Sweet potato ground beef casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper

Sauté vegetables in cooking fat, add ground beef and cook until all pink color is gone

2 sweet potatoes, cut in large cubes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Lime/ or lemon juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Toss together and bake in oven 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes

Mix cooked sweet potatoes with cooked ground beef mixture.

Optional sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup coconut milk
Lime/ or lemon juice
1 teaspoon chili powder

Serve sauce on the side to be poured over potato, beef mixture
Top with chopped green onions for flavor, interest and color.

One of the very good paleo meals we've tried.

Broccoli Apple salad

Broccoli - 1 medium bunch
Carrot- 1 large, peeled and grated
Garlic clove- 1 minced
Apple- cored and finely chopped
Onion- about 1/4 of a large onion
Pecans or walnuts- 1/2 cup course chopped
Dried cranberries- 1/4 cup

Dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup Greek plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

Mix together, this will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator

Lazy Lasagna

2 lbs thawed ground beef
2 (12 oz) jars spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
8-16 oz roughly chopped fresh spinach
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 (14 oz) container cottage cheese
2 eggs
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat, then drain off any excess fat if necessary. Add the sauce and seasonings, and simmer over low heat for several minutes. Put the cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth.

Layer half  the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with half  the cheese mixture, then layer on half the spinach. Follow with half the grated mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with the mozzarella. Top with a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40 min or until bubbly.

Loaded Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 large spaghetti squash
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 lbs cooked ground beef or diced cooked chicken
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bacon pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the squash until tender, then scoop out the "spaghetti" using a fork. In a large bowl, mix the squash with 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and the remaining ingredients. Mix well and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Buttah Chicken

2 1/2 pounds thawed boneless chicken thighs
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp onion powder
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 (24 1/2 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the crockpot. Blend the crushed tomates with the seasonings and butter, then add to the crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, and the diced tomatoes. Cook on low heat all day or on high heat for 5 - 6 hrs. Just before serveing, break up the chicken with 2 forks, then mix in the yogurt and cream. Serve over rice or Cauli Rice.

Clam Chowder

6 Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 chopped onion
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 stalk if celery, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon  salt
4 Chicken bouillon broth cubes
5 Cups water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 small cans of clams (minced)
1 large can mushrooms with stems and pieces, drained
1-13 oz can evaporated milk

Combine first 10 ingredients and simmer, add clams, mushrooms, and evaporated milk. Heat and simmer 10-15 minutes

I omitted the cream of mushroom soup, substituted fresh mushrooms for the canned mushrooms, and used Swanson chicken broth instead of the bouillon cubes and water. The end product was good but didn't thicken without the soup.

This is an easy winter soup, most of the ingredients are easy to keep on hand, too.

Wild Rice

 Clean wild rice as directed on the package. I use 1 cup cleaned, rinsed wild rice : 3 cups liquid

1 Cup wild rice, rinsed throughly
3  cups chicken broth
1 onion chopped
Celery, chopped

Cover, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until rice is tender

When done and still hot, add 1 cup or so cranberries

Sheila brought this to Thanksgiving 2016. It was so good 😊
I use this recipe as the wild rice bed for the salmon menu.