Barbacoa Beef Cheeks

• 2 1/2pounds beef cheeks
• 4cloves garlic
• 1tablespoon natural peanut butter
• 1ancho chili
• 1teaspoon instant espresso
• 2tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 more for cooking)
• 1tablespoon honey
• 2teaspoons cumin
• 1teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1handful fresh cilantro
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1cup chicken broth (you can use beef too, I just had chicken on hand)
• 3limes
• 1avocado
• fresh cilantro

1. Clean and trim the cheeks. Put them in a container that you can marinate them in.
2. Remove the stem and seeds from the ancho, cut it up into chunks and rehydrate in a little water (I stick it in a ramekin and microwave for 30 seconds)
3. Peel and chop the garlic. Put everything from the garlic to the salt in the food processor (including the water from the chili) and blend into a paste. Toss the paste with the cheeks and marinate for several hours or better yet over night.
4. When it is time to cook, heat the oven to 275, and heat 2 tbs olive oil in a dutch oven. Brown the cheeks on both sides. Use the broth to rinse the rest of the marinade into the dutch oven, then squeeze the juice of 3 limes in.
5. Bake at 275 for 3 1/2 hours - turn the cheeks over once or twice while they cook and if the liquid dries up add a bit more broth
6. When the cheeks are fall-apart tender, take the pan out of the oven. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart in the pan so that it mixes in with all of that fatty juicy goodness.

Paleo Banana Bread

1 cup coconut flour (I use Wilderness Family Naturals)

1 1/2 cup very ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)

4 pastured eggs

6 T butter or coconut oil (melted)

5 T raw honey or vanilla honey

2-3 squirters full of stevia (40-60 drops drops in a squirt) *optional

1/4 tsp sea salt

1t-1T cinnamon

1/2 t baking soda

1 T vanilla

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
Oil or butter your bread pans (I used 2 mini). Line with parchment paper. Cut 2 pieces and fit them in the baking pan. (It is easier to oil it first, so the paper kind of sticks to the sides of the pan)
Smash the bananas

 (In the banana bowl) mix in the honey, butter, vanilla, eggs, and *stevia until combined.
In a sperate bowl mix the coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. (In the banana bowl) mix in the honey, butter, vanilla, eggs, and *stevia until combined.
In a sperate bowl mix the coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
Spoon the batter into your lined bread pans.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The top and edges should be a golden brown color. Remove form oven and let it cool for 15 minutes in the pan.

5-Spice Slow-Cooker Pork Ribs

3-4 pounds pork or beef ribs
salt & ground black pepper
coarse (granulated) garlic powder
Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut aminos

1. Lay the ribs on a cutting board and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Now rub a good amount of five-spice powder onto the ribs. I didn’t measure, but I was pretty aggressive with it; the top of the ribs were pretty evenly brown with powder.

2. Measure the rice vinegar and the coconut aminos into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the ribs, cover, and cook on high for about 6 hours or on low for 8-10. Really, you can’t cook them too long. They’re ribs; they’re very forgiving.

3. Chill the liquid left in the bottom of the slow cooker so the fat separates. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, then use as a dipping sauce for the meat.

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/02/23/5-spice-slow-cooker-pork-ribs/