Turkey Pecan Waldorf Salad

This makes a nice lunch or light dinner.  It can be served on its own or on a bed of salad greens.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c cooked turkey, cut into pieces
2 stalks of celery
1 large crisp apple
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/2 c red grapes, cut in half

For the dressing:
1/4 c plus 2 T mayonnaise (6 T total)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T olive oil
salt to taste
a little honey, optional

Chop the celery (I like to include the leaves), and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Cut the apple into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.  Put in the meat and grapes.

To toast the pecan pieces, put them into a dry skillet and heat them on medium heat while stirring.  Remove from heat when they start to smell really good.  Let them cool, then add them into the salad and mix.

Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and pour over the salad. 

You can substitute raisins or chopped dates for the grapes.  Chicken would work in place of turkey.  You can also try adding fresh herbs, such as  parsley or cilantro for a little more flavor.

Peas with Mint

This goes very well with lamb, and together makes a meal that to me tastes like spring.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups peas (1 package frozen)
2 T butter or ghee
1 leek, thinly sliced
1/4 c meat broth
1/4 c coarsely chopped mint
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed, optional
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Melt the butter or ghee in a skillet, and saute the leeks a few minutes, until soft.

Add the peas (they can be added frozen).  Pour in the stock, add the garlic and stir, then cover and reduce heat.

Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the peas are nearly done.  Add the mint, and put the cover back on.  Cook another 2-3 minutes until the mint has wilted.

Tomato Melts

This was a quick and oh-so-delicious impromptu lunch the other day and it would lend itself to so many variations!  The first batch (pictured here) were simply slices of tomato with provolone cheese melted on top in the broiler to a nice brown.  We later experimented with "pizza toppings" such as green olives and mushrooms, but this could also be faux-mexican (with taco meat and cilantro) or an open -faced version of many sandwiches, such as ham and swiss or a tuna melt.  There are just so many possibilities!

Lamb Curry

This is a flavorful dish that will fill your house with fabulous smells.  You can use different vegetables to give some variety, and it would work well with all vegetables instead of meat.  I buy my curry powder from Mountain Rose Herbs which provides high quality spices with no fillers, or you can find a recipe and make your own.  Curry powder is easy and fun to make. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 T coconut oil
1 lb cubed lamb meat or lamb stew meat (ground meat would probably also work)
1 large or 2 medium onions
3-4 carrots
1 T grated ginger root
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c broth
1 c coconut milk


METHOD:

Cut the onion into large pieces and chop the carrots into 1-inch lengths, set aside.

Melt the coconut oil in a large pot and brown the meat.  Remove the meat and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

Saute the onions on mediumuntil they soften, about 10 minutes.  Then add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and saute a little longer.  Add the carrots and continue to stir to coat them with the spice mixture.

Pour in the stock and scrape up any brown bits that are still stuck to the bottom of the pan from browning the meat.  Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. 

Add the meat back in and simmer for 30 minutes.

Deviled Eggs

These are yummy, and just in time for Easter :)

Ingredients

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
2 Tbs. homemade mayonnaise
1 tsp. homemade curry powder*
Sea salt to taste
Celery seeds or paprika for garnish

Method

Remove yolks from whites and place in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, curry powder, and salt. Mash together with a fork. Spoon (or pipe with a pastry bag) yolk mixture back into whites. Sprinkle with celery seeds or paprika.

*I used Alton Brown's curry recipe. It was serviceable, but not great, in my opinion--too much cardamom and not enough complexity. I'll keep experimenting with this.

We're finally on Facebook!

Hi All,

A rare, non-food-related post from us :) We finally have a page on Facebook. Check us out, we're Grainfreefoodies, and become a fan! We will be posting GAPS-supporting articles and other info there. We will continue to devote this site to recipes.

We invite you all to post links to your own GAPS-related site and/or to share recipes there. Facebook is a much better venue for that kind of thing. If we like your recipe, we'll post it here, with your permission and a grateful acknowledgment, of course!

Hugs and health,

Teri

Amoreena's Peanut Butter Fudge

This simple and absolutely delicious recipe was given to me by my friend Amoreena, and has been a favorite snack for the past week.  It is also a great way to eat coconut oil for those who don't enjoy eating it straight.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c coconut oil
1/2 c peanut butter
honey to taste
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD:

Melt the oil in a saucepan on very low heat. 

Pour the oil and remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour this mixture into an 8 x 8 pyrex dish (or similar glass dish), and place in the freezer.

This fudge is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Green Beans with Garlic

This is a delicious, simple side dish served warm as well as a flavorful and very portable salad for lunches and picnics.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb green beans
2 T butter or ghee
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt to taste
fresh dill (optional)

METHOD:

Rinse and trim the green beans.  Cut them into 2 inch pieces.

Steam them until they reach desired softness.  The time will vary, so keep a close eye on them after about 5 minutes and taste one to check the level of doneness.

Remove the beans to a bowl.  Add the butter, and stir to let it melt and coat the beans.  Then add the crushed garlic, vinegar, and salt, and fresh dill if using.

You can serve this right away or refrigerate for later use.

Kefir Cream Cheese

Ingredients

2 Tbs. kefir grains (available online, through friends or places like Craigslist)
1 Quart heavy cream

Method

Pour cream over grains in a glass jar. Leave about an inch of head space. Cover. Shake the jar and leave on the counter for 24-48 hours, shaking every now and then. When it is fermented it will taste sour, like sour cream. Strain through a fine mesh stainless steel sieve, pushing the cream through with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. The grains will remain in the sieve and can be reused indefinitely to ferment cream and/or milk. (They will multiply too, and can be eaten as an excellent probiotic source.)

Take the strained, fermented cream and pour into a sieve lined with a quadruple layer of cheese cloth. Tie the ends of the cheese cloth together to form a little package inside the sieve. Put the whole thing (with sieve) over a tall bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup and place in the refrigerator. The whey will drip out into the bowl and the solids will remain in the cheese cloth. After 24 hours, flip the soft cream cheese over into fresh cheese cloth, tie, put back in the sieve over the bowl, and place the whole lot back in refrigerator for another 24 hours.

Remove cheese cloth and place in a jar for storage in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Icing

This makes a pourable, thick icing that actually stays put pretty well. It is quite sweet, and would probably make a thicker frosting without so much honey, but I was cooking for a non-GAPS crowd, and I wanted to appeal to their tastes.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup kefir cream cheese
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Boil honey for about five minutes and allow to cool completely. Beat butter until creamy. Beat in cream cheese. Slowly pour in honey while mixer is running. The honey will make the whole thing runny. Add vanilla and lemon juice, and blend in. When well mixed, chill for at least an hour. Pour over cake, and allow some to run down the sides like a glaze.

Carrot Cake

This cake is good. My non-GAPS friend said, "It tastes just like a store-bought carrot cake!" It tasted even better today than it did yesterday. I would prefer it with walnuts, but I didn't think the birthday boy would have, so I didn't include them. I will for Easter though!

Ingredients

1 cup honey
1 cup butter
12 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda*
5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 a whole nutmeg, grated
3 cups shredded carrots (about 6 medium)

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 13x9x2 inch pan, and line bottom with greased parchment paper or a greased paper towel.

Melt honey and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cool. Lightly beat eggs. Add vanilla and blend. Add coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat until well blended, scraping down sides as necessary. Add shredded carrots, and stir lightly to incorporate.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-35 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely and invert onto a tray. Remove paper.

Top with cream cheese icing, if desired.

*Not allowed on GAPS, but is SCD legal.

Dairy-Free "Cheez-It" Crackers

These crackers are about the closest I've come yet to a "junk food" flavor, at least a savory one.  They taste a lot like a Cheez-It or goldfish cracker.  These are based on a recipe I found in an episode of Raw World TV, which you can view here on YouTube.  They present the recipe as a cheese sauce as well as a cracker recipe, however when I made it it didn't have the "cheese-like" texture that theris did.  Maybe you need a Vitamix to make it into a sauce.  It might be worth playing with this for those who are really wanting a macaroni and cheese type sauce.

To make it as crackers, follow the same basic recipe, which is to put one red bell pepper, one cup of macadamia nuts, some salt and cayenne pepper in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Then spread it thin on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate until it reaches the desired level of dryness.  At 105 degrees this took me well over 24 hours, so I would use a higher heat.  If you want to make crackers in cute shapes I would pull it out partway through, when it is still pliable, and cut it with cookie cutters, then put it back to continue drying. 

Coconut Macaroons

This is a simple and tasty way to use up extra egg whites.  These are also essentially the same as "normal" macaroons so make a nice snack for non-GAPS visitors.

INGREDIENTS:

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c honey (you can use much less if preferred)
1 1/2 T vanilla extract OR 1 T vanilla extract and 1 tsp almond extract
3 c shredded coconut

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add the salt, honey, and extract slowly as you continue to beat until stiff.  Fold in the coconut or add while the mixer is running (if using a mixer).

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned but not scorched.

Let cool slightly before removing from parchment.  Once cool, store in an airtight container.