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.

Chili without Beans

Looking for a good chili recipe without beans so it would qualify as Paleo I ended up taking ideas from several places and adding a few of my own ideas. I was really happy with the results... rich, filling, satisfying, without being heavy. Even Andee asked for the recipe! This would serve 4 so next time I would double it, at least. I used my crockpot but this could be done in a soup pot on the stove, over a low flame.

• 1 lbs grass-fed, grass-finished organic ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 yellow or red bell peppers, deseeded and diced
• 1 poblano peppers, deseeded and diced
• 3/4 tbsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tbsp oregano leaves
• 3/4 tbsp ground coriander seed
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp ground ancho chile powder or chipotle powder
• 14 oz drained fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 3/4 tbsp arrowroot powder made up in 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp pure organic cacao powder OR 1 square 100% dark chocolate

Optional garnish: chopped cilantro,  cubed cooked yamsServe on top of Cauliflower "Rice" (below)

Instructions

1. Brown your beef in frying pan, draining any excess fat before putting it into the bottom of the crock pot. While you are doing this, chop all veggies and set aside.
2. Once all the beef is browned, drained and in the crock pot, heat a little coconut oil in a large pan and add the vegetables.
3. Saute the vegetables until the volume in the pan starts to reduce and the onions become translucent.
4. Add seasonings and chile powder to the pan; cook until fragrant. There should be little to no moisture in the base of the pan.
5. Add diced tomatoes to the pan, stirring the mixture through before adding to the crock pot. No need to stir in the crock pot, just layer the vegetable mixture on top and pat down.
6. Add the beef stock before putting on the lid and turning on the crock pot. Cook for approximately 3 hours on high, depending on your crock pot.
7. Add the arrowroot powder mixture and the 100% chocolate OR cacao powder. Stir through so that everything is combined, season to taste with salt, then cook for another hour on high. Add diced cooked yam at the very end to just warm.

Cauliflower Rice: During last hour of cooking break one full head of cauliflower into smallish flowerettes and place in food processor, being careful not to fill more than 1/2 full. Pulse each batch until cauliflower resembles kernels of rice. Dump onto parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet, spreading to 1/4" to 1/2" thickness and roast in a 375° oven for 15 minutes. This brings out a delicious nutty flavor in the cauliflower. To serve spread "rice" in bottom of each bowl, top with chili and garnish with cilantro. You can freeze the rice separately, after it's roasted. Thaw and warm in microwave.