Warm Spinach Salad with Figs & Butternut Squash (Paleo & Vegan)

Update: I updated this recipe with new images on 8/18/2018. Same recipe, just better photography! :) 

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It seems like the blog world is sprinting at a million miles an hour. When I first started religiously food-stalking in high school, the blog world was small. While I have no idea how much it has grown, it certainly seems like there are more than ten bloggers today for every blogger there was in the mid-2000s. It's more than the numbers: the opportunities for bloggers to do things outside of their blog have erupted, too. Back then there were clubs like the Daring Bakers and support groups like Adopt-a-Blogger (my blog at the time was adopted by Jordan of Kitchen Karate). A few, standout bloggers seemed to be going above and beyond, scoring deals to author cookbooks, or speak on talk shows. These days, bloggers blog like it's nobody's business. Actually, they blog like it is their business and in a few cases, it really is.

You're probably wondering why I'm rambling about this. It turned into more of a ramble than I intended. But when I started Foraged Dish, I was shocked by the number of opportunities that immediately presented themselves to me. 

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The thing is, I didn't start blogging because I wanted to write a cookbook, or because I wanted to become a full-time power-blogger. I just wanted somewhere to channel my creativity, and somewhere to share my recipes. One email I received, however, was too good to pass up -- I was immediately excited not just about being a (small) part of it, but about the over all project. Have you heard of Health Recipes Magazine? It's an eMagazine full of simple, delicious recipes that help people live healthier lives. 

Back in June, I got an email from Shanna, the executive editor of the publication. I was shocked: You want to feature my recipe? Really? But I was also completely excited. Health Recipes Magazine wasn't just any run-of-the-mill health-washed publication. The editors hand pick recipes from bloggers to make sure they truly are nourishing. It's all about giving people recipes that are good for them, and then inspiring them to try them. That's why I responded with a decisive "Yes!"

My recipe for Lamb Chops with Strawberry, Mint and Truffle Sauce is featured in the latest edition of Healthy Recipes Magazine. Visit their website and subscribe to see it, here. 

Now, I wasn't going to write you a blog post and not include a new recipe, so I've included photos and a recipe for one of my new favorite side dishes -- Warm Spinach Salad with Caramelized Figs and Butternut Squash. With a nice mixture of sweet and savory, this is an easy side dish that looks (and tastes) completely decadent. 

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Warm Spinach Salad with Figs & Butternut Squash

Published September 1, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 3   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 to 2 cups raw butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cubed

1 clove garlic, minced

6 figs, halved (I use Brown Turkish Figs or Black Mission Figs, but feel free to experiment)

1/4 small red onion, diced small

3-4 huge handfuls fresh spinach (baby OR chopped normal spinach)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (Also delicious with candied pecans!)

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until it sizzles. Place the fig halves flesh-side down in the hot oil, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and the sugars begin to caramelize. Remove from pan, set aside.
2. Place the red onion, butternut squash and garlic in the pan with the oil. Sauté until the squash it is soften through and browning on the edges (to get a nice sear on the squash, stir only every few minutes, allowing each side to crisp up before turning).
3. Turn off the stove, and add the spinach to the skillet. Stir, and allow the spinach begins to wilt from the residual heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scoop everything into your serving dish. Arrange the figs over the top of the salad, and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Paleo Cream of Mushroom Soup with Bacon and Leeks (yup, dairy free!)

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Confession: I love mushrooms so much that it takes a lot of self control not to eat them all while I'm chopping them. 

Somehow, enough mushrooms actually ended up in the soup pot for this "cream-of" soup to become Cream of Mushroom Soup. You know that saying "good things come to those that wait"? Yea. Good things come to those that wait. 

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See, while the mushrooms sit on the cutting board, they're foamy little bites with earthy flavors that are extraordinarily fun to eat. But once they've been seared, seasoned, and drowned in a creamy broth, they become savory, meaty and rich. 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup blows the canned stuff out of the water, and not just in flavor and style. It is actually truly nourishing with whole ingredients, healing broth, and no mystery additives. Besides, this homemade version comes with bacon, and you can't beat that. Walking the line between creamy and gravy, this soup sticks to your bones. Each creamy bite is infused with the flavors of fresh herbs, leeks, and mushrooms. Little bits of bacon give your something to go searching for. An empty bowl begs to be licked clean. 

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Cream of Mushroom Soup with Bacon and Leeks

Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Who invented the canned stuff anyways? No offense, but they were totally off the mark.

Serves: 3   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 small leek
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 20 ounces mushrooms, crimini or baby portobellos
• 2 tablespoons dry peppery red wine (such as Zinfandel or Pinot)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder OR corn starch
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk OR 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons chives, fresh, minced

Directions:

1. Chop the bacon into bite-sized bits. Toss the pieces in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat. Stir the bacon occasionally as it bacon cooks. Meanwhile, prepared the vegetables: remove the green parts of the leek and chop the white parts into thin slices. Mince the garlic, and finely dice the onion. Wash and slice the mushrooms.
2. When the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces from the pot (leaving the grease). Set the bacon bits aside for later. Add the leek slices to the hot pot, cooking them until just browning. Use a slotted spoon to remove about a quarter or the leeks, to use for garnishing later. Leave the rest of the leeks in the pot, and add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. (Tip: To get a good sear on the mushrooms, it's important to have plenty of oil in the pan. If you pan seems a bit dry, add about a tablespoon of coconut oil before adding the mushrooms. It will depend on your bacon). Stir the vegetables occasionally, allowing them to sear and cook through.
3. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot as you do. When the vegetables start look soft, add the arrowroot powder. Sprinkle it evenly over the vegetables, and then still once or twice, just until the powder is well distributed.
4. Add the bone broth and the coconut milk. Stir briefly to ensure no clumps of arrowroot form. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the rosemary and thyme to the soup along with salt and pepper.
5. Allow the soup to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the broth to thicken and the flavors to blend. Ladle warm soup into bowl and top with a sprinkle of reserved leeks, bacons bits, and minced chives.

Paleo & Primal Swedish Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

Update 1/3/2018: I refreshed this recipe with new photography, and have also updated the recipe a tiny bit to give you the option of making dairy-free gravy or gravy made with milk/cream. It is fabulous with cream, though the original recipe called for almond milk.

After a couple of thunder and hail storms, it has finally cooled off here. We escaped to Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, and I found myself wishing for a sweater and a mug of hot coffee. We were lucky enough to get up close and personal with an Elk! But, these cooler temperatures mean that I am finally in the mood to talk about warm food again. So here we go: Paleo Swedish Meatballs.

When you Google the origins of Swedish Meatballs, you don't find much in the way of answers. What you do find is a lot of people talking about IKEA, and how they've discovered the furniture store's famous recipe. In truth, I've never stepped foot into an IKEA, and so when I hear this I furrow my brow and wonder how a furniture store ended up so famous for beef and gravy. Anyone with me? (Update, 6/28/2017: I have now visited IKEA once. I love it and hate it at the same time. I hate it because I hate shopping. I love it because there are so many solutions in once place!)

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Since I haven't tried IKEA's meatballs, I can't weigh in on their flavor. My own memories of Swedish Meatballs don't make much more sense, anyways: they include a lot of Costco and have nothing to do with Sweden. This is why I found myself searching for answers. Why are they Swedish? While I consider myself a perfectly competent Google-maneuverer, I can't say I came back with many answers. It does seem that in some parts of Sweden, some meatballs are served in gravy. Unlike French Fries, maybe Swedish Meatballs do have an origin-appropriate name. I never really got to the bottom of the issue, because at that point I just gave in and decided it was time to eat. Maybe that's what French Fries and Swedish Meatballs have in common: they're just too dang delicious for anyone to really care what they're named. 

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Serve them over a pile of spaghetti squash or on toothpicks as an appetizer. Swedish or not, there's something about gravy that just hits the spot.  

Paleo Swedish Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free   |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Better than IKEA.

Yields: 25 meatballs   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 white onion, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the gravy:
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (corn starch will also work)
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 cup almond milk, coconut milk, OR whole milk (Pro tip: for extra creamy gravy, try 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1/2 cup whole milk)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl, aside from the coconut oil. Thoroughly mix the meat until all of the ingredients are combined.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Form 1-inch balls with the meat mixture, and when the oil is hot, placing the meatballs in the skillet. (I did this in two batches). Cook the meatballs until they are a deep brown on the bottom, and turn them, cooking the opposite side until brown. Remove cooked meatballs from skillet and set aside.
3. For gravy: Using the same skillet that had the meatballs (the meatball drippings should still be in the skillet), sauteé the mushrooms, stirring occassionally.
4. Once the mushroom have a nice sear, turn the heat to medium and pour the broth into the pan. Scrape the pan to get the flavor of the meatballs incorporated into the gravy. The broth should begin to simmer.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot powder into 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the mixture to the skillet. Pour in milk or choice, and add the salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to simmer for at least 5 more minutes, until it begins to thicken. Add the meatballs back in. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, coaking each meatball in gravy.
6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot. Great on their own as an appetizer but a good main dish when served also good over spaghetti squash.

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