Tag: main dish

Bread-Free Pork & Sweet Potato Stuffing

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Mmmm… stuffing. Some people seem to go bugnutty over stuffing this time of year. I think Stove Top has addressed this issue properly in their holiday 2013 spots – hilarious. I remember just such “wars” breaking out at Thanksgiving when I was a kid. My family was divided – some preferred Stove Top, some Pepperidge Farms, and some my grandmother’s oyster dressing made with wild rice (which, to be fair, was always served alongside stuffing – and was gross).

Me? I’ve never been too crazy about stuffing. Or dressing, for that matter. I loved bread as much as the next kid – but dressing, not so much. And stuffing in the bird always freaked me right out. About the only part of the whole stuffing/dressing issue I dug were the two bites of almost burnt, butter-drenched bites on the top (or bottom – depends on who was doing the scooping) of the bowl (but only if it had a lot of celery) and that’s about it. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and that infernal canned cranberry jelly were really where it was always at for me. Don’t get me started on cranberry sauce vs. cranberry jelly. I realize the stuff in the can is possibly radioactive and only maybe once met a cranberry somewhere way back in its past – but yum. Gelatinous tart and sweet tastiness. “Fancy” cranberry sauce is just wrong.

Enter adulthood, and my own Turkey Day traditions – and nary a stuffing or dressing in sight. I still do a green bean, usually some sort of gravy (sadly, not my grandmother’s giblet gravy – that recipe I don’t have and can’t find), a bevy of potatoes, and generally some sort of decadent pork dish at the center.

This paleo-ified and gluten-free stuffing would make the perfect holiday get-together side – and makes a darn tasty dinner in and of itself. Plus, any leftovers can be transformed into a luxurious lunch with the addition of — wait for it — you’ll never guess — an egg.

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Bread-Free Pork & Sweet Potato Stuffing 

1 pound ground pork
4 ribs celery
1/4 c. chopped pecan bits
1 Tbsp. fresh picked thyme
5 small cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted grass-fed butter (Kerrygold)
2 small sweet potatoes (about 2 cups when diced)
Kosher salt & cracked black pepper

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium – medium-high heat. Add the pork and start breaking up with a spatula. Sautee until deeply browned, mashing and stirring frequently to break up into as tiny pieces as possible and avoid over-browning.

While that is working, peel and petite dice the sweet potatoes. Chop the celery and garlic. Pick the thyme and chop.

When the pork is done, remove to a paper towel lined bowl to hang out for awhile (keep the fat in the pan to use for the veggies).

Add the potatoes, celery & garlic to the pan. If there is less than a Tablespoon or so of fat in the pan, add a little coconut oil. Add the onion powder, thyme, a few pinches salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Sautee the veggies, stirring frequently and turning the heat down to medium if necessary until the celery is beginning to soften and the potatoes have gone soft and golden in spots. This should take 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a smallish pan over medium heat and add the butter. Add the pecans and cook until beginning to brown.

To serve, mix all components – the reserved browned pork niblets, potato mixture and pecans and chow down.

Makes enough to feed 2 for dinner as a main dish + 1 for lunch bolstered with a couple of eggs. If you want to serve a whole gathering, scale up – keeping the ratio of thyme-heaviness, celery and onion powder appropriate to your amount of sweet potatoes. 

Mom’s London Broil with Pureed Bacony Spinach

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London broil had to be one of my very favorite dishes growing up. My mother made it often, since it was an inexpensive way to feel like you’re having steak, and I remember thinking it was the height of attainable fancy (especially when served with asparagus slathered in faker hollandaise or buttered button mushrooms). To this day, London broil – and specifically this cooking method – is my go-to when I’m tired of dithering with other cuts of meat and just want something that a: isn’t going to break the bank, b: can stretch through multiple meals, and c: feels and tastes like steak – without having to deal with trimming fat and guesstimating cooking times. My DH and I generally end up eating a generous portion for dinner, and then I use the leftovers in salads (if they make it that far) for a few days after in lunches.

In celebration of her birthday this year, I’m sharing this childhood favorite with you guys – I think Mom would definitely approve of the side.

Happy birthday, ma. I sure do miss you.

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Mom’s London Broil with Pureed Bacony Spinach

16 ounce bag frozen spinach
1/4 c. coconut milk
4 slices thick cut bacon (double smoked is awesome here)
1 onion
8 cloves garlic
2 lb. London broil
Kosher salt & cracked black pepper

Set your broiler on high and place the top rack as close to the heating element as you can get it. Wrap a cookie sheet in tinfoil. Place your steak on the prepared cookie sheet to come to room temperature while you make the side.

Stack your bacon slices and slice into thin strips width-wise (mini lardons). Slice the onion thinly. Add to a large pan over medium heat and sautee until the bacon and onion are browned, stirring often to avoid burning. While that is working, slice your garlic cloves. When you have half the garlic done, add to the pan with the onions & bacon – the rest is going in the London broil.

When your bacon & onions are nice and browned. add the spinach. If you defrost first, your life will be easier – I never remember to, so I ended up breaking it up with a spoon as I could and stirring frequently to avoid sticking and burning. If you go this route and need a little oil, that’s ok.

When the spinach is melted, add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add a big pinch salt and a few cracks black pepper and transfer the whole mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding splashes of water if the mixture gets too dry to move. Taste & add salt and pepper if needed.

On to the meat. Score your London broil in a diamond pattern on both sides – slipping garlic slices into the scores as you go. Liberally salt and pepper both sides.

Broil 4 minutes per side* and set on a cutting board with drip channel to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, slice against the grain on a bias. The meat serves 4 for dinner or 2 for dinner + 2 lunches; the side can comfortably serve 3-4 for dinner if you’re not expecting potatoes. I might supplement with come cauliflower mash if everyone is starving.

* I’ve always eaten mine rare — oh, who am I kidding – I love it blue — if your predilections are a little less macabre, adjust the cooking time to your liking – about a minute or so extra per doneness measure. 5 minutes should get you medium-rare. As always, your mileage may vary and this is just an estimated cooking time. Listen to your broiler. 

Creamy Squash Ribbon Red Pepper Pasta (Paleo)

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This paleo-friendly, gluten-free & vegan pasta is a diabolical way to sneak zucchini and other soft squashes past the squash texture-averse. By cutting the squash in ribbons, the squishy texture disappears and they become more palatable (even for Southerners who grew up hating the gloppiness and squeek of squash casserole). The ribbons also look like pasta; more important than looks alone, your belly is also tricked into thinking it has just consumed a mound of pasta. Yum all around. The creamy sauce helps with this as well and doesn’t taste like coconut – with the nut butter, peppers and other spices, it ends up tasting savory and rich.

I loved this pasta; my squash-averse DH ate it warily, but didn’t have any real complaint about it other than he knew it was squash. I’m sure the presence of a big ol’ slab of London broil on the side did wonders for the pasta’s begrudging acceptance.

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Creamy Squash Ribbon Red Pepper Pasta

Adapted from Paleo Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Steak and Pasta from PaleOMG

2 zucchini
2 yellow summer squash
1 roasted red pepper
1 bunch spinach
1/4 c. almond butter (to be paleo, use almond butter – I happened to only have peanut on hand, so I used peanut. The original recipe called for a full half cup almond and would be thicker with the full amount. I halved because I was using the wrong nut butter)
1/2 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. golden mustard (or your favorite mustard – I use Golden’s spicy)
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp. chipotle powder
Salt & pepper to taste

First, prep your noodles. I used a wide speed peeler to make long, wide noodles. If you can use a mandoline without slicing off a digit, the julienne setting makes nice matchstick noodles. I prefer less blood in my dinner, so I went the slow route. It didn’t take that long. If you’re not into wide noodles, stack those babies up and slice lengthwise.

Make your creamy sauce. Add the coconut milk, almond butter, spices, garlic, aminos, red pepper and mustard to the bowl of a food processor. Whiz until thoroughly combined. Taste. Add salt and pepper (and any additional amounts of spice) until you’re satisfied.

In your largest skillet over medium – medium-high heat, add the squash noodles. A dry pan is fine here; you’re going to be adding the sauce momentarily. Toss the noodles a time or two so each is kissed by heat. Add the spinach and sauce and toss (carefully with tongs or you’ll break all your noodles up and throw the spinach around the room) frequently until it all looks cooked. You’re not cooking the noodles to death and you’re not serving them raw – think al dente with wilted spinach. This process should take 5-8 minutes, depending upon how hot and crowded your pan is.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.