Kale Pesto and Roasted Tomato Sauce Spaghetti

Okay, I'm not the best at titles!

Today I decided to mess around and make some pesto using the ginormous leaves from my newly acquired basil plant and some kale that I had. I would suggest using a recipe if you are worried about quantities. Me? I walk the wild side and eyeball things. This isn't always a good idea, but sometimes it works out!

On the upside: this pesto tasted awesome when mixed into something.
On the downside: it's a tad bitter on its own due to the kale.

Pesto:
Basil (I used about 10 large leaves)
Kale (I only used a bit, maybe 1/8C chopped)
2-3 garlic cloves
Crushed/diced pecans (2-3 tbsp you can use pinenuts if you prefer)
Olive Oil (1/4C or so - start small, you can always add)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Blend furiously in the Cuisinart until smooth. Voila!

Then I had to decide what to do with the green goodness that I created. I had already intended to make spaghetti squash for dinner, so I got the squash into the oven and formulated a plan. Remember the steak recipe from the other night, and the can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes that I only used half of? Yep, those were definitely going to be part of my plan. And some grass fed beef for good measure, because what's a meal without protein? (Hint: not a meal).

This is what came of it all:

And yeah, it was definitely awesome. Not too heavy, which is great because it's in the triple digits outside. But the flavours all blended well and I was very pleased with it.

To cook the squash:

Preheat oven to 375

Slice squash in half and clean out seeds

Place halves open side down in a large casserole dish

Add ~3/4" of water to the dish

Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on how well your oven cooks)

Once squash is cooked it shreds easily with a fork. I placed the squash "noodles" into a large bowl and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a dash of olive oil to help it all spread around. If you aren't avoiding butter you could use Kerrygold or some other grassfed butter instead.

For the sauce:

In a large pan, brown 1lb grassfed beef. (If you don't use grassfed, be sure to drain off the fat before adding the other ingredients). Season beef with salt and pepper. 

Once browned, add 1/2C kale pesto and mix well. Once mixed, add the 1/2 can tomatoes. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 5 minutes or so. Taste to see if it needs more salt as oftentimes the tomatoes are unsalted.

This made approximately 3 servings, but it depends on your appetite. Could easily simply feed 2 people but you won't be left feeling like you ate too much. Also with the addition of a side of some sort this could very easily stretch to 4 people without issue.

Pan Fried Steak and Peppers

Hello dear readers! I am not so great about posting frequently but that hopefully will change now that we have finally moved and are settled in.

Being here in a new city is allowing us to really have truly a fresh start again, and I am thrilled to be here. We are close to a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and a number of other grocery stores. This is a welcome change! We were able to stock the fridge with some really awesome goodies, and NO CRAP food. (I am secretly very thrilled about this).

Anywhoodles, we came home yesterday from being out for awhile and the Mister was very hungry. So I just raided the fridge, pulled out some stuff, and this is was I came up with:

Now, in our new apartment we can't have a grill so I wasn't able to grill the zucchini which is what I would have preferred. I made everything in my electric skillet, just because it was easier, but I would have preferred to grill the zucchini, cook the peppers and onions in a regular frying pan, and then just pan fry the steak in the skillet. This keeps it from getting too hot in the house when it's over 100 degrees outside =)

Instead, I first cooked the onions and peppers in the skillet. I then moved them to a bowl and covered them with tin foil to maintain heat. After everything else was cooked I threw them back in the pan to warm them up quickly (20 seconds or so). After those were cooked, I added coconut oil to the pan and then cooked up my steaks. Lastly, I laid the zucchini strips in the pan and let them cook down. Cooking everything in the same pan did allow the flavours to blend and I did not need to season a bunch.

INGREDIENTS

2 New York Strip steaks, about .65lb ea

2 small zucchini's, sliced lengthwise into strips

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, cut into strips

1/2 can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes, divided

SPICES

Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Paprika

Oregano

Cumin

Cardamon

Cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Coconut oil 

I don't use measurements for spices, because oftentimes I really think it's to your own personal taste. I like to season my steaks well, and then lightly season other things. This time I accidentally used too much cumin on the peppers. A little cumin goes a long way!

Pull out the steaks and allow them to rest and come to room temp about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Just before you are ready to put them in the pan, season them with the following:

1 minced garlic clove each

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Cumin

Cardamon

Paprika

Cocoa Powder (a little goes a long way, so just a sprinkle)

I salt my steak just before I serve it. This works really well for me!

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Serves 2 people

In a pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp or so coconut oil (I use Tropical Traditions Gold Label). Add 1 clove garlic and the chopped onions. Allow the onions and garlic to sweat and become fragrant (about 3 minutes). Give them a stir and add the peppers. Add seasoning: cumin, cardamon, salt, pepper. After the peppers have cooked down a bit (about 3-4 minutes), add in about 1/2 cup Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Cook for another 3-4 minutes - longer if you don't want your peppers too firm.  Put them to the side until ready to serve.

In the skillet, heat 3 tbsp coconut oil. Once hot, place steaks in the pan and cover with the lid. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes.  Using tongs, flip the steaks over. Add 1/8c of the tomatoes to the pan and cover with the lid for another 2-3 minutes (depending on how well you like your steak cooked). Once done, place steaks on plate and cover with tin foil. If they rest about 10 minutes the juices will be sealed in. Just before serving, salt liberally.

For the zucchini, I laid them in the skillet after I pulled the steak out, and added a few tbsp of the tomato juice and seasoned with salt and pepper. Allow them to cook for about 4 minutes on each side. As I said above, I would have preferred to grill the zucchini and would have kept the seasoning simple: oil, salt, pepper. 

Et voila! You are finished, except for plating =) This turned out so super tasty, and I could not have been more pleased.

Next up: Spaghetti Squash and chicken sausage marinara sauce. Simple, but you can't ever go wrong with spaghetti right?

Paleo Comfort Food - Italian Spiced Beef Stew (Whole30 approved!)

• In an effort to clear the fridge prior to departure for our anniversary trip (I love you husband!) I had to come up with something quick and crockpot friendly at the last minute, and this is what arose. It was AWESOME! 

As I said, I was in a hurry so and limited on items so I am going to write down what I put in it and then write what I would add or do differently. However, tweak it to your own taste!

1 - 3-4 lb beef roast
1 medium sweet onion, quartered
1 head cauliflower, rough chopped
1 - 28oz can Muir Glen tomatoes with basil
1 - can chicken broth
2 tbsp black pepper
3 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried sweet basil
1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Place roast at bottom of crock pot. Place vegetables on top. Add spices. Pour tomatoes and chicken broth over the top. Cook on low all day (mine cooked for about 10-11 hours and the meat was medium well and oooh so tender). I didn't salt it until it was served, and it turned out beautifully. The cauliflower ended up tasting like potatoes usually do, as it soaked up all the juices and flavours. I was happy about that!

Things I would do differently:

• Real, whole garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf (forgot I had it!)
• Carrot
• Celery (for my husband - I actually don't like celery)
• Mushrooms
• More cauliflower

I feel like this recipe can be tweaked to go in many directions, so I am going to see if I can come up with a Southwest style one that includes peppers, and fire roasted tomatoes. Stay tuned!