Fresh Strawberry Summer Salad

The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy! The kids were on spring break, I just started a new term for school, and the hubby is coming into his last couple of weeks of leave before he has to go back to work. I have such a hard time adjusting to my people being on break, and then again when they go back to school. Meals are never on time, and I just feel so out of it. As soon as I get the hang of it, everything changes again! Even so, spring break was a much needed break from having to get up extra early each day, and not having to adhere to a strict schedule. We did a few family things, and got a lot of stuff done around the house! The best part is that the kiddos went back to school with less than 3 months left in the year...although that is also bittersweet for me as the end of this school year ushers in my oldest son's senior year, and I am not sure that I am ready for that yet... 

At any rate, before I take a one way turn toward sentimental mommyville, I think it is more important to point out that spring is indeed upon us, as the weather is gorgeous, and the bluebonnets here in Texas are starting to bloom. After living in the Pacific Northwest for so long, I yearn for warm,  sunny weather, bbq's, salads, and all around just fresh foods. These are just a few of the things that I look forward to in the summer, and aside from the weather, there is no better sign that summer is around the corner than when your supermarket begins stocking gorgeous, fresh berries. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, you name it,  buy them all. We cannot keep strawberries in our house--the kiddos eat them up so quickly (hello, 4 kids remember?) At any rate, aside form eating plain berries, I try to incorporate them into other meals to ensure they are not just eating berries, because my kids would definitely do just that. 

This is a recipe that I came up with a couple of summers ago, shortly after I changed the way we were eating. We had always loved this salad prior to cutting out processed foods. I got the original recipe off of a bottle of Marie's raspberry vinagrette salad dressing. Aside from using power greens, the salad itself stayed the same, the dressing however, got a HUGE makeover. 

                               

Fresh Strawberry Salad with Grilled Flank Steak

The flank steak is pretty straight forward. Season it liberally with your usual seasonings, I use a good, organic steak seasoning. Grill it until medium rare, let rest, and then slice against the grain into thin slices. Set aside.

Salad:

1 package of organic power greens, or desired salad greens

10 medium to large strawberries, cleaned and sliced

1 4oz package of goat cheese

1/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted.

In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, sliced strawberries, and half of the sliced almonds.

Dressing:

12 medium to large strawberries, washed, and cut into chunks

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

1 tsp of sea salt

1/8 tsp of pepper

3 TBS of coconut sugar or raw honey *depending on the sweetness of the berries you may need to add more or less. 

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the strawberry chunks into the jar of a high power blender. add the vinegars, sea salt, pepper, coconut sugar or honey, and pulse until strawberries are slightly chunky.

2. Add the olive oil to the blender, and puree until smooth.

Assemble the salad:

1. Divide the previously tossed salad among 6 plates. Divide the goat cheese evenly between the 6 salads, and top with the remaining sliced almonds. 

2. Divide the grilled steak among each plate, and then drizzle the dressing over each salad, and the meat. 

3. Dig in and enjoy!

Smokey, Chipotle Laced Meatloaf

Growing up, I never particularly cared for meatloaf. It was one of those foods that I kind of dreaded when my mom would make it, and inevitably ended with me sitting at the table until my food was finished. I'm not sure what it was about the meatloaf that I didn't like...maybe it was the name? I'm not sure. But as I got older, my tastes changed, and I was more adventurous (that sounds really funny in reference to meatloaf), and developed a like for this comforting food. It could have also been the fact that my dad talked my mom into adding chopped pickles into the meatloaf because that is how my Grandmother did it. Till this day, I absolutely adore chopped pickles in my meatloaf, and add them to my basic meatloaf which I will include in this post as well. 

Meatloaf is awesome accompanied with mashed potatoes, but I accompanied mine with cauliflower mash, and I the way I make mine is listed in my previous blog post about broccoli & cheese soup! 

The best part about meatloaf is that you can eat it for days as leftovers. My 17 year old son Jay pretty much claimed the leftovers as his own, and refused to share them. I hope whomever he marries can cook, because that boy loves to eat, and the food he likes does not come from a box or drive-thru. Anyhow...meatloaf, the dinner of champions. Here it is:

                                     

Smokey-Chipotle Laced Meatloaf

3 pounds of grass fed, lean, ground beef

1 TBS of ghee, or olive oil, or coconut oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced, or through garlic press

2 medium carrots, grated on a fine setting

2 TBS of ground flax seed or flax meal

1/2 cup of almond meal (I use Trader Joe's because it has the same texture as bread crumbs)

1/2 tsp of sea salt

2 eggs

1 cup of chipotle ketchup (recipe follows at the end of the recipe), divided.

1. Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat, and sauté the onions, garlic, and carrots until translucent. Remove from heat, and let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place meat in large bowl, and add the sautéed veggies, flax meal, almond meal, sea salt, eggs, and 1/2 cup of the ketchup.

3. Mix the ingredients together with hands, making sure to combine them together evenly.

4. Line a rimmed, baking sheet with foil, and mound the meatloaf mixture onto the lined baking sheet, and form into a loaf.

5. Top the meatloaf with the remaining 1/2 cup of ketchup, and spread out over the top of the meatloaf.

6. Place the meatloaf in the oven for one hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle registers 160 degrees. 

7. Let meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.

             

Smokey, Chipotle Ketchup

15 oz can of organic, sugar-free tomato sauce (I used Muir Glen)

1 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 cup of pineapple juice

1-2 chipotle chilies, seeded and minced *add 1 or 2 depending on your heat tolerance

2 TBS of the chipotle sauce from the can of chilies

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together. Save in an airtight container or jar for up to a week in the refrigerator.

                    

For Basic Meatloaf:

Omit Chipotle chilies from the the ketchup recipe

To the meatloaf mix, add 3 regular sized pickles, minced. 

That's it. 

Other variations, can include wrapping the meatloaf with bacon, and stuffing it with meat and cheese. That's the great thing about meatloaf is that it is so versatile, it can be made into literally any kind of ethnicity, or regional flavor. Now go make some, and ENJOY!!

Primal Broccoli & Cheese Soup...a Successful Panera Knock Off If I Do Say SoMyself

Today is Ash Wednesday, and like millions of folks around this planet, I will not be eating meat today. (Insert tear here.) I'm like the crazy aunt in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "What do you mean you don't eat meat?? That's okay, I make lamb," and lamb I shall make in approximately 46 more days on Easter! But this is today, and it is a day of obligation, and guilt driven fasting and vegetarianism as only us Catholics can do, and while I love a broccoli & cheese soup with a side of bacon, I will be abstaining from the pork and any other meat today. And, all joking aside, I am happy to do so.

I have been trying to perfect this recipe for a while. It started a couple of years ago with the addition of coconut flour in an attempt to thicken the soup. It was okay, but severely lacking in the creaminess department. For me, I measure broccoli & cheese soup against the broccoli & cheese soup that I can get at Panera. Man, I love Panera. I seriously do. What joy it brings to me to walk into a Panera store and see and smell all of the different, beautiful breads and pastries. I can just imagine the chewy crust and soft warm interior of the breads. (Record scratch sound)...but I have a wheat allergy. So, you can imagine how torturous a trip to Panera can be for me. However, even though my allergy specialist in Washington was amazed at how I have managed to live my entire life and survive (I am literally allergic to EVERYTHING!), and promptly gave me an Epipen to carry around with me, from time to time, I will tempt fate, dive in to a nice bowl of soup with baguette on the side, and pay for it dearly for the next two days. What can I say? I am quite possibly a crazy, stupid, like to live on the wild side, rebel. And every time I do this, I swear I will never touch the stuff again, and then I decide to go to lunch with the hubby. In all fairness, I have been much better behaved as of late, probably due to a horrible experience during our cross-country trek that I will not get into here. Thank me now, because that story would mentally scar both of us.

So, back to my quest for a soup that I can actually eat that tastes like I got it from my favorite bread peddler. I saw a Pinterest pin a few months ago that linked to a blog that had creamy cauliflower soup. I pinned it, but sadly have not made it. The other day, I made meatloaf (which will be posted soon!), and as I was making mashed cauliflower, I thought about that recipe, and wondered if there was a way to incorporate it into my broccoli & cheese soup. So, given that today is a meat free day, I decided to try it out, and I must say that it is very close to my coveted Panera soup! I do admit that it would be AMAZING with crispy bacon crumbled on top, because everything is amazing with bacon! Alas, here you go...Broccoli & Cheese Soup inspired by Eat Drink Paleo-Paleo Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Bacon

                               

Panera Style Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 small head of cauliflower, washed & cut into florets
3 TBS grass fed butter (I used Kerry Gold)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp sage

Steam cauliflower until tender. Carefully place into high power blender or food processor with butter, sea salt, and herbs. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS grass fed butter (Again, I used Kerry Gold)
2 large carrots, washed, peeled, and diced into small cubes (see pic below)
1 large onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 crowns of broccoli, washed and cut into small florets (keep the stems for another recipe)
6 cups of water
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp of salt free garlic seasoning (I used Lizzie's Kitchen, Oh, so Garlic Seasoning)
4 oz of a good, sharp, cheddar cheese, grated. (Preferably a grass fed cheese like Kerry Gold)

1. Heat dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter, and sauté the carrots, onion, and garlic until tender.

2. Add the sea salt, and garlic seasoning. Top with water, and bring to a boil, and then turn down to simmer. 

3. Add broccoli florets, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Once the broccoli is tender, add the blended cauliflower to the pot, and stir to combine. 

5. Take a stick blender, and blend some of the soup, but not all. You still want the small pieces of veggies. Add the shredded cheese, and give a good stir. 

6. Eat the soup! You can top with some additional cheese. If you are able to eat meat, I'd suggest topping with some crispy crumbled bacon. 

**Due to the added cheese this soup is not be considered Paleo. If you eat the Paleo way, or suffer from dairy allergies, refrain from adding the cheese, and substitute additional olive oil for the butter.