Luscious!

Sometimes our stores of energy are depleted and we work with what's on hand.  On one such day recently, I found some frozen organic chicken thighs, a large celery root and some other odds and ends.  I wish I'd known how delicious this would be, and I'd have attempted a modicum of documentation, but alas, memory will have to serve instead.

I defrosted the chicken in a plastic bag in a bowl of cold water on the counter for about 45 minutes while I chopped colorful organic carrots, an onion, four cloves of garlic, a few odd grape tomatoes and fresh sage.  Once the chicken was mostly thawed, I browned it in coconut oil and solid bacon fat that I'd saved.  I added the vegetables to the pan after the chicken was browned on both sides, along with about a cup of bone broth, a splash of red wine, a glug of tamari sauce and a splash of cooking sherry.  I added a Bay leaf for good measure, and salt and pepper.  I covered the pot to simmer for about half an hour while I prepared the celery root.

Have you ever tried celery root?  It's pretty intimidating in the produce aisle, and occasionally exorbitantly priced.  I'd seen a pretty good deal on one and had bought it without a plan.  So glad I did!  This ugly tuber is AMAZING!  The worst part of prep was the washing and chopping.  Picture a root in the shape of a brain, tendrils lovingly cradling moss and dirt.  What didn't easily come clean got chopped off, I'm afraid, since time is money.  But I didn't waste much of it.  After roughly chopping the root, I sauteed it in butter and nutmeg until slightly soft, then I whirled it up on a food processor.  You could mash it like a potato too, if you prefer.  I cannot possibly say enough good things about this ugly little root.  It's possibly the best thing I've eaten.  Worth the effort, for sure, and it was just lovely with the chicken stew.

My husband is not a fan of olives, so I added them at the end to my bowl only.  This afterthought of a meal was a huge hit.  I'll be trying it again.

Curried Meatballs

This is not my recipe -- just my take on one of my favorites from The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook (an excellent book!) by Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt.  The original recipe calls for grass-fed stew beef, turnips and carrots, which I swapped for grassfed meatballs (just ground beef mixed with chopped Italian parsley) and a small organic kabocha pumpkin, skin and all.  I also used less coconut milk and a little more bone broth.

This recipe is a very light curry, flavored only with turmeric and cinnamon.  It was perfect for my husband, who is typically not a fan of curry, for whatever reason.  I loved it too!

We spoonies make do with what we have on hand, often to avoid an extra trip to the store (which spends spoons).  Keeping our larders stocked with wholesome ingredients that feed our mitochondria is crucial for moments like these.

A Recent Stew

Based upon a seafood stew in Dr. Wahls' book, this is always so easy and satisfying!