Sunday Beef Short Ribs

After a rainy, windy few days, the sun is shining in Vancouver.  Thank goodness this allows Paleo Grandad to go out and take down the Halloween decorations. He goes all out every year and our yard is full of crime scene tape, cobwebs, lights and spooky things.  He has a creepy costume (this year is the headless butler), and loves to terrify children (and they love to be terrified).

Paleo Grandad and I tossed around the idea of going out for dinner on Saturday night, but neither of us could think of anywhere we wanted to eat - we have a really small choice of Paleo-friendly restaurants in our part of the Lower Mainland.  We decided to stay home and avoid the inevitable stomach ache.

I wanted to try Nom Nom  Paleo's Orange Sriracha Chicken and - wow - was it worth staying home to eat. You could eat the sauce with a spoon and be happy.  I served it with a variation (subbed red peppers for the tomatoes) of The Clothes Make the Girl Tabbouleh Salad from her new Well Fed 2 cookbook - the two dishes were delicious together.

Time to cook.  Today's menu:

Brunch
I experimented with Paleo waffles again today and came up with a winner.

Paleo Plantain Almond Flour Waffles (or Pancakes!)
(Serves 4)

1 large, very ripe plantain
1 cup almond flour
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil
1 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
pinch of salt

1. Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until well mixed.
2. Cook in a pre-heated waffle maker (or make pancakes with 1/4 cup of batter each).
3. Cook a little longer than you would a wheat flour waffle - it takes longer to brown.

Dinner

When I was a kid, beef short ribs were one of the most economical cuts of meet, so my Mom made them fairly often.  Now, they are quite pricey - $23.64 for 8 meaty ribs, which will be one dinner and one lunch for both Paleo Grandad and I.  That works out to $5.91 per meal - cheaper than eating out (and tastier). 

Beef Short Ribs

(Serves 4)

2 lbs. beef short ribs

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

3 stalks of celery, cut into large chunks

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 2 Tbsp. dried, crushed rosemary

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. chipolte powder (more if you like spicier food)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

8 fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp. dried, crushed sage

more salt and pepper to taste

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. raw honey

1. Melt the coconut oil in a large heavy skillet.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the short ribs.
3. Brown the short ribs on both sides.  Do it in batches so you don't crowd the pan.
4. Place the browned short ribs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. While the short ribs are browning, roughly chop the carrots and celery in a food processor.  You can add an onion if your stomach will allow it - mine won't right now.
6. Using the same heavy skillet you cooked the short ribs in, cook the vegetables with some more salt and pepper, until softened.
7. If using dried herbs, add them and the chipolte powder and cinnamon now and saute them with the vegetables.
8. Add the balsamic vinegar and honey to deglaze the pan.
9. Pour the mixture over the short ribs in the slow cooker.
10. Place the whole garlic cloves on top.
11. If using fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, put them on top of everything.
12. Set the slow cooker for seven hours and go do something else.

It was excellent served with cauli-mash and Brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon and dried cranberries.