How to Dispose of Grease and Oil the Safe Way

We may not always stop to think that when we finish preparing a meal and wash our unused oil or grease down the drain we may actually be causing damage to the environment. Did you know that fats, oils, and greases that are put down the drains accumulate in the sewers and congeal - sometimes causing blockages? Well, when this happens, it reduces the amount of sewage that can be processed and that endangers our fresh water and our beaches. No one wants raw sewage overflowing into rivers and beaches, or worse - our own homes!

Just look at this gross, stopped-up sewer! Kind of reminds you of a clogged artery, no?

And no amount of "grease cutting" dish soap is going to help combat this problem. All that will do is clean your pots and pans and wash the grease down the drain faster.

I wonder how much of this used to be bacon grease?

So what's the bottom line? Don't put your grease down the drain!

But what's the best way to get rid of fats, oils and greases if you can't put them down the kitchen drain or flush them down the toilet? You should send it out with the trash. I don't recommend you pour boiling hot grease into your garbage can, so how can you take that liquid and dispose of it with your solids?

Keep an empty container under the kitchen sink to collect wasted fat, oil, and grease. I save glass jars from coconut oil, capers, pickles - even candles! My mother used to use old coffee cans.

After the oil or grease cools slightly, I pour it directly into the jar and re-seal it. I stay away from plastic as I am impatient and do put warm liquids in there and wouldn't want to melt it. (But really, plastic that is not recyclable is probably the best because it was headed to the landfill anyway.) I also made the mistake one day of not letting it cool enough and CRACK! I busted the glass jar. Thankfully I didn't hurt myself, but that was a close call. Don't make the same mistake that I did.

Let's make sure that mother nature doesn't pay the price for your bacon habit.

Whatever container you use, there should be some absorbent material inside to help soak that oil/grease up so it doesn't remain in liquid form. I typically use paper towels that are left over from cleaning, but other ideas are used coffee grounds, clean kitty litter, newspapers, coffee filters, even dirt from outside. As your grease builds up, just add more absorbent material until your container is full. Then toss it out with your household trash.

Big puddles of oil or grease are pretty obvious no-no's for dumping, but we also need to be wary of salad dressings, Paleo mayo that has passed its prime, oil-based meat gravy or meat drippings, etc. There is also grease residue left in your pan after cooking with oils.When I have some fat residue left in a frying pan, I'll wipe the pan out with a dry paper towel to soak up the grease and put the entire paper towel into the grease jar.

Thanks for helping keep our water supply clean!

Sausage Portobello "Pizzas" (cheese optional!)

Sometimes I look at a portobello mushroom and think that nature gave us a little edible dish. But what to put on it? Two tastes that I think go extremely well together are portobello mushrooms and sausage. And with just a few more ingredients you can have your very own portobello "pizzas"!

I decided to splurge a little and put some cheese on mine, but these simple little "pizzas" don't need cheese to still be delicious. If you've been practicing your knife skills, you can whip this up in a few minutes and have it on the table in no time.

Ingredients

• 6 portobello mushroom caps (peeled, stems removed)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Italian Sausage Seasoning* (see below for recipe)
• 4 campari tomatoes (these are smaller than a beefsteak but larger than cherries)
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 12 large basil leaves, chiffonaded
• 1 6-oz package organic shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
• salt, fresh pepper, and dried oregano to taste

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. 
2. With your hands, mix the Italian Sausage Seasoning into the ground pork until combined. Crumble the sausage mix into the frying pan and cook until lightly browned. Move the meat in the frying pan off to the side.
3. Set oven to broil.
4. Line a sided baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place the mushrooms face down and drizzle generously with more oil. Broil for 5 - 7 minutes, until slightly soft, then remove from oven and flip mushrooms over so that the gills are facing up.
5. Mix the garlic, sliced basil, and cheese (if using cheese) into the sausage mixture in the frying pan with another tablespoon or so of oil. If the mixture is still hot the cheese may start to melt, which is fine.
6. Fill each mushroom cap with a heap of sausage mixture and top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle each with salt, pepper, and oregano and put back under the broiler another 3 - 5 minutes, until tomatoes begin to wilt and soften.
7. Remove from oven and serve hot!

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*I've used this seasoning mix from Melissa Joulwan in a few recipes so far on this site. I always recommend you keep some in your spice cabinet, pre-made. I always use it to make my own sausage meat. I typically use 1 1/2 Tbsp per pound of ground pork. In case you need the recipe for the mix, here it is again. Note this will yield MUCH more than is necessary for this recipe so you can save the extra for next time.

Italian Sausage Seasoning Mix

• 4 tsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed (optional) - you should use this if you have it, though, it really gives the meat that sausagey taste

In a medium bowl, crush the dried parsley and Italian herbs with your fingers or a fork to release their flavor. Add the black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel seed. Mix with a fork.
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Tips for Variations:

• You can mix anything into the sausage filling. Why not try some chopped broccoli rape (saute first, until soft)?
• Don't want to use campari tomatoes? Try using halved grape tomatoes instead. 
• Sprinkle some crushed red pepper on top for a hint of spice.
• Try switching out the mozzarella cheese with crumbled feta instead - yum!

Magic Trick - add a little seasoning and poof! You now have sausage!

I hate ground meat squishing between my fingers so I always wear gloves for this part.

Browned to perfection!

Getting the pan ready...

Peel the mushrooms starting from the inside lip..

And then you have the nice, clean, white meat underneath.

I typically leave the gills on my mushroom, but you can remove them if you like.

Just a few short minutes under the broiler and our portobello crusts are all ready for filling!

Love these campari tomatoes! If you don't have any, you can use grape or cherry.

What was that fancy word used earlier? Chiffonade? Well, here it is. Pretty simple, actually. Just stack all your basil leaves together and roll them up tightly. Then use your knife to slice the rolled basil into thin little ribbons. This is a quick and easy way to slice delicate leafy herbs.

 

And here is the product of your chiffonading! (This isn't all the basil, you should be left with much more than this.)

To use cheese or not is completely up to you. I do use a little dairy here or there. This meal would be delicious even without it.

And here we are, ready for the oven again!

 FIN.

Worcestershire Sauce

I usually shy away from recipes with Worcestershire Sauce because it bothers me that this little staple condiment contains processed sugar. Then I decided it can't be too hard to mimic the flavor and made my own. This mixture is a pretty decent substitute and can be kept in a jar ready to marinate your meats and mix into your sauces and dressings!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp palm sugar (aka coconut crystals)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• a few rounds of fresh ground pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a small stock pot or gravy pot and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about 45 seconds or so and remove from heat. 
2. Cool completely then store in an airtight container. 

It goes right from my little pot into a clean (re-used) jar.

A little masking tape for a label and I stick it right on my fridge door.

Broccoli Velouté Soup

It just occurred to me I haven't shared a recipe the entire month of April! Well, maybe you'll forgive me when you hear why. We just went to contract on our very first home! Aaaaaaah!

We are so excited and can't WAIT for moving day to come. Pretty soon I will have a nice big kitchen with tons of LIGHT and WINDOWS! No more underexposed food photos for you all! (The kitchen is HORRIBLY outdated, but that will be one of our first projects to tackle this year.)

Anywho, these past few months have been jam packed with house hunting and then the process of going to contract so I guess I haven't really put much thought into endeavoring to come up with new food ideas. I've been battling a cold on and off and last week it came back with a vengeance. I know the weather is warming up, but my throat was killing me and I was in the mood for something warm and soothing. When I looked in my fridge, it was pretty bare. I didn't even have any meat defrosted. Nothing! I did have a bag of broccoli florets that was on its way out the door if it didn't get made right away. I'd been wanting to make a broccoli soup for years so I thought this was the perfect opportunity.

Velouté is a fancy french way of saying "velvety" (or creamy). And I'm fancy like that.

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced about the size of your celery
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 - 10 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 can full fat coconut milk (cream separated from the water*)
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 

1.  Heat oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
2. Saute the onion and celery until softened about 5+ minutes. 
3. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so until the garlic becomes fragrant (don't let it get browned as it may turn bitter).
4. Add the broccoli, broth, water, and thyme to the pot and crank the heat up to bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the broccoli is tender (8 - 10min or so).
5. When you're satisfied the vegetables are soft enough, puree the soup with a stick blender or a regular blender (you may have to split it into batches with a regular blender). Stir the coconut cream in very well and then season to taste with salt and pepper (try starting with 1tsp salt and go from there).
6. Serve hot!

*When either left sitting alone long enough, or chilled in the fridge, coconut milk will naturally separate with the creamy solids rising to the top and the clear water gathering in the bottom. DON'T SHAKE UP YOUR CAN OF COCONUT MILK! Carefully open the top and spoon the creamy portion into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. You should be left with about 1 cup of creamy solids which we'll use to make the soup "velouté" (you can do whatever you like with the leftover water). I promise the soup won't taste like a piña colada.

The creamy solids rise to the top.

You'll get about a cup of cream before you hit clear water.

BLEND WELL!

Red Pepper Spread (Trader Joe's Knock-off)

I used to love Trader Joe's Red Pepper Spread, but I had to stop eating it once I went Paleo because it is made with sugar. After walking through Trader Joe's one Saturday and once again walking past the jars of Red Pepper Spread, I finally decided it was time to make my own version. To my surprise, it tasted JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL!

This is an incredibly versatile spread - perfect for smearing on Paleo crackers, using as a marinade for chicken, mixing into sauces, dressing burgers - so many uses!

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded
• 3 garlic cloves, still in their skins
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp raw honey
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Dice the eggplant and red peppers into 1 inch pieces.
3. Spread eggplant and peppers onto a nonstick sided baking sheet or roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place the garlic cloves in the pan and place the pan in the oven. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the the vegetables are browned and soft. You may have to toss them once or twice when they are roasting to promote even heat distribution.
4. Place the roasted eggplant and peppers in a food processor. Push the garlic out of the skin and add to the food processor (discard the skins). Add the honey and process until smooth.
5. Mix in salt and pepper to taste. You can eat this warm, or serve chilled.

Dirty Dozen / Clean 15 (2012)

About this time last year, I shared with you 2011's Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 and how I integrate this list into my Paleo shopping. There have been subtle changes to the 2012 list as you can see below. (click to enlarge)

The Dirty Dozen are the 12 fruits and veggies that test for the highest levels of pesticide residue, so it is recommended you buy these as organic to minimize the amount of pesticides you may ingest. The testing is conducted by the Environmental Working Group. In 2012, they have added two to the list that may contain pesticide residue of special concern, hence the "plus".

Conversely, the Clean 15 are the fruits and veggies that have the lowest levels of pesticide residue. Why is it important to you? Well, buying organic can become EXPENSIVE. Not everyone can participate in a farm share or go to a local farmer's market and haggle a deal. Unless there is a sale, I feel perfectly comfortable buying the Clean 15 as non-organic.

I want to note that the Dirty Dozen is merely a recommendation. Adapt it how you wish. I, for example, can't seem to find organic kale anywhere. I think it is much more beneficial to eat the non-organic kale (washing it extremely well, of course) than to eliminate it from my diet for a bit of pesticide residue. I am comfortable with this decision and feel the health benefits of eating the kale outweigh the risk of the pesticides. I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.

So I hope this helps you make those tough decisions in the grocery store and I applaud you all for taking responsibility for what you put into your bodies. After all, "the food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” -Dr. Ann Wigmore

Happy Shopping!

Recipe Test - Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Soup

I never used to be into soups that didn't have chunks of meat and/or vegetables in them. But in the past year, after creating Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup and trying out Crema de Calabacin I am definitely open to these new, creamy possibilities. Mmmm... possibilities.

I saw this recipe for Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Soup shared on FastPaleo by Jennifer of PaleoDieting. I was intrigued and gave it a whirl. It did not disappoint! The blend of flavors is PERFECT even for so few ingredients. Roasting the vegetables prior to simmering on the stove kicks the taste up a notch. It's worth the extra time in the oven, folks.

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, halved
• 1 eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 1 onion, peeled with root removed, halved
• 1 head of garlic still in the skin, with pointed end cut off
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup cauliflower puree*
• salt and pepper to taste

*I don't know how many of you have a cup of cauliflower puree just lying around in your fridge. The fact that I did this time was pure luck. I recommend you take a large handful of raw cauliflower florets and either roast them in the pan along with your other vegetables, or while your veggies are roasting, put them in a pot with a couple inches of boiling water and steam them until soft. Then add them to the blender when you are ready to puree the other veggies. The decision to roast or steam is purely a flavor choice. The roasting will slightly alter the taste.


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic (and cauliflower if you decide to roast it) on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
2. Roast in preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Scoop out eggplant pulp and throw out skin. Push roasted garlic out of skins. Place eggplant pulp, tomatoes, onion and garlic in a large heavy saucepan with thyme and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until onion is tender, about 45 minutes.
4. Puree with a stick blender or in food processor or blender (and add the cauliflower if you don't already have puree).
5. Return the mixture to low heat and stir in cauliflower puree. Bring to a simmer, thinning with more stock, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot!

Ready for roasting! (I know I used 4 tomatoes instead of 3.
I just roll like that sometimes.)

Roasted to perfection

Squeezing the roasted garlic out of the skins

The eggplant meat practically fell out of the skin

Mmmm... colorful

Blended and ready for eating!