Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Tacos

The sweet potatoes, carrots, and cherry/grape tomatoes adds some sweetness to the heat from the ground beef seasoning. If you like dishes that give you a little kick while also providing you with soothing sweetness (thanks to the sweet potatoes in particular), give this a try.

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Tacos

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

6 leaves of green cabbage, carefully removed from the head of cabbage (you don't want any tears in your taco "shell")

1/2 sweet potato, diced

1/4 onion, chopped (I'm not a huge fan of onion, so feel free to add more if you like it)

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup broccoli florets,

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

Taco Seasoning (http://adventurepaleo.blogspot.com/2012/05/guacamole.html)

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add another 1-1 1/2 tsp if you really like spice)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp pepper, freshly ground - See more at: http://adventurepaleo.blogspot.com/2012/05/guacamole.html#sthash.Nekjm48U.dpuf

1. Mix the taco seasoning and raw beef together in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

2. Remove the seasoned beef from the fridge, and toss into a pan on medium heat. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked, drain the fat and transfer the beef to a paper towel-lined plate.

3. With what fat remains in the pan, throw in the sweet potato, onions, carrots, and broccoli, but don't add the mushrooms, red bell pepper, or tomatoes yet. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper for a bit more flavor. Cook for 5 minutes. (I know that I'd usually cook the onions until they turn translucent before adding other veggies, but I figured that that these veggies all could do with roughly the same amount of cooking time and I didn't feel like doing this is too many stages).

4. Add in the mushrooms and tomatoes, cooking for a couple minutes.

5. Then return the ground beef to the pan. Heat for a couple more minutes or until the beef is thoroughly warmed.

6. Add a couple spoonfuls of the ground beef mixture to one of the cabbage leaves, curl up the edges, and dig in.

Backup Protein

The one thing that I feel is the most important thing to have in the fridge, especially when you're feeling lazy, is a carton of eggs. Often when I'm not in the mood to cook, I'll just toss some veggies and eggs in the frying pan and call it dinner. Yeah, eggs are typically considered a breakfast food, but you learn to move past that with Paleo/Primal/healthy eating. When you start eating steak or meatloaf for breakfast, then "breakfast" kind of becomes unimportant. Tonight's meal (since it's not a typical "dinner") consisted of smoked salmon with spinach, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and eggs.

Vegetable Scrambled Eggs
1 cup spinach, packed
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 shake of crushed red pepper

1. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add the veggies. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until desired softness.
2. Add the eggs and stir. Cook for a few minutes until eggs are fully cooked, then serve.

Meatloaf Muffins

I have no recollection of ever eating meatloaf growing up. I asked my mom and she insists that we she did make it a few times, and I guess I can't remember every meal my family ever ate, so if I forgot a a few servings of meatloaf... oh well. If I go with my memory though, these "muffins" are the first meatloaf I've ever had. For some reason I had this preconceived notion that I didn't like meatloaf... that it was gross. It appears that I was wrong, because I thoroughly enjoyed these.

Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

2 Tbls tomato paste

3 Tbls almond flour

1 egg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Mix all ingredients together and distribute into muffin tin, filling to the brim. (The mix makes roughly 8 muffins)

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Then transfer to paper-towel lined plate.

Whole 30 - Day 26

Check that out, y'all. I'm almost done with a Whole 30. I admit to having my first cheat today. I had a soda... I know! It's terrible, but I needed it. I have an out-of-town regatta tomorrow and had to drive this afternoon, because I had no desire to make a 2:30 a.m. drive before a day of races. As I was driving, I was having a lot of trouble staying focused and kept wanting to close my eyes, just for a little bit. Sleeping while driving is really not acceptable, so I pulled off at a Bucee's gas station to buy myself some caffeine. Try not to judge so much. I at least made it to my destination in one piece.

Want to know what I ate for a pre-drive breakfast? Of course you do...

Asparagus and Pepper Scramble

3 eggs

1/2 red pepper, cut into large chunks

1/3 bunch of asparagus

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup baby kale/spinach/arugula

1 tsp garlic salt

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 pinch cayenne

1 Tbls olive oil

1. Rinse your asparagus and cut the bottom 1-2 inches off the stalk.

2. Wrap the asparagus in paper towels, and briefly run the wrapped bunch under the faucet so it's a bit damp.

3. Microwave for 3.5 minutes.

4. While the asparagus is being microwaved, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.

5. Toss in the peppers once the asparagus is hot. Cook for a couple minutes, until starting to soften.

6. Chop the asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and add to the pan with the peppers.

7. Add in the tomatoes, cabbage, and mixed greens. Cook for about a minute, then add the whisked eggs.

8. Stir often until the eggs are cooked, then eat.

After checking into the hotel, I immediately drove over to the boathouse to help unload boats from our trailer and then rig them. After dinner, we went to Rodeo Goat (http://www.rodeogoat.com/) for dinner, where I had the Caca Oaxaca, minus the cheese and the bun. It was good, but not mind-blowingly good for a burger joint which was rated the best burger in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Here's my burger below...

Whole 30 - Day 24

Taco Salad

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped

1/4 onion, roughly chopped

1. Heat 1 Tbls oil oil in pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes.

2. Once the onions are just starting to get soft, crumble the meat into pan. Sprinkle the seasonings on top, and stir to combine.

3. When roughly half-way cooked, add the peppers.

4. Once the meat is completely cooked, throw some together with shredded green cabbage and baby kale and spinach (or use whatever leafy greens you have on hand. Add a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, and 1 avocado (or half of one if you feel like sharing the other half with a friend).

Whole 30 - Day 10

Yeah, this may not look like the most appetizing meal, but get past the appearance, and give it a try anyways. It's a yummy way to incorporate cabbage into your meal, and it comes wrapped up in a package. Awesome.

Pork Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffing

1 head cabbage

2 lb pulled pork

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

Cooking Liquid

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

2 tsp white vinegar

1. Rinse the cabbage and remove the leaves individually. You'll need at least 8 leaves depending on how much meat you actually use, but I used around 12 leaves. And keep in mind that the leaves get progressively smaller...

2. Place the 3-4 cabbage leaves in a microwave-safe bowl (depends on the size of bowl that you have available). Pour ~1/4 cup water into the bowl, and cover with saran wrap. Microwave for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage leaves are soft. Repeat as necessary.

3. Mix the stuffing ingredients together in one bowl, and the cooking liquid ingredients in another.

4. Put ~1/4 cup of the stuffing into a leaf...

...and wrap the sides of the cabbage leaves over the stuffing.

5. Place the cabbage roll face down into your slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and stuffing. It's okay to stack the rolls.

6. Pour the cooking liquid over the rolls, and set the slow cooker on low for 6 hours. My programmable slow cooker can only be set on low for 8 or 10 hours, so you may need to set a timer.

Before:

After:

7. Carefully remove the cabbage rolls using a large spoon. The cabbage is very soft and can easily tear.

8. Eat.

Baked Cabbage

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try because it seemed easy. It is easy, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. The bacon makes it tasty, but if you're not a huge fan of cabbage, it might not be too awesome. I didn't use Worcestershire sauce, so maybe that was my problem... 

1 green cabbage, quartered

per quarter:

1 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls bacon bits

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

After pouring/rubbing in the ingredients over each quarter, wrap each quarter individually in tin foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Oktoberfest Spirit

Happy October everyone! I'm happy to report that we had fall-like weather over the weekend, which made me exceptionally happy.

Because it's October and that always makes me think of Oktoberfest, bratwurst, and Halloween, I decided to indulge and make some bratwurst with cabbage. Here's how it goes...

Slow-Cooker German Bratwurst

3 cloves garlic

1 onion, sliced

2 Gala apples, peeled and sliced

1 Tbls lemon juice

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp black ground pepper

3 Tbls apple cider vinegar

1 tsp parsley

1/2 Tbls Dijon mustard

1 head red cabbage, shredded

1 package bratwurst, sliced

Start by slicing your onions. Layer the bottom of your slow-cooker with the onions. Next, slice your apples and layer the slices over the onions. Sprinkle the cloves, and 1/2 tsp parsley over the apples. Pour 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar and 3 Tbls beef broth over the apples and onions. Spread the shredded cabbage over the apples and onions, followed by the bratwurst slices. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp parsley. Pour the remaining broth and and apple cider vinegar over the top. Put the cover on the slow-cooker and set for 8 hours on low. (Set for 8 hours, but you're only going to cook it for 6 hours.) After two hours, stir the ingredients. Continue cooking for another 4 hours and turn off the slow-cooker. Done. Happy Oktoberfest!

Note: My slow-cooker can only be set on low when I set the time for 8 or 10 hours. You want it set on low, but you don't want to cook it for too long because it'll end up looking like mine did... brown. I went to a concert while this was cooking and it sat on "Warm" for a while. The purple color of the red cabbage permeated everything and it turned brownish. It may not look appealing, but it tastes good. And it's perfect if you're in the mood for Oktoberfest.

Coleslaw

Basic Coleslaw
1/4 cup EVOO
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 carrots, julienne
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 head of green cabbage, chopped

Mix the ingredients together. Voilà! Your side dish is complete!

Swedish Meatball Turkey Burgers

I come from a family of proud Scandinavians and I identify strongly with my Swedish roots. One of the traditional dishes that my family would always have for holidays was Swedish meatballs. I'm guessing that most of you will probably think of Ikea when I mention Sweden and Swedish meatballs; I love walking through the grocery section of Ikea to get some of the candies (back when I ate candy), flatbreads (back when I ate grains), and sparkling pear juice (back when I had carbonated beverages). Huh. Apparently I shouldn't eat anything at Ikea. Swedish meatballs are usually made with ground beef and ground pork, but I only had ground turkey at home right now. So I ended up making...

Swedish Meatball Turkey Burgers
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Allspice
1 Tbsp. parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Use your hands to mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Form into patties and broil in the oven. I did 8 minutes on each side. Serve wrapped in lettuce. I topped mine with bacon, red cabbage, and baby spinach.

Moving makes me disappear

You may be wondering what happened to me that kept me from posting for the last few days. Last Friday I moved into my new apartment and I cleaned everything before I moved in, including the tops of the kitchen shelves (I didn't originally intend to, but I saw just how dusty it was up there so I HAD to clean it). I hired movers for Friday evening to get all of the big stuff like my couches, table, and bed. I helped move some of the boxes and I have massive bruises to prove it.

On Saturday, some of my amazing friends helped me. The friends that show up on moving day are true friends! I have a few things left at my old place, like clothes and shoes to bring to Goodwill. LR and I still need to clean up our old place.

My new place is currently in an annoying state of unrest and messiness. I'm roughly half unpacked. I've almost finished putting all of my kitchen stuff away, but I have some work to do on my bedroom and bathroom. I realized just how much I need to finish unpacking this morning as I was getting ready and had to paw through a box labeled "Bathroom" to find my makeup and bobby pins.

I finally went to the grocery store today. I've been putting it off until after I settled in. This meant that for the past few days, I've been living off of Lärabars and nuts. I've had one bar for each meal since Friday. My stomach has not been happy with me. So today I finally cooked something. I made a taco salad for dinner: ground turkey, iceberg lettuce, green cabbage, grape tomatoes, and red bell pepper. My giant bowlful has made me very satisfied. Here's what it looked like:

Chicken, Cabbage, and Apple Salad

This recipe is based on one that I found in The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf (I varied the quantities a bit). I'm not usually a fan of cabbage, but boy does this taste good.

Chicken, Cabbage, and Apple Salad

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/3 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken, allspice, and cloves; sauté until chicken is cooked. Once the chicken is done, mix it with the shredded cabbage and apple. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil (I used about a teaspoon). Eat and enjoy.

You know how I hate touching raw chicken... Well I managed to dice the chicken for this recipe without any issues. I didn't even think about the fact that it was raw chicken until I had this nice pile of diced meat. Oh yeah! I'm improving!