Paleo economy

Sometimes concessions are made in efforts to balance a Paleo diet with economic realities. Subsidized grains make dinner immediately cheaper, but don't pay off in the long run. Tonight's dinner is ALMOST Paleo, I stretched things a bit with Lentils. I'm also using up some older spices in the pantry, and random ingredients that I find tucked away. This is free of Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy and Nuts.

Soak 1 C lentils in filtered water overnight. Drain and rinse. Soak several handfuls of dried mushrooms in filtered water overnight. Do not drain. Add drained lentils and undrained mushrooms to Crockpot, along with lots of dried onions, dried minced garlic, a can of green chilies, several shakes of chipotle hot sauce, diced sweet potato, 1 C chicken broth, and 2 C filtered water. Let that cook all day.

In a separate skillet, brown 1 pound of ground meat, I used goat. When cooked, remove all but what you need for your meal, refrigerate leftovers. Add washed and torn spinach to the meat you've kept in the skillet. Put in more than you think you need, it cooks down. Cook until spinach is just cooked, and is a dark yet bright green. I didn't season the goat and spinach, as I put a lot of flavor in the crockpot, but I could have, it would have been fine.

Mix together enough of the crock pot concoction and your goat with spinach to make a hearty serving, add a splash of your favorite vinegar, and enjoy! The leftovers keep well, and can feed a single person for 3 or 4 more meals.

In this recipe I used dried mushrooms, garlic and onions, and canned green chilis because I am making way for this year's fresh ingredients. Economy is using what you have, and everything was hiding in the freezer, pantry or came in today's CSA share. Vinegar gives your dish some sparkle, and increases the availability of the minerals in the spinach.

Ingredients:

1C Lentils

1C Mushrooms

Sweet Potato

1 C Chicken Broth

Onions

Garlic

1 can Green Chilis

Chipotle hot sauce

1 pound Ground Goat

Spinach

Vinegar