CHICKEN WITH APPLES BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

I made this sausage about a year ago for some co-workers and it went over really well. Since then I have worked on the recipe and gotten it down to something that always sends me back for seconds. I really hope anyone reading this will take the time to try this recipe, it really is very good. Take your time reading the ingredients and make sure you have everything that you need. The prep is a little on the longer side because not every ingredient is something you may have on hand...

...That being said, this is a great Paleo snack/meal/side that your non-Paleo friends and family will surely love. It freezes and defrosts well so you can make as much or as little of it as you want! For breakfast you can make larger patties or if you are throwing a brunch or other kind of party could make smaller sizes that are easy to pick up or take on the go!

CHICKEN WITH APPLES BREAKFAST SAUSAGE:
1 lb ground chicken (the package I used was actually 1.15 lbs)
1 Tbsp bacon fat
3/4 tsp each of salt, fresh cracked pepper, fennel seed, paprika
1/2 tsp each of sage, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, tumeric
1 cup finely chopped green apple

(While you are prepping your spices and apple, go ahead and let your ground chicken set out at room temperature. I find it easier to mix in all of the ingredients if the chicken isn't really cold.)

I cooked a few pieces of bacon in a non-stick skillet and poured off the fat into a glass jar. I then used what I needed for this recipe and stored the rest in the fridge. If you are cooking the bacon for this purpose, I'd recommend not cleaning the pan if you're going to be using it again right away. Use the flavor!

#1 - Mix all of your spices together well. I used fresh rosemary since I had it on hand. I also used my mortar and pestle to really get all of the ingredients ground together well. (This is not required.) 

#2 - Chop up your green apple into small pieces. The smaller the better! Large pieces can make your sausage less sturdy and it may crumble on you.  

#3 - After the bacon fat has cooled some (but is still liquid), mix it along with all of your other ingredients with the chicken in a large bowl. This can be done with a sturdy spoon or spatula. However, if you are not a germaphobe (this is why we have soap and hot water!) then you will find that mixing this together and forming it with your hands is much easier.

#4 - Form into desired sized patties or balls and cook thoroughly until brown on both sides. 

Yield: 12

PERFECT HOLIDAY CIDER

Keeping with the apple theme, I would like to share with you my simple apple cider recipe. I don't like my cider to be too spiced, if there are so many in my drink that my tongue feels numb and my nose itches, there's just too much going on. The thing about flavor is that you CAN have too much. Whether you are making a cider, a soup, a marinara sauce, or anything else, you want each ingredient to contribute to the experience of the taster. Ingredients are building blocks and an engineer's ideal finished product is simple, no more complicated than it needs to be, and works efficiently. That's what this cider does. My secret trick: The Vanilla Bean.

This recipe does not use vanilla extract, but instead the creamy richness of the vanilla bean itself. It is much more aromatic and it stands out on its own - just the right amount. Make sure to store any left over vanilla in an airtight container.

Like with all Paleo dishes, start with the best things you can find. 

CIDER:
4 cups apple juice (no sugar added - I used the Simply brand)
1/2 vanilla bean
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp cloves

#1: Place your apple juice in a pan over low heat.

#2: Fillet half of a vanilla bean down the center and toss in to the pan with the remaining ingredients.

#3: Let your cider cook for about 20 minutes or until you start to see small bubbles forming at the edges of your pan. You do not want this to come to a boil.

#4: Strain the cider to catch the remaining vanilla bean and bits of cinnamon sticks which have come loose. (Straining twice may be needed if you see lots of bits. Cheese cloth does wonders.)

#5: Return to low heat and serve warm.

Yeilds: 8 servings

Some of the tiny vanilla beans and bits of clove may still end up in your pot - that's okay! These flavors will continue to incorporate over time. I just keeps getting better!

APPLE PIE

Yes, it's time for the holidays! I'm very excited with Christmas just around the corner. It is by far my favorite time of the year! I was at the grocery store today and there was Christmas music playing - so happy! 

A little about this recipe: It's super easy and the clean up is a breeze. There are two differences I would recommend you make and I will do the same next time I make this...

#1 The Macintosh apples were just beautiful today when I bought them, but they aren't great for pies because of how soft they are. I usually use half granny smith and half Washington apples. I will stick to that in the future. Macintosh apples cook and break down too easily.

#2 I only used two apples, but I am going to recommend using how ever many it takes to build up your pie. Due to the heaviness of the pie crust, if there is nothing holding it up underneath (and cooked apples tend to shift and cook down more once in the oven) the crust is prone to cracking and possibly "falling".

That being said, this recipe can be multiplied however many times you need to.

IMPORTANT: "Pies" generally contain less liquid than "cobblers". It is common for the average pie (or cobbler) to contain flour or cornstarch to thicken the liquids of the filling to keep it from being soupy, but since that is not Paleo - make sure you really drain your apples well before placing them in your crock or pie plate. (For those of you who are not Paleo but may have gluten or corn allergies: a small amount of tapioca starch can be used to thicken similarly to flour or cornstarch.)

APPLE PIE FILLING:
2 Apples cored and sliced
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp butter
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

THE CRUST:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup pecans finely chopped (or pecan meal)
1 Tbsp butter - softened but not melted
2 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon

1.) Place all of your apple pie filling ingredients in a skillet and cook until slightly softened and all flavors are combined. 

2.) Drain off the excess liquid very well and place your apple pie filling in whichever baking dish you wish to use. (I used a 6" crock from World Market.)

3.) Combine all of your crust ingredients in a separate bowl with a fork or spatula. The mixture will clump together. 

4.) Turn out your crust mixture onto waxed paper and press into the desired shape for the topping of your pie. (If you are using a traditional 10" pie plate you may need to make 3-4 times the crust recipe.)

5.) Carefully turn the crust over the top of your pie and remove the waxed paper.

6.) Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until your crust is golden brown.

Serves: 3-4

(As you can see - I could have used another apple to fill the crock up a bit more to prevent the crust from falling.)

BROILED BONELESS PORK RIBS

Alright, so I'm a Texas girl and I like my meat, but in the effort to eat a little healthier I chose pork over beef ribs for this meal. I was afraid that my ribs were going to come out chewy - like jerky - because pork is so much lower in fat, but that was not the case at all! Using this two fold technique you can whip up a tender batch of ribs without the hassle or the big messy clean up from the grill.

My father doesn't like real spicy food, so make this as spicy as you want or omit the hot pepper all together if desired. I served this with cauliflower mashed "potatoes" and green beans. Any green (or orange, yellow, red, ect... veggie will work).

In order to make the clean up easy, I took a cookie sheet, covered it in aluminum foil and placed a cookie rack on top so that the fat would fall to the bottom of the pan and the other juices would later be sealed in to keep the ribs moist.

This recipe is for six boneless pork ribs. Adjust as needed.

THE MARINADE: 

1/4 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. orange juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

THE PORK RIBS:

1. Take your boneless pork ribs and stab them each a few times with a fork. If you would like to sprinkle a little tenderizer on them at this point, go ahead! (Do not put tenderizer on them if you plan to marinate them overnight. This will result in your ribs being chewy - like jello).

 2. Put all of your marinade ingredients in a gallon zip-lock bag and mix together. Place your ribs inside and mush it all around so that all the ribs are covered. Let this bag (sealed) sit out on the counter for about ten to fifteen minutes at room temperature.

3. Go ahead and set your oven on 525-550 degrees (broil). This is also a good time to cover your cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Don't skip this step unless you're mad at the person doing the dishes.

4. After the oven is fully heated, space your ribs out over the cookie rack. [SAVE THE MARINADE] Pop this tray in the oven - make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven - and cook for 20-25 minutes. You want some charring going on, but you don't want to make pork charcoal briquettes. 

5. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 350. Let the heat come down in the oven, this may take a few minutes. Take a pastry brush and liberally coat all of the ribs with the marinade you have left. If there is still a little left over, just pour it over the top. It will wind up on the cookie sheet which is good. We want moisture there. (If there is hardly anything there, you may want to add a 3-4 tablespoons of water or juice. I didn't need to do this.)

6. Now get your aluminum foil out again and completely cover the ribs and the cookie sheet. Fold and crimp all of the edges down. You want to create a nice seal to keep all of those juices in so your meat doesn't dry out. Return to the oven for 30 minutes. 

7. After the 30 minutes is up place the ribs somewhere that won't melt, letting them cool slightly and rest. [LEAVE THE FOIL ON!!!] Do not peek! Let the ribs cool for 15 minutes before removing the foil.

Nice and tender!

Fall Flavors

I know it's been nearly a month since I have posted, my apologies. There has been a lot going on, including a bout of medicine that threw me clear off of my Paleo eats! Terrible! Now I am spending this week to get the gluten out of my system, and then back to Paleo on Monday.

Tonight I wanted something hearty and uncomplicated and I've been thinking about mushrooms all week. This is closer to a gluten-free recipe than it is to a Paleo recipe due to the creamy mushroom soup.

This was the result:

It's not entirely a recipe but this is what I did!...

I sauteed some diced yellow onion in a little butter and a splash of cream sherry, then I added in about a quarter cup of small diced turnips and cooked until slightly softened. After this was done I added in some large chopped chunks of mushrooms - I used a combination of portobello, white button, and cremini. I covered the pot and let these flavors simmer together with some fresh cracked pepper. Once the mushrooms and turnips were cooked I added in 18oz of a gluten-free organic creamy mushroom soup that came in a box I purchased at my local whole foods store. It wasn't very creamy so I added in a tablespoon of heavy cream and brought it up to heat.

For those of you who are not Paleo and just looking for gluten-free ideas, I highly recommend garnishing this soup with a dollop of sour cream and an additional dribble of cream sherry.

I would have posted this twenty minutes sooner, but I went back for a second bowl. So good!

Now, if you aren't allergic to it like I am, this would be a fantastic soup to add gobs of fresh garlic too. Garlic is a tremendous super food and is great for the immune system as we head into cold and flu season.

I hope you get the opportunity to try this quick and easy fall soup! Let me know what you think!