Practically every recipe for beef stew calls for “stew beef.” I’ve seen it in the store. I’ve used it without much success in stew. But really, what the heck is it? After a bit of research, I found it’s typically chuck or round. Chuck is around the shoulder and round is around the rear of the cow. These cuts require lots of time in order to break down and become tender–and I have no problem with that. My issue comes from the fact that I’ve never had a beef stew where these meats actually tasted fall-apart tender and yummy. So what’s the solution? SHORT RIBS! Cheap and just as easy to use in stew as the above ‘unmentionables’. I am not a crock pot fan, so I used a heavy bottomed, enameled cast iron pot. Use whichever you find easier–but if you do use a crock pot, you will have to saute the meat and veggies in a separate pan and then add them to the crock pot.

I roasted a spaghetti squash one night, with no actual plan to include it in a meal–I had just neglected it for a few weeks, and started to feel like I was going to waste it if I didn’t hurry up and do something with it. I pulled out the “threads” and WHAM! I had an epiphany of sorts. I thought the “threads” looked a bit like shredded potatoes. These hash browns don’t have the same texture as a traditional potato hash. The squash “threads” will caramelize and stay slightly crunchy, so you get a very similar effect. This isn’t really a quick meal, but it’s definitely a cheap one with lots of variation possibilities. I served this particular hash brown with an over easy fried egg.

Take away the cream, butter, sour cream and potatoes. There’s no longer a need for any of that stuff. Brown meat and saute some veggies until soft, caramelize cauliflower, mix it with egg and broil until bubbly, brown. Easy, only two pans to clean and it tastes good too, imagine that.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef, chicken, turkey, pork…almost any ground protein will work
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 T each FRESH rosemary, sage and thyme (herbs are the flavor maker and must NOT be omitted)
• 1/4 c + 1/4 c chicken stock
• 1/2 head cauliflower, finely chopped
• 2 T oil
• 1 egg
• S&P, Chili flakes

Method

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

In a deep-sided, oven safe saute pan add the ground beef and saute on medium heat until browned. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms and cook until softened. Add 1/4 c chicken stock and use a spatula to pick up any brown bits on the bottom  of the pan. Turn the heat off and toss in the chopped herbs along with some salt and pepper.

For the cauliflower, melt the oil over medium-high heat in another saute pan. Let the cauliflower caramelize (you want to see brown, don’t stop until that point!) use a spatula to turn it in the pan every once in awhile. Add some salt and chili flakes. Turn the heat off once the cauliflower is done.

In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the egg and 1/4 c chicken stock. Add the mixture to the cauliflower and working quickly, use a spatula to make sure it’s well combined. Immediately add it to the top of the meat mixture and press into an even layer with your spatula.

Bake in the oven, on the middle rack, for 10 minutes, then turn the oven on broil and cook for another 10 minutes. Once the “pie” has come out of the oven, let it rest a few minutes before serving.

This dish was inspired by one of my all-time favorite dishes at a little hole in the wall in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s the potato gnocchi with goat cheese, balsamic cream sauce sauce at Five Loaves Cafe on Canon Street. I’m not usually one to order something I’ve had before, as I truly love to experiment and taste new flavor combos. Butttt–this dish is just so good to me, I order it over and over and over and over….Gotta say, this is a pretty darn good riff.

Ingredients

• 3 T bacon fat or butter, melted
• 3 lb. sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c raisins
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• 2 T rosemary, minced

Method

Preheat your oven to 425ºF.

Place the cubed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Pour on your fat and toss around to coat the sweet potatoes very well. Place in the oven and let them get slightly crispy and cooked through–depending on how small you cube, should take about 30 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting–put the vinegar and raisins in a saute pan and place on the stove over medium heat. Cook until the balsamic vinegar has reduced and plumped the raisins. Keep your eye on it, if you let it go too far, the vinegar will reduce to nothing and scorch your pan. This should take about 10 minutes.

When the sweet potatoes are out of the oven, place them in your serving dish, along with the raisins, any vinegar that’s left in the pan, crumbled goat cheese, rosemary and some salt. Toss around to coat.

This dish can be served at room temperature or hot. Hot is best. I had it in the fridge and then heated it in the microwave with no problems.

Boy do I ever get bored with trail mix. Yeah, it’s easy to throw together, but if I’m tired of it, I’m not going to eat it. That’s our entire philosophy behind this website anyway, Paleo chili, every night, is no way to sustain this way of eating. It just gets boring.

Hopefully, these nuts will reinvigorate your trail mix and inspire you to try new combos.

Tangy, sweet and salty. This recipe hits all my taste buds. Brandon probably tires of this, as I make it ALL THE TIME. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• 3 T rosemary, minced
• 3 T EACH prepared horseradish, mayo & Dijon mustard
• 1 t black pepper
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 tart apples, diced
• 3 T coconut oil, melted
• 1 orange, zested & juiced
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t nutmeg

Method

In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, mayo, mustard & horsy– mix until combined. Put 1/2 the sauce in a plastic storage bag and add the pork. Marinate in the fridge until ready to cook. Grill or bake the pork until it’s internal temp is a bit below 165F. Don’t overcook or it will for sure be dry as a bone. Let the loin rest for a couple minutes, then slice and top with the reserved mustard sauce.

For the Sweets & Apples

In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a baking sheet (make sure to add all the juices) and roast until the juices have turned syrupy and the potatoes have cooked through, about 20-30 minutes at 400F.

{The smaller you dice the sweet potatoes and apples, the faster they’ll cook through.}

{Make sure, while baking the sweets & apples, to toss everything around a few times to distribute the syrupy juices.}