Eggplant Lasagna

We miss Italian food, eating Paleo all the time. But I figured out how to get around it! Eggplant makes for perfect noodle substitute, as long as you peel it.

Ingredients:

One large, fat eggplant, peeled and sliced very thinly (use a mandolin if possible)
1 pound (or a little more) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 16-oz package of shredded mozzarella
2 lb tub of ricotta cheese
fresh oregano
salt and pepper

Peel and slice the eggplant while you brown the ground beef in a saucepan along with the onion and garlic. Once the meat is browned, add the sauce, dash of salt and pepper, and a small bunch of fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dry), and stir together well on low heat. Turn off heat, and spray olive oil into bottom of large glass baking dish. Mix the ricotta and a handful of mozzarella in a big bowl together.
Time to start layering!
Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, then top with a layer of eggplant.
Spread a layer of ricotta on top of that, followed by a final layer of meat sauce and another layer of eggplant.
Spread the rest of the ricotta on top, then a final layer of eggplant, topped with the rest of the bag of mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, and enjoy!

**QUICK POST NOTE** After cooking this, I realized it was a bit too cheesy, so maybe next time only 1 pound of ricotta is necessary :P

Mom's Baked Beans

I realize this isn't really Paleo, nor is it the healthiest recipe I've ever made. But if you start these the night before, put a little extra water in the crock pot, and cook on low overnight, you have baked beans for/with breakfast! And it's so much nicer than opening a can. And yes, this is my mom's recipe. Ingredients: 1 1lb bag dry navy beans 1 cup water 1 cup ketchup 2 tsp dry mustard 2 Tbsp dark molasses 1 medium onion, chopped 1 large slice of bacon or about 2 Tbsp sliced salt pork a dash of salt and pepper Pour the dry beans into a large pot, sifting with your fingers a bit to check for dead or black ones. Cover with twice as much water and bring to a boil, then simmer on stove top for 25-30 minutes.

Turn burner off and let sit for at least 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans and add to crock pot, along with all other ingredients (slicing the strip of bacon into little chunks), mix well.

Cook on low at least 6 hours, or as long as you want (if overnight, add a little extra water before you go to bed).

Amazing Apple-Pork Meatballs With Sweet Sauce

I found a turkey recipe in a magazine that sounded good, and then I realized I only had maybe half the ingredients it called for. So I BS'd my way through the entire thing, making this an almost paleo recipe to boot. These are by far one of my greatest creations!

Ingredients for Meatballs:

2 pounds ground pork
1 large/ XL egg
2 apples, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or almond flour if you have it; not only does it taste better, it's Paleo)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 Tbsp fresh (or 1/2 tsp dry) oregano
1 large shallot, minced

Crack the egg into a large bowl. Grate the apples over that.

Add all other ingredients (mince the shallots as small as you can before your eyes water up) and mix it all together well with your hands.

Form meatballs and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, but check them at 25 minutes; they are done when they are brownish gold on the outside and feel solid.


Ingredients for Sauce:

1/2 cup apple sauce (natural unsweetened is best)
1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a small pot and cook on low while the meatballs cook; keep warm and spoon over meatballs after they are on the plates.

Mostly Paleo Almond Cookies

A cookie should be sweet, at least in my mind. I tried to cheat as little as possible and re-create a gluten-free cookie I had tried from a box once. I think these are pretty darn tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large/ x-large egg
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup (however much you want) slivered almonds (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, then drop in hefty spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. I pressed the bottom of a small cup into mine to give them decoration, but it's not necessary. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.

Soy Ginger Fried Chicken

I've raved about the tasty benefits of coconut oil in previous posts, so I fry everything in it now. And I've lost weight. Go figure. :)

Ingredients:

about 1- 1 1/2 pounds of chicken wings
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
Coconut oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Drop a couple of heaping spoonfuls of coconut oil into the pan on medium-high heat, enough so that when it liquefies it covers the bottom of the pan.

Add the soy sauce and spread around with a spoon. Arrange the wings so all parts are touching the pan. Mix the spices in a little bowl and sprinkle evenly over the chicken, then again after you flip the wings over the first time. Continue flipping and cooking until golden crispy brown, about 20 minutes. If you need to, add another spoon of coconut oil.

Apple Pork Roast

It drives me crazy when someone has an apple or other kind of fruit tree in their yard and doesn't take advantage of it. So when we took our walk and saw a ton of freshly fallen apples under a HUGE apple tree just lying rotting in someone's yard, I filched as many as I could stuff under the stroller and walked away. The good news is, I'll be making apple sauce tomorrow.

Anyway I had this pork roast and figured what the hell, why not use some apples?

Ingredients:

2-3lb pork loin roast
1 tsp kosher/sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
dash of ginger
about 2 cups of chopped apples
1- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix the spices together in a small bowl.
Rinse off the pork roast under running water, then rub all over with the spice mix. Set in bottom center of large crock pot. Chop up the apples and spread all around the sides of the roast.

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of everything and cook on low for 6-8 hours.