turkey sausage and spinach stuffed mushrooms

as of late, husband and i have began experimenting with the paleo way of eating. we are cutting out processed foods, dairy, gluten, and most sugar. the reason is two fold for me... i am looking to clear up my skin (a constant battle for me) and get more energy to make it through the school year. husband is just along for the ride...he eats what i we cook. thankfully, he has been extra excited about what has been coming out of the kitchen these days... well, aside from the whole chicken drummy situation. drummies are apparently not his cup of tea. 

we are by no means going hardcore with this way of eating. i hesitate to even call it a diet for us. we are just trying to be more conscious about what we are putting in our bodies. we are not going full blown paleo on this one. we love coffee, beer, and a sporadic homerun inn frozen pizza far too much for that nonsense.

here is a recent recipe we tried from michelle over at nomnompaleo.com. if you haven't been to her site, you must change that. go visit michelle, she knows a thing or two about whole food eatin'.

>> spinach and sausage stuffed mushrooms <<

ingredients

6 portabella mushroom caps

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 ounces of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1- 1 1/2 pounds of spicy italian turkey sausage (uncooked), removed from casings
        (or any other type of sausage you fancy)

2 teaspoons herbs de provence

sprinkling of garlic powder

1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp coconut flour (breadcrumbs or another type of flour will do)
2-3 Tbsp melted coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
salt and pepper
1-2 cups of spaghetti sauce (we really enjoyed newman's own)


instructions

preheat oven to 400 degrees and begin prepping the mushrooms. wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and trim stems down to the cap. remove the mushroom gills with a spoon and slice an x on the outside of the mushroom cap with a paring knife. brush the mushrooms with coconut oil (or the oil of your choice) on both sides and place gill side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. sprinkle with salt and pepper.

roast mushrooms in the middle rack of your oven for seven minutes. flip the mushrooms and bake for an additional 5 minutes with the gill side down.  remove mushrooms from oven and allow to come to room temperature.

meanwhile, prep the filling. add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a large saute pan on medium-high heat and saute the onions with a sprinkling of salt and pepper until translucent, about seven minutes. add the spices and sausage to the pan. saute for about another three minutes. take the onion and meat off of the heat once the meat starts to turn color.  (do not cook the meat all the way through...it will finish in the oven) 

once the meat has begun to cool, add it to a bowl with the flour, egg, spinach, and a dash of salt and pepper. get down and dirty and mix with your hands...meatloaf style. transfer the roasted mushrooms onto another baking sheet lined with foil (the original baking sheet still had lots of mushroom liquid on it) and pile the stuffing onto each cap — pressing down to make the stuffing more compact.  

return the stuffed mushrooms to the oven and bake for another 7-9 minutes at 400 degrees. at that point, get your broiler fired up and broil for about 3 minutes. remove the stuffed mushrooms when they have begun to evenly brown. top your stuffed shrooms off with a tomato sauce of your choice and serve immediately.

this is definitely one for the recipe rolodex.

happy eating.

weekend warriors + curtain call

my deepest apologies for the sparseness of posts as of late. buying a home making a house a home during the busiest time in the teaching year is quite the undertaking. we have gotten ourselves into quite the project. oy vey. 

husband and i spent the weekend outdoors. we raked leaves and brush that hasn't been touched in some time and began designing our backyard splendor. we trudged 15 bags of brush to the dump, trimmed hedges, and transplanted plants a plenty. we have the blisters and sore muscles that accompany this toil. i wouldn't have it any other way.

we have finally gotten five minutes to sit down and my mind drifts to interiors. i am having the toughest time trying to find curtains for our dining room. anything that i do seem to fancy is never long enough. it may come to yet another diy undertaking.... fabric and sewing machine it just may have to be. 

until then, i will continue to be inspired by these fine curtain wonders.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

kale and chickpea detox soup

husband and i call this our detox soup and this recipe tends to make the rounds after those weekends where we tend to fall off the health wagon. this gets us right back on track and it will do the same for you. try it... your insides will thank you.

>> kale and chickpea detox soup <<

ingredients

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 small-medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1/4 head of green cabbage, roughly chopped
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp chili powder
2 small bay leaves
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of saffron (or turmeric powder)
1/2 tsp salt
5-6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 big handfuls of fresh kale, chopped

instructions

heat a large pot over medium heat. add olive oil and add chopped onions, carrots, and cabbage. cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes. add fennel seed, ginger, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon powder, bay leaves, saffron, and a pinch of salt. cook for a minute just to develop flavors from all spices. add drained chickpeas with the vegetable broth. stir and bring to a gentle simmer. cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. discard bay leaves and add handfuls of fresh chopped kale. stir and allow kale to wilt for 5 minutes on simmer before serving. add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat if you desire.

many thanks to kiran for her recipe inspiration