Paleo Biscuits and Gravy

My nephew, Alex, is largely responsible for me checking out this recipe. Actually, I credit Alex with our switch to the paleo lifestyle. When he moved in with us last January, he said he'd like to give it a try. At the time, he had been CrossFitting for 2 years and and my husband, David, had been a CrossFitter for about 3 years. I was game (and the one who cooks!), so off we went on our paleo journey! Alex requested biscuits and gravy for his birthday breakfast this year and I found this awesome recipe. I usually make it on the weekend, but the biscuits actually taste better the second day, so feel free to double the recipe and have them throughout the week. It is amazing how the seasonings take over in the gravy, leaving no noticeable coconut flavor. I made this for my mother-in-law once and she had no idea it wasn't from a traditional recipe. This is yummy comfort food at it's best!

Adapted from robbwolf.com.


Serves 3-6, depending on your appetite.

Ingredients
Biscuits
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cold grass-fed butter
6 egg whites
coconut oil
Gravy
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 can full-fat coconut milk, well shaken
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation
Biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flours (I sift mine), salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. 
3. Add cold butter and pulse until it forms pea-sized crumbles. Transfer to a small bowl and wipe food processor out with a damp cloth.
4. Place egg whites in food processor and pulse until frothy. Add flour mixture back in and pulse to combine. (Alternatively, you can whip the eggs in a separate bowl and add them into flour mixture in the food processor.)
5. Scoop batter into 6 muffin tins and press down gently with your fingers. The tins will be about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
   NOTE: The biscuits will not rise.
6. Remove from tins and serve warm, topped with gravy.

Gravy

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking meat into small chunks.  Remove cooked sausage from pan using a slotted spoon. Set aside. Leave about 1 Tbsp sausage grease and all of the stuck-on bits of sausage in the pan; discard any remaining fat. My sausage left no measurable fat in the pan, so I added 1 Tbsp coconut oil.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add arrowroot powder to pan, and whisk together with grease/oil for about 1 minute. The mixture will be very thick, almost dry. Add 1/3 can of coconut milk and continue to whisk until combined. Continue to add remaining coconut milk, 1/3 can at a time, whisking until all milk is incorporated.
3. Add fennel, sage, cayenne, salt, and pepper, whisking to incorporate. Add sausage back into gravy and stir to combine. Heat for 1-2 minutes and serve immediately over biscuits. YUM!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

The boys in my house have been asking for spicy stuffed peppers for a while. I used some salmon chorizo I had in the freezer, but you can use any nitrate-free raw sausage (not the cooked links). Try Italian sausage, turkey Italian, or regular chorizo. My package of chorizo was 12 oz, which proved to not be hearty enough for 6 peppers. I upped the quantity to 16 oz in the recipe, but if you have a 12 oz package, I recommend cutting the peppers back to 4 and reducing the cauliflower a little bit. When shopping, look for the peppers with some bulk to them, not the flat ones. They are easier to stuff. If you have any leftover filling, toss it in with your eggs in the morning.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-6 poblano chili peppers
1 small or 1/2 large head cauliflower
16 oz uncooked chorizo sausage (or your favorite)
1 medium yellow onion
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with their juices (I like Muir Glen.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 25-oz jar of your favorite paleo pasta sauce (I like Gabriel's.)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Break cauliflower into uniform-size pieces and place in a medium saucepan. Fill with water to just cover the cauliflower and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and  boil for about 20 minutes or until just tender, but not overly soft. Drain cauliflower, cool slightly, and chop into small pieces or process in a food processor.
3. While cauliflower cooks, rinse peppers, slit lengthwise on one side and cut in a V-shape at the stem. Pull or cut out seedy core. Blanch each pepper by plunging into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain.
4. In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm oil. Saute onion and sausage 3-5 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. 
5. Add tomatoes and cauliflower and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper and add basil, stirring to combine.
7. Place peppers in a baking dish and create an opening by separating sides at the slit. Spoon approximately 1 cup of sausage mixture into each pepper. 
8. Top peppers with tomato sauce.



Spoon about 1 cup of sausage
mixture into each pepper.



Slit pepper lengthwise,
then cut in a V-shape at the stem.

9. Bake for 30 minutes.

Duet of Grilled Sausages with Broccoli

Well, the kids are off of school for the summer, which leaves me a lot less time in the kitchen. I think you'll agree that summer is best spent enjoying the beautiful weather. This meal is quick and delicious, and all done on the grill. Just leave 30 minutes to marinade the broccoli. Feel free to substitute your favorite sausage, just be sure you know what's in them, they contain a short list of ingredients, and they're nitrate-free.

Ingredients
1 lb Italian sausages
1 lb nitrate-free andouille sausage
2 heads, about 8 cups, broccoli, trimmed and cut into pieces
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Toss broccoli with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Let broccoli marinade fro 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill to medium and set a grill-topper on the grate. Grill broccoli for 8-10 minutes on each side, or until crisp-tender.
3. While broccoli is grilling, grill sausages according to package directions, until cooked through.
4. Serve immediately.

Sausage Mixed Grill with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Nothing says "paleo" like a big plate of meat. Here, I've grilled a variety of sausages. You can use whatever varieties you'd like, I just try to buy the sausage with the fewest ingredients...all of which you can recognize as real food. Try to select different flavors. I served the with sauerkraut grilled onions. A very cavemanly meal for sure!

Serves 4.

Ingredients
roasted red bell pepper and garlic turkey sausage (Ferndale Market, www.ferndalemarketonline.com)
natural casing cooked bratwurst (Boars Head)
seasoned pork sausage links (Wallace Farms)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp chopped thyme
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium heat.
2. Poke sausages all over with a knife. Thread each type of sausage onto skewers. Brush the sausages with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill the sausages, turning, until cooked through. (approximately 10 minutes for the pork sausages, 12 minutes for the bratwurst, and 25 minutes for the Italian sausages)
4. While sausages are cooking, combine garlic, thyme, vinegar, and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the cooked sausages and serve with sauerkraut grilled onions or your favorite veggie side.

UN-Stuffed Peppers

I had a lot of pre-cut peppers that I had prepared for a party this week. Thus the UN-stuffed peppers. I modified this from a stuffed pepper recipe I've been using for years.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients 
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
2 peppers, cored and sliced (I used orange and yellow, but green and red would work just as well)
14.5 oz diced tomatoes - I like Muir Glen Organics fire-roasted
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 cup spanish olives, sliced

Preparation

1. Saute sausage and onion together until sausage is just browned. 
2. Core and slice peppers. 
3. Add to sausage mix and saute until softened, 5 - 10 minutes. 
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and thyme, and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat. 
5. Stir in Spanish olives.