Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I've been looking for a side dish to take the place of potato salad, both in terms of filling, starchy-feeling comfort food as well as ease of preparation. I came across the idea for this in an old church fundraiser cookbook- few of the ingredients were GAPS legal, so I modified it and the result has been a big hit with my family.

To make the salad, steam one head of cauliflower and about the equivalent amount of broccoli. Dress it as you would have for potato salad. I make a simple dressing from olive oil, GAPS mayonnaise, salt, and some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This would be acceptable early on in intro, once whole egg is introduced. Later, you can add chopped Bubbie's pickles and chopped onions or whatever else suits your fancy.

Simple Coconut Ice Cream

This is a simple version of coconut ice cream for those times when you don't feel up to doing anything more elaborate. This recipe also doesn't require an ice cream maker.

INGREDIENTS:

1 14 oz can of pure coconut milk
2-3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract, or to taste.
honey to taste

METHOD:

Blend all ingredients together. I find this easier with a an immersion blender but either kind of blender would work. Taste and adjust flavors if needed.

Pour the mixture into either an ice cube tray or into one large flat pan, and place in the freezer. Let the mixture freeze mostly, then remove and blend again. If the mixture is only partially frozen, this should work with a blender. Add a little more coconut milk if you need more liquid when blending.

I prefer to freeze the ingredients ahead of time, so when I take the mixture out of the freezer it is frozen solid. I put the frozed misture into the food processor (broken up if one large pan was used), add about 1/4 cup of coconut milk, and pulse to soften.

If a milkshake is desired, just keep blending until desired consistency is reached.

Variation- frozen fruit such as strawberries can be added prior to the second blending to make a fruity ice cream.

Stewed Prunes

We tried this with the desire to add something new into our breakfast routine. This goes really well with pancakes, and the liquid makes a wonderful syrup if you allow it to thicken. If you remove the lemon and puree it in the blender it makes a delicious jam.

To make stewed prunes, simply put the amount of prunes you want to cook into a saucepan (we use about a pound) and cover them with cold filtered water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point you can add in some things for flavor- our favorite is a half a lemon, sliced, and a cinnamon stick. Simmer another 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Cooking time will vary depending on how dry the prunes were to start and how you like them. If you let them sit they will thicken.

Braised Belgian Endive

These are really good. I think I'll make them again soon and post a picture :) If you are not doing dairy, experiment with other fats.

Ingredients

2 Belgian endives
2-3 Tbsp. ghee or butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan that is big enough to hold your endives. Wash and trim the ends of the endives. Slice in half lengthwise and add them to the pan. Cook over medium heat, until the edges are nicely browned, butter will brown too. Add chicken broth. Mix lemon juice and honey and drizzle over endives. Cover loosely (allow some steam to vent on the side). Simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pot au Feu

This is French-style pot roast. The broth is supposed to be thin, so you won't feel bad that you can't use flour or corn starch to thicken it. This is a go-to recipe for me, but I don't have a picture right now. I will post one as soon as I can.

Yield: About 4 servings

Ingredients

4 lbs. beef chuck roast, with or without bone
4 quarts good quality homemade beef broth with marrow, if possible
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon whole cloves
2 onions roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, cut into three inch lengths
1/2 lb. carrots peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths

Method

Place meat in a large stock pot. Cover with homemade broth. Add parsley, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves (can be tied into a cheesecloth to make later removal easier). If your broth is unsalted, add about 1 tsp. salt. Cook until meat is very tender, about three hours. About half an hour before meat is done, add onions. About 15 minutes later, add celery and carrots. Remove herbs and spices.

Cut meat into serving size pieces and place in bowls. Cover with broth and cooked veggies.

Celery Root and Apple Puree

This is super yummy and completely appropriate for intro. I had sort of forgotten about it because I couldn't do celery products then. I'm sure that most of you are fine with celery though :) This would also be good with an onion added.

This is a great way to get broth and or fat into your kids. You could definitely experiment with other fats, if you can't tolerate dairy or are still on early intro. Try duck, goose, chicken or turkey. Let us know how it turns out.

Yield: approximately 3 servings

Ingredients

1 bulb celery root, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
2 tart apples, peeled and diced (roughly same size as celery root)
Chicken or turkey broth
3 Tbsp. ghee or butter (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Boil celery root and apple in enough broth to just cover. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. When the celery root is nice and soft, puree the mixture with a handheld blender. Add ghee or butter, if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

Honey-Glazed Drumsticks

I have been looking for ways to use less expensive meat, and this week organic chicken drumsticks were on sale. My 7 year-old loved this as both a hot dinner, and later cold as a lunch. My 5-year-old wouldn't try it, but I have learned to keep offering and it amazes me what he will eat on this diet! The adults loved this too, and it would be fun to experiment by adding some chipotle seaasoning or other things to the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T butter or ghee
2 lbs chicken drumsticks (about 6 or 7)
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 inch piece of ginger, grated
salt to taste

METHOD:

Melt the butter or ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, such as a dutch oven. Brown the meat. Ideally, the pan should be big enough to allow the drumsticks to lay on the bottom in one layer.

In a bowl, mix together the honey, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and salt. It may help to mix these in a warm saucepan instead, in order to melt the honey into the other ingredients. Pour this mixture over the chicken, and turn the drumsticks so they are well-coated.

Cook on medium-low heat, covered, for about 25-30 minutes. This allows the chicken and sauce to form a sort-of quick meat stock. After this point, take the lid off, and turn up the heat. Cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to desired thickness.