Beef Bone Broth

I was feeling under the weather last week, and I'd been reading about the many benefits of bone broth, so I decided to make my own to help cure me. I'm not sure if it helped speed along my healing, but it did result in a LOT of delicious, healthy broth to use for the next few weeks. Bone broth is chock full of calcium and other minerals. Here is some more info on all its benefits.

To begin my bone broth journey, I got 5 pounds of organic neck and knuckle beef bones from grain/grass fed cows, and tried not to throw up as I handled them. I've always been a little squeamish around meat, especially when it's raw or not a "normal" cut, but if I'm going to be a responsible meat eater, I figure I should get used to using and being comfortable with all parts of an animal, no matter what form it comes in. I threw the bones in my slow cooker along with some apple cider vinegar and veggies that I had on hand. If I'd had carrots and celery, I might have thrown those in too, but I work with what I got. The vinegar (in any form; it doesn't have to be apple cider) helps leach the minerals from the bones, so you'll want to make sure to add some.

Make sure you save and reuse your bones. I got four good batches of broth out of my bones before the cooking liquid began to lose its gelatin-y consistency (which means that my slow cooker was running almost continuously, with small breaks in between batches, for 6 days). From what I've read, the consistency is key to a good broth. Once refrigerated, the broth should become jello-like from the gelatin in the bones. Once it's less jello-like, it's still good to use, it's just a sign that you've used up most of the good stuff in the bones.

You can use your delicious, homemade broth as the base for soups, stews (tonight's dinner!), or simply add some salt and pepper and drink as a warm, nutritious broth.

This is the fourth batch of broth. There's almost no fat on this one.

Beef Bone Broth

5 lbs. beef bones (I got knuckle and neck bones)
1 onion, quartered (the skin can stay on)
1/2 head garlic (removed from the base, skin on)
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
Water (enough to fill crock pot and cover bones)

1. If you want a darker, richer broth, roast bones in a 400º oven for 30 minutes
2. Roasted or unroasted, arrange bones in a slow cooker
3. Add onions and garlic cloves
4. Add vinegar
5. Cover everything with water, leaving about an inch at the top for expansion
6. Put the lid on the slow cooker, turn on low, and let it stew for 24-48 hours
7. After a day or two, remove the big bones (save them!) and strain the liquid into a bowl through a colander or some cheesecloth
8. Let cool on the counter for a while (so you don't heat up the whole fridge), then place in the fridge
9. After a few hours, the fat will have risen to the top and solidified. Spoon out the fat and save it or toss it.
10. Pour into a container with a lid. After a few more hours in the fridge, the broth will (hopefully) have turned into a jello-like substance. It's ready! Freeze or keep in the fridge.
11. The best part? This process can be repeated with the same bones until they either disintegrate or the resulting liquid no longer turns jello-like after refrigeration.

Breakfast Casserole

Having fairly recently delved into the Paleo world, I'm just learning all the benefits of breakfast casseroles. They're quick and easy, and you can add an endless combination of meats and veggies to suit your tastes/nutritional needs. They're also great to put together the night before, keep in the fridge, and put in the oven as soon as you get up in the morning. AND, when they're cooked, you can cut them into perfect sized squares to fit into your tupperware for fast weekday breakfasts. For this one, I chose a combo of veggies that I love, and made my own breakfast sausage with ground pork from this recipe (though I omitted the brown sugar and halved the recipe).

1 T bacon grease or fat of your choice
1 lb pork breakfast sausage (pastured or organic if you can), removed from casing
1 bunch kale, separated from stems and chopped or torn
1 bell pepper (red and orange are the most nutritious), sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
12 eggs (pastured or free-range/organic if you can)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Grease 9x9 glass casserole dish
3. Melt bacon grease in a large stainless steel pan over medium-high heat
4. Add sausage to hot pan and break up into small crumbles
5. While sausage is still pink, add mushrooms, bell pepper, and kale. If you have excess water in the pan at this point, drain it
6. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is almost brown, and veggies are starting to soften
7. Pull off heat and set aside to cool
8. In a medium mixing bowl, crack 12 eggs, add coconut milk and salt and pepper. Beat well
9. Add cooled meat/veggie mixture to the egg bowl and stir to combine
10. Pour into casserole dish and pop into the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the center is no longer jiggly
11. Let cool for a few minutes and dig in!

Paleo "Spaghetti" with Homemade Marinara

This was a quick and easy first attempt at a Paleo marinara sauce with things I had in my cupboards and fridge. Feel free to increase or decrease spices as you see fit, but I like lots o' spice. You can also experiment with different spices or add fresh ones if you have them. The balsamic is what gives it some sweetness in place of sugar, so add more if you like it sweeter. I easily could have eaten another bowl, so if you have a big appetite (or are feeding lots of people) (or want leftovers), double everything. Otherwise, it was really satisfying and I didn't miss the "real" pasta at all.

Paleo "Spaghetti" with Homemade Marinara

Sauce:
2 T bacon grease or fat of your choice
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-6oz cans tomato paste
2-4 tomato paste cans full of water
1 T dried basil
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried oregano
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 fresh tomato, chopped (if you have it; I had half and used that)

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef

"Pasta"
1 acorn squash (or butternut or spaghetti squash, whatever you like)

Making the Sauce:
1. In a medium stainless steal pan, melt bacon grease over medium-high heat. When it's hot, saute onions for about 5 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add garlic and saute until it's fragrant (1-2 mins).
3. Add tomato paste and 2 cans of water. Stir until incorporated.
4. Add all spices, balsamic, and fresh tomato.
5. Turn down heat to low; simmer (the longer the better - I did about an hour and a half, but if you're short on time, give it at least half an hour.
6. Keep an eye on it - if it gets too thick, add another can of water.

Making the "Pasta"
6. While your sauce is simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Cut squash in half, scrape out seeds and guts* and place cut side down in a baking dish. Add 1 cup of water. Cook for 30-45 mins, or until a fork easily pierces the skin and squash is squishy.

7.5. *Separate seeds from guts (yes, that's the technical term) and roast them with a little olive oil and salt in a 200 degree F oven for ~20 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Voila - you have your crunchy, salty TV snack for later!

Beef/Sauce:
8. When squash has about 15 minutes left, brown ground beef in a separate pan. Drain, if necessary.
9. Add to simmering sauce and stir occasionally.

Putting it all together:
10. When squash is squishy (and cool enough to handle), scrape it out of the skin and divide evenly between bowls.
11. Top with the beefy sauce.
12. Enjoy!