Category: Dining

Food Porn @aznbbqgrrl

Last night’s #beef #broth #dinner ingredients: take some green #onions, red onions, sliced book #tripe, #shiitake #mushrooms, about 12oz of broth, and cooked beef #tendon and place in a saucepan over medium heat. #foodporn #healthychoices #realfood #foodieeats #tasty #homemade #veggies #offal #eatoffal

Food Porn @aznbbqgrrl

@eatpilinuts My trial-size order arrived! Low carb, buttery, high fat goodness from my native Philippines. Hope this #superfood will become a commercial success while staying environmentally friendly and beneficial for the people of PI. Loving both flavors. #keto #lchf #ketofriendly #foodieeats #foodiefinds #foodporn #nuts #pilinuts #realfood #healthychoices #dontfearthefat #tasty #nomnom

Recipe: Basic Bone Broth

I’ve been having a blast lately making soups with my homemade bone broth, mostly derivations of Vietnamese pho, minus the banh (or rice noodles). It made for a more mindful and healthier start to 2017.

Bone broth is so easy to make, it makes me wonder why I ever bothered buying cartons of the store-bought stuff (e.g., convenience). But studies have revealed the healthy benefits of collagen, gelatin and all the minerals and electrolytes that go into bone broth (hello, gut health, reduced inflammation, alleviating joint issues, hydration for post-workout and the list goes on) that it’s an easy decision to skip the commercial boxed or bouillon types.

So for my

Best of BBQ: Smoked Brisket

This list comes long overdue. Here’s my best of bbq featuring smoked brisket that can be had in Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods:

Pecan Lodge: Intense, smoky, melt-in-your-mouth fatty beef brisket. This is the best of the best in Dallas, found in Deep Ellum. The parking may be inconvenient, the lines may stretch out the door, but I head over to the express counter where I’ll purchase 5lbs or more of all the smoked barbecue goodness. Wanna amp up the flavor? Try the brisket burnt ends!

Hutchins BBQ:  Steer clear of the Frisco outpost and make the commute over to McKinney, where the original Hutchins perfected their marbled smoked brisket. Moist, flavorful brisket will make your tastebuds dance–the best in the ‘burbs!

Recipe: Lamb Meatballs in Pumpkin Marinara

I had leftover pumpkin from my blondie recipe so I had to find a creative use for it. A coworker previously mentioned adding pumpkin to spaghetti sauce for extra fiber, and it sounded like a great idea. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin will take the edge off the acidity, while adding a little volume to the sauce.

This recipe provided an opportunity for me to clear out some fridge space as well. We had ample leftovers of bbq sauce and spaghetti sauce that needed to be used. About the only thing that I needed to purchase was the ground protein and the cheese; I stocked everything else in my pantry.

You’ll also notice that these meatballs are grain-free…no breadcrumbs. In the cooking instructions, I explain how to keep the meatballs together while it slow cooks. It does take an extra cooking step, but the results are worth it!

  • 8 oz(s), Canned Pumpkin
  • 4 fluid ounce, Bbq Sauce
  • 8 fluid ounce, chunky garden (tomato, onion &

Recipe: GF Pumpkin Walnut Blondie

Earlier this summer I experimented with a gluten-free dream bar/coconut bar recipe that used a homemade condensed coconut milk sweetened with stevia. Sadly, I didn’t consider it a success as it didn’t really have the sweet, rich, mouth-coating flavor that I associated with dream bars. I also mistakenly added baking chocolate to the bar which made it hard to eat.

In researching ways to tweak the dream bar recipe, I stumbled upon a paleo-friendly recipe for pumpkin blondie,  using almond butter to achieve the moist chewy texture that I was looking for.

Before I embark on testing the concept with my cococonutty dream bar recipe, I recreated the pumpkin blondie to make it gluten free and with walnuts. I also went with coconut sugar instead of stevia to see how I would like it. And you know what, it turned out great!

  • 0.50 Tsp, Cinnamon
  • 0.50

Recipe: Spicy Primal Mayo Egg Salad

I decided to make this recipe after picking up a jar of Primal Kitchen Mayo over at Thrive Market. I’ve been meaning to whip up some deviled eggs, based on the smoky version at Lockhart Smokehouse. But this egg salad gives you more bang for buck–minus the smokiness. The ghost pepper chili flakes that I got from Trader Joe’s really gives this egg salad bite.  Despite that it’s paleo/primal, the egg salad passed the taste test at home.

  • 4 Extra Large Grade A Eggs, hard boiled
  • 8 Jumbo Grade A Eggs, hard boiled
  • 1 oz., Greek Yogurt
  • 5 Tablespoon, Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise Made W/avocado Oil
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, garlic powder
  • 2 tsp(s), Spices, chili powder
  • 2 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, black
  • dash of sea salt

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Recipe: Slow Cooker Jalapeno Chili

This slow cooked chili ambushed many at a workplace potluck lunch with its heat. The secret is leaving the seeds intact on 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers. Cumin powder lends a distinctive aroma to the chili. Additional heat furnished by chili powder, red pepper and a dash ghost pepper chili added to meat while browning in a pan.

  • 8 oz, Angus Ground Beef Chuck 80%/ 20%
  • 8 oz., Ground Lamb
  • 8 oz, Ground Pork – Fixed
  • 9 oz(s), Onions, raw
  • 56.00 g, Garlic, raw
  • 4.50 oz(s), Peppers, jalapeno, raw
  • 6oz can (10 tbsp ea.), Tomato Paste
  • 14.5oz can (1 4/5 cups ea.), Fire Roasted Diced Garlic Tomato
  • 6 fluid ounce, Water – Municipal
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, chili powder
  • 2 tbsp, Spices, cumin seed
  • 2 tbsp, Spices, paprika
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, cinnamon, ground
  • 0.50 tbsp, Spices, pepper, black
  • 1 tsp, Spices, pepper, red or cayenne
  • 8 oz, Fresh Lean Ground Turkey With

Recipe: Gluten Free Garlicky Anchovy Penne Pasta

Anchovies. It’s a fish that doesn’t garner much affection. I suspect most people just can’t handle the strong flavor and/or odors that arise from preserving and curing the fish. It’s the basis of fish sauce found in most Asian markets–which depending on your tastes, will either be fantastically savory or revoltingly pungent. It’s also used widely in other condiments such as Worcestershire sauce and Caesar dressing. In Filipino cuisine, it is used for some bagoong (shrimp or fish paste) recipes as well as prepared fried or dried. The saltier the better!

In Western preparations, I’ve mostly encountered anchovies used very sparingly as pizza topping or salad dressing. But I’ve found anchovies most irresistible in a Sicilian pasta recipe.

I was all set to boil some mozzarella gnocchi last night when I realized that the gooey cheese paste that result

Recipe: Bacon Broc Cheese Egg Bake

I really needed to do something with a bag of frozen broccoli cuts (not the tasty florets kind) stashed away in my freezer. Here’s a protein-packed and Primal-friendly breakfast and snack that I made with those cuts, courtesy of SkinnyTaste by way of MyFitnessPal’s blog.

I originally projected 8 whole eggs for this recipe, but realized I didn’t have enough egg mix to fill all 12 cups to the brim. (This was before I realized that the mix would rise as it cooked.) I didn’t whip the mix enough to let air in so I anticipated that there would be very little rise.