Almond Crescents

This recipe is modified from a recipe for Greek Almond Crescents that appeared in the Australian Women's Weekly. It is moist and chewy, and can be altered to fir your mood.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 to 4 cups of almond flour
2 capfulls of almond extract (about 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup honey
3 egg whites, lightly beaten

optional- shredded coconut, sliced almond, raisins, etc.

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg whites, then add the almond extract and honey and beat a little longer.

Gently stir in 3 1/2 cups almond flour to form a thick paste. The dough should be thick enough to be rolled into a ball. If it isn't, add more almond flour (up to about 4 cups). If the dough is still too soft, refrigerate it for an hour or two. Some of you may want to use less honey, in which case less almond flour will be needed.

Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch across, roll in sliced almonds or shredded coconut if desired, then roll into a log and form a crescent shape. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on how soft or crunchy you prefer these.

VARIATIONS:

Raisins or other dried fruit (chopped) can be added after the almond flour.

The almond extract could be replaced with another flavor, such as lemon or orange extract.

The dough can be made into various shapes or letters, or just squashed flat to make a circle.

Part of the almond flour could be replaces with other ground nuts or seeds.

Pepper and Basil Soup

This is a simple yet flavorful soup. It is suitable for intro but can be "dressed up" and enjoyed later in the diet as well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of meat stock
1 bell pepper (yellow or red works well)
1 handful of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the pepper into pieces. Bring the meat stock to a boil, add the pepper, and cook until just tender. Add the basil leaves and cook another few minutes. Remove from heat and puree.

For variety, try using cilantro leaves instead of basil and add some lime juice. You can also try adding curry powder.

Turkey Hash

I was inspired by Sierra's stuffing recipe, and I came up with this fried leftovers version that was really tasty. My DH couldn't get enough of it. This is great with fried eggs for breakfast.

Ingredients

3-4 Tbsp. butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large stalk of celery, chopped

1 tsp. dried sage, rubbed

1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1 tsp. dried thyme, rubbed

1 head of cauliflower, cored and finely chopped (I use a food processor.)

1 -2 cups cooked chopped turkey meat

Turkey or chicken broth as needed to keep from sticking

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large frying pan or wok, cook onion, carrots, and celery in the butter until they are starting to soften. Add dried herbs, rubbing to release flavor. Stir. Add cauliflower, turkey and some broth to keep from sticking. Continue cooking and stirring until cauliflower is cooked through and the veggies begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed cabbage soup

I was in the mood for stuffed cabbage, but I was too lazy to do the work :), plus I thought I should get my soup in. Along the way, I remembered that I had some roasted bell pepper in the fridge, so I threw them in too. The result is pretty yummy :)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. fat (olive oil, butter, ghee, tallow, lard--whatever you can tolerate)

2 onions, chopped

2 lbs. ground beef

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. dried thyme

Salt to taste

2 quarts beef broth

1 head green cabbage, washed, cored and chopped

Roasted red bell pepper strips for garnish, if desired

Method

Saute onions and ground beef in fat until onions are translucent and beef is browned. Add spices and stir. Add broth. Stir in cabbage. Add more broth or water if necessary to cover cabbage completely. Cook until cabbage is done. Serve with pepper strips, if using.

Ceviche

My DH used to make ceviche with large shrimp when we lived on the East Coast. Now that we live on the West Coast, we use small salad style shrimp which are local, wild and sustainable, not to mention inexpensive here. I recommend making this in the morning on the day you will be serving it. I found this to be delicious, even two days after it was made.

Ingredients

1 pound small salad shrimp, cooked

2 lemons, juiced

2 limes, juiced

2 oranges, juiced

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

4-6 jalapeno rings finely chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro leaves, plus leaves for garnish

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Method

Rinse and drain shrimp. Place in a non-reactive bowl (I use glass). Add the lemon, lime and orange juices and stir in the cucumber, red onion and chiles. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Stir the tomato, avocado, chopped cilantro, and olive oil into the shrimp mixture at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cappuccino Cupcakes

These are pretty darn good. They have a strong coffee flavor, which is what I wanted. I think the butter really makes them taste more like a cappuccino than an espresso. The fluffy frosting and cinnamon on top help with that too. They would probably be good with cinnamon in the batter as well, but I haven't tried that yet.

Ingredients for Cupcakes

1/2 cup double strength espresso (I use decaf and brew half a pot with a full filter of beans.)

1/3 cup butter

6 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 - 3/4 cup coconut flour

Method for Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups. Pour hot espresso over butter to melt. Add honey and stir. Add eggs, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add coconut flour and blend thoroughly. Add more coconut flour, if the batter seems too thin. It should be the consisitency of normal cake batter, maybe slightly thinner.

Pour into greased muffin cups and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting and dusting with cinnamon

Ingredients for Frosting

3 egg whites at room temperature

1 cup honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Method for Frosting

Beat egg whites until foamy. Boil honey until it forms a hard ball in cold water (about 210 degrees on a candy thermometer, if I remember correctly). With the mixer running, continue to beat the egg whites while adding the boiling honey. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. This makes way more frosting than you will need for the cupcakes.

Jambalaya

We were able to special order GAPS-legal Andouille sausage from the meat department of our local grocery store, which naturally led to a foray into adjusting Cajun recipes for GAPS. This recipe is the first success from this adventure. It was inspired by this recipe on this wonderful blog of New Orleans cooking:
http://neworleanscuisine.blogspot.com/2005/03/jambalaya.html

If you can't get ready made Andouille sausage, you can still make this recipe with other meat, but if you are feeling adventurous, this blog has a recipe for Andouille that you could adapt:
http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/11/14/andouille-sausage-recipe/ (make sure to replace the powdered milk!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 T butter or ghee
2 cups Andouille sausage, chopped*
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
4 T garlic, minced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce (or additional chopped tomatoes)
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups grated cauliflower
2 cups additional meat (chopped raw chicken, shrimp, ham, etc)

Seasoning Mix:
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
3 bay leaves

*If you can't find Andouille sausage, you can use Kielbasa, chorizo, other sausage, ham, or other meats if you want to experiment.

METHOD:

Melt the butter and saute the sausage until lightly browned, then add 1/2 of the onions, celery, and green pepper. Saute about 5 more minutes, then add the chopped tomato, tomato sauce (if using), and garlic and saute several more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (including the other half of the onions, celery, and peppers). Mix thoroughly and cook another 5 or 10 minutes to make sure all the veggies are meat are cooked through. Garnish with parsley and chopped green onion.