Hearty Beef Vegetable Stew

I am not sure what is better...chicken noodle soup or beef stew.  They both are the quintessential food, at least to me.  

But if we are going to stay paleo, beef stew is going to have to be the winner.  While I really make a killer chicken soup, there is something to be said about chicken noodle soup.  It really doesn't compare.

This beef stew is a perfect combination of flavors.  And I promise the wait is worth it!

Hearty Beef Vegetable Stew

6 tbsp. coconut oil

1 c. onion, small dice

1 c. carrot, small dice

1 c. celery, small dice

1 c. green beans, sliced into 1" pieces

1 c. broccoli, small pieces

8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

2 zucchini, small dice

1 tbsp. dried thyme, rosemary and parsley

5 1/2 c. beef stock

1 lb. flank steak, pounded well and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tbsp. arrowroot

2 tbsp. ghee

Over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. of the coconut oil and sauté the onion until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes.  

Add the green bean, carrot and celery.  Cook until all of the vegetables start to soften, about 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli, zucchini, mushroom, dried spices and 5 cups of the beef stock.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.  Simmer until all of the vegetables are soft.

Allow to cool and then put in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.  This allows the flavor to develop.

When you are ready to finish the stew, heat the remaining coconut oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan.  Generously salt and pepper the flank and then sear evenly, about 3-5 minutes.  After all pieces are done add them to the stew.  

Put the stew over medium heat and allow to cook for about 30 minutes.  

In the cooled large sauté pan, add the remaining 1/2 c. stock. Whisk to incorporate beef drippings. Then add the arrowroot and whisk until combined.  Slowly pour into stew and stir, allowing the stew to start to thicken.  

Add the ghee and stir until it is melted and mixed well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Veal Chop/Herb Butter

I enjoy veal.  The flavor is so delicious and it's versatility, one you don't get with a mature cow, is quite a benefit.  

One of my favorite dishes is a grilled veal chop with herb butter. This type of veal cut, like beef, should be at room temperature before you cook it.  That way you can cook it perfectly medium rare, as it should be, in my personal opinion (law), be served.

Grilled Veal Chop/Herb Butter

4 veal chops, 1" thick

1/2 c. butter, softened (not melted!)

1/4 c. mixed herbs, minced

salt and pepper

Preheat a grill to high.  Generously salt and pepper the veal chop on both sides.  Place chop on grill and cook for 3 minutes.  Turn the chop over and cook an additional 3 minutes.  Rotate the chop, turn and cook for 3 minutes.  Repeat.  Total cooking time should be between 12-15 minutes for a perfect medium rare.

Mix the butter with the herbs.  Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, mixing again.

Top with one tablespoon scoop of the herb butter as soon as you remove it from the grill, allowing the veal chop to rest and the butter to melt.

Quick Garlic/Pepper Beef

Summer heat means that you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  It is really easy to just make a salad and call it good, but one can only eat so much.  Tonight I decided to spend a bit of time at the stove and whip up a quick stir fry.  One of my favorite dishes at a local Thai restaurant is their Garlic Pepper Shrimp, so I decided to make my own creation with garlic and pepper.  Add in some sweet basil and mint, and the flavor combination was perfectly light.  You could even do this on the grill (using pans) so you can stay outdoors and enjoy the sun!

1/2 c. garlic, pressed

2 tbsp. Chinese peppercorn, ground

2 tbsp. coconut oil

6 c. mixed vegetables (I used cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, sugar snap peas, celery and onion)

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. minced basil

1/2 c. minced mint

Sea salt to taste

Over medium heat in large saute pan melt coconut oil.  Add onion and cauliflower and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add remaining vegetables, keeping heat on medium, cover with lid and cook for about 10 minutes until they are crisp tender.

Meanwhile, cook ground beef over medium high heat until done, remove from pan and set aside.  Add an additional 1 tbsp. coconut oil into ground beef pan.  Then add garlic and pepper, cooking and stirring constantly until it gets fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add basil and mint, cooking an additional minutes.  Add beef to vegetables, mixing well, and cook a few more minutes if needed.  Salt to taste. 

Enjoy!

Corned Beef/Roasted Cabbage Salad/Butter Braised Potatoes/Pancetta Vinaigrette

It wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day if you neglected to have a traditional English meal for dinner.  But hey, it's food...it's paleo...and it's good the day after too!

This year I wanted it to be exceptional...as I am not an overly big fan of corned beef.  But if you start with a good cut of brisket, the right spices, cook it slow and low you can't go wrong.

Plus, the sides with this menu make it swoon worthy.  Seriously, pancetta is like butter.  It makes everything better.

Corned Beef

1 4lb. brisket

2 tbsp. course sea salt

2 tbsp. whole mustard seed

1 clove garlic, minced

2 bay leaves, chopped

1 tsp. allspice

2 tbsp. olive oil

Mix the spices together.  Add the oil and mix well.  Coat the brisket in the spice mixture and allow to marinate up to 3 days.  

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place the brisket on a rack inside of a cast iron dutch oven.  I have one similar to this.

Cover and set it oven, cooking 2-2 1/2 hours until firmly tender.  What I mean is that it should be moist and tender but still firm enough that it doesn't full apart.  That just makes it easier to slice the next day for a Reuben!

Butter Braised Potatoes

I did use Kerrygold, so that is something Irish, right?

1/3 c. butter

1/4 c. olive oil

5 large red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in slices and then halved.

Preheat oil and butter in large sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add the potatoes, stirring to coat with butter mixture and then place a lid on them.  Turn the potatoes every few minutes.  When the butter mixture is starting to get foamy, and most of the potatoes are golden brown, reduce heat to medium and remove the lid.  Cook another 5-10 minutes until they start to get a dark golden color.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Cabbage Salad

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 rutabaga, large dice

5 carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 head cabbage, slice about1/4 inch

1/2 c. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat the carrots and rutabaga in 2 tbsp. olive oil and place on sheet pan.  Cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and place cabbage rounds on top of root vegetables.  Coat evenly with 1/2 c. water and return to oven.  Cook an additional 10-15 minutes until cabbage is tender.  Allow to slightly cool and then mix in a large bowl.

Pancetta Vinaigrette

6 ounces pancetta, diced

1/4 c. olive oil

4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. stone ground mustard

Pepper to taste

In a fry pan over medium high heat, add the pancetta and cook until golden brown.  While the pancetta is cooking, whisk together oil, vinegar and mustard.  When the pancetta is done, slowly whisk in the vinegar mixture.  There will be pancetta fat but that is okay!  Add more vinegar if you need to.  Pepper to taste.  You shouldn't need salt because pancetta tends to be pretty salty.

Enjoy!

Curried Beef

Curry.  I love curry.  My family isn't overly thrilled when I fix it, so it is rare in our house.  But I still manage to squeeze it on the menu a few times a year.  Really, I just don't understand how one can not enjoy it.  Obviously something is wrong them.

6 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 onion, sliced

1 head broccoli, chopped

1/2 butternut, large dice

1 lb. beef, cut into thin strips, salt and pepper generously

2 tbsp. madras curry

1 c. coconut milk

salt and pepper

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the onion, cooking until translucent, above 3-5 minutes.  Add the squash, stirring to coat with the oil.  Add 1/2 c. water, reduce heat to medium and cover.  Cook about 10 minutes then add broccoli, adding another 1/4 c. water.  Cook about 5 minutes, and then remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to pan over high heat.  Add 1/2 of the meat, searing quickly on both sides (maximum 4 minutes) then remove from pan.  Add another tbsp. oil, allow pan to get back to right temperature, and add remaining meat, searing and then removing it from the pan.

Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil to pan over medium heat.  Once it is melted, add the curry and whisk until the curry becomes fragrant and the curry starts to darken, 30 seconds-1 minute.  Add the coconut milk, whisking well and allow the mixture to start to thicken.  Add the veggies and the meat, coating well.  Cook on medium low an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Bolognese

Had to make the kids happy one night with spaghetti, and since I am on the 21 day sugar detox I knew I needed a bit more substance than my normal marinara.  Bolognese is just a traditional red sauce with the addition of meat.  The best one is if you can mix ground beef with ground veal, but alas, I have yet to find grass fed veal locally.

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 tbsp. oregano and basil, dried

1 tsp. fennel seed or ground

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes w/juice

1/2 c. water

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1/2-1 tbsp. salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper

Preheat large saute skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec.-1 min.  Add beef and cook until almost done.  Add paste and mix well with beef.  Add tomatoes and water, mixing well again.  Bring to boil, keeping at a boil for about 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to a simmer for an additional 20 minutes, and the liquid has become thickened.  Add the artichoke hearts, heating an additional 5 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over squash of your choice.  It went perfectly with spaghetti squash.

My favorite brand of canned tomato items.  No additional ingredients and organic!

Gingered Beef and Vegetables

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 1/4 c. vegetable stock

1/3 c. coconut aminos

2 tbsp. minced ginger

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 head bok choy, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered

1 onion, small slice

1 pound beef, cut into cubes, about 1 inch x 1 inch

1 tbsp. arrowroot 

1 tbsp. water

Prepare the beef by absorbing any excess moisture/juice using a paper towel.  Salt and pepper well.Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat.  Add the beef and searing quickly, then turning to the other side.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium high and add the onion.  Cook until the onion starts to soften, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the broccoli and about 1/4 c. of the stock, cooking about 5 minutes.  Finally, add the bok choy, mushrooms, ginger, remaining stock, amines and meat.  Reduce to medium, cover, and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  

Separate the food and the sauce.  Put the sauce back in the pan over medium heat.  Mix the arrowroot and water and then add to the sauce, whisking until it starts to thicken.  Serve over the beef and vegetables.

Fajitas

Fajitas are great because they taste good the first day and even better the second.  Plus, this week Whole Foods had a wonderful rainbow of organic bells in so you can't pass up making fajitas when you can find more than red and green in winter!  I just served mine over lettuce to make a salad and it was filling, but remaining light at the same time.

2 tbsp. avocado oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 bell peppers, seeded and sliced thin

1 lb. flank steak

1 tbsp. salt 

1/2 tbsp. pepper

2 tsp. each of cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. new Mexico chile powder

lime

Mix the salt, pepper, and spices together.  Coat the flank evenly with the mix and marinate at least 4 hours.

Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat and then add the oil.  When you are cooking with avocado oil you need to be careful, as it has a tendency to turn bitter if used at too high of heat.  Add the vegetables and sauté until they are caramelized.  Set aside until you are done with the meat.

Prepare a grill over high heat (around 450) or a grill pan over high.  (My defense for using a grill pan was that it was a balmy high of 7 degrees when I was cooking dinner).  Add the meat and sear each side for about 4 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.  Slice the steak (thinly) against the grain.  The meat will be rare, but that is how you want it so you can finish it in the sauté pan.  

Return the saute pan over high heat.  When the vegetables start to sizzle, add the meat and stir often to finish cooking the meat to your desired doneness.  I prefer medium rare and it took about 3-5 minutes.

Remove and place mix over a bunch of greens and add your preferred condiments.  Don't forget a squeeze of lime!

Bacon Cheese Meatloaf with Braised Greens and Root Vegetables

Meatloaf?  Seriously?  Easy, right?  One would think..but like anything ground, it can turn out dry if not done correctly.  Just like a hamburger, your ground needs to be 85% meat, 15% fat or it just won't work.  Sorry, that is another Wyoming beef snobbery issue I have.  Anyway, the right ground, good seasonings, add bacon and cheese and you are in meatloaf heaven.

1 lb. ground beef

2 eggs

1/2 c. almond flour

1 tbsp. creole 

1 tbsp. tarragon

1/2 tbsp. salt

4 oz. raw Gouda, sliced thinly

4 pieces bacon

2 tbsp. olive oil

12 cups mixed greens (Kale, bok choy and arugula go surprisingly well together!)

1/2 beef stock

Mix the beef, eggs, flour and seasons together gently, almost as if you are folding the meat.  Place half of the meat in a bread pan and lightly poke holes in it.  Layer the Gouda, salt and pepper a bit, and then put remaining beef on top, again gently poking holes.  Top with slices of bacon that have been cut in half.  Bake 45-55 minutes or until the meatloaf is almost cooked through.  I prefer medium on my meatloaf, so the very center throughout is a light pink.

Perfect roasted vegetables here.

Preheat large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Add the greens and stir so they are evenly coated, then add the stock.  Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until all of the greens are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.