Bison and Sweet Potato Hash

Sometimes you just don't know what to make for dinner and really don't have a lot of time to search for recipes when you have a hungry toddler.  This is the case with this meal.  I basically raided my fridge and threw together some items I had on hand.  Surprisingly, this recipe came together very quickly and was extremely easy to make. My daughter gobbled it up and I couldn't be happier because it was loaded with veggies.   It re-heats well for breakfast and is the perfect compliment to a couple of fried eggs!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground bison or lean beef
1 medium onion coarsely diced
4 cloves garlic, grated
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp. coconut oil or light olive oil
1 (10 oz.) bag frozen spinach (preferably organic)
1/2 tsp. ground sage
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh maple syrup
lots of freshly cracked pepper
salt to taste

First pre-heat your oven to 450 °.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with with a little cooking spray, or brush with coconut/olive oil.  Add the sweet potatoes and sprinkle them with salt.  Roast until they are tender, tossing them halfway through the cooking process- about 30 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes roast, add the coconut or olive oil to a skillet and turn up heat to medium high.  Season the bison with salt, pepper and maple syrup and add to the skillet once it is hot.  Brown the bison and transfer to a plate when done.  While you are browning the meat, dice the onion, and grate the garlic and transfer to the skillet once you remove the bison.  Sautee until tender and add the spinach to to the pan. Stir around, making sure to allow all of the liquid from the spinach to evaporate.  Add the ground bison back to the pan and combine with the veggies.  Add the sweet potatoes,salt, pepper,  rosemary and dried sage and combine well.  Cook for 5 minutes to allow all of the flavors to blend in.

Simple Roast Chicken Legs, Cauli Mash and Rosemary Carrots

This meal is perfect for those cold winter nights and a great way to make a budget friendly meal appear rich and satisfying.

Ingredients for the chicken:
1 package chicken legs
2 tbsp melted butter or ghee
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. onion powder (aprox.)
salt and pepper to taste

First line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Next arrange the chicken legs on the baking sheet.  Melt the butter brush evenly over each leg.  Next season the chicken with onion powder, salt and pepper and roast in a 375° oven for 50 minutes.  At the half-way point, take the chicken out of the oven, turn each of the legs and season the other side with the onion powder, salt and pepper.  Once you have about 5 minutes left of cooking time, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and return to the oven.

Ingredients for the cauliflower mash
1 head of cauliflower trimmed and cut into small florets
2 tbsp. butter or ghee
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower for until tender but not to where it breaks apart- about 14 minutes. Drain the cauliflower well and blend in a food processor until perfectly smooth.  Using a very fine mesh sieve, begin straining out some of the excess liquid from the puree and set aside.  Once you've removed all of the excess liquid, remove the strained cauliflower to the food processor and add the butter, salt and pepper and blend for a minimum of 2 minutes.

Ingredients for the carrots
3 carrots
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the carrots and slice them on the bias.  Steam them lightly and drain.  Add the butter and garlic to a pan set to medium heat. Once the butter melts add the carrots and saute.  Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper.   Cook until the carrots are tender.

Salted Vanilla and Maple Roasted Pears

Every once in a while you come up with a recipe that seems almost too easy for how delicious the turnout is.  This is one of those dishes. It has only a handful of ingredients but any more and I think the dish wouldn't be as successful. There is beauty in simplicity and these pears are indeed beautiful.

Ingredients:
8 pears, peeled, cored and halved
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
3 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp fine grain salt- I used Himalayan

Place the pears in a baking dish. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the maple syrup, water and vanilla extract.  Whisk lightly and pour the liquid over the pears.  Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pears and roast in a 350° oven for 45 mins.  Serve warm.