Mother's Day was pretty much a wash for me, since I woke up at 1:30am with a seriously unhappy stomach, and spent the next few hours cramping and puking and miserable.  What I suspected to be food poisoning turned out to be a nasty little stomach bug that's been making the rounds.  My sister-in-law also had it, as did her mother-in-law, so none of us were particularly chipper at our get-together.  I ended up leaving Chris with the cavekids and heading home to curl up in bed that afternoon, and took a rain check on my Mother's Day dinner. 

Thankfully, the delightful little bug has been shared among us all (blah) and has moved on (woohoo) and we are all feeling MUCH better!

 Now that we are back to normal, relatively speaking, and feeling fine, we celebrated with my favorite dinner…. this spicy Tex-Mex steak that has become my new favorite awesome.  Super flavorful, a little spicy, total yum.

I've used this on several different cuts of steaks, depending on my budget and what's on sale.  This time I found a package of thin-sliced chuck steak, so I opted for the cast-iron skillet rather than the grill.  I sprinkled the meat with a pre-packaged tenderizer (I know, I know, not very paleo, but it'll do in a pinch) and stabbed it with the meat tenderizing-fork-thing while I mixed up the spices, then rubbed the spice mixture over the steaks while the cast-iron pan was heating.

Once the cast-iron skillet was hot, I threw the steaks in to sizzle away while making the sauce.

There's probably a more frou-frou term for the sauce besides just 'sauce', but I don't really feel like Googling the appropriate word just to make myself appear more lofty and high brow; I'll save that for the gourmet blogs, which I could never pass off as being.

'Sauce' it is.

So, I just tossed the ingredients in the food processor after spending way too long fiddling with taking pics, because I liked the composition of the lime and cilantro and garlic on my cutting board.  A couple whirs around- and 'whir' would indeed be a technical term- and it's done.

Once the steaks have been gently cooked, flipped,  nd cooked a tiny bit more, I removed the steaks, cranked the heat up to medium high-but-closer-to-high-than-to-medium and let the pan heat a minute or so, then seared the steaks well on both sides (it takes only a few seconds). I flipped the heat off, moved the pan from the burner, and poured the sauce over the top of the steaks.  The sauce just sort of slides off the surface of the meat and down into the pan, and caramelizes and cooks the admittedly-large amount of garlic down a bit so that it mellows.  Then I just flip the steaks again, putting the sauced side down for a minute or two, and then flip one more time so the steaks are evenly coated with the sauce.

I let the steaks rest for a bit- always a good thing so they stay nice and juicy- and serve these with cauliflower mashed faux-tatoes, spooning the sauce over the top in lieu of gravy, and a side salad and some avocado.

Taste buds, rejoice.

Tex-Mex Steaks

6 steaks, your choice of cut
tenderizer

Spices:

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Salt to taste (if not using tenderizer)

Cilantro-Garlic-Lime Sauce

4-6 garlic cloves
1 cup cilantro leaves
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
pinch of salt

Sprinkle steaks with tenderizer, if desired, pierce with tenderizing fork (optional).
Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl. 
Rub spice mixture into both sides of the steaks.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat on stove or grill; meanwhile make the sauce.
In food processor or blender, combine the sauce ingredients and pulse/whir until the garlic is crushed and the sauce is an even uniformity.
Set aside.
Cook steaks in heated pan on both sides gently, then sear at the end over high heat.
Remove the pan from the burner, pour the sauce over the steaks, let cook a few moments in the still-hot pan.
Flip the steaks so the sauced side cooks a minute or so, then flip once more and let rest until ready to serve.

About Cavemom

I'm a paleo/primal-living Midwest-dwelling homemade-goodies-making word-slinging mischief-making loud-laughing book-reading off-key-singing graphics-designing crappy-picture-taking life-enjoying kid-tickling spoon-licking sarcasm-wielding randomly-dancing laundry-hating family-loving fairly-awesome wife and mother, sharing my challenges, failures and successes with the world (...or at least my blog readers).

We may be at the end of winter, but there's snowy slush on the ground here and the skies are still spitting a wintry mix of snow and sleet and frozen rain.  I'm taking full advantage of the cold and nasty weather and making a big ole pot of paleo chili today to warm us up. 

Related:  Chris is weird (hold on, segue coming).

Now, my husband is weird in many ways, but this one applies directly to the topic of chili.

He doesn't like beans in his chili. 
I can hear your gasps of outraged shock and horror.  I get it.

Chili…without beans?
Weird.

How the heck do you make chili without beans, when by it's very nature chili is chock full of them?  Really, it boggled my mind.  And frankly, it embarassed me when he would order chili somewhere and ask them to take the beans out before they brought it to him.

Beanless chili.   Weird.

In the paleo world, though, we recognize that beans are a legume, and legumes are a high-glycemic index food.  They act the same way that sugars and grains do…they raise your blood sugar quickly, the energy gained from the high amount of carbs lasts only a short while, then you suffer a resulting crash.

Um, no thank you.  I don't like the whole crash-and-burn thing. 

Like pasta and rice and breads, beans don't offer much in the way of flavor anyway, and are best used as a filler.  
A flavorless filler. 
A flavorless filler that leads to a crash and burn. 
A high-carb flavorless filler that leads to a crash-and-burn.

So, no beans. 
Which makes Chris happy.

Without the beans, the chili has to have more meat and veggies added to make it more robust.  We use celery, carrots and peppers for the veggies, and a mixture of bacon and ground beef and ground pork (or sausage) for the meat. 

The flavor the chili takes on is just awesome. Why?  Because bacon makes everything better. :)

Try this.  I promise you won't miss the beans!

Paleo Chili

1lb bacon
1lb ground beef
1lb ground pork or sausage
4 large carrots, peeled and diced
6 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, blistered, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 jalepeno, minced (we include the seeds, but remove them if you don't want the additional heat)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups beef bone broth or stock
2 16oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, or tomatoes with green chiles
4 tablesoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Cook bacon in large dutch oven ove rmedium heat until cripsy. 
Drain fat and reserve for other uses.
Crumble bacon and set aside.
Brown ground beef and ground pork (or sausage) over medium high heat in the same dutch oven, adding carrots, celery, onion and peppers about halfway through.  Stir frequently.
When meat is fully cooked, pour off part of the accumulated fat and juices, if desired.  Add garlic, and stir.
Add stock, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cocoa, cumin, oregano, paprika and pepper, stirring well. 
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer 2-3 hours or until liquid has reduced. 
Salt to taste, and serve.

About Cavemom

I'm a paleo/primal-living Midwest-dwelling homemade-goodies-making word-slinging mischief-making loud-laughing book-reading off-key-singing graphics-designing crappy-picture-taking life-enjoying kid-tickling spoon-licking sarcasm-wielding randomly-dancing laundry-hating family-loving fairly-awesome wife and mother, sharing my challenges, failures and successes with the world (...or at least my blog readers).

According to my sources, this is paleo-ized version of a classic comfort food.

But, um.  Not my idea of classic comfort food.

Growing up, you couldn't get me within 10 feet of sauerkraut.  I don't know what possessed me to reach for a jar of it a couple weeks ago in the store; it just sounded good.  So I brought the jar home, stared at it, and wondered what in the hell I was going to make with it.

I was joking about my purchase- and my puzzlement with a few friends, and my pals Jeff and Lauren (the aforementioned comfort-food sources) piped up with their love of sauerkraut.

It is, apparently, a vehement sort of love for them. 

It was kinda scary.

Lauren promptly sent me a dozen different sauerkraut recipes right then and there (the woman keeps her recipes on her phone.  I need to be cool enough to keep recipes on my phone), including this simple one that happens to be Jeff's favorite- it's his go-to when he's feeling craptastic. 

I can't say I was feeling craptastic, but I gave it a whirl.

And fell in love.

Of course, I made a few changes here and there to keep it paleo.  I swapped out the mashed potatoes for cauliflower mashed fauxtatoes (made extra delicious with smoked gouda and cheddar), and used all-beef hotdogs from our local butcher, made with no fillers or preservatives.  And since I love both horseradish and mustard, I smeared some of both on top.

Oh, yum.  This may not be a classic comfort dish in my book, but it's certainly become a current one.

Dogs 'n' Kraut

2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1/2 cup chopped onion
28 ounces sauerkraut
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock or bone broth
8 all-beef (no fillers, no preservatives) hot dogs 

Heat bacon drippings over medium heat in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan.
Lightly brown hot dogs on all sides until they plump slightly, then remove to a plate.
Add onion to bacon drippings and cook about 5 minutes, or until onons are soft and translucent.
Place sauerkraut and juice in a bowl, cover with lukewarm water.
Stir sauerkraut well to help get rid of the excess salt, then drain water and squeeze sauerkraut to get rid of excess water.
Add squeezed sauerkraut to the saucepan, along with the remaining ingredients (including the browned hotdogs).
Stir well, and reduce heat to low.
Simmer 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally or until liquid has evaporated.
Serve over mashed potatoes (or fauxtatoes!).

About Cavemom

I'm a paleo/primal-living Midwest-dwelling homemade-goodies-making word-slinging mischief-making loud-laughing book-reading off-key-singing graphics-designing crappy-picture-taking life-enjoying kid-tickling spoon-licking sarcasm-wielding randomly-dancing laundry-hating family-loving fairly-awesome wife and mother, sharing my challenges, failures and successes with the world (...or at least my blog readers).

Yes, these are really called Saucy Balls.

I'd like to point out that these were originally named 'Crockpot Paleo Meatballs and Sauce', but my husband and our friends have a rather juvenile sense of humor sometimes.

But then, so do I.   Saucy Balls it is.

I found a pretty clever crock pot meatball recipe over at Mom Gone Paleo.  I was seriously loving her idea of layering onions in the crockpot with the sauce and meatballs rather than dicing/chopping/mincing and mixing it in with them both….I love the taste of onion, but have found my body doesn't always like when I eat them.   This way, I had the best of both worlds.

The meat is mixed up in a large bowl, along with eggs, almond meal, parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper.

Did anyone else just start singing S&P's 'Push It'? 

No? 

Never mind then.

Since I usually am making this to share with others, and non-paleo folk tend to get squeamish about grease/fat in the sauce, I pan-fry or bake off the meatballs before I put them into the crockpot. 

I've learned the hard way.  Trust me on this one.

Since baking them is easier/less messy/allows me more time to dance around the kitchen singing into the spatula ('ooh, bay-beh BAY-beh….mmm, push it!'), I popped the balls…not yet saucy…into my silicone muffin cups and baked them in a preheated 400F oven for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, in between trying to remember Salt & Peppa's dance moves and ignoring Chris' comments about my tasty, meaty balls, I sliced the onions and started the sauce.

Once the meatballs are done, assmembly of the saucy balls is easy.

Onions went down as the first layer in the crockpot, then the tasty, meaty balls.  I pour off the accumulated juice and fat and save it for my very delighted puppies.

Top the onions and balls off with a layer of sauce, and then repeat the layers of onions, balls, sauce until the ingredients are all used up.

Since (in this case) the meatballs are pre-cooked, I just heat the crock on low for about 3 hours.  As Mom Gone Paleo suggests, you can make this in advance and stick it in the fridge, then pull it out and heat it when you're ready.

I usually serve this over zucchini and summer squash sauteed in olive oil for us paleoheads, with some shaved parmesan cheese over the top.  For everyone else, well, spaghetti does nicely.

Ooooh, baby baby! Get up on this!

Saucy Balls (Crockpot paleo meatballs and sauce)

*this is a double recipe, ideal for large crockpots, big crowds, or people who really like saucy balls.

Meatballs:

2 lbs of ground beef
2 lbs mild Italian sausage
1 10 oz package frozen steamed spinach, thawed and well drained, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 parmesan cheese
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoons sea salt

Crumble the sausage and ground beef in a bowl with your hands.  Add in all other ingredients and combine, using your hands, until it's completely incorporated. 
Roll into balls, keeping in mind that shrinkage will occur while cooking (balls will shrink down to about 3/4 of the size they are raw as they cook).

** If serving to non-paleo guests who would turn up their nose at the juices and fat in the sauce, I recommend you panfry balls on all sides until cooked through or bake in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes (until cooked through).
 

Combine sauce ingredients in a large bowl:

**If you pre-cook your balls, heating time will be much less than stated below.

Cook on low 6 hours, or on high 4 hours.
If you refrigerate the saucy balls in the crockpot overnight, just start it in the morning.  Cook (from refrigerated) about 5 hours on high, 8 hours on low.

recipe source

About Cavemom

I'm a paleo/primal-living Midwest-dwelling homemade-goodies-making word-slinging mischief-making loud-laughing book-reading off-key-singing graphics-designing crappy-picture-taking life-enjoying kid-tickling spoon-licking sarcasm-wielding randomly-dancing laundry-hating family-loving fairly-awesome wife and mother, sharing my challenges, failures and successes with the world (...or at least my blog readers).

I'm not one to back down from a challenge…or pass up a good deal.  So when I spied a package of oxtails on sale at the grocery store for (what I considered) was a great price, I snatched them up and instantly googled a few recipes as soon as I got home.

I'd been wanting to try them for a while- I'd heard about how delicious oxtails are supposed to be.  Rich, succulent meat with wonderful flavor, great for stews and soups or just by themselves.  Well, I had to put it to the test.

Taking a couple different methods and ingredients from a handful of recipes, I started out by browning the oxtails in olive oil in my dutch oven.

I tossed in some chopped garlic, onion, carrot, and celery, and stirred in a little tomato paste, some black pepper and a bit of kosher salt, a cup of wine and a cup of beef broth (bone stock). I left the lid on and set the oxtails to cook over low heat for about 3 hours.

Oh.  Emm.  Geee.

All I can say is that they are everything they are touted to be.  Very similar to a chuck roast or other fatty cut of beef, with a delicious flavor.  Cooking them in the wine and beef broth reminded me vaguely fo a potroast, btu with a really, really rich flavor.

My fingers are crossed that I stumble onto another sale again soon!

Braised Oxtails

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds oxtails
2 carrots, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup wine
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven that has a fitted lid.
Brown oxtails in olive oil on all sides over medium -high heat
Add carrots, celery and onion; cook 5 mintues, stirring occaisionally.
Reduce heat to low, adding tomato paste, beef broth, and wine.
Cover saucepan/dutch oven and cook about 3 hours, stirring occaisionally, adding more water as necessary to keep from drying out.

About Cavemom

I'm a paleo/primal-living Midwest-dwelling homemade-goodies-making word-slinging mischief-making loud-laughing book-reading off-key-singing graphics-designing crappy-picture-taking life-enjoying kid-tickling spoon-licking sarcasm-wielding randomly-dancing laundry-hating family-loving fairly-awesome wife and mother, sharing my challenges, failures and successes with the world (...or at least my blog readers).