Thursday, August 15, 2013

Paleo Stroganoff and Zuchini Noodles

It's been a while since I created a recipe and with the local athletes doing a clean eating challenge, I was inspired to get in the kitchen and make something new. It's not surprising that we have been living off the grill and big salads in the Texas summer heat, but I do actually cook on the stove sometimes. Because it is so hot and I am so lazy. It is important that each meal be quick and simple (with few ingredients...).

I was trolling Pinterest a few days back looking for something other than a salad or grill marinade and stumbled upon a very involved paleo stroganoff. If you grew up in the 80's like me, I'm sure you had your fair share of box meal stroganoff or some crazy mix of cream of mushroom soup and ground beef (like at my house). It is a very basic European stew with beef, mushrooms, onion, and various additions depending on the region. Usually, big ol egg noodles laid under our meal...back in the day.

So, I didn't have all the ingredients for the labor intensive Pinterest stroganoff. I DID have  bunch of stuff that might make something similar to the description, or with hope, just taste edible. 
So off I went to the test kitchen (this is a lot  like the Bat Cave without the fancy lighting or man servant to do my bidding). 
This picture was not taken at my house or by me, but they look fabulous

So, anyway, back to the test kitchen. 
The NOODLER! Sounds like a diabolical evil mastermind and it was created by such, no doubt. This thing is amazing. It makes noodles out of stuff. I tried zucchini first because children hate zucchini and I love torturing my children at dinner.
The noodler worked like a charm! It made long ribbons of fancy zucchini and it was very pretty sitting in the bowl on the counter. The device cleaned up faster than the actual "noodling" and that is a huge plus for my lazy ass.
If you have not invested in a NOODLER! is highly recommend one. I got mine at Amazon.com for about $25. 

While noodling, I set a large pan to heat with 2 tbsp. butter on the stove. You could use Gee but I'm Not So Paleo. 
Here is what I did for the stroganoff:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp butter or gee
1 1/2 cup mushrooms quartered 
1/2 cup Prego spaghetti sauce (heart healthy, gluten free, low sugar = good enough)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
Pink sea salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

- Once the butter was melted I softened the onion and browned the beef together
-Once the beef was browned, I added the mushrooms, Prego, and coconut milk
-I let everything simmer on low for about 15 minutes
-In the last few minutes before serving, I threw some butter and the "noodles" into another pan for a quick cook. I finished them off with some salt and pepper

I guess if you want a creamier texture you can add arrow root to the mix but I liked the texture fine without it. 
The final product was filling, hearty, sweet and flavorful. I loved the new creation and know it will be a welcome addition to my dinner rotation. The real winner is the noodler. I bought it back in June and this was my first meal using it. I can't wait to try sweet potato noodles and maybe carrot twirls! My kids might learn to like zucchini...

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