Recipe: Paleo Beef Stroganoff

Comfort food. Those certain meals that just make you happy. They take you back to childhood. They always make your tummy happy. They are pretty much NEVER paleo-approved.

I love, love, love beef stroganoff. Numerous elementary school projects show my adorable childish handwriting on an "about me" list announcing my favorite food to be beef stroganoff.  Our version wasn't the cheapest, but certainly wasn't the fanciest. The two main ingredients were sour cream and Cream of Mushroom soup.

When I went wheat-free, and about 90% paleo, I started reading labels, well, the rare labels because we try hard to avoid packaged foods. And when I picked up the can of Campbell's condense Cream of Mushroom soup, my heart sank. All kinds of crap, and definitely wheat. I tried making stroganoff with the few gluten-free Cream of Mushroom soups I could find, but nothing tasted quite right. So tonight, I decided to experiment.

This turned out so well, the hubs deemed it better than the original, and 100% blog-worthy. And, oops, we enjoyed it so much, we didn't get a picture until it was half-eaten!  Remember, we are dairy-consuming paleo-ites.   Without further ado...

Ingredients

• 2/3 C. Beef Stock
• 1/3 C. Almond milk
• 2 Tbsp Almond flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 4 oz. mushrooms, diced
• 16 oz. sour cream (I used Horizon organic)
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika

• At least 1 pound steak (round or skirt)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
• Large pinch or dash Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, combine beef stock and almond milk. Add almond flour and mix in until dissolved. Add salt and onion powder and mix well. Stir in diced mushrooms. Set aside.

Cut steak into thin strips, no more than one inch wide (should be thin and essentially bite-sized). Place the butter or olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and steak. Season with garlic, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until steak is browned. 

Drain meat.  Add your mushroom 'soup' mixture, sour cream, and paprika. Stir until sour cream has mixed in. 

Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. For a thicker sauce, uncover for the last 15 minutes, and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes after done cooking. 

If desired, this can be served with a pasta substitute.

Enjoy!!

Maybe next time, we'll take a picture *before* we eat it. Doubtful.

Recipe: Paleo Sausage Mushroom Balls...

First, Jenn (aka The Wife), is awesome. She's a fellow military spouse, has an adorable kiddo, and whips up some awesome recipes. A while back, she shared a recipe for Sausage Mushroom Bites, and they were delicious!!  Check out the original recipe here and check out the rest of her blog while you're at it!

However... her sausage bites are designed to sit in little phylo dough cups. Not so wheat-free or paleo. So, I took the lead from her recipe and came up with this little gem...  can't lie, when I popped the first one in my mouth, I actually said, "Oh holy shit." I know, pardon my potty mouth.  I served these to a friend during the Super Bowl and she agreed they were awesome.

Remember, we are dairy consuming Paleo-ites.. I always recommend Cabot cheese... which are naturally gluten and lactose free! This can easily be made without the cheese.

 Not the best picture, but they taste better than they look!

Sausage Mushroom Balls

Ingredients
1 pound (package) ground sausage
1/4 Cup almond flour
4 oz. white mushrooms, finely diced
1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar
(You could also use 1/4 Cup finely chopped spinach, or sub it for the cheddar)

Preheat oven to 375.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. (Go ahead, get those hands dirty!). Scoop out portions and roll into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 18 minutes or until done.

Makes roughly 30 balls.