No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

Not my picture... I took it from the recipe on
allrecipes.com because I forgot to take one. 

This recipe was super delish but a little labor intensive.  Luckily it was Sunday when I was making it and my trusty yet elusive sous-chef Taylor was able to help out a lot so it went much faster then if I was making it alone.  Would be really good for a make ahead meal or a freezer meal. Originally from here.

2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato paste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 egg
1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta
cheese (I used cottage cheese)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Kale and White Bean Soup

I used to be afraid of kale.  After the kale chip incident last summer I have shied away from this super food.  I just didn't know how to hone its super power! Well now I know! Chop it up and throw it in a soup! This recipe originates from here. 

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 bunch kale, thick stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (8 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (I used a teaspoon of dried)

6-8 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (2 ounces), plus 1 piece rind (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

(I also diced up a couple red potatoes and threw them in to make the soup for further.  When I make this again, I will probably cook up some sweet italian sausage and throw that in.)


Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic, celery, onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the beans, kale, rosemary, chicken broth, and Parmesan rind (if using). Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the Parmesan rind. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan before serving.

Beef and Butternut Stew

It is soup season here on the blog!!  Here's one more since I know you're in the mood for more soup tonight.  This recipe came from from Mickey Trescott's Autoimmune Paleo cookbook (with minor adaptations).  I must say I LOVE everything out of her cookbook and would recommend it to anyone trying to eat a whole food diet!  This stew is so yummy I usually don't have as much left over as I think I should.  Something about the pear with the squash and cinnamon is just a really fun flavor combination.  This soup also freezes well if you like to make things ahead.  Enjoy!

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2-3 pounds cubed stew meat
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cups bone broth (you can use beef broth if you don't make your own bone broth)
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 pears, cubed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 pears, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium high heat and brown the meat on all sides.  Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.  Turn the heat down to medium.
Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.  Add the ginger and garlic and cook another couple of minutes, stirring to ensure they don't burn.  Add the bone broth or stock and the browned meat back to the pot, and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes, making sure the pot simmers gently.
Add the squash, cinnamon and sea salt, and simmer another 15 minutes.  Add the pears and simmer a few more minutes until the meat and squash are both tender (this depends on how big your squash chunks are.  Keep an eye on it so you don't over cook them and turn them to mush).
Serve garnished with the fresh thyme.

Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is such a wonderful time of year.  One thing I love about fall is anything made with pumpkin!  I took my favorite muffin recipe and switched out the bananas for pumpkin.  The result was delicious.


Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 to 3/4 can of pumpkin puree

 3 eggs
1/2 cup honey or agave
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla 

 

I added chopped pecans.  I was tempted to add chocolate chips!

Mix the dry ingredients first, then add the rest. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cheeseburger Soup

Another soup recipe! I just can't get enough soup! This one comes from the Wheat Belly Cookbook. (My changes)

4 cups chicken broth, separated
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (I used a whole one because why not)
1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
(I think I added a diced green bell pepper and was glad that I did)
1/2 pound ground beef (I used a pound of ground turkey)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley ( I used a teaspoon of dried)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut flour ( I used corn starch as a thickener so Taylor would eat it)
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (so not enough.  go a cup or go home)

In a large saucepan, combine the 3 3/4 cups broth and cauliflower.  Cover and bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium low.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is super fork tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter or oil.  Cook the onion and beef until no longer pink.  Drain the grease.  Stir in the parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Puree the cauliflower and broth with a immersion blender (or normal blender).  In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup broth and coconut flour until smooth.  (I just used a little bit of cold water and cornstarch) Gradually add to the cauliflower mixture and cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Whisk in the cheese just until it melts.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved beef mixture.

Taylor and I really enjoyed this soup and it was pretty quick and easy to make!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Now that it's October and there is a chill in the air, it is full on soup season! I found this stuffed pepper soup recipe on sixsistersstuff.com while searching for good soup recipes.  Their recipe is very easy and straightforward, but of course I wanted to make things harder for myself, so I made some alterations to fit what I had and my tastes. Here is my version:

1 lbs lean ground turkey

1 onion, diced

Pot shot because I forgot to take a picture until we had already eaten

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups beef broth
2 tomatoes, diced

2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 half head of cabbage, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

dash of onion powder

dash of garlic powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups cooked rice

Brown the turkey in a large stock pot with the onions.  Cook until no longer pink.  Drain the grease.  Add everything else but the cooked rice.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in rice before serving.  Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  

I wasn't really sure how this would turn out and was afraid it would taste very bell peppery, but it was actually way delicious! Lots of flavor and texture without anything overpowering anything else.  Definitely a keeper!