Tacoless Taco Salad

It seems that the weekend comes and then right as I am getting settled into it, it goes. I can remember when I was younger there seemed to be so much time between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. What happened?  Is it just getting old or is it because now the weekend means additional work we don't get done during the week.  I vote for a Friday-Sunday moratorium on anything but fun.  Who's in?

We had to run down to the lake today to check on a few things. We came back home to do a few pesky chores and suddenly it was time to cook__again. I was in the mood for some intense flavors and a little heat, and the others were hungry for something quick and easy to eat, so they could get back to the TV and basketball playoffs.  When I looked at my menu, I saw I had planned a taco meal, I had everything I needed, (I thought) and could easily make mine paleo.

I found this at a place called Paleo Leap, read it and took what worked for me and kind of ignored the rest. So this uses the bones of the recipe, but, at the same time, it is different.

1 1/2 pound very lean ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 small can diced chili peppers, drained
2 medium zucchini, peeled and grated (for additional vegetables, but optional)*
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder ( I like food hot so consider this optional)
1/2 teaspoon powdered coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan begin to brown the ground beef until it loses its color, add the onions and zucchini and cook until they are both wilted.  Add the chili peppers and stir to mix well.  Stir in all the spices and blend well.  Cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Toppings:  Use as desired
chopped tomatoes
chopped onions
chopped green onions*
shredded lettuce
chopped green peppers
chopped jalapeno peppers
shredded cheese (non-paleo)
chopped avocado
black beans (non-paleo)
refried beans (non-paleo)
sour cream (non-paleo)
salsa
pico de gallo
salsa verde

I am not going to insult you by telling you to crisp your taco shells (non-paleo) in the oven, or to warm your tortillas (non-paleo) before serving.  If you are paleo and want an almost taco shell  check out this cauliflower based option.  I intended to make this for me, but the head of cauliflower I thought was in the crisper turned out to be a head of cabbage, so I had to punt (yes, punting again!) and have mine over leftover tossed salad.  And you know what?  It was fantastic!  This is one of the tastiest meals I have had since beginning the paleo plan.  It had nice spice, decent heat, crunch, coolness and creaminess (thanks to the avocados). Additionally it had a fabulous taste!

I added the zucchini and chili peppers just to add more vegetables to the dish.  I wish I had tried this using the chopping blade of the food processor when my sons were small.  They would have never known vegetables were in it and would have thought I was great for serving tacos more often.  The next time I make them whether I am still eating paleo foods or not, I am going to chop the zucchini very fine and also add grated carrots.  I might as well sneak in as many vegetables as possible, right?

This is something everyone could enjoy, and I recommend it highly.  It was chowing down on good for you not so junky food, and I am not sure it gets any better than that!  Go try it, you might love it too!


Does anyone but me immediately think "Booker T & The MG's when they see the words green onions? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bpS-cOBK6Q

What Should Have Happened vs. What Did

Last week's possibilities that mostly didn't happen:

1.Buffalo chicken breasts, coleslaw, "cauliflotato" salad
2.Some TexMex Paleo casserole, salad, green beans
3.Turkey, cauliflower dressing, fakey gravy, asparagus, waldorf salad  bird still resides in the freezer
4.turkey leftovers, cranberry relish? sweet potatoes, green bean casserole?
5.steak, tossed salad, baked sweet potato
6.paleo tacos (regular tacos for others) taco fixings, chopped salad
7. stuffed peppers, coleslaw, cooked carrots, pineapple slices

What Really Did Happen

1. Buffalo Chicken Breasts, cauliflotato salad, green beans
2. Out to eat (Forgot book club__ dinner out)
3. *Chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy (takeout) (At the lake painting)
4. *WonTon soup with egg roll (takeout) (At the lake painting till the sun started down and the mosquitos came out)
5.  Grilled steak, tossed salad, baked sweet potato
6. Taco salad with tomato, green onions, avocado, and salsa verde
7. Gyro salad

I actually knocked all the big to do items off my list last week, with the exception of scrubbing the screened porch at the lake.  I got hung up on the other lake project and it took a little longer than I thought it should. I mentioned I was painting there and  wanted to share a peek at the finished project with some before and after photos.

Basement exterior wall before: Ugly yellow green painted cinder block

                                Same ugly cinder block wall painted to look like stone.  I like it much better!

                                                                   Same wall a few steps back


I painted the foundation at the back of the house in addition to a 10 foot retaining wall.  It looks so much better!  Now the rest of the exterior siding is begging me to paint it grayish brown or brownish gray.  It is so over being yellow-green!

Menu possibilities for the week:
1. Coq au vin, tossed salad, cauliflower "mashed potatoes"
2. Steak or pork chop, grilled, tossed salad, baked sweet potato
3. Chicken scampi, mashed sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, waldorf salad
4. Sloppy Joe's, cole slaw, green beans, carrot sticks
5. Hamburger's, cauliflotato salad, some other green veggie,
6. Grilled fish, grilled vegetables (zucchini, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes), tossed salad
7. Spaghetti sauce with zucchini noodles, huge salad

Big Ticket To-Do's:
Sand Grandmother's old porch rocker and re-paint
Repair the seat of the rocker
Cut shrubbery at the lake house
Trim shrubbery at house
plant raised bed garden
clean and re-paint all container pots
clean out guest room closet
touch up paint around house interior
touch up paint at lake place interior
Bake for I.P.
Volunteer at I.P.
Be kind
Take Dad shopping

*The lake place is 13 miles from the nearest food sources.  Since I was painting and Son2 was doing heavy yard work we decided we did not want to cook.  Take out is limited to 3 options, all of which are fast food.  The only paleo option was a green salad and I was much hungrier than just a salad. I got the second best option that was available. The next night we headed home at about dinner time.  All I wanted was a long hot shower and a bowl of soup, so once again I ate non paleo takeout.

Egg Cupcakes

I know when you hear the term cupcakes you most often think of something delicious with a mound of sugary icing (Yes, it's icing not frosting!  I am truly Southern.) and maybe even a few sprinkles. If that is what you think of then quit reading because these are breakfast cupcakes.  Nice savory egg cupcakes.

Once again rather than a recipe, I am just going to tell you the amounts.  Whatever you choose to put in them is totally up to you using whatever is available. 

                                                            Egg Cupcakes

These were made with green peppers, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms for the 3 cups of vegetables.

I had a little leftover smoked sausage (about 1/3 cup chopped) and used it for the meat

Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

8 large eggs

3 cups  diced vegetables (onions, mushrooms, broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes, spinach, kale, zucchini, asparagus__really whatever combination you like)

1/2 cup diced cooked meat (sausage, bacon, ham, beef, chicken, chorizo, pork, fish*__whatever you want)

salt and pepper to taste

whatever other spices or herbs you want to add (like red pepper flakes!)

In a large bowl beat the eggs with a fork until they are a little foamy. Add the diced vegetables and the meat. Stir to blend.  Stir in the seasonings.  Spray the top of a regular size muffin tin with non-stick spray. (Don't worry about spraying the wells.) Place cupcake liners in each well then spray them with a non-stick spray and fill to the top with the egg mixture.  It should be enough to fill all 12 completely full with none remaining.

Pop them into the oven and bake about 15 minutes.  Enjoy piping hot for breakfast.  This make enough for 4 servings.  Who hasn't wanted to eat 3 cupcakes at one sitting?  If you are not sharing them with friends and family simply place the cupcakes on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until they are nearly frozen.  Remove the cupcake liners and place in a ziploc freezer bag.  When you are ready to eat them remove and let them come to room temp before zapping them in the microwave to warm them. If I think about it far enough ahead of time I take them out the night before and put them (covered) in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Then I zap them the next morning.  I can't tell you how long they will keep in the freezer because mine have never lasted beyond a month.  It is a quick grab and go breakfast and has a really good taste and a great mouth feel. (Though I personally think some cheese would be a splendid addition in place of some of the vegetables. Blasted paleo and its no dairy stance!)

*Before you come chasing me with pitchforks for including fish as a possibility let me explain. When he was a young boy TheHubs family ate no meat on Fridays and would often eat tuna and eggs.  He swears it was delicious so I am including it for anyone brave enough to try it.

Cauliflotato Salad and Wingless Buffalo Chicken

I don't even know how to begin this post.  I have been feeling guilty because I am publicly creating a menu for the week and straying so far from it, that anyone who reads this can see that doing one is mostly pointless.  I truly do not understand how anyone knows what they want to eat tomorrow, much less for the entire week.  If I were smarter I would just have a rudimentary plan "2 beef meals, 1 pork meal, 3 chicken meals, 1 leftover meal, broccoli, asparagus, salad, green beans, coleslaw, sweet potatoes, yada, yada. yada.  That way I could just leave an idea of what I have available to work with and then I could enjoy the surprise of whatever crossed my mind as I started cooking.

As it is I really do try to look at the plan and I honestly intend to stick with it, but then prep time comes and whatever I had meant to make just doesn't sound appealing.  So I do what I do best and most often__punt. The other day, though, all the planets were in almost perfect alignment and I actually cooked a meal that was very close to what I had planned.  So far this week I am batting 1 for 5 in the "sticking with the menu" success category.  Bummer.

A gozillion years ago I was doing a now defunct diet that was very similar to Weight Watcher's, but they had zero added fats in the diet.  It was very hard to stay on it for many reasons, but one of the worst was this fake mayonnaise that was central to about half of their recipe ideas.  I really don't remember the recipe.  Gelatin and dry milk powder were 2 of its central ingredients and I remember keeping it on hand at all times.  I also remember it was horrid, but I used it when I made their various recipes (For the record, that particular diet did not last long with me or the rest of the country.)

One of the recipes I made regularly during that season of diet Hell was their version of potato salad that used cauliflower in place of the potato.  I remembered it being one of the more tolerable foods they had, and since I am doing paleo right now and make paleo acceptable mayo weekly, I thought why not try and recreate it. (Plus I had cauliflower and a lot of mayo to either use or toss.  This homemade stuff has a pretty short shelf life.)

My version of the forgotten diet's cauliflower potato salad which I renamed Cauliflotato Salad because I like the way it made it look like an official recipe. (It's not)

I small head cauliflower, steamed tender, drained, blotted and cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons  mayo (add more or less to your  taste)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons dill relish (use sweet relish or chopped pickles if you'd rather)
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 slices sweet onion, minced
1 boiled egg, chopped very fine
salt and pepper to taste

After steaming and draining the cauliflower blot it with a clean kitchen towel to get it as dry as possible. Cut it into small pieces and set aside.  In a small bowl mix the mayo, mustard and dill relish.  Set it aside.  Put the celery, onion, and egg in a large bowl and mix well.  Add the mayo mixture and stir well. Add the salt and pepper. (I tend to under salt because I do not like a lot of it, so I used maybe 1/8 teaspoon) After everything is well mixed add the cauliflower and toss just enough to coat the bits with the mayo mixture.  Cover and refrigerate until it is cold.  Serve chilled.

I served this to both paleo and non-paleo folks and believe it or not everyone really did like it.  I can't even tell you who liked it more.  This is going to be a mainstay this summer for meals at the lake.  It can be made ahead of time, and should transport easily.  If you like potato salad this is a delicious alternative.  I believe it would adapt to almost any favorite recipe for potato salad.  I may even try it with my old standby hot potato salad recipe just to see how it works for that.  I think this is an equal to recipe rather than an almost as good as recipe.  Win!

As an aside I am sharing the "How To" for the wingless Buffaloish chicken.  (I read this, clicked off of it and moved on. A couple of days later I decided to make it, but by then I had erased my browsing history.  Apologies to whomever it was, I would have liked to link this to you. Also I hope I remembered your seasonings correctly)

Grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Pour about 1/2 inch of olive oil in a small shallow bowl. Coat the chicken pieces completely with oil and place skin side down in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, thyme, onion powder and garlic powder.  If you are particularly daring sprinkle a little cinnamon on them also.  I did on half of ours and we were not fond of the chicken with the cinnamon.  Pop in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Turn over, sprinkle with the same ingredients. Cook until done (this will depend on the chicken pieces you use)  Spoon a little of the oil from the bottom of the pan over the top of the chicken and let it cook a couple of extra minutes to crisp the skin.

I am giving the chicken an A for ease of prep, and a solid B for taste, but I am giving it a D as a Buffalo substitute.  I will make it the same way next time (no cinnamon for us) but after it is completely done, I will melt some ghee and add a decent amount of Texas Pete's hot sauce to it, then toss the chicken pieces in it just before serving.  I believe that will make it taste/feel a little more like traditional Buffalo chicken.

Go crazy in the kitchen and use a non-traditional ingredient in place of something ordinary and let me know how it works.  I am all for playing with my food!

Paleo Chocolate Fix

When I began this paleo thing a while back, I decided I would make whatever was required to enjoy my food limitations a little better.  For instance, I was Hell bent on finding a decent substitute for traditional BBQ sauce.  I am from the South and BBQ is a fact of life here.  And I did find something that is acceptable.  It is not quite what I would prefer, but it is a decent alternative.  I have learned to eat  baked sweet potatoes and I am even learning that cucumber salted and sprinkled with red pepper flakes slices make a decent snack.  Even so there has been one item I love that I have not been able to replicate__Chocolate!

I found this all over the internet, in fact just about every  Paleo blog has some variation of this, so I am not linking to any of them. There are called everything from truffles to raw brownies, I just call it fake chocolate.  This is not so much a recipe as it is a how-to

1 1/2 cups walnuts

1 cup dried dates (pitted)

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

pinch salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

few drops of water, as needed

Turn a blender on low and slowly add the walnuts until they are ground. (You get to decide how fine you want them. I opted for some chunky pieces because I like texture. Remember there is a fine line between ground walnuts  and walnut butter, which is not good)  Add the dates and blend in pulses until they are all pretty finely ground.  Add the vanilla, salt and cocoa powder and whirl until everything is mixed well.  Roll into large marble sized balls, adding drops of water if the mixture feels too dry.  Cover and stick in the refrigerator until they are very cold.  Enjoy when you need a quick chocolate fix.

I think these are ok and the are close to a chocolate candy, not quite there, but close.  My beloved sister and I call this Paleo thing a diet of almosts.  Everything I make tastes and feels almost like the real thing.

Almost is the operative word.  So it continues with this.  It almost tastes like a truffle, but has a drastically different mouth feel.  There is something grainy about the texture of the dates that my tongue is not thrilled about, but this is an on diet way for me to have a little chocolate, so it works for me.  I have found I really do not want more than 1 a day (at most) so I am keeping them stored in the freezer.  If I want it that day, I just need to take it out for about 5 minutes prior to eating it.  I can see

keeping these on hand while I am doing Paleo.  They really do help with the chocolate cravings, but they are not so delicious you are tempted to over indulge.

Next time I make them I am going to roll the finished balls in some ground coconut.  I think that might be pretty tasty, as might rolling them in cocoa powder.

Give them a try, they might do the trick for you.

The Week's Possibilities

What I thought sounded good at the beginning of the week:

1.Something with leftover shredded chicken (no clue what but the chicken is thawed)
2.Pork tenderloin with coleslaw, tomatoes, and riced cauliflower
3.Weird paleo pizza stuffed bell peppers, tossed salad, carrots, and some other vegetable
4.Stir fry chicken with broccoli, carrots and mushrooms
5.Grilled chicken, cole slaw, green beans, grilled fruits
6.Grilled steak, baked sweet potato, sauteed brussels sprouts, tossed salad
7.Paleo Buffalo "wings" coleslaw, fakin potato salad made with cauliflower

And the reason I have no idea why I bother with a list:

1. shredded chicken became a veggie dense chicken salad with a side of broccoli
2. pork tenderloin and salad
3. paleo meatloaf baked potatoes (sweet potato for me) cole slaw, green beans
4 zucchinighetti with meat sauce, (shredded zucchini "noodles") tossed salad
5. steak, huge tossed salad
6 leftover pork tenderloin, sliced vegetables (everything cold straight from the fridge)
7. Something that I don't even remember eating so it must have been a bad and tasteless leftover meal

This week's possibilities that may or may not happen:

1.Buffalo chicken breasts, coleslaw, "cauliflotato" salad
2.Some TexMex Paleo casserole, salad, green beans
3.Turkey, cauliflower dressing, fakey gravy, asparagus, waldorf salad
4.turkey leftovers, cranberry relish? sweet potatoes, green bean casserole?
5.steak, tossed salad, baked sweet potato
6.paleo tacos (regular tacos for others) taco fixings, chopped salad
7. stuffed peppers, coleslaw, cooked carrots, pineapple slices

                                                  Major to-do's this week

                                                    

paint outside brick wall at lake
scrub deck and screened porch at lake (de pollen, should be the last time)
scrub deck and screened porch at home (ditto)
completely clean upstairs den
finish anything left over from this week

Adding yet another "F" this week.  Finish, Focus and Fine Tune.  It is now time for some of the finishing touches that have been neglected. Ugh, like silver polishing.

Meatloaf, Paleo Variety

The other day I was in the mood for some comfort food and thought how delicious a meatloaf would be.  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes with butter, green beans and apple pie a la mode, what a delicious dream that was.  Of course, it would be a paleo nightmare, since the only cave man approved item on the list would be green beans.  The mashed potatoes were totally out but I could substitute a baked sweet potato, and I could have apple pie a la mode as long as it was minus the crust, sugar, and everything dairy.  Green beans were perfectly acceptable as they were, which only left a major reworking of the traditional meat loaf recipe.  To be honest I had no idea if this would work or not, but figured the taste would be fine.  I am very happy I tried it because it turned out fairly well.

                                   Caveman Meatloaf



2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots minced
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1 zucchini, shredded
1/2 carton mushrooms chopped finely
2 eggs
1/3 cup ketchup ( I used paleo ketchup but any would do)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon dried parsley
dash red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees




In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together well.  Put the meat mixture in a mound in the bottom center of a 9x13 baking pan.  Form the mound into a loaf.  I will be a little under half the width of the pan and will be about 11 inches long.  You want/need a bit of airspace around it just so it will be a bit sturdier when the cooking is done.  Cook uncovered for about 35 minutes and check for doneness.  The top should feel uniformly solid and should not give much (if any) when touched. Remove from the oven and let it rest about 10 minutes before cutting.  Make sure to use a large metal spatula when serving the meatloaf.  Since this has no bread or oatmeal as a binder it is a little delicate and hard to remove. Of the 3 slices plated, I only managed to keep 2 of them intact.

The taste of this was spot on.  The non- paleo people here loved it and said they would like to have this again soon. I might add a tablespoon or so of coconut flour just to see if that helps hold it together a little better. Or maybe not!  Since I know it is fragile I can just take extreme care when plating it.

This was a veggie dense main dish, but I had been a vegetable slacker all day so I served it with cole slaw, green beans, and a white sweet potato.  If you have never had the white sweet potato before I strongly recommend it.  It is a little less sweet, but still has the same lower starch feel that a traditional one has.  It is also much more fibrous than a white potato.  Maybe it was all mental and just the absence of the orange flesh, but I enjoyed it much more than usual.

And what about that apple pie, well I am just going to save that for a non-paleo day and eat the real thing.  Some things ARE worth waiting for!