Guacamole Zucchini Noodles

The main reason I bought a mandoline was to make zucchini noodles. And I have to say, they are amazing! They taste great, and they have that noodle-y feel, and they're healthy! What's not to love? Spiralizers and julienne peelers also work, but I wanted a multi-purpose tool. Too bad it's extremely dull and can't cut much. Oh well. I guess that's what I get for buying the cheapest mandoline available. Makes great zoodles, though.

I wanted to keep these raw for the health benefits. I also thought a creamy sauce would taste much better than a tomato-based one, and wouldn't be as watery. I've eaten spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, and trust me, it isn't good. So I just tossed the noodles with some leftover guacamole and served it with tomatoes and leftover pork for a delicious and super-quick dinner. The creaminess of the guacamole, the fresh, sweet, and acidic flavour of the tomatoes, and the rich, crispy, salty meatiness of the pork went wonderfully together to create this delicious dish!

If you want to make this dish raw and/or vegan, just leave out the pork, it'll still be good!

Zucchini Noodles with Guacamole

makes 1 serving

Ingredients

3 very small zucchini, cut into noodles

1/2 avocado

lime juice, to taste

salt, to taste

1 tomato, cut into thin wedges

cooked pork meat, preferably fatty and crispy, chopped and heated

Directions

1. Mash the avocado with a fork or puree in a food processor, for a creamier sauce.

2. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Mix it all together.

3. Toss the zucchini noodles with the guacamole.

4. Garnish with the tomato and top with the pork.

5. Enjoy!

The Best Breakfast Ever!

So I recently had a really delicious breakfast, and even though it's so simple it doesn't really count as a recipe, it was so delicious that I thought I'd have to post it!

 So I took 2 slices of extremely delicious pastured bacon (from Harbourside Farms) and stuck them in a dry frying pan on medium-low heat. I let them cook until they were crispy-chewy, then I set them aside, turned the heat to medium-high and added about 1/2 box of brown button mushrooms, sliced, into the remaining bacon fat. I fried them until they were almost fully cooked, then I added some fresh thyme, some salt, and some pepper. I then turned the heat to low and removed the mushrooms.

At this point, if the pan is dry again, add some coconut oil, butter, etc. I then fried a beautiful pastured egg, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and served it with the bacon, mushrooms, some avocado and some tomato wedges. Cherry tomatoes would just be outstanding!

So I guess it's basically bacon and eggs, but it was sooo delicious! Maybe it's just because it's been so long since I've eaten bacon and eggs? Well, it's still delicious, fast, and easy, so if you have a little extra time or want a breakfast that's a little extra special, make this!

Elk Roast

This recipe is based off of Dana Carpender's spiced pot roast, from her cookbook 500 Paleo Recipes. I did make a few changes, most notably I used elk instead of beef. The spices aren't very strong, they just add a nice hint of background flavour. What I've learned from making this is: marinate your elk roast, cook it in liquid, and cook it in a slow cooker. Every single time I've tried to cook elk it turned out dry and gamey, but this recipe is delicious! My family polished off the entire roast in one night when I made this! (Granted, it was a small roast, and my brother is a hungry 17-year-old, but still. It was an entire roast!) If you're new to cooking elk meat, NEVER cook it in a moderate oven for less than an hour with just a bit of water. The roast will taste bad. Don't waste that precious, wild meat, slow cook it! This is how it should be done. (Note: this might also work with venison, although I haven't tried it. It will definitely work with beef)

Spiced Tomato Elk Roast

Ingredients

1 elk blade roast

salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

1 can whole tomatoes (size of the can depends on the size on roast. For larger roasts, use a larger can)

1 Tbsp onion powder (or 1 onion, chopped)

2 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp olive oil

5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 ice cubes of concentrated stock (I used pork, beef would probably be better, normal stock could also be used, just increase the amount to a little over 1/2 cup and don't use any water)

1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

2-3 Tbsp beef tallow or lard, optional

Directions

1. Sprinkle your roast all over with salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg, rub into the meat. Stab the roast all over with a fork.

2. Puree the can of tomatoes, along with the onion if using fresh. Add the onion and garlic powder if using, along with the olive oil and vinegar. Mix well.

3. Put the roast in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

4. Put the roast in a slow cooker and pour the marinade over it. Add the stock cubes, water, and bay leaves. Cook on low for at least 8 hours, longer is fine. I cooked mine for almost 9 1/2.

5. A few hours (or earlier) before the roast is finished, put a chunk of tallow on top of the roast. When the fat melts, it'll enter the meat through the fork holes and make it moist.

6. Move the finished roast to a plate and cover, and pour the leftover juices into a small pot.

7. Simmer the juices until they cook down and are thickened. Alternately, you could add some arrowroot to thicken the gravy. Make a slurry of arrowroot powder and cold water and add it to the simmering liquid, while constantly whisking. Simmer but do not boil. The arrowroot will clump if overheated or exposed to a prolonged heat source. You do not need as much arrowroot as you would cornstarch.

8. Either cut the roast into slices or pull it apart with a fork, it should be tender enough.

9. Savour your moist, succulent, tender, juicy, flavourful, delicious elk roast!

Fried Pork Liver

Finally, liver that actually tastes good!

I used to hate liver, and that's really saying something because I like pretty much everything. If someone was talking about being a picky eater, I'd say that I like everything, except for liver. Now I've changed my mind.

You should never give up on a food you don't like after one time, two times, or even a few times. Often, you just need to play around with recipes and find out how to cook it in a way that you think tastes great, and sometimes you just need to get used to the flavour. My problem was that I wasn't cooking it right.

Most recipes for liver call for chicken livers, because apparently they taste the best and have the mildest flavour. I wouldn't know; I've never eaten chicken livers, and as I don't have a source for pastured chicken liver, I doubt I will in the near future. What I can get is beef liver and pork liver. I think they taste pretty similar, except the beef is much stronger. If you have a choice between the two, go with the pork. (I think pork liver is more nutritious anyway, at least in terms of some nutrients.) So when I first started becoming interested in healthy food I took Nourishing Traditions out from the library (and later bought a copy for myself) and I found out that liver is an extremely nutritious superfood. I bought some and had no idea what to do with it.

After combing the internet for recipes and not finding much of anything for beef liver, I decided just to make liver and onions. I soaked the liver overnight in lemon juice and cut it into slices. I started sauteing some onions, and then plopped the liver on top. What resulted was a disgusting, mushy mess of livery slop. It was awful. The liver was leaking liver juice, so the onions were all coated with something like cooked liver puree. (I'm sorry if I'm ruining your appetite; I promise this recipe is much better!) The only way I could choke it down was to mix it with some other mild-flavoured food and lots of (expensive!) bacon. Later I tried making pate, which tasted okay on sourdough bread, but since I try to avoid eating bread as much as possible, this wasn't the best solution.

This time I actually breaded it (not with bread), and it turned out great! The outsides were crispy, the flavour wasn't too strong, and I actually popped a few bites in my mouth as I was packing up the leftovers; it was that good! So to all you liver-haters: bread it, fry it in LOTS of fat, and smother it with mushrooms and caramelized onions (and bacon would also be more than welcome).

Fried Pork Liver with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 pork liver, sliced and dried with paper towels (optional: soak in lemon juice for a few hours or overnight, makes the flavour milder)
• 1/2 cup almond flour (I just ground some dried almond pulp leftover from making almond milk in a coffee grinder)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or more or less, depending on how spicy you want it)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 box of mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• lots of fat, for frying (I used a combination of coconut oil and drippings from a very fatty pork roast, but any meaty, flavourful fat is good. At least half pork or bacon fat it highly recommended.)

Directions

1. Saute the mushrooms in a little fat on a high heat until done. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Begin the caramelized onions. Add the onions to a pan with some fat and cook over low to medium-low heat until they turn caramel-coloured (this should take at least 30 minutes). Sprinkle with a little salt near the end, and if they're really sticking to the pan near the end, add a little water or extra fat.

3. Meanwhile, combine the flours, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Mix well.

4. Heat about 1/2" of fat in a frying pan, about medium to medium-high heat.

5. Dredge the liver slices with flour.

6. Place the strips in the hot fat and cook until golden-brown on one side, then flip and cook until golden-brown on the other. Remove finished liver strips to a plate lined with paper towels. This will have to be done in batches; don't crowd the pan. Add additional fat to pan between batches if necessary.

6. Serve liver slices smothered with caramelized onions and mushrooms.

Sorry about the picture, I think I accidentally deleted the ones
I had of just the liver and the liver with mushrooms and onions.

As you can see, I like a lot of mushrooms and onions with my liver. If you run out of mushrooms and onions before you run out of liver, either make some more or increase the amount of mushrooms and onions you cook.