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Superfood Salad — Guest Recipe by Kate Johnson of Eat, Recycle, Repeat

May 6, 2013 in Dinner Salads, Main Dishes, Organ Meat

My name is Kate Johnson and I am the author of Eat, Recycle, Repeat, a blog all about the search for health, happiness, and the best way to eat & celebrate life. I’m originally from Wisconsin, but now I live in a little agricultural corner in Chiba, Japan, a move that triggered a sweet potato obsession. I write about food, emotional eating, our relationship to nature & health, and show how you can make the most out of every opportunity, good or bad, because each moment of life is gifted to us.

Knowing that I’ve had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also known as autoimmune thyroid, for several years, I’ve taken an astonishingly long time to come around to the fact that I should commit to the autoimmune protocol (AIP) for a paleo/ancestral diet. I had already eliminated nuts, eggs, and most nightshades from my diet, but I couldn’t bring myself to the consistency of a strict 30 day AIP challenge until I did some emotional healing. Still, I created all sorts of great excuses, therefore obstacles, before I realized I had to let it go and just jump in, since many things in my body are waaaaay out of balance of late. Of course the first, panicky thoughts of “what am I going to do without cumin and mustard?!” eventually gave way to the realization that in focusing solely on the negative, I couldn’t open up to the positive influences that would come my way from adapting another lifestyle shift.

You see, when I think only about what I can’t eat, there is no room for creativity to experiment with what I can eat. When the worry-brain takes over, anticipating every hardship or difficulty, I have no room to think of great solutions, replacements, or substitutions for what I might be “missing”. Really, I need to think of all the gains on the other side of this tunnel: improved health, better culinary skills, more self-love, and perhaps even a bit more grace, or at least balance.

If you’re on the AIP and you immediately dismiss a recipe because of some ingredients, just stop for a second and see if you can’t find a way around it. Perhaps you’ll just have some inspiration for your next meal, rather than an exact recreation. You’ll still get to eat amazing food. I’ve never been more tapped into my culinary creativity than when I’ve been on a restricted diet. I don’t have a great reason why that is, so I’ll refer you to the clever person who said “necessity is the mother of invention”.

Superfood Salad

When I first made this recipe, I used mustard (YUM) and it was so delicious I chose to eat this over steak! Ok, admittedly I’m actually not a huge steak lover, but there was a time when I’d take ANY muscle meat over organ meats. But allowing the liver to “cure” just a bit takes away the strong earthy flavor, and blending it with other taste-bud-popping flavors creates a much more pleasant texture. I also thought that Sarah would love this recipe because of all the true superfoods in it: organ meats, seaweed, fermented foods, and a fermented cod liver oil dressing. JUST KIDDING on the last part about the dressing. That’ll be the day.

Once I realized mustard was not AIP, I simply did a bit of Googling on “mustard substitutions”. Ten minutes later, I had a good idea of what to do: replace with balsamic vinegar if it is in a salad dressing, horseradish for the zing, and eventually a few of my own ideas popped up. A week of experimenting, and I had a recipe that was just as good as the first. I’ve included both of them here. I didn’t end up using horseradish at all, because it is in the same family as mustard and would definitely pose a problem for those with an allergenic (aka anaphylactic) response to mustard, as well as posing a risk for those of us who’d like to adhere faithfully to the AIP in it’s earliest stages. So, ginger for the bite, lemon juice for the zing, a bit of olive juice or apple cider vinegar for the binding brine, and voila! an AIP friendly, superfood salad is born. No obstacles, no mustard, no worries.

Superfood Salad Original Recipe

For the ground liver:

Saute the chicken livers in coconut oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side. Remove and let cool to room temperature. In a food processor, combine the chicken livers, mustard, and pink salt and pulse until the texture resembles ground meat. If possible, refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld together.

For the salad:

Simmer the radishes for 20 minutes, until they can be pierced with a fork but still retain their shape. Allow to cool to room temperature, than dice into small cubes. It should be about 2-3 cups when diced.

Arrange the seaweed, fermented vegetables, and pickled red onion on a bed of lettuce. Top with the ground liver mixture. Toss to make a delicious salad with a natural dressing or serve as is in lettuce boats.

Superfood Salad – AIP Version

Instead of mustard, substitute a one inch piece of peeled ginger, 1 tsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of olive brine or 2-3 olives (pits removed) or 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 tsp of coconut milk. Blend with the liver and salt and follow instructions above.

Superfood Salad in Lettuce Boats

 

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Paleo Steak and Kidney Pie

January 26, 2013 in Meat and Poultry, Organ Meat

This recipe is a paleo adaptation of one of my grandmother’s famous dishes, the steak and kidney pie that she made every year for New Year’s Eve. It is actually a traditional method to make steak and kidney pie as a pot pie topped with choux pastry (I wish I could take the credit for inventing this amazing combination).  When I developed a paleofied choux pastry for my Paleo Chocolate Éclairs, this was the next recipe I wanted to try.  It is a pastry that manages to be light and airy yet rich and decadent at the same time.   It feels a little like eating Yorkshire pudding as a pie crust.  It’s delightful!  Oh, and if you think you don’t like kidney, this is the recipe to try.  It’s the kind of dish where you might find yourself saying “I don’t like kidney, er, except in The Paleo Mom’s steak and kidney pie–cuz that’s da bomb”.  Or whatever the kids say these days.  Lamb kidney is definitely the most mild and tender (I consider it gateway kidney), but you could easily substitute beef  or  pork kidney in this recipe.  Serves 6-8.
Paleo Steak and Kidney Pie | The Paleo Mom
Ingredients (Steak and Kidney Filling):

 

  1. Slice steak and kidney into quarter inch thick slices. Slice carrot into half inch thick rounds. Slice portobello mushrooms into half inch thick cubes. Cut onion in half and then slice into quarter inch thinck half moons.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat and kidney separately in batches. Set aside.
  3. Add 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease to pan if needed. Brown onion slices for 7-8 minutes. Add carrot and mushrooms for 3-4 more minutes.
  4. Return meat to the pot. Whisk arrowroot powder into beef stock and add to pot.   Also add fish sauce and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for one and a half hours.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  5. Pour into a large casserole or lasagna dish.  Let cool to room temperature (if it’s a little warmer than room temperature when the choux pastry is ready, that’s okay).
  6. While cooling, prepare choux pastry.

 

Ingredients (Choux Pastry): 

  1. This is going to be intense, so I recommend measuring out all of your ingredients before you start.  Combine your flours and salt.  Crack your eggs and place them in separate bowls (okay you can combine your extra yolk and one egg in a bowl).    Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Heat coconut milk and palm shortening over medium heat until it just starts to simmer.  Remove from heat and pour in all of the flour all at once.  Stir like mad until it’s thick and fully combined.
  3. Add the eggs ONE AT A TIME and stir like crazy with each addition (you are doing this off the heat).  Each time you add an egg, the dough will seem to separate and then as you stir, it will come together.  Wait until it comes together before adding the next egg.
  4. At the end, you have a fairly warm, quite thick and sticky cream-colored dough.
  5. Immediately pour the dough over the cooled steak and kidney filling.  Spread with a spoon or spatula to evenly cover the entire surface.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned on top (you might want to put a baking sheet under the casserole dish just in case it bubbles over a little).  Enjoy!

Paleo Steak and Kidney Pie | The Paleo Mom

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Beef Tongue with Rosemary Mustard Reduction

November 5, 2012 in Organ Meat

If you haven’t tried beef tongue, you are missing out.  It is the most tender and delicious meat and can be prepared in a variety of ways (tongue tacos being especially popular).  Although it is a muscle, it is more nutrient dense than other muscles, and like the heart, is really considered an organ meat.  It’s also typically quite inexpensive.  I buy 2.5-3lb grass-fed beef tongues for $6 each from my local farmer.  You can also buy them from US Wellness Meats (although, they are considerably more expensive).

 It can be a little strange cooking something that looks so much like exactly what it is (and I think we’re all a little used to being very dissociated from the animal our meat comes from).  But, if you can come to terms with handling a giant tongue, then this recipe is absolutely exquisite.  (Note:  the whole tongue appearance thing doesn’t bother me at all.  But if it does bother you, you could slice the tongue very thin, cube it, or even shred it before eating.)

 Tongue is delicious but this sauce is crazy awesome.  My only big mistake the first night we had this meal was that I didn’t make a side dish that could absorb all that extra sauce.  I highly recommend serving with something like mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice or even paleo biscuits just to mop up all that tasty goodness.

 Variation:  If you’re lucky enough to get lamb tongue, you can use several in place of the cow tongue.  They only needs to be boiled for about 1 hour 15 minutes

 

Ingredients (Beef Tongue):

  • 2.5-3 lbs beef tongue
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary (about 1½  Tbsp dried rosemary)
  • 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme (about 2 tsp dried thyme)
  • 8 whole garlic cloves
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Water to cover, about 6 cups

Ingredients (Rosemary Mustard Reduction):

  • Cooking liquid from beef tongue
  • 2 Tbsp brown or Dijon-style mustard (something grainy is especially good)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice (wine could be substituted)
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter

  1. Place the whole beef tongue in a large stock pot.  Place vegetables and herbs around the tongue (ideally, it should be a pretty tight fit in your pot).  You don’t even need to bother peeling the garlic or onions here.  They are just in the pot to give flavor to the broth.  Pour water over the top, just enough to cover the tongue.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 3-3½ hours.  Check the level of the water every half hour or so and top up as required.
  3. Remove the tongue from the pot and let cool.  Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve (or a few layers of cheesecloth) into a smaller pot and discard all of the vegetables and any other bits.
  4. Bring broth to a boil and maintain a rolling boil until it has reduced to 1½ cups or less (about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much liquid you started with).
  5. Add rosemary to broth and boil another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add butter, mustard and lemon juice.  Wisk to combine.
  6. Meanwhile, as soon as beef tongue is cool enough to touch, peel off the white leathery skin on the outside (you might need a knife to get it started, but then it should come off very easily) and discard.  Slice as you like it (if your reduction is still going to be a few minutes, cover with tin foil to keep warm).
  7. Pour rosemary mustard reduction over the tongue and serve!

 

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Braised Pork Neck (or Chops)

October 8, 2012 in Meat and Poultry, Organ Meat, Stir Fries and One-Pot Meals

Neck bones?  Really?  Yes!  Not only are they extremely cheap (some butchers/meat farmers will even give them to you for free), but when cooked low and slow, they are tender and very flavorful.  What if you can’t find neck bones?  This recipe would be just as good with some bone-in pork chops (4 good size chops would be a good substitute). Serves 3-4 (depending on how meaty your bones are).

Ingredients

  1. Preheat oven to 300F.
  2. Cut carrots into large 2” chunks.  Cut onion in half and then cut each half into four wedges.  Peel and core apples and cut into large 1” chunks (I got a dozen pieces per apple).
  3. Grind fennel seed in a spice grinder or Magic Bullet.  Combine with nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.  Rub over pork to thoroughly coat.
  4. Heat 2 Tbsp cooking fat over medium-high heat in a small stock pot or extra-large oven-safe frying pan (if you have a Le Creucet, even better!).  Add ginger slices and cook 3-4 minutes until browned and fragrant.  Remove ginger (unless you love big ginger chunks).
  5. Add pork to oil and brown on all sides (you may have to do this in 2 or 3 batches), adding more cooking fat if needed.  Remove browned pork from pan and set aside.
  6. Add onion and carrots to pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more cooking fat if needed.  Add pork back to pot (nudging pork in between carrots and onion).  Add wine to pot.  Add apple to the top.
  7. Cover and place in the oven and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes (add an extra 15 minutes if you are using pork chops instead).
  8. Enjoy!

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