Leg of Lamb (piece) with Carrots, Onions and Sweet Potatoes

My wonderful Le Creuset! Thanks again Maria- Great Gift!

Sorry the delay in posts! The holidays were busy and I had surgery on my hand so typing has been a challenge to say the least.

I made this amazing lamb shank with the produce I had to get rid of before I leave for Christmas break.  It was really easy and the dutch oven made it come out moist and made clean up quick. Nothing beats cooking everything in one pot! Lamb can be expensive but if you buy it a day or two after a holiday it is very cheap.  After holidays, grocery stores usually have tons of leftover hams, turkeys (whole or parts), and lamb at discount prices. You can't always get a large cut, such as a whole leg of lamb or a whole turkey but you can most definitely find smaller cuts. After Thanksgiving I found turkey legs and wings for amazing prices as well as turkey tender pieces (great for a quick stir-fry). The lamb shank I used for this recipe was also purchased after Thanksgiving for a discount price. 

Ingredients
-one 1 1/2- 2 pound leg of lamb piece (bone-in)
- 5 large carrots (peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks)
- 1 yam (pelled and chopped in 1/2 inch chunks)
- 1 white onion (chopped into 6 wedges)
- 1/4 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

- cumin

- garlic powder
- salt
-black pepper
-olive oil
-butter
-balsamic vinegar

1. Rub all sides of the lamb with cumin, garlic powder, fresh cracked black pepper, salt, and rosemary. I think I probably ended up rubbing one teaspoon of each on the shank. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic pepper and rub into the meat. Let marinate in the fridge over night.
2. Remove lamb from fridge an hour before you plan on cooking it so it can come to room temperature.
3.Preheat oven to 375 F. Also, heat one of the burners on your stove to medium heat.
4. Place dutch oven on the stove. Melt a half tablespoon of butter in the dutch oven.  Brown each side of the lamb in the dutch oven, about 30 seconds on each side.
5. Remove the dutch oven from the stove heat.
6. Surround the lamb with chopped carrots, onions and yams. Pour in red wine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Place the lid on the dutch oven and cook for 45 minutes. Rotate the lamb half way through the cook time and stir the vegetables so they cook evenly.
8. Remove dutch oven from the oven and serve! Best served in a bowl so you can spoon some of the drippings over the veggies and the lamb.


Note: Feel free to adjust the carrot and sweet potato portions, I used the amount shown above because that is what I had in my fridge.  Parsnips would be a great option too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

I'm usually not a huge fan of pre-made gluten free mixes but I tried this one because my mom sent it to me as a surprise. I changed the recipe a little from the box directions.

- 1 box of King Arthur Gluten-free Cookie Mix (one cup removed and set aside for another use)

- 1/2 cup of hazelnut meal

-1/2 cup almond meal

-eggs

-butter

- Chocolate chips

1. Pour cookie mix into a bowl.  Remove one cup and set aside for another use. Add 1/2 cup of hazelnut meal and 1/2 cup of almond meal.

2. Follow package instructions. 

3. Stir in chocolate chips (amount depends on your preference).

4. Pour dough into an oven safe skillet pan. 

5. Bake according to package instructions.

Not Your Average Bacon Burger

Bacon Burgers shown as small sliders above. They made a perfect appetizer served on a small square of herb loaf and topped with sharp cheddar.

I was reading one of the many Best Burgers in San Francisco Lists when I stumbled upon this delicious idea.  Instead of topping the burger with bacon, Broken Record in SF, grinds up bacon and mixes it together with the ground beef.  After trying this delicious burger at Broken Record, I decided to make one of my own.  They turned out amazing, in part because the bacon I used was from Willow Glen Meats & Smokehouse. It cost as much as supermarket bacon but it tastes SO much better. If you can find a good value butcher that produces its own bacon in house, I suggest using their products as opposed to the supermarket bacon with tons of unnecessary additives.

Ingredients

- 1.65 pounds of ground chunk (get as much beef as you need, depending on your family size)

- 5 slices of bacon

- 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard
-  1/2 teaspoon Splash of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon splash of sesame seed oil

- splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

- generous sprinkle of garlic powder

- sprinkle of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1. Grind up bacon in a food processor with a tiny bit of olive oil. 

2. Add ground up bacon to ground chunk.  Mix with mustard, olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and crack black pepper.  Let sit overnight, covered in the fridge.

3.  Grill and serve.

Harvest Cake with Vanilla Cream

Harvest Cake decorated with a chopped fig

Harvest Cake (Makes 1-9inch cake,double the recipe to get the layered cake shown in my photos).  This cake turned out delicious! It makes a great coffee cake or a healthy dessert after dinner. 

    - 3 cups almond flour

    -1 1/2 tsp baking soda

    - 1/2 tsp salt

    - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

    - 1/4 cup ghee or olive oil

    -1/4 cup honey

    - 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    - 3 eggs

    -1 cup grated carrot

    - 1 cup grated zucchini

    - 1 cup chopped apple (I used golden delicious)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch cake pan. In a bowl combine dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to incorporate.
3. Pour into prepared cake pan and cook in oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Vanilla Cream
This made enough icing for the cake pictured above.  Adjust the measurements if you need less or just use the recipe below and keep the cream in the fridge to spread on some gluten free muffins. Yum!

- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for three hours, water discarded

- 3/4cup fresh apple juice

 - 3 Medjool dates, pitted removed

  - 1 ½ TBS honey

  - 4 drops vanilla crème stevia extract
  - ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

In a high speed blender combine ingredients until very smooth. Spread on cake or muffins.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Cooking Savvy Family and Friends

Gloveables!

A cute alternative for the average apron, a great option while entertaining!

Griddle Pan! Essential for those of us who love making quick omelets and pancakes! 

A microplane rasp grater.  Great for zesting fruit for baking.

Citrus Juicer.  I used to think these were unnecessary but you get some much more out of a lemon when you use one.

Food Processor! Essential for making your nut meals and my cauliflower rice.

Monogrammed Wine Stopper and Pourer!

Salts of the World

Tasting Plate! Great for those who like to entertain.

Paleo Comfort Foods Cookbook! An amazing book that shows you how to make paleo versions of comfort food favorites.

Buffalo Tenderloin

Beef tenderloin served with sauteed mushrooms and spinach salad.

I accidentally cut the tenderloin before taking the picture...so I pieced it back together for this photo :)

Eating healthy doesn't necessarily mean limiting your choices.  There are plenty of healthy meats that you've probably never tried before. Buffalo has become more popular in the last couple years and can be found at most supermarkets.  However, the average grocery store tends to only carry ground buffalo- limiting your preparation options to stir fry and burgers.  I recently found a delicious meat market in Willow Glen that not only serves amazing sandwiches (which I eat without the bread) but also offers wild boar, elk, and buffalo cuts.  I purchased a buffalo tenderloin from them and it turned out great.  It has a slightly gamey taste to it so I wouldn't suggest it for everyone but if you have a more adventurous palette, try picking up a buffalo tenderloin instead of the typical beef option.

Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb buffalo tenderloin
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
-1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
-1/2 teaspoon olive oil
-  1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
-sprinkle of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha

1. Rub defrosted tenderloin with all wet ingredients.  Finish by sprinkling with salt and pepper.
2. Cook on the grill pan for 3 minutes on each side to get good grill marks.  Finish in the oven at 350 F for 7 minutes.  Mine came out medium rare which is what I prefer. 

Chicken Soup!

I’ve never made chicken soup from scratch but after making a whole roasted chicken I figured I might as well use the bones and carcass to make my own stock.  I plan on always using the bones for this purpose from here on out because I feel like simply discarding them is wasteful when they can render such a delicious liquid.  Google searching chicken stock will bring up numerous quick tutorials on how to make your own stock.  It is very simple and pretty much just requires you to cook the bones and leftover skin with some water and a few vegetables over low heat.  You can also use store bought stock if you don't want to slow cook stock overnight.

Ingredients
1 can of white beans
1 can hominy
3 gluten free garlic/artichoke chicken sausages (chopped and cooked)
1 ¼ cup shredded cooked chicken (I had this leftover from when I cooked my whole chicken)
4 carrots peeled and chopped
3 celery sticks chopped
10- 12 cups chicken stock or more if needed

1. Add broth and all veggies to the pot.  Cook over medium low heat covered for 15 minutes.
2. Add chicken and cook 5 more minutes.  Add sausage and cook 5 more mins.
3. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve!

Thanksgiving Left Overs

It kinda looks like a dessert pizza!

I've been very lazy on the blogging front over the holiday weekend. I did manage to make one delicious and creative dish with the few leftovers we had.  My roommate Karen made a huge amount of cranberry sauce that was wonderfully tart. I used it to make an amazing galette that turned out to be one of the simplest desserts I have ever made.  The beautiful deep red of the cranberry also makes for a vibrantly colored dessert.

Ingredients
- 1 sheet of pastry dough (French Picnic brand - They come in boxes of two and I used one for my Thanksgiving fig gallette, leaving me one to experiment with.)
- 1/4 tube of almond paste
-1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 packet of stevia
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cranberry sauce


1. Blend the almond paste, mascarpone cheese, honey and stevia in a food processor.
2. Place pastry dough on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper.  Let dough defrost for 10 minutes or so.  It should still be slightly cold to the touch when you're working with it.
3. Spread almond paste mixture on the dough, leaving a border to fold dough over for a crust.
4. Spoon cranberry sauce on top of almond mixture.
5. Fold edges of dough to create a border. Brush lightly with buttermilk if you have any. 
6. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.  Make sure to rotate dish half way through.


This is a delicious use for cranberry sauce.  I'm considering making another one tomorrow because the one I made yesterday lasted less than 24 hours.  I think it turned out so well because the cranberry sauce I started with had such a wonderful tartness. Thanks Karen!

Almond Rosemary Biscuits (Thanksgiving Baking!)

I made these gluten-free goodies for Thanksgiving.  I had to make them two days ahead of time because I have a lot of work on Wednesday.  They turned out great but I had to alter the original recipe a bit because it did not yield enough biscuits and I ran out of Almond flour.  I decided to substitute in a little Amaranth flour because I had a bag in my pantry that my mom sent me a few weeks ago. It is gluten free and isn't nearly as grainy as other gluten free flours. 

Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups of almond flour

- 1/2 amaranth flour (plus more for sprinkling on parchment paper while rolling out biscuits)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 cup olive oil or grape seed oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine almond flour, amaranth flour, salt, baking soda and rosemary in a bowl. Stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil and honey.  Whisk to combine.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix together with your hands until combined completely.
5. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.  Lay a separate piece of parchment paper on your counter.  Sprinkle with flour.  Place dough on parchment paper.  Lay another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten dough to desired thickness.  For thick biscuits, roll out to 3/4 in thick.  I made mine fairly thin- partly because I need a lot and because I was in a bit of a hurry. Use a biscuit cutter to cut your biscuits or a heart shaped one like i did.
6.  Bake for 12 minutes if you rolled them thin, 15 minutes if you rolled them thick.

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did!

Coconut Flour Blueberry Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

½ cup coconut flour (sifted) 

a pinch of  sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs 

1/4 cup agave nectar (i actually did just a little less than 1/4 cup)
1 packet of stevia (these are the small single serving packets)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup blueberries
1.In a small bowl, combine sifted coconut flour, salt, stevia, and baking soda.

2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, agave, olive oil and vanilla bean paste and blend well with an electric mixer.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend with an electric mixer.

4. Fold in blueberries.

5. Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes in cupcake tins prepared with cupcake papers- make sure to rotate dish half way through baking.

Yields 12 muffins.

Note: I plan on trying these again with less agave to see if they still come out sweet. These muffins turn out pretty small BUT coconut flour is very filling. I also had a lot of issues with the muffins sticking to the cupcake papers.  I'm going to work on a way to fix this. Maybe I will try doubling the recipe and making a coffee cake out of it.

Kabocha Ginger Puree

I adapted this from a Bon Appetit recipe.  My version is simpler than BA's and also has less calories because I don't use the heavy cream.  If this recipe isn't creamy enough for you, feel free to add a little full fat yogurt or full fat sour cream.

Kabocha is the Yellow Puree on the Plate.

Ingredients
1 Kabocha Squash

1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoon good honey

1. Cut the kabocha squash into wedges and toss with a little coconut oil or olive oil.
2. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 20 minutes or until soft.
3. Peel the skin off each squash.  Toss the skins and place the cooked squash in a bowl. 
4. In small batches, puree the squash in a food processor.  In each batch, add a little ginger, butter and honey. Repeat the process until all the squash has been pureed.  Taste the puree and if necessary add more honey to make it sweeter or yogurt/cream/sour cream to make it smoother.


Note: One squash makes a lot of puree.  I like to make this on Monday or Tuesday and use it as a side dish for the next two days' dinner. The picture above was taken a day after I made the puree.  I had also roasted a whole chicken in the slow cooker the same day I made the puree so the meal above only took me 15 minutes.  I quickly cut up some broccoli and sauteed it with some garlic butter (homemade of course). That took at most 7 minutes.  While the broccoli was cooking, I sliced some some spinach and avocado. Then I assembled my plates.  I put squash and chicken on each plate- quickly nuked each in the microwave, then added the broccoli and simple salad.  There you have it- 15 minutes and 3 vegetable dishes and one protein.

Simple Haroseth

I know this is a passover thing but it also makes for a very yummy quick dessert.

Ingredients
2 Pink Lady apples (diced into 1/4 inch cubes)
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
3 tablespoons honey

1. In a bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice to coat evenly.  Add the walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg and toss to combine. Add honey to bind the mixture lightly. 

Sriracha Tuna Tartare with Fresh Mango and Avocado

Tuna Tartare served on toasted bread with Tuna Steak and a side salad.

I typically think of tuna tartare as a restaurant dish but after reading over a tartare recipe, I realized I was more than capable of making my own version at home.  This is a great appetizer for a dinner party because it can be prepared earlier in the day and doesn't require any heating before serving.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh sushi grade ahi tuna (skin and bones removed)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
3 tablespoons Sriracha
zest and juice of 1/2 grapefruit
2 shallots minced
1 jalapeno (seeded and minced)
3 greens onions, white part only, sliced on the diagonal
sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 avocado (cubed)
1 mango (cubed)

1. Dice mango and avocado into 1/4 inch cubes.  Set aside in a bowl.
2. Cube the tuna into 1/4 inch cubes and place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, wasabi powder, sriracha, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, shallots, jalapenos, and green onions.  Stir well.
3. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to allow flavors to marinate.
4. Just before serving, combine tuna tartare with mango and avocado. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: For gluten-free kids like me, fell free to serve the tuna tartare without the toast.

Photo Credit: Quincy Dein

Apple Cheddar Frittata

Dinner is served!!

Made this for a last minute Sunday dinner. It didn't disappoint in flavor and the presentation was beautiful.  This would be great for a nice brunch.  Before beginning this meal, make sure you have a pan with a medal handle- plastic handles aren't oven safe.

Ingredients
8 eggs
1 egg white
1/4 cup of greek yogurt (whole, low fat or skim all work)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar (shred it yourself- pre-shredded have a lot of nasty chemicals in them)
1 1/2 apples (cut into thin wedges)
1 red onion (sliced into wedges)
sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
olive oil or butter

1.  Slice red onion and cook in a pan over medium heat (about 7 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, whip together eggs, egg white, cheese, yogurt, salt and pepper until well combined.
3. Slice apples into thin wedges.
4. Add cooked onions into egg mixture. Stir to combine.  Add entire mixture to the pan (w/ oven safe handle).
5.  Cook for 2 minutes on the stove or until the eggs set.  Arrange apple slices onto of egg.
6. Place pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes at 425 F. Make sure to rotate the pan once during the baking time. 

Place the apples on the eggs once the very edge of the eggs has set. 

Yum!

Coconut Rum Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

I chose to make mini cupcakes because the recipe is very rich.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp  baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 ¼ cup light brown sugar

1 stick butter (room temp)

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup coconut rum

1. Mix flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream brown sugar and butter until fluffy.

2. Add egg and beat well. Add buttermilk and flour mixture alternatively while mixing.  Add rum and mix well.  Pour into lined cupcake pan.

3. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese

½ stick butter, room temp

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoon coconut rum

1. Mix together ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Frost cupcakes.Optional- Sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Note: I made mine as mini-cupcakes.  Mini cupcake tins are available at Target and any cookware store.  Mini cupcake liners are available at Sur la Table or online here.

(Adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes.  Ming’s version doesn’t include cocoa powder but the picture looks like a chocolate cupcake so I think the original recipe might have had a typo. I have used recipes before and they never disappoint.)



Cat- I hope you remember to make these for your parents!!

Savory Pancake Experiments (Blue Corn Flour Pancakes and Coconut Flour Pancakes!)

Blue corn pancakes on top and coconut pancakes on the bottom

Savory coconut pancakes topped with egg scramble and a side of fruit

I couldn’t fall asleep last night so I decided to experiment with simple savory pancake recipes.  For breakfast this morning I had a coconut one topped with scrambled eggs with spinach and onion and gluten free chicken sausage. Yummy! Making the pancakes ahead of time saves me cook time in the morning.

Option #1: Blue Corn Flour Pancakes
Blue Corn Flour Ingredients
- 2 eggs

-  ¼ cup blue corn flour

-  pinch of salt

- pinch of baking powder

(yields two pancakes)

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. 

2.  Grease pan over medium heat with butter or coconut oil.

3. Add half the batter to pan.  Cook pancake 2 minutes or so on each side.

4. Repeat with the second half the batter.

Option #2 Coconut Flour Pancakes

- 3 eggs

- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (if you have the whole sale Whole Foods variety you should sift it first!)

- pinch of baking powder

- pinch of salt

(yields two pancakes)

1. Same method as above

Apple Walnut Bread (gluten free)

Yummy Gluten Free Bread

2 cups of ground almonds

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoons sea salt

2 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup walnut oil or coconut oil or butter

¼ cup sour cream

1.Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with coconut oil.

2. Combine the ground almonds, walnuts, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a  bowl until thoroughly combined. 

3. Combine the eggs, applesauce, oil and sour cream or coconut milk in a measuring cup.  Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

4. IF mixture is stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons more of coconut milk.

5. Press dough into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out dry, about 45 minutes.

6. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out.

Can substitute ½ cup pumpkin bread instead of applesauce.

More Eggplant! Three Cheese Eggplant Bake

Spreading spinach over eggplant and tomatoes

Finished product- half eaten

1 eggplant

½ cup olive oil

1/2 yellow Spanish onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic minced – can substitute garlic powder

3-4 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes- diced

4- 6 cups spinach leaves

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 to 5 fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

2. Cut eggplant into ½ inch slices or into strips. Brush both sides of slices with the olive oil.

3. Bake eggplant slices for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach.  Cook until onion softens.

5. Place cooked eggplant slices in a baking dish.  Place tomato wedges over the eggplant slices. Spread the spinach mixture on top. 

6. Pour tomato sauce over spinach. 

7. Mix together ricotta and mozzarella in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with basil. 

8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or a little Gruyere.

9. Bake uncovered until bubbling and the cheese is melted- roughly 25-30 minutes.

Note: I prefer to make my own tomato sauce rather than use store bought.  It's pretty easy to make a simple tomato sauce. Here's a simple recipe that lasts well in the freezer or in the fridge for a few days. I usually make this a day or two ahead of time so I don't have to assemble the entire eggplant bake all in one night.

1/2 onion, chopped
3 heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges OR 3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leaves fresh basil

1. On medium-low heat, cook tomatoes and onions in olive oil.  Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
2. Let cook covered for 10 minutes, reduce to low and let cook for 25 more minutes.
3. Transfer to a food processor and add basil.  Blend (with vent open but covered with paper towel) until desired consistency.  Add garlic powder and pepper to taste.