Sweet Potato Hash / Bacon and Paleo Blueberry Pancakes

Sweet Potato Hash

I used my Cuisinart and it's shredding disc to shred up the sweet potato and then basically fried it up in some grass fed butter and a couple spices.

Ingredients/Tools:

-As many sweet potatoes as you wish. I only had one to use this morning.

-2-3 Tbsp. Grass Fed Butter / Ghee

-1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder

-1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder

-1/2 Tsp. Dried Rosemary

-1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

-Food processor with a shredding disc

Instructions:

1. Cut your sweet potato(es) the long way (think hot dog, not hamburger).

2. Shred the "hot dog" slices of sweet potato using a food processor.

3. Add the seasonings to the shredded potato(es) and mix well.

Sweet potatoes shredded and spiced. Ready to fry 'em up.

4. Melt your butter in a cast iron skillet (or in my case, because all my cast iron was in use for the pancakes and bacon -- a large pan/skillet).

Grass fed butter! This is some Kerrygold (even available at stores like Safeway!).

5. Once the butter is...glistening (shimmering -- warmed up but not burning), add your shredded sweet potato.

6. Mix it around a little bit on medium/high heat and then LET IT SIT.

I was so excited as this point I can't even tell you. I love sweet potatoes. So. Much!

7. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes.

8. Uncover and flip it around. You want to cook it until there are some brown bits and your hash

approaches crispy but not burnt. I didn't quite find the optimal balance this morning (it was my first time). I only used medium heat. Next time I'm going to use medium/high heat while watching it closely. 

9. Enjoy! I cooked some bacon as well as some paleo blueberry pancakes.

The bacon notes: I used a package of Bacon Ends and Pieces. At $5.59/lb it was a bargain for such high quality local bacon.

Mmm...bacon...

Cooked bacon placed on a plate lined with some paper towels. Note the saved bacon grease in the top left corner. Save that bacon fat! It's great for so many things...

I also cooked some bacon and paleo blueberry pancakes. Yum. Full on delicious breakfast.

I want to hear from you! Really! If you have any suggestions, comments, questions please feel free to comment here or find me on Facebook (simplepaleocook@gmail.com), Twitter, or by email.

Thanks for reading!

-Perry

Twitter (@SimplePaleoCook) | Email | Pinterest

Cinnamon Carrot Chips

Cinnamon Carrot Chips

Ingredients:
As many carrots as you want. I used about 10 or so medium/large organic carrots.
Coconut Oil
(Optional) Cinnamon
(Optional) Nutmeg
(Optional) Salt

Instructions:
1. The cut. There are several ways to cut your chips, and all of them will result in a slightly different end product. I used my Cusinart w/ its slicing blade and made very thin chips. Next time I think I'll make some strips and some rounds that are a little bit thicker. Not too thick, maybe 1/8 - 1/4 inch tops.

My initial set-up.

2. The seasoning. Cinnamon to the rescue! I've been using cinnamon on...almost everything recently. For this step I used a couple tablespoons of coconut oil, a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon, and about 1 tablespoon of salt. Season to your liking and try to coat every chip with your mix.

3. Dehydrating. Let the learning begin. I though I would use parchment paper to help clean-up and help chips from not falling though. In hindsight, bad move. The paper blocked the central heat column until I poked holes to let the air circulate. It also didn't allow for the trays to snap together right, thus letting heat out where it shouldn't be going out. Oops. You cook you learn. So next time (and this time for you!) just set the chips gently right on the racks. If you want to try to use parchment paper, make sure you cut it to fit perfectly, not blocking any heat vents or connecting parts. This whole step can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on your cut size. Start checking every hour or two until they are dried to your liking.

My oops. Too much paper, too many chips, and a blocked central heating column. Eep! Did I do that? Yep, I (embarrassingly) did. I learned. They still came out ok in the end.

4. Enjoy! I enjoyed my experience and my carrot chips. As imperfect as the whole thing was. I stored them at room temperature in a sealed mason jar.

Carrot chips!

Thanks for reading! I'm glad I survived my bike journey this morning and am still able to write, cook, share my journey through being a paleo yogi ;), and always be learning.

With love and a smile on my face, rock on paleo adventurers! Until next episode...

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Let me know! 

@SimplePaleoCook on Twitter 

Cauliflower "rice"

Cauliflower "rice"

Just in case you didn't know, this is a Cauliflower. I actually didn't know it had those green stalks underneath it (embarrassing).

The paleo diet doesn't include rice. Turning a Cauliflower into Cauliflower "rice" is easy and delicious. Here's how.

Ingredients:

-Organic Cauliflower

-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

-1/3 cup water ;)

-Salt and pepper

Tools:

-Food processor of some kind, I used my Cuisinart. I love my Cuisinart.

Instructions:

1. Cut off the base of the Cauliflower and separate the florets (fancy word for the white things).

2. Break out your food processor (and in my case the shredding disc for it).

Shredding tool and stuff to be shredded =)

3. Shred up your Cauliflower into little rice sized pieces.

I had to clean out the Cuisinart mid-way. It was getting full and the Cauliflower was sticking to the sides.

4. Add the Coconut Oil to a pan, turn the heat up to medium (for me this means 5 on my electric range, right smack in the middle).

5. Let the Coconut Oil heat up a little bit, then add your Cauliflower "rice".

6. Wait a couple seconds and then evenly sprinkle the water around the pan (on top of the cauliflower).

7. Cover and let cook for 6 minutes or so.

Covered and cooking. I had second thoughts about using my cast-iron for this because of the water...hmmm...I'll have to do some more research there. I don't want rust.

8. Uncover, start stirring every 30 seconds or so for 8 minutes. Go ahead and spice it up during this phase. During this process I tasted the dish a couple times. I actually envisioned Gordon Ramsey coming into my kitchen and starting to swear at me with a British accent. Seriously, if I learned anything from watching all of his cooking shows, taste your food. A lot.

Stir it up, flip it, flop it, mix it =)!

9. Enjoy! Yes, this is a step...it's important! Smile. You just cooked something delicious, nifty, and healthy.

The end result - Cauliflower "rice".

It went wonderfully with some fruit (the last of the frozen stuff in my freezer), some chicken (check out my post on lemon-rosemary-garlic chicken), and the tiny pile of frozen butternut squash also lying in my freezer (now my freezer is...empty. Eep!).

Dehydrator Apple Chips, Nut Soaking, and a Spaghetti Squash

I'm beyond excited...my brand new food dehydrator came from Amazon today. It cost a whopping $38.72 with tax. Love it (link to the dehydrator on Amazon). I'm so excited to see how this thing changes the way I eat. I feel like I just got a new sword in some RPG and I really want to go out and smash some goblins with it. Although in this case its something more along the lines of I really want to make jerky, fruit leathers, healthier nuts, kale chips...the list goes on. Tonight I'm starting small, simple, and sweet. Some Apple Chips with Cinnamon.

Apple Chips with Cinnamon (Dehydrator)

Ingredients:

-Organic Apples (I used two because that's what I had in my fridge.)

-Cinnamon (Optional -- I love cinnamon and it pairs beautifully with apples.)

You will be Apple Chips soon! Yes, yes you will! =).

Instructions:

1. Slice your apples into approx. 1/8in slices. Envision the apple chips =).

Slice 'em up.

2. Dust with some cinnamon. I feel a bit too fancy saying "dust". I gave the cinnamon shaker a soft tap with my free hand while moving it around the apples.

Cinnamon!

3. Load up your (in my case brand new, freshly washed) dehydrator.

First ever thing in my food dehydrator. Let's do this! Sooooo excited!

4. Turn it on (I would give you a specific temperature...but mine has two settings: On or off. Live simple.)

5. I'm letting mine run overnight. Approximately 5 hours. Probably not quite long enough but I *really* wanted to get something going in my new (health inducing, awesome) toy!

I'll update this post with the results asap.

Soaked and Dehydrated Almonds

Why?? Why would you put your delicious almonds in a jar filled with water and soak them? I've been doing some homework on my nuts and seeds. As it turns out, in a nut-shell... ;), nuts can be not-that-great for you. Certain types more than others. They have high levels of phytic acid and high levels of polyunsaturated fats. Both of these things can be really nasty. 

According to PaleoLeap.com, "Phytic acid is a strategy employed to prevent the nut or seed from sprouting before the ideal conditions are present. Phytic acid on our digestive system has the property of binding to minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium and preventing them from being absorbed. This also means that you won’t necessarily get high amounts of a mineral even if you eat a nut high in that mineral."

Soaking your nuts can help! Moderation helps as well. I'm just not quite ready to totally give up on nuts, and I want to use my new food dehydrator more =).

Just add some salt (about 1 tablespoon) to a jar filled with almonds and let it soak for 8-24 hours. Then dry it somehow. Oven on super low, door cracked; Food dehydrator; Sun. I'm going to use my food dehydrator for 12-24 hours of drying. I might even add some honey =). For now, I just got 'em soaking.

1 Tablespoon of Salt

Soaking some Almonds.

I did promise a Spaghetti Squash. It didn't fit in my crock pot. Doh! I'm trying anyway...it *almost* fits. Here goes nothing.

Go go Spaghetti Squash!

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I want to hear from you!

-Perry (The Simple Paleo Cook)