Braised Beef Ribs w Cauliflower Mash - Paleo, Keto

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When you change your lifestyle to incorporate healthy meals, it can be really hard at times. Food has become such an emotional thing for nearly everyone and as a result a lot of times we feel like we are missing out on certain things. The truth is, our bodies aren't 'missing out' when we eat healthier, our brains are. Our brains are missing the emotionally comforting feeling we get from eating something we thoroughly enjoy. I think the hardest part of changing your lifestyle to better our health isn't actually eating healthier foods - it's changing our emotional connection with food and re learning the basics. Think about those times when you're craving something comforting, warming etc. Something that makes your soul and heart happy, that you would sit around the table and enjoy with your loved ones, all quiet enjoying the meal and each others company... It's hard to think that a change in lifestyle means we won't enjoy situations like these anymore. I now eat because I have too. Not because it's something I necessarily want to do. Most of my meals now are so pre planned to fit macros etc, that I end up just eating because I should, not because I want too. Don't get me wrong, I'm hungry, but it's now a need, not a want. On one hand that's fantastic! My emotional connection with food is as real as it should be. Eat to live, not Live to eat. But there are sometimes when I miss that old feeling. The feeling of a satiated soul and seeing the look of content and happiness on my families faces from eating something that I have made that they have thoroughly enjoyed. And that's why I created this recipe. 

Tonight was amazing, and somewhat like old times. I was able to sit, smell, and watch my beautiful family enjoying a nourishing dinner that was 100% Comforting - and also 100% guilt free. It made my soul smile and my heart full. I was conscious enough during the day to watch my macros, and leave half of them unaccounted for, so I could eat this meal without tracking or weighing portions. I had no carbs all day - so I could enjoy the richness of the Tomatoes in the sauce, and the creamy-ness of the Cauliflower mash. It was so delicious and such a pleasurable experience. I know I won't be tracking food forever, and it's only until I reach my goal, but sometimes you have to feed your heart, just as much as your body, and I honestly believe that's what this recipe does. 

If this was old Corinne making this recipe, there would have been a touch of brown sugar for sweetness, soy sauce and worstechire sauce (yeah I probably spelt that wrong), tomato paste, tomatoes, and a whole bunch of root vegetables with a lot of oil etc. It would have been delicious. But it would also have been a disaster when it came to my families health. Since learning all I have in my four years of study, I think one of the important messages I've learnt is to keep meals simple. Adding one million ingredients to a meal is really hard on digestion, and given so many of us have digestive issues already, I think it's about time we start going a bit easier on our bodies. It is much easier for your body to absorb nutrients from 5 ingredients, than it is to absorb nutrients from 20 ingredients. So keep it simple, and keeping it simple will more often than not, keep it healthy.

You can use any type of stock you want for the braising liquid, however it is SO much nicer using home made bone broth. The richness of broth makes this so much yummier than just using store bought stock. Not to mention, the health benefits of Bone Broth are so good, it's like healing your gut and feeding your soul and body all at once. Who doesn't want to do that?

If you are new to the bone broth game, don't be scared. It is SO easy! Click HERE for my bone broth recipe. It's super simple, and is a fantastic staple for the kitchen. You can reduce it and add spices to turn it into a sauce, you can drink it, turn it into a soup, make spaghetti sauce with it, braising liquids... you name it. It's fantastic and so versatile. Also great if you like to fast, is also a fantastic source of electrolytes and keeps you hydrated. Hell, I've even turned mine into Pho before! So definitely give it a go. Ontop of all of this, broth is the gift that keeps on giving. For example, I used broth as the liquid for braising these beef ribs. I mixed a tin of organic tomatoes, Thyme, Garlic and Tamari. I cooked the Ribs in the liquid. After serving the ribs, some of the sauce dressed the meals, the other I placed into a jar and placed back in the fridge. I now have broth that has beautiful tomatoes and herbs in there and I can store and use that another time! I could reduce it for a sauce, or drink it as a soup. So really, the only limit to broth if your imagination. 

Well! I should crack on with this recipe. As always, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and don't forget to share with your friends and family. 

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Recipe

Serves - 3 -

Time - 3.5 Hours - 

 

What you need:

For the Ribs:

Baking Dish

2.5 Cups Bone Broth ( or braising liquid of choice )

1 Tin Organic Diced Tomatoes

1 Teaspoon Thyme

2 Tablespoons Tamari

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

9 Beef Short Ribs

Salt & Pepper

For the Mash:

Food Processor/Vitamix

1/2 Head Organic Cauliflower

1 Cup Bone Broth

1 Tablespoon Ghee ( Clarified Butter )

Food Processor 

What to do:

Ribs:

Preheat your oven to 150 Degrees Celsius. Place the bone broth in the baking dish, and if the broth is from cold and set (like jelly) place it into the oven to melt while you prepare the ribs.

Cold Broth in it's Jelly state. Not the Fat from the top of the broth is also included.

Unwrap your ribs and take off any excessive fat and sinew. You can either keep this in the freezer for your next broth, or turf it.

Once the broth has melted, pull you dish out of the oven and mix in your can of diced tomatoes, thyme, tamarind and apple cider vinegar. Mix with a wooden spoon until all combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and then place in your ribs. 

When you've placed the ribs in, turn them over so they are entirely covered in the braising liquid, then place them in the oven. 

Let cook for 1.5 Hours. When time is up, turn the ribs over and place them back into the oven for the remaining 1.5 hours. 

Start preparing your cauliflower. Cut to flourettes ( I used everything from the stalk to the leaves and flourettes) and place in a saucepan. Add the broth and put the lid on. Sit on the stove on low for around 45 minutes. Make sure you keep checking on it to make sure it isn't drying out. If it is, just add a half cup of water at a time to keep it moist so the cauliflower steams right through. 

After 45 minutes, using a sharp knife, push it into the cauliflower and if it goes in easily its ready. Turn the heat off and leave the lid on. If it is still firm, cook until soft. Leave the cauliflower in the saucepan with the lid on until the ribs have 15 minutes to go. 

When you reach the 15 minute mark, the cauliflower should be cool enough to place into a food processor. Add the Ghee, Salt & Pepper and any residual broth from steaming the cauliflower (unless theres more than half a cup). Puree until a mash consistency. 

Pull the ribs out of the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. 

Dollop the Cauliflower onto the plates, then share out the ribs and top with the beautiful sauce. If you want you could further reduce the sauce on the stove top in a fry pan, but I thought it was delicious a little bit looser and not as thick. 

Serve!

BBQ Beef Short Ribs - Paleo

Today is Father's Day. And what better way to thank my baby daddy and man of my dreams for all he does for us, than serve him the worlds BEST ribs!

I know what you're probably thinking... 'another recipe that claims its 'The Best'' But I am 100% serious when I say that these bad boys, are the best ribs I've ever eaten in my life, LET ALONE made!
  

They were a complete fluke. Normally my ribs turn out soupy because I do them in a slow cooker, and I always end up disappointed with them. Today, on a complete whim, I thought "I'm going to put them in my Pyrex tray and cover them in foil instead". Pretty sure nearly the whole time they were cooking I was worried they were going to stick to the bottom of the dish, but they didn't! What ended up happening was the most amazing caramelisation on the bottom of the dish, that I ended up sitting down with a spoon and eating once everyone went to bed and no one could see what I was doing. Don't judge. I swear, you'll do the same thing! 

I think the secret weapon in these ribs, apart from the sauce, is actually the fact that they're topped with raw onion before going into the oven to cook. If you've ever sautéed onion properly and for a long time, you'll know that the natural sugars come out and you are left with the sweetest, most beautiful onions around... So now picture that, on top of ribs, bathed in BBQ sauce... *insert druelly face here* 

We only have meat once, to twice a week in this house as we follow a paleo Wholefood Plant Based Lifestyle. But since I am so limited not being able to eat legumes, and rice and soy products like tofu, our exceptions are Eggs, and meat once a week. Given I also have three growing children and a man that is more carnivore than a T-Rex, it works well for us that we have meat once a week. Bit of variety from constant vegetables. It just means when we do eat meat, that I always try to make sure it's SUPER tasty!

Obviously in sauce recipes, and especially BBQ sauce, there is sugar. Now sadly I can't lie and say there is NO sugar in this sauce. There is. However it is Coconut Sugar and Raw honey. The thing I want you to remember here is just because it is unrefined sugars, it does not mean they are ok to eat in excessive amounts. They are easier on digestion, and like honey they can pack other health benefits, but they are still sugar at the end of the day and if you eat too much of it, you will gain weight and tax your organs. Also if you have issues with yeast over growths like candida or bacterial infections, you can make your issues considerably worse because bacteria and yeast thrive on sugary environments. On top of that, we should all be working toward trying to create an alkaline environment within our bodies. Sugar contributes to metabolic acidosis and then you open your self up to concerns like cancer etc. I know this seems like a stretch, however it is all these reasons that make one big reason to cut down on sugar.

I don't eat sugar at all normally. I have the odd piece of fruit or some dates on occasion, and suffice to say, I hateeeee my family eating sugar. So dishes like this we really leave as a special occasion dish.  

Anyhow, Please let me know in the comments how your ribs went and if you think they are tasty. My hubbo even said they were the best he's had - so that's gotta say something for them! 

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Recipe

Serves 4 

Time: 3.5 Hours 

What you will need: 

                                  400 Grams Beef Short Ribs (Bone In) 

1 Teaspoons Onion Powder                                          1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder                                         1 Tablespoon Raw Honey

2 Tablespoons Sweet Paprika                                     1 Teaspoon Chilli Flakes ( or more if you like it hot! )

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard                                     3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Tomato Passata                                                2 Teaspoons Himalayan Salt

2 Tablespoons Tamari                                                1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Large Brown Onion , sliced.

What to do: 

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. 

In a fry pan on medium high heat, brown your short ribs, don't cook them through, just develop a nice crust.  Once the ribs are brown, place them in one layer in a baking dish (I used a Pyrex Baking Dish)

Don't discard the fat that forms from the ribs in the frypan.

In the same pan that has the fat and goodies from the browned ribs, add all of the ingredients for the sauce and stir well over a low heat.  

While the Sauce is coming together over the low heat, chop your onion to rings, and then cut the rings in half.  

Once the sugar in the sauce is dissolved, place your onions over the ribs and then pour 3/4 of the sauce evenly over the top. 

It should look like this.  

Cover the dish with foil, and place into the oven for 2.5 hours.  

Af ter 2.5 hours, take the ribs out of the oven, and take off the foil. Turn the ribs. Place the ribs back into the oven uncovered for the remaining half an hour.

When the half hour is up, take the ribs out and place them into a bowl with the remaining sauce and toss to coat.  

Serve and Enjoy! 

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