15 Minute Meals: Pan Seared Lamb With Brussels Sprouts & Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Firstly, I'm quite sorry for the long absence. I spend the weekend celebrating my 30th birthday and was tied up with preparations and celebrations! I'm going to be doing a post about the party, as the menu was almost gluten & dairy free thanks to the wonderful catering of Magdalena Banquet Hall in San Francisco, but I'm waiting on the photos to share.

All the celebrations and house guests didn't allow for a lot of time for cooking, so I came up with some simple Paleo recipes that don't require too much prep or cook time.  This is the first post of several more to come on the topic to 15 minute minute meals.

Many of the ingredients are from Trader Joe's and unfortunately the vegetables are not organic. I strive to eat about 90% organic but sometimes the need for convenience is more important than the need for being organic. Ideally, Trader Joe's would have a greater selection of organic products, but one can only wish. Luckily, I did find this gem there:

Yay for Pastured Raised Lamb at Trader Joe's! I paired the lamb with frozen Brussels Sprouts and half a can of organic fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies. The total prep time for the meal was 15 minutes, because sometimes you just don't have the time to slow roast fresh ingredients, but still want to eat good food.

Pan Seared Lamb With Brussels Sprouts & Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 Pasture Raised Lamb Steaks

1 tbsp Duck Fat

1 tsp Celtic Salt

1 tsp Bavarian Seasoning

1/2 can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 bag of frozen Brussels Sprouts

Process:

1. Melt duck fat in pan on medium heat

2. Cost each side of steaks with seasoning and salt

3. Place lamb in pan and sear for 6 minutes

4. In a dutch oven, place Brussels Sprouts and tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes

5. Flip steak and cook on opposite side for 6-8 minutes

6. Serve & Enjoy!

My Personal Journey: Teaching Myself and My Child about Real Food

When I was child, my mother had a overwhelming fear that I would choke on my food. Because of this fear, she pureed my food until I was 3 years old. I didn't know about this until I, too, developed an overwhelming fear that my daughter would choke on finger foods, which also resulted me in pureeing much of her food.

Photo Credit: Cascadian Farms

What I Ate Yesterday: Osteria Coppa Restaurant Review

Today's post is dedicated to a delicious restaurant I'm in love with right now: Osteria Coppa, in San Mateo, CA. I haven't done a restaurant review in a while, but Osteria Coppa is officially my new favorite restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having now eaten there twice and both times being close to perfection, I can safely say that you NEED to check this place out if you're in my neck of the woods.

A Crafty Gourmet's Version of The Spunky Coconut' Persimmon Scones

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite bloggers, The Spunky Coconut posted an incredible recipe for Persimmon Scones. I'm a huge fan of persimmon, which is why I made a Vegan Persimmon & Cranberry Cheesecake for Thanksgiving. I'm also a fan of persimmon for all of its health benefits, specifically its ability to treat gastrointestinal inflammation and hemorrhoids. We've also been seeing a significant resolution in our daughter's "lung heat" since she's been eating more persimmons.

I decided to try making her Persimmon Scones, but since I'm avoiding almond flour right now, I decided to substitute sunflower seed flour. Also, the recipe seemed to call for a bit too much sugar for my taste so I reduced the sugar. Finally, I didn't have psyllium husk powder, so I used ground flax seeds. The scones or cookies, which ever you prefer, turned out very well, so I'm sharing the recipe with you! This recipe is vegan, grain-free, nut-free and paleo friendly.

The Spunky Coconuts Persimmon Scones 
(A Crafty Gourmet Remix)
Dry Ingredients
1 cup sunflower seed flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia

1 large ripe Hichaya or 2 ripe fuyu persimmons

Process:
1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients and then using a mixer add in wet ingredients. You can also use an "S" blade on your food processor to do this as well.

2. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out dough onto a sheet of parchment or Silpat mat and press down in the middle to create a little pool for the persimmon

3. Peel the persimmon and mash with fork to create a puree

4. Using a spoon, place puree into the dents in the scones

5. Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees

6. Let cookies rest for 10-15 minutes. The Spunky Coconut recommends you freeze them to let them harden.

7. Enjoy!

Why I Ate Lamb Oysters, aka Lamb Balls. Yes Those Balls!

You know I'm a fan of offal, but this time you may think I went too far. I've officially crossed over to the dark side of offal consumption and I've cooked Lamb Testicles (aka Lamb Oysters, aka Lamb Fries) in my own house! Oh and I liked them!