Carrot Latkes

Snow day today!!!! I LOVE snow days. I love waking up and telling Tyler he can stay home from school. I love the laziness of a day that is also magical. I took advantage of the extra time and made some carrot latkes for breakfast this morning. They really don't take that much time and they're very worth it. They have the taste of hashbrowns with a touch of sweetness from the carrots.

Carrot Scallion Latkes
Ingredients
3 cups shredded carrots
3 scallions, finely chopped (I've also done 1/2 medium onion)
3 eggs, whisked
1-2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon coconut flour
olive oil or bacon fat for frying
Method
In a large bowl combine carrots, scallions and eggs
Stir salt and coconut flour into carrot mixture
In a large skillet heat oil
Scoop large tablespoonfuls of batter onto skillet
Fry patties on each side over medium heat until browned and crispy
Transfer latkes to a paper towel lined plate
Repeat process until all of the batter is used up

Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping

I know I am horrible at keeping up with this blog. It still works as a great place for organizing my stuff. So at least its working for me :-).

I've actually created some of my own recipes lately. Which is pretty amazing if you knew me. This is one I just made adaptations to a few recipes from other blogs. I served it last night to friends and, except for the fact that I over cooked them, they were a hit. This is a great treat for any one on or off GAPS. By using almond flour instead of traditional flour this treat is full of protein instead of just adding to our already starch filled diet.

The main idea is from Elana's pantry and the struesel topping comes from the Nourishing Gourmet. I'm sure this could easily be adapted to muffins.

Pumpkin Bars
1 cup pumpkin (acorn, butternut or other squash) puree
½-1 cup honey
4 eggs
2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder, (not GAPS legal)
3 tablespoons of coconut crystals
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
3 tablespoons of cold coconut oil
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

1. In a food processor, combine pumpkin, honey and eggs and pulse for 2 minutes
2. Pulse dry ingredients into wet for a full minute, until well combined
3. Pour batter into a greased 8 X 8 (greased with ghee or coconut oil)
4. Mix together first four Streusel ingredients. Then cut in coconut oil with a fork until small clumps are formed. Then stir in chopped walnuts.
5. Pour topping on top of bars
6. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes

Taco Skillet

This was one of our favorite recipes before we started GAPS. We loved it because it only requires dirtying one pan, it makes great left overs. You can fill tortillas with it, put in on a salad, or make nachos out of it as a second meal. I finally figured out how to adapt it and it has become a weekly staple. Discovering that cauliflower can be shredded and used like rice has opened the door to new meals like this as well as Turkey Hash and Chicken Fried Rice

Here is the original recipe (not GAPS legal)
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope (1 1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
3/4 cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese ( 4 ounces)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
sour cream, if desired

1. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain
2. Stir in seasoning mix, water, salsa and corn. Heat to boiling; stir in rice. Boil 1 minute remove from heat. Cover and let stand 8 minutes .
3. Fluff rice mixture with fork; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle lettuce around edge of skillet; sprinkle tomato in circle next to lettuce. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

GAPS legal recipe
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
2-4 Tbsp of fat/oil for sauteing (olive, coconut, lard, tallow, ghee)
1 large head of cauliflower (this will be used as a rice substitute)
2 Tbsp of chili powder
1-2 tsp. of ground cumin
1-2 tsp. of garlic powder (eliminated for us because of Grayson's allergy)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 to 1 whole bag of frozen pepper strips (from Trader Joe's)
Handful of broccoli broken into small pieces
1-2 cups of homemade chicken, turkey, or beef stock

1. Cut the core and large stems from head of cauliflower, discard. Wash cauliflower chunks.
2. Shred cauliflower in food processor or with a grater. We used the VitaMix and it is awesome!
3. Saute the onion in skillet with the fat/oil until translucent but not browned.
4. Add ground beef and cook until browned
5. Add seasonings while cooking beef
6. Once beef is cooked, add 1 cup of stock, shredded cauliflower, and frozen peppers
7. Saute until cauliflower rice is soft, adding more stock to keep from drying out
8. Add broccoli in the last few minutes of cooking just to soften
9. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and cauliflower rice is soft and caramelized

Veggie Pancakes

I am learning you can make any kind of pancake or bread with pureed veggies and eggs. This recipe has become a staple in our house now:

Pumpkin Pancakes

4 pastured or free-range organic eggs
1 cup squash (or any other pureed vegetable...we've used spinach, kale, zucchini, pumpkin, butternut)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla
1 TBL melted coconut oil or ghee

Mix all ingredients well and prepare as small pancakes. Use a medium-low heat (between 3 and 4 on my stove). It takes a while for each pancake to set (4-5 min). Watch for bubbles on the top. They are thin and very yummy, almost like a crepe. We fill them sometimes with avocado or cooked spinach.

Veggie Chicken Salad

I am in the process of trying to make my own mayo so I can have chicken salad but my first attempt did not go over well...it was pretty gross. Anyone know of a good mayo recipe?

In the mean time I made Cilantro-Lime Chicken Salad for Brian and me for lunch. It was awesome!!!!

For the kids I made:
Veggie Chicken Salad

Grind cooked chicken til fine. (this is a great way to use the scrap pieces of chicken) (I ground it in my magic bullet in lots of small batches)
Add mixture of pureed zucchini and carrots or any left over vegetable(somehow the flavors seem to cancel each other out).
Add salt.
Add boiled egg (optional)
Add chopped fermented cucumbers (pickles) (optional)
By gradually increasing the veggies, you can make it with almost half veggies
I added a lot of seasonings to help this one out (curry, paprika, garlic, ground mustard)

It went over very well.

Quiche Muffins

I am on the search for recipes that are freezable and portable. I found this yesterday and I've tried it twice. They came different each time. I'm not sure why yet, but both times were good.

Quiche Muffins

• 3-5 eggs
• 1/2-1 cup of green puree (boiled spinach, collard greens, kale, etc. pureed)
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil
• spices of choice

Blend together. Line muffin tins. Bake 350 for 20-30 min.
They boys loved these!!

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.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

simmer equal parts chopped carrots, rutabaga, onion, zucchini and fresh thyme in chicken stock.
Remove thyme stem
puree and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Veggie Minestrone

Found this on GAPS group site

• Broth (combination is good) simmered with celery and peppercorns
• zucchini or summer squash
• carrot
• green beans
• onion and/ or leek
• tomato
• salt

Season with thyme, basil, garlic and dash of cayenne. Add chicken fat/olive oil/ghee as permitted.
It's more work, but it adds visual interest if you cook each veggie separately and arrange a small helping of each around the bowl before filling with broth.

Beef and Pumpkin Stew

Found this on a GAPS group site

• Beef broth seasoned with peppercorns and strained.
• Add small diced pumpkin and salt and cook until soft.
• Add diced, shredded beef and pumpkin puree.
• Use a bit of chicken fat to balance the flavors.

Serve with the obligatory dash of fresh garlic and kraut liquid. This is also wonderful with a swirl of blended kefir (sour cream mimic if you pour a circle you can then make awesome designs by dragging a knife through in an X.)

Mashed "Too-tatoes"

We do these instead of mashed potatoes and I've never told the kids their not real potatoes. They love them!

• 1 head of cauliflower (cut all stocks off if one stage one until you know you can digest)
• about 1 cup of chicken stock
• lard or ghee (if at that stage)
  

Boil cauliflower in the chicken stock. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a bowl. Mix with electric mixer, add more stock to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Big Kid's Casserole

• Put a layer of leftover roast in the bottom of the casserole dish. I cut the roast into small pieces.
• Cook green beans in one pot with some chicken broth and sea salt and layered these over the meat.
• Cook carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash in another pot with just water and sea salt. I took about half of these and layered them over the green beans.
• Pour a little broth and about a cup of rendered beef fat over this and sprinkled with a little salt.
• Puree the rest of the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with some of the broth and pour this over the top of the casserole and drizzled more beef fat on top. Then add a touch more salt on top.
• Bake it at 350 F for 30 minutes. That’s it!
  

you can also do this with:

• Meat
• Green beans
• Broccoli and cauliflower
• Rendered fat and sea salt
• Blended cauliflower drizzled with more rendered fat and sprinkled with sea salt

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Beef Soup

Recipe from GAPSters

• Full fat, hugely gelatinous beef broth
• 1 lb beef
• 2 med zucchini
• 1 med onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 carrots
• Celtic Sea Salt
• Ghee

Simmer the beef, garlic and onion in some broth for about 30 min. Add prepped vegetables and enough broth to come within 2" of the vegetables. Add 2 larges pinches of celtic sea salt and simmer about 30 min. Take 1/4 of the vegetable and meat and blend till smooth. Add back into the pot and add ghee and more salt to taste. And yes!!! Add 1-3 tsp avocado (if on stage 3)

Butternut Squash Ice Cream

Found this at GAPSters

• 1 butternut squash
• stock of your choice
• 3-5 Tblsp ghee
• 3 egg yolks

Boil the squash in the stock. When done (almost falling apart), remove from stock and cool. Add ghee and egg yolks. Blend. At this point you could put the mixture in an ice cream maker or you could put it directly into the freezer and stir it every 30 minutes or so--until it's frozen, but aerated and fluffy.

Pork Stew

• Already boiled pork to pork stock in a crock pot.
• Add zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms and carrots.
• Add salt.
• Simmer for a few hours.
• Remove meat, blend most vegetables with immersion blender
• Add meat in pieces.

Chicken Salad

Found this recipe at GAPSters

• Chicken, boiled and torn into bite sized pieces
• Pesto Sauce
• Fermented vegetables
• Celtic sea salt, to taste

In a large bowl, combine chicken and enough pesto sauce to coat chicken. Add fermented vegetables--as much as you're allowed. Mix. Add salt if needed. Serve topped with extra pesto sauce.

Beef and Eggplant Casserole

I found this recipe at GAPSters

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 eggplants
• 2 containers of mushrooms
• 2 leeks or 1 med. onion
• Fresh dill
• Celtic Sea Salt to taste
• ghee
  

Prep vegetables (peel, de-seed, chop). Add beef and onion (if using) to some stock and boil for 40 min or so. Add rest of vegetables and boil for 30 min or so. Add salt to taste. With a slotted spoon, ladle out meat and vegetable and put into a baking dish. Add chopped fresh dill. Add some stock. Either bake like this or reserve some vegetables and meat, blend, and spread on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add ghee to individual dishes.

Beets-for constipation

We have been struggling with a little constipation in our house. I found this idea at GAPSters

Beets! Yes, fresh, cooked beets have a mild laxative effect.

Here's what to do: cut the leaves off the beetroot about an inch above the crown. Immerse the beets in a pot of water. Cover. Bring water to a boil, turn down to simmer. Simmer for about 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain, rinse in cold water. With cold water running, hold beet under water and slip off the skins. Place beet in a clean bowl. Eat warm or cold.

Butternut Squash and Fennel Soup

I found this recipe at GAPSters

• 1 butternut squash
• 3-4 fennel bulbs
• 2 large leeks
• 1 large zucchini (this will dilute the sweetness)
• 1/2 cup beef fat/marrow blend
• Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Peel, de-seed, wash--prep your vegetables to where they're chopped and ready to go. Throw them in a pot, add stock so that 2" of your vegetables are not immersed. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 30+ minutes. Because the fennel would be considered 'stringy,' simmer for an hour and a half or more. When done, take off heat, add fat/marrow, salt and blend.

TIP: The beauty of this soup is that it contains vast amounts of vegetables, broth. I blend in raw egg yolks and the flavor remains delicious. With the zucchini added, the sweetness becomes subtle.

Carrot Coins and "Cheese"

This recipe is from GAPSters

A stage 2 snack.

1 thick (as thick as possible) carrot, peeled, cut into 1/4" 'coins'

Bone broth

Ghee, slightly softened

Boil carrot coins in bone broth for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely. When cool, spread ghee on top. Serve.