Culinary Victory and GI defeat

We had a wonderful dinner last night. I felt so proud of my culinary efforts and we all enjoyed our dinner...except for Tyler who doesn't enjoy much of anything these days. I felt very empowered in the kitchen but then quickly defeated when I changed Gray's diaper. He has been having normal BMs for the past few days which was a sign the diet was working. Yesterday he went back to the undigested runny poopies, there was actually a whole green bean in his diaper. (Sorry if that's too much info). This means I need to go slower with progressing through the stages of the diet and that I need to back up with him to figure out what triggered the diarrhea. I have a feeling it was almonds which will be a big bummer trying to figure out how to make any type of baked good without almond flour.

Here is what we had for dinner:

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup in Acorn Squash Bowls

• 4-6 Red Peppers, cut in half with stems removed
  
• 1 Large Tomato, cut in quarters
  
• 3-4 cups of chicken stock
• 1 medium onion
• 2 Tb. of oil for skillet (coconut or ghee is what we used)
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1-2 Tb. Thyme
• 4 Bay leaves
• ground pepper
• garlic powder
• sea salt
• Acorn squash (1 for every 2 people)
  

Preheat oven to 350. Place acorn squash on baking sheet, whole. Place peppers and tomatoes on a non-stick pan, cut side down. Bake peppers and tomatoes in oven until skin starts to blacken and blister, about 20-30 min. Remove peppers, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool for 15 min. Bake squash for about 45-60 min.

Meanwhile, in a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute unitl translucent. Add the chicken stock and all of the spices and tomato paste . Bring to a gentle boil.

Remove as much skin from peppers as possible. Add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Remove squash from oven. Cut in half, scoop out seeds. Put squash in a bowl. Pour soup in squash. Top with fresh basil and/or grated cheese.

Green Bean Salad with Balsamic Dressing

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (not GAPS legal)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 large shallots, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (I used 4-5 drops of Stevia)
  
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 lbs of green beans
  

1. Whisk together balsamic vinegar (not GAPS legal)and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl until blended; gradually add olive oil, whisking constantly until blended.

2. Pour over washed and trimmed green beans in a casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 20-30 min.

3. Serve over fresh greens and sprinkle with pine nuts.