Halloween Excitement! Oct 23rd-27th
The kids had off of school on Monday and none of the pumpkin patch places were open on Sauvie Island so we made a trip to Fred Meyer to grab some carving pumpkins. Rowan's comments always make me laugh. The Halloween candy is in the seasonal section which is near the garden section. As we made our way over for our Halloween candy shopping, Rowan observed, “Oh, the Halloween candy is right next to the fertilizer section…what could go wrong with that?” I made Andrew come to the farmers market with me. Lucky for me, he carried the basket overflowing with autumn produce. Besides the yummy recipes below, I will make my baba Ganoush again for lunch. Also, the wedge salad with farmers’ marker iceberg lettuce was a big hit last week so it is necessary to repeat this yummy treat. Lastly, purple potatoes were looking too good this week to pass up from the farmstand so we will have twice-baked potato skins with the steak bites. Linnea also plans to make pumpkin pie. Not from scratch this time….just good old-fashioned organic canned pumpkin and organic canned sweetened condensed milk for us. Gotta keep it real…….
Images Inspired by Linnea’s dog walk with Perry. Drawn by Sophia Stecker.
Ingredients:
Potato Skins with Bacon and Smoked Cheddar
Serves 2
5 yukon gold potatoes (1 pound, 11 ounces)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt + to taste
freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces bacon ends (or thick-cut bacon), cut crosswise into thin sticks
3 green onions, cut thinly on the bias
2 ounces smoked cheddar, sliced and crumbled
sour cream, for garnishing
aluminum foil, for roasting
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes and roll each one in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake until very tender when prodded, about 1 hour.
Let cool slightly, then split the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides, leaving about ¼-inch of potato flesh clinging to the skin. Rub the potato skins inside and out with the canola oil and season the insides with salt and pepper.
Turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Bake the potatoes on a baking sheet until crispy-edged and golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the oven up to broil.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a sauté pan until nearly crisp around the edges.
Pull out the potatoes and divide the bacon and cheese among the potato skins. Broil until the cheese melts and remove. Garnish with the green onion and a dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately.
Thai Basil Chicken from Michelle Tam-Nom Nom Paleo
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
1½ tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
2 tablespoons Avocado oil and more for frying the eggs
2 large shallots thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
3 Thai chili peppers finely chopped
1½ pounds ground chicken thighs
½ pound green beans cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ cups holy, Thai, or Italian basil leaves loosely packed
4 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, mix together coconut aminos and fish sauce. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots soften, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and chili peppers and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Don’t burn the garlic!
Time to add the ground chicken! Cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink—about 3 minutes.
Toss in the green beans and the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until the beans are tender-crisp and the chicken is fully cooked, about 2 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the basil leaves until wilted. Set aside.
Heat a small cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough avocado oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides.
Crack an egg in the pan and baste the whites and yolk with some hot oil. When the whites are golden brown on the edges and the yolks are done to your desired consistency, transfer the fried egg to a plate with a slotted fish spatula. Season the eggs with some salt. Fry the rest of the eggs the same way.
Serve the Thai Basil Chicken stir-fry over cauliflower rice and top each bowl with a crispy fried egg. When you eat it, break the yolk and let it ooze over the spicy stir-fry. It’s the perfect combination!
Korean Steak Bites-from JEAN CHOI, Author of Korean Paleo
Ingredients
1½ lb sirloin steak or ribeye, strip steak, or tenderloin
1 tbsp or your favorite cooking oil, for stovetop method
For garnish: Sesame seeds and chopped green onions
Marinade
1/2 cup coconut aminos
2 tbsp or olive oil for AIP
4 garlic cloves peeled
1 pitted medjool date OR 2 tsp maple syrup for non-Whole30
1 inch fresh ginger
Optional: 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes) – omit for AIP
Instructions
Cut the steak into 1 inch cubes or bite-sized pieces and place in a resealable bag.
Place all ingredients for the marinade in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour over the steak, seal the bag, and massage the steak to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
Remove from fridge and drain the steak. Discard the marinade.
Heat avocado oil on a large skillet over medium high heat.
Once the pan is sizzling hot, add the steak pieces in a single layer and sear for 2 minutes.
Flip the steak pieces and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
Remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions before serving.
Dad’s Vegetarian Chili without tomatos-Andrew Paul
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked kidney beans (3 cans)
1 cup raw bulgar wheat
4-5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup each chopped celery, carrots and peppers
1/2 cup rasins
3/4 cup cashews
cumin 1 1/2 teasp
chili powder 1 1/2 teasp
basil 1 1/2 teasp (fresh or dried)
oregano 1 1/2 teasp (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper 1 1/2 teasp each
bay leaf 1 or 2
umeboshi paste 2 Tablespoons
aged balsamic vinegar 2 Tablespoons
youthful balsamic vinegar 2 Tablespoons
12 ounces cheap lager
olive oil for frying
vegetable stock 6-8 cups
Directions:
1 cup water, umeboshi, and vinegar-bring to a boil, put in bulgar wheat, stir, and turn off the heat. Let stand covered for 15 min
fry the onion, garlic, and all vegetables with powdered spices
In a large pot put the beans, cover with vegetable stock and the beer. Add all fresh spices to the beans
Add cooked vegetables to the beans, and simmer lightly for 10 minutes
Towards the end add the bulgar mixture to the pot
You can add more vinegar at this point to give more acidity to the chili
top with cheese and scallions