“It’s been a long, cold lonely winter” - but “Here comes the Sun.”

Lately I’ve been obsessed with music from the 60’s and 70’s. Partly because I’ve always been drawn to lyrics and harmonies but lately the meanings really resonate with me. Winter is still trying to hang on, but in keeping with 60’s song lyric theme, we know, “To everything there is a season”.  From the longer daylight hours and the melting of the snow, to seeing our neighbors emerge from their homes and car window’s beginning to crack open we know this winter season is surely coming to an end and spring is making her presence known.

As this winter season draws to an end, so does our bodies need for heartier comfort meals. So I will be wrapping up these last few winter days with some of my favorite winter meals and like everyone else begin looking forward to the next season of life.

This dish can be used as a side for 4 people or used as a main dish for 2 people.

Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad (makes 4 servings)

25 Brussels sprouts

½ lb pasture raised pork bacon

1 honeycrisp or pink lady apple (cored and diced)

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Couple dashes of hot sauce

¼-1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.       Rinse Brussels sprouts, slice and remove core.

3.       Stack bacon slices together and slice into ½ strips.

4.       Layer Brussels sprouts on baking sheet and sprinkle with strips of bacon.

5.       Roast in the oven for 25-30 min.

While the Brussels sprouts and bacon are roasting, prepare the dressing. Add lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, hot sauce to blender. Blend on low. While blender is running stream in ¼-1/2 cup of olive oil.

When the Brussels sprouts are done, add sprouts, bacon and apple to a medium sized bowl and pour dressing atop. Toss to coat and enjoy!

Speaking of Meat and Potatoes

Let’s just throw some leftovers together and make Shepherd’s Pie (or Cottage Pie for you really old folks).  It’s still bitterly cold and I’m hungry.

Growing up, I don’t remember eating shepherd’s pie all that often, which some might consider strange for this Irish, Boston girl. In fact it’s only been recently where I have grown to appreciate the simple flavors and comforts of this historically peasant dish.  In fact the name cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791, when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop for the poor. Probably nick-named for “the rural workers” who lived in cottages, these meals became a staple in their diets. The actual term “shepherd’s pie” did not appear in cook books until 1877 and was described as a way to utilize leftover roasted meat of any kind with an all around crust of mashed potatoes.

This recipe does not have an all around crust of mashed tater’s, but who am I to tell you what to do. However what is lacks in an all around crust, it makes up for in delicious gravy to keep the meat moist.

Shepherd’s Pie (makes 4 servings)

1 lb ground beef

1 cup corn (frozen or canned works fine in this dish)

1 cup leftover carrots

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

2 tbsp grass fed butter

2 tbsp flour

1 quart homemade beef or chicken stock (room temperature)

¼ cup parmesan cheese 

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Butter bottom of casserole dish.

3.       Brown 1lb of ground beef in large skillet.

4.       Remove beef from skillet and place in casserole dish. Mix in leftover corn and carrots.

 

 

5.       In the skillet used for browning the ground beef, add 2 tbsp’s of grass fed butter.

6.       Whisk in flour and cook for 1 min.

7.       Slowly whisk in stock over low heat and cook for 10-15 minutes until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

8.       Pour gravy over meat and veggie mixture.

9.       Spread mashed potatoes over top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

10.   Bake for 20-25 min until crust is golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Why I Make My Own Stocks and Bone Broth

In my last post I noted that homemade stock is preferred for my French Onion Soup recipe. Aside from the flavor that it imparts into the soup, homemade stocks (bone broths) are chock full of vitamins and nutrients. Many consider them to be powerful superfoods that can boost our immune system, heal and strengthen our teeth, bones and joints.  In fact, many of our ancestors believed that the vitality from a chicken is transferred to our bodies when we consume chicken soup, which is why it was generally given to the sick.  Modern versions of this healing broth fall short because we have replaced the broth with sodium and color to give the appearance of a health food; however, it’s not real soup.

“Back in the Good Ol’ Days” our grandparents didn’t throw anything away, so when they butchered an animal or purchased meat it was usually still on the bone. Once the meat was removed/eaten they would take the bones, along with vegetables and simmer them to make stock.

The process of making stock is not very involved, but does take some time. Simmering bones (with some meat and fat still attached), vegetables, cold water and a dash of vinegar to help extract calcium (if you have ever soaked eggs shells in vinegar until they turned rubbery you know why this is helpful) is all it takes.

It’s important to note that the key to a nourishing bone broth/stock is getting bones from pastured animals and wild caught fish. Our modern farming practices focus on factory farms where the animals are rarely allowed to move and are fed diets of grain/corn. Remember that old adage, “You are what you eat”? Well it’s more like “we are what they ate”. Animals that are not allowed to spend their lives on the pasture cannot consume grass. The grass is where the animals get their vitamins and minerals from, so if we do not allow the animal its own supply of vitamins and minerals, we will be unable to extract them from their bones during the stock making process. It’s that simple!

 

To make it even easier, I regularly visit Stillman’s Farm (located in central MA) at the Somerville farmer’s market and  purchase their ‘bags of bones’ for about $3.50 a lb. So for about $7 I am able to make 6-8 quarts of stock. That’s much cheaper than supermarket stock in box.

Beef or Chicken Stock/Bone Broth

1 pasture based chicken carcass or 2 lb of pasture raised beef bones

8 quarts of water

3 Carrots

3 Ribs Celery

2 onions

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Remove the scum that forms on the top of the stock with a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and let your stock simmer for about 8-12 hours.

I usually do this first thing on a Sunday morning and let it simmer all day for the best results.

Enjoy!

Winter's Killing Me

I’ve always had an appreciation for winter. There is something serenely calm about the long nights and cold weather during which we retreat to the comfort of our homes. And then there’s the snow; when everything is blanketed in white and the world appears to just stop, if only for a few minutes.  For me, this is when it’s easy to just be.  I feel I have nowhere to go and nothing to do; I can appreciate Mother Nature’s beauty. But now it’s March, and this winter is killing me. I’m longing for spring, and greens, and sun. Hopefully only a few more weeks, but for now I will be wrapping up these winter weeks with some of my favorite comfort foods. 

Since completing my schooling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I’ve been trying to work on my diet and eat more local foods in season.  For this Boston gal, winter means meat and potatoes. Winter in New England can be harsh so eating local consists of the same items over and over. I’m sure this soup must have derived from those early settlers trying to figure out other ways to use their winter staples. Please enjoy my version of this winter favorite!

French Onion Soup (makes 4 servings)

6 medium/large onions

3 tbsp grass fed butter

1 clove of garlic

1.5 quarts of beef stock (preferably homemade)

1 tbsp flour

French baguette

8 oz Gruyere cheese 

Directions:

1.       Peel and slice onions as thin as possible. A mandolin may be useful if you have one, otherwise a sharp knife will do the trick

2.       Take 2 tbsp’s of butter and add to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and let caramelize. This process can take anywhere from 25-35 minutes and should not be rushed. Stir occasionally during this time.

3.       Once onions are caramelized, grate 1 glove of garlic into your pan and season with salt and pepper.

4.       Add the remaining tbsp of butter along with 1 tbsp of flour and stir until the flour is incorporated.

 

5.       Add beef stock and let simmer for an additional 10 min.

 

6.       Ladle soup into oven safe bowls.

7.       Preheat your oven broiler to high.

8.       Slice baguette and place 1-2 slices atop each bowl.

9.       Place a generous amount of Gruyere cheese on top of each bowl.

10.   Put bowls onto cookie sheet and place under broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep a close eye though to make sure it doesn’t burn. 
 

Enjoy!

What Does One Do with Spaghetti Squash – Make These!

Have you ever walked by a spaghetti squash in the super market and thought “What would I do with that?” Well I have your answer; you make this recipe for Spaghetti Squash Patties.  

 

If you are anything like me, sometimes trying to eat healthy can be time consuming and overwhelming but this recipe is neither of those two things. It has 6 ingredients and most of them you should have on hand already. I made this recipe on a Sunday afternoon and kept the leftovers in the fridge for lunch/snacks during the week.

This recipe was slightly adapted from My New Roots.

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 cup rolled oats, ground into flour

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

¼- ½ cup of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 bunch fresh sage

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Rub the flesh with a little butter or coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side up on a cookie sheet and cook for 35-45 min until the flesh can be pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  Using a fork, scrape out all the flesh and place in a bowl. If the spaghetti squash is very watery, use a sieve over a bowl or sink to drain out the excess water.

2.       In a food processor, grind the oats until you have rough flour. Add in 6 -10 sage leaves, garlic cloves, salt, pepper and pulse to combine.

3.       Add the oat mixture, beaten egg, and parmigiano reggiano cheese to the bowl with the spaghetti squash and fold to combine.

4.       Take about ¼ cup of the mixture in your hands and roll into a small ball and flatten into a patty. Continue until you have used all the mixture.

5.       Heat a skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium heat and add grass fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil. Place 3-4 small patties in the pan and cook on each side until golden brown. Continue until you have cooked all of the patties. Alternatively, you can cook these in a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes on each side.

I served these over a simple kale salad. Mix 2 tbsp of cold pressed olive oil, 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  De-stem the kale and chop roughly.  Gently massage each piece of roughly chopped kale (mostly using your thumbs) until tender and thinly coated with the dressing. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.

Enjoy!

Warm Up Your Summer Smoothie

During the spring and summer months, I love to whip up a fruit smoothie, chock full of local fruits, to help keep me hydrated and full after a morning workout. However during these long, dark winter months, the idea of fruit, ice and creamy cold sorbet seems counter-intuitive. Besides the ice cold liquid can actually slow down our lymphatic system, an important part of our immune system, increasing our susceptibility to colds and flu.

So, in the winter, I turn to this hearty and hydrating blend to boost my immune system and keep my skin healthy.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup frozen strawberries

½ - 1 whole frozen banana

1 tbsp almond butter

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 cup water (more if you like it thinner)

Directions: Place in blender and blend until creamy. Enjoy!

Welcome

Hi there! Welcome to my new blog, Little Bit's of ME (Meghan Elizabeth). I am hoping that this blog will be an outlet for me to integrate my passion for food, health and wellness with my love of cooking, with a few other bit's thrown in for good measure. I hope to have a new post up shortly. Check back soon!