Meat

Spaghetti squash with pesto and Venison meatballs

Posted by julie on 12 Oct 2012 in Meats, Recipes | 8 comments

Here’s a post by our lovely “Fitness Boss” Julie:

Before our Paleo eating days, one of my kids favorite meals was pasta with my homemade pesto. I must admit I really liked it as well 🙂

Now that I have finally found spaghetti squash here in Switzerland I thought I would try and do something new for the kids and hope that they like it…..

 

Pesto Recipe:

2 bunches of fresh Basil

1 handful of italian parsley

approx. 1.5 Tbs of toasted pine nuts

approx. 1/3 cup of quality olive oil

1 Tbs parmesan cheese (don’t call the paleo police…..I know dairy is not paleo BUT we digest it just fine and have not eliminated it completely out of our diet)

Blitz everything in the food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste

 

Venison Meatballs:

1 kg (2 pounds) of ground venison meat

1 egg

approx 1/4 cup of almond flour

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 onion (chopped in very small pieces)

spices –  I added oregano, paprika, dried mustard, salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190C) degrees

2. Get your hands dirty and mix everything together

3. Roll out your meatballs. I make mine the size of golfballs (I like them big:)

4. Cook in a preheated oven for approx. 20mins

 

Sphaghetti Squash

I cooked it according to the directions on this site.

Add the amount of pesto you like to the spaghetti squash, top with meatballs and enjoy….

 

NOTE:The kids LOVED it!!!!

 

 

 

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Meaty Paleo Chili

Posted by lisa on 2 Oct 2012 in Meats, Recipes | Comments Off on Meaty Paleo Chili

Back in my pre-paleo days, we used to make a vegetarian chili full of beans. I don’t know what I was thinking because this meat filled chili is so much better! And, chili without beans = no chili farts…your friends and family will thank you.

 

The picture that goes along with this post is not very glamorous and I’d like to say it’s because chili is not very photogenic, but really it’s because I’m still trying to figure out how my camera works. When I’m not thinking about food, eating food or blogging about food, I’m busy reading about how to take pictures of food. My wish list of photography equipment is now almost as long as my wish list of kitchen appliances.

Ingredients

• 600 grams of ground beef
• 600 grams of stew meat (chunks of beef)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 green pepperoncini, chopped
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can of tomatoes (8oz/ 240gm)
• 2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 3 Thai chilies finely chopped or 1 Tablespoon dried chili flakes
• 1 cup bone broth (or water)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Saute onions, pepperoncini, bell peppers and garlic in some coconut oil. Throw into your crock pot (slow cooker) afterwards.
2. Brown your ground beef and throw it into the pot.
3. Brown your beef chunks and throw in the pot.
4. Now add everything else to the pot and cook for 3-4 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this in a large pot on your stove top for 1-2 hours. The longer you cook it, the better it tastes.

You can top your chili with all sorts of wonderful things: avocado, chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped red onions or green onions and sour cream, grated cheese or plain yogurt if you eat dairy. An optional add in for something extra yummy: chopped sweet potatoes!

The best part about this recipe is the left overs you get to eat the next day.

En Guete!

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Marinated Flank Steak

Posted by lisa on 27 Sep 2012 in Ingredients, Meats, Recipes | 3 comments

Flank steak is a very popular cut of beef in the States but you will probably never see it here in your Migro or Coop. The flank steak is a cut of beef from the abdominal muscle of the cow and it’s relatively long and flat. Although it is extremely flavorful, it is one of the tougher cuts of meats which explains why it’s not a very common cut here in Switzerland. The great part about this cut being considered ‘less desirable’ here is that you can get it for a bargain price. We’ve paid between 20 and 30 francs per kilo whereas Rindsfilet is currently 112 francs per kilo.

Flank steak can be identified by the characteristic grain of the meat. These long, stringy muscle fibers in the flank steak can be tough, which is why it’s important to break them down either through slow, moist cooking or marinating (we like to marinate ours and then cook it hot and fast on the grill). Finally, so that the meat isn’t too chewy, it’s important to slice flank steak across this grain, not alongside it.

What’s it called in German and where do I get it?

It’s called “Leistenfleisch” in German or “Bavette” in French. We get ours from the fabulous butcher in Fällanden. Herr Eigenmann gets all of his beef from the local farmers in Maur and Forch. You can even special order exotic things like bison from him and Susan raves about his lamb burgers. You have to plan ahead if you want some flank steak because the meat has to hang for 2 weeks before it’s butchered into cuts of beef. We order several kilos at once so we can keep some in the freezer.

Recipe

• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 Cup of Tamari Sauce (we use the kind from Migro with the green label—it’s gluten free but does contain a small amount of soy) OR you can use coconut aminos
• 1 Tablespoon bio/organic honey
• 2 Tablespoons of Gin

This makes enough marinade for 1 kg of meat. Marinate your flank steak overnight or for a few hours before grilling. Skip the pre-marinated meat at the butcher counter and make your own so you have control over the ingredients. This particular marinade is also excellent on salmon, shrimp and chicken.

En Guete!

Coconut aminos are a gluten free and soy free replacement for Soy and Tamari sauce. Sadly, I have never been able to find it here or in Germany but have brought it back from the States with me to try.

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