Category Archives: Lunch

Dinner, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Lunch, Recipe, Soups

Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth

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I did not grow up eating many root vegetables, so when I found a recipe for chicken soup that included parsnips and turnips I was highly skeptical. After I made it, I was hooked! There can be no chicken soup (or broth) without them! In this video, I am not only making soup but am canning broth. For the specifics on the equipment (and tools) you will need, please read my Home Canned Meat post. I am not including a nutritional analysis with this recipe. This recipe is so variable and I have no way of knowing how many carbohydrates are in the strained broth.

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Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth Recipe

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

For the broth:

For the soup:

Instructions

  1. Place all of the ingredients for the broth in a large pot (or slow cooker, electric roaster, or pressure cooker). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or medium low (you want it at a slight boil). Depending on your cooking method, let cook for 4 to 12 hours (you want everything cooked to absolute mush). Strain the broth from the solids, making sure to remove all bones.
  2. Place the broth back in the pot. If you used whole pieces of chicken, separate the meat from the bones (once cooled enough to touch).
  3. If you are going to can your chicken broth, you can evenly distribute your chicken meat between all of your jars and top with broth or just leave the meat out. Process in a pressure canner for the recommended pressure (and time) per your elevation. Remember that this broth can be used just like store-bought chicken broth. You do not want to over-season the broth prior to canning it to allow you the flexibility to use the broth however you wish.
  4. Now, if you aren’t canning your broth, throw the rest of the ingredients in the broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to medium. Let it boil until everything is cooked. BAM! You have soup for days! 🙂
Keywords: chicken, soup, broth, can, preserve, keto, low, carb, paleo

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

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Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

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This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

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Home Canned Meats

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:

Description

Canning meats at home is simple once you have all of the right tools.

Ingredients

Home Canned Meats

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Wash jars and lids.
  2. Cut meat into cubes.
  3. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
  4. Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
  5. Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
  6. Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Remember to add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your water to prevent mineral buildup on your jars.
  7. Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
  8. Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
  9. Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
  10. As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Dinner, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe

Basic Meatloaf

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I don’t typically crave meatloaf often (it’s not a dish my husband enjoys) but for some reason I had to have some this week. Why? I want a leftover, cold meatloaf “sandwich”. I want the mayonnaise and mustard, mostly. So, I am slapping a slice of this onto a leaf of iceberg lettuce and BAM! I have my cravings met! I let this cool in the refrigerator, sliced it, placed each slice between parchment paper, and threw those into the freezer.


This recipe is totally adaptable. You can add diced bell peppers, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, etc. As you can see in the video above, I added caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.

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Basic Meatloaf

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner

Description

This is a low carb meatloaf option

Ingredients

Low Carb Meatloaf

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use either a baking sheet with baking racks or a broiler pan, to allow as much of the fat to drain away while baking. Line the bottom with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.
  2. Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands (gloves help), squish all of the ingredients together. You want to make sure the seasonings and onion are well incorporated.
  3. Pour out your meat mixture onto a platter and shape it into a loaf. Place the platter into the refrigerator to let it solidify (about 15 minutes).
  4. Now, take your meatloaf out of the refrigerator and transfer it to your baking tray. Place it in the oven and bake for roughly 1 1/4 hours (or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F). You can serve immediately or let cool for easier, less crumbly slices.
  5. Nutrition Per Serving (includes sugared ketchup): 193 Cal; 19 g Protein; 10 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 0 g Trans Fat; 7 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 5 g Sugar
Keywords: low, carb, paleo, carnivore, beef, ground, meat, loaf
Breakfast, Dinner, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe

Oven Roasted Tri-tip

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One dark and stormy night (a relief in Central California) we really didn’t want to barbecue in the rain (and we were low on charcoal). So, my husband made a tri tip roast in the oven. If you aren’t accustomed to this cut, here’s the Wiki about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip.

How we (my husband as I watched and took pictures) made it:

Oven Roasted Tri-tip Roast
Ingredients:

  • 1 beef tri tip roast
  • Your choice of seasonings

Season your roast (we have been using McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning lately).
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place a heavy skillet (we love our cast iron) on the stove and heat on high. Once the skillet is hot, add about a teaspoon of oil to the pan (or spray with Pam). Place the roast in the pan and sear it for about 4 minutes (as you can see from the photos, it wasn’t that brown this time and turned out better than ever). Flip it over and sear the other side.
Now, place the skillet in the oven (do not cover) and let cook until you are happy with the doneness.

Here’s a great webpage about proper doneness of beef: https://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/kitchen/doneness.php.

The basic rule of thumb is 10 minutes per pound. We baked ours for almost 20 minutes and removed the tri tip from the oven when the thermometer read 135 degree F.

While resting (we let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting) it reached 140 degrees F.


That’s it! To serve, either slice it thick (against the grain) like a steak or thin (think roast beef). My favorite way to eat it is with some cheese and avocado (OH! Maybe some horseradish sauce, too!). Tri tip is great leftover, too! Either dice it and add to scrambled eggs, pan-fry and serve with fried eggs, or just grab a piece and munch away!
Here’s some pictures (unless you do not like this setup, I think I will post any recipes I/we create before any pictures because I HATE having to scroll a mile just to read a recipe).

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Browning in cast iron skillet
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Our meat thermometer from Home Depot
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Resting
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Medium Rare (almost medium) 140 degree internal temperature
Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

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I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

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Homemade Corned Beef

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 12

Description

It’s so much easier than I thought!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. To Cure:

    Mix all of the other ingredients, ensuring the salts dissolve.

    Remove as much fat as you want, leaving a minimum of roughly 1/4 to 1/8 inch.

    Place your meat and the brine in a container that will allow the meat to remain submerged. Submerging the meat is key to proper curing. Exposure to air introduces bacteria. I prefer plastic freezer bags. This allows me to actually remove all of the air and turn the meat with less mess.

    Place the container in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5 days, with 7 being preferred. Turn once per day. Now, it’s ready to cook or freeze.

     

  1. To Cook:

    Place the meat in a large pot along with enough hot water to cover it by at least 1″ and put the lid on. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a low simmer and keep it simmering for 30 minutes. If you boil it, it will get tough and shrink. Beware that the meat is cold, so when it warms the water will slowly move from simmer to boil. Keep an eye on it and try not to let it boil.

    After 30 minutes, dump out the water and cover 1″ over the meat with fresh hot water. Bring to a low simmer again, this time for 3 hours or until it is fork tender. Keep the meat submerged with a small plate.

    For Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, remove the meat and let it rest. Now add sliced carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the cooking liquid. Simmer until the carrots are tender.  

    Slice the meat across the grain and serve.

Keywords: corned, beef, brisket, pastrami, home, made

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Dinner, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Lunch, Recipe

Favorite Chili Recipe Ever

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I have always loved chili (Hormel’s No Bean chili).  About a month into my low carb journey, I had chili dogs (2 hot dogs, in a bowl, with chili, cheese, sour cream and a little onion).  Now, granted, I had about 1/2 cup of chili poured over these hot dogs but I was shocked at my blood sugar response!  That morning was 104 and after my meal it was 137!  That was when I read the label.  That chili not only contains corn flour (which was a huge “Duh!” but also, oatmeal).  I have since been on a mission to find a substitute.  I have yet to find one but this … this looks promising!  Just do away with the corn meal and I’ll be good to go!  I’ll scrounge through the freezer and hopefully be able to try this recipe out tonight!

You NEED to click on the link below. This is, really, the best chili recipe.


Let Me Teach You How To Make Texas Red Chili



UPDATE:  Well, I didn’t have any bulk meat so I threw in what I could and ended up with chili soup.  That being said, the flavor is spot on!  I love it!

  • 1/4 lb Fat [I use clarified bacon fat but beef suet would be more traditional]
  • 5 lbs Beef Tips [Chuck Roast cut into cubes is best but you may use the product labeled beef tips in the market]
  • 1/2 Cup Chili Powder [Gebhardt is king in Texas but if you can’t find it use common sense and buy a good brand. Preferably from a market that sells a fair amount of it so it’s fresh. If you have access to a genuine Mexican market then you can find the really good stuff and get a pure chile powder like Guajillo]
  • 2 T. Cumin [I like to buy the seeds, toast them on a comal, then grind them in a spice grinder but powdered cumin will work just fine
  • 2 T. Ground Oregano aka Mexican Oregano [Not the Italian kind, this Oregano is sold as a powder and is essential in this dish]
  • 1 T. Salt or to taste
  • 1 T. Cayenne [obviously if you’d like to ratchet up the heat just add more]
  • 1 bulb Garlic [Freshly minced garlic,not the stuff that sits in a jar of oil in your fridge]
  • 2 quarts Stock [I use chicken which is not traditional, beef is recommended here for purists. If you don’t have time to make stock the brand Better Than Bouillon is surprisingly good]
  • 1/2 Cup Masa Harina [If you can’t find masa mix in your part of the country, corn meal will do just fine-the finer grind the better]
  • 1/2 Cup Water