Bison Stew

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb Bison stew meat (or trimmed bison chuck roast, cubed 1 inch)

8 oz whole mushrooms, quartered

6 oz celery root, peeled and cubed into 3/4 inch pieces

4 oz pearl onions, trimmed and peeled

3 ribs celery, sliced

3 oz carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp avocado oil, or ghee

5 cups homemade bone broth (or store-bought bone broth)

1 large bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Let stew meat sit out till it reaches room temp. This makes for more tender meat as searing cold meat puts it into shock and causes the meat to contract and tighten. While meat is reaching room temp quarter the mushrooms and set aside. Wash and chop vegetables, including the garlic, putting them together in a bowl for later. If using chuck roast trim excess fat off and cut the roast into 1-inch cubes. Thoroughly mix two teaspoons of oil, or ghee into the bison.

2. Place a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat and add the rest of the oil, or ghee, and when it's hot swirl it to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat. Do not disturb them for two minutes. Stir and let them cook for two minutes more. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and add them to the other vegetables.

3. Brown the bison in the pot in batches, adding more oil, or ghee as needed. Place all of the bison into the pot and stir in the bay leaf, thyme, and tomato paste making sure to coat the bison. Let it cook for less than a minute, then slowly add 1 cup of broth while scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the broth and bring the stew up to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Insert a fork into a piece of meat to check for tenderness, it should meet little to no resistance. If it's tough, let it cook another 20 minutes. When tender, add vegetables and turn up the heat until it reaches a simmer again and turn down the heat and let it simmer on low uncovered for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes or yams

4 carrots

1 celery stalk

1 yellow onion

4 slices of bacon

3 Tbsp butter, ghee, or avocado oil

Ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp avocado oil

2 bay leaves

1 lb ground lamb

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup chicken stock or broth

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Assemble, prepare, and measure ingredients. Peel and cube sweet potatoes or yams. Chop carrots. Chop celery. Dice onion. Slice bacon into batons.

2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat, add potatoes or yams, and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with butter or ghee and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

3. While sweet potatoes/yams are cooking, warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves and cook 8-10 minutes, or until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Add bacon and fry for 5 minutes, or until it has rendered most of its fat but isn't dark brown. Add lamb and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock/broth, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by half. Remove and discard bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Pour the lamb mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and spread sweet potatoes/yams in an even layer over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbling and browned in places.

5. To serve, cut into big squares and place on individual plates. Enjoy!

Mediterranean One-Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis

1 yellow onion

1 head garlic

1/2 pound of your favorite olives

1 bunch fresh basil

2 Tbsp avocado oil, divided

1/2 lb bacon or sliced pancetta

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, and legs (4 of each)

1 lb grape tomatoes

a small handful dried bird's eye chilies

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Assemble, prepare, and measure ingredients. Slice zucchini thickly into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Cut onion into eight wedges. Separate garlic cloves from their bulb. Discard garlic peel and smash. Roughly chop basil leaves.

2. Place bacon (or pancetta) in roasting pan and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Transfer bacon (or pancetta) to plate to drain.

3. Place zucchini, onions, olives, basil, chicken, tomatoes, and chilies in a pan. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together to coat well. Shake pan to settle ingredients into a (mostly) single layer. Roast, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.

4. Place bacon (or pancetta) over the top of the other ingredients and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced close to the bone.

5. Feel free to discard the dried chilies before serving if desired. Serve chicken with vegetables and bacon (or pancetta), spooning over some pan juices, if you like. Pair with mashed cauliflower to finish off this great dish!

Paleo Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 lb skirt, flank, sirloin, or hanger steak sliced into 1/2 inch strips

1 Tbsp avocado oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 head of butter leaf lettuce, root removed, washed and dried

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine all ingredients. If you have the time, let the beef marinate in the fridge for up to 4 hours.

2. Heat a large skillet with avocado oil and cook everything until the beef strips are cooked through and the veggies are tender. Serve it on top of butter leaf lettuce and top with whatever toppings you desire.

Scallops with Bacon

Ingredients:

2 lbs grape tomatoes

1 garlic clove

2 dried red chilies

1 lemon

4 Tbsp avocado oil, divided

8 slices of bacon (can also use pancetta or prosciutto)

16 sea scallops

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 F. Assemble, prepare and measure ingredients. Halve tomatoes. Mince garlic. Crumble dried chilies. Juice lemon.

2. Scatter tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10 minutes. Push tomatoes to one side of the baking sheet and arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the other side. Roast for a further 10 minutes to crisp bacon. If you like your bacon more well done continue to crisp to your liking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic and chilies. Saute for one 1 minute. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. In the same skillet add another tablespoon of oil. Season scallops with salt and pepper, add to skillet, and sear for 2 minutes, undisturbed, until burnished golden brown. Turn scallops over and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. To serve, arrange tomatoes, two slices of bacon on each of four individual plates. Top each one with four scallops. Sprinkle with lemon juice and a little more oil and season with salt and pepper. Pair this dish with some roasted asparagus.

Salmon Cakes with Beurre Blanc

Ingredients: 

Salmone Cakes

1/2 red bell pepper halved lengthwise, discard stem and seeds

2 green onions

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley

2 eggs

2 cans pink or red salmon (each can 7 1/2 oz/212 g)

1 cup almond flour

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp melted butter or ghee

Avocado oil, for frying

Salt and pepper

Beurre Blanc

1 Tbsp shallot, finely chopped

1/2 cup butter or ghee

2 Tbsp dry white wine or white cooking wine

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp full-fat cream (Non-dairy option, full-fat coconut milk)

Finley ground white pepper

Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Assemble, prepare and measure ingredients. Coarsely chop green onions. Coarsely chop parsley. Whisk eggs in a small mixing bowl until combined. Drain cans of salmon. Cube 1/2 cup butter, or measure 1/2 cup ghee.

2. Pace bell pepper skin-side up on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until the skin begins to shrivel and blacken slightly. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and then dice it.

3. Combine diced bell pepper, green onions, parsley, eggs, almond flour, mustard, and 1 tablespoon melted butter/ghee in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to gently but thoroughly incorporate the salmon. Form mixture into four patties, set on a plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, while you make the beurre blanc.

4. For the beurre blanc, combine shallot, wine, and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium and cook until barley any liquid remains 5-7 minutes. Stir in cream and pinch of white pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add butter/ghee, 1-2 cubes at a time, whisking continuously and waiting until butter is nearly melted before adding more. Once all butter is added and the mixture is completely liquefied, remove the saucepan from heat. Season sauce with salt, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Discard residual solids.

5. For the salmon cakes, heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes.

6. To serve, place a salmon cake on each of four individual plates and drizzle with beurre blanc. Cakes pair well with roasted veggies. Enjoy.

DIY Natural Shampoo

Ingredients: 

1/2 Cup Coconut milk. Fresh or canned. (If you buy canned make sure the only ingredients are water and coconut, no added fillers.)

1/2 Cup Dr. Bronner's Baby Unscented Castile Soap

1 tsp Natural Vitamin E-Oil. (Make sure the only ingredients are Vitamin E and Olive Oil, no added fillers.)

10 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil

10 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil

Mix all ingredients into a shampoo bottle or a foaming soap dispenser. You can add 1/4 cup of distilled water if using a foaming dispenser. Shake before every use.

The life of the shampoo is about 3-4 weeks, no need to refrigerate.

As for a conditioner for after shampoo: I like to use raw Apple Cider Vinegar as an after rinse that balances the PH of the scalp and helps soften the hair. I simply pour the ACV into a spray bottle and spray my scalp and spray all the way to the ends and massage into my scalp and hair. Let sit for about 2-3 mins and rinse well. That's it!