Ham & Cabbage Soup

I got cabbage in my Farm Fresh to you box this week, and I had a ham hock in the freezer. I wanted to throw those two items together, and when I came across this recipe from Paleo Diet Lifestyles, I knew exactly what I was making for dinner tonight!My house already smells yummy, and it's just from me making my own Ham Bone Broth as the start of my soup. Hope this recipe inspires you as well.
Cheers, From My Kitchen to Yours!

Ham & Cabbage Soup


Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage
2 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 leftover ham hock and extra meat or 1 lb cooked ham, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
12 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large stock pot, pour 8-10 cups of water over your leftover ham hock and meat. Let simmer on Low heat for 6 hours, or in the crock pot while you are away at work.

About an hour before you are ready to eat, in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat melt the bacon grease. Sautee the onions and garlic in the bacon grease for 5 to 7 minutes, just until the onions are translucent and tender.

Add the cabbage, bell pepper, celery, carrots and ham and toss with the onions and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, frequently stirring to prevent anything from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the vegetable mix to the broth and meat in the large stock pot. Allow the soup to come to a simmer and cook partially covered for 35 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper, but taste the liquid before adding any salt, as the ham will most likely give off enough saltiness on its own.

Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

As we continue to live our paleo lifestyle, I've been working to perfect banana and coconut pancakes for my hubby. This morning it all came together and they were super tasty.

No surprise that the original recipe came from the very talented Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites. Her book Practical Paleo is a go-to recipe book for our family. I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn more about the benefits of Paleo living.

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

6 eggs
1 smashed over-ripe banana
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée (I stocked up in November)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple syrup (up to 2 tbsp if you want them really sweet)
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

Melt 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, banana, pumpkin, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Sift dry ingredients (coconut flour, spices, and baking soda) into wet ingredients.
Stir in melted butter/coconut oil and coconut flakes

Grease your skillet with coconut oil on medium-heat and then ladle small amounts of batter onto the warm skillet. Once edges start to dry and the middle is bubbling, flip and cook for another minute.

We serve ours with a generous portion of butter on top.

Cheers,
From My Kitchen to Yours!

Mexican Pulled Turkey Wraps

I roasted a 13 pound turkey and we had LOTS of leftovers, so I had to get creative. Brian and I don't like breast meat, so I usually "re-cook" it. Since we are on our "For the Love of Paleo" journey for February, I'm not using any pre-made sauces or fillers. I really wish I took a picture, this meal was SO good, we will be making it again soon! For those of you who eat corn, this would make a super yummy enchilada filling! 

Mexican Pulled Turkey Wraps
1 large turkey breast (mine was previously cooked)
12oz jar of TJ's Verde Tomatillo Salsa
4oz can of TJ's Hatch Green Chillies
1 cup - turkey broth 

1 head of romaine or bib lettuce
Guacamole
Diced bell pepper
Diced tomatoes
Chopped cilantro

Place turkey, salsa, green chillies, and broth in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. After 2 hours I used two forks to shred tuhe turkey so it could really absorb the sauce. Lower crock pot to warm until ready to serve. 

To serve: place lettuce on a plate, add Mexican Pulled Turkey with a slotted spoon, and top with guacamole, bell pepper, tomatoes and cilantro. Roll it up and enjoy. 

I was drooling for a second serving. I hope you all enjoy it as well.  Pictures will be posted next time we make these!

***This could be made with chicken, but you would need to use more meat to absorb the yummy sauce***

Cheers from My Kitchen to Yours!

Berry Banana Pops

The kids have been asking for Popsicles since I bought these awesome Groovy Popsicle holders. I had some bananas and frozen berries, so I threw it all together. Make these anytime and enjoy a healthy dessert. I got all the ingredients at Trader Joe's, and the total cost to make 6 was under $3.00!!!

Paleo-Pops

4 very ripe bananas 

1 bag of frozen mixed berries
1 - 14oz can TJ's Light Coconut Milk

Defrost berries at room temperature for about an hour

Add berries, bananas, and coconut milk to blender

Blend on liquify until creamy 

Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours. 

Enjoy!

Don't waste any leftovers (this makes close to a double recipe), we enjoyed it in a glass with a straw, a little smoothie afternoon snack.
My hubby enjoys the leftover smoothie in a frozen glass with a shot of light rum, and a dark rum floater on top. 
Enjoy it anyway you'd like.

Cheers from my kitchen to yours!!!