Pregnant people, and non pregnant people, everywhere will rejoice when eating these hot dogs. They are amazingly flavorful, with a pleasant smokey taste, and aren’t chock full of chemicals. Just “pastured beef and spices” as the website says. I had planned on sharing some of these hot dogs with a pregnant friend over lunch at work, but they’ve yet to make it out of my kitchen. Sam and I just gobble them up, enjoying them in a number of different simple preparations. Here are some you may want to try with your Grow and Behold hot dogs:

• Sauerkraut and Italian dressing for a Reuben hot dog
• Appearing in thin slices In split pea soup
• A stand in for meat cubes in chulent
• Topped with chili and non dairy sour cream
• Served with warm vegetarian baked beans

Of course, there is always the classic mustard, relish, ketchup and sauteed onion combination. What can make this run of the mill preparation special is making your own buns at home (not counting the “bun in the oven”). I know that sounds like a super involved kitchen endeavor, but it’s actually super easy. It requires a handful of ingredients,most of which you probably have around the house, takes 5 minutes to rise and tastes like fluffy perfection.

Buns
Adapted from a hamburger bun recipe on One Frugal Foodie. Click here for a great illustration of how to form the hot dog buns at home.

1 tablespoon of yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 tbsp of sugar
8 tsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3.5 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pour the water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast in the water and stir with a fork to dissolve. Add the sugar and oil and stir. Let stand for 5 minutes.

The mixture will be bubbly. Add the egg, salt and flour. Knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes by using your hands to repeatedly fold the dough over onto itself and punching it down.

Break the dough into 6 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form into a 4 inch oval. Fold each over in half length wise and pinch together. Flip the pinched roll over and using your hands, roll out to 6 inches. Flip over again and place on a lined baking sheet. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack until warm to the touch. While still warm, cut each bun open halfway and fill with hot dog and toppings of choice!

Find the recipe here.

This dish works best in a heavy Dutch oven.  Basically you saute aromatics, add the rice and meat and broth, and let simmer slowly until everything is cooked.  Increase cayenne to suit your tastes.  True, some jambalaya dishes call for shrimp, but you won’t miss it, the dish is delicious without.  Finally, a taste of New Orleans can be yours!

Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
serves 8

2 large onions, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
olive oil
2 lb Grow and Behold Chorizo Sausage (Spicy or Mild)
3 lbs Sara’s Spring Chicken, cut into 1″ pieces (for convenience, use Breast or Thigh Filets, or bone your own pieces)
2 bell peppers (1 green and 1 yellow), cut into 1″ pieces
3 cups long-grain white rice
6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable; if you use water, add more spices)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice

Heat olive oil in pot.  Saute chicken in batches until edges are brown.  Transfer to another plate.

Add onions, bell peppers and garlic to the pot, and more oil if necessary.  Saute until translucent.  Add sausages and spices, saute for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add rice to the pot.  Stir to mix and coat the rice with the oil/onion mixture.  Add chicken and broth.  Press to submerge in liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. Season with salt, pepper and more cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve hot.

Serves 12

24 drumsticks
1 medium chopped onion*
2/3 cup non flavored oil
1/4 cup chopped garlic*
1/4 cup soy sauce
1-3 drops hot pepper sauce, depending on heat desired
5 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crust-less French bread, or you may purchase them
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dry white wine

*Don’t be tempted to substitute onion powder or garlic powder for the fresh onion and garlic. It’s definitely not the same thing.

Whisk onion, oil, garlic, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce in a medium bowl to blend. Divide drumsticks between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Divide the onion mixture between the 2 bags. Seal bags; turn to coat with marinade. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours. Overnight is preferable.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Brush with oil.

Remove chicken from marinade and brush off any onion or garlic that adheres to it. Place drumsticks in a large bowl. Whisk mustard and wine in a 2nd bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Drizzle wine and mustard mixture over chicken. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Turn each drumstick in breadcrumbs, coating lightly but evenly. Place chicken on prepared pans.

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn oven to 400 and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and evenly browned.

A few months after I married, I decided to make chicken soup. I poured over my recipe books but none of the recipes evoked the smell and taste of my grandmother’s chicken soup. So, there was only one thing to do. I called my Babcia (Polish for grandmother).

“Babcia, how do I make chicken soup?” I asked (this conversation occurred in Yiddish).

“Well,” she said, “How big is your pot?” I replied, “Bigger than yours.” Babcia countered with, “Hmmm, put in the chicken, cover it with water and lots of vegetables because you like vegetables in the soup and it will be delicious!” And then I heard the phone call disconnect. Although the call was much less helpful than I had anticipated, Babcia had never steered me wrong when it came to cooking, so I decided to follow her instructions.

I took my 8-quart stock pot out of the cabinet, laid the chicken in the bottom of the pot and filled the pot with water. I added onion, and after about one hour, the celery, carrots and parsley. I remembered that Babcia would stand over the pot and skim anything that floated to the top, so I did that as well. After about two hours, the soup had the delicious aroma I associated with chicken soup and the meat on the chicken was falling off the bones. I decided that the soup was ready, decanted it into containers and stored it in the fridge overnight.

The next day was Friday and Erev Shabbat. I took the soup out of the fridge and much to my delight, there was a thick congealed layer of chicken fat on top of each container. As Babcia had done while I watched so many times, I now skimmed the fat off the top and put the skimmed soup into the pot to heat up for our Shabbat meal.

Later that evening, my friend Amalia from across the hall knocked on the door. As she came into our apartment, she exclaimed “Your chicken soup smells so good. Can I taste it?” I doled out a bowl of soup. After Amalia finished her bowl, she turned to me and asked “Can you tell me how to make this soup?”

“Well,” I replied, “How big is your pot?”

Chicken soup recipe from Babcia
(with a few additional details added by Rachel)

For an 8 quart stock pot (pressure cooker instructions below)
3 lbs chicken pieces (including necks and bones)
1lb flanken meat (optional)*
1-2 marrow bones (optional)*
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion
3 celery ribs, cut in 3″ pieces
6 carrots, cut in 3″ pieces
A few peppercorns
1 bay leaf
*meat and bones add a richer flavor. However, some people prefer just chicken soup and this recipe works just as well without the meat bones.

Place the chicken, flanken, meat bones, onion, garlic and bay leaf into the pot. Add water, leaving 2″ head space in the pot. Bring to a boil and then immediately lower the flame so the soup simmers (this should look like a gentle rolling boil).

After two hours, add the vegetables and peppercorns. Continue cooking until the vegetables are soft. The longer the soup cooks, the more caramelized it becomes and this really enhances the flavor. So if you have the time, cook the soup for 6 hours, adding the vegetables for the last 1.5 hours.

Cool soup. Decant into containers and refrigerate overnight. Skim the fat off the soup before serving. If you are going to freeze the soup, don’t decant the fat until you defrost the soup. I like to separate the chicken and meat from the bones before I put the soup away.

Pressure cooker instructions:
Put all the ingredients in to the pot. Add water until the 2/3 line or as per the manufacturers instructions. Cook for 4 hours. The soup will be more concentrated and beautifully caramelized.You can dilute the soup with water if you find the flavor too rich.

This recipe is, like the Beef Cheeks, extremely easy and extremely delicious. If you don’t like spicy just skip the Cayenne.

We also found a recipe for “Man and Wife Tongue,” an asian-style recipe with caramel, chili oil, peanuts and soy sauce.  We haven’t tried it, but it looks delicious, and the step-by-step photos will give you a hint at what’s in store when working with tongue!

Pastured Beef Tongue
Adapted from recipe by Jim Quick in The Grassfed Gourmet by Shannon Hayes.

1 Grow and Behold Pastured Beef Tongue
1 TBL Aleppo Pepper
2 TBL Brown Sugar
1 TSP Cayenne
1 TBL Ancho Pepper
2 TBL Paprika
1 TBL Coarse Ground Black pepper

Combine ingredients in bowl and rub all over beef tongue.

Slice 1-2 onions thinly and place at bottom of crock pot.

Add 2-3 minced garlic cloves.

Place tongue on top of onions and garlic, pour in a can or bottle of beer.

Slow cook for ~12 hours at lowest setting.

Remove tongue from slow cooker, allow to cool. Peel tongue when safe to handle, shred meat by hand and remove onions from liquid with slotted spoon.

Pour liquid into hot sauce pan, adding 2-3 TBL of rendered beef fat, chicken fat, or coconut oil. Remove 1/2 cup of liquid to a bowl and stir in 1-2 TBL corn starch to make a thick paste. Add that back into the pan. Reduce liquid by half. Allow to cool, serve over meat.

Serves 8

So, I fell back on an old secret: fiesta-in-a-box. You know what I’m talking about – that little cardboard box full of hard taco shells, taco sauce and chili seasoning.  It’s actually the basis of a wonderfully easy shabbat meal. In the summertime we transform this box into a shabbat picnic lunch for eating in the park across the street. In the winter we bring the crockpot insert with steaming chili right to the table.

The secret to making the taco box a bit more festive is having some good toppers. I like to serve the chili and tacos with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, maybe some cilantro and non dairy sour cream (such as Tofutti’s version). You can even warm the tacos up in the oven for an added homey touch.

But now to the meat of the matter. To make this simple delicious chili in your slow cooker, give yourself about 3 hours. Buy one can of beans (kidney, black or mixed, according to your preference), a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a package of Grow and Behold ground beef. Dump all of this into the slow cooker insert, break up the ground beef with a spoon into bite size chunks and sprinkle with the seasoning from the taco kit then stir. If you like your chili with some crunch consider adding diced onion to the crockpot. While it cooks take a nap and dream about your next vacation.

Chili Fiesta
There are several brands of taco kits that are kosher, pareve and easy to find in the grocery stores including Ortega and Casa Fiesta.

1 Taco kit containing taco shells, taco sauce and taco seasoning
8 ounce can of beans (kidney, black or mixed, according to your preference),
8 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
Package of Grow and Behold Ground Beef
Onion, diced (optional)
2 tomatoes, diced
½ head of green lettuce, shredded
1 container of non-dairy sour cream

Place the beans, canned tomatoes and ground beef into a crock pot. Break up the ground beef with a spoon into bite size chunks. If you’d like to use a diced onion, add this now. Sprinkle the seasoning from the taco kit over the mixture and stir. Cook on medium for 3 hours.

Serve warm with taco shells filled with the chili mixture, topped with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and non-dairy sour cream.

You can plate this in the kitchen or bring the crock pot to the right to the table for a more informal approach. If you want to go picnic style pack each component – prepared chili, cut veggies, sour cream, tacos, sauce etc, in separate containers and assemble at the picnic.

“What is the spice in there?” I kept wondering?! “Allspice and thyme,” I was told, but the truth is more complex (and definitely worth it):  some sweet (honey and brown sugar), some sour (apple cider vingegar) and tons more flavor from fennel, orange juice, ginger and onions.  This sauce is really fantastic — and I imagine would be stellar on larger pieces of chicken, too.  Enjoy!

Caribbean Chicken Wings
Source: FoodNetwork.com

• 1 habanero, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons allspice
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 7 pounds chicken wings

This week, Bittman shares nine recipes for dressing up a chicken breast.  And although he compares it to a “blank slate,” whose “intrinsic flavor is minimal” (he’s clearly never had chicken from Grow and Behold!) the recipes still look delightfully simple, and delicious.

Recipes include:

POACHED Chicken Breast
- with White Wine, Onions and Herbs
- Soy Poached
- Coconut Ginger

ROASTED Chicken Breast
- Herb Roasted
- With Tomatoes, Capers & Olives
- Deviled (with Dijon mustard)

SAUTEED Chicken Breast
- with Mushrooms and Wine
- Florentine
- Citrus

Find the recipes here

Minute London Broil

Also called Flatiron Steak, London Broil or Butterfly London Broil, our Minute London Broil is a thin, lean cut made from the same cut as a Minute Roast.  If you’ve ever had a Minute Roast, you know there is a thick band of connective tissue that runs through the middle of the very lean, tender sections of meat. When that roast is cross cut, you get steaks with a thick section of connective tissue in the middle.  For our Minute London Broil, we take the time to filet out that piece of connective tissue, leaving two thin oval shaped tender steaks, which are packaged individually.

London Broil

London Broil, also called “Mush London Broil” by some kosher butchers, is actually comprised of a couple of muscles that also come from deep in the shoulder.  London Broil steaks are larger than the Minute London Broils, and are very tender and very lean.  Both can be sliced thinly and are great on sandwiches the next day – if there are any leftovers!

Cooking Recommendations

Whereas a well-marbled steak such as a Rib Steak or Hanger Steak carry the deep beefy flavor from the fat and shine with minimal seasoning, both London Broil and Minute London Broil are very lean.  Their delicate beefy flavor really comes through when you marinate the cuts for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

The London Broils should be seared over high heat, 3-5 minutes per side depending on the size the cut.  We cook our steaks rare, to 140F, but adjust to your preference.

Allow steaks to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain to serve.

Recipes

Garlic Wine Marinade – this is Naf’s mother’s go-to marinade for London Broil

Balsamic Mustard marinade from Cooking Light, with Red Onion Jam

Peppercorns, Corriander and Fennel Seed Marinade from Saveur