Snow also instills the desire to eat "comfort foods" and whatever that means for you, it is likely not your healthiest meal. Just to note, Sundays also create this desire in me. I am not sure why exactly, likely the pleasant memory of Sunday family dinners...
Returning to my original point....on this cold and snowy weekend, I am working to find ways to keep my eating healthy. We went out to an Irish pub last night, to celebrate a birthday (Grandma was kind enough to keep Pixie for a sleep over); it's hard to be Paleo when you're surrounded by Fish and Chips, and Bangers and Mash. Since they didn't offer "mash" substitutes, I chose to go with a prime rib, and green beans. I also specifically requested fresh, raw horseradish. If you want to know what paradise tastes like, get some prime rib with raw horseradish. Hubby had the biggest burger I've ever seen in my life. It was starting to snow as we left.
So this (Sunday) morning, when we woke up at the ripe old hour of 9am (if you're a parent you know how late that actually is)...the world had that soft quiet to it that only substantial snow can bring. And sure enough there was about 10 inches on the back porch. Knowing that I needed to get Pixie before Hubby's soccer game at 1, I realized I only had a very short time to prepare some of the foods I like to make in advance and have on hand. Therefore I dug in to making taco seasoning, sausage seasoning, and rash el hanout (a middle eastern spice that I use to flavor many dishes). These went into small containers in the freezer. Then I brought out the big guns...2 blenders and my food processor; and proceeded to blend up my Paleo mayo, Sunshine Sauce, and Paleo tortilla mixture. As my tortillas were browning in the pan, I used the food processor to "rice" a couple heads of cauliflower. Why do all of this at once? Because I blow through seasonings like nobody's business, and it is cheaper to make my own in bulk, than to buy all the time. Also....the mayo can be turned into many dressings and dips; the sunshine sauce is a great veggie dip, and used on meat in place of an oriental peanut sauce. And, in my home, tortillas and rice are always something to have handy!
So, having done all of that and picked up the baby from a worn out Grandma....I had to think of something for dinner that was cold weather appropriate, very tasty, and not too complicated. I decided on a skillet, or hot pot. What that means is that everything gets tossed into one large pan and cooked. Then served with whatever toppings I feel sound good.
Tonight I decided on an Italian skillet. This involves ground pork, ground Italian sausage (the hotter the better for me), lots of fresh veggies, and a smidge of cheese! I used extra lean, grass fed pork, as I prefer to reduce the fat as much as possible when using sausage. You can really use whatever vegetables you'd like; tonight I used broccoli, carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and asparagus (my little Pixie loved her antipasto plate of fresh veggie spears). I have most of those items on hand all the time. You can use frozen veggies, if it's easier or you prefer it, but in my book, fresh is always best! I topped it with some scallions (aka green onions) and shredded co jack cheese (mozzarella would be very nice, but I didn't have any available).
Voila! A tasty, warm, heartening cold weather dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 lb sausage meat
2 tsp fennel seeds
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I like it spicy so I use 2-3 tsp)
1 tsp oregano
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cups veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini, celery, spinach, if you like it, toss it in!)
1 c diced tomatoes or 1 c cherry tomatoes (you can use canned diced tomatoes, but again, I prefer fresh)
Pepper to taste (salt not needed because the sausage is salty enough)
Directions:
In a heavy skillet, combine the meat, garlic, onion and spices and cook until well browned. Add the veggies and reduce heat to simmer and cover. If you used cherry tomatoes you may need to add 1/2 cup liquid to get the stewing process going. Cook 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender and flavors well combined.
Top with some chopped scallions and a little bit of your desired cheese!
Before you serve it up and enjoy, take just a moment to admire what a pretty dish this really is!
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