Antipasto Salad (Autoimmune Paleo)

I'm not that big of a salad lover in general (especially since dairy and I broke up and I can't put goat cheese on them). I eat them and I do enjoy them, but I rarely really crave them. But, in the heat of the middle of summer, when you don't feel like cooking and crave something fresh, a nice meal salad can be just the thing. I've been digging this antipasto salad because, even without cheese, it's still luxurious and makes me feel as if I could be eating it on a cliff side in Positano. Who needs feta or ricotta salata when all the other ingredients are so yummy?


So. This isn't a recipe, per se, but rather an assemblage (that might be the first time I've ever used that word) of ingredients. You're going to have to wing it a little, but it's too easy to screw up.


Antipasto Salad

Basic ingredients:
-Chopped romaine lettuce
-Preservative-free prosciutto
-Kalamata olives (I like the ones in a wine vinegar brine)
-Thinly sliced red onion
-Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

Extras:
-Capers for extra saltiness (don't overdo them!)
-Thinly sliced fennel bulb for crunch
-Minced Italian/flat leaf parsley for extra nutrients (esp. vitamin C).


Dressing:
-Red wine vinegar
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Sea salt


Combine the salad ingredients and don't skimp on the prosciutto (protein!) and olives (healthy fat!). And, the more artichoke hearts, the better! They're beneficial for the liver and are a great source of insoluble fiber, which is important for gut flora diversity. Plus, they're just so tasty.

Mix the vinegar and olive oil with a bit of sea salt. I don't have exact proportions- I do it to taste, but it's usually roughly 1 part vinegar and 2 parts oil. Add salt to taste- remember, several of the ingredients are salty, too, so you may not need much.


Enjoy!
-Erin

Quick Apple Cinnamon Porridge (Autoimmune Paleo)

For breakfast I generally eat protein, fat, and veggies, with a little bit of fruit or maybe a bit of something starchy like fried plantain. Most mornings I like eating this sort of breakfast because it makes me feel good, but sometimes I miss hot cereal. I grew up eating a lot of hot cereal (Cream of Wheat, oatmeal, Ralston) and sometimes I miss the texture and comfort of it. In the olden days (pre-paleo, pre-AIP), I ate oatmeal for breakfast on a regular basis.

I'm really pleased with this AIP porridge because it has the look and texture of porridge, it's tasty and comforting, and, best of all, it only takes a few minutes to make and involves ingredients you probably have on hand. You don't have to have any squash or sweet potato already cooked for this. This recipe makes only one serving, mainly because my husband isn't into hot cereal, so I'm always making a single serving, but it can easily be multiplied.

Apple-Cinnamon Porridge

One serving

3/4 C. water
1/4 C. coconut milk
1/2 grated apple (I prefer Granny Smith)
2 TB coconut flour
2 TB arrowroot
2 TB gelatin or collagen hydrolysate
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
generous pinch of salt

Whisk dry ingredients into the water, stir in apple and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until mixture thickens and apple softens. Add sweetener of your choice.

Happy breakfast!

-Erin

Chicken Pot Pie (Autoimmune Paleo)

I don't know about where you live, but here in Nashville, it's still winter. STILL. WINTER. I don't remember ever having snow this late in the season. We have a few inches of snow at the moment, which is really quite pretty because we don't get much snow here (and often get no snow during the winter), but I'm feeling ready for more sun and warmer temps.

In the meantime, comfort food is just the thing to get me through the end of winter. When being on a restricted diet, I think the importance of "soul food"- foods that taste and feel comforting and satisfying as well as nourishing (to both body and soul)- is hugely helpful for maintaining an attitude of positivity toward food. I try to consciously cultivate good feelings toward my food, rather than focusing on what I don't tolerate or can't eat at the moment. How we frame things is not to be underestimated in the scheme of health, healing, and happiness.


I'm excited to share this recipe for chicken pot pie. It's not complicated and everyone I've served it to loved it and asked for the recipe, so I feel I can safely say it's a winner. The crust is yummy and flaky. I always joke that I'm a sucker for anything involving a pie crust and it's true. So, this recipe makes me very happy. The hubby and I often make it on Sunday evenings before we curl up and watch all our PBS shows and it's become a cozy weekly ritual. The crust is an adaptation of this fabulous AIP crust from The Paleo Partridge.


Chicken Pot Pie
(makes 6 servings)

Filling:
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced onions
1-1/2 cup diced mushrooms (I prefer cremini/baby bellas)
3/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cup coconut milk
2 TB arrowroot
2-1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken
Cooking fat for sauteing (I prefer olive oil or organic palm shortening)

Add carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms to a large pan with the cooking fat of your choice and saute on low-medium heat until starting to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients, whisking the arrowroot into the coconut before adding to the pan and continue cooking over low until the sauce thickens up. Add to a 9 inch round or 11 inch oval casserole dish.

Crust:
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 TB arrowroot
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 cup melted organic palm shortening (this gives a flakier crust than other oils)
3 TB water

Combine the dry ingredients well and whisk in the melted shortening. It will have a liquid consistency at this point. Add the water and mix well (it will magically thicken and form a soft, but crumbly dough). Press out small pieces of dough in your hands and piece them together on top of the filling. It will be messy and rustic looking which works nicely for pot pie.

Bake at 330º for 28-30 min. or until the crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!
-Erin

Garlic-Thyme Mahi With Balsamic Fennel Sauté (Autoimmune Paleo)

Happy Spring!
I've been gone from the blog since December, but now I'm ready to get back to it. A week ago, I started the Autoimmune Paleo diet, at the request of my new functional medicine doctor. I'd been thinking of trying it for a long time, but had been dragging my feet about jumping all in. My doctor's orders coincided with receiving a copy of The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook in the mail, generous courtesy of the author, Micky Trescott, (review soon to come!) so it was the perfect timing to start. I was kind of surprised by how intense my withdrawal symptoms were for the first two days: headaches, fatigue, ravenous hunger no matter what I ate... Thank goodness that didn't last long.

It hasn't been too much of a learning curve adapting to the food restrictions, but I definitely miss my eggs, grass-fed butter, black pepper, mustard, and almond butter! And chocolate, of course. I'm getting the Cyrex Labs Array #4 done soon, so I'll know for sure which foods I cross-react to as if they were gluten. Although you can reverse a lot of food sensitivities by healing your gut, gluten cross-reactivities are a whole other thing, since they happen at the gut level and actually cause leaky gut. You have to avoid those foods since it's a much more serious immune reaction.


Anyway, back to cooking. Last night I made a lovely and easy autoimmune paleo compliant entree that was just plain yummy and super easy and, for once, I'm posting it in a timely manner! As per usual, I didn't measure anything, but I doubt you can screw this one up too much. The balsamic fennel adds a gentle sweetness and crunch that pairs nicely with the seasoned mahi.



Garlic-Thyme Mahi with Balsamic Fennel Sauté

Serves 4
Ingredients:

Aprox. 1 lb mahi-mahi fillets
2 fennel bulbs
Solid cooking fat (I don't recommend coconut oil)
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Granulated garlic (not garlic powder)
Dried thyme
Fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Notes: I cooked the fennel first, as it takes slightly longer than the fish.

Slice the fennel bulb into thick slices (as if you were slicing celery). Heat cooking fat on medium and add fennel and sauté until softened. Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar to taste at the end of cooking. Set aside.

Pat the mahi fillets dry and season generously to taste with the garlic, thyme, and salt. Heat cooking fat in a pan on med-high heat cook the fish until just cooked through (usually just a few minutes on each side). Serve atop the fennel and finish with minced parsley.

Enjoy!
-Erin

End of Summer

I haven't blogged all summer, so I thought I'd do a catching up post. It's been a pretty good summer for me, with the weather in Nashville not being quite as oppressively hot and humid as usual. Yay for that.

I'll tell you about some of the things I've been up to all summer:
-picking blackberries
-making the delicious blueberry crumble from Balanced Bites
-reading Why Isn't My Brain Working? (review to come)
-helping my hubby with his first short film
-building dense muscles with Physique 57
-helping a friend start a business (more on that later)
-taking my annual trip to northern Michigan (lots of glorious beach time!)
-eating loads of good food in MI (highlights were 9 Bean Rows and The Towne Plaza)
-picking horsetail in my childhood woods
-going to my first pow-wow
-having an autoimmune thyroid flare (Good times. Not.)
-finally making it over to a delightful tea and herb shop in town

I'm still sort of recovering from the flare, though I'm feeling much better. I believe it was due to a Chinese herbal formula I had started taking. Gotta be careful with herbs when it comes to autoimmunity!

Anyway, I'll be back to proper blogging soon.
Hope you also had a good summer!

-Erin

Chicken and Biscuits

Sorry for my New Year's hiatus. To make up for being AWOL thus far in 2013, I'm posting a recipe. Everyone likes those, so we're cool, right?

Lately my wonderful husband has gotten into cooking chickens in our 1970 crock pot (you know, the avocado green one?) He's even been making bone broth with the chicken carcasses. Seriously, guys, want to win big points with the wife/girlfriend? Make bone broth.

I'm really digging crock pot chicken; it's so juicy and moist. Here's the technique we've been using: chop some onions into 1/4 inch chunks and throw into the bottom of the crock pot, stuff some fresh herbs into the chicken cavity (rosemary and thyme are nice) and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper, place on top of the onions and cook on low for about 3.5- 4 hours, depending on the size of the bird.

Hubby cooked a chicken the other night and I thought it would be fun to make chicken pot pie, but then decided I didn't want to mess with making a crust, so chicken and biscuits was my lazier alternative. I adapted the biscuit recipe from the cobbler topping in this recipe.
Husband just declared, while eating some leftovers tonight, that it was one of his favorite dishes ever.


Chicken and Biscuits (serves 4-6)

Preheat oven to 400º

Biscuits:

1/4 cup coconut flour
2 TB blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
2 TB softened butter
3 TB cream
(optional- cracked pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme)

Mix all ingredients well and let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.


Chicken/veggie mixture:

1 1/2 cups mirepoix (equal amounts of diced carrots, onions and celery)
1/2 cup diced mushrooms (I prefer cremini/baby bella)
2 cups diced or shredded chicken meat
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp. tapioca starch
1/4-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (I didn't really measure it).
salt and pepper to taste
oil/grease/butter for sauteing


Saute the mirepoix and mushrooms in the oil/grease/butter until softened.
Add the broth, cream, and seasonings and whisk the tapioca starch into the mixture while continuing to cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. After it slightly thickens, add the chicken and transfer to the casserole dish (I used a 10.5 inch oval dish).

Divide the biscuit dough into 6 discs, place atop the chicken mixture and bake at 400º for 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and slightly golden.




Enjoy!

-Erin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday because it revolves around food, and also because I have great people to spend it with. As most of my family live in other states, we always go over to some friends' house (my mom, who lives here in Nashville, goes there too) and we have a small crowd and amazing food. It's always relaxing and fun, for which I'm truly thankful.


I thought I'd give a quick rundown of my Thanksgiving feast plans. Some of the food is Primal/Paleo and some is just gluten free, as it's a cooperative effort with a number of us doing cooking duties.

-The Bird:
My hubby is always in charge of the turkey and he always does a great job (seriously, the man can roast a bird!)

For the perfect turkey, we brine it and roast it upside-down so the juices flow into the breast. This really helps the white meat to be moist. We'll probably use Martha Stewart's turkey roasting recipe this year. We've used it before and it's simple and amazing.

-The stuffing:
While my mom is going to make traditional gluten-free stuffing, I'm also going to make this parsnip and mushroom grain-free roasted veggie stuffing (mine won't be low fat, though). I may add some wild rice cooked in chicken broth to jazz it up even more.

-The other sides:
I'm a cranberry sauce nut, so I get to make it every year. I follow the basic recipe of cranberries, water and sugar (using organic sugar) that's found on every bag of fresh cranberries, but I like to add chopped dried Turkish apricots, just a little squeeze of orange and a bit of cinnamon. The apricots nicely balance the acidity and add an unexpected touch. I've made low sugar cranberry sauce, but something about the lack of sugar seems to amplify the acidity and it ends up hurting my teeth, so sugar it is...


We're also having:
-roasted brussels sprouts that my mom will make
-blanched haricot verts with lemon zest and parmesan (so good- I need to get my friend's recipe!)
-mashed potatoes (I like the real deal on Thanksgiving. No mashed cauliflower!)
-sweet potato pecan casserole (my friend's recipe- no marshmallows or orange juice involved.)

-The desserts:
My friend is making gluten-free pumpkin pie (if I was making it, I'd do a coconut flour crust).

I'm making my apple spice cake, which I'll serve with fresh whipped local grass-fed cream. So much better than regular heavy whipping cream!
I always make whipped cream with NuNaturals Stevia NoCarbs Blend and no one knows it's sugar-free. Seriously, that stuff is good and not icky. I also use it in the apple cake, so at least one of the desserts won't be high in sugar/carbs.

I hope you all have a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving feast! Happy Thanksgiving!!

-Erin

Apple Spice Cake

Don't you just love autumn? I sure do- it's my favorite season! I'm so glad to be rid of the oppressive heat of summer (and the mosquitoes and chiggers!) and I love the way the light shifts, lending the sky a beautiful clarity.

Right now I'm seeing an explosion of pumpkin recipes across the internet, but let's take a moment to focus on another seasonal produce treat: apples. Growing up in Michigan, one of the top apple producing states, I always think "apples" when I think "autumn". Apple cider, apple spice donuts and the smell of fresh apples at roadside farm stands.

I don't really get to indulge my apple obsession here in the South and many of the varieties I love like Northern Spy, Winesap, Cortland and even decent MacIntoshes are harder to find or unavailable down here, so when I noticed a "free apples" sign on a neighbor's apple tree, I was so excited! Of course I picked a bunch and I knew I had to come up with some kind of apple cake recipe.

This is really just a variation on my original vanilla cake recipe, but the flavor is very different and even the crumb texture seems a bit different (maybe because of the spices?) It makes a lovely breakfast treat or, with the addition of some fresh whipped cream, a homey dessert. It would also be fantastic with pears or even a combo of apples and pears. I can see making this at Thanksgiving.

Apple Spice Cake

Preheat oven to 350º

2 medium apples, peeled and sliced (I prefer softer baking varieties)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup + 2 TB coconut milk (canned)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup palm sugar (or other sugar)
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon clove powder

Stevia (I like NuNaturals NoCarbs Blend) to further sweeten- judge by tasting the batter. I always make sure the batter is slightly sweeter than I want the final product to be. Some of the sweetness bakes out.

Note on sweetener amount: you can further reduce the sugar and use more stevia, but I recommend using at least a little of some type of real sugar, since sugar contributes to a good crumb texture.

1. Sauté sliced apples (preferably in butter) until softened and set aside. This step isn't vital, but sautéing the apples gives them a nice flavor and texture, so I don't recommend skipping it.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, sugar, salt, spices and baking soda.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet with a whisk or mixer and mix well. Add stevia to taste.

Pour batter into well greased 9 inch round pan or 8x8 square pan and arrange the apple slices on top and slightly press them into the batter to make sure the edges are flush with the batter. This prevents the apple slices from curling. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 28-30 minutes and enjoy the heavenly scent that fills your kitchen.
Allow to cool for an hour.


Enjoy!

-Erin

Salade Niçoise

I've always wanted to go to the French Riviera; Nice, in particular. The beach, the wine, the food... it's my idea of heaven.

Mediterranean food holds a special place in my heart. I especially love food that involves fish, olives (and olive oil) and fresh vegetables. One of my very favorite dishes is Salade Niçoise, a fun, deconstructed salad involving tuna, crudites, olives, hard boiled eggs and vinaigrette. It's such a flexible dish- there are many versions. Some use canned tuna (high quality yellowfin in olive oil is nice) and some use grilled, some have lettuce, and others don't. Some have anchovies. No matter the construction, it's always easy, festive and I think, elegant.

My own version always involves grilled albacore, tomatoes, eggs, olives, green beans and capers. Those are my core ingredients.

For this Salade Niçoise I used:

-grilled albacore (I marinated it in a bit of coconut aminos, brown mustard and balsamic vinegar).
-hard boiled eggs (I boil them for 8 minutes so I don't overcook the yolks).
-grape (or cherry) tomatoes
-sliced fennel bulb (it has a nice crunch and a mild, anise flavor).
-niçoise olives
-blanched french green beans, a.k.a. haricot verts (regular will work, too).
-radicchio
-sliced radishes
-capers (just a sprinkling!)

I used a simple balsamic vinaigrette (similar to this one) to dress the salad.

Voila! Easy and pretty and certainly yummy.
Enjoy!

-Erin

Almond Flour Breaded Mahi Mahi

I got home from a fun but less than relaxing vacation to Traverse City, MI (the most awesome place that you didn't know existed) a little over a week ago. I've been feeling a bit under the weather ever since, due to a week of lack of sleep (aren't vacations supposed to be restful??) and having to work some extra long days immediately after getting home. I'm not sure if I've just fried my adrenals, if I've been fighting something off or if it's allergies which, for me, manifests mainly as intense fatigue and a vague sore throat (my allergies were non-existent last spring and fall). Adrenal fatigue exacerbates allergies.

Anyway, I haven't had much inclination to post, but I'm on the upswing now, thanks to lots of sleep and some big doses of Himalaya Stress Care (even if my adrenals aren't the main issue here, it won't hurt to give them a boost after all that lack of sleep!)


I've noticed that my food posts seem to be the most popular type of post so I thought I'd start doing more of them (my readers obviously like to eat;) Here's my latest and greatest kitchen adventure:

I was shopping at Trader Joe's (my home away from home) recently and I discovered some frozen mahi mahi chunks and hubby decided he wanted fish tacos and I thought they looked perfect for making fish sticks with. So, I did a little internet sleuthing to see how people were breading their fish with almond flour, since my own attempts had been yummy but not crispy/crunchy like I had wanted.

I noticed that a lot of people were including grated parmesan in their breading mixture, so, I tested it out and I'm happy to report that I achieved stellar crispy/crunchiness! I used Spectrum shortening, which is made from organic, sustainably harvested palm kernel oil and, being a saturated fat, stands up to heat, yet has a neutral flavor.
This breading would work well on other fish and it would make some great fried chicken, too!


Almond Flour Breaded Mahi Mahi Sticks

Breading:
-Almond flour
-Grated parmesan
-One beaten egg

-Palm shortening for frying

Combine in a ratio of between 4:1 and 3:1 almond flour to parmesan (I didn't measure, so play around with it.)
You can add a bit of garlic granules, black pepper and other seasonings (taco seasoning is good if you're making fish tacos). Get creative!

Dip the fish in the egg and then dredge in the breading mixture. Fry in a generous amount of palm shortening, making sure not to let the oil get too hot (almond flour will burn quickly!)
Drain on paper towels

If you're anything like me, you're kitchen will be a mess when you're done and you will be disinclined to clean up. Some loud music is the answer to help get you going. Tame Impala is my latest favorite doing-the-dishes soundtrack:



Enjoy!
-Erin

Perfect Vanilla Cake (grain-free/gluten-free)

This is the story of how I stumbled onto a recipe for THE PERFECT CAKE!

It happened one Saturday night when I was home alone and bored. Husband was out of town on a film shoot and friends were all busy. I was browsing recipes online and was seized with a sudden mania for something sweet. I happened to be on Elana's Pantry and her recipe for Chocolate Almond Joy Bars screamed out to me.

I was doomed since, for once, I had all the ingredients on hand (that almost NEVER happens!) I didn't have chocolate chips, but I had unsweetened dark chocolate, which I like better anyway, so I just chopped that up and used it instead. I also reduced the sweetener by about 1/3 and subbed some stevia. I cranked up some Bowie and started baking! The bars turned out fabulous, but much more cake-like that I expected, with a soft, moist, light crumb texture (it reminded me of a cross between fluffy yellow cake and tender, buttery bundt cake) and a thought occurred to me: I could totally tweak this batter into a number of amazing cakes!

So, of course I HAD to make a few cakes to test out my hypothesis (all in the name of culinary science, right?) I made a blueberry breakfast cake and a vanilla cake to use for strawberry shortcake. I had my mom taste both (she gave a big thumbs up) and I brought the vanilla cake over to some friends' for dessert. Again, big huge hit. My friend's husband, who is a little leery of gluten free (not to mention grain free) food even wanted seconds (actually, we all did!)

So, without further ado, here is my super simple, grain-free cake recipe that can be tweaked into so many possibilities. It makes a light, moist cake (or cupcakes) that would be perfect for making a layer cake with (make 2 batches for that) you could double the recipe to make a taller cake, as this one is on the shorter side (just bake a little longer).




Perfect Vanilla Cake:
Sorry I didn't post a picture. I didn't happen to take any and I don't dare make a cake right now or I will most certainly eat all of it!

Preheat oven to 350º
4 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk (canned) or cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract ( you can use l tsp. if you want less vanilla flavor)
1/2 cup palm sugar (or other sugar)
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Stevia (I like NuNaturals NoCarbs Blend) to further sweeten- judge by tasting the batter. I always make sure the batter is slightly sweeter than I want the final product to be. Some of the sweetness bakes out.

Note on sweetener amount: you can further reduce the sugar and use more stevia, but I recommend using at least a little of some type of real sugar, since sugar contributes to a good crumb texture.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, vanilla extract and palm sugar.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet with a handheld mixer. Add stevia to taste.
4. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish and pour in batter.

Bake for 30 minutes
Cool for 1 hour

Variations:

-Blueberry cake: use almond extract instead of vanilla and add thawed frozen blueberries (I probably used 2/3 cup.) You can use only 1/3 cup sugar.
-Cinnamon cake: add a generous amount of cinnamon to the basic batter.
-Lemon poppyseed cake: add lemon juice + zest and poppyseeds.
-Apple cake: layer thinly sliced peeled apples on top of cinnamon cake batter.
-Strawberry cake: add fresh or thawed frozen strawberries + a little strawberry juice for a pink cake and frost with strawberry cream cheese frosting.

I haven't made any frostings but it would be really good with chocolate or coconut frosting. I'll leave you with the frosting recipes from Elana's Pantry.

There are just so many things you can do with it! I'm sure it would be great for chocolate (or German chocolate) cake, but that will take more experimenting, since cocoa powder absorbs a lot of liquid. I'm also going to experiment with zucchini bread and banana bread/cake.


If you come up with a fabulous variation, let me know!

Enjoy!
-Erin

Trout with Bacon Green Beans and Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

Here's a little something I made the other night. It was easy but I felt like a chef after I had plated it. That's a fun feeling;) It was a big hit with my husband and the picture I posted on PIP's Facebook page sure generated a lot of comments, so I thought I'd better share the recipe. I cooked most of it in my big cast iron pan, so there wasn't much cleanup. Score!

Ingredients:
trout fillets with skins (descaled)
cauliflower
green beans
bacon
cream
sour cream (optional)
garlic granules (not powder)

For the green beans/bacon (steam cauliflower until tender at the same time):
I cooked the bacon and green beans simultaneously in the same pan. I think haricots are especially fun to use (and they cook faster). Cook green beans until a little crispy and sprinkle them with a bit of garlic granules before they finish cooking. Chop the cooked bacon. Set aside.

For the trout:
Sprinkle the trout with salt, pepper and a little garlic granules. Smoked paprika would be good, too. Fry in the bacon grease until cooked and edges are crisped.

For the cauliflower:
While trout is cooking, put steamed cauliflower in a food processor or high speed blender, add just a little drizzle of cream and a dollop of sour cream (Wallaby Organics is heavenly and has no fillers). Don't add too much liquid. Blend until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.

Put some cauliflower "mashed potatoes" on plate, place trout on it and top with a stack of green beans and a sprinkle of bacon.

This recipe would also work nicely with salmon or mild white fish.

Enjoy!
-Erin

Sweetheart Thumbprint Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day, dear readers!

Here's a really easy recipe for jam filled thumbprint cookies. I actually recorded my recipe, for once (a miracle, I know!) I've made them twice and they've turned out excellent both times. The texture is chewy with slightly crispy edges. You can bake a little longer if you like crunchy cookies. It's a rather flexible recipe, so you can experiment if you like.

Makes 10 cookies

1 lg. beaten egg
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs almond butter (I used raw almond butter)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbs sugar (I used evaporated palm sugar) - more could be used, but I also added a bit of stevia pwd. (Nu Naturals No Carbs Blend). Don't use liquid sweetener, though. It does weird things to the texture!
Organic raspberry jam for filling. I prefer real jam to "fruit spread" because it sets up better.

Mix into a non-sticky dough (if the dough sticks to your hands, add just a little more almond butter) and roll into 10 balls and shape into indented hearts, fill with jam and bake on a greased cookie sheet (I use my Silpat instead; nothing sticks to it!) at 350º for about 12 min. Cool before eating.

Enjoy!!
-Erin

Yorkshire Pudding (it's Primal, yo!)

I had a birthday brunch recently for my 33rd birthday and I made the Elana's Pantry clafoutis recipe, with traditional (morello) cherries instead of pears. It was fabulous and everyone devoured it, including my non-Primal, gluten loving friends:) It was almost a like a very eggy bread pudding and the texture lead to a stroke of genius inspiration: I thought "hey, I could totally adapt this recipe into yorkshire pudding!", and so I did!

Yorkshire pudding might not be familiar to a lot of you, but it was one one my favorite foods as a kid. My mom would make the classic British meal of roast beef with yorkshire pudding. Talk about comfort food. I usually requested it for my birthday dinner.

Yorkshire pudding is not sweet, nor is it "pudding", but rather an eggy batter baked (traditionally) in the drippings from roast beef. The batter is quite similar to popover batter, but it's baked in a pan and is a little more dense, but still fluffy, rich, eggy and a little crispy on top. I've aways had a hard time not stuffing my face with it. I have no control around it, it's THAT tasty. I'm not exaggerating.

This version is very close to the real deal; it's not one of those recipes that's a stretch, where you feel like you're "settling". Although it's not quite as tall as the regular version (I may work on that) the basic eggy texture and rich flavor is all there. I haven't tried doubling up the recipe, but that would be one way to make it taller.

It makes a great side dish for all kinds of food and it's perfect for when you want something bread-y and warm. It also happens to be an efficient way to up your healthy saturated fat consumption and uses ingredients that are probably already in most Primal cooks' kitchens, so it's convenient to make on a whim.




So, without further adieu, here is my ridiculously easy recipe for grain/gluten-free Primal Yorkshire Pudding:

Preheat the oven to 325º
Beat well together:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup almond flour
1 TB coconut flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Pour into a greased casserole or 8x8 pan (you could melt beef drippings in the bottom of the pan to make it really authentic)
Bake for 45 min. or until a knife comes out clean when pierced in the center.

Go ahead- stuff your face!! I won't tell (because my own mouth will probably be too full to say anything...)
-Erin

Sweet Potato Fries

I am such a sucker for orange veggies (with the exception of carrots!). I have so much fun in the fall with sweet potatoes and winter squashes. Right now my carbohydrate intake is a little higher than normal because of these yummies, but I want to take advantage of seasonal food and I believe that there is wisdom in eating with the seasons.

I recently learned that what we call "yams" in our grocery stores, are actually sweet potato varieties and real yams are hard to come by unless you get them at an Asian or Caribbean market (you just KNOW I'm going to try to find some, now!)
Mark's Daily Apple recently posted on this difference, and though I was a little bummed to find out I've probably never had a real yam, I'm looking forward to trying to fine one. I like a food challenge.

I've been making a lot of sweet potato fries because they're so easy. I get the pre-cut fries from Trader Joe's, but you could also take a little time and chop up a bunch of fries to make throughout the week. It's way less work that way and you have them in the fridge, waiting to be baked.

There's quite a lot of variety to be had in baking fries and here are some ideas:
Cinnamon
Garlic granules (not garlic powder. Big difference!) Yes, garlic granules are really yummy on sweet potato fries; just use a light hand!
Garam Masala
Chinese Five Spice
For spicy fries, my special blend of garlic granules, paprika, and cayenne and salt. Not TOO much cayenne, now!

PS- they're really nice to eat with breakfast/brunch, too!


Sweet Potato Fries

Heat oven to 400º
Mix fries with melted coconut or palm oil (use only organic palm oil) and salt/spices
Bake for 12-15 minutes

These will not be really crispy, but more soft with crispy bits, just like the picture above. I love this texture.

See how easy it is? You're going to want to make them all the time;)
Eat up!
-Erin

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been on such a pumpkin kick lately. I've made pumpkin custard, pumpkin cookies (don't worry- I'll be providing recipes for those, too!) and, this morning, pumpkin pancakes. I'm surprised I haven't made pumpkin soup yet. Pumpkin is so nutritious; It really ups the nutrient density of whatever you add it to.

When I decided to make the pancakes, I decided to go more Paleo with the ingredients, so no dairy in this recipe. They turned out nicely! Knowing me, I'll probably keep tweaking, but i made myself write down the proportions (for once), so here is my recipe:

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

2 lg eggs
2 TB coconut flour
2-3 TBs pumpkin
1 TB coconut milk
pinch of salt
pinch of something sweet (I used stevia)
spices to taste: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, etc.

If the pancakes fall apart when you cook them, add an extra egg white to help bind them.

I cooked mine in coconut oil and I indulged and drizzled a tiny bit of grade B maple syrup. You could also top with cinnamon-coconut cream, apple butter, sauteed apples or whipped cream if you want to go more Primal;)

Enjoy!
-Erin

Creamy, Chunky, Cauliflower-Bacon Soup!

I have to admit that I'm something of a "soupmeister". I love soup and I make great soup! It's one of my absolute favorite things to make (and eat!) Although I've had to retire some of my old favorite recipes, such as provençal chickpea and fennel stew or white bean and kale soup, it gives me a great excuse to come up with new recipes!

Tonight, I came up with a particularly winning and easy one: Cauliflower-Bacon with Italian Parsley.

As per usual, I didn't do anything in an exacting manner (I like "free-form" measurements) but here is the basic outline so that you can enjoy a nice bowl of creamy, chunky soup on a chilly autumn evening.

-1 large cauliflower, steamed
-1 small onion, minced and sautéed
-2 or more strips of good quality bacon, cooked and chopped
-liquid to thin the soup- cream, chicken stock, water or even coconut milk will do. If you use water or stock, I suggest adding a bit of butter to add more fat.
-chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (as much as you like- I like a lot!)
- salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
-optional but awesome: smoked paprika, to taste

Put half of the cauliflower in the blender with the onions and add enough of your chosen liquids to reach desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. After the base is blended, add bacon, parsley and the other half of the cauliflower (chopped up) and season with the paprika to taste.

This soup is flexible. You could blend all the cauliflower to make it creamier. You could add a bit of sharp cheese like pecorino or parmigiano-reggiano. You could leave out the bacon and paprika and use caraway seeds. You could add broccoli and cheddar. Lots of fun possibilities, so pimp your soup!

Enjoy!
-Erin

Primal Pasta?

When people ask me about my diet and they hear that I don't eat grains, that's when the slightly horrified (or not so slightly horrified) looks register on their faces and they exclaim "I could never give up grains/bread/pasta etc."

Well, I was just as into my grains as anyone, so it's doable, people! Further into this article, I am going to show you that it's not a spartan lifestyle of white-knuckled deprivation. I love food too much to live like that (but I also love my good health enough to make some adjustments!)

Why are grains worth cutting from your diet? As humans, we haven't been eating them for all that long and the mineral-depleting antinutrients, as well as starches and gluten they contain can function as troublemakers in our bodies.

Some things are obvious: Celiac disease, Crohn's Disease, IBS, etc. Some are less obvious: GERD, skin issues like eczema and acne, inflammation in joints and other parts of the body (I discovered that my excruciating monthly symptoms of cramps and IBS just up and disappeared
after cutting the grains from my diet) and even mental/emotional symptoms like anxiety can all be rooted in grain and gluten consumption. Here's a little more info on why grains aren't so awesome for us and here's a great article on how to quit them.

Now, on to the fun stuff: Pasta!

Are Primal and pasta mutually exclusive? No! Am I going to give you recipes for spiralized zucchini and tell you to pretend it's pasta (Rose likes zucchini "pasta" but I'm not a fan)? HECK NO! I'm going to give you a decent spaghetti alternative from a land far, far away: Japan! Meet the wonderful shirataki noodle!

Shiratake noodles are made from a tuber called konjac root (also called "yam" or "elephant yam"- not to be confused with regular yams. There is also a different version made with soy called "tofu shiratke". I don't use that form.) and they have nearly zero calories and carbohydrates. They also have no taste, so they can be used in a wide variety of dishes. I simply rinse off the sea-weedy smelling water they come packed in and boil them for a bit in generously salted water or broth to infuse them with a bit of flavor.

Shiratake can be found in the Japanese section of any Asian grocer and will be refrigerated. Some brands have a softer texture than others, which I prefer (shiratake can be a bit "springy" feeling when you eat it), so experiment with different brands to find your favorite.

While I don't have specific recipes to give you, I'll tell you about the two dishes pictured. The top pic is bison marinara- I used a low sugar organic marinara sauce (since I'm too lazy to make my own!) and added lots of ground bison and grated parmigiano reggiano (one of the world's great cheeses and not to be confused with parmesan!) Since the noodles themselves have almost no calories, it's important that the toppings are more calorically dense and nutrient rich.

The dish pictured below is pasta with an asiago cream sauce, sauteed morels and ramps, asparagus and baked salmon. It would also be wonderful with other veggies (summer squash, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, etc).

Shiratake is fantastic in Asian noodle soups (it was made for this purpose and can be found in sukiyaki in Japanese restaurants.) and in Asian noodle dishes. I also pulse it in a food processor to "rice" it and serve with Thai coconut milk-based curries. It's great like that and my husband was pretty impressed with it!

I hope this opens up a whole new world of pasta possibilities for everyone. Mangia, mangia!!

-Erin

Lazy Sunday Night

Last night I felt LAZY. I earned my laziness though with an ambitious morning that started at 4:30am (I didn't mean to wake up that early!). By early afternoon it was catching up with me and I decided to take a nap. Four hours later I woke up hungry realizing all I had eaten was a spoonful of pepita butter in the morning. I looked into my near empty fridge, some zucchini bread my brother had brought home smirking at me from on top of the fridge.
Just then I spotted some summer squash a friend had brought over from his garden. I opened the freezer and found the last part of a bag of shrimp. The laziest dinner ever was born! Here's what I did:
2 small summer squash sliced
1 small green onion diced
1 cup frozen cooked shrimp, thawed, tails removed
2 T coconut oil
2 T Jamaican jerk seasoning

Heat oil in pan and sautee squash and onion, add Jamaican jerk spice and toss, throw in shrimp and toss again, heating shrimp just for a minute. Voila! Laziest dinner ever! ~Rose

Pepita Butter

Yesterday was a busy wonderful day. I started a new batch of Kombucha (more posting on that later), some sprouts, and after seeing my jar of almond butter nearly empty, I decided to try my hand at making my own.
I hardly have any almonds in my pantry right now but there is an abundance of raw pepitas, or Mexican pumpkin seeds. For the first time in five years of owning it, I put the blank plate on my champion juicer and had at it! A handful of seeds, then a little olive oil, smoosh! Repeat. When I had put in about 3 cups or so, I added a little salt and stevia, then ran the pepita butter through the juicer once more for a smoother texture. I ate a spoonful of the warm pepita butter to make sure it was good and it certainly was!
Into the fridge it went and this morning I pulled some out to smear on an apple. It is even better now that it had a chance to sit. So much easier than I thought it would be-I am definitely going to start making my own nut and seed butters. You can't beat saving money, a trip to the grocery store and the freshness and quality of making your own.
All you need is a juicer with a blank plate insert (used instead of the usual screen) or food processor, 1-4 cups seeds or nuts of your choice, good quality cold pressed (or virgin) oil (I used evoo) and a container that seals. Alternating between 1/4-1/2 cup seeds or nuts and 1 teaspoon of oil at a time, grinding to your desired consistency. If needed, salt or sweeten to your liking and enjoy!
~Rose