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.

Blueberry Coconut French Toast

I have been making cake/bread out of coconut flour recently in order to make it low oxalate (the nut butter bread is high oxalate).  I added some blueberries to the batter to "liven it up", which does raise the oxalate content a bit, but not too much.  This was so delicious!  This would make a wonderful brunch for non-GAPS guests.

To make the batter, follow the recipe for Teri's Almond Cupcakes.  Substitute vanilla for the almond extract and add 1 or 2 handfuls of blueberries, depending on preference.  Bake in an 8 x 8 inch Pyrex dish (or in two loaf pans filled only halfway up).  The cooking time will be at least 10 minutes longer. 

To make the french toast, slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.  If you used a square Pyrex dish, cut it into two 4 x 8 halves first, then cut each half into slices so the slices aren't too long to work with.  Soak in a mixture of 2 eggs with a little coconut milk, kefir, or yogurt, and vanilla extract.  Fry the slices in butter on both sides until golden brown.  Serve warm with jam, honey, or fresh fruit on top.

Pork N' Beans

This would go very well with a side of greens cooked with salt pork, or would be good with greens added in before baking.

INGREDIENTS:

 2-4 T cooking fat
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ginger powder or grated fresh ginger
1 cup tomato sauce or puree
1/4 cup honey
2 cups GAPS-legal beans, cooked and drained
2 cups cooked pork, shredded or chopped into pieces
1/2- 1 cup broth

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In a large skillet, melt the cooking fat and add the onions.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.  Then add the garlic and spices and stir.

Add the tomato puree or sauce and the honey.  Stir thoroughly and cook for several minutes.

Add the beans and pork and stir to coat, then add enough broth to reach desired consistency.  Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish
(I used an oval dish that measured 9" x 13").

Bake for about 30 minutes.

NOTE-

You can vary the ratio of beans to pork as long as you keep the total at around 4 cups.  If you use only beans, it would essentially be baked beans. 

Gormeh Sabzee (Persian Parsley Lamb Stew)

This soup has a rich flavor that is a little different than the other soups on this blog and a nice change.

INGREDIENTS:

4 T butter or fat for cooking
1 onion, chopped
3-4 c lamb (cubed if raw, in chunks or shredded if already cooked)
2 bunches of parsley, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 quart lamb broth (or more if you prefer more of a soup then a stew)
juice of 1-2 lemons, to taste

METHOD:

Melt the butter or fat in a heavy-bottomed pan.  Saute the onions for several minutes until soft.

Add the salt and spices and stir, then add the parsley and stir again.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until the parsley turns dark.

Add the meat (if already cooked) and the broth.  Bring the soup to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes to heat the meat through and to give the flavors a chance to blend. 

Add the lemon juice and cook about 5 minutes more.  Remove from heat and adjust the seasonings.

NOTE:

I like this soup as a way to use leftover meat from a leg or shoulder of lamb.  If using raw meat, brown it first in the fat and then remove it to a bowl, cook the onions and parsley in the fat, then return the meat to the soup when you add the broth.

Beef may be used instead of lamb if desired.

It is traditional to make this stew with beans as well.  If you are able to tolerate beans, you can add about 2 cups to the soup.

Mixed Spiced Nuts

This recipe is a slightly modified version of the one I found in the book "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes" by Jennifer McLagan. That book is great, and I highly recommend it, but many of the recipes will need to be skipped or adapted for our purposes. These nuts are really delicious and definitely company-worthy.

Ingredients

4 cups mixed unsalted nuts (I used pistachios, slivered blanched almonds, cashews and walnuts here)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tbs. butter (I've tried it with unsalted and with salted, cultured butter, and both worked fine)
2 Tbs. honey (I made it with one Tbs. the first time, and it was good, but 2 is better)
1 Tbs. dried rosemary (crushed in palm) or 2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (180 C.)

Place the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes, stirring a few times, until browned to your liking. (I like mine browner).

While the nuts are toasting, place a small heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the coriander and cumin, and toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and add the remaining ingredients, except salt.

Place the pan over low heat and stir constantly until the butter and honey melt and dried rosemary softens, about four minutes. Add salt and keep mixture warm.

Transfer the nuts to a large bowl, pour the spiced butter on top, and stir until the nuts are well coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired. Allow to cool completely for the nuts to crisp up. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Hazelnut Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

I just turned 40. I wanted to have a special cake to celebrate. This one was a hit with everyone. There was only one piece left over, and I had to hide it to keep it safe ;)

Ingredients for cake

2 2/3 cups hazelnuts
8 Tbs. honey
8 large eggs, separated
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Method

Lightly toast hazelnuts in a 350 degree (F) oven. This takes about 15 minutes. They will just start to smell fragrant when ready. Allow to cool slightly. Place hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove most of the skin. This does not have to be perfect. Discard skins. Finely grind skinned hazelnuts in a food processor. Use the pulse function to avoid over-processing (you don't want hazelnut butter).

Set oven to 300 degrees (F). Butter two nine inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper as well.

Combine egg yolks, two tablespoons honey, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and smooth, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in ground hazelnuts and set aside. Make sure this mixture stays at room temperature.

In a clean dry bowl, with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons honey. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy.

Fold two tablespoons egg white mixture into hazelnut mixture. Continue gently folding in whites a tablespoon and a time.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Slide knife around edge of pan and gently pry up parchment paper. Turn out first layer onto platter. Thinly frost with coffee buttercream. Top with second layer, and frost more thickly with additional buttercream.

Ingredients for Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-4 Tbs. honey
1-2 Tbs. strong espresso, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method for Frosting

Cream butter and lesser amount of honey until light and fluffy. Taste. Add more honey, if desired. With mixer running, slowly beat in lesser amount of espresso. Taste. Add more espresso, if desired. Beat in vanilla. Must be used at room temperature, but may be stored in refrigerator.

Milk Kefir Instructions

I couldn't find any clear, concise kefir-making instructions on the web, when I did a quick Google search. So I thought I'd post what I do. This makes some yummy kefir!

Ingredients

2 Tbs. kefir grains
3 1/2 cups milk (preferably whole, non-homogenized)

Method

Place kefir grains in clean quart sized glass jar. Pour milk over grains. Leave about an inch of head space. Cover loosely with lid. Leave on the counter, at room temperature for 24-48 hours. Occasionally tighten the lid and shake the jar. The milk will start to separate a bit, leaving pockets of whey throughout the jar. When it is fermented it will taste tart, like yogurt, with a yeasty, cheesy flavor as well.

Shake the kefir before straining through a fine mesh stainless steel sieve, pushing the kefir through with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, if necessary. The grains will remain in the sieve and can be reused indefinitely to ferment milk and/or cream. (They will multiply and grow too, and can be eaten as an excellent probiotic source.)

Store strained kefir in a sealed pitcher or jar in the refrigerator. Consume within two weeks. Place grains in a clean jar to start another batch.

Storing grains when not in use--cover with fresh milk and refrigerate for up to one week. This produces kefir at a slower rate, and you can drink the product. Alternately, cover the grains with fresh milk and freeze for up to several months. The product of this method should be tossed. Grains will need to be "refreshed" after freezing, by being put into fresh milk. The product of this first post-freezer ferment may need to be tossed as well.