Kale Chips

Do you think your kids won't eat vegetables? Try these. I am generally against recipes that require me to stand around doing repetitive work, especially when the fruits of my labor are then gobbled up in less than 10 minutes. But I have to make an exception for a recipe that gets my kids chanting, "Kale! Kale! Kale! We want kaaaaaale!" I think we all know that kale is a "super food" and these delicious chips have the added benefit of being crispier than potato chips!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 bunches kale (the flatter varieties are easier to work with, but any type will do)

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil* (or other oil/fat, if desired)

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat your oven to 250 degrees F. Wash kale and remove tough central rib (you can skip this step, if your kids will eat up to the rib, and you don't mind having chewed on stems around). Pat kale dry. Place in a bowl and coat with olive oil (I use my hands to rub the oil on all surfaces). Place kale in one layer on two baking sheets. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper (you can leave out the pepper. I sometimes do). Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until leaves are very crispy (they will easily break apart). Allow to cool until they are easy to handle, then watch the feeding frenzy begin.

*NB, Dr. Campbell-McBride advises against heating olive oil. Personally I do not have a problem cooking with extra virgin olive oil at low temperatures (below its smoke point). I have not read any scientific studies that corroborate the claim that heating olive oil causes it to take on unhealthful properties. I would be happy to peruse any such studies that my readers might know about. (I'm not interested in links to claims, only to actual studies or reports of actual studies, where the journal of publication is cited). If you wish not to use olive oil, any fat would work, but the flavor would be different (though almost surely very tasty). Obviously hard fats would need to be melted first.

Crustless Quiche

If you have a crust recipe that you like, you could certainly use one, but I find this so easy without a crust.  This recipe is so simple and works for any meal of the day, is relatively portable, and can even be fancy enough to bring to a gathering or serve to guests. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1 can (14-16 oz) of coconut milk without additives
1-2 T butter or fat for cooking
1/2 onion
1 cup diced meat (I prefer ham)
OR diced vegetables (bell pepper, asparagus, greens, or zucchini work especially well)
1 cup of cubed cheese
1/2 tsp salt
other herbs and spices, optional

METHOD:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat in the coconut milk.  Mix in the cubed cheese, salt, and any other herbs or spices that you are using.

3.  In a 10 inch skillet (ideally cast iron), melt the fat and saute the onions for several minutes.

4.  If you are using vegetables, add them now and saute several more minutes, allowing any moisture to come out (such as with mushrooms).

5.  Turn off the heat, add your meat and stir, and then pour the egg mixture over the top.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Arroz Con Pollo

This is my adaptation of my mother-in-law's fabulous recipe for this dish that she got from a Puerto Rican neighbor many years ago.  It adapted well and may become my favorite way to use leftover chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cauliflower, grated
3 c cooked chicken, shredded or cut into chunks
1 c peas
1 c chopped ham (or 3/4 c chopped bacon)
2 T butter or bacon fat
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp saffron
1/3 c broth
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped and drained
3 c cheddar cheese, grated
8-10 green olives, sliced

METHOD:

If using bacon, fry until crispy then crumble or chop.

Heat about 2 T of butter (or bacon fat if you are using bacon) in a large skillet.  Add the chopped onion, and once it begins to soften add the saffron and salt and stir thoroughly. 

Add the grated cauliflower and broth and let cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.

Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the peas, ham, green onion, chopped tomato, and chicken pieces.

Pour this mixture into a 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish, or dish of similar size.  Cover with the grated cheese and olives and bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is heated through and the cheese is adequately melted.  Put it under the broiler if you want the cheese to be browned.

Spanish Rice

This is a basic and very tasty variation of cauliflower rice.  We had this tonight with lettuce leaf tacos and it was wonderful!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cauliflower, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 T lard or other cooking fat
1 green bell pepper or 2 Anaheim peppers
1 1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp chili powder (optional)
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
2 c pureed canned tomatoes
green olives for garnish, optional

METHOD:

Melt the cooking fat in a large skillet and saute the onions for several minutes until they begin to soften.  Add the peppers, the garlic, and the spices.  Stir thoroughly and allow to cook until softened.

Add the canned tomato (I used tomatoes frozen from my garden last year).  Because the cauliflower doesn't absorb liquid the way rice does, I would recommend using 2 cups of tomatoes but not using much of the liquid.  Reserve the liquid for use if the mixture is too dry.  You can use broth instead for that purpose if you prefer.

Add the cauliflower and continue to cook on medium-high to high heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until the cauliflower has reached desired softness, about 5-10 minutes.  If the cauliflower isn't softening well, you can add some liquid and cover it for a few minutes.

Put in a bowl and garnish with green olives if desired.

Cole Slaw

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 yellow onion
3 carrots
1 large green cabbage

for the dressing:
1/4 c plus 2 T olive oil
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 T lemon juice
honey to taste

METHOD:

Grate or puree the onion in a food processor.  Grate the carrots.  Put the thin slicing blade on the food processor and slice the cabbage.  Place the vegetables in a large bowl.

To make the dressing, whisk together the ingredients and pour over the vegetables.  Stir to coat thoroughly, then taste and adjust the seasonings.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

This dish was mentioned in a very early post, but my husband has been working on it and it is definitely worthy of its own post now.  It was just delicious and is quite different than most of our GAPS dinners.  Leftovers also reheat well.


INGREDIENTS:

3 T unrefined sesame oil
1 head of cauliflower
1 small head of broccoli
1 bell pepper (red or yellow)
1 carrot
1 onion
1-2 jalapenos (optional)
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
Green onions

METHOD:

Fit the grating blade onto the food processor and grate the head of cauliflower.  Steam the grated cauliflower for 3 minutes.  Set aside.

Chop the broccoli, bell pepper, and carrot and set aside in a bowl.  Chop the onion and jalapenos (if using) and put them in another bowl.

Lightly scramble the two eggs so that they are about half cooked, set aside.  In another small bowl, mix together the toasted sesame oil and the vinegar, set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a large iron skillet or wok so that it is very hot but not smoking (the surface of the oil will ripple).  Put in the grated cauliflower and stir constantly, keeping the heat on high.  Keep cooking like this until the cauliflower begins to brown, at least 3 minutes or so.  Add the mixture of toasted sesame oil and vinegar and stir.

Add the onions and jalapenos if using.  Cook for several minutes until the onions start to soften.  Then add the other veggies and saute to until they reach the desired level of doneness. 

Turn off the heat and add the eggs, stirring until they finish cooking.

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.

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.

Lentil-Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 T butter or fat for cooking
1 onion
2 leeks
1 red bell pepper
1 zucchini
2 cups of greens
2 cups of cooked lentils
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 T dried basil
1 T dried thyme
1-2 cups of GAPS-legal tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
1 quart meat stock
salt and pepper to taste

 METHOD:

Melt butter or fat in a large pot.  Chop the onions and leeks and saute for about 5 minutes,  then add the other veggies, chopped.  Add the salt, spices and crush the garlic into the pot. 

Pour in the stock and tomatoes, and add the bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the veggies are cooked and the flavors have had a chance to blend.  Add in the lentils and continue to cook until they are hot.

Remove from heat and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Golden Beet Noodles

These noodles are a bit more like pasta in their texture than spaghetti squash, and offer another option if you can't find spaghetti squash or are wanting more variety in your meals.  They are also much faster to make (as long as you have a food processor).  To make them, simply grate golden beets.  I found that 3 beets makes a nice amount of "pasta".  You can either eat them raw, in which case they have a harder, crunchier texture, or you can boil them for 2 minutes.  This gives them a texture much more like al dente pasta and reduces the bitter taste that raw beets have.  Serve them with whatever sauce you like or just with butter and salt.

Celery Chestnut Stuffing

Chestnut stuffing has always been one of my favorite comfort foods and I have been experimenting with it for quite a while now.  This version is my favorite so far.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T butter or ghee
2 onions, chopped
1 T dried rubbed sage
2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup reduced turkey stock (or other meat stock)
1 large celery or 2 small ones
2 c chopped chestnuts
salt to taste
additional stock as needed

METHOD:

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet.  Saute the onions until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the herbs.  Mix and add the stock, and bring to a simmer.  Add the celery and chestnuts and cook until they are soft, adding additional stock if needed.  Taste and add salt if desired.  This will depend on how salty the stock was.

VARIATIONS:

For "rice stuffing", add a grated cauliflower at the end.  You may need to add additional stock as well.

For bread stuffing, I used the nut butter bread recipe although coconut bread may work as well.  Cut about half of a loaf of bread into cubes.  If you feel that the bread is too soft, you can slice it and toast it first.  The cubes can then be added to the above recipe at the end and cooked until they are softened and have absorbed the liquid.  You may need to add extra stock or butter.

Lima Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

This salad is so simple and absolutely delicious. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked and rinsed lima beans
1 roasted red bell pepper
about 1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-2 T olive oil
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste (preferably a course, gourmet salt such as Hawaiian Red Salt)

METHOD:

Cut the pepper into chunks and mix with the beans and parsley in a small bowl.  Add enough olive oil to generously coat the vegetables, squeeze on some lemon juice, and sprinkle on the salt.

Roasted Peppers

This is a simple thing to do to add some wonderful flavor to many different dishes.  Roasted peppers are great in salads, mixed in lima bean hummus, added to salsa, on pizza and burgers, and so many other things. 

The technique I use is simple.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Wash the peppers and cut them in half, then clean the seeds and pith out of the middle.  Rub the skins with oil or fat (I used olive oil) and place them skin side up on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the peppers are soft.  I like it when the skins get a little burned or charred.  When they are cool enough, remove the skins.  If using smaller peppers such as Anaheim, reduce the cooking time.

Peppers, particularly hot chili peppers, are also very good roasted over a fire or roasted in the broiler for a similar effect.  Hold them near the fire until their skins blacken, then cover them or put them in a bag for 10 minutes, which will cause the skins to come off more easily.  Be careful with hot peppers- roasting them in any fashion can release the capsaicin (what makes them hot) into the air which can irritate your eyes and nose.

Lima Bean Hummus

It looks sort of grayish in the picture because I added black olives before I thought about how unappetizing that might make it look in the photo!  Honestly this tastes so good that my husband has wondered why everyone doesn't make hummus with lima beans.  This would work fine with other white beans that we're allowed on GAPS, but as they are higher in oxalates I decided to go with limas.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups soaked and cooked lima beans
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
3 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil (or more depending on how "wet" your beans are and the texture of hummus that you like)

METHOD:

Put all ingredients in the blender or food processor and blend to desired consistency.  Taste and adjust flavors.  You will undoubtedly find your own blend of ingredients that you like best. 

For variation, try adding olives, anchovies, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, dried tomato, or whatever herbs and spices you like.  If you find an especially tasty variation, please post it in the comments for us all to enjoy!

If you serve the hummus with sliced veggies for dipping it makes a nice side dish or even a light meal.

Classic Hamburger or Cheeseburger

We've been eating hamburger patties since nearly the beginning of the diet, which we enjoy, but we really wanted "the real thing" the other day.  For the bun we used large bread-like pancakes which held together remarkably well.  We topped off our burgers with homemade mayo, Bubbie's pickles (which are raw and lacto fermented), sliced tomatoes and GAPS-legal mustard.  You could also make your own ketchup for this.

Here's the basic recipe we use for hamburger patties:

1 lb ground beef or buffalo
1 egg
1 T honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup marrow or liver (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and kneed with your hands.  Form the meat into patties (we prefer to make 6 patties from 1 pound of meat).  The patties can be fried in cooking fat, broiled, or grilled.  We like ours topped with melted cheese and fried onions.

Roasted Garlic and Zucchini Soup

The roasted garlic really gives this soup a hearty, robust flavor, that is just right for autumn.  This is based on a recipe in the book "Nourish" by Holly Davis.  Her culinary background is in vegan and macrobiotic diets, but this book contains some meat as well.  Her approach to cooking is a focus on healing, nutrient dense foods, which makes the book an interesting source of inspiration for GAPS food.  If you're feeling adventurous it's worth checking this book out.

INGREDIENTS:

10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
3 large zucchini (this soup is a great way to use those zucchini that grew a little too big in the garden)
3 T olive oil (or melted fat), approximately
2 T butter or ghee
1 tsp salt
2 onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 leek, sliced
4 cups of meat stock (I used chicken, beef would work well too)
2 T toasted walnuts

METHOD:

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the zucchini and place in a large bowl with the unpeeled garlic cloves.  Pour the 3T of olive oil or melted fat over the veggies and stir to coat, Adding more oil if necessary.  Add the salt and stir.  Pour into a shallow pan and roast in the oven for 30 mintues, making sure the veggies don't burn.

 When the veggies are done roasting in the oven, let them cool enough to handle.  Put the zucchini into the bowl of a food processor.  Peel the garlic and add the roasted pulp.  Add the toasted walnuts and blend until smooth.

In a soup pot, melt the butter or ghee and saute the chopped onions and leek until soft.  Add the meat stock and bring to a boil.  Add the pureed zucchini mixture and cook a little longer.  Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

The original recipe called for pureeing the whole soup, but I personally liked having the chunks of onion and leek still in the soup.  This would of course be up to you.  Also, the original recipe called for 2 tsp of umeboshi vinegar.  I don't know much about this vinegar, so I don't know if it's legal or not.  I have heard that it is healthy so it may be worth looking into.  I didn't feel that the soup needed vinegar so I didn't substitute for it.  I did however add sour cream, which was delicious!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This dish is for those who aren't as wild about brussels sprouts.  By shredding them and adding other strongly flavored ingredients, such as bacon and lemon juice, the strong flavor that these little veggies can have is toned down a bit.  Of course, if you really love their flavor, you can let it shine through!

INGREDIENTS:

About 2 cups of brussels sprouts (shredded)
About one large handful of sliced leek
3-4 slices of bacon
salt to taste
dash of lemon juice or vinegar

optional- dry white wine, bourbon, anchovies, olives, or Parmesan cheese

METHOD:

 Chop the raw bacon into small pieces and put them in a shallow pan on medium heat. Stir them frequently so they cook evenly.  Prepare the brussels sprouts while the bacon cooks down and becomes crispy.  When it does, remove the bacon into a dish and set aside.  Leave the drippings in the pan!

Rinse the brussels sprouts and remove any tattered outer leaves, and cut off the stems.  To shred them, cut them in half from pole to pole, then make thin slices from top to bottom.  Don't worry if oyu don't have exactly 2 cups- the recipe can be flexible.

Add the leek to the hot bacon drippings and let cook for several minutes.  Add the shredded brussels sprouts and stir.  Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the brussels sprouts become bright green and soften.  Try a little to see if it's done.

Remove from heat, slat to taste, and add a dash of either lemon juice or vinegar.  Add the bacon pieces back in or serve them on the side.  At this point you can add any of the optional ingredients if you'd like.

Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

I was looking for a simple recipe for brussels sprouts and found this one online on the website 101 cookbooks.  It was really good.  The only modification I made was to cook them in butter, and I kept the heat very low so as not to burn the butter.  These would be very good with some toasted nuts on top.  The recipe calls for grated cheese, which we skipped, and they were fine.  Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/goldencrusted-brussels-sprouts-recipe.html