Make Ahead Dinners - Part 3

Cauliflower, Bacon and Goat Cheese Casserole

Boil 2 heads of cauliflower until very soft.  

Bake 4-5 strips of bacon in 400 def F oven until crisp (about 15 mins), blot and crumble.

In a stock pot, melt one stick of grass fed organic butter.  Add 6 chopped green onions and saute until bright green.  Add cauliflower, ¼ cup organic cream or whole milk and 6 oz of goat cheese.  Mash with immersion blender or potato masher until creamy.  

Stir in bacon, season with S&P to taste.  Transfer to a buttered casserole dish.

Freeze in a casserole dish tightly covered with plastic a foil.  Thaw one day before cooking, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, covered and an add’l 10 uncovered.  If baking from frozen, double the cooking time and then check every 15 mins until heated through.

Slow-cooker Beef Stew

Dice a yellow onion.  

Place onion, 4 small cubed baking potatoes (1” square), 1-2 cups of baby carrots, and any other hearty veggies you have on hand, along with 1-2 pounds of beef stew meat (cubed), in a slow cooker.

Add 1 15 oz can of beef broth and 1 15 oz can of diced, stewed tomatoes in juice.
 

Cook on high for 6 hours.  Add water if needed (but likely it won’t be needed).  This can be kept on warm for as long as needed.

To thicken gravy, if desired, make a slurry with 1 tbsp cornstarch.  Add a few dribbles of water and mix.  Stir into hot stew until thickened.

Allow to cool completely and pour into a large freezer bag.  Freeze level for even defrosting.  Defrost in the fridge for a day, then re-heat in the microwave.

Slow Cooker Lemon Egg Chicken Soup (Avgolemono) (Not Make Ahead)

 

This is a simple soup that is NOT technically “make ahead”, unless you want to make your own broth in the slow cooker the night before, which is quite easy if you’ve got a chicken carcass (who doesn’t!?!) (chicken carcass, herbs, water, on high for 6-10 hours or so).

In a slow cooker, place 1 cup of uncooked brown rice, 1 quart of organic chicken stock, and 2 cups of water.  Optionally, add 1-2 cups chopped, cooked chicken.  Cook on high for 2 hours.

Whisk 3 free range eggs together with ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (3 small juicy lemons).  Ladle out approximately 2 cups of hot broth from the slow cooker.  Add a ladleful at a time to the egg mixture while whisking vigorously.  This will temper the eggs and keep them from cooking hard when added to the soup.

Add the tempered egg and lemon mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Season to taste with thyme, salt, and pepper.
Serve with crusty bread.