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.

Pecan-glazed butternut squash pudding

This is good. (My husband says that "good" is not an adequate description of this dish. He says, "I took one little bite, and it was phenomenal!") I am using it as a substitute for my usual sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving. I am also having butternut squash in my winter vegetable medley, so I'm skipping the pumpkin pie and opting for apple cobbler instead.

Ingredients

Filling

1 small butternut squash

1-2 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. butter (I used salted pasture butter, if yours is unsalted, add a pinch of salt)

1 egg

2 tsp. bourbon (optional)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Method

Bake whole butternut squash in 350 degree (F) oven until fork-tender, about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut in half and remove seeds, pulp and skin. Shred or mash the flesh into a bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients for filling. Spread in a greased 8 inch square baking dish.

For glaze: mix first three ingredients together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to carmelize (honey will turn slightly darker). Do not overcook, it will continue to carmelize in the oven. Add pecans, and spread glaze over filling. Bake at 325 degrees (F) for about 30 minutes or until glaze looks consistent and filling looks firm.

Candied Butter Pecans

This is basically the candied nuts recipe from Breaking The Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.  I made this for Halloween along with some other candies it was by far my favorite.  It would make a great praline topping for ice cream if crumbled up.`

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound pecan pieces (or other nuts), previously soaked and dried
2 egg whites
1/2 cup honey pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon (or more?)

METHOD:

Toast nuts in oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes on a large baking sheet.  Let cool.

Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.  Slowly add in honey until well mixed in.

Fold in nuts and cinnamon.  Spread mixture on a large shallow pan, such as a jellyroll pan, that has been generously greased with butter or ghee. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees, turning nuts every 10 minutes.  Bake a little longer if the butter hasn't disappeared.

Let cool in pan, then break into bite-sized pieces.  Store in a covered container.

Chile Verde

 This was a delicious treat after being in a GAPS rut for awhile.  It was a time-consuming meal, especially since I started out by going into my garden and harvesting the tomatillos!  If you make a lot of the sauce ahead of time and freeze it, this would be an easy crock pot dinner. 

Amazingly, the recipe I used was the first one that came up in a google search.  The steps of the recipe are nicely pictured, which I appreciated.  The only modification I made was not to drain off the excess fat.  Here's the link:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/

Pie Crust II

This is my second take on pie crust, and I think it's better. It's crispier without the egg yolk, I think, and yummier with more butter! One of my non-GAPS friends says she likes this better than regular pie crust. I don't concur, but I still like it!

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/2 cup ground pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup ground pecans or walnuts
4 Tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 egg whites

Method

Pulse all ingredients except egg whites in food processor until butter is blended through. Add egg whites a bit at a time and pulse through after each addition until mixture forms a ball. Chill for an hour or so.

Press dough into a 10 inch pie plate. Fill and bake according to directions for filling.

For a pre-cooked or raw filling, place in oven at 325 degrees Farenheit for 10-20 minutes until lightly browned. (The timing here is a ball-park estimate. I took it out when I smelled the pecans toasting.)