Sweet Chili Rub

Here's an easy way to add some flavor to a roast. There are several other possible uses described in the following recipes. For those of you concerned about sugar, remember that you'll only be getting a couple of grams at the most per serving.

Active time: 5-7 minutes
Cooking time: varies; around 75-90 minutes

• 3/4 cup Turbinado sugar
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. Dust liberally over your roast. (You'll have leftover rub for future meals, or see the Chili Sweet Potatoes or Sweet Chili Burgers recipes for other possible uses)

Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your roast. We cook our roasts at 325 degrees - 3 lbs. takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

Nutritional info: will vary greatly depending on how much rub you use, cut of beef used, etc. One tablespoon will be about 15g carb.


Chili Sweet Burgers

We discovered this use for the rub just playing around one day. It makes for an awesome burger!

Time: 15 minutes

• 2 lbs. ground grassfed beef
• 2 Tbsp. Sweet Chili Rub (see recipe in this issue)
• cheese (optional)

Mix the meat and the rub in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Make into about six burger patties. Cook on a grill for three to five minutes per side, depending on how done you wish the meat to be. Top with cheese if you wish.

Nutritional info: 6 servings at 5g carb, 29g protein, 20g fat (without cheese)




Chili Sweet Potatoes

Time: 90 minutes

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. grassfed butter
• 1 Tbsp. Sweet Chili Rub (see recipe above)

Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes, and then bake them at 350 degrees for about an hour (or, until they are very soft). Remove them from the oven, cut them in half lengthwise, and allow to cool enough to handle.

Remove the skins, and then mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add the butter and rub, then mix well.

Butter the bottom of a baking dish. Spread the sweet potatoes evenly in the dish, and then bake for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve hot.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 27g carb, 4g fat.


Pomegranate Chicken

Time: 12-15 minutes

• 2 1/2 cups leftover chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small tangerine, peeled, segmented, and chopped
• 3 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses*
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp. grassfed butter
• 1/4 tsp. garam masala

*see the April 2015 issue for this recipe, or you can buy pomegranate molasses in Middle Eastern markets.

Heat the butter to medium in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes until becoming translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the chicken and tangerine; mix well. Finally, add the remaining ingredients and sauté for several more minutes.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 22g carb, 26g protein, 9g fat.


Quick Pineapple Beef or Chicken

Here's a quick recipe using beef or chicken and canned pineapple chunks. I purposefully didn't specify how much of everything to use. Go by taste - add some, taste it, then adjust as needed. This is an important skill to learn if you want to be able to create tasty dishes on the fly!

Time: 20 minutes

• 1 lb. chicken or beef, cut into small strips (or, you can use leftover meat)
• 20 oz. chopped pineapple (1 can)
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• ketchup
• tamari soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• honey

Heat the coconut oil to medium in a skillet. Add the strips of meat and sauté until browned on all sides. Add the pineapple (drain off the juices first), and then add the remaining ingredients to taste. Mix well, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pineapple has softened and the juices have formed a sauce.

If you use leftover meat, then add all of the ingredients at once. The cook time will be shortened significantly.

Nutritional info: 2 servings at roughly 40g carb, 52g protein, 10g fat. (using chicken)