#9/52 Mississippi Pot Roast

I see Mississippi pot roast recommended a lot in different food groups and have never tried it. My dad brought it up in conversation 2 weeks ago and I thought maybe now was the time to try it.

Most all the classic recipes call for packets of seasonings and pepperoncinis. Something inside of me was saying no, just couldnt get into shopping for a packet of ranch and the rest. So I bought a roast and decided I would do it the usual way I do.

Then here comes Friday, when I took my daughter to a birthday party and low and behold a mom brings up making Mississippi pot roast. It sure felt like a coincidence, as she shared the recipe she utilized didn’t use seasoning packets and said she made a classic and this version side by side and honestly couldn’t taste a difference. What a win, I was stoked!

So without further ado, I encourage you to taste this recipe from The Jam Jar kitchen. It was divine and might be my new go-to every time I buy a chuck roast! We paired with yukon gold garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

INGREDIENTS  

  • 3-5 lb beef chuck roast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp dried chives
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 6-8 pepperoncini peppers, whole
  • 1-2 tbsp pepperoncini pepper juice (from the jar)
  • 4 tbsp ghee
  • salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Take the chuck roast out of the fridge. Remove from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Generously season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.Heat a couple tbsp of olive oil over medium-high to high heat in a large skillet until hot and shimmering.Once oil is hot, place seasoned chuck roast in the skillet. Sear for about 1-2 minutes per side to a deep golden brown. Transfer chuck roast to the bowl of the slow cooker.
  • After removing the chuck roast, deglaze the pan over medium high heat with 1 cup of beef broth. Bring to a boil, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half (doesn’t have to be too exact).Pour the liquid from the skillet over the chuck roast.
  • Sprinkle chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dill salt and pepper over the chuck roast. Arrange peppers around the meat and add a couple tbsp of juice from the pepper jar. Then top with 4 tbsp of ghee (or high quality butter).Cover with a lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.The meat will be fork tender when it is done. If it still feels a little tough then put the lid back on and cook for an additional hour or two.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes, polenta, rice, mashed cauliflower or on its own. Enjoy!

#5/52 Butternut Squash Chicken Chili

We tried a new soup this week, Butternut squash chicken chili, recipe from paleo running momma

The flavors were pretty great, although I’m not sure how I felt about the Butternut squash. Knowing what I am eating is fairly healthy helps me just eat it, but I think in the future I would replace the squash with white beans. Or I would make sure the squash was peeled and cut into much smaller cubes and I wouldn’t use a whole one.

After we ate dinner, I went back through the soup and picked out all the squash and added half a can of great northern beans and froze it like that. The flavors and spices were amazing, but it will not be in our soup rotation. If you try it, drop a comment on your take of the butternut squash

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded*
  • 2 Tbsp ghee or avocado oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash cut into 3/4” cubes (about 4 cups)
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh jalapeños finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles
  • 3 cups chicken bone broth
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • Garnish: “sour cream” coconut cream see notes** avocado slices, cilantro

Instructions

  1. If your chicken needs to be cooked and shredded, do this first* and set aside. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the ghee or oil. Add the butternut squash and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown and soften.
  3. Add in the diced onion and sauté for about a minute until translucent. Then, add in the garlic, peppers, jalapeño and spices, stir and sauté for 3 minutes, until fragrant and softened.
  4. Add in the green chilis, and broth , stir and bring to a boil. Stir in the shredded chicken, nutritional yeast cilantro and lime juice and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with coconut “sour cream” (see notes) sliced avocado, additional cilantro and sliced jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Notes:

*if you don’t already have cooked chicken, season your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through, then shred before using. You can also use a rotisserie chicken, just check ingredients for Whole30 compliance if needed.

** To make Whole30 compliant sour cream with coconut cream, mix 1/2 cup of thick, cold coconut cream with 2 tsp lemon or lime juice and 1/8 tsp fine sea salt. I like to use the 365 brand (Whole Foods) for this as it’s very thick and creamy. Feel free to adjust the salt and lemon to taste.