Overnight Breakfast Casserole

From Against All Grain/Meals made simple cookbook, p. 62.

Use more potatoes, fewer eggs. I had to put it under the broiler at the end since the top wasn't cooked in my instantpot. Also, I did it on medium for 6 hours. It may cook faster in a standard crockpot that has a wider base. David thought it was bland and he missed the cheese. I used ground pork intead of sausage because that's what I had, so next time I should get some italian sausage and add in more seasonings. I also used regular unpeeled potatoes instead of sweet.

I thought this was yummy and a nice change on standard crockpot dinners of x over rice or soup.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

http://againstallgrain.com/2012/03/31/springtime-creamy-pesto-pasta/
Creamy Pesto Pasta

This was really good. The zucchini was time consuming to prepare with my julienne slicer, but the end product was good. I used more basil than the recipe called for, but not a ton more. I would make this again for sure. Might try rice pasta next time. I used hot dogs instead of prosciutto.

The cashew based sauce was great. I am dairy-free now and so am glad to have an alfredo type option.

Poached Salmon

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/poached_salmon/
Poached Salmon

This was quick but I did not care for the soggy consistency of the skin. I prefer the skin to be crispy, so this isn't my favorite method. I ate it with homemade mayo on top though and it was a great topping.

Chicken Enchilada Empanadas

Primal Cravings cookbook p 108, Chicken Enchilada Empanadas

These were really good. It took almost 90 minutes to make dinner though, so I won't be doing it too often. Also I really don't like goat cheese, and I ended up picking it out of the ones I ate. But it turned out well. I used 2 silpats and a flat plate to squish the dough into flat rounds. Also I should have covered the dough since it got kinda dried out and didn't roll out as easily by the second half. Also, I could only fir 6 empanadas on the baking sheet so I did two rounds of baking. The second batch was ready after dinner, but we didn't need them anyway. So next time I might try to do two small sheets instead of one large one.

Thai Beef Stew

http://againstallgrain.com/2014/07/07/crockpot-paleo-thai-stew/
Crockpot Thai Beef Stew

I used a different red curry paste, and this was good. (it was actually a blend of two). I used only about 3 oz of it because I know from experience the one linked in the original recipe is extremely mild. I served it over rice.

Microwave Hummus

http://minimalistbaker.com/best-ever-5-minute-microwave-hummus/

This is quite thick, but good. There is a lot of tahini, which makes this more strong flavored.

Fried Rice

I did it in the style of this website: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/12/cambridge-fried-rice/

I used parsnip, green onion, carrot, and celery. It was great. I sliced them in the food processor. I had some mild sausage so used that, but it turned out to be more spicy than I anticipated. I also added soy sauce and sesame oil to the vegetables as they were cooking, and turmeric to the rice as it fried in coconut oil. Having a wok is so nice to make stuff like this that needs a large volume. I put all the cooked food into another bowl as they were completed like the recipe shows. Then I mixed all together at the end. Next time try it with plain ground pork or other meat that is not seasoned.

5/2017: This works well with quinoa too, if the quinoa is not soggy.

Mexican Salad

Heidi's cleanse book, p 35.

This is great! It's best when the romaine is cut into ribbons.

Grape Poppy Seed Salad (aka massaged kale salad)

Heidi's cleanse book, page 23 & 69

Grape Poppy Seed Salad

Serves 2 

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and cut into ribbons 

Juice of 1 lemon 

Extra virgin olive oil 

Salt 

1 cup red or green grapes (If grapes aren’t in season, consider another fruit like apples.) 

1 ripe avocado 

1/4 cup almonds (Can also use toasted pine nuts, pecans, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds) 

Add the kale to a large bowl. Squeeze lemon juice and drizzle olive oil over the top. Add a pinch or two of sea salt. (Be careful not to over-salt it. The salt is for flavor, but also to help break down the kale.) Massage the kale* until it’s a deep dark green and it has become soft and tender. About 2 to 3 minutes.

Poppy Seed Dressing

(This makes enough for one Grape Poppy Seed Salad) 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons Bragg’s apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard, no added sugar 

1/2 shallot, diced 

1 tablespoon poppy seeds* 

Pinch salt 1 teaspoon honey 

Whisk all ingredients together. Store in a glass jar for up to one week. *You can substitute sesame seeds if you don’t have poppy seeds.

LOVE this salad. Best way to eat kale!

Beef Tenderloin

I had a one pound beef tenderloin. I seared it on both sides in my instant pot, then added a cup (or cup and a half) or water and a little apple cider vinegar, as well as a shake of montreal steak seasoning. I pressured cooked it for 20 minutes and then did quick release. It was 160 degrees/medium, but cooked more after I put the lid on (mistake). It was still moist, with only the barest hint of pink in some areas, but not as moist as I had wanted. Next time I'd do it 15 minutes only so that it gets up to 130 F.

Canned Sprouted from dry beans

Pressure Canned, Sprouted from dry beans

I've done this with garbanzo beans and pinto now. I get a bunch of dried beans, and soak and sprout them. Then I can them in the pressure cooker in pint jars. It's 10 lbs of pressure (around sea level) for 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts. There is some specific instruction in the Ball Blue Book too. I used this site as a help for the pinto beans:
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/04/how-to-can-dry-beans.html

My main recommendation is that for the 1 inch headspace, make sure it is a full inch and don't go over. The beans expand a little more when cooked so this helps to minimize squishing of the beans in the jar.

I did this with garbanzo beans so I can make hummus quick with sprouted garbanzo beans.

This is my earlier entry with pinto: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/09/canning-dried-pinto-beans.html

I think this will work with any dried bean.

Homemade Refried Beans

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/homemade-refried-beans.html
Homemade Refried Beans

I did not blend it up, but mashed it some. Also, did not add paprika since I feel like that only adds color, not flavor. I used 2 pints of home canned sprouted pinto beans.

I thought it was great, and had it be the main filling of tortillas for dinner. DH only gave it a 3.5, because he is partial to meat.

Cabbage Soup

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cabbage-soup
Cabbage Soup

This was good. I had to add an extra quart of liquid (I added it as beef broth) so added a 6 oz can of tomato paste so the tomato flavor wasn't too thin. The cabbage needed to cook for at least 1.5 hours before it was tender enough.

David and Ila both liked it.

Kale and White Bean Soup

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-and-White-Bean-Soup-106153
Kale and White Bean Soup

This was good. It tasted great when the beans had broken down. I made it again a few days later, and the beans hadn't broken down much, so it wasn't as tasty.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30466-roasted-butternut-squash-soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Everyone loved this soup. I served it at Ila's b-day party when we were visiting family. I might have put in 1/2 c cream instead of 1/3.