Rubies & Radishes

{Slow-cooker Chocolate Chicken Mole... Again!}

I rarely go to Trader Joe's, maybe once a month to stock up on Kerrygold Butter (tip: it's close to $1 cheaper there than other stores), organic frozen berries & tequila (sometimes). Of course, I am always tempted with the loads of chocolate near the check out. I noticed this one - organic & with no soy lecithin, which you don't often see. I was really excited to try it, but I should have known better than to think "salt & pepper" chocolate would be good. I don't recommend this for dessert, but it did make a killer mole!


I have been experimenting with moles in my crock-pot for a couple of years now. I think this is the best one I've made yet. It is really really good! I am a little bummed that I didn't come up with this one for my cookbook. The one in my book is really good too, but it is a little more involved. Easy is always key for us & I am sure for many of you too!

Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken (I used breast & bone-in legs, skins removed)
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons ghee, divided (or healthy cooking fat of choice)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
6-7 whole tomatoes, skins removed or 1 can whole tomatoes
5 dried new mexico chilies, chopped
1/4 cup almond butter
2.5 ounces dark chocolate (I used the TJs salt & pepper, see photo above)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon guajillo chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
Avocado, cilantro & jalapeno for garnish

1. Place a pan over medium  heat, add 1 tablespoon ghee. Once ghee has liquefied, add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer onions & garlic to slow-cooker.
2. Salt & pepper chicken generously. Add remaining tablespoon of ghee to pan and brown chicken on all sides. You may need to do this in batches.  Once chicken is browned, place in slow-cooker.
3. Add the tomaotes,chilies, almond butter, dark chocolate, salt & spices to the slow-cooker. If you really want to take this to the next level, you can blend the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor first. I was too lazy to do this step, and the recipe still turned out delicious! However, I did open the lid once half way through to stir all the ingredients together. Yes, yes, I know ... The rule is to never open the slow-cooker, but I've never been able to stick to this & my recipes still turn out great! 
4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender & pulls apart easily.
5. Remove bones, if you used any bone-in chicken. Top with your favorite garnishes & serve!

 

Enjoy!

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{Slow Cooker Lamb Vindaloo w/ Guest Photographer Lindsey Eltinge}

Those of you that read my blog regularly, can clearly tell that I didn't take the above photo - it's well beyond my amateur photography skills. For this post, Rubies & Radishes teamed up with the lovely, Lindsey Eltinge. I developed & tested the recipe & once I was happy with the flavors, I sent it over to Lindsey who cooked it & shot it. I am thrilled with the results! Thank you, Lindsey!

Lindsey Eltinge is a professional food photographer. Her work was featured this week on HSN for a cookbook she photographed. Along with cookbook photography, Lindsey photographs food for magazines, restaurants and online food websites. When asked what Lindsey enjoyed most about photographing the Lamb Vindaloo recipe she said, "I love Indian food and am always cooking Indian dishes with whole spices. I have not yet made an Indian dish with a homemade paste from chili peppers and spices. Learning that technique was fun. I also enjoyed styling all of the prep shots. Might I add that the dish tasted amazing!"

Lindsey can be found on her website, facebook & twitter.

 

Ingredients

2 lbs. of lamb (lamb chop, rack of lamb, or lamb stew meat - anything you have on hand will work!) 

2 tablespoons of ghee

½ cup beef broth

 

Paste

6 dried chili peppers 

½ yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tsp. fenugreek

1 tsp. salt

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

 

1.       Soak chilies in warm water for 30 minutes.

2.       In a food processor, combine chilies and all other ingredients for the paste.

3.       Poor sauce over lamb and marinate for several hours to overnight.

4.       Brown lamb in 2 tablespoons of ghee. This may have to be done in batches.

5.       Place in slow cooker and add broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

 

Enjoy!

 

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I am overwhelmed with the kind facebook comments and support that I received over the last couple of days regarding the final version of my cookbook cover. I feel so grateful to have such awesome family, friends & blog readers! Such a HUGE thank you to all of you for reading my blog, trying my recipes & pre-ordering my book. I am beyond appreciative! 

I took the first call with my publisher last December (on the 9th, to be exact), while riding the train from Orange County to San Diego to spend the weekend with some of my best GFs. I spent that evening gabbing with the girls over dinner about if this project would really come to fruition. It felt unreal at the time. Now, after many many hours in the kitchen and at the computer, the book is finally complete! 

I am so excited for you guys to try the delicious and mostly easy recipes that I've created! You’ll find several Persian and Armenian dishes that are my family favorites, as well as Asian dishes that I learned about from friends. I hope that this book demonstrates that Paleo eating can be delicious, easy and accessible, even for the busiest person.

I was also fortunate enough to team up with Amy Kubal, RD of robbwolf.com and Fuel as RX on this project. Throughout the book, you will find very informative sections written by Amy. I personally believe that people better commit to a Paleo lifestyle, when they understand the "whys" behind it. For this reason, I thought it was important to have some of the most common themes explained and questions answered. I could not think of a more perfect person to work on this with. Amy does a fabulous job of explaining concepts such as why fat is healthy and how the Paleo diet reduces inflammation, just to name a couple!

I am also so honored that my practioner, Chris Kresser wrote the forward to my book. As without him, this book would not exist. That’s not an exaggeration. Although I had been following a Paleo diet for a year before I started working with Chris, I was still suffering from constant headaches and severe lethargy. My health was so poor, that I didn’t even have enough energy to go watch the sunset after work, let alone spend endless hours cooking, writing and researching. I am so grateful that he has dedicated his career to solving health problems that conventional medicine doesn’t have answers for.  

Lastly....I don't know how to put this but Amazon pre-orders are kind of a big deal. Plus, you will be able to purchase the book at a great discount!

You stay classy, blogosphere & thanks for stopping by!
 
 

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{spiced and spiked slow-cooker apple cider}

 

This is the perfect holiday treat to enjoy on a rainy eve, while you are all bundled up indoors!

Ingredients
2 quarts organic apple cider  or organic unfiltered apple juice
1 orange, thinly sliced
4 cinnamon sticks
6 allspice berries
10 whole cloves
3 star-anise
2 inch pieces of ginger, cut into slices
1 cup dark rum (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a slow-cooker and cook on high for 2 hours.
2. Strain mixture, add rum (if using).
3. Garnish with orange slice and star anise. And Serve!

 

Enjoy!

 

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{slow-cooker spiced chai}

I love & use my slow-cooker even more (is that even possible?) now that we have a baby. It is such a luxury to leave something cooking without having to worry about it, while I give Indy my full attention. And lets face it, I am not together enough to manage the baby & pay attention to the stove. Instead of burning down my house or seriously damaging my pots, I use my slow-cooker as often as possible. 

Last Sunday, it was all rainy here, so we made chai and filled the house with the scent of delicious spices. It was pretty epic. This spiced chai made waking up at 5am all week and driving to work while it was still dark out, much more tolerable. I actually kind of looked forward to it. I used to look forward to margaritas on Friday night, now I look forward to spiced-chai at 5am? Oh boy, what's happened to me?

I drank this with both coconut milk & heavy cream... They were both good! If you don't plan to serve it all right away, I suggest you wait to add the cream or coconut milk, right before serving.

Serves 6 
Ingredients:
2 quarts filtered water (best not to use reverse osmosis, it doesn't take to the tea well)
2 tablespoons loose black tea in a mesh tea holder (can sub 6-8 black tea bags)
8 cardamom pods, cracked open
12 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
5 black peppercorns
5 slices of fresh ginger
1 star anise
2 cups of coconut milk or heavy cream
honey to taste (optional, but oh so good!) 

1. Two options: Place all ingredients into slow-cooker, cover and cook on high for 2 hours or place all ingredients, except tea in a cheesecloth and tie it with another piece of cheesecloth and place the entire bundle in the slow-cooker.
2. Cook on high for 2 hours.
3. If you placed all loose spices in the slow-cooker, you will have to strain the tea when it is done cooking. Although, it is a little more work, I think it makes for a more flavorful chai. If you used a cheesecloth, remove your bundle and the tea from the slow-cooker.
4. If serving entire batch immediately, add coconut milk (or cream) and serve. If not drinking immediately, I suggest adding the cream/coconut milk, right before serving. 

Enjoy!

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{t-day series: slow-cooker stuffing}

It finally feels like fall. Although, I enjoyed the extra sun the last few months, it's nice to finally have some rain. Especially, since I have a list of fall type of dishes that I want to cook this weekend - stuffed acorn squash, brussels sprouts and pumpkin ice-cream (which I'll share, if it turns out good). I am really into the holiday season this year. I find myself tempted to buy cute Christmas decorations already. Is this what happens when you become a mom? You become all sappy & sentimental? For the time being, I need to stay on track - which means, finish reviewing the manuscript for my cookbook (which is so much fun!) & get ready for t-day. Be on the lookout for some more t-day recipes in the next few days. For now, I am sharing one from my cookbook. This is a great one because it will free-up your oven for the many other things you will need it for. And it is a guaranteed hit with your non-Paleo guests, at least it always is for us!

Before we get started, here are a few updates:

Those of you that pre-ordered my book probably noticed that it didn't make its scheduled arrival ate of mid-October. We are now shooting for an early 2013 (Jan/Feb) release. If you plan on purchasing it, it would be so so awesome if you could pre-order from Amazon. Amazon pre-orders are really helpful in increasing the distribution of the book. Plus, there is a pre-order discount! And Amazon won't charge you until the book ships.Win-win. Thank you for all the support! 

Ingredients
3 Italian sausages, removed from casing (I use 2 hot Italian and 1 mild)
2 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 yams, peeled and chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup beef stock
Salt and pepper just before serving

1. Brown sausage in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Turn the stove to low and melt the butter.
3. Add the rest of dry ingredients to the slow cooker, pour the melted butter over it and mix with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the stock and cook on low for 3 hours.
5. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

Enjoy!

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{slow-cooker smokey chili with roasted peppers}

  

By stepping outside, you wouldn't realize it is mid-October here, since it is actually hotter than a typical summer day in Santa Cruz. I'm totally back on the slow-cooker kick anyway... not because it is fall, but mostly because now that I am back at work, it is so helpful to cook in bulk. I have been doubling up some of my recipes and vacuum sealing half for later. Do you have a vacuum sealer? It is such a great investment! It's so nice to pull a home cooked paleo meal out of the freezer (my other new favorite investment- see below) instead of cooking one from scratch, after a long day of work!

The market was overflowing with peppers a few days ago, I grabbed a bunch just because they looked good, not knowing what I was going to do with them. After a quick scan of the deep freezer, I decided on chili with roasted peppers. It turned out to be a great decision!

Ingredients
2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon guajillo chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1-2 jalapenos, roasted and chopped
2 anaheim peppers, roasted and chopped
3 bell peppers, roasted and chopped (I used red and yellow)
1 lb. of tomatillos, husked (2 cups cooked)
1 onion, chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
5 blanched tomatoes, peeled and chopped (directions below)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (preferably in a jar)
2 tablespoons chipotle cholula sauce (or hot sauce of your choice)
Cilantro and avocado for garnish
1 tablespoon ghee (or paleo cooking fat of choice) 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the beef with the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper. Brown in a large sauce pan and place in slow-cooker. This may have to be done in batches. Move beef and all meat juice into slow-cooker.
3. Broil jalapenos, bell-peppers, anaheim peppers and tomatillos for 5-7 minutes on each side. Allow peppers to cool, remove any skins that fall off easily. Chop peppers and remove seeds. Chop tomatillos. Place in slow-cooker.
4. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of paleo cooking fat, such as ghee and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Move to slow-cooker.
5. Combine blanched tomatoes and tomato paste in a bowl. Transfer to slow-cooker.
6. Add hot sauce to slow-cooker.
7. Cook on low for 4 hours.
8. Garnish with cilantro and avocado and serve!

*Note: You can always use canned tomatoes, but we try to use canned food as little as possible. Plus, tomatoes are so good right now, why not use freshys?!?

How to blanch tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop tomatoes in for 2-3 minutes. Drain water and run under cold water to stop cooking. Let tomatoes cool. Then remove skins (they should fall right off), and chop tomatoes. 

 

And My most favorite investment of all!
{Indyanna hanging out under her favorite tree} 

 

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{slow-cooker applesauce}

It is definitely starting to feel like fall around here... We had such a nice summer in Santa Cruz, one of the sunnier ones that I can remember. We had lots of days full of abundant sunshine and blue skies. It's a little sad to see it end!

The cooler weather motivated me to pull out my slow-cooker again, we had taken a break from it for the last couple of months (as you could imagine!). The in-laws had given us a huge bag of apples from their tree, and in my effort to not waste anything in our fridge, I decided to make applesauce with them. Fall is the perfect time for applesauce, the markets & friends/families trees are overflowing with apples... plus, a house filled with the smell of cinnamon, definitely means fall to me.

This recipe is super easy & tasty! I think it will be a good one for Indyanna's school lunch one day!

Ingredients
10 apples, peeled, cored & sliced
juice of half a tangelo (you can also use an orange)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I like mine with a lot of cinnamon!)
1/4 cup honey

1. Place all ingredients in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Mash apples with a fork.
3. Remove from slow-cooker and place in a medium size bowl and refrigerate overnight. You could eat this right away, but the flavors are much better if you let it sit overnight.

Enjoy!

 

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{slow-cooker tomatillo beef}

We haven't been using the slow-cooker much this summer, with the abundance of fresh produce between our CSA & the farmers market, we have been all about salads & the grill. With work being right around the corner, it's time again for cooking up quick & healthy meals in bulk! 

This salsa is great on it's own! You can also easily substitute chicken or pork, for the beef!


Ingredients
Tomatillo Salsa
1 lb. tomatillos, roasted
2 poblano peppers
2 anaheim peppers
2 jalapenos
5 cloves garlic, crushed
juice of half an orange
1/2 cup broth (I used beef, but chicken will work too)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 bunch cilantro

1. Remove husks from tomatillos and place under a broiler, with the rest of the peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes, turning once.
2. Allow to cool and remove the skins from the peppers. Leave skins on tomatillos. 
3. Place in a blender with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Adjust salt and pepper, if needed.

Slow-cooker Beef
1 onion, sliced
2 lbs. cubed beef (any roast, like chuck roast, rump roast, etc. will work)
2 tablespoon ghee, divided

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a medium sauce pan. Add onions and cook until transluscent. Move to slow-cooker. Add additional tablespoon of ghee to pan and add beef. Brown beef on all sides and place in slow-cooker.
2. Pour tomatillo salsa over meat and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!

 

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{slow-cooker macadamia chicken pesto}

Does it seem like there is something different through every stage of pregnancy that keeps you from sleeping? I sometimes wonder how many years it will be until I have a decent night of sleep again. Sigh. Actually, don't tell me, I don't really want to know :). Anyway, after not being able to sleep this am and getting up super early, I spent the am scouring my favorite sites for the perfect black skinnys and high waisted maxi skirt, for post-pregnancy of course. It's fun day dreaming about wearing regular clothes again one day!

I thought I should also do something productive with my morning, so I am going to share one of the recipes that I tested for my book this weekend!

We had our good friends over for dinner last night, and it's always a great time with them, especially since Natalie of Figalicious, is food-obsessed like me! This was a great dish to make for a dinner party because I was able to make it earlier in the day, so I could enjoy chatting with our guests over appetizers, instead of rushing to get dinner made.

We were having so much fun with N & E, that we spaced taking photos of everything. The photo thing is so tough sometimes because you want to capture what you are doing, so you could remember it later and/or share it... but, you don't want to disrupt the present. Now, I am kind of regretting not having photos to share with you of the delicious baby artichoke appetizer, and the various dressings for the yams. What is your take on the photo thing? Do you try to document everything or just go with the flow & enjoy the moment?

Here was our MENU for the evening:
appetizer: baby artichokes with 3 different dipping sauces (maybe if we are lucky the recipes will show up on Figalicious soon)
side 1: baked yams with 3 different dressing options (1: butter w/ s&p, 2: coconut oil with nutmeg & cinnamon, 3: olive oil w/ garlic and fresh rosemary)
side 2: arugula salad with homemade meyer lemon vinaigrette - which turned out really good, but I forgot to measure out the ingredients to share :(
main course: macadamia chicken pesto
dessert: coconut milk ice-cream w/ fresh strawberries & dark chocolate (yeah, we went kind of big :)

Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken (breast or thigh - whichever you prefer)
sea salt & pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (save for the end of cooking)

Pesto
1 cup flat leaf parsley
2 cups fresh basil
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used meyer lemons)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Combine all pesto ingredients in food process until smooth.

Directions

1. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides & place in slow-cooker. Pour pesto over chicken.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
3. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, add your additional sea salt (the slow-cooker tends to make herbs and spices a little blander, so it helps to add some back in towards the end). If you are not going to be around towards the end of cooking time, you can do it when its done cooking.
4. This dish can be served immediately or the sauce can be thickened (which I prefer).
5. Optional: Put chicken aside and reduce the sauce in a skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, without boiling it and stir occasionally, until it is at desired consistency. Pour over chicken and serve!

If you have a chance to try out this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback!

Happy Sunday!

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