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!

Southwest Shredded Chicken w/Cauliflower Rice

Silly me, no pictures! I kind of threw this together at the last minute, so I didn't really totally keep track of what I put in it, but I will guesstimate as usual and then you can tweak it to fit your needs!

By the way, sorry for not being around for a bit. Been crazy busy! Lots of things going on as usual =)

This is a crockpot recipe, by the way, and Whole30 approved!

Southwest Chicken:

6 chicken breasts
1 14oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin
1 1/2 tbsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tbsp garlic (or you could use fresh, I was in a hurry so used powdered)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy - could use cayenne pepper too if you want more!)

Mix tomatoes and spices together in a separate bowl. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot and pour tomatoes over the top. Cook on high for about 5 hours. Shred chicken gently using  a fork and mix together. Taste and see if you want anything else - I added more salt at the end.

Cauliflower Rice:

1 head cauliflower
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Coconut Oil

Rough chop the cauliflower. Using your food processor, mince the cauliflower into small pieces (you can make it couscous sized even). In a skillet, add 1-2 tbsp coconut oil (I used 2). Once oil is hot, pour cauliflower into the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic to your taste and stir well. Cover pan and allow cauliflower to brown a bit. After a few minutes, give it a good stir and re-cover to brown a little more.

I finished it with a little Kerrygold butter!

I served it in a bowl, c'rice on the bottom and topped with the chicken. Tastiness!!! This chicken would also be great in lettuce tacos or with sauteed peppers and onions, etc. It's very versatile!