Non-Stick Cast Iron Cookware

This isn't really a recipe, but a technique of making your cast iron cookware non-stick.

1) Coat the pan with coconut oil. If it's partially solid, this will be easier.
2) Dust the pan with liberal amounts of salt.
3) Place the pan in a cold oven, then pre-heat to 350 degrees.
4) Once the oven reaches 350, turn it off and allow the pan to cool enough to handle.
5) Wipe out the salt and oil with some paper towels. You are done!

Do not use any soap to clean the pan, ever! I clean it by heating some water to hot in a teakettle, then adding it to the dirty pan. Allow it to sit for a bit, dump the water, and wipe dry with a paper towel.




Breakfast Hash

Here's a simple recipe using leftovers. Though it calls for beef, you can easily use any other meats or even leftover sausage.

Time: 20 minutes

• 2 Tbsp. tallow
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 yams, peeled and diced
• Cajun spices to taste (paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, red pepper flakes)
• 1 lb. leftover beef
• sea salt

Heat the oil to medium in a skillet, and then add the onions. Sauté for several minutes until they begin to soften. Add the yams and spices, and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add a dash of water if they begin to stick too much.

Add the leftover beef and salt, and cook for around five minutes longer until the yams are soft, and then serve.

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 26g carb, 40g prot, 24g fat.




Baked Winter Squash

It's the season for winter squash. Take advantage of the many varieties you can find this time of year. To save on time, cook as many as you can at once and have them on hand. In this batch, I cooked (L to R) Carnival, Gold Nugget, Swan White Acorn, Danish, and Delicata squash.

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

• squash! (your choice)
• coconut oil or butter
• sea salt

Halve and seed the squash. A good knife helps here!

Heat your oil or butter to melt it, and then liberally coat the squash. Add sea salt if desired. Bake at 350 for a full hour.

You can eat the squash as-is, dice it and put it in salads, puree into a soup, and more.

Nutritional info: varies with the type of squash and quantity of oil used.




Roasted Beef w/Leeks

Here's a three-part recipe that's great for a holiday meal.

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Roast:
• beef roast, 6+ lbs.
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 heads garlic
• 2 Tbsp. tallow
• 1 tsp. thyme
• sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dust both sides with pepper, and then place the meat fat side up in a roasting pan. Remove the dry skins from the garlic cloves and cut off the stem ends. Place into aluminum foil, drizzle with some oil, and then wrap well and place alongside the meat.

Insert a meat thermometer, roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the garlic at 45 minutes. Once the garlic has cooled, use a garlic press to mash the cloves and place the garlic into a small bowl. (Reserve 4 cloves.) Stir in the thyme and salt.

Remove roast when the thermometer is at 135 degrees for medium-rare, or 150 for medium. Move to a cutting board, rub with the garlic sauce, tent with aluminum foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes, then top with the reserved leeks and slice the roast. Serve with the gravy and leek sauce.

Sauce:
• 2 Tbsp. tallow
• 1 cup chopped leeks
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• sea salt to taste

Chop the white ends of the leeks crosswise, and then chop into thin strips. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add tallow and the leeks, and stir until they are slightly browned. Set them aside. In a bowl, mix the coconut milk, mustard, and salt. Add half the leeks; save the other half to top the roast.

Gravy:
• drippings from the meat
• an equal amount of beef broth
• arrowroot to thicken
• 4 cloves roasted garlic (from the meat)

Combine the drippings and broth in a saucepan; bring to a low boil. Mash and add the garlic. Reduce the heat, and then add the arrowroot slowly while stirring continuously. Stop when the gravy has thickened to your liking.

Nutritional info: variable, depends on the cut of meat used/quantity of gravy, etc.