Paleo Jambalaya

Serves four

Ingredients

4 large spicy Italian sausages, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups okra, chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water or chicken stock
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
Pepper
Salt

Directions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage until cooked through. Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Add the red pepper, celery and okra and saute until softened, about two minutes.

Add the tomato paste, stock and seasonings. Stir well to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about five minutes.

 

♥  Amy

Eating Local: Spragg's Meat Shop

Today we picked up our meat order from Spragg's Meat Shop. We have previously ordered a side of pork from them and I am quite excited to have a freezer full of their delicious pork once again.

Spragg Meat Shop has a farm located in Rosemary, Alberta 170 km east of Calgary - just barely over 100 miles. Although their meat is not certified organic, the pigs are pasture raised, fed a vegetarian diet of barley and  faba beans grown on their own property and not fed unnecessary hormones or antibiotics.

We once again ordered a side of pork which includes picnic hams, chops, bacon, breakfast sausages and roasts. This time we also ordered chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and ground chicken. Since Dave wants to start experimenting with making his own sausage we also ordered sausage casings, pork fat, pork organs and pork shoulder butt.

Now the fun part... trying to fit it all into the freezer!


Amy

Mussels

Serves four

5 pounds mussels

1/2 pound spicey italian sausage, chopped

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 jalapeño

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups white wine

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup cream

 

Clean the mussels and discard any mussels with cracked shells. If any mussels are open, tap them gently against the counter and discard any mussels that don't close up within a few minutes.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage until cooked through. Add the onion, garlic and peppers, saute until soft.

Add the broth, jalapeno, tomatoes and wine to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Add the mussles and cover the pan.

Simmer until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the cream and basil, simmer for an additional minute.

Serve hot with crusty bread.

 

Amy

Chinese Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is one of my favorite dim sum dishes. For a long time I would buy frozen sticky rice from Chinatown and keep it in the freezer as an emergency dinner or lunch. However there was never any vegetables in the Chinatown versions so I decided to make my own.

Adapted from Flavor Explosions, serves 10

5 dried lotus leaves

2 1/2 cups sweet rice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, chopped

1 pound pork spareribs
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, chopped

Pepper

2 small zucchini, sliced

2 small eggplant, sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon ginger, chopped

Pepper

3 Chinese sausages, thinly sliced
6 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup oyster mushrooms. chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Rinse the rice well and place into a bowl. Cover the rice with water and allow to soak for  6 hours to overnight. 

Soak the lotus leaves in hot water until softened, about 1 hour. Snip off the hard stalks in the centre of the lotus leaf.  Cut the leaves into two so each is a half circle. 

Cut the spare ribs into bit size pieces. In a bowl, combine the spareribs, oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger and pepper. Allow the spareribs to marinade for an hour.

In a separate bowl, combine the zucchini, eggplant, oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger and pepper. Set aside to marinade. 

Place the dried mushrooms into a third bowl and cover with bowling water. Allow to soak until soft. Once soft, remove the stems and cut into quarters. 

Prepare a large pot with a steamer and enough water to be just below the steamer. Line the steamer with cheesecloth. Drain the water from the rice. Place the rice onto the steamer in an even layer. Bring the water to a boil and steam the rice for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the oil, sugar and stock in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once the rice is done steaming, transfer it to a bowl, pour the hot stock mixture over top and stir to combine. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

In a wok, saute the spareribs until cooked through. Add the sausage and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and eggplant and cook for another 3 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat. Toss in the green onion.

Place the lotus leaves flat on a work surface. Patch any holes in the leaves with additional leave pieces.

Place about 1/20th of the rice, approximately 1/3 cup, onto the center of the lotus leave. 

Place a 1/10th portion of the filling on top of the rice.  

 Top with another portion of rice. Pack the rice tightly to form a small rectangle.

Wrap one side of the leave over the filling. Then fold the opposite side over top so you have essentially folded the leave into thirds with the filling in the middle. 

Repeat in the other direction. With the last fold, tuck the end of the leave under itself to make a neat seam.

Tie the bundle with string or the stalks from the lotus leaves.

Prepare a bamboo steamer basket in a pot over simmering water. Add the parcels to the steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Add water as necessary to ensure the pot does not dry out. 

Serve hot. 

Amy

Tip: Make a large batch to keep in the freezer. Allow the parcels to cool and then wrap tightly with plastic wrap before placing in the freezer.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I threw this together last night after spying my co-worker eating his wife's version at lunch. It makes a fantastic paleo-friendly replacement for pizza!

The toppings could easily be replaced with whatever you have handy - spinach, tomatoes and feta would be an excellent combination - and the sausage could easily be omitted for a vegetarian version.

Serves 4

4 portobello mushrooms

4 small or 2 large sausages

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper

salt and pepper

1/2 cup cheese, grated

4 tablespoons almond flour or bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Finely chop the stems and set aside. Lightly oil the mushroom caps, season with salt and pepper and place, face down, onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Removing the casings from the sausages and crumble the filling into a pan. Saute over medium heat until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, celery, mushroom stems and peppers to the pan and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chilli pepper and basil, saute until fragrant.

Transfer the filling to the mushroom caps and top with cheese and almond flour.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the topping is browned and the mushroom is soft.

Enjoy!

Amy