Recipes

"Frickin' Tasty" Creamy Vegetable Soup

That's what my boys said when I asked them how they liked this soup...

This recipe is an approximation of a process I often use to make soup: 1. Saute aromatics; 2. Add more veggies, and cook till very tender (it's fine if you only have one type of vegetable, like cauliflower - it will still taste delicious); 3. Add broth, and puree; 4. Add additional steamed, chopped veggies to taste. This makes a really delicious, texturally interesting, infinately variable soup.

This makes a big pot full, which is good so you can eat the leftovers for several lunches in a row.

Crockpot Roast

I adapted this from the "California Pot Roast" recipe in The Grassfed Gourmet, by Shannon Hayes. It came out nice and slice-able, with more than enough tasty sauce.

1 3.5 pound (or bigger) roast (I used sirloin tip)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp. beef tallow or other fat

2 cups tomatoes, fresh or frozen
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. dry oregano

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Swedish Meatballs

This is adapted from a new cookbook that looks fantastic: "Full Moon Feast," by Jessica Prentice. I took out GAPS-illegal ingredients, and didn't make the gravy (which she makes by deglazing the pan with beef stock and creme fraiche)...

1 pound ground beef
1 egg yolk

3 oz. beef liver (or other type of liver)
1/2 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 handful parsley leaves
1 tsp. good salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1-3 tbsp. lard, tallow, or other fat

How to Eat Raw Liver

Okay, it's not a sexy recipe. But sometimes you just need to do things quick and dirty...

1. partially thaw a pound of really good quality, grassfed liver (lamb, cow, etc.)

2. cut the liver into pill-sized chunks, spread in a single layer on a plate lined with parchment paper, and re-freeze.

3. each time you need to Do the Deed, break off your desired quantity of liver chunks, and defrost (goes quickly if you spread them on something metal).

4. when the chunks are nearly thawed, swallow them one at a time with plenty of water.

Italian Beef Sausage Patties With Organ Meats

Tonight, we have a winner! A sausage patty that the boys said was SO good...and it's full of the most nutrient dense meats! Thanks to Christie, from whose recipe I adapted these. (Jeff thought they could use more salt and spices, but I didn't want them too strong, personally)

Makes about eight patties

1/2 lb. beef heart, cut into large chunks
1/4 lb. beef liver
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Lucia's Raw Butter

Lucia says, "I usually order 5 gallons of cream. It takes a few days to turn this much into butter, but if you don't have time, just freeze it for later. Cream separates when you freeze it, so it's fine for making butter (but not anything else).

"I culture the cream before I churn it, by letting it sit at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can put some yogurt in it if you want, but that's not necessary.

"We have done the churning several ways. I prefer the food processor, filled about half full, churned with a metal blade.

Raw Beef Jerky

2 lbs. lean beef (like London Broil), partially thawed for ease of slicing
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
(can also add cumin, etc.)

Remove all fat (otherwise the jerky may be impossibly chewy), and slice the meat against the grain into uniformly thin slices (about 1/8-inch thick). Place in a glass container with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.

Lamb Ribs with Mustard-Rosemary Garlic Paste

This is adapted from a recipe in "The Grassfed Gourmet," by Shannon Hayes. I usually don't much like rosemary, but it's delicious in this. The edges are so crispy! You can use Denver ribs, short ribs, or riblets.

Serves 2-4, depending upon meatiness of ribs/riblets and/or hunger level of the diners.

1-2 pounds lamb ribs/riblets
1 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. mustard (wet)
2 tsp. dry rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large cloves garlic, crushed

Herb Roasted Lamb Chops

This is a recipe adapted from Epicurious.com, by Maria Helm Sinskey.

4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dry)
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 tsp. dry)
3/4-1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fat or ghee
6 1 1/4-inch-thick lamb loin chops

Mix first four ingredients and 1 tbsp. fat in a large bowl. Add lamb; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400f. Heat remaining tbsp. fat in heavy large oven-proof skillet (preferably cast iron), over high heat.

Spaghetti Squash and Bacon Pie

This is super tasty! Kind of like a crustless quiche. Even with uncured (no sugar) bacon...

1 medium onion
1 lb. uncured pork bellies (or bacon), diced

1/2 cup ghee
1 3-lb. spaghetti squash (pierced several times, baked till tender at 375f (about 1.5 hours, flipping halfway through), then scraped out (skin discarded).)
1 dozen eggs
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Saute onion and bacon over medium heat with 1 tsp. salt, until most of the bacon has started to crisp. Preheat oven to 350f.

Chicken in a Dutch Oven

adapted from "French Chicken in a Pot," from the February 2008 edition of Cook's Illustrated. No crisp skin here, but very tender and flavorful meat.

"The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2 to 5 pound bird. a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pound bird will take about an hour, an a 5 to 6 pound bird will take close to hours. We developed this recipe to work with a 5 to 8 quart pot with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds."

Really, Really Tasty Roasted Pork Shoulder

This is adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe. Serves 4-6.

one 3-4 pound bone-in pork roast, such as Boston Butt
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried rosemary (or use more fresh)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

About 2 cups of broth (or try white wine)
1 tbsp. butter or ghee

Preheat the oven to 450f. Rub the salt and spices all over the roast, and place in a cast iron Dutch oven.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage

2 uncooked sausages, crumbled http://www.lifeisapalindrome.com/recipes/homemade-sausage
1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked (pierce with a fork several times, bake at 375f for 1.5 hours, flipping the squash halfway through. Then, cut in half, remove seeds and discard, and scrape all the "spaghetti" out).

Brown the sausage, and then add the "spaghetti." Cook, stirring frequently and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 gallon apple cider, preferably organic and definitely preservative-free

1 gallon jar
cloth to cover the top.

Put the cider into the jar, and cover with the cloth. Set in a cool, dark place for a month or two. The trick to cider vinegar is that it needs oxygen for its fermentation process: you should make sure to stir it well at least once a day, replacing the cloth cover each time to prevent fruit flies from infesting...

Zucchini Pasta

4 medium zucchinis
ghee
salt
pepper

Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Grate the zucchinis on the largest shredding side of a box grater.

Melt the ghee in the pan, and add the zuchinni. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the excess liquid exudes and evaporates.

Enjoy!

How to Make Ghee

I use a crockpot. Put the butter (up to eight pounds fits in mine) in, cover, and set the temperature setting to "low."

Let the butter melt and simmer for about eight hours; at this point, there will be a sort of foamy "scum" on top (protein, mostly), a lot of butterfat (all the good yellow stuff) in the middle, and the milk solids at the bottom.

Overnight Stew Beef

If you're wondering, "Why on earth did she tag this as a _breakfast_ recipe??", then you're not on the GAPS diet. This is a great way to make an economical "cut" of meat into something tender and good.

2 lbs. stew beef, or 3-4 lbs. short ribs
1/2-3/4 tsp. salt
A good large grind of pepper
2 garlic cloves

Put the beef into a slow cooker on "low." Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and crush the garlic on top. Cover the cooker and go to sleep.

How I Make Raw Milk Yogurt

I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it, but I've been making yogurt for a while now and haven't gotten sick yet. :) It has a great taste, the long fermentation gets rid of all the lactose, and while it's not as thick as yogurt made from pasteurized milk, I think it's more nutritious. (If you want virtually foolproof, thick and creamy yogurt, heat the milk to 180f and let it cool to 110f before stirring in the starter and beginning the fermentation.)

Kristy's Garlic Cucumber Pickles

6 large garlic cloves, cut into thirds
2 or 3 pin oak leaves or grape leaves
thick sliced pickling cucumbers
sprig of dill

Place the oak leaves in the bottom of the jar, add dill and then layer slices of cucumber with pieces of garlic. Cover with brine (2-3 TBSP Sea salt per quart of water) and let ferment for 4-6 days at room temperature.