ABC's of Paleo: B is for Bison (Bacon-Bison Chili)

This is week two of the series ABC's of Paleo. Here's a recap of what I've already made. 

Week 1 - A is for Artichokes - Roasted Artichokes with Creamy Lemon-Garlic-Dijon Dip

With week two comes a new ingredient, bison! Bison are naturally grass-fed, lean animals. Bison meat has high amounts of iron, making it a great option for those of us who need an extra boost in that area. Per 3.5 oz. serving, bison has the more iron than ground beef, chicken, pork or salmon. It's by far the leanest with only 2.54 grams of fat and only 143 calories. Not only is it packed with nutrition, but it tastes great too!

We've had a number of cloudy and rainy evenings here in Colorado, so I decided to go with chili. How does bacon fit in? Well, I think bacon makes just about anything taste better. So the question is... why not add bacon?

Bacon-Bison Chili

8 servings

Rating: 10 clubs

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 green bell pepper, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños, finely diced
• 2 lb. grass-fed ground bison
• 4 T. chili powder
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. paprika
• 2 t. oregano
• 2 t. dried parsley
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 15-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 cup homemade chicken or beef broth

Instructions:

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and reserve in a paper-towel lined bowl.
3. Add chopped onion, carrots, bell pepper and jalapeños to the bacon fat. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-7 minutes or until veggies begin to soften.
4. Add the ground bison to the veggies, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the spices and minced garlic. Mix well to combine.
6. Lastly, add the broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir everything together.
7. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Ladle chili into bowls and sprinkle with the reserved crumbled bacon.

You may have noticed some wilted green leaves in my bowl. I had some leftover spinach that needed to be used, so I tossed it into the chili at the end. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand to bulk up the nutritional content. I served our chili with leftover Paleo “Cornbread”. The next day, I ate leftover chili with crushed plantain chips. Either option is delicious. If you are Primal and eat raw dairy, a sprinkle of raw cheddar would taste amazing. 

What did you make with bison? 

Next week in the series: C is for Cherries! Let me know what you'll be making. Keep in mind that I will link up your recipe in my post. 

Paleo Lasagna Soup

A while back, I ran across a recipe for lasagna soup over on Epicurean Vegan. Vegan does not always make for the best Paleo dishes, but it can be a great starting point. Her recipe used fake sausage, a bouillon cube and glutenous lasagna noodles. I wasn't about to ingest that combination of ingredients. Some of the swaps were easy. Italian sausage and ground turkey as the meat, homemade chicken broth instead of water and bouillon to make a richer soup and Cappello's grain-free lasagna instead of the glutenous pasta. I also found myself improvising as I was actually making the soup. I was completely out of oregano! What does a girl do when she runs out of oregano without having to drive two miles to the nearest grocery store since the onions were already sauteing on the stove? Yes, I could have asked one of my neighbors. They did come to the rescue when I ran out of chili powder the last time I made my chili recipe. Instead, it dawned on me that I had plenty of Italian seasoning in the cupboard. I Googled the main ingredients in Italian seasoning and it sounded like a perfect flavor for the soup. 

Paleo Lasagna Soup

Adapted from Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 8

Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 T. coconut oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 oz. bulk Italian Sausage (I used Mulay’s Sweet Italian Sausage by removing the casings)
• ½ pound ground turkey
• 1 T. Italian seasoning
• 1/8 – ¼ t. Red Pepper Flakes (depending on how much heat you prefer)
• 2 – 14 oz. cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 6 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 package of Cappello’s lasagna noodles, torn into bite-sized pieces
• Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add Italian sausage and ground turkey and break up with a wooden spoon, stirring to incorporate with the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink.
4. Season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper.
5. Add diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, chicken broth and bay leaves. Stir until combined.
6. Bring soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes so the flavors can meld.
7. Add the lasagna noodles right at the end, stirring so they don't clump together. Cook for only 30-45 seconds. Remove from heat immediately.
8. Serve alongside Paleo garlic knots and a side salad or sauteed vegetables for a delicious meal. 

Note: Cappello's Pasta can be purchased at many Colorado stores (check out their website for a complete listing). Unfortunately, if you live outside of Colorado, it's only available through their website. I would highly recommend asking your local health food store or market to carry their pastas. 

Hope you enjoy! Now that I've tested out the lasagna noodles, I will definitely be trying them in a true lasagna dish. I'm not sure which type of lasagna yet. I also may try making cashew ricotta cheese, or maybe even Vegan cheddar cheese for crumbling on top or in between layers. 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Broccoli, Bacon & Chives

Recipe ideas hit me at random times. I thought up this soup on a random afternoon at the office. It just popped into my head. Typically when this happens, I will write out the initial ingredients that I think would mesh well together. When I first thought of this recipe, I thought I would use mushrooms, potentially nutritional yeast and not use a rutabaga. The rutabaga came up when I thought of the hash brown alternatives. I'm going to jump in head first tonight with the recipe, because it's getting late and my 5:30am spin class will be here before I know it. 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Broccoli, Bacon & Chives

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 T. fat of choice (I used coconut oil)

1 onion, diced

1 rutabaga, diced

4 stalks celery, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets

6 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)

2 cups water

4 cups broccoli florets

12 slices of bacon (to garnish)

6 T. chives, green onions or scallions, chopped (to garnish)

1 t. dried rosemary

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook your bacon. I typically bake mine in the oven on a baking rack (over a pan, of course) for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. If you prefer to fry bacon, you can do that. The point is to get the bacon cooking while tending to the soup. 
2. Melt your fat of choice in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. 
3. Add onion, rutabaga, celery and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Season with sea salt, pepper and rosemary. 
4. Add the chicken broth, water and cauliflower to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is soft. 
5. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender or in batches in your food processor or stand blender. Add back to the soup pot (still on medium heat). 
6. Add broccoli florets to the soup. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until broccoli is tender to your liking. You can cover the pot with a lid to steam the broccoli. 
7. Taste test the soup for seasonings. Make adjustments as needed. 
8. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with two strips of crumbled bacon and a tablespoon of chives, green onions or scallions (I used chives). 
9. Enjoy! 

This soup would be delicious with a slice of Paleo bread or Paleo biscuit. I have a few biscuit and bread recipes that I love. This one (without the honey for a more savory taste), this one or maybe this one. 

My bed is calling my name. Must get a good night's rest tonight. Have a good week! 

Creamy Tomato Soup with Spinach and Grass-fed Ground Beef

It's winter. The temperatures are chilly. Soup warms the soul. I've become quite fond of soups. I used to think soups weren't very filling. This one hit the spot. In my Pre-Paleo days, I used to make a creamy tomato pasta soup using heavy cream (or half and half), mini pasta and lots of parmesan cheese. I had to make some adjustments to the soup. I wanted to make a heartier soup, but still have tons of veggies. I threw together the below recipe and loved it. My husband commented how it was much better than the Mexican food (cheat meal) we ate the night before.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Spinach and Grass-fed Ground Beef

Serves: 5-6
Paleo Rating: 9 Clubs

Ingredients:

• 2 T. olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 T. fresh basil, torn into small pieces
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups cashew cream (instructions below)
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 1/4 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute veggies until tender and onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
2. While the veggies are cooking, brown the ground beef in a separate pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. 
3. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and basil to the veggie mixture. Bring to a boil. 
4. Puree the soup with an immersion (hand) blender or blend in batches in your food processor or regular blender. 
5. Add the spinach and ground beef to the soup. Allow the spinach to wilt. 
6. Add the cashew cream and stir. 
7. Ladle into bowls and enjoy! 

To make the cashew cream:

You'll need 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 6 hours (you could do this the night before or the morning of and leave it all day). Drain and rinse them. Put them in your high-speed blender (I have a Vitamix) and cover with cold water. Blend until smooth. That's all there is to it. You may have a little extra, but it can be used in your morning omelettes. Just mix it with some nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor. 

This soup would be delicious with some Paleo Herb Crackers or Paleo bread. My personal favorites are Against All Grain's Grain-Free Sandwich Bread or Real Sustenance's Flaky Biscuits (I used coconut oil instead of butter).