The sweet and the savory

Hello!!!

Little update for ya, so I made the lemon poppy seed muffins today, and they turned out amazing! Super happy about that since this is probably my favorite type of muffin ever!

Next is to tell you about another recipe I tried last night for dinner. I was really excited about this one because I've been craving a lasagna like meal and I am not a fan of eggplant as a substitute for the noodles in lasagna. So you may be able to imagine my excitement when last thurs there was a recipe that popped up on my facebook news feed from stupideasypaleo that I felt was an amazing idea for an almost lasagna like dish. I say lasagna like because it's got layers of goodness, and although there is not cheese in it, to me it didn't need it, it was totally amazing! 

So it's called, Paleo Plantain Beef Pie, and it's pretty much layers of meat and plantains. So you get that savory flavor from the meat and then a bit of sweetness from the sliced plantains. This is a picture before it was baked. So the liquid you see on the top is the last of the egg mixture you add before you put it in the oven. I was able to prep this meal ahead of time so at this point I put it in the refrigerator for my husband to take out and throw in the oven once he got home from work since I work evenings. It was so amazing to come home to this meal and it was perfect for post workout fuel. It's got your carbs and protein put together with some really awesome flavors!

What you will need:

1 Lb ground beef

1/3 cup diced red pepper

1/2 a med sized onion, diced

1 bay leaf (I actually didn't have any so I left this out)

4 oz can diced mild green chili's

1 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 Tbs dried currants or raisins (I used raisins)

2 Tbs chopped olives (I didn't put these in since I'm not a fan of olives lol)

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

4-5 almost ripe plantains ( mine had some yellow and a few dark spots)

coconut oil to fry the plantains in

3 eggs

1 Tbs water

How to get this awesomeness together:

In a pan put your ground beef and cook all the way through, no pink is left. 

Once the meat is cooked turn the heat down and add in your diced red pepper, onion and bay leaf. 

Let that cook for about 4 to 5 min till the veggies soften up

Then add in the chilies, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, raisins, olives vinegar, and season with the salt, pepper and paprika. Let that all cook together for about 10 min. 

While that is simmering start on your plantains. Add some coconut oil to a pan and let that get hot. Cut the ends off both sides and then through just the skin layer straight down. Peel the layers off and then slice on a diagonal about 1/3" thickness. 

Start adding the sliced plantains to the hot pan, make sure you watch these they don't take long to brown at all, maybe a min each side. Once those are cooked place them on a paper towel to drain. You will probably have to do this step a couple of times to get them all done. 

In a bowl whisk together the eggs and water

Now you are ready to start the layers. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8x8 oven safe dish place half of the meat mixture. Then add 1/3 cup of the egg mixture and then start laying the plantains. Repeat the process with the rest of the meat, another 1/3c of the eggs and the last of the plantains. Put the remaining egg mixture on top of that.

Place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Then take out and let cool for about 10 minutes so everything can set up. 

It may not seem like it makes a whole lot but it is actually VERY filling. I hope you guys love this one as much as my husband and I did!