Meatloaf with Onion Soup Mix

In my last post I referenced my Mom-in-law's meatloaf that my husband and I can't get enough of...here is the recipe! This meatloaf is moist and addictive. You will always wish there was more!

Meatloaf
Adapted from Lipton's Onion Soup Mix box

2 pounds of ground meat (I prefer a meatloaf mix but any ground meat will do)
4 TBS Onion Soup Mix
3/4 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 cup shredded zucchini*
1/3 cup of ketchup (I'm working on a paleo ketchup recipe)
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce (again, working on a recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 13 x 9 baking dish. By prepare I mean pull it out before you have two raw meat covered hands...
Mix all of the ingredients together. Yes, it can be gross but your hands do the best job.
Press mixture into pan and bake for 1 hour and then broil on high for 5 minutes to crisp up the top.
Serve and enjoy!

*Totally optional but adds nutritional value, keeps the meatloaf moist and adds no flavor or texture!

Onion Soup Mix

My husband LOVES his mom's meatloaf and anytime I make meatloaf it has to be the way his mom makes it which I am totally fine with because it is super delicious! Its actually just the recipe from the Lipton onion soup mix box. I am not keen on all of the ingredients in the mix so I did some searching and with the power of Google I found a paleo version! There are many more recipes you can make with this really easy mixture, not just meatloaf, and it adds so much flavor and goodness to everything it touches!

Paleo Onion Soup Mix

2/3 cup dried, minced onion - toasted (optional but adds a little more flavor)
3 tsp parsley flakes
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.
Add to diced potatoes, meatloaf and anything you want to be more delicious :)

Everything Topping

The best part of an everything bagel is the topping, everyone knows that! I recently saw a premade bottle of everything topping for an outrageous price, no thanks! I made my own and I love it!

Everything Topping

4 tsp poppy seeds
4 tsp sesame seeds
4 tsp dried garlic flakes
4 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp sea salt

Mix all the ingredients together and sprinkle on top of bread, cauliflower grits, mashed potatoes (sweet of course!) and anything that needs a little pep!
Feel free to toast the mixture too to bring out the flavor a little more.
Store in an air tight container for up to 2 months.

Paleo Bread

Paleo and bread don't seem like they belong in the same sentence. Bread is full of gluten, yeast and grains and paleo abstains from all things grain. That's what makes this recipe so wonderful, without the yeast there is no rising and no kneading! You can make a 'loaf' of bread in 15 minutes start to finish - including baking time!! The flat bread holds together well and can be used to accompany some eggs for breakfast or hold together a sandwich and is a totally blank slate for whatever flavors you top it with! It always curbs my bread cravings and helps me stay on track!!

Paleo Bread
Original recipe by Kristen Kons

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot powder)
1/3 cup flax seed meal
7 drops liquid stevia
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 eggs, whisked
1/3 cup plain yogurt
*toppings of choice*

Heat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, no need for one with a lip the batter will not run.
In a mixing bowl combine: almond flour, tapioca starch, flax seed meal, baking soda and salt.
In a smaller bowl combine: eggs, stevia and yogurt. Whisk together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Batter will be sticky.
Pour onto baking sheet and spread to desired thickness, I try my best to spread it out as thin as I can. It won't spread on its own but it will rise a bit.
Add desired toppings and bake for 8 minutes. Bread should be a bit spongy and have a golden brown color.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut to desired size, I shoot for 8 rectangular pieces.
Store in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month. I cut up the parchment paper and place that in between each piece to keep them from sticking together.

*Toppings depend on what you are going to use the bread for. When I first started making this recipe I just topped it with some sea salt and it went well with some almond butter and also chicken salad. I have also tried topping it with some taco seasoning for sandwiches or dipping in soup. Most recently though I have been making 'everything' bread, adding all of the topping from an everything bagel and it is delicious!!

Paleo Tortillas

Continuing on with my Cinco de Mayo theme here are some amazing paleo tortillas. They are super thin but surprising sturdy and hold the contents of your Mexican fiesta with ease!

Paleo Tortillas
Recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo
Makes 8-10 tortillas

4 eggs
2 tsp melted coconut oil or ghee
2 TBS water
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
2 tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium mixing bowl whisk eggs and add oil and water, mix well.
Slowly add in tapioca starch while whisking to cut down on lumps.
Add in coconut oil and salt, mix well

Heat an 8" frying pan over medium heat (medium heat is a little vague...you want it to be hot enough to cook the tortillas quickly but not hot enough scorch them on contact!)
Using either a 1/3 of a cup measuring cup or a mini measuring cup filled up, pour batter into the hot pan and swirl it around until the bottom of the pan is covered.
Cook for 30 - 45 seconds, the edges will start to peel away from the pan.
Flip and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Remove from pan and cool.
Fill with your favorite foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Crockpot Paleo Carnitas

In honor of Cinco de Mayo (my favorite non- American holiday if the year!) I'm going to be posting a few of my favorite Mexican inspired recipes. This carnitas tops the list!

Carnitas, or Mexican pulled pork, is a super delicious way to enjoy some southern flavor without any guilt! The best thing about this super flavor filled meat is that your throw it in the crock pot and when you come back it is fall off the bone tender and juicy!

Crockpot Paleo Carnitas 

7 - 10 pounds of pork shoulder (I like to get the most bang for my buck so if it fits in my crockpot I'll make it!)

5 -7 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole

about 1/4 cup of my Taco Seasoning

the juice of 2 limes (I cheated and used 4 TBS of RealLime)

the juice of an orange (in a pinch I have used the juice of a grapefruit and it tasted just fine!)

Trim as much fat as possible off of the pork shoulder, don't go crazy but the more work you do now will save you a ton of tedious work later* - I promise!

Using a sharp knife, make a few large cuts in the pork.

Rub the spice blend all over the meat, being careful not to contaminate anything with your meat covered hands like I did today...Oops!

Place the spice rubbed pork shoulder in your crockpot and add the whole garlic cloves. I like to shoved them in the cuts I made, not sure if it adds more to the flavor but it makes me feel like a did a good job!

Pour citrus juices over meat and cover.

Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours depending on size and time constraints. You know its done when you can easy push the meat off the bone with a fork. MMM tasty!

You can literally just eat the meat by itself, its that good! We usually eat it over some cilantro- lime 'rice' or you can throw it on top of a salad, in scrambled eggs, in homemade tortillas, alongside some guacamole... However you eat it, enjoy it with some friends and family after all there is plenty!!

*When you are finished cooking and ready to store leftovers take the meat out of the crockpot and store it in an airtight container. If you leave it in its juices it will congeal and you will then have to separate it by hand, the dirty and tedious job I referred to earlier. 

Homemade Guacamole

You can't have good Mexican food without good guacamole and there are many different ways to make the refreshing and creamy spread. This is my take on it...

Homemade Guacamole

2 avocados, diced*
1/4 - 1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 TBS lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Optional - jalapeno, diced for a kick!

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and serve. It's that easy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I like my guacamole to be chunky so I do more chopping than dicing but thats a personal preference!

*Hold onto the pits of the avocados and store them with the guacamole to keep it from oxidizing and turning brown.