Paleo Buffalo Wings with Ranch Dressing

I just had a craving for wings, and in keeping with our attempt at a paleo diet, I fried these in natural lard (yes, LARD, and guess what? It's not that bad for you!!) and used Frank's Buffalo wing sauce. In addition, get this, I made my own mayo, which I used to make a ranch dressing.

Paleo Mayonnaise - so easy to make!!

- 2 eggs at room temperature

- 1 cup paleo-friendly oil (I used avocado oil, but next time I'll probably try coconut oil)

- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

- 2.5 tsp apple cider vinegar

Place all ingredients into tall plastic glass, allowing the oil to flow to the top.

Using an immersion (stick) blender, start blending the ingredients from the bottom up. When you start seeing the mayo form at the bottom of the cup, start pulling the blender up turning the whole mix intoayo. It's that simple!!

Paleo Ranch Dressing

- 1/2 cup paleo mayo

- 1/2 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp dill

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for a half hour before using.

Buffalo Wings

Before I start this recipe, I want to say a little bit about natural lard. Lard in general has gotten a really bad reputation. But the more studies that are done, the more people are realizing that if you use the real stuff, it's not that bad for you. When I say "real stuff", I mean rendered pork fat from an ethnic grocery store - from behind the counter. The main problem with lard that you get in a regular grocery store is that it's hydrogenated. Processing lard in this fashion makes it bad for you, because it produces trans fats. Natural lard (non-hydrogenated) has less saturated fat (the bad kind) and more unsaturated fat (the good kind) and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight.

Also, from a merely epicurean standpoint, cooking with LARD is awesome. There's a crispiness you get with lard that you just can't get with any other type of oil I've ever cooked with, including peanut oil. (Plus, unless I want to kill Jonathan, I can't use peanut oil anymore. Lame.)

The problem is finding natural lard. It's actually not as hard as you'd think. If you find yourself Hispanic grocery store, or a place that sells FRESH pork rinds, likelihood is they have fresh lard. (Lard is just the rendered fat from the pork rinds.) The Hispanic grocery stores call it "Manteca", and it's really cheap. I get mine at the Buford Hwy Farmer's Market in Atlanta for less than $3 a quart.

- 14-15 whole wings (connected, meaning flats and drums together)

- 2 qts NATURAL lard

- 1 large jar Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce

1) Heat the lard up in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place half the wings in and fry for about 10 minutes. Remove and fry second batch.

3) Dip the wings in the wing sauce, and then fry AGAIN for another 6-7 minutes, or until crispy.

4) Remove the wings and douse them again in the wing sauce before serving.

Crockpot Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ok. It's not a great picture...but I promise it was tasty! 

I've been looking for an excuse to use Jonathan's slow cooker, and came across this recipe on Pinterest. I had to make a few adjustments (like who has almond meal just laying around the house?) But overall this is a pretty food recipe for meatballs.

INGREDIENTS

For Sauce

- 1 medium spaghetti squash, cut in half

- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

For Meatballs

- 1 lb. ground beef

- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage

- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

- 1/4 cup ground pistachios (original recipe called for the same amount of almond meal, but I only had pistachios on hand so I ground them up in a blender until I got a flour-like consistency)

- 1.5 tbsp Italian seasoning

- 2 eggs

1) Mix the ingredients for the sauce (except for the onions and spaghetti squash) in a large bowl. (Feel free to taste, but remember that when it cooks with the meatballs, it'll be a lot tastier.)

2) Mix ingredients together for the meatballs. Roll them into large balls, about an inch and a half in diameter. It should make about 12 meatballs.

3) Line the bottom of the crockpot with the thinly sliced onions. Place the two halves of spaghetti squash, open-side down. (Am I totally immature of does that picture make you laugh too?)

4) Pour in some sauce and them gently start placing the meatballs in, anywhere they'll fit. When I had to start stacking. Them, I poured a later of sauce between the meatballs. I don't know fitbit actually helped in making them not stick to one another, but I like to think it did.

5) Cover and cook for 6 hours on medium or high.

6) Be careful pulling out the spaghetti squash, it'll be soft. You can either scoop out the insides (the "pasta") and serve it in a bowl, or just pour some sauce into the cavity and use the squash itself as a bowl. I opted for the former.

I was really afraid the sauce would be bland, but after 6 hours of cooking along with the meatballs, it came out thick and tasty. I'll definitely be making this again!

Meatless Monday: Homemade Veggie Burgers

Oh, the things you do for love.

I've never loved veggie burgers. Why would I?! Especially when I can run to Mickey Dees and get a McDouble on the dollar menu? And yes, I said "McDouble" and not Double Cheeseburger because I believe the extra slice of cheese that comes on a Double Cheeseburger (which costs you an extra $0.30) really throws off the meat to cheese ratio. Give me twice patties and ONE slice of cheese instead of two patties and TWO slices of cheese any day.

But alas, Jonathan and I are trying this whole Meatless Monday thing, so I googled veggie burger recipes and this one had great reviews. Up until this burger, the only veggie burger I deemed worthy of respect was from Houston's - a great chain restaurant. Not to brag, but this one rivals that. It's got a Mexican flair to it, though. Next time, I might nix the cayenne pepper. I love spicy food, but spice to the point that it drowns out flavor is never good.

And in case you didn't know, because I didn't, "millet" can be found in the organic hippie section of your grocery store. It's a seed, I think...something birds eat. (No seriously, it's what you feed birds. Again, the things you do for love.) It's gluten free, cooks like quinoa, but a lot cheaper.

Oh, and the side dish is sautéed kale with mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and fresh garlic.

VEGGIE BURGER INGREDIENTS

• 1½ sweet potatoes
• ⅓ cup millet
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats if you are avoiding gluten)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans)
• ½ small red onion, diced
• ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked hot paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, to taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• High quality vegetable oil for cooking burgers (or coconut oil, if you don't mind the coconut taste, olive oil may burn)
• 8 whole wheat hamburger buns (optional)
• your favorite burger fixings (avocado or guacamole, tomato or pico de gallo, lettuce, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, pickles, cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop up the sweet potatoes and boil them until soft. Remove from water and mash them. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Cook the millet: In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil. Stir in the millet, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender (about 25 minutes). Drain off any remaining liquid and set aside to cool.
3. Grind the oats: Use a food processor or blender to grind the oats until the flakes are broken up, but not as fine as flour.
4. Mix the burgers: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and millet, black beans, onion, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, chipotle or paprika, cayenne (optional, add to taste for spicier burgers) and salt. Use a potato masher, big mixing spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well. It's ok if the black beans get smashed in the process.
5. Mix in the oats: Sprinkle the ground oats over the mixture and mix well with a big spoon until the mixture holds together when you shape a portion into a patty. If possible, cover and refrigerate the mixture for best results (the patties will hold together better during cooking if they are chilled first).
6. Shape the burgers: Use a measuring cup to measure out ½ cup of the mixture. Gently shape it into a patty about 3½ inches in diameter. Use your hands to gently flatten the burgers and smooth out any jagged edges. Repeat the process for each patty; you should end up with 8. If you would like to toast your hamburger buns, preheat the oven to 350 degrees now.
7. Pan fry the burgers: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, place several burgers in the pan, leaving enough room to flip them. Cook each patty until browned and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet for each pan of burgers you fry.
8. Toast the buns (optional): Place the buns on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and bake until lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Frittata

So in an effort to eat as "paleo" as possible, last night I made a frittata, which is a fancy word for crustless quiche, which is fancy for baked egg scramble. 

When I was visiting NYC once, my wonderful sister took me to Bouchon, where I tasted the most delicious quiche I've ever tried in my life. Haha, this doesn't even come close. However, in researching Bouchon's recipe, I tried to pick up some tips.

This is a great recipe to use leftover meats or whatever random veggies you have in your fridge. This one included kale, asparagus and sausage. I ended up topping it with some slices avocado and salsa verde and it was ridiculously tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 eggs, yolks and whites separated

- 1/4 cup half and half

- 1/2 lb. sausage

- 10-12 stalks asparagus, chopped into inch-long pieces

- 3 large handfuls of chopped kale

- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped

- 1 tomato, sliced

- 1/3 cup feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350. In a large iron skillet, sauté the sausage until no longer pink.

2) Add asparagus, onions, kale and cheese and sauté until soft. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

3) Separate the eggs, one small bowl with the yolks, a larger one with the white.

4) Add the half and half, along with some salt and pepper, to the yolks and mix.

5) With an electric mixer, or your own hands in you dare, beat the egg whites until they form stuff peaks.

6) When the egg whites have formed peaks, carefully FOLD in the yolk mixture with a large spatula. Be careful not to mix  too well. You want the egg whites to still have a somewhat fluffy consistency. This will give you a fluffier soufflé-like end-result.

7) Carefully pour the egg mixture into the iron skillet. Again, carefully FOLD the meat and veggies into the egg mixture, still trying to maintain some of the airy-fluffiness.

8) Top the mixture with slices of tomato. Here's a pic of what it looked like before I put it in the oven.

9) Bake for 20 minutes.

10) Slice and serve with sliced avocado and salsa.

Watermelon Tomato Salad

It's that time of year again. The college students are gone...it's my favorite time in Athens. It also means it's time for some light and refreshing recipes! I had this once at Two Urban Licks, a great restarant in Atlanta.

It's light, refreshing, and wonderful on a hot day. 

Chili Vinaigrette:
5 oz. Ancho chilies, toasted and ground
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
Up to 1 cup water

Place chili pepper and sugar in a blender and blend together. Add vinegar, mustard and salt with a ¼ cup of the water and blend to mix. With the blender running slowly add oil and another ½ cup of the water until fully incorporated. Check the dressing; it should have the consistency of Heinz 57 sauce. If the dressing is too thick, slowly add the remaining water until the right consistency is achieved.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Chili Vinaigrette:
2 cup yellow tomato, diced
2 cup watermelon, diced
Chili vinaigrette (recipe above)
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh mint leaves, julienned

Place diced tomatoes and watermelon in a mixing bowl, then add ½ cup of chili vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add more dressing as needed (or desired) to coat well. Top the salad with crumbled feta cheese and julienned mint leaves.

With these amazing recipes it should be easy to enjoy the fresh fruits of Spring!

Meatless Mondays - Vegetarian Enchiladas

Ok, so it's not the prettiest dish I've ever made, but it's quite tasty. In keeping with Cinco de Mayo, AND Meatless Mondays, I opted for a vegetarian Mexican dish. I googled some recipes and came across Emeril's recipe for spinach enchiladas. I made some changes, and it worked wonderfully!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb kale

3 poblano peppers (about half a pound)

small yellow onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 lb mushrooms, minced

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup flour

1 cup quest blanco, cubed

Half a 19 oz. can of enchilada sauce 

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

10-12 corn tortillas 

1) Char the poblano peppers under the broiler for 8-10 minutes until it's charred on all sides.

2) When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin. It should come off very easily.

3) Split the pepper in half to remove the seeds. Mince the peppers and set aside.

4) Boil the kale in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then immediately blanch it in ice water for 15 seconds.

5) Squeeze the excess water from the kale and then chop in very small pieces, set aside.

6) Sauté the onions, mushroom and garlic in the butter for about 3 minutes until onions are soft.

7) Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne and a shake of salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute.

9) Add flour and milk, working to a thick roux-like consistency. 

10) Add the spinach and chopped poblano peppers, and fold in the quest blanco. (Don't worry if the cheese doesn't melt all the way, it'll continue to cook in the oven.)

11) At this point the filling is done. Add more seasoning until you get the taste you like.

12) Heat the corn tortillas on a flat surface, just enough so they no longer break apart easily.

13) Scoop about a 1/2 cup of the filling per tortilla. Roll the tortilla in thirds and place it flap-side down in the dish. (I was able to fit 8 tortillas in a 9x13 dish.)

14) After the Pyrex is filled, pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

15) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

16) Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

A bit time consuming, but pretty tasty. I'll be keeping this one in my repertoire.

Black Bean Soup

Everyone loves Cinco de Mayo, right? Well here's a black bean soup recipe sure to please your palette AND your wallet!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can black beans

1 can Rotel tomatoes (original)

1/3 - 1/2 cup chicken broth

salt to taste

sour cream/lime/cilantro for garnish

(Makes 3-4 servings.)

1) Drain the black beans.

2) In a pot, pour in drained black beans and the can of Rotel (juices included). Add chicken broth.

3) As it's heating, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until a tad chunky, or longer for a smooth consistency, depending on your preference. (I prefer smooth.)

4) Add salt to taste. 

5) Serve with a dallop of sour cream, freshly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Baked Chicken Thighs with White Wine Mushroom Sauce

Hats off to Jon Novak for posting this recipe on his new recipe blog! (And thanks to Chrissann for suggesting we both do it!) 

I made it with some changes: 1) I used bone-in skin-on chicken THIGHS instead of breasts. (I can't help it - I love dark meat. [insert inappropriate frat boy joke. Or, a joke that Jonathan Simms would make...]) 2) I cooked the chicken in an iron skillet, browned the mushrooms in my Dutch oven, deglazed the remnants of the browned mushrooms in said Dutch oven, but then poured that sauce into the iron skillet once I removed the chicken to rest (to take advantage of the browned goodiness of the baked chicken!) 3) Maybe because of the chicken drippings, or because I used salted butter (sorry! Jon!), I added a dash of sugar to the sauce to even out the saltiness.

It turned out wonderfully! The iron skillet crisped the skin of the chicken beautifully.  The users were kale sautéed with moron, soy sauce and garlic, and mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, butter and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Here's the link to Jon's recipe for the chicken:

 http://youcanmakethisfood.blogspot.com/2014/05/roasted-chicken-with-sprouts-and.html?m=1