Thursday, December 29, 2011

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.

Monday, December 19, 2011

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.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

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.

Friday, December 9, 2011

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.


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.




Monday, December 5, 2011

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.