Tag Archives: GAPS

Paleo Paella

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This Paleo Paella is grain-free. The rice portion of this dish is replaced with cauliflower. This version is nice for people looking to avoid grains or wanting to get more vegetables into their diet.

This recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS or the modified paleo diet.

Oven Baked Chicken

1 pastured whole chicken, cut into small pieces
1/4c organic olive oil
1tsp sea salt
1tsp organic black peppercorns, freshly ground
2tsp organic smoked paprika
Cut up the whole chicken into small pieces. (Reserve the breast meat for other meals, if desired.) Use a clever and mallet to cut through the bones. If you don’t know how to cut up a chicken please refer to The Joy of Cooking or watch a video on the internet. Coat the chicken pieces with the olive oil. While stirring the chicken pieces sprinkle with the spice mixture. Let the chicken pieces marinate in the spice mixture for one hour. Spread the chickens pieces on a glass baking tray and bake at 300F for 45 minutes. Turn the pieces and remove the chicken juices and reserve for the paella. Cook the chicken pieces for another 30 minutes or until done.

Cauliflower Paella

1/3c organic olive oil
2 medium organic onions, chopped
1tsp sea salt
1 organic cauliflower head, finely minced
1tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
3-4 organic whole Roma tomatoes, frozen
1T turmeric root, freshly ground
1T palm oil
1tsp organic black peppercorns, freshly ground
2-4 organic garlic cloves, finely sliced
chicken juices
1c organic peas, frozen
1c fresh clams, mussels or shrimp (optional)
Finely mince the cauliflower in a food processor. In a deep, large fry pan, saut? the onions in sea salt and olive oil until lightly browned. Add the cauliflower, rosemary, tomatoes, turmeric and palm oil and cook until the tomatoes unfreeze. Remove the tomato skins, if desired. Stir in the ground peppercorns, garlic and chicken juices. Remove from the heat until the chicken is ready. Add the peas and optional seafood and reheat the paella just before serving with the chicken pieces.

Plumy Cranberry Sauce

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Adding local ingredients to a traditional recipe is a great way to develop unique regional flavors.

This recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS or the modified paleo diet.

This Thanksgiving I didn’t have enough cranberries to make enough sauce to satisfy my family. It looked like I was going to have to make a last minute trip to the grocery store. I’ve made it a habit to always look around the house for possible substitutes before jumping into the car. By thinking before acting, I save time and money.

Since we had a bumper crop of prune plums this year, finding interesting ways to use plums has become a priority. I knew plums produce a beautiful red color when cooked so I decided to try adding the plums to the cranberry sauce. Using plums we grow on the property means the cranberries we have to buy go further, which saves our family money.

Plumy Cranberry Sauce

1c garden prune plums, frozen
1c organic cranberries, frozen
2/3c filtered water
1/2tsp sea salt
1-2T raw local honey
In a sauce pan, simmer the plums, cranberries and sea salt in the filtered water for 20-30 minutes until the cranberries burst. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool down. Add the honey one tablespoon at a time and stir very well. This is easier if the sauce is still warm. Be careful not to add too much honey. Chill before serving. This sauce goes well with turkey, chicken or pork.

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Using plums we grow on the property means the cranberries we have to buy go further which saves our family money.

Fragrant Ginger Snaps

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This recipe makes a soft, chewy cookie with a fragrant taste. Top the cookie with some honeyed ginger or dried fruit pieces.

This recipe is safe for someone on the SCD/GAPS program. Just eliminate the optional blackstrap molasses.

This recipe is based on Ginger Snaps from Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler. Renee’s cookbook has an amazing section of raw desserts based on nuts and she has a special gift for balancing flavors with spicing.

Living Cuisine was a gift from my sister many years ago. I was new to the SCD/GAPS program at the time. I was frustrated because I had no recipes for making a birthday cake for my youngest daughter that was “SCD/GAPS legal”. After reading Renee’s book, I never had problems with making SCD/GAPS legal desserts again!

2c boiling filtered water
18-20 organic dates, soaked and pitted
1/4c organic ginger, freshly grated very finely
2tsp organic nutmeg, freshly grated very finely
1T organic cinnamon stick, freshly ground
1/2tsp organic whole cloves, freshly ground
1/2tsp sea salt
2T organic blackstrap molasses (optional)
2c organic white beans, soaked, cooked and rinsed
2T organic whole yellow flax, freshly ground
organic raisins or homemade Honeyed Ginger, topping (optional)

Soak the white beans overnight in filtered water. Rinse the beans well before covering with fresh water and cooking for 1-2 hours until very tender. Remove any scum or hard beans during the cooking. Rinse the cooked bean well in cool filtered water before using.

Place the dates in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Cover and let the dates soak for 20-30 minutes. While the dates are soaking, finely grate the ginger and nutmeg and freshly grind the cinnamon and cloves in a spice grinder. When the dates are cool remove the pits and put the pitted dates into a food processor.

In a food processor, blend the dates until very smooth. Add some date soaking water, if needed. Add all the spices, ginger, molasses and sea salt and mix very well. Add the cooked beans and process until very smooth. Add the ground flax seeds last and grind again very well. Refrigerate for a few hours until the dough thickens.

Drop the cookie dough onto the dehydrator sheets in teaspoon amounts. With a wet spoon lightly press down the cookie dough into a round shape. The trick with the cookies to have the cookie dough thick enough not to drip through the dehydrator screen. The cookies are nicer if not over-dried. This produces a moist, chewy cookie.

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Try topping the ginger snaps with raisins or small pieces of honeyed ginger. See the link for a recipe for homemade Honeyed Ginger.

Renee is a raw food vegan and she has developed some delicious nut-based desserts. The Weston A Price Foundation does not consider a vegan diet healthy. In contrast to this view, many WAPF health practitioners use short-term vegan diets for a cleanse. These practitioners just don’t think veganism a good diet for long-term use or if you are planning on have children. Regardless of the WAPF views on vegetarianism, Renee’s desserts are fabulous!

“The Foundation believes that strict vegetarianism (veganism) is detrimental to human health. Vegetarianism that includes eggs and raw (unpasteurized) dairy products, organic vegetables and fruits, properly prepared whole grains, legumes, and nuts, and excludes unfermented soy products and processed foods, can be a healthy option for some people.”
Weston A Price Foundation: Vegetarian Tour

Spicy Bean Chips

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Here’s a beanie chip topped with organic cheese, crock banana peppers and homemade salsa.

I just heard about a new snack food called beanitos. I found the ingredient list on the internet and went to work on a grain-free, additive-free version that can be made at home.

I used an old recipe for Spicy Bean Dip from the Moosewood Cookbook and added ground yellow flax seeds to hold the chips together. I put the chips into the dehydrator for the night. I made two versions, one with fresh lime juice and one without. I know I have a great recipe when my family are eating the chips right out of the dehydrator!

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The bean chips are a bit delicate but have a nice crunchy, creamy texture with a spicy aftertaste.

4c soaked and cooked organic white beans
4T organic olive oil
1 large organic onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp sea salt
2tsp whole organic cumin seeds, freshly ground
1tsp whole organic peppercorns, freshly ground
1/2c garden parsley, chopped
2-4 pinches organic cayenne, to taste
1/2c yellow flax seeds, freshly ground
1/4c homemade banana peppers, minced (optional)
1 organic lime, freshly squeezed (optional)

Soak the white beans overnight in filtered water. Rinse the beans well before covering with fresh water and cooking for 1-2 hours until very tender. Remove any scum or hard beans during cooking. Rinse the cooked bean in filtered water.

Freshly grind all the spices and yellow flax in a spice grinder for best results. Saute the onions and sea salt in the olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add the garlic and cumin.

In a food processor, blend the onion mixture, parsley, cayenne, peppercorns, banana peppers and lime until smooth. Add the cooked beans and flax meal and mix well. Use a bit of extra water to get a smooth texture, if needed. The bean paste should be as thick as possible.

Drop the bean paste onto the dehydrator sheets using a teaspoon. With a wet spoon lightly press down the paste into a round shape. The bean chips dry very quickly in the dehydrator.

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This recipe can be used for making spicy bean chips which are a good travel food. If you don’t have time to dehydrate the chips just use the bean paste as a dip.

Coconut Coffee Creamer

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Here is a good non-dairy coffee creamer. If you can tolerate butter, the creamer tastes even better!

This recipe is for people that cannot tolerate dairy or for people having trouble finding raw milk.

Basic Date Coffee Creamer
This tasty, non-dairy coffee creamer recipe was given to me by Charlene Vandean. Here is her original recipe:

1/2c dates
1/2c water
2T vanilla extract
1 coconut milk, canned
Soften the dates in hot water and blend until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and coconut milk and blend again. Store the paste in the fridge. Stir into coffee and enjoy.

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The coconut coffee creamer stores well in the fridge. The dates seem to emulsify the fats and water into a smooth paste.

Fatty Coconut Coffee Creamer
This recipe will be safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS or a modified paleo diet.

The additives in canned coconut milk can be a problem for some people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet so I have made a second recipe to avoid the additives in canned coconut milk. For someone with blood sugar issues, the extra fats will help slow down the sugars found in the dates. If someone is diabetic or pre-diabetic, remove the dates completely and just enjoy a fatty coffee!

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A Vitamix Blender will foam the coffee and creamer like a cappuchino.

8 organic medjool dates (optional)
3-4c boiling water
2T organic vanilla extract or crushed whole vanilla bean
1/4c organic pastured butter
1/4c organic coconut oil
1/4c organic coconut cream
In a small bowl soak the dates in hot water until very soft. Remove the pits and ends. In a Vitamix blender, puree the dates and some hot water until very smooth. Add the vanilla, butter, coconut oil and coconut cream and puree until very smooth. Add hot water slowly to get a smooth consistency. Store the paste in the fridge. I find the Vitamix Blender does a wonderful job of foaming up the coffee like a cappuccino.

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Adding butter to the coconut creamer gives a very dairy-like flavor to the coffee.

Ketogenic Coffee
I have been following the research on ketogenic diets for many years. My interest in the diet was its traditional use for seizure disorders. Before the development of anti-convulsive medication, the ketogenic diet was the first choice for treatment of epilepsy.

Now, the ketogenic diet is being used for diabetes and incurable cancers. Here is more information about ketogenic diets and ketogenic fasting. This recipe will help with ketogenic fasting.

3-4c boiling water
1/3c organic coconut cream
1/3c organic coconut oil
1/3c organic pastured butter
In a Vitamix blender puree the coconut cream, coconut oil and butter. Slowly add the boiling water and blend to a creamy froth. The butter gives the coconut milk a very dairy-like flavor. Store in the fridge and gently re-warm before adding to coffee. Add more butter to each cup of coffee, if desired.