to cool them and stop them from cooking further.  You can do this by either pouring the hot water out and rinsing the eggs in the sauce pot a couple times with cool tap water or by removing the eggs from the sauce pot and into a bowl with an ice bath already prepared.

Once the eggs have cooled, eat them or store them in the refrigerator.

Notes

The key to the eggs being easy to peel is how fast the temperature change occurs.  The faster the temperature change, the easier it will be to peel the egg shell.  No need to add anything to the water.

Cooking the eggs via large temperature difference causes the egg to cook unevenly (from the outside in).  The extra time of the eggs sitting in the hot water will allow the yolk to cook through without overcooking it.