All too often I find myself standing in the fridge wondering what in the world I’ll make for myself for lunch. It’s easy to give the kiddos a piece of gluten free bread, jam, and almond butter and their fruit of choice. However…I need a little more than that. Not that I don’t mind making a full meal for all of us sometimes…just other days it’s what we have.
So before me sits a lidded casserole dish full of a pre-cooked chicken I had cooked and pulled apart. It’s occasions such as this that I keep some cooked chicken laying around in the fridge. Originally, I was just going to cook some onions (that I have been craving like madness lately), and some of the chicken. But…being paleo… We’re looking for nutrient density too. Yes…that means some veggies. I had some frozen veggies in the freezer perfect for a stir-fry.
So here’s what you’ll need to throw together:
⦁ Cut up Chicken (If you make from fresh some chicken breast would work fine.)
⦁ Green Giant Antioxidant Blend Frozen Veggies (In your favorite grocer’s freezer section.)
⦁ Half of an Onion (Cut it however you want. I had pre-minced an onion earlier this morning and threw it in.)
⦁ Olive Oil
⦁ Sesame Oil
⦁ Liquid Aminos, Coconut Aminos, or Tamari (If you aren’t GF, then plain ole soy sauce would work.)
If you have all of these things on hand…this is a piece of cake. Cooking with all fresh ingredients, of course, will be even more delicious. If you have everything fresh just make sure all of your veggies are cut up and well cooked, your meat is cooked, and then follow the directions to follow.
If you used the frozen veggies, cook according to the instructions on the package before you start so that they can be ready when you need them. If they’re done early, simply set them in a bowl on the side.
Add a good swirl of olive oil to a deep pan. Let it heat up on medium high. The onions should sizzle as soon as they hit the oil. Cook them until they are soft. Add the cooked veggies in. (You could do this all at the same time if cooking from fresh.) Add the meat of your choice. (You could use any meat you have.) After it is hot and well blended add a light swirl of sesame oil and a few dashes of liquid aminos. Stir well, then put on a plate. Enjoy! This can be made for as many or as few people as you need.
I hope you enjoy this really fast recipe that would be great for a quick lunch or supper. Rice is a paleo gray area because it’s nutritionally pointless and isn’t necessarily bad or good for the body. If you’re not paleo and want rice? Go on with your bad self my friend! I’m sending you yumminess in a jiffy from my (Paleo Parenthese Filled) Common Sense Kitchen, to yours. We’ll see you back, same paleo time, same paleo blog. You never know what this busy mom and Common Sense cook will throw together next!
Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook
Category: beginner
I’ll Pay You Tuesday for A Hamburger Today…
I hope someone out there giggled at my title, and if you didn’t, just type it into Google.
Years and years i have patted some ground meat into a patty shape. I have tried adding fillers, cheese filled, hidden veggies galore, from thick and wide to thin and floppy. I have over seasoned and under seasoned. I have over cooked, and under cooked….I think you get the point by now right? I’ve been grilling meat for quite a while now. After years and years of making burgers, trial and error, I think I’ve finally found “MY” way to do a burger. This, of course, is only my opinion and you can make your burgers however you want. That’s what is so great about a burger.
Being paleo, I do not do buns, but I do have a recipe for buns with plenty of great reviews from “Against All Grains” that I plan to try in the future. For now, let’s stick with the basics so that all of us (including our non-paleo friends) can enjoy a great burger that is easy to make and delicious.
Here’s what you’ll need for the Common Sense Burger:
- Ground Beef (I used 2.25 pounds for 6 burgers.)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
Take the meat out of the package. I lay mine on the cutting board and simply take a long knife to divide it into 6 pieces. This allows me to try to make the patties about the same size. Crack some salt and pepper over the top. As Gordon Ramsay says, “Season it beautifully.” Sprinkle garlic powder to your own liking. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I love garlic so I probably use 2-3 tablespoons, at least.
Pick up each divided portion. I usually let my meat sit out on the counter for 15 minutes so that it is closer to room temperature. My hands are insanely sensitive to cold, and from what I have heard, it helps the meat cook more evenly and it should be easier to get the middle to cook. Take the meat and squish it in your hands, letting the seasonings mix throughout. Roll it into a ball, smooth out the sides as best as you can. Slowly, and carefully, start to flatten it out. As you flatten it make sure and try to continually smooth the sides out. The flatter the burger, the better it will cook. I set my burger on my indoor grill and carefully press it with my fingers to make sure it’s an inch thick or less.
I keep my indoor grill fairly low. Between 2 and 3. The meat still browns but it’s not so hot that it sticks. Let it brown. A few minutes after, take a spatula and just slightly move them so they don’t stick.. This will take around 7 minutes to 10 minutes. It all depends on how hot and fast you are comfortable cooking. During this time. Leave it alone.
When you decide to flip the burgers, again, let them brown all the way through. Cook it slowly and it’s more likely to get done in the middle. I flipped it two more times so that it could cook evenly. All in all, it took about 25 to 30 minutes. This may seem a little long, but it worked and worked well. It made a crispy outside, left it juicy in the middle, and gave a great flavor.
What can you do with these burgers? For my kids, I break them up and top them with ketchup or barbecue sauce. I personally love barbecue sauce and a big mountain of cooked onions. There are as many ways to make up a burger as there are people reading this recipe (so let’s say millions!? lol).
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I’m sending you this paleo classic from my Common Sense Test Kitchen to yours. Come back next time to see what this Bunless Burger Loving, Common Sense Cook will grill up next.
-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook
Mushroom Broth
It’s getting so close to fall here in Arkansas. If you live anywhere north of us, it may already feel like fall. It’s time for pumpkins and stews. Oh, I love a good stew. I made a great beef & butternut squash from Autoimmune Paleo last night that was soooo delicious!
However, one day, I was going through my pantry and happened to pick up a box of my “favorite” organic box of chicken stock. I’ve been buying it for years. Ingredients are clean and organic but wait…what the heck is this y’all!? Allergen warning: May contain wheat. -____-
Unfortunately for me, being pretty allergic to gluten, I can’t use it. I was a bit furious at the time because the ingredients didn’t list anything that was a known gluten product, except the “natural flavors” and most companies distinguish between, produced in the same facility as, or produced with an ingredient that may have. So what did I do? I made. Stuff. Up. (Are y’all seeing a theme yet?)
Here is what you’ll need for this gluten free broth:
- 1 package of portobello mushrooms
- A lotta water (Enough to fill a big soup pot. Store the extra!)
- Bay Leaf
- Salt and Pepper
- Rosemary
In my DDP Yoga guide they mentioned using mushroom broth but didn’t leave a recipe. This is so easy. It stores beautifully in the fridge for you to pull out whenever you need it.
Simply add everything into a big pot of water. My regular sized soup pot held about 15 cups of water and I ended up saving 2 quarts, plus the 2 cups I used for supper that night. Bring everything to a slow boil and turn the mushrooms every so often. This really shouldn’t take more that 20 to 30 minutes. We’re basically making brown, flavored water. Don’t let it boil over, just let it bubble away until dark brown.
Transfer this dark brown liquid into a storing container and let it cool. If you want a stronger flavor you could leave the mushrooms to sit in the broth over night. Then, pull them out and discard them (or save them for your friends compost pile :)).
I’ve put this in stews, chilli, soups, and even used it with a can of green beans to pull out that canned flavor. My mom even asked if they were fresh green beans! This is a great staple to keep in your fridge. I believe I kept mine for a week or two in the fridge and it worked out fine every time. It’s also a great way to sneak in other veggies into the family diet.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you give a try come on over to the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/commonsensecook) and show me a picture! Really, if you’re a beginner cook, this one is just too easy to mess up. Come back next week to see what this crazy hippie gal Common Sense Cook makes up next.
-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook
The Common Sense Cook 