Paleo Bacon Coleslaw

I had SO much fun cooking tonight's dinner. If you can... make an evening out of it! Sip some wine and enjoy the process! ... Gourmet & Paleo!!! Enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

1 head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

OR you can cheat and buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage w/ carrots! :-)

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

6 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T honey

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch sea salt & pepper

Combine cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl and set aside. Cook bacon pieces over medium heat until throughly browned and crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer bacon to a dish lined with paper towels... to drain. Set aside. Reserve bacon grease for later. Combine mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons bacon grease and all but 2 tablespoons bacon. Mix well and pour over cole slaw. Sprinkle remaining 2 T bacon over slaw and serve!

I used whatever remaining bacon grease for the sweet potatoes side! Use 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, add to a baking dish. Saute 4 cloves minced garlic in the bacon fat. Do not let the garlic burn! Add about 2 T fresh rosemary (chopped finely) and continue to saute slightly and quickly. Pour mixture over chopped sweet potatoes. Toss well and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees!

I served both these delicious sides with an old recipe favorite: "Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops with Rosemary"! Everything complimented each other nicely! Yum.

St. Patty's Paleo Corned Beef & Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day

If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough! - Irish saying.

Thursday is the big day. I bought my corned beef brisket tonight! I'm planning on preparing it the same way I did last year because (if I do say so myself) it was the best I've ever made! I hope you enjoy and have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So, here's a heads-up on the recipe! Go shopping and get that crock pot out! :-)

Recipe:

3-4 lb. corned beef brisket (I trimmed the thick layer of fat off the bottom)

water

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic

ground black pepper

water

Put corned beef, pepper, garlic, bay leaves in crock pot and pour just enough water to cover beef. Cook on low for 8 hours.

I did the cabbage a little different this year. I was gone all day, so instead of adding the cabbage and veggies to the crock pot, I just cooked them up separately when I got home... about 30 minutes before serving.

1 head cabbage, quartered

1 onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic

2 carrots, sliced

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 C corned beef juice from the crock pot!

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, and a splash of the broth. Add cabbage, remaining broth and cover. Cook until cabbage is done about 20 minutes.

Slice corned beef and serve over the cabbage! Sprinkle with a little more black pepper and celtic grey sea salt (optional).

A St. Patrick's Day Toast:

Here's to a long life and a merry one

A quick death and an easy one

A pretty girl and an honest one

A cold beer - and another one!