THE FRUGAL PALEO COOKBOOK
AFFORDABLE, EASY & DELICIOUS PALEO COOKING
BY CIARRA HANNAH
A recent trend in diets and new cookbooks has espoused the Paleo diet, which promotes the eating of whole unprocessed foods such as grass-fed meats, wild-caught seafood, organic fruits and vegetables. The diet is intended to be similar to what was eaten by cavemen. Dairy, grains and processed foods are not consumed.
One concern about adopting this lifestyle is that the food is expensive. The Frugal Paleo Cookbook however, has affordable, healthy and easy-to-follow recipes that solve this problem. We found that the recipes were interesting and unique, some of which we will try even though we do not follow this lifestyle. A few that caught our eye were: lamb meatballs in creamy curry sauce; easy Thai coconut chicken; cauliflower lasagna; grilled pork with spicy apricot BBQ sauce; grilled clams with fried garlic; spicy beet salad and summer strawberry salad with chocolate balsamic vinaigrette. A section in the book containing 15 salt-free blends and 5-ingredients-or-less-seasoning blends gives the cook more flavoring options.
Author Ciarra Hannah is the creator of PopularPaleo.com and recipes have been featured on StupidEasyPaleo.com, PaleoHacks.com and PrimalPal.net. She lives in Tacoma, Washington.
Here is a recipe to try:
HARD-CIDER BRAISED BRATS
Serves 2 to 4
I firmly believe that Paleo food is simple food and do my best to put recipes together that reflect this belief. This recipe couldn’t be easier or more delicious. Eat this with a heaping side of sauerkraut and some good-quality mustard.
INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 g) lard, bacon drippings or coconut oil
4 or 5 brats from pastured pigs
½ white or yellow onion
1 bay leaf
1 (12 oz [355 mL]) bottle hard-apple cider (no added sugar or gluten)
METHOD
To prep, break out your Dutch oven (or any thick-bottomed pot with a fitted lid) and heat it over medium or medium-high heat—whatever will get you a good sear on your brats. Melt your chosen fat and add the brats to the pan.
Once the brats are placed, don’t move them around until it’s time to turn them over. The goal is to get a deep brown crust on 2 sides before adding the braising liquid. If you’re constantly stirring and moving, they won’t sear properly. While the brats do their thing for about 5 to 7 minutes per side, slice about a half cup’s (75 g) worth of white or yellow onion.
Once the brats are seared, toss in the sliced onion and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir and pour in the hard-apple cider. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low and covering the pot. Let braise for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
The hard cider reduces into a sweet and tangy sauce, and the lard gives it a silky texture. It’s fantastic!
Recipe reprinted from THE FRUGAL PALEO COOKBOOK by Ciarra Hannah
Page Street Publishing/December 2014
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