Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

One of my favorite side dishes of summer used to be potato salad so I have tried several attempts at finding a substitution. So far, this is my favorite. It looks somewhat like the real thing, and the flavor is close, especially if you let this salad sit in the fridge for a day to allow the flavors to blend.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large cauliflower
1/2 sweet onion
3 hard-boiled eggs
3-4 pickles
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
4 T apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
salt to taste

METHOD:

Break or cut the head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and steam them until tender. Put them into a large mixing bowl. Chop the eggs, onion and pickles and add them to the bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add the dressing to the cauliflower. Taste and adjust the seasonings, and add more mayo or vinegar if you want.

Nut Butter Muffins

One of my favorite recipes from Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall is the one for peanut butter brownies. I wanted to come up with a version that is more like a muffin or cupcake, and thus this recipe was born. It is very quick and easy and one of our favorite portable treats.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup nut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T vinegar or lemon juice

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients except for the vinegar and mix well (this usually requires an electric mixer for me). Add the vinegar or lemon juice and mix well, then pour into either muffin cups or a greased muffin tin. I find this recipe makes 9 good-sized muffins, or 12 small ones.

Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. They are done when an inserted toothpick some out clean.

These are very light and moist with a texture very much like cake. If you use 1/2 cup honey they could easily be used as cupcakes at a birthday party.

Pancake "bread"

I created this recipe while experimenting to find ways of using the nut pulp left over from making nut milk and was surprised by how much the texture reminds me of wheat bread. The flavor and texture will vary quite a bit depending on which nuts the pulp was made from. We eat these either hot off the griddle with butter and honey (in which case they remind me of toast), or let them cool and use them to make round sandwiches. If the sandwiches are to be savory, you can add herbs to the batter, if they are to be sweet (say nut butter and fruit) they taste good with honey added and maybe a little cinnamon.

INGREDIENTS:

5 eggs, separated
1 cup nut butter
1 cup nut pulp
1/2 cup nut milk (or other liquid)
pinch of salt (for savory)
1 T honey (for sweet)

METHOD:

Mix all ingredients except egg whites. Beat egg whites with mixer until they form soft peaks, then fold them into the other ingredients. If the other ingredients are very stiff and it is hard to mix, you can either add more liquid or just keep stirring- even if you lose some of the fluffiness of the egg whites the pancakes will still turn out well.

Cook on hot greased griddle.

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.