Good morning, hello, how are you?

I made you some pie.

But first, let’s talk about blogging for a minute.

Food blogging is a funny little part of my life. Most people I come in contact with in “real life” don’t even know I do it; whereas you guys only know about what gets posted here, only this little shared piece of me. Sometimes I feel like my head is bursting with ideas and all I want to do is camp out in the kitchen, test things out and share them with you. Other times, blogging is just off my radar completely. We just go about our business as a family for a while and suddenly (usually during a bang-up meal) I realize that I haven’t been blogging.

Blogging has changed a lot in the past five years. Heck, my life has changed a lot in the past five years. When I first started blogging, I did it because I really enjoyed baking and cooking and documenting what was going on in my kitchen. I had no kids, I had plenty of time. Then the blog grew a little bit and I started to put more importance on posting however-many-times a week, making sure I was hitting up social media and doing all the “right stuff” as a blogger. And I went through a period where I felt really guilty if I wasn’t keeping all of those things going. Spoiler Alert: I can not keep all that stuff going. haha

Now, I’m a mom of two, working on putting together a new house and making it a home. You better believe I have been churning out some great meals for my family that I’d love to share, but I just got out of the groove of setting up photos. Lots of good meals have gone undocumented. Sometimes I still feel guilty for not sharing all of that good stuff with you guys, but realistically, I know that you understand that I have a real life to live outside this slice of the web. So, just thanks for being awesome and going with the flow.

I’ll start talking about the pie now.

This Shepherd’s Pie wasn’t some long-thought-out plan to reduce potato consumption or GAPS-ify a classic recipe. I just had a head of cauliflower and some ground beef that needed using and this is what happened. I saw it coming out of the oven all bubbly and brown and my brain said, “Take a picture, fast, and then let’s eat this thing!”

Cauliflower is like the classic nerd-that-turns-popular story, am I right? People never really gave it much thought before, but now it is everywhere! Cauliflower pizza crusts and faux-tatoes and cauli-rice galore. Good for you, cauliflower. Enjoy your 15 minutes of vegetable fame. You and your versatility deserve it.

This is similar to a classic Shepherd’s Pie, just with the potatoes swapped for cauliflower. I did add cheese on the top, but you can leave it off if you must. If you’re on the fence, though, definitely leave it on- it’s awesome. I used extra sharp cheddar. Treat Yo’ Self.

Perfect meal for fall, you guys! Dinner on the table in about an hour. What’s not to love?

4.9 from 18 reviews

Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Topping (GAPS, Paleo, Grain-Free)

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 tablespoons fat (lard, tallow, ghee, coconut oil, etc)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• ¼-1/2 cup homemade beef broth
• 1 tablespoon homemade ketchup or tomato paste (omit if you don’t have a GAPS-legal or Paleo option)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fat (lard, tallow, ghee, etc)
• ½ cup shredded GAPS-legal cheese (omit for Paleo)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish and set aside.
2. In a large pot, steam or boil cauliflower until tender.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, around 5 minutes.
4. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until browned. Add beef broth as necessary to keep the mixture wet. Add the ketchup or tomato paste (if using), parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer while you prepare the cauliflower topping.
5. To make the topping, drain the cooked cauliflower. Mash or puree with a stick blender until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of fat and season with salt and pepper.
6. To assemble, spread the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish. Top with the cauliflower mixture and smooth with a spoon. Cover with shredded cheese, if using.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve warm.

3.1.09

I made a real dinner, you guys.

I actually semi-meal-planned it and put thought into it and everything (say what??). Mom/wife of the year!

It’s tough for me to get my head on straight and focus on my every day responsibilities at the moment. The new house is just crazy and it’s consuming my thoughts. I sat down to write my market/grocery list and I reeeeally had to focus, but I got it done. And I actually bought the things on my list at the market without buying any extra stuff (except a strawberry popsicle for my little helper, couldn’t resist). Although.. we did go to Trader Joe’s afterwards and we have about 0.0% self control in that place.. so mission only semi-accomplished. Oops.

We will have to do a whole run down of our Trader Joe’s favorites soon.. I could talk about it all day. Love/hate relationship.

Okay, so these are mini taco-stuffed zucchini boats. Cute, right? I made them smaller so they’d work nicely for kid portions. I actually thought about making them even smaller, but I thought the filling might fall out. After cooking them, I can say that they’d be perfect bite-sized appetizers if you cut them into 1-inch portions. I’d love to serve teeny tiny ones with some margs- GIANT margs.

If you are paleo or dairy-free, I still think these would be tasty without the cheese. We had some extra filling and we fried it up like a little taco burger, and it tasted great. Cheese not necessary.

These little boats are a nice way to switch things up if you like tacos, but you’re getting tired of your typical tortilla or lettuce wrap. The zucchini is basically just another vehicle for getting that taco goodness in your mouth. It’s really all about the filling, isn’t it? It takes a little extra time, but it’s not as messy as a taco if you’re feeding them to your child. This is important at my house, since my daughter has crazy-dinner-mess-face every time she eats. Girl is serious about her food.

Hopefully, I can keep up this meal-planning streak for another few days. I think you probably know how that’s going to end..

Mini Mexican Zucchini Boats

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

*To make things even quicker, you can substitute about 3-4T taco seasoning for the spices.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Course

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchinis, ends trimmed
• 1 pound ground beef (I prefer grass-fed)
• ½ onion, minced
• ½ green bell pepper, minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced/pressed/grated
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, not Paleo-approved)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• cracked pepper to taste (probably around 1 teaspoon)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (optional, I used a mixture of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease the bottom of a large baking dish.
2. To prepare the zucchinis, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh to make a channel. Set aside.
3. To prepare the filling, mix the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste (if using) and spices in a medium bowl.
4. To assemble, fill the zucchinis with the ground beef mixture. Then cut each zucchini in half (or smaller sections if you life). Place the mini zucchini boats in the greased dish.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Pull out of the oven, top with the shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is melted. If you’re not using cheese, bake about 30 minutes until the zucchini is soft and the filling is set.
6. Serve warm and enjoy.

3.1.09

I’m pretty much on a diet of chopped vegetable dishes. Every meal I’ve eaten in the past two weeks has either consisted solely of a) potato salad, b) green bean salad with basil, sautéed radishes, and hunks of mozzarella, c) citrusy coleslaw, or a hearty helping of one of those next to some protein that I was mostly eating just to stave off devouring a giant bowlful of one of those salads. Now that tomatoes are starting to come in? Oh boy. Watch out. Is it possible to eat all of your daily calories from tomatoes? Can I try? No? Okay, I’ll throw in some grilled corn on the cob slathered with homemade lime mayonnaise and queso añejo. And some peaches and cherries. That’s fine. God I love summer.

Gazpacho is a little difficult for me. On the one hand, it’s probably one of the best soups you can eat. On the other hand, it seems a little shameful to purée fresh, ripe, local (expensive) heirloom tomatoes. Maybe that’s because I don’t have any of my own in a garden in my back yard. I kind of feel that they’re like precious gems and to adulterate them with anything more than some coarse sea salt and a basil leaf is to somehow cheapen them. But when it’s terrible and hot and gross out, gazpacho is something to live for.

Since there’s not much to gazpacho, you must use good tomatoes. Don’t put off this recipe until the winter or something. Go out and splurge on some beautiful tomatoes. And if you have them in your garden, you are lucky and please send some to me. And as with most traditional and iconic recipes, there are a hundred versions, all hotly contested as being the one perfect one I’m sure. I don’t have too many strong opinions on what vegetables should or not should be included in gazpacho and what the levels of vinegar and oil should be. I do strongly feel, though, that using tomato juice is a no-no. I mean, you’re trying to celebrate gorgeous summer tomatoes. Why would you mix them with bottled tomato juice? Gah. But if you want to leave out the cucumber and red pepper, or add in some parsley, go for it. Topping gazpacho with a hard boiled egg is also extremely acceptable.

That’s it. That’s my gazpacho. It’s wonderful. You can certainly chill it if you need some extra cooling off, but I think room temperature allows the flavors to be their best. Unless room temperature means boiling, which it would be here if my air conditioner ever stopped working. Some garnishes you could use if you haven’t already started to dig in, are finely chopped cucumbers and red peppers, parsley, toasted almonds, and crumbled/chopped hard boiled egg.

Seriously gardeners, send me your tomatoes. I hear that you have wayyy too many to eat. Pretty sure.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (Guest Post)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Julia Campbell, The Crankin’ Kitchen

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded (cut in half width-wise then in quarters length-wise and seeds cut off) and chopped
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix together the vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, purée garlic, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. Scoop about half of the vegetable mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth, in batches if necessary.
3. Pour blended veggies back into the bowl of chopped vegetables and mix.

3.1.09

Today, we’ll be making the marathon 10 hour drive from GA to OH (make that 14 with the kids?). I’m glad to be on our way to getting settled in our new home, but it will be a long and bittersweet day, for sure. While I’m listening to my “Leaving GA” playlist and sobbing on the road, you get the treat of meeting Allison from The Sprouting Seed!

Allison is a nutritionist with a B.S. in Nutritional Science and a full-time mom. She got her start as a nutritionist and breastfeeding counselor at WIC. This was before she moved half way across the world to live in Central Europe, where she learned about real food, vibrant health, and traditional methods of preparation. Allison has found a way to make friends with little old ladies around the world and loves to share their time-tested secrets of life.

So glad to have her here on the blog today. And with a dynamite recipe for broccoli salad, no less! I am normally not a mayo fan.. but I think I will have to try her homemade mayo recipe– it looks amazing.

Broccoli is my favorite veggie. But I’ll be honest, I usually like it one way and one way only: lightly steamed, then sautéed with garlic. It’s simple, delicious, and I rarely feel the need to broaden my broccoli repertoire.

Lately, however, things have changed. I’ve been jazzing up all my vegetable dishes and not even broccoli could escape my creative streak. I started by frying zucchini fritters and grating cauliflower into “rice”. Then, I broke away from the well-beaten path of my broccoli recipe and ventured into new terrain. What did I make? Well, Broccoli Salad, of course!

This salad is hearty and delicious. It features raw broccoli, a homemade mayonnaise dressing and, you guessed it, bacon! I originally made it as a side dish, but lately I’ve been loving a big bowl of Broccoli Salad for dinner. It’s easy to whip up and sure to please. As an added bonus–using homemade mayonnaise instead of the store-bought version turns this dish into a powerhouse of nutrients. Bon Appetite!

Broccoli Salad with Homemade Mayo (Guest Post)

 

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Author: Allison Jordan

Recipe type: SIde Dish, Salad

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli, stalks removed, cut into small florets
• 6-8 slices of bacon
• ¼ purple onion, finely diced
• ½ cup crispy pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
• ¾ cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe found here: http://thesproutingseed.com/homemade-mayonnaise/)
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp raw, local honey

Instructions

1. In a skillet, fry bacon over medium high heat until evenly crisp. Remove the bacon, drain excess grease and crumble the bacon into small pieces.
2. In medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar and honey and whisk until combined. Mix in broccoli florets, cranberries, and onion. Toss ingredients until the broccoli is thoroughly coated with the mayonnaise dressing.Just before serving, add the bacon and crispy pecans.

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It’s been a minute since I posted a savory recipe, hasn’t it? It’s been all juice concoctions and coffee cake and pancake stacks up in here lately.

It’s a lot easier to post things like fat pancakes and banana bread that  I can photograph during nap time than it is to catch a photo of what we’re actually eating for dinner. (All my food bloggers out there know what’s up.) I have lots of savory meals I’d love to share with you, I just have to figure out the logistics.

I have a bit of a thing with breakfast/breakfast-for-dinner foods. More specifically, baked eggs. The last savory item you saw here on Oven Love was Baked Eggs with Spinach and Bacon, which is a no-brainer combination that I had to share. If you haven’t tried those yet, add ’em to your list- you won’t be sorry.

Now here I am putting a whole skillet of baked eggs in your face. Can you blame me, though? I would eat a tree branch if it were covered with runny egg yolk. (Ugh, please, no one take me up on that.) Dippy eggs for life!

You guys this is a ONE DISH meal. All you need is the skillet. Hallelujah for less dishes! I am the queen of the giant, everlasting dish pile. If you’ve ever spent more than an hour or two at my house, you’ve seen it. You also might have seen it here.

It is also a FIVE-ingredient meal (if you don’t count the cooking fat, salt and pepper). Win.

By the way, I have been toying with the idea of writing an e-cookbook of five-ingredient meals. The recipes would be whole-food, grain-free and labeled as Paleo/GAPS/Whole 30/Blah-Blah-Blah.  Meals like this one that are simple, but not bland. Easy, but still interesting.

Is that something you guys would be into?

Because if you’re into it, I’m into it! I feel like I’ve gotten into a bit of a same-old-same-old rut with the blog and I need a new project to inspire me. If that idea sounds lame and you want me to just continue posting and keeping things normal, then I’m cool with that, too. I just want us all to be a big, happy family with full, happy bellies.

If you have any other cool ideas you think I should take on, share those with me, too! I’d love to hear about them.

Also, a few more things about this meal:

• You can swap out the salmon for any other hearty fish or meat (or even more veggies)
• You can substitute kale, spinach or another dark leafy green for the chard
• You can use pre-cooked salmon for a meal that comes together even faster
• You should probably smother this with mashed avocado, just to be safe

Salmon, Swiss Chard and Egg Skillet

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 12-16 ounces fresh salmon (or other hearty fish)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bunch Swiss Chard, chopped (stems included if you like them)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• salt and pepper
• 4-6 eggs
• fresh herbs for garnish (optional; I used a bit of basil on top)

Instructions

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. When the skillet is warm, add the butter until it sizzles. Add the salmon and cook on both sides until it flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes per side (depending on how thick your salmon is). Set the salmon aside. **You could also use previously cooked salmon to make this an even faster dinner.**
3. Scrape any bits of salmon skin off of the pan and add more butter, if needed. Fry the onion in the butter until it begins to soften. Add the chard and continue cooking until it wilts. Then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the vegetables are soft.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, flake the salmon into large chunks with a fork. After the veggies are cooked through, add the salmon to the skillet. Give it one gentle stir to incorporate.
5. Crack the eggs on top of the salmon mixture. Put the whole skillet in the preheated oven and cook until the eggs are set to your liking (anywhere from 5-15 minutes). Check them often so you don’t overcook and serve immediately out of the oven.

3.1.09

I heart quick dinners. Don’t we all?

Some nights there just isn’t time to mess around with the oven and the pots and the pans and the measuring cups and the nonsense.

Some nights I just pull out the cast iron and see what happens.

The night I made this skillet, I was lucky enough to have some cooked rice, some beans and some Aidell’s Cajun-Style Andouille Sausage* hanging around. So creole/cajun/jambalaya-style skillet it was. It came together lightening fast since the rice and sausage were already cooked, but it wouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to get that taken care of, so still a quick dish in my book.

This one was a winner for the adults in our household, but it was a bit spicy for the kids. If you want to make a kid-friendly version, I would go easy on the spices and use a milder variety of sausage. Still a yummy combo, I’m sure.

If you’re not really into the cajun/creole thing, maybe try Italian sausage and cannelini beans or really anything else from the pantry or fridge that sounds good to you. That’s the best part about skillet dinners- you can just throw more stuff in until it looks like a meal. (Spoken like a true food professional, amiright?)

*P.S. This post is not sponsored by Aidell’s, I just like them! They are the best option at my local grocery store for natural link sausages.

2.5 from 2 reviews

Creole Rice Skillet with Andouille Sausage

 

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The prep time includes cooking the rice and sausage.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or lard
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups cooked rice, any variety
• 4 andouille sausage links, cooked and chopped
• 1½ cups or 1 drained and rinsed can of red kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika (I use smoked paprika but any kind will do)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (or both)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme

Instructions

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat the butter or lard over medium heat. Saute the onion and bell pepper until they begin to soften.
2. Add the rice, sausage and red beans. Stir and let cook until warmed through.
3. Add the spices and stir until completely coated. Serve warm in the skillet.

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