Cavemanwich Sloppy Joes (Paleo + Whole30)

I don't know about you guys, but I grew up eating Sloppy Joes made with ground beef (or ground soy "meat" once my parents went vegetarian, eiw) mixed with a can o' Manwich on white sandwich buns and loving every messy bite.  It's funny how, even after you clean up your diet and eliminate all those artificial ingredients, you can still crave that exact comforting taste.

Turns out, you can still have those delicious, childhood flavors without all the high fructose corn syrup and fillers.  What?  Real food can be just as delicious as artificially flavored, engineered-to-be-addictive, laboratory food?  Yes.  I'll prove it.

I've added back nightshades in the last few weeks and, boy, did I miss them.  There are just some things that I cannot replicate... YET.  I plan to try. Believe me.  So, for now, I present you all the comforting flavors of your childhood in all their nightshade-y glory.  Though please, cross your fingers and toes that I'll have a follow up in a week or two of these same flavors WITHOUT all their nightshade-y glory.  Yes, I want AIP Manwich.  Cus I can... I hope.

Oh, and it's Whole30 friendly.  You're welcome.


Cavemanwich

1/2 tbsp cooking fat (I used bacon grease, but anything will work)
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2-1 cup water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
more salt + pepper to taste
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV) - optional

Melt your cooking fat in a sauté pan over medium high heat.
Once hot/melted, add your chopped onions and cook until translucent, approximately 3 minutes.
Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, another minute or until fragrant (mmm, garlicky goodness).
Crumble in your ground beef and cook until browned.
Add all remaining ingredients (starting with 1/2 cup water) and reduce heat to medium low and simmer until desired thickness is reached (15-30 minutes), stirring regularly.
Add more salt and any pepper to taste.
Serve over baked sweet potato, plantains, greens or even bread if you're feeling frisky.

Note: if your mix has reduced, but the flavor is still tomatoey, add additional water and continue to simmer.
Note 2: I leave the ACV as optional because, though it makes a more authentic taste, we actually like it best without.  Try it both ways or start without, taste after its cooked down for a bit, then add it and simmer some more if you feel it needs it.  Taste is so individual, isn't it?

I particularly liked it served over a baked sweet potato with a side of lemony baby kale.  Like childhood, but better.

Pumpkin BBQ Sauce 2 ways (Paleo + AIP + Whole30)

Going AIP meant giving up a LOT of the sauces I am most used to: ketchup, mustard and mayo, to start, but then also tomato and barbecue sauce. Talk about rough, right?

Fortunately, pumpkin is kinda a miracle food. Once roasted and puréed, it has a texture similar to tomato sauce and it's light in flavor on its own, so it can be enhanced however you want. 

Through my Whole30, I played with a few variations of pumpkin BBQ sauce, and they were all tasty in their own right: pumpkiny and sweet and a little reminiscent of pumpkin, but I REALLY wanted something that would mimic tomato based sauce. Finally, after my Whole30, I found the missing ingredient. Molasses. It adds that depth that allows the flavor to caramelize and taste just like what I remember of sweet and tangy barbecue. 

Unfortunately, molasses isn't Whole30, but that's ok, my Whole30 modifications may not imitate tomato based BBQ, but the sauce is still a fun, pumpkiny flavor, which might be interesting and different for those of you who maybe CAN have tomatoes, but want to try new flavors!

Pumpkin BBQ Sauce (Whole30 friendly, AIP, no sugar added)

1 can pumpkin

1 cup apple juice
1/2-2/3 cup apple cider vinegar (ACV)
3 medjool dates (pitted and soaked in water for 1 hour)
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

First, pit and soak your dates. It's simple, cut out the pits by slicing down the side and pulling them out, then place in a bowl or cup and cover with cold water.  Ignore them for an hour (or forget like me and let them sit for 2-3, it's all good).
Add your dates and 1/4 cup of the soaking water to a blender or food processor (both will work, but a food processor may not get them as smooth).  Blend into as smooth a paste as you can.
Add the date paste and all remaining ingredients to a pot, cover loosely (do not seal, you water it to be able to reduce slightly, but pumpkin bubbles and POPS like crazy, so to spare a huge mess and burned skin, definitely cover).
Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat to simmer for up to one hour, stirring (carefully to avoid being splattered) occasionally.  Adjust seasoning (and vinegar) as needed as you go.  This will not get very dark and will look similar to plain pumpkin puree, but it should be tangy and mildly sweet.  If it reduces too much, add water.

I recommend letting it sit overnight in the fridge before using it to allow the flavors to meld further.

Molasses Pumpkin BBQ Sauce (AIP + Paleo)

1 can pumpkin
1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup ACV
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Simply mix all ingredients in a pot, cover loosely.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat to simmer for up to an hour, carefully stirring occasionally.
Adjust seasoning as needed and add water if it reduces more than you like.

The molasses in this version balances out the vinegar nicely, which is why I use more ACV and adds depth and color.  It reminds me so much of regular BBQ, but slightly less acidic.  My boyfriend actually likes it better than the usual stuff.

Excuse the mostly empty one.  Girl's gotta eat!

Both work wonderfully for anything calling for BBQ sauce, but my particular favorite is baked BBQ chicken thighs.  I use this recipe by Ree Drummond to go with my sauce: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/06/oven-bbq-chicken/

Mmm, crispy, BBQy goodness