This is a family favorite, and also one of those recipes that (apparently) my kids' friends go home and tell their parents about. It has a short list of ingredients and goes together quickly. It's best if it simmers for a long time, of course, but can also be ready within 30 minutes. This is a smooth chili - no chunks of tomatoes or peppers. I have found that kids like it better that way. This works well in the crock pot, too. Just be sure to put a few extra cups of liquid in if it will be left all day. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp chili powder 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 lb ground beef 3 cups cooked beans (I typically use black and kidney, with more black than kidney) 2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato puree 1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until soft. 2. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and ground beef. Heat for 5 minutes, using a spatula to break apart the ground meat into smaller particles. 3. Add beans and tomato. Stir well. Turn heat down to medium low. Cook on a low simmer for at least 15 minutes more, but allow to simmer for a few hours if possible. Sometimes I add 1/4 cup of red wine early on to give it a richer flavor. As it simmers, add water as needed, and to meet your preferences for thin versus thick chili.
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This is a nice alternative to tacos for either a make-ahead dinner or for company. It also reheats really well for lunches or leftover dinners. Leave out the meat, or replace it with sauteed veggies or mashed yams, to make a vegetarian entree.
Ingredients 1 large pack soft corn tortillas 1 pound ground beef Chili powder Cumin Salt Pepper Garlic 1 large can tomato sauce OR 2 cans tomato paste OR 1 large can enchilada sauce 1 can black beans 1 cup corn 1 carton sour cream 2 cups shredded cheese 1 can chopped green chiles Small bunch of scallions 1. Make sauce: mix tomato sauce with 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, minced garlic (to taste) and 1 tsp salt. If using paste reconstitute with 2 cups water. Or just open can of enchilada sauce. 2. Cook beef with chili powder, cumin, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Set aside. 3. Make cheese mixture by mixing sour cream, cheddar cheese, and chopped green chiles. In a rectangular baking dish, place 1 layer of tortillas. Cover with a third of the sauce. Add half of the meat, beans, corn, and chopped scallions and spread evenly. Place half of cheese mixture by putting evenly spaced spoonfuls on top of everything else. Place another layer of tortillas and gently press down to distribute the dollops of cheese mixture. Cover tortilla with another third of the sauce, remaining meat, beans, corns, scallions, and cheese. Add 1 more layer of tortillas. Cover in sauce. Bake covered at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. You can add more shredded cheese on top at the end and bake it for another 5 minutes to melt. To carry on my love of butchering Mexican cuisine, tonight I will make tacos. This is my 9-year-old's most requested dinner, though not one of my personal favorites. Tacos are simple, right? It's a quick, easy-to-make dinner that can be thrown together in 30 minutes or less. I got off my dependence on seasoning packets, and even chili powder, while living overseas and have found that I still prefer to use the spice blends that I make myself. It's less expensive and I can be sure that there is no MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or strange wheat, corn, or soy derivatives lurking in our meal. My staple seasonings (sweet paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt) can all be bought in larger quantities. When I'm really organized, I make up a batch of my own taco seasoning (I also use a similar blend for chilis and fajitas) and store it in a glass jar.
Below are instructions for preparing refried beans and meat Emily style. Again, not at all authentic, I'm sure, but fast and easy. My recipe is definitely not spicy, to keep the young gentlemen happy, but you can add cayenne or other peppers to turn up the heat as desired. Of course, this meal is easily vegetarian-able by skipping the meat. Ingredients: Meat Mixture: 1 pound ground beef, turkey, or lamb 1 Tbsp sweet paprika 1 Tbsp cumin 2 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp salt dash of black pepper 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1/4 cup water Beans: 2 cans (15 oz each) beans or equivalent amount of cooked beans (I use a blend of black and pinto or kidney, but have found that just about any bean works) 1 Tbsp sweet paprika 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp garlic 1/2 tsp salt dash of black pepper 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp water Place the meat in a skillet and the beans in a saucepan and place on burners. Turn burners on to medium. Add seasonings to each dish at the same time to save time. Stir. Add olive oil and water to beans, and allow everything to heat, stirring often. Once the meat is partially cooked, add the tomato paste and water, stir, and continue to gently simmer. After about 10 minutes of cooking, mash beans with a hand masher, turn off heat under both, and cover. All done. Preparing the taco toppings can be more time intensive than the meat and beans. I like to have really crispy lettuce, shredded, diced tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos, shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt, and salsa on hand. I will often put one of the boys to work shredding cheese while everything is cooking. Corn tortillas are a good gluten-free option. We have found brown rice tortillas to be tasty, but they crack when they are rolled up and that is completely unacceptable (for whatever reason) to the kids. So we stick to crunchy corn shells and floppy corn shells. I have yet to find organic floppy shells, but have found the Little Bear brand of crunchy shells to be a good option. (I look for non-GMO corn products whenever possible...many organic brands are also non-GMO.) I like to just make a big salad with all the toppings and skip the tortillas altogether. For a simple salsa option, try this recipe, taught to me by a previous neighbor and friend. Add the following ingredients to a food processor: 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped 2 Tbsp lime juice 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt Blend until everything is finely chopped. It's delicious. Will keep up to 2 weeks in fridge. Mole (pronounced mol-ay) is a generic term for a sauce used in Mexican cuisine. There are many variations, but a common theme seems to be the use of chili peppers. Different mole variations involve different combinations of seasonings and ingredients - chocolate even shows up once in a while. Traditionally, the spices and peppers are roasted together and ground into a fine powder or paste, then added to water or broth and simmered until it is thick and rich. The resulting sauce is then served over meats, such as turkey, chicken, or pork. It can also be used in the preparation of dishes such as enchiladas.
The recipe below is a "quick and dirty" mole, not at all traditional. It contains cocoa powder and cinnamon, as well as other seasonings, to create a complex and rich flavor. It is quick to put together (15 minutes at the most) and well loved by everyone around here. I let it cook on low for a few hours in the crock pot, then shred the meat thoroughly, remove bones as necessary, add back into the crock pot, mix with the sauce, and let it cook a little longer. This could also be prepared in a Dutch oven. The key is in the long simmering time. Enjoy. Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1 Tbsp chili powder OR sweet paprika 2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt ~ 28 ounces of tomato products - can be sauce/puree, crushed, diced, or a combination 1/2 cup water or chicken broth 1/2 cup or can of chopped green chilis (make sure they're not spicy if you have kids) ~1 1/2 pounds chicken parts, whatever parts you prefer, on or off the bone 1. Add the onion, garlic, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and salt to the crock pot. Stir together. 2. Add tomatoes and water/broth to the crock pot. Combine well. 3. Add chicken pieces and green chilis. Stir together so chicken is well-coated in sauce. 4. Cover. Set on low. Cook for 6-8 hours, shredding and/or removing from bone near the end of cooking time. Add meat back in to sauce, set to warm, and leave until ready to eat. Serve with steamed rice, cultured sour cream or yogurt, and fresh cilantro to garnish, if you're lucky enough to have some. Great with a nice green salad on the side. For strict primal adherents, skip the rice and eat in a bowl like a stew. Or serve it over cauliflower or other cooked vegetables. Chicken fajitas are usually a huge hit with the family. At a restaurant, they will run about $15 a plate. For a fraction of the cost, you can buy your own chicken and vegetables (giving you the freedom to consider the source of your food, the types of oils it's cooked in, etc.) and make really good fajitas at home. On a work night, however, they can be a bit time consuming. Tonight this was invented out of necessity (leftover rice in the fridge, odds and ends in the veggie drawer, thawed chicken breast) and it was a huge hit with the family. It also makes great leftovers to send to school in lunches.
Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp oil 1 Tbsp chili powder 2 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1-2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks 2 cups cooked rice 1 cup tomato sauce 1 can of black beans, drained 1/2 cup shredded cheese 1. Add onion, garlic, pepper, and oil to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until onion and peppers are soft. 2. Add chili powder, cumin, and salt, and combine well. 3. Add chicken. Stir. Allow to cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. If pan gets dry, add 1/2 cup water to deglaze. 4. Add rice, beans, and tomato sauce. Combine. Heat for a few minutes. Add to a baking pan/casserole dish. Top with cheese. Put in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa. The secret to amazing tortilla soup? The right seasonings, and lots of fresh, chopped cilantro as a garnish. Everything else is secondary. You can leave out the beans and corn if you are strictly primal. I keep them in. You could easily substitute other chopped vegetables (zucchini? carrots?) and keep the carb count lower. But in general, the carb content on this recipe is still low if you leave them in.
I like to top my bowl of soup with, in addition to fresh cilantro, a generous slab of avocado and a blob of sour cream or whole fat plain yogurt. This is easily made on the stove (allow 1-2 hours) but I chose the crock pot today. Yesterday I bought a rotisserie chicken for lunch. I removed the leftover meat and saved in the refrigerator, then made a stock overnight in the crock pot. This morning, I strained the broth and threw the rest of the ingredients in. Ingredients: 6-8 cups chicken broth or water 2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 1 cup frozen corn 1 can black beans 1 can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh diced/chopped tomatoes 1 tsp salt 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp chili powder, or sweet paprika black pepper 1 bay leaf Mix everything together. Let simmer on stove top for at least 1 hour, or leave on low setting in crock pot. If you tolerate corn, serve with corn chips crunched over the top (I like Xochitl brand - no gluten, no GMOs), shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, salsa, jalapenos, etc. Goes great with a big salad topped with a creamy Mexican ranch (1 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp of each of the following: salt, pepper, dill, basil, cumin). Nachos or cheese chips make a great side dish with this soup, as well. Mexican food seems to be one of my favorite ethnic foods category to massacre. I know that most of what I make is nowhere near authentic, but it's so fun to experiment. It seems to be a family of food that no one in our family tires of, and it lends itself so nicely to using fresh ingredients. I developed this recipe after eating at a Mexican restaurant and noticing how much everyone enjoyed the shredded chicken tacos. The key is long, slow cooking to get the chicken to the point of shred-ability. During the longer cooking period, there is ample time for the chicken to absorb the taste of the spices and herbs. I might try in the future with a splash of lime juice and some fresh cilantro added to the mix.
I also tried to make refried beans that tasted a little more like the restaurant version. I have found that the secret to this is using a food processor (or a VitaMix in my case) to make a nice, fine puree. That recipe is also below. The shredded chicken could easily be prepared in a crock pot using the recipe below. I would just put everything directly into the crock pot raw, cook at a low setting for 6-8 hours or a high setting for 3-4 hours. Shredded Chicken Tacos Ingredients: 1/2 onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika or chili powder black pepper 1/4 cup chopped green chilies, if desired 2-4 Tbsp olive oil 4 chicken breast halves 1 can diced tomatoes with juice OR 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes 3/4 cup water or chicken broth 1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 5-10 minutes. 2. Add all spices and cook until aromatic. 3. Add chicken breasts, whole. Cook until slightly browned on both sides. 4. Add tomatoes, green chilies, and water. Turn down heat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. 5. Shred the chicken with a fork and knife. It should fall apart very easily at this point. Serve on a bed of fresh greens with all of the normal taco fixin's - sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole - whatever you like. Also delicious ladled over rice. I served this with crunchy corn tortillas for the family. Restaurant-Style Refried Beans 2 cans of beans - I like to use a combination of 1 can of pinto and a 2nd can of either black or kidney 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic, minced or powder 1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Run until smooth. If needed, add another 1/4 cup of water. The beans will look runny at this point, but you will cook off the extra moisture in the next step, at which point they will thicken up. 2. Put in a sauce pan and heat over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until hot. The development of this recipe has been a slow evolution over the years. I used to make a tomato-based casserole like this, but started playing around with a creamy sauce in the last few years. This is the meal that my oldest always requests when I offer to cook a birthday dinner of his choice. I now make it gluten-free, using brown rice tortillas (I have only used the brand Food For Life so far) and potato starch as a thickening agent, rather than wheat flour. I don't consider this a truly primal meal, as it is higher in carbs and grains due to the tortillas, and involves quite a bit of dairy, but it is grain- and gluten-free. To make it more primal, eat the filling but skip the tortillas. You can even bake a bit tortilla free, or layer with thinly sliced zucchini instead of tortillas.
The sauce preparation is the hardest part, but it's really quite simple. You can assemble this casserole in advance and freeze to cook later, or put it in the fridge on a busy day and cook it in the evening. This is also a meal that tastes fine reheated, great for packing in a thermos for school lunches. In a sauce pan, over medium heat (don't rush this or the butter will brown and you'll have to start over...trust me), melt: 4 Tbsp butter Then stir into the butter: 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp paprika (cayenne if you like spicy) 1 tsp salt dash of black pepper (I NEVER measure black pepper - it always makes me sneeze, and who wants a sneezing cook?) 3 Tbsp potato starch Mix it all together, keep it on medium heat, and heat until it bubbles. It should look like a paste at this point - not too dry, not too runny. If it's dry, add a few tsp of butter. If it's runny, add a tsp of starch. Let it bubble for about a minute, keeping an eye on the heat. Remember that butter does burn, so you want to keep the temperature on the lower side. Next add to the sauce pan, 1 cup at a time (this means stir in 1 cup and let heat for a minute or so before adding another cup): 2 cups milk (I always use whole) or cream 2 cups broth (If you don't have broth, use water. See broth tips at the end of the recipe.) Optional: 1/2 a block of cream cheese, stirred in after all the liquid has heated up. I don't always do this, but it adds some richness. Stir slowly until the entire mixture comes to a low boil. Sometimes I do turn up the heat a bit on this step - if you do that, don't leave the stove. Stir every minute or so to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom and burning. The sauce will be a light brown shade due to the spices. Don't be alarmed. Once the sauce is thickened, turn off the heat and set aside. That is the most annoying part of preparing this meal, and it's over now. Gather the following items: 1 package of tortillas (I used to use flour tortillas...they work great in this recipe...but use brown rice tortillas if you want to stay gluten free) 2 cups of shredded cheddar 3-4 cups of shredded cooked chicken* 1 rectangular baking pan Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the pan and smear around. Lay down a layer of tortillas. I like to tear them into smaller pieces and layer them like that, but you can leave them whole, as well. Drizzle another 1/2 cup of sauce on top. Now sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded chicken on the sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese on the chicken, and lay down another layer or tortillas. Repeat - sauce, chicken, cheese, tortillas - 2 more times. The top layer should be just tortillas. Pour ALL of the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle any remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly and slightly brown on top. Serve with salad or steamed veggies. Great with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro, as well. *Cooked chicken and chicken broth: We never have leftovers anymore, which means if I roast a chicken for dinner one night, I don't have meat left to make a meal like this on another night. I have several ways of pre-emptively dealing with this: 1. Roast 2 chickens instead of 1 (I am just recently figuring this out) or buy 2 rotisserie chickens at the grocery store (ours offers hormone-free, naturally raised chickens most nights, at the same price as buying a raw chicken). Eat one for dinner with veggies and roasted potatoes. Let the other one cool. After dinner, take the meat off the carcass and store in the refigerator. Toss the carcass into a big pot of water. Snapping the bones with a nutcracker (not the Christmasy man-ish kind, of course, but the tong-like type...riotous mental image of nutcracker man with chicken bone in mouth...) will help to release more marrow into the broth, which is wonderful for you. Add a whole onion (don't peel it - the pigments in the peel add color to your broth), a whole carrot, a celery stalk, a few teaspoons of salt, and 2 bayleaves. Cover and let simmer (it should be just barely bubbling) all night long. This can be done in a crock pot overnight if it makes you nervous to leave your stove on. In the morning, turn the heat off, strain the broth, and store until you need it. 2. If you are making this meal "last minute", use a package of breast meat and a package of legs. Put them into a pot of water with a tsp of salt, bring to a low boil, and cook until the meat looks white through the middle. Pull the meat out and let cool on a plate. Save the water to use as the broth. When the meat is cool, pull the leg meat off the bones and chop the breast meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside to use in the recipe. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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