Paleo Beef Roulade

One nice feature of a roulade is that it can be made several days early and then cooked just before serving. Additionally, you can experiment with the stuffing, changing it by adding or subtracting ingredients.  First served at SisterFest 2015 in Portland, with Cauliflower Puree and Spiralized Pesto Zucchini "spaghetti." Serves 6-7

1 1/2 to 2# flank steak
Salt and Pepper
4-5 strips thick bacon, cooked not crispy, chopped
2+ cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cup chopped white button mushrooms (7-10)
Butcher's twine

5 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp oil (coconut or olive)

Prep Day:

1. Pound the flank steak with a meat mallet to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Doing so will give you more surface area to work with when rolling the steak.
2. Lay the steak out flat, and season both sides with sea salt and pepper.Layer chopped bacon, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms evenly over the steak. It will look very full so you can't imagine rolling it in any neat fashion without everything falling out.
3. Roll the steak tightly into a log so the grain of the meat is running the long way on the roll. (When you cut slices you'll be cutting across the grain.) Tie the roulade in at least 3 places. Next time I would estimate how many servings I will cut and tie twine for each one so when you cut you have a piece of twine holding the rolled slice together. Having someone help with this makes it easier.
4. Wrap the steak in double or triple plastic wrap, seal it in a plastic bag and either freeze or store a day or two in refrigerator.

Serving Day:

1. Thaw the roulade in the refrigerator overnight and a day.
2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425°
3. In a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, melt the oil.
4. Place the roulade in the skillet and sear until brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes total. OR sear the steak on a HOT grill, turning to brown all sides. DO NOT cook the meat through!
5. Remove steak from stove or grill,  (if you've used the grill place the steak in an oven-proof pan) sprinkle with minced garlic all over.
6. Roast in hot oven for 10-20 minutes, or 130° on a meat thermometer, until the meat is cooked but still pink in the center.
7. Remove from oven, cover lightly with foil and a kitchen towel. Let sit for 10 minutes.
8. Slice into pinwheels at least one inch thick.

Mom's Real Pie Crust

Mix together: 5 cups all purpose flour and 1 Tbsp salt
Using pastry blender cut in 2 cups (1 #, usually one box) lard
Beat together: 2/3 c. ice water and one cold egg
Mix until barely holding together, do not over work.

Divide into 6 flattened balls and freeze individually, wrapped in foil. Let thaw over night in 'fridge before rolling out.

Jewish Crack

4 to 6 sheets matzo or approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 cup toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts. [If using matzo, you’ll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces, which will be annoying because despite being perforated, it does not actually break in straight lines. I have some luck pressing a serrated knife straight down along a section between perforations, if that (hopefully) makes sense.]

In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.

Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here. If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The sea salt is great on matzo. On Saltines, it’s really not necessary.)

Once completely cool — I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crack(ers) — break it into pieces and store it in a container. It should keep for a week but I’ve never seen it last that long.

French-style Ratatouille

• 1 pound eggplant, sliced in rounds
• 1 pound zucchini, sliced in rounds
• 1 pound bell peppers, sliced
• 1 pound tomatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• olive oil
• bay leaf
• thyme sprig
• salt and pepper

1. Wash and slice all of the vegetables. To peel the tomatoes drop them in boiling water for about 10 seconds and use a sharp paring knife to help slip off the peel.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced eggplant and cook, turning occasionally for five minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove the eggplant from the skillet.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the zucchini slices. Cook for about five minutes, turning occasionally, then season with salt and pepper and remove from the skillet.
4. Repeat the procedure for the bell peppers.
5. Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and the pre-cooked vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers. Stir to combine and then add the bay leaf and thyme. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and salt and pepper if needed and cook covered for another 10 minutes.

4 to 6 servings

Almond Crisp Peaches

4 ripe peaches
1/3 cup (55 grams) whole almonds
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
3 tablespoons (45 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Optional extras: 1/4 cup (20 grams) rolled oats, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of sea salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Halve peaches and remove pits. Place fruit cut side up in baking dish. In a food processor, grind almonds and sugar together until coarsely ground (with a few pebbles left). Add oats and other flavorings, if using, then butter, pulsing the machine until the ingredients are just blended. Spoon the almond mixture into the center of each peach, then press it flat, as if icing the tops of the peaches with it. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (baking time varies with peach size), until the top is brown and crisp and you can easily slice through the fruit with a fork or spoon.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with creme fraiche, lightly sweetened whipped cream or even plain yogurt, cold, for breakfast.

Grilled Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

4 Servings

 

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for grill grates and drizzling
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 pounds chicken cutlets (8 thin cutlets)
1 lemon, sliced in half, optional

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-deen/grilled-lemon-and-rosemary-chicken-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Paleo Breakfast Cookies

1 cup raw almond butter or organic sunflower seed butter
1 egg
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup or a combo of the two (I use a tad less if I'm using choc. chips)
3 cups total add-ins of choice (I use lots of unsweetened shredded coconut,  chocolate chips-the darkest I can find or raw cacao nibs, sunflower seeds, raisins and some chopped nuts like almonds or macadamia nuts. Chopped dates are good, too)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer until thoroughly blended. You may have to manually push the chocolate chips into the dough. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased, Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Press down lightly with fingers

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, be careful not to overbake. Allow to cool on wire rack. These freeze beautifully! Yum!

Raisin & Rosemary Crackers

1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp raw sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, rosemary and sea salt until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Drain the raisins, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the soaking liquid. Add the raisins and sesame seeds to the food processor. Pulse until the raisins are reduced to small flecks and are incorporated into the seed mixture.

Add 1 Tbsp of the reserved water and process until a rough dough forms. The dough should hold together when pinched between your fingers, if it does not, add a little bit of the remaining reserved water at a time, to achieve the right texture (it is just barely not crumbly.

Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a thick rectangular mass. Place another piece of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about 1/8" thickness. I use 2-1/8" thick sticks to run the rolling pin along an the sides of the dough but you can eyeball it.

Remove the top sheet of paper and transfer the dough, paper and all to a baking sheet. Using a pizza cutter cut dough into desired shapes, maybe 1x1 1/2" squares. You can square off the edges a bit, they'll look a little "rustic," which I think is fine.

Bake for 12 minutes, watching carefully. Remove from oven and separate the little crackers with a spatula, spreading them out a bit to crisp the edges. Return to the oven for about 4-5 more minutes, until golden brown. Store in airtight container. Recipe is easily doubled.