Sneaky Veggie & Beef Soup (paleo)

We all know that some kids are better at eating their vegetables than others. Well, If you happen to have a picky eater in your house, then this recipe is for you.  Why do I call it Sneaky Veggie and Beef Soup?  Because I sneak 3 stalks of celery, one whole red bell pepper, and 3 packed cups of hearty kale leaves in this dish, but all of the vegetables are blended into a purée before cooking, so nobody would ever know!  With the fresh, familiar flavors of tangy lime, smokey cumin, and sweet red bell pepper, this sneaky soup sure pleased all three of my guys at dinner last night, and Nikhil (my fussy one) had no clue that he was eating green vegetables.

To make a meal out of it, I served our soup over jasmine rice that I spiced with a quarter teaspoon each of turmeric and cinnamon, and my two year old gobbled up his first serving and quickly went in for seconds.  If you can tolerate dairy (lucky you!), I'd bet that a dollop of sour cream would be a divine accompaniment. And if you are eating Paleo or grain free as I am these days, you could enjoy this delicious soup alone, with slices of ripe avocado, or with some roasted squash or sweet potatoes.  No matter how you decide to enjoy your Sneaky Soup, I hope you and your family loves it as much as mine!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pound grass fed ground beef*

1/4 cup dried onion or 1/2 cup fresh yellow or white onion, finely diced (I used dried onion because that's all that I had in the house.  Be sure it's dried onion flakes, and not onion powder.)

1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed, roughly chopped

3 large stalks celery, roughly chopped

3 packed cups kale leaves

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 cups chicken broth**

1.5 tbsp ground cumin

1/2-1 tsp sea salt (depends on your preference and how salty your broth is)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

* If you don't care for beef, ground turkey would be a great substitute.

**If you use reduced sodium broth, you'll most likely need to add extra salt at the end to achieve the right flavor.

DIRECTIONS:

Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large soup pot and heat over a medium setting.  Add in the dried onion or fresh onion plus your ground beef, and begin to break the beef apart with a wooden spoon.  Continue cooking the beef over medium-low heat, crumbling the meat as much as possible, and stirring everything to allow the onions to cook through until at least translucent, if you used fresh onions.  If you used dried onions, they will do their thing and turn a little golden brown.

While the beef and onions are cooking, prepare your vegetables:  Place the red bell pepper, celery, garlic, and chicken broth in your blender cup, and process until everything is blended into a smooth puree.  Add in the kale leaves, and blend again until the kale is pureed (you could try adding all of the veggies on the first try, but kale is pretty bulky so it might not all fit). You'll have a somewhat frothy, watery, strange looking liquid, but don't worry- this will all cook down and turn into a beautiful soup.

Once the beef and onion have cooked through, add the pureed veggies and broth mixture, ground cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the pot.  Give everything a good stir, and then bring it to a boil.  Once you've reached a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it cook uncovered for about 20-30 minutes until the liquid has reduced and you're left with a rich, somewhat thick soup.  The consistency of the soup will be almost as thick as chili, but definitely "soupier."

Once you've reached a consistency that you're happy with, turn off the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and fresh lime juice.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.  Enjoy!

The Easiest Pulled Pork Ever (paleo, slow cooker)

Happy New Year, friends!  I hope you all had a fun and relaxing end to 2014. We enjoyed a fabulous staycation here with my sister who came to visit us from Seattle, and we've been slowly getting back into the swing of normal life.  This last week I spent a good chunk of time making some changes to my website that I hope will make for easier navigation, and a more streamlined experience.  It's still a work in progress, so if you have any requests or comments, I would love to hear from you.  As always, I have been experimenting with creating recipes in the kitchen, and here is one of my new favorites: The Easiest Pulled Pork Ever.

This has got to be one of the easiest and most delicious meat dishes that I've ever made.  It takes just 5 minutes of prep time, and then it cooks all night while you are sleeping.  I started this slow cooker pulled pork for the first time one evening last week, and the house smelled amazing when I woke up the next morning.  The meat was so tender and juicy that it completely fell apart when I barely nudged it with my fork.  Yum!  Felix and I were so into it that we shared a big bowl of pulled pork for breakfast alongside some steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes.  Unconventional, I know, but it was delicious!  This succulent meat would also be the perfect filling for tacos or burritos, or served alongside some rice and sauteed greens.  I bet it would also be great under some melted cheese on a yummy sandwich with pickled veggies, or for a lighter meal, on top of a mixed salad with chopped apples and a gingery apple cider vinaigrette.  Whichever way you decide to enjoy your slow cooker pulled pork, I hope you make some soon, and please let me know how it turns out!

INGREDIENTS:

One 2 1/2 -3 pound boneless pork shoulder

1 cup sliced yellow or white onion

5 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped

2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

4 whole cardamom pods (omit for Autoimmune Protocol)

1/4 cup water

1-2 tsp red Hawaiian salt, pink Himalayan salt, or any sea salt. The amount will depend on the size of your pork shoulder as well as your preference. I used 2 tsp coarse red Hawaiian salt for a 3 pound piece of meat and it was perfect.

15 turns of the pepper mill (omit for AIP)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Variation:  If you are able to tolerate tomatoes, a tasty alternative to this simple recipe is to add a tablespoon of tomato paste and 2 teaspoons of ground cumin.  Mix well, and turn the pork shoulder a few times to coat before cooking.

DIRECTIONS:

Place the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, apple cider vinegar, and water in the bottom of your slow cooker pot and give it all a stir.  Lay the pork shoulder on top of the onion and spices, then sprinkle with the sea salt and freshly ground pepper and turn the pork shoulder a few times to coat. Cover, and let it cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Use a fork to gently pull the meat apart, and remove the whole spices before serving.