Texas Sheet Cake – Gluten and Refined Sugar-Free

September 16, 2012 29 Comments

Texas Sheet Cake…just like I remember it.

Have you ever heard of a Texas Sheet Cake? Yeah, me neither.  When I grew up we just called it Sheet Cake…of course we lived in Texas so maybe that’s why we didn’t need to include the “Texas” part.  I have very fond memories of this moist, intensely chocolatey (almost brownie like…but not) cake with a super sweet icing that looked almost crackle-y (is that even a word?) on top when you cut into it.   I remember this cake being a part of just about every family celebration we had and after much research on this heavenly cake so do a lot of other southerners!  No one really knows the origin of the “Texas Sheet Cake” that may date back as far as the 1900’s but almost every recipe I came across has a slightly different name (Aunt Velma’s Chocolate Cake, Texas Sheet Cake, Cocoa Sheath Cake, Mexican Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Cookie Sheet Cake…) but nearly identical ingredients.  The most information I found as to why it’s called “Texas Sheet Cake” can be found here, you can follow the links in the post for some fun information on this wonderful traditional southern dessert.

I had a hankering for this dessert today but I didn’t feel like messing around with the recipe to come up with a grain-free version…mostly because I really wanted it to taste, look and feel like the chocolate cake I remember having at my grandmother’s house.  I opted to make a gluten and refined sugar-free version using quinoa flour and coconut palm sugar, all the other ingredients are the same as the original recipe.  Now, one theory on the name “Texas Sheet Cake” is because it makes a cake the size of Texas since it is traditionally baked in an 12×18 half sheet pan, which is HUGE.  I cut the original recipe in half to make a 9×12 quarter sheet cake, which still yields 12 generous servings!

Gluten-Free Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup palm sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cocoa, heaping

1 stick butter

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup buttermilk

 1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

7 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. cocoa, heaping

3 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

8 ounces coconut palm sugar, powdered**

**Powder the coconut palm sugar by placing it in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend on high until it reaches the consistency of finely powdered sugar.

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat and enjoy!

Just a few thoughts…

This cake turned out just as I remembered it.  I was completely thrilled with this recipe and how well the quinoa flour and coconut palm sugar didn’t change the texture or taste of the original recipe.  With that said…this cake was WAY too sweet for my taste now!!!! Did I love it? Yes.  Did it satisfy the craving I was having for a childhood memory? Yes.  Will I make it again? Yes.  Will I play around with the recipe to make it grain-free and less sweet? Probably not…This will be one of those recipes that is pulled out on a special occasion or when in need of a comfort food fix, anything different would defeat the purpose of this recipe!

Moist and dense…but not too much of either one…

the perfect combination.

See…crackle-y!

The best way to eat it is warm with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream!

This post is shared at:

Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays, Tasty Tuesday, Fight Back Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesdays

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Italian Bacon~Spinach~Tomato Mini Frittatas

September 7, 2012 1 Comment

This a simple recipe that uses fresh and flavorful ingredients and it’s easy to put together.  I used raw milk cheese in mine but if you are dairy-free you can simply leave it out.  Enjoy this high protein, low carb dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner with a nice side salad or even some oven-roasted sweet potatoes.

Pastured eggs, nitrate-free bacon, vine ripe tomatoes, baby spinach and raw milk cheese…beautiful!

Italian Bacon~Spinach~Tomato Mini Frittatas

This recipe makes two servings (the photo above was for one).

Ingredients:

4 pastured eggs

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 large tomatoes, sliced thin and seeded

1 ounce baby spinach

2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 4 ramekins or 2 individual size serving dishes, set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together eggs and Italian seasoning.

In each dish layer tomatoes, spinach, cheese and bacon…depending on the size of your dish you should have enough room to repeat the layers.

Pour the whisked eggs over the layered ingredients evenly (about 1/4 cup in each ramekin).

Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Baked to perfection!

You can pop these easily out of the ramekins or serve them directly in the baking dish.  Either way…Delish!

This recipe is shared at:

Fill Those Jars Fridays, Fresh Bites Fridays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Made From Scratch Mondays

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Mini Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

July 31, 2012 13 Comments

My very first job ever was at The Chocolate Chip Cookie Factory in Collin Creek Mall when I was 14 years old.  One of my favorite things to bake (and eat) when I worked there were the mini varieties of our most popular cookies.  We sold them by the half and bakers dozens and served them in a fun parchment paper cone to eat on the go!  What a treat to recreate this fond memory with much healthier ingredients…I loved cookies then and I love cookies now, especially ones that are gluten, grain and refined sugar-free.

Mini cookies in a paper cone…just like I remember them!

Mini Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

1/4 cup coconut nectar, maple syrup or honey

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a large mixing bowl sift together almond flour, sea salt and baking soda.  In a smaller bowl whisk together coconut oil, coconut nectar and vanilla.  Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Drop by 1/2 Tbsp measure onto parchment and slightly flatten.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Makes 24 bite-sized cookies.

This recipe is shared at:

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday

Made From Scratch Monday

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Grammy’s Famous Mile-Hi Mudd Pie

June 18, 2012 6 Comments

Mile-Hi Mudd Pie

***Disclaimer***

This is not a recipe for a “healthy” dessert.  It is an off-the-rails, special occasion, treat with consequences (or not).  It can certainly be made with “healthier” substitutions successfully but the recipe that follows is in its original full glorious sugar-filled (although gluten-free) form.  This is my daughter’s favorite dessert and she is coming home from her freshman year of college this weekend and has requested it…what’s a mom to do? Uh, well…say heck yes and get in the kitchen to make it!!! 

Grammy’s Mile-Hi Mudd Pie (serves 12, generously)

1 chocolate cookie pie crust, cooled (I use Pamela’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies, 1 bag for the crust)

2 pints caramel ice cream, softened

2 pints coffee ice cream, softened

1-2 cups chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1-2 cups crushed chocolate cookies (about ½ bag of Pamela’s)

Bake the chocolate cookie pie crust in a 9″ springform pan or deep pie pan and completely cool.

Spread 2 pints of softened caramel ice cream on top of cooled crust. Sprinkle the crushed cookies on top of the caramel ice cream. Place in the freezer until ice cream is firm (at least 2 hours). Spread 2 pints of coffee ice cream on top of cookie layer.  Freeze for 2-4 hours until very firm.

Spread room temperature ganache over the frozen coffee ice cream layer and sprinkle on the sliced almonds (I left these off in the photos).  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Take pie out of the freezer 20-30 minutes prior to serving.  Garnish with fresh whipped cream, chocolate ganache drizzle and sliced almonds.

Chocolate Ganache (yields 2 cups)

8 ounces dark chocolate

¾ cup heavy cream

½ Tbsp. butter or coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Place dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.  Bring heavy cream and butter to a boil, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour cream over the dark chocolate and let rest for 5 minutes.  Whisk together until smooth.  Let set on counter until cooled to room temperature.

Normally garnished with almonds and whipped cream but the girl likes it plain.

This is an old photo showing the Mudd Pie garnished with whip and ganache…also made in a pie pan so you get the lovely domed shape!

This recipe is shared at:

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays

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Grain-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Maple Drizzle

May 14, 2012 55 Comments

Grain-Free Coffee Cake with Maple Drizzle

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for me…no matter what time of day I eat it.  I generally like to have bacon and eggs, omelets, frittatas or sometimes even coconut pancakes but every once in a while on the weekends or for holidays a nice sweet treat served with homemade spicy sausage is where it is at!  This recipe is adapted from one in Elana Amsterdam’s Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and is truly the best gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free coffee cake I’ve ever eaten…as a matter of fact it is better than any coffee cake I’ve ever had that was full of sugar, gluten and grain!!!

This past Friday was my mom’s birthday followed by Mother’s Day on Sunday so I thought I’d treat my mom, dad and husband (and let’s be honest…ME, too) to a fun, decadent breakfast dessert…and it really hit the spot!

Out of the oven…resting.

Grain-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake (makes 9-12 servings):

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil, melted
6 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or pan with butter or coconut oil and lightly dust with almond flour.

To make the cake:

Combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, pecans and raisins in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter or coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla.  Make a well inside the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined, the batter will be very thick.  Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish. Using a spatula, gently push the batter into place making it as level as possible.

To make the topping:

Combine cinnamon, butter or coconut oil, maple syrup and pecans or almonds in a bowl.  Spread the topping over the cake batter. 

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 1 hour on a wire rack.  Slice cake into squares and drizzle with Maple Frosting before serving.

This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.  Once you drizzle it, store it in the fridge.

Maple Drizzle:

3/4 cup coconut butter

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or more to taste)

1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, almond milk, or coconut milk

pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, heat all ingredients over medium-low heat, stir until well combined.  Consistency should be thin enough to drizzle over the coffee cake.

***If you eat dairy and prefer a maple cream cheese drizzle…substitute 4 ounces softened cream cheese for the coconut butter and reduce the heavy cream to 2 Tbsp.-1/4 cup and blend in a small bowl with a hand mixer until smooth.  Again the consistency should be thin enough to drizzle***

This coffee cake is delightful with or without the drizzle.

This recipe is shared at: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Fight Back Friday, Beyond the Peel

No drizzle necessary for complete yummi-ness!

But then again…why not just go for it!

Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Shredded Flank Steak ~ Ropa Vieja ~ Coconut Flour Tortillas

April 25, 2012 17 Comments

Ropa Vieja on Coconut Flour Tortillas

Pressure Cooker Shredded Flank Steak

2 pounds flank steak

sea salt

1 large onion, quartered

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chicken broth

Sprinkle flank steak with sea salt.  Place flank steak, quartered onion, garlic and broth in the bottom of a pressure cooker.  Bring liquid to a boil over medium high heat.  Place lid on pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.  You may need to lower the burner to maintain proper pressure setting.

***Note:  I use a Kuhn Rikon 5 QT Pressure Cooker…If you have a different model cook according to manufacturer’s instructions included with your cooker.***

Remove from heat, release pressure.  Carefully remove lid.  Remove the flank steak to a cutting board and allow it to cool slightly.  Once cool enough to handle, shred the beef with two forks, coarsely chop and set aside.

For Ropa Vieja:

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp. butter or oil of choice

4 garlic cloves, minced

15 ounces chopped tomatoes, undrained (I use Pomi)

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a large skillet, saute chopped onion and bell pepper in butter (or oil) over medium-high heat until tender.  Add minced garlic and saute 2 minutes.  Stir in salt, tomatoes, lime juice, hot sauce, cumin and black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add shredded flank steak to tomato mixture and stir until well combined.  Serve warm on coconut flour tortillas with a dollop of guacamole.

Shredded Flank Steak over sautéed onions and jalapenos with fresh tomatoes and cilantro

For Sautéed Onions and Jalapenos:

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp. butter or oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

Fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet, heat butter or oil over medium high heat, saute onions and jalapenos until soft.  Plate onions and jalapenos in a shallow soup bowl, top with shredded flank steak, chopped tomatoes and cilantro.  Serve warm.

Coconut Flour Tortillas

If you haven’t invested in the new Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook yet you are truly missing out…EVERY recipe I have tried has been completely amazing, including this recipe for Coconut Flour Tortillas.

Coconut Flour Tortillas:

1/4 cup coconut flour

8 large egg whites (about 1 cup)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. chile powder (optional)

1/2 cup water

butter or coconut oil for frying

Whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Preheat an 8″ nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Place about 1 tsp. butter or oil in the pan and swirl to coat evenly.  Ladle 2-3 Tbsp. of batter in the pan, tip the pan from side to side to get a thin layer of batter across the entire surface.  Once the first side is golden brown, use a very thin spatula to flip over to the opposite side again cooking until golden brown.  Remove the tortilla to a wire rack and repeat the entire process beginning with the oil or butter.  This recipe makes about 8 tortillas.  I like mine a bit thicker than a regular tortilla but you can add more water to make the batter thinner which will yield a thinner tortilla.

This recipe is shared at:

Fight Back Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays

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Banana Walnut Pancakes

April 4, 2012 5 Comments

Banana Walnut Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Sometimes you just gotta have pancakes.

Well, I do anyways.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day…no matter what time I eat it!  I don’t make pancakes all that often, usually only for a special occasion breakfast (think…birthday or holiday) but tonight I just felt like having a comforting meal.  Shannon at Nourishing Days has created the absolute best recipe for Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes I’ve ever tried…I’ve made this recipe dozens of times using both coconut milk and heavy cream and they always turn out great!  Below I’ve posted the recipe I use regularly, which is her original recipe halved with a touch of cinnamon added.  If you do have leftovers they freeze well.  My favorite topping for pancakes or waffles will always be maple syrup, bananas and walnuts, I rarely stray from that combo but you could top your pancakes with anything you like…or they are even great with just a dollop of butter or drizzle of coconut butter!

 Coconut Flour Pancakes (makes 6-8 pancakes)

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk or heavy cream

1/2 Tbsp. coconut nectar or honey (optional)

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

coconut oil or butter for the pan

  1. Preheat griddle over medium-low heat. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes. Mix in milk, vanilla, and sweetener.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt and whisk together. Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.
  3. Grease pan with butter or coconut oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan for each pancake. Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the tops dry out slightly and the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
  4. Serve hot with butter, coconut oil, honey, syrup, or fruit.

This recipe is shared at:

Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Fight Back Friday

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Pecan & Sage Crusted Pork Cutlets

March 24, 2012 1 Comment

Pecan & Sage Crusted Pork Cutlet with Brussels Sprouts Slaw

Pecan & Sage Crusted Pork Cutlets

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 egg, whisked

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. water

1 cup pecan meal (or 3/4 cup pecan halves ground in food processor)

2 tsp. dried sage

2 Tbsp. coconut oil or lard for frying (or whatever fat you prefer)

  • In a shallow bowl or plate, combine flour, salt and black pepper.  In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together egg, mustard and water.  In a third shallow dish, combine pecan meal and sage.  Set aside.
  • On a flat work surface place a sheet of plastic wrap, center one piece of pork on the plastic wrap and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap.  With the flat end of a meat mallet, pound the pork to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness, beginning in the center working outward.  Repeat with remaining pork pieces.  Discard plastic wrap.
  • Dredge all sides of pork through the coconut flour mixture, shaking off any excess.  Dredge all sides of the pork through the egg mixture, shaking off any excess.  Dredge all sides of pork through pecan mixture, gently pressing the pecans onto pork.  Transfer each dredged cutlet to a large plate or dish.
  • In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add pork cutlets to the skillet and cook, turning only once, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towel lined plate.
  • Serve immediately or cover with foil and set aside while you prepare your side dishes.

A few tips:

  • Don’t crowd the pan, use a large enough skillet to cook the cutlets in an even layer or cook in batches adding more oil as necessary.
  • Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding the pork otherwise the outer surface won’t crisp up but rather soak up the oil.
  • When pounding the pork into cutlets, use gentle taps with a heavy mallet, heavy pounding may tear the meat.
  • If you don’t have a meat mallet another heavy object will work such as a rolling-pin or heavy skillet.

This recipe was adapted from the Panko & Sage-Crusted Pork Cutlets recipe featured in the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine.

This recipe is shared at: Fight Back Friday

Pork cutlets pounded out to 1/4"

Dredging bowls from Williams Sonoma, love these!

Dredged cutlets ready for frying.

Fried and ready to plate...

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Dark Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

March 8, 2012 18 Comments

Who doesn't love a big pile of cookies?

Dark Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (makes 24 cookies)

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

6 Tbsp. coconut nectar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  In a large bowl combine almond flour, coconut, sea salt and baking soda.  In a separate bowl whisk together coconut oil, coconut nectar and vanilla.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until thoroughly combined, stir in chopped macadamia nuts and dark chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets about 2″ apart.  The dough may seem slightly crumbly, just press it together and flatten it once on the cookie sheet, they will hold together once baked.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown on top.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Although these cookies are excellent warm they really are best after they are completely cooled and in my opinion even better on day two!  Store in an air tight container.

This recipe is shared at:

Fight Back Friday, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Wellness Weekend, Make Ahead Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays

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Spicy Bacon & Beef Cottage Pie

March 2, 2012 2 Comments

There have been a ton of Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie recipes making an appearance in the Paleo blogosphere lately.  They all look so tasty and like a wonderful, warm comforting food…today it was snowing in Colorado so I thought it would be the perfect day to try to make one.  Elana’s Pantry posted this recipe for Paleo Shepherd’s Pie recently using cauliflower mash for the topping and a few months back Jan’s Sushi Bar posted this Sweet and Spicy Cottage Pie using mashed vanilla sweet potatoes on top.  Melissa Joulwan’s Well Fed Cookbook has a fabulous recipe with many variations for Shepherd’s Pie using the traditional ground lamb as well as recipe on her blog for Cottage-Flower Pie.  My version pulls things from all three recipes and I will have to say it was FABULOUS!  This was the first Cottage Pie I have ever made and it sure will not be my last!  I was pleased with the photos of the Cottage Pie before it went in the oven and with the ones of it dished out in my bowl…the one of the final product after it was baked is not the best simply because I think I used too small of a casserole dish so the filling bubbled up over the sides of the cauliflower mash (and made a huge mess in the oven!)…now in my defense, I’ve never made this dish before so this could very well be a normal occurrence!  I am calling this “Spicy” simply because it is just that, SPICY…I like it that way but if you prefer a milder flavor I would omit half of the black pepper and all of the red pepper flakes.

Spicy Bacon & Beef Cottage Pie

Spicy Bacon & Beef Cottage Pie (Serves 4)

1/2 pound nitrate/nitrite free bacon, coarsely chopped

1/2 pound ground organic grass-fed beef

2 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil

1/2 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cups chopped kale, stems removed

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. paprika

1 recipe Mashed Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large skillet heat butter or oil over medium-high heat, saute onion until soft.  Add chopped bacon to the pan and saute until cooked, add carrots, celery and garlic and saute in the bacon fat until soft.  Add the ground beef to the pan with the bacon and vegetables and saute until browned.  Season the meat and vegetable mixture with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and paprika.  Stir in the tomato sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.  Add the chopped kale and cook until the greens are wilted.  Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture to a casserole dish (the one I used was a 1.7L Pyrex…I’d go a bit bigger!).  Carefully spread the cauliflower mash (recipe follows) evenly over the top of the meat mixture.  Using the tines of a fork, lightly create some texture on top – the peaks and valleys make nice brown spots in the oven.  Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the top begins to brown (I would have browned mine more but it was splattering all over the oven!).  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed, chopped and steamed until very soft

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil

2 Tbsp. heavy cream or coconut milk

salt and pepper, to taste

Place ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

This recipe is shared at:

Fight Back Friday, Make Ahead Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Meat and Vegetable Mixture

Topped with Cauliflower Mash

The not-so-pretty finished product

Looks aren't everything...it tasted GREAT!

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