Sausage and Kale Soup

A week or so ago I was on Facebook and one of my favorite bloggers, Arsy from Rubies and Radishes, asked her followers, "What is your favorite fall soup?" I immediately responded with "Sausage and Kale soup, topped with hot sauce." She replied, "Recipe?" and I realized that I had to blog this recipe, because when kale is in season, I make this soup at least once a week.

I have found an awesome stand at one of the farmer's markets that I shop at in Chesapeake, that is run by a group of women who call themselves "Farmchicksproduce." They have wonderful eggs for only $3 a dozen, and tons of seasonal produce. They caught my eye because they are the busiest booth at this particular market. They have recently been selling kale, and the first week I only bought one pound. The next week I went ahead and bought two pounds. This week I bought three. That's how much I love kale! I know that dark leafy greens are incredibly good for us, but I am not a big fan of spinach. It's just not my thing. I love that kale is more tender than collard greens and less bitter than mustard greens, but still earthy and leafy. To me, greens just HAVE to be paired with pork in some way. It's simply just the way it must be in the South, and since I was raised in the South, that's the way I do it!

So here it is, the most simple, but satisfying fall soup recipe you will find. You can use any kind of sausage you want, and in fact, I've made it with everything from chorizo, to hot italian, to smoked polish, to keilbasa, to chicken sausage. It doesn't have to be a hard sausage either -- you can certainly use loose sausage too. Just make sure that the sausage is from a good source, that is free of chemicals and added sugar, and preferably from a pasture raised source that you trust.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound of Sausage, any variety
1 pound of Kale, ribs removed and torn into medium pieces
1 large yellow onion, small diced
2 cups small diced carrots
1 cup small diced celery
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of bone broth/stock, preferably homemade (you can use chicken, pork or beef)
2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease or lard
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot Sauce, or a dash of vinegar, to serve (if desired)

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot (I used my trusty Le Creuset) brown the sausage. If you are using hard sausage, dice it into bite size pieces before browning. If you are using loose sausage, simply brown and break up like you would hamburger meat. My sausage was fatty enough that I did not need to add any fat to the pan, but if you use chicken sausage, you will need to add some bacon fat or lard. When the sausage is browned and cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl to add back in later. Leave the grease in the pan.
2. In the sausage grease, add the onions, carrots and celery, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let these veggies cook for at least 15 minutes to soften and develop their flavor.
3. After the veggies have softened, add 1 more tablespoon of bacon grease or lard, and then add in the pound of kale,the minced garlic, and another large pinch of salt. Use tongs to toss the kale and veggies around so that everything is evenly distributed, and the kale is coated in the fat. The kale will be huge at first and seem like it won't all fit, but it will wilt down. Cook for 4-6 minutes until you can smell and see that the garlic has cooked, and the greens are wilted.
4. Add the sausage back into the pot, toss to evenly distribute, and add in all of your stock. Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes, and taste to check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
5. Serve with a good dash of hot sauce on top, if hot sauce is your thing. I think it goes especially great with the greens because it adds a vinegary, spicy element that is perfect with sausage and kale. If you can't handle hot sauce because you are staying away from nightshades, I still suggest adding a dash of vinegar to the soup to still achieve that tang that is so great with greens.

*As a side note, look for hot sauces that have simple ingredients, with no added xantham gum or guar gum as thickeners. Both of those gums are known to cause intestinal issues, and they are also often made from GMO corn. Ew. Let's stay away from that stuff, mmkay? I have recently been digging Melinda's Habenero Hot Sauce.  Their ingredients are clean, and read like a recipe, rather than a science experiment, which makes me happy!  

So Happy Fall everyone! Special thanks to FarmChicksProduce for your hard work, and also to Arsy for the Facebook and Instagram love you have been showing me lately! Much love and appreciation to you both.

Oven Roasted Wings 2.0 with Honey Hot Sauce

My very first post was about oven roasted chicken wings. Ian grew up in South Carolina, and those crazy South Carolinians love their wings. I stopped making them for a while when we were in Danville, because our apartment's fire alarm would go off if I cooked anything over 400 degrees in the oven. It was irritating. So now that we are in a new apartment with a fire alarm that isn't so tempremetal, I started making oven roasted wings again. I have slightly improved the recipe from the orginial, so here is the 2.0 version, just in time for football season!

Oven Roasted Wings 2.0 with Honey Hot Sauce
Serves 2 Very Hungry Lovebirds

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of Katy's House Rub
24 chicken wings, mix of drumettes and flats
1/3 cup Tessamae's Hot Sauce
1/3 cup of melted Grassfed butter, such as Smjor or Kerrygold
2 tablespoons of honey, preferably local

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, evenly coat all the wings in the rub, mix together thorougly and marinate in the fridge for at least and hour, and up to half a day.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and spread the wings out on a cookie sheet.
3. Roast the wings for 30 minutes.
4. Flip the wings and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes until the wings are cooked through and starting to blacken on the edges a bit. If they are starting to look dry at the halfway point, brush them with a little melted butter.
5. While the wings are cooking, whisk together the honey, Tessamae's hot sauce and melted butter until thorougly combined.
6. When the wings are done roasting, toss them in a bowl with the sauce and serve with plenty of paper towels and lots of water!

** Want this recipe less spicy? Try using Tessamae's Medium Hot Sauce instead! 

I also suggest a nice crisp salad as a side item to this spicy dish! Maybe my Paleo Cuban Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette? Just sayin'!

Hope you guys enjoy this FANTASTIC wing recipe! Happy Sunday!

*Note: I have not received any commissions or compensation for the products I have suggested in this post. But I do highly recommend them!

Braised Grassfed Lengua with Cabbage and Tessamaes Hot Sauce

So remember when I went on a rant about the whole Sally Fallon WAPF thing and bragged about my grassfed cow tounge in my freezer? Well I guess it was time this week to step up to the plate and cook the damn thing.

I first heard of "lengua" when I was in culinary school. One of my classmates was Mexican, and she told us about how eating tongue was popular in most Central and South American countries. She shared this tidbit while we were in Meat Fabrication class, and most of the class balked at the idea of eating tongue. She claimed that when it was prepared properly, it tasted just like roast beef. Well, I really like roast beef, so I thought, "What the hell, I'll try it at least once!"

Her family owned a string of authentic Mexican restaurants in Atlanta, and she said that Tacos de Lengua was not only on their menu, but a very popular item. She offered to cook a tongue, and then bring it in to show us how it was done.

She didn't go into detail about her family's secret recipe, but I remember her saying that it braised for a long time. She brought it in after it was cooked and then she taught us how to slice through the outer layer, and peel off the taste buds. She said, "You know, just like a plantain." I know you are thinking what I thought at the time. A plantain doesn't have freaking taste buds! You are expecting me to eat that?!? Well, I had to prove that I was man enough, or well, woman enough to eat tongue, and what I found was that she was completely right. Lengua does taste exactly like extremely rich and moist roast beef.

Fast forward many years later and I find myself trying to include more offal into my Paleo diet. I walked into Virginia Organic Garden Grocery, where they have a whole cooler full of Polyface grassfed and pastured meats, and a little sign above it saying, "We also have tongue and other organ meats in our back up cooler. If you are interested, please ask us at the register." So of course I did. I came home with a huge freaking TONGUE, and promptly stuck it in my freezer. There it sat for a few weeks. After I made a batch of especially delicious bone broth, Ian looked at me and said, "It's time to cook that tongue."

So here is what I did:

Braised Grassfed Cow Tongue

Ingredients:
1 grassfed cow tongue
8 cups of stock, preferably homemade (any kind will do, I used chicken stock, but you could also use pork or beef stock as well)
1 onion, any variety, halved
3 stalks of organic celery, chunked
3 organic carrots, chunked
1 head of garlic, cut in half 
2 tablespoons of sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon paparika
2 teaspoons of chili powder
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of ground corriander
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
4 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Place all of the veggies and seasoning in a large dutch oven. I used my trusty Le Crueset.
2. Place the thawed tongue on top, and fill the pot with the stock.
3. Braise in the oven at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 hours. I put mine in the oven when I was headed to bed.
4. When you wake up in the morning, take the dutch oven out of the oven, and then place on a trivet in your fridge to cool. I left it there to cool all day while I was at work.

*** I bet you could do all of this in a crock pot, but I don't know because I don't have one. But I really bet it would work just the same. Just try it on low for the same amount of time, and please leave a comment if you try it in your crock pot and it works!***


Ok, now you've got your cooked and cooled tongue. Next, put your big girl panties on, and prepare to peel that tongue. You can do it, I promise. It builds character, and you will feel awesome for conquering your fear of the unknown.

So next, do just what my Mexican friend suggested, and treat it like a plantain. Using a paring knife, slit it lengthwise through the outer layer, and peel off that layer along with those icky taste buds. Underneath you will find BEAUTIFUL braised meat, that looks just like roast beef. Shred that and either set it aside, or store it until you are ready to cook dinner.

Now you are certainly welcome to use your shredded lengua and make tacos, but I had something else in mind. My MIL loves ground beef sauteed with cabbage, onions and drizzled with hot sauce. It's crazy simple, and also INCREDIBLY good. Doesn't sound like it would be, and certainly doesn't look like anything special, but it is really good. So I decided to step that idea up with my freshly braised tongue. I also decided to add some carrot ribbons to the dish for a few carbs, and for a little color. To make carrot ribbons, use your peeler to peel your carrot... and just keep on going with the peeler. Super easy, and no fancy tools required.

Braised Grassfed Lengua with Cabbage and Tessamaes Hot Sauce
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 braised grassfed cow tongue, shredded
1 organic head of cabbage, with the core removed, and sliced into shreds
1 red onion, juliened
4 organic carrots, ribboned (see above)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of grassfed butter (like Kerrygold)
2 tablespoons of lard, or other healthy fat
salt and pepper to taste
Tessamaes Hot Sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Melt one tablespoon each of butter and lard in a very large skillet, or cast iron pan. Brown the onions on medium high for 5 minutes, and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
2. Add the carrot ribbons to the pan, season again and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the shredded cabbage, season with a LARGE pinch of salt, some pepper, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted and has started to brown.
4. Push all the veggies to the side, and add the rest of the butter and lard to the empty side of the pan. Once melted and bubbling, add the braised tongue and saute to heat the tongue through, and also to caramelize just a bit, about 3-5 minutes. 
5. Mix together the veggies and the tongue, and add the minced garlic and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until the garlic is cooked and fragrant.
6. Serve up this delicious, albiet seemingly humble and odd dish with a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce. I have recently took the plunge and jumped on the bandwagon and bought Tessamaes (sold at Whole Foods), and I highly recommend it! Not only is it Paleo friendly, but it is really tasty on any number of foods, from wings to eggs to lengua.

So there you have it! My take on tongue. Moral of the story? It's delicious and nutritious, so just man up and try it already. Ok, now I have to go to spend time with my man. I've neglected him long enough to share this recipe with ya'll, but even he agrees that it is the stuff that crazy dreams are made of, and it had to be shared. So man up and eat up, yo.

Macadamia Nut Cookie Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Have you tried Nikki's Coconut Butter? This stuff is truly awesome. This cool little company makes 5 really delicious flavors of coconut butter from wholesome, paleo-friendly ingredients. All of their flavors are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and sweetened with only natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, and dates. Ian's mom is so sweet, and for my birthday she sent me (really she sent us) a sampler box of every flavor. So what did my creative chef mind come up with using this awesome ingredient? Um... nothing. The first sampler set we just simply ate with a spoon.... straight out of the jar. We. Just. Couldn't. Stop. True story. It's that good.

So she sent us another one as a house warming present when we moved into our new digs. I vowed to actually cook some things with this set, rather than eating it straight from the jar. I sorta suceeded. The Midnight Mocha flavor didn't quite make it. That's my favorite flavor by the way -- go order some right this second.

My second favorite flavor is the Macadamia Nut Cookie, and so I came up with this wonderful recipe. I hope you guys like it!

Macadamia Nut Cookie Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Serves 2-4

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup of lard for frying ( you could also use coconut oil)
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of Macadamia Nut Cookie Nikki's Coconut Butter

Directions

1. In a large cast iron pan, melt the lard (or coconut oil) to 350 degrees.
2. Add in the cubed sweet potatoes, and fry for 10-15 minutes, stirring often to promote even browning. It's ok if they aren't fully submerged in oil, just make sure to keep stirring.
3. When the sweet potatoes are done and browned evenly on all sides, remove to a large glass or metal bowl. It's ok if some of the lard comes with the sweet potatoes because you will need it.
4. Toss the sweet potato hash browns with salt, cinnamon, and the tablespoon of coconut butter.
5. Once the coconut butter hits the hot hash browns and lard, it will melt and you will be able to easily coat all the sweet potatoes in a thin layer of coconut butter. Trust me, all you need is that one tablespoon!

If you don't have Nikki's coconut butter, I suppose you could just use a plain coconut butter and then chop some toasted macadamia nuts to go with the dish. BUT Nikki's Coconut Butter will seriously change your life. It's very rich, so it will last you a long time, and you only need to add a spoonful to recipes to add an enormous amount of richness and flavor.

There are already some recipes on Nikki's site, and Ian's mom made the Mary's Carrot Cake which features the Honey Pecan Pie flavor in the cake and the Vanilla Cake Batter in the frosting. She came and visited us this past weekend, and was absolutely raving about that recipe, and in particular the frosting. I had already planned to make the Carrot Cake Cream Pies from Primal Cravings, and instead of making their recipe for a dairy free cream, I decided to be a little naughty and use the frosting recipe that Ian's mom raved about. OMG amazing. First of all, the soft cakes were so delicious. I won't reveal the recipe out of respect for the authors, but I highly suggest that book. So many amazing recipes. Someday soon I will do a full review of the book. Secondly, THAT FROSTING! Crazy fluffy and good. We thoroughly enjoyed this treat, and they were even better the next morning after they had been refrigerated.

I know, these aren't great photos, but I was more concerned with EATING the cream pies, than food styling and lighting. And I may have been drinking a little wine at the time too. :P Because what goes better with baking than wine, right?

Anyway, I hope you guys give Nikki Coconut Butter a try, and I also suggest you check out Primal Cravings by the cute couple at Health Bent. Nope, neither has paid me to say these things or create this recipe, they are just a few things I am interested in right now, and I wanted to share! Until next time...

Don't judge me until you've looked in my fridge, Sally.

Usually I just write posts about a recipe. This is not one of those posts. I wanted to add my two cents to a discussion about the recent Weston A. Price vs. Paleo debacle. The Weston A. Price Foundation is an organization that promotes a traditional diet, that focuses on nutrient dense foods, properly raised and cultivated, and also properly prepared. Their dietary guidelines can be found here. Quarterly, they put out a newsletter, and in the most recent issue, their President, Sally Fallon Morell, wrote an article entitled "MYTH: THE WAPF DIET IS LIKE THE PALEO DIET". (To see that article, just scroll down a bit on that page) It would be an understatement to say that I was offended.

My blog is not meant to be a rebuttle of that argument. It has already been done by many bloggers, inlcuding in  this post from The Paleo Mom. She sums it up quite well. I highly suggest you read it. She said everything that my brain was screaming after I read the offensive WAPF article.

So the first of my two cents is this:

1. I am used to my "Paleo Diet" being attacked by the general SAD (Standard American Diet) eating public. That I can deal with. Honestly, I know it's usually not their fault. They just don't have all the information I do, and they have been misinformed their whole lives, so when they tell me that my delicious lard will clog my arteries, I just smile and nod. It was a slap in the face, however to be disregarded and so poorly misrepresented by the leader of an organization that I respected, and that I thought was on "my team." The real food team, that is.


My second cent:

2. This debate reminds me a little of the Chick-fil-A scandal that was in the news recently. You remember, when everyone was up in arms because the founder, S. Truett Cathy, was giving money to anit-gay organizations? It was a big deal, wasn't it? Now, I gave up eating Chick-fil-A long ago, and it had nothing to do with the politics, and more about cutting out all fast food from my diet, but of course I followed the issue a little because I have a few close friends who are gay. At first, I understood why so many people were boycotting Chick-fil-A. They obviously didn't want their money going to fund an anti-gay cause. Makes sense. Then I read a note posted on facebook by one of their employees that I didn't necessarily know, but I knew of through friends. In the note, he wrote about how the scandal was affecting him and his family. He owns a Chick-fil-A and he was hurt. Because S. Truett Cathy was seemingly anti-gay, people assumed he and his family were too just because he worked for the company. People were boycotting his particular restaurant because of politics, but it felt to him more like they were boycotting his livelihood over a cause that he didn't agree with either, as he also has several close friends that are gay. He encouraged the readers to see Chick-fil-A as an organization made up of many different people, many who hold different opinions on the issue of sexuality from Cathy.

The WAPF organization is completely different from the fast food chain, obviously, but the sentiment is the same. There are many card carrying members of the organization that are probably just as angry about the article as I am. They are probably irritated that because Sally drew a line in the sand between WAPF and Paleo, that they are now viewed as having the same opinion as her, when that may not necessarily be true. Just as it was pretty stupid for Sally to make blanket assumptions about "us," the Paleo community, lets not make the same mistake and make assumptions about "them," the WAPF community. We really do agree with each other about 95% about what we should be eating to stay healthy.

Just as I visit many WAPF sites and blogs, I suspect that many WAPF dieters also enjoy Paleo sites and food blogs. I would wager a guess that many of "them" understand "us" a hell of a lot better than Sally seemingly does.

So basically what I am saying is this: Sally, you owe all of us an apology. You misrepresented us very poorly, but you also misrepresented your own just as poorly. 

Oh, and it just has to be said: Sally, I'd like you to know that I have five jars of pastured pork lard in my fridge, and a grassfed cow tongue in my freezer that happens to be sitting next to a bag of bones for my next batch of bone broth. Just sayin'. Don't judge me until you've looked in my fridge. Ok, vent off.

Cardamom Spiced Sunbutter

One of the many great finds at Trader Joe's is their 16 oz. bag of raw sunflower seeds.... for $1.99. That's pretty cheap! As most Paleo Peeps know, nuts can be expensive. What's more expensive than nuts? Nut butters. Especially nut butters that don't contain white refined sugar and weird vegetable oils. I think you know by now how I feel about those two ingredients. Ick.

Like most people out there, I love peanut butter. Well, I used to love peanut butter. Peanuts aren't really a nut, they are a legume, and so they aren't paleo. Why are legumes harmful? Check out this article. Why are peanuts in particular pretty bad for you? Check out this article. Ok, now are we all on the same page? Good, back to the recipe at hand.

So when most people "go Paleo" they go through peanut butter withdrawal, but the good news is that you can find nut butters made of stuff other than peanuts, and it's actually pretty good. There's almond butter, roasted almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter, pecan butter, hazelnut butter, the super luxurious macadamia nut butter (hello mouthgasm!)... yada yada yada. Now, don't go overboard with nuts and nut butter, because they are kinda high in calories, and it can be easy to overdo it. Though most Paleo Peeps don't necessarily count calories, it's still not a good idea to overindulge on any food, even if it is technically paleo. But a bit of nutbutter is ok for most people.

Another interesting substitute for peanut butter is Sunbutter. What the heck is that? It's a yummy nut butter made out of sunflower seeds, and it is very similar in taste to peanut butter, in my humble opinion. It is also a good choice for people who can't eat nuts at all, since it is a seed. Good quality sunbutter can be hard to find though. The most popular type found in regular grocery stores contains these ingredients:

Sunflower seed, sugar, mono-diglycerides to prevent separation, salt, natural mixed tocopherols to preserve freshness.

 No thanks. I'd prefer an ingredient list to read like a recipe rather than a science experiment. And I would also prefer it NOT to have that GMO, DEVIL WHITE SUGAR in it. I'll spare you the rant. There are other brands of sunbutter that you can find at health food stores that don't contain anything weird in them, but they can be as expensive as $10.00 or more a jar. Well, I'm on a ridiculously tight budget right now, so I am happy that I found a much cheaper alternative.

Enter the star ingredient:

Did I mention it is only $1.99? Yeah, I can afford that. So here we go. You can of course make this recipe plain, without the cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and you can also be a Paleo purist and leave out the honey if you wish. You can do those things, but you would be missing out on this incredibly interesting flavor profile that hints of lands far away in the spice belt. And since I don't yet have the bank account to be able to travel abroad to mysterious lands, I just take a trip with my spice cabinet instead. I suggest you do the same. 

Cardamom Spiced Sunbutter

Ingredients:

1 16 oz bag of Trader Joe's Raw Sunflower Seeds (or other raw sunflower seeds, as long as there are no added oils or salt)

10 green cardamom pods

1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of coconut oil

1-2 tablespoons of raw honey, to taste

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Toast the Sunflower Seeds in a dry pan over medium heat stirring often, until most of the seeds look darker, and they are starting to smell delicious and fragrant. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Remove to a shallow bowl or plate and allow to cool. 

2. Wipe out the pan with a towel, and toast the cardamom pods the same way for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove to a cutting board and smash the pods with the bottom of a glass to crack open the pods. Discard the green pods, and collect enough of the seeds to measure 1/4 of a teaspoon. 

3. Put the cooled sunflower seeds in a food processor and process with the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom seeds, and salt until smooth. This can take up to 15 minutes, and you will need to scrape down the sides of the machine several times. 

4. When the mixture is almost smooth, add in the teaspoon of coconut oil, and process a minute longer. 

5. Scrape out all of the sunbutter to a bowl, and mix in the honey by hand. You don't even have to add the honey if you don't want to, but I find it complements the cardamom quite nicely. Store in a glass mason jar, and serve with fresh fruit, like apples or bananas. Enjoy!

Everyday Veggie Hash

So there is something about hash. The legal kind--just to clarify. But seriously, hash is just the best thing ever invented. It's a bunch of random ingredients cooked in ONE pan, served in a bowl, and gobbled up in a hurried fashion.In hard times, mom's across the world use hash to fill up their families and stretch small amounts of precious protein. Hash usually contains some sort of potatoes, or other starchy filler, along with onions, shredded or diced protein, and any number of veggies. You can literally put anything in hash, crisp it up in under 20 minutes, and enjoy a bowl full of simple, humble comfort food.

I make hash all the time. Sometimes I shred sweet potatoes, carrots, or plantains for the starch, or sometimes I take the time to dice them small into pretty little cubes. There are always onions involved, usually broccoli, and usually some sort of leftover protein, sausage, or bacon. Today I was feeling a little lonely because I have about 17 more days to go before Ian comes home. I know I'm being a baby, but I miss him. So I made myself some hash.

Everyday Veggie Hash
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

5 strips of good quality bacon
1 large sweet potato, small diced
1   red onion, small diced
2 cups of organic broccoli slaw (I used Trader Joe's)
2 cups of shredded Brussels sprouts (again, I used Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil, or other healthy fat
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of organic granulated garlic*

Directions:

1. In a large cast iron skillet, brown the bacon until cooked. Remove the bacon to a plate, and leave the grease in the pan.
2. Add the onions and diced sweet potatoes, season with a good large pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper, and cook over medium high heat until both are starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the veggies and the coconut oil, season again with salt and pepper, and cook for another five minutes until all the hash is starting to brown.
4. Chop the bacon into small pieces and add it into the pan along with the granulated garlic. Stir to incorporate and cook for just a few minutes longer until everything starts to get crusty and yummy.
5. Serve in a bowl, and for bonus points, add a fried egg on top of each serving if you wish.

This is a version of hash I made before Ian left for his corporate training. Instead of bacon, I used sausage, and instead of broccoli slaw I used diced squash and small broccoli florets, and shredded sweet potatoes instead of diced. When the hash was done, I made a few wells in the pan and dropped an egg into them to fry. I broiled them for just a few minutes in the oven until the white was set, and I served this breakfast hash up with some diced avocado on top.

This is the basic method for hash, but feel free to improvise with whatever you want. That is the beauty of hash. It's not specific, it's ever changing, but it is always filling and comforting. Don't be afraid to try it, even if it isn't the exact same as this recipe, because my "everyday veggie hash" is never the same. Get yourself a great cast iron pan, learn how to take care of it, and start to love it for it's wonderful abilities, especially when it comes to hash.

*Yes, I use granulated garlic. I had a reader question me and ask why on earth I don't always use fresh garlic. Well, honestly, I like the dried, granulated version better in some instances. A lot of good cooks, especially southern cooks, appreciate granulated garlic. I don't view it as inferior to fresh garlic at all. It's milder, sweeter, and less harsh than fresh garlic, but also incredibly aromatic and pungent. I do use fresh garlic in some instances, but more often than not, I throw in granulated garlic to punch up the flavor of a dish quickly, and I don't feel that it is a cheat at all because I truly love the flavor it adds. It is important to note that I only use ORGANIC granulated garlic, because I strongly believe that it is a better product. I hate that regular spices are treated with weird chemicals and irradiated, but I do love that many organic grocers often sell bulk organic spices, particularly Frontier Organic spices, and it is a much more affordable way of keeping your spice cabinet stocked. I'm a mason jar junkie anyway, so I always have extra crowding my cabinets, and I might as well make good use of them. So I am coming out of the granulated garlic closet and I am proud to say I love this ingredient! Ok, vent off.

So hash it up guys, and get creative. What's the worse that could happen? You enjoy your veggies? That's what I thought.