Cauliflower Rice

• a small head of organic cauliflower, chopped coarsely
• 1 small onion, chopped finely in a food processor
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop the cauliflower and blend in the Cusinart until pieces are the size of rice grains. Saute the onions in melted butter and coconut oil until translucent. Add the cauliflower and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and cook covered for 5-10 minutes until "rice" is soft. Taste again and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Slow Cooked Pork With Apples and Fennel

Serves 6-8

lard
1 3-4 pound pork should roast, cut into 2″ cubes
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and eighth’ed
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seed, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
kraut
creme fraiche

Melt fat in a heavy bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown pork and place in bowl of slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. (You could brown the onion and fennel first, too, if you have time.) Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve with kraut and dollops of creme fraiche.

Goat (or beef or lamb) Korma

Serves 4-6

3-4 tablespoons ghee
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup crispy almonds or cashews
2 pounds goat shoulder roast, cubed (lamb or beef would be fine, too)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam marsala powder
1/2 teaspoon mace powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups beef broth (or goat broth if you have it)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup yogurt

Melt 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are medium brown. I find I need to turn down the heat slightly during the process. It pays to be patient here and really let the onions brown, but not burn. Add the nuts and continue frying until the onions are deep brown.

Remove onions and almonds from the pan and set aside to cool. Using an immersion blender, food processor or other blender, purée the onions and nuts.

Turn the heat back up to medium-high and melt another tablespoon or two of ghee. When the pan is hot again, add the cubed goat meat. Do not crowd the meat in the pan as that will steam rather than brown it. Brown the meat in batches instead. Leave the meat undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, so that it gets a good sear.

When it releases easily from the pan, it is ready to turn.

Brown on two sides, then add the coriander, garam marsala, mace, cardamom, and cayenne to the meat and warm for a minute or two, until they’re quite fragrant. Add the broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the bay, ginger, garlic, salt, and onion-nut mixture. Add the yogurt and stir until it is fully incorporated into the sauce. Bring to a very gentle simmer–the yogurt may curdle if the sauce boils–and cook until the meat is tender, about two hours. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Ghee

Makes a bit less than 4 1/2 Pints

1. Start with the best unsalted butter you can find.
   
2. Put 4 lbs of butter in a heavy stainless steel saucepan and turn on medium-low heat.
3. Simmer the butter, occasionally stirring gently. It will begin to make a foam on top.
4. When parting the foam shows a clear golden liquid underneath, you can skim it off. Turn the heat down if necessary. The butter will boil gently and make a crackling sound.
5. When the crackling stops and new foam stops forming, the ghee should be a golden, clear color. It will also be mildly fragrant. That means it’s almost done!
6. Set up cheesecloth or coffee filters in a sieve and pour the ghee through it into a bowl. The filter will catch the foam and the milk solids.
7. Pour the ghee into jars. It will be clear and golden.
8. Allow it to cool. The ghee will be solid when it is cool. You can store it on the counter or in the refrigerator.

Crispy Nuts

1. Rinse the shelled nuts under cold water and put them in a bowl of cold filtered water. Use 1 tablespoon of sea salt for every 4 cups of nuts.
2. Leave them soaking in a warm place for at least 7 hours. Up to 18 hours is even better.
   
3. Drain the nuts, using a colander
   
4. Transfer the nuts to a food dehydrator, and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 24 hours. You want the nuts to be completely dry when you remove them.
   
5. Store your nuts in an air tight container, preferably in the fridge or freezer.

Note: Almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, pepitas, and pecans can all be stored in an air tight container at room temperature if you are tight on fridge/freezer space. Walnuts should always be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator due to their high levels of triple unsaturated linolenic acid, which promote rancidity. Cashews should not be soaked more than 6 hours, and should be dried in the oven at 200 degrees.

Nut Butter

Makes approx. 2 cups
1 C crispy almonds
2 c crispy walnuts
1/2 c ghee (room temp) or coconut oil (barely melted)
1 T raw honey
1t sea salt (finely ground Celtic or Himalayan)

Grind nuts and sea salt in food processor to fine powder (like flour). Add honey and coconut oil or ghee and process until smooth. Store in fridge.

Grain-free Granola

1 cup pumpkin seeds

2 cups sunflower seeds

3 (or maybe 4, I can't remember) cups dried coconut, the large flakes

1/4 cup honey (warmed, if necessary)

1/8 cup oil (something mild-tasting; I used safflower)

some salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup dried fruit pieces (I cut up apricots, apples, dates and then tossed in some raisins and cranberries too)

A bit of coconut flour (optional, but I used it to toss the cut dried fruit pieces in so they didn't stick to each other and clump up in the granola)

Mix everything but the fruit and coconut together, spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 for at least fifteen minutes. Mix in the coconut and give it another five minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir it every few minutes as it browns quickly. Finally, toss it with the dried fruit and then pour yourself a big bowl and enjoy!