Paleo Andouille Sausage & LSU Baseball

Going on the paleo way of eating hasn't been too bad on Jesse and I so far. We've found great recipes to help ease the change. Granted we finally had a kitchen fail last night with chili verde out of Everyday Paleo cookbook, way off the mark of delicious. But I found a great recipe to alter to help with lunches and dinner: Andouille Sausage.... the Stephen way ;-)

Most store-bought sausage has sugar in them, which as everyone knows, is not allowed on the paleo diet. This also is a great way for me to get Jesse to eat sausage. She claims that if she can see what goes into the sausage she is more likely to eat it, knowing there isn't a lot of extra fats or leftover random meats thrown in to make it. So I made my own twist, instead of using pork for this sausage, I used Buffalo and lean ground beef from Whole Foods. I will say that the sausage is delicious and has great flavor, but some might think its a little dry since the fats aren't there to make them juicy. But I'd rather kinda dry and delicious and being able to eat it on paleo. By the way, one major need for this, a meat grinder. So my twist is listed below:

Stephen's Homemade Buffalo & Beef Andouille Sausage

Makes 16 links

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

185g Calories, 4g Fat, 35mg Cholesterol, 911mg Sodium, 5g Potassium, 1g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 

0g Sugars, 32g Protein, 2% Vitamin A, 0.1% Vitamin C, 0.1% Calcium, 8% Iron

                                                                      Ingredients:

                                                                      2.5 lbs Buffalo Stew Meat

2 lbs 95/5 Lean Ground Beef

3 Tbsp Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Chili Pepper

1/8 tsp Mace

1/8 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1 Tbsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Ground Bay Leaf (roughly 1.5)

1/4 tsp Sage

3 Tbsp Liquid Smoke

1 Sutter Home Merlot Individual Serve (roughly 6 oz)

2 hog casings

As you can see, we sautéed up some red & yellow bell peppers as well as some onions. It makes a great and quick lunch or dinner.

Since Jesse had to attend graduation at her college, per requirements for being faculty, I decided to head out to the LSU vs. UNO game with my buddy Ben. I got a little bored during the third inning when LSU was already leading 8-0. So I pulled out my handy, dandy iPhone with the Panorama app and got a great view of Alex Box Stadium. I'll probably take this again during Friday's game since there will be an addition above the press box and on the scoreboard with the additional naming of the field after legendary LSU baseball coach, Skip Bertman. Skip by far led the resurgence of LSU baseball and turned the program into the powerhouse it is today. They've won 6 NCAA National Championships since the 1991 season. Only 3 teams have 6 or more championships; LSU, USC, and Texas. Not only did Skip have a hand in the baseball program and the building of the new Alex Box Stadium, but he was also the athletic director when LSU won it's 2nd and 3rd National Championships in football, and the men's and women's basketball teams were making it to the the Final Four round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Anyways, good days are ahead in both sports and in life. Jesse and I will keep you up to date on any new adventures we might have. Until next time, take it easy and find a good pattern to enjoy life by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and traveling a little to relax.

Chef Masterpiece: Remoulade Sauce made from scratch

A few weeks ago I promised to share my recipe for making my special Remoulade Sauce and today I have the step by step process to help you create this great sauce. This sauce is not only great for boudin balls, but also for alligator, some fried fish, and it also serves as a great salad dressing.

Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce

Nutritional Facts per serving (Serving size 1 Tablespoon):
43.6 calories, 3.2g Fat, 3.2g Cholesterol, 250.2g Sodium, 1.8g Potassium, 2.4g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 
0.1g Sugars, 0g Protein, 1.1% Vitamin A, 0.6% Vitamin C, 0% Calcium, 0.1% Iron

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp of finely minced bell pepper

1/4 cup of finely diced onion

1/2 cup Ketchup

2 Tsp  Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Capers, strained and diced
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Horseradish

1/2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
2 Tsp Hot Sauce
                  

Chef Masterpiece: Boudin Balls like no other, just try them and say differently!

Ok, now I'm not talking about those lame Boudin Balls you get at a restaurant or from the frozen section at a specialty meat store, but the real stuff....... the homemade ones, from scratch.

I love being in the kitchen and Jesse could tell you all about that. And one of my favor dishes to make, and most time intensive, is Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls. When all the flavors hit your taste palette, it is like nothing you've enjoyed as much. The great thing about Boudin Balls is being a Cajun dish with all the added flavor of spices.

Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls

Nutritional Facts Below are Per 1 Boudin Ball

Calories: 82, Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 19g, Sodium: 111g, Potassium: 16g, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugars: 0.3g, Protein: 5g, Vitamin A: 2.9%, Vitamin C: 7%, Calcium: 0.9%, Iron: 2.9%

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb.  Pork Shoulder

1 Large Yellow Onion

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeño

1 Red Hot Chili Pepper

3 Green Onions (Tops only)

4 Cloves Garlic

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning

2 cups White Long Grain Rice

1 1/2 cup Fish Fry

3 tsp Tabasco

Instructions:

1) Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. Also, dice the onion, bell pepper, red hot chili pepper, and jalapeño.

2) Put the above ingredients into a pot and fill with enough water to cover ingredients completely. Add 3 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning and 3 tsp Tabasco into pot and mix into water. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling for 5 minutes, turn down the heat to a simmer and let it cook uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3) After cooking, drain the liquid from the pot, but keep about 8 oz of the liquid for use when breading.

4) Place cooked ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined into a soft consistent state.

5) Place mixture in a bowl. Add the Green onion tops, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning. Mix together using some of the liquid to keep the mixture moist and consistent.

6) Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on aluminum foil.

7) After rolling all the balls, heat up the oil in a fryer or oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Roll each boudin ball in the fish fry and then place into the heated oil.

8) Let the boudin ball brown in the oil for roughly 5-6 minutes and then remove. Repeat until all the boudin balls have been cooked.

Best if served with Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce, but just as tasty served plain.

If you have some free time to have a little fun in the kitchen and enjoy a great Cajun dish loved by basically all South Louisianan's, then try out this recipe. I promise the time it takes to make this recipe is worth it with the end results.

Check back and I'll walk you through and place some pictures of Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce to serve with either Boudin Balls or Blackened/Fried Alligator. Yes, I have a ton of healthy Cajun recipes to share with y'all.