Recipe: Lola's Turkey Sausage Ratatouille

Lola's Turkey Sausage Ratatoille

*Fair warning, I do not measure. I eyeball it and just add whatever I want. The following recipe is wrote with loose measurements. I added 2 zucchini because that is what I had.. and I bought summer squash on the sale shelf.. so that is how many I used. LOL

• Turkey Sausage removed from their casings
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 onion (I used a sweet onion) diced
• 2 small zucchini diced
• 5 small yellow summer squash diced
• 1 bag (about 2 cups?) mushrooms sliced (I had bought a mixed variety bag on clearance at my store)
• dash of olive oil
• 1/2 jar of your preferred pasta sauce
• parsley
• basil
• salt and pepper
• red pepper flakes

Technique!!! For me, its all about technique.  Removing the casings and browning the sausage is key. The little yummy flavor bits that stick to the pan will lift when you add the squash and mushrooms. The moisture from the vegetables will de-glaze the pan and flavor the entire dish. (this is also the technique I use when making a soup that contains sausage.... always brown sausage first or you are basically "steaming" the sausage in the vegetables.... which doesn't sound appealing to me.. blarh!)

1. Brown the crumbled sausage. 
2. Add all vegetables and spices and and cook on low. 
3. Stir thoroughly and cook on low until vegetables are crisp/tender (I don't like them completely mushy..).
4. When vegetables are the consistency you want, add 1/2 a jar of pasta sauce or a can of diced tomatoes if you prefer. 
5. Mix through and heat thoroughly.
6. I served with a bit of finely shredded Parmesan cheese on it.

Use whatever vegetables you want: Zucchini, onions, eggplant, peppers, whatever you have on-hand.

Ideas: Serve with spaghetti squash as a "pasta", or mix the spaghetti squash and ratatouille together and bake like a casserole.

Maybe stuff a zucchini boat and bake ? Stuff peppers with this mixture? Serve over riced cauliflower?

Let me know how you vary it and make it your own!!!

November's Clean Eating Challenges.

If you have joined our Companion FaceBook Page, you know that some of us are attempting a 5 day clean-eating challenge.

Those of you that are successfully paleo remember what it's like when you are starting out, trying not to cheat.  Some of us were having difficulty getting thru a straight 30 day challenge, so I proposed going slower, and thru the month of November we started with a one day challenge, the next week a 2 day challenge, etc.

Starting Monday 11/26 we are doing a 5 day challenge.  I've been cheering our peeps along, reminding them to prep early and often, providing tips like eating lots of beneficial fats to keep us satiated so that we aren't tempted to processed foods.

Have you thought about eating clean, whole foods, and slowing down or giving up processed foods?  Does the idea of a 21 day or a 30 day challenge scare you?

How about you try the 5 day challenge with us? It can't hurt, and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll feel better because of it.

Come on over to our FaceBook Page and join in on the conversation...we give great support!

from prevention.com

Recipe: Susan's Breakfast Casserole

Susan is a newer member to the Paleo Lifestyle in the Real World Face Book Page but she's been a friend for a lot of years. She's a mean cook, and she described her newest creation on the boards, which I'm sharing with you (with her permission, of course):

"This morning I found myself without a plan for breakfast, so I decided it was time to make a Breakfast Casserole for the week.

 I sautéed up:

·         an onion

·         bell pepper

·         zucchini

·         shredded sweet potato 

·         ground turkey 

 With copious amounts of:

·         cumin 

·         chili powder 

·         oregano

·         salt and pepper

 Spread it in a casserole dish and topped it off with:

·         10 eggs

·         a small can of spicy tomato sauce.

  

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes until cooked through.

 

This is key for me as I don't wake up early enough to make breakfast each day before work. So when it comes out of the oven, I'll go ahead and cut it into 8 squares and put each one in Tupperware, so I can just grab one out of the fridge each morning as I leave the house. It's ok cold, or I can heat it up in the microwave at work.

Picture from "What's Cooking America" website.

Thanks, Susan!

Recipe: Joie's Autumn Fruit Compote

Joie doesn't post much, but that doesn't mean she's not out there working the clean eating. We speak daily, and I'm starting to just take some of her ideas and post them here (with her permission, of course), because she has some *Rawkin!* ideas for clean-eating chow.

 Take this one for example: 

 Joie's Autumn Fruit Compote

·         1 very ripe pear or apple, diced

·         Several very ripe strawberries, sliced

·         A couple of shakes of pumpkin pie spice.

·         Stir to blend.

·         Put in a baggie and let marinate several hours for afternoon snack.

HOLY NOM!

*licks spoon*

 

Rachael's Recipe Review: TPM's Paleo Fudge

Hello,

if you folow us on the the Face Book companion page, you know that I've been talking a lot about this recipe for Paleo Fudge.

I was (and still am) a wicked sugar addict and a chocoholic from waaaaaay back, and I was hoping to find a recipe that would allow me to have a bit of the evil monster, and yet, not break the glucose bank, so to speak.

My fellow blogger, Sara, had found this recipe for freezer fudge (from The Paleo Mom), and tried it out on herself and her family. It was a hit. She's made it several times in the last couple of months, and every time cuts back a little bit on the honey. No one seems to notice.  She also adds things like almond butter, coconut flakes, nuts, etc.

I decided to give it a try myself, but I made it plain, no add-ins of nuts, coconut flakes, etc.  I am usually not a fan of fudge in general, especially not with nuts in it. Call me a purist. And that's my mistake.

Because I have to say that I at first I was disappointed. It tasted like eating chocolate flavored butter.

Alone.

The coconut oil was very rich, and with nothing to break it up, like the nuts I eschewed, it was really not very appetizing.

At first.

I kept the batch I made in the fridge.  I decided that I'd eventually melt it down and make something else out of it, but DaMan and I kept nibbling on it. Usually after dinner, when the sugar monster rears it's ugly head.

I found that in small pieces, it was tolerable.  And it did help me from craving the sugary stuff. I grew to appreciate the fact that a small piece would do me well for the night.

That same batch is still in my fridge. We still nibble off of it. And I still plan on melting it down and doing something else with it. I just haven't figured out what yet. But I'm happy with it, and grateful to The Paleo Mom for blogging about it.

Then my other compatriot who also is involved with this blog, Joie, tried it earlier this week. Joie isn't addicted to the sweets like Sara and I are. But I got this message from Joie after she made her batch:

Ok, holy crap. Did the Paleo Fudge/Chocolate thing. OMG.
Coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa, raw honey, a splash of vanilla, lots of unsweetened coconut, assorted chopped nuts and a little dried fruit.
This will take care of my dark chocolate fix!
Why didn't you force this down my gullet earlier?????

 So, I think that we can all safely say that the Paleo Freezer Fudge is a hit.

Picture from www.thepaleomom.com

Lola: Review of MaraNatha Almond Butter

http://www.maranathafoods.com/product/no-stir-raw-maple-almond-butter

My review of MaraNatha No Stir  Raw Maple Almond Butter 

Purchased: Walmart 12 oz. jar for around $5.68

I was reluctant to try Almond Butter due to the price and lack of overall visual appeal.   Curiosity won out and I purchased.

Initial view/color of Almond Butter is not overly appealing compared to traditional peanut butter.  Look is reminiscent of dirty beach sand.  Smell was okay..nothing that made me salivate.  Texture is looser than traditional p.b. and somewhat grainy with a bit of oil on top  to mix through (similar to Smuckers All Natural).  

Taste:  WOW !!!!  Almond taste with a slight taste of sweet maple sugar to follow ! Reminds me of Bavarian Nuts that I have purchased at Disney World.  (almonds coated in cinnamon and sugar).  I could eat this with a spoon and feel like its dessert!

Overall Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars!  Will buy again.

Ingredients:
Raw Almonds, Maple Sugar, Palm Oil, Sea Salt.

MaraNatha Almond Butter Page on Amazon! Click here to buy