Lamb Lettuce Boats with Avo-Ziki Sauce [P]

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
LAMB LETTUCE BOATS
with AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1lb lamb stew meat
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
1 Tblsp coconut oil, melted
4-6 large romaine lettuce leaves, cleaned [I used my romaine from my garden!]
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, finely diced
1 lemon, cut in half

• In a small mixing bowl, season the lamb with the sea salt, black pepper, and oregano. 
• In a skillet over med-high heat, melt the coconut oil, and then place the lamb pieces in the pan. Cook the lamb approximately 2-3 minutes or until it is browned on one side, and flip to brown on the other side for another 2 minutes or so.
• Once the meat is cooked, chop it into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Place the romaine lettuce leaves onto serving plates and top with the chopped lamb, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. 
• Squeeze lemon over each lettuce boat, then top with the Avo-Ziki Sauce.

AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup grated cucumber
1 small garlic clove, grated
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tblsp EVOO
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

• Combine all ingredients in a small food processor or with a hand blender.

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Spring Greens Salad w/ Fennel & Avacado

SPRING GREENS SALAD

with FENNEL & AVOCADO

1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (9oz) bag spring greens
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed of feathery stalks and thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
2 Tblsp unsalted sunflower seed kernels

• Make the salad dressing: in a small bowl, whisk the mustard, honey, salt and vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Taste and adjust as needed.
• In a large bowl, combing spring greens, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, fennel and cucumber. Lightly toss to combine. Drizzle with some of the dressing, toss and taste, repeating until all ingredients are lightly coated.
• Top with sunflower seed kernels and serve immediately. 

This recipe can be found in this amazing cookbook:

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Chicken Satay Salad

CHICKEN SATAY SALAD

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
7 tblsp Thai peanut sauce [recipe below]
3 tblsp vegetable oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tblsp fresh lime juice
1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
3 tblsp chopped roasted salted peanuts

• Preheat grill to medium high. 
• Slice the chicken breasts 1/2 inch thick and toss with 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce, 1/2 tablespoon veg oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
• Whisk the remaining 5 tablespoons peanut sauce and 2-1/2 tablespoons veg oil, the lime juice and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper and cilantro and toss.
• Season with salt and pepper and divide among bowls or plates. Top with chicken, peanuts and more cilantro.

PEANUT SAUCE [if you can't find the jar!]

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

• Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

recipe from "Food Network Magazine" September 2012 issue

Canning: Squash Relish

When my in-laws were visiting, we went on a canning spree! Canned things from pickles, to jams, to pickled watermelon rhines! This week I'll show you what and how we made them!

SQUASH RELISH

Click HERE for printable recipe

8 unpeeled yellow squash
4 pickling sized cucumbers
3 large red bell pepper
1 white onion
1 red onion

Diced everything into small pieces. My pampered chef chopper is perfect for this! You can also make them in larger pieces if that is what you like. I use relish in my tuna and such, so the smaller the bits the better.

Put them in a bowl and let them get to know each other for about an hour.

2 cups white vinegar
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground celery seed
2 teaspoons ground mustard seeds

Bring these 4 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan for 5 minutes. Add squash mixture and bring back up to a boil, and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

After the boiling, pour mixture into sterilized pint jars and top it off with juice, keeping about 1/2 inch head. Seal them with sterilized lids.

This recipe will make about 5 pints. We doubled the recipe, and in a large stockpot--took a little more time to heat up and such, but well worth the little extra effort...especially since it was all homegrown and we had an excess of veggies! We made 11 pints with it.

Let these jars boil for about 7 min minutes. Turn off heat and let them sit for 5 minutes. Remove them and let them cool overnight (24 hours), and keep listening for the "pop" sound. Check the next day to make sure they sealed. If they didn't, refrigerate and use within a week, or process them again. These have a shelf life of over a year when sealed--but they never last that long around here.

Click HERE for printable recipe
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Sealing and preserving the jars
click HERE for printable

I'm no professional, and I don't have professional or fancy appliances. So this is how you can do it as well if you don't have any of those fancy pressure cookers and such.

LARGE stockpot. My husband used a pot he uses to make his beer with. The pot needs to be deep enough to cover the jars by at least 1 inch.
Canning basket. This is really cheap and can be found at the majority of grocery and retail stores. Its a little basket with "feet" and a handle--put a few jars in and lower into the water. It keeps them from touching the bottom of the pan and easy to remove from water. If you only get 1 thing, get this--its worth it.
Sterilizing jars. Send your jars through the dishwasher the same day you are canning. Make sure you set the "sterilizing" setting on. Leave them in there until you are ready to pour into them. If you leave them overnight and do the canning the next day, sterilize them again. This is to prevent any germ or yeast that might have gotten in over night. You can also boil them for a few minutes in boiling water. Dishwasher is easier for a larger quantity of jars.
Sterilizing the lids. Place all of them into boiling water and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. You can keep these in the water until ready to use.

Now, to seal the jars. Heat a pot large enough to cover jars you are using by 1 to 2 inches. The jars also shouldn't be touching the bottom, so use canning basket or wire rack that will fit. They only need to be off the bottom by 1/2 inch. Bring the water to a boil, and you are ready. Place jars in water, start timer. Leave in as directions say. When time is up, turn off the heat and leave in water for 5 minutes. Remove, carefully, and let them sit for a good 24 hours. Check seal--if it didn't seal, you can process them again or refrigerate up to 1 week.

These tips come from my own personal experience. I am by no means a professional, nor do I claim to be. Proceed at your own risk.

click HERE for printable