Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a staple in every British household and ours was no exception. I remember secretly cheering as a child when I knew Mom was fixing this for dinner. One of my favorite parts was the melted cheese on top that Mom had set under the broiler just before serving. While the nutritional yeast in this recipe is not exactly as yummy as real cheese, it does give the same added creaminess to the potatoes. The only modification I had to make was eliminating the brussel sprouts. I keep finding recipes to sneak them in, and the family just will not let me win. So...I replaced with green beans. Peas would also be a good option. And so this recipe...while not Mom's, is a great Paleo option to a childhood classic.

Ingredients

Beef Mixture:

• 1 tbsp ghee for cooking
• 1 1/2 lbs grass fed ground beef
• Sea salt and pepper (for seasoning beef
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 1/2 cup Brussel sprouts chopped (or green beans/peas/whatever veggie you like)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• sprinkle of sea salt for veggies
• 3/4 cup beef or chicken bone broth
• 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 1 tsp fresh minced rosemary

Mashed Potatoes:

• 4-6 russet potatoes or 2 1/2 lbs peeled and cut into 2” pieces
• 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk blended prior to adding
• 3 Tbsp organic ghee
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes:

1. Heat a 3 quart pot with water, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Add 2” potato pieces to the boiling water, and cook until very soft
2. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Set heat to low and add the ghee and coconut milk. Mash with a potato masher over very low heat, once smooth, turn heat off and add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. If you want your potatoes really creamy, you can use an immersion blender at this point (I just put mine right in the pot.)

Prepare beef mixture and assemble/bake pie:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. In a deep oven proof skillet* (mine was 10”, add beef to skillet and sprinkle with sea salt. Brown beef over med/hi heat breaking up lumps with spoon. remove from skillet to a plate with slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Adjust heat to medium and add Brussels sprouts and carrots to skillet, stir to coat and cook about 2 minutes, then add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and sprinkle veggies with a bit of sea salt, stir, then cover the skillet briefly to soften carrots until fork tender, if necessary.
4. Add the remaining ingredients for the beef mixture to the skillet, stir to combine, then return beef to skillet and stir to coat, simmer for 2 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and blend flavors.
5. Spread all the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture and use a spoon or spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with parsley, then place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any bubbling sauce) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top begins to turn light brown.
6. Remove from oven, allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you can use a casserole dish instead to bake your shepherd's pie - cook beef mixture in a skillet and then transfer mixture to casserole dish once done cooking; spread mashed potatoes over the top and bake as instructed

Recipe: www.paleorunningmomma.com

One-Pan Crispy Bacon Wrapped Chicken

This recipe is almost too easy to be this good. We are now back on sports schedules so quick, healthy meals are a must. And, I'm not sure why, but up until this month I had never cooked with chicken thighs! My go-to has always been chicken breasts so this was a stretch. But the more I read, certain recipes specifically stated "do NOT use chicken breasts...they will dry out". I heeded the warning and oh my goodness..they are so right! These things are so flavorful and retain moisture!
Also, I'm not a fan of soggy bacon. And this recipe gives great tips in keeping it crispy.

We served with green beans sautéed in leftover bacon grease. Because...why not, right? :)

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients 

• 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 10 slices nitrate free bacon
• 2 tsp onion powder 
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt 
• black pepper 
• fresh herbs as desired 

Instructions 
1. Mix the onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle over all the chicken. Heat a large cast iron skillet over med-hi heat and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wrap one slice of bacon around each chicken thigh half, twice, to cover the chicken surface as much as possible.
3. Add each chicken piece to the skillet, seam side up. Allow the first side to brown about 2 minutes. 4. Turn over each chicken piece carefully so the bacon doesn't move, so seam side is now down and browned side is up. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is no longer pink and bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes.
5. If chicken is cooked and the bacon isn't crispy enough for your preference, put the chicken under the broiler for a minute or until the bacon is cooked to preference (keep a close eye on it)
6. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired while chicken is still in the pan, and serve with your favorite veggie and potatoes. Enjoy!

Recipe: paleorunningmomma.com