Crustless Quiche

If you have a crust recipe that you like, you could certainly use one, but I find this so easy without a crust.  This recipe is so simple and works for any meal of the day, is relatively portable, and can even be fancy enough to bring to a gathering or serve to guests. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1 can (14-16 oz) of coconut milk without additives
1-2 T butter or fat for cooking
1/2 onion
1 cup diced meat (I prefer ham)
OR diced vegetables (bell pepper, asparagus, greens, or zucchini work especially well)
1 cup of cubed cheese
1/2 tsp salt
other herbs and spices, optional

METHOD:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat in the coconut milk.  Mix in the cubed cheese, salt, and any other herbs or spices that you are using.

3.  In a 10 inch skillet (ideally cast iron), melt the fat and saute the onions for several minutes.

4.  If you are using vegetables, add them now and saute several more minutes, allowing any moisture to come out (such as with mushrooms).

5.  Turn off the heat, add your meat and stir, and then pour the egg mixture over the top.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Pork Carnitas

This is a really delicious and easy dish. We can't get enough of it in our house. Left-overs are even better. It's a nice meal for a warm evening or for a cold night when you're sick of traditional winter foods. It's excellent served with an avocado/tomato salsa (as pictured here) or served up "taco salad" style with lettuce, olives, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce etc. Even though you see cheese in the picture, the recipe is dairy-free, and it is also quite tasty without any garnishes.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon olive oil, softened butter or lard
1 (4-5 pound) pork roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth

Method

Mix first seven ingredients together to form a paste. Add more olive oil, if necessary. Rub mixture all over the roast. Place bay leaves in the bottom of slow cooker. Place roast on top. Carefully add chicken broth around meat (don't pour over the meat or spices will rinse off). Cover and cook on low heat for six to ten hours, until meat shreds easily with a fork. Remove from pot and allow to cool a bit. Shred the meat with two forks. Alternatively you can refrigerate immediately and shred the next day with your hands (This is what I usually do. Sometimes I cook it overnight, then refrigerate all day, then shred and eat for dinner.) The shreds are also good fried in coconut oil.

You can also make this in a pot on the stove top or in the oven. Just keep the temperature low and cook for a long time.

Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise

This is another fabulous recipe from our friend Chris over at Lost Arts Kitchen.  Chris is brilliant in the kitchen and a great teacher about food and food preparation if you are in the Portland OR area.  There are many recipes on the Lost Arts Kitchen site that are GAPS or GAPS-friendly, but she now has a GAPS blog as well called Cooking GAPS. 

So here is Chris' recipe for lacto-fermented mayonnaise, which is now the only kind I make!

Shredded Beef Soup with Kimchi

This was so easy and delicious. I've been making a lot of "recipes" that are quick throw-togethers lately. I'm guessing that there are a lot of other people out there who'd like some ideas for what to do with leftovers or big pots of meat and broth!

I had planned to make a large batch beef broth with my grass-fed "soup bones". It turned out that those bones had loads of meat on them. I boiled the beef in filtered water (with the usual salt, pepper, carrots, onions, celery and bay leaf) until tender. Then I stuck the whole lot in the fridge to cool. The next day I shredded up the beef by hand and came up with this dish.

Ingredients

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup shredded beef
2 whole garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 scallions, washed and sliced
1/4 cup kimchi
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (well rinsed)
A couple dashes hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)

Method

Boil the beef broth and shredded beef until hot. Pour into a bowl. Add garlic, scallions, kimchi, cilantro and optional hot pepper sauce.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding (Transitional Recipe)

We have decided to include some recipes on the site for those either transitioning off of GAPS or transitioning on.  We feel these recipes still embody the spirit of GAPS by focusing on real, nutrient-dense foods as ingredients, but with one or more ingredient that is not legal on the full diet. 

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

This delicious and creamy pudding works well as a snack, a breakfast, or even as frosting!

INGREDIENTS:

2 avocados (ripe but not over-ripe)
1/4 cup plus 2 T honey
1/4 cup plus 2 T cocoa or carob powder
3 T coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

METHOD:

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust flavors if needed.

NOTE:  The first time you make this, you may want to begin with just the 1/4 cup of honey and carob or cocoa and see how you like the flavor.  It is easy to add more of these ingredients later. 

Peach Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce

This is a simple yet unusual twist on cranberry sauce that has become our favorite.  If you like cranberry sauce, you can have a lot of fun trying different combinations of fruit, juices, and vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cranberries (one 4 oz bag)
2 cups of peaches, cut into chunks (frozen work fine)
1/4 cup pure pomegranate juice
1/4 cup honey (or to taste)

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to medium heat.

Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture has simmered long enough for the cranberries to pop, about 20-30 minutes.  The mixture should thicken as it simmers- if it gets too thick, or begins to scorch, you can add more pomegranate juice. 

Lemon Cardamom Cashews

Not to toot my own horn, but these are unbelievably good!  I can't have many cashews because of the oxalate levels but these are worth suffering for :)

INGREDIENTS:

2 T butter or ghee
1/3 c honey
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 cups of cashews (preferably soaked and dehydrated)

METHOD:

Dry toast the cashews in an iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat until they are slightyl browned and crunchy.

Add the butter, allow it to melt, then add the other ingredients.  Stir them to combine and cook until the liquid has bubbled for about 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container preferably in the refrigerator.