Bison & Offal Bolognese over Spaghetti Squash (gluten/nightshade free, AIP/paleo)

You might be thinking, "Ummmmmm... What is offal?! It must be awful if its called offal! Right?!"

Offal is organ meat and according to Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, "organ meats are the most concentrated source of just about every nutrient, including important vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and essential amino acids." Everyone should get in more offal! This nutrient dense food is VERY important for those of us using the Autoimmune Protocol to heal. But if you're not used to using offal, it can be down right intimidating to incorporate into your diet. I am here to help with that!

This Bison & Offal Bolognese is sooooooo tasty! You won't know or care that there are chicken livers in this dish, so it's perfect for a trying our organ meat for the first time! I'd also say its a great way to sneak not only nutrient dense offal into your family's diet, but also an excellent way to sneak in more veggies!!

The quality of your offal is very important! Be sure to source only grass-fed organ meat, preferably organic and grass-fed! This is due to the fact that you are what you eat, and you don't want to work so hard to remove toxins and grains from your diet only to eat animal products that came from animals who were fed a biologically inappropriate diet, like grains!

Grass-fed organ meat tends to be much more affordable than muscle meats, so it is a great way to incorporate grass-fed animal products into your diet without breaking the bank!

Where to Find Offal?

I find my organ meat at Whole Foods, Natural Grocers (west coast), Georgetown Market (Indy), EarthFare (Indy) and other local health food stores. You can also find awesome companies, like US Wellness Meats, that will ship and deliver high quality meats/offal right to your door! You can also go to your local butchers (if you're lucky enough to have a true butcher) to find all kinds of offal!

This recipe is nutrient dense, Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) friendly, lower carb, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, nightshade free, paleo, primal, & Whole30 compliant!

What Makes this High-Vibing Food?

First and foremost, putting your own love, gratitude, time and energy into making foods at home will automatically raise the vibration of the foods/meal. This will also help to balance your sacral and heart chakras. Putting your love into the food you prepare will literally raise the vibrational frequency as love is the highest vibration out there!
You are what you eat and what your food eats. Using organic, GMO free, free/pasture raised, wild caught, minimally processed ingredients lead to an overall higher vibrational frequency. Basically, eating organic provides us extra energy currency!
This dish is rich in protein, which is grounding and protective. It also supports the root chakra.
Contains iron, which is supportive for your root chakra.
Contains root veggies, which help to provide grounding energy to support the root chakra.
This recipe is full of healthy fats and/or oils, which supports the sacral chakra.
Contains orange colored foods. Orange vibrates at about the same frequency as the sacral chakra. So, eating orange foods helps to maintain the proper root chakra frequency.
Contains yellow/tan/golden colored foods, which help raise the body’s frequency to that of the solar plexus, helping to balance it.

A Short Note on Swaps or Ingredients:

*While I cannot guarantee that using these swaps will yield the same flavors I have create in this recipe, these swaps should generally work well!*

Use the Nomato Sauce that is linked below (or one that is similar) if you're sensitive to nightshades or in the strict phase of the AIP. You CAN also use a clean, regular marinara sauce if you're not sensitive to nightshades or in the strict phase of the AIP. So, for those who are NOT on the Autoimmune Protocol, please feel free to use a nightshade based tomato sauce in place of the Nomato sauce. It will taste just as scrumptious either way!
Feel free to use whatever color of carrot that you would like. The purple carrots are higher in antioxidants but other then that, flavor wise, the colors are interchangeable.
You can easily swap out the ground bison for any other ground protein like beef, veal, chicken, turkey, or pork.
The bacon I use is sugar free, gluten free, nitrate/nitrite free and uncured. This is the only type of bacon I will use. I encourage you to at least find bacon that is uncured, nitrate/nitrite free.
Use the brand "CoYo" for my plain coconut yogurt if you're sensitive to dairy, nuts, or if you're in the strict phase of the AIP. You CAN also use regular cows milk plain yogurt or a plain nut based yogurt if you're not in the strict phase of the AIP or sensitive to any of the ingredients. As for brands, coconut yogurts can vary widley. The CoYo brand has a mild, tangy taste and a thicker more greek yogurt like consistency. Two other brands I have used with success for this recipe are Coconut Collaborative & Culina. Do not mistake the suggested CoYo brand for a similar brand called "CocoYo"by GT's. This one is very vinegar like in takes and while its good for some, its taste and consistency will not be right for this recipe.
Be sure your coconut milk is full fat and unsweetened. For the strict phase of the AIP, be sure there are no added gums (the only ingredients should be coconut/coconut meat and water).

Equipment Needed to Create this Recipe:

InstantPot
food processor or high-powered blender
a good knife
cutting board
large cast iron skillet
measuring cups/spoons
wooden spoon