GF pizza crust

Got this recipe from this site and made a few alterations. Here is how I prepared it. I am SO excited to finally have an easy, very yummy pizza crust that holds together well and has the right consistency. Everyone liked it and we look forward to pizza/movie nights again!

4 cups almond flour
2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup finely grated white cheddar (didn't have parmesan, but think it would be good with it!)
2 pinches salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
garlic salt, parsley, oregano to taste (opt)

Mix dry ingredients. Beat eggs into yogurt and slowly add to dry mixture. Beat until well blended. Mixture will be batter-like and not dough-like, spread with a spatula or back of a spoon onto sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, about 1/4" thick.

Bake at 350 for 30 min. Top with whatever you desire, and stick back in oven until cheese melts.

Makes 7 mini pizzas or 2 reg round pizzas or 1 large rectangle pizza.

Fresh Fig and Greek Yogurt pie recipe

Fresh Fig Pie  (adapted from here)

2 cups Greek-style strained yogurt
up to 2 tablespoons raw, unfiltered honey
6 to 8 ripe Mission figs, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 8-inch almond flour pie shell
additional honey, if desired

Fold up to two tablespoons raw honey into two cups strained Greek-style yogurt. Stir well so that the honey is fully incorporated into the yogurt.  Spoon the yogurt into an almond flour pie shell. Gently place the sliced figs over the yogurt.  Drizzle the sliced figs with additional honey, if it suits you.

Tropical smoothie recipe

A friend shared this recipe with me and Tom and I have enjoyed it, so wanted to share with you.

Tropical Smoothie
1 can frozen, unsweetened pineapple juice
1 can coconut milk
1/2 lime, squeezed
ice

Put cans in blender, add lime juice and fill with ice.  Blend well and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fudge

A yummy recipe that we all enjoyed!

Peanut Butter Fudge
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp honey
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Melt coconut oil gently in pan on low.  Pour into blender with remaining ingredients.  Blend well.  Pour into 8x8 pan and put in freezer for 15 min or so, until hardened.  Keep in fridge once solid.

GAPS Nut Bread

Nut Bread
1 1/2 cups blanched crispy almonds
1 1/2 cups crispy brazil nuts
4 eggs
1/4 cup ghee, slightly melted
2 Tbsp lard, slightly melted (I have used coconut or palm oil)
1 tsp natural sea salt

Preheat oven to 325.  Line loaf pan with wax paper cut to fit into the bottom of loaf pan.  Grease paper and sides of loaf pan with lard or melted ghee.  Pulse/blend almonds and brazil nuts in food processor until it turns into a thick nut butter.  Remove 1/2 cup of nut paste and set aside.  Add eggs, ghee, lard and salt.  Blend until well mixed.  Add back the nut paste that was set aside little by little until the mixture resembles very thick cake batter, blending with each addition.  Refrigerate an leftover nut paste to use in a future batch of nut bread.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Smooth out the top of batter with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula.  Bake in preheated oven for approximately an hour, or until knife comes out clean.  Cool for 5 to 10 minutes in pan, then run a knife around the edge of the bread and remove from pan.  Cool completely before slicing.

Chicken Salad in Steamed Cabbage

This is an easy lunch and we all enjoy it.

Chicken Salad in Steamed Cabbage
Core a cabbage and then steam for a good 30 minutes to soften the leaves.


Cut up chicken and add a generous amount of mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, sauerkraut, onions, celery, olives, mustard as desired.

Place a mound of chicken salad in a cabbage leaf and wrap - simple!

Coconut Milk Custard

Coconut Milk Custard
5 large eggs
3 Tbsp honey
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325.  Place rack in center of oven.  Beat eggs, honey, and  coconut milk until frothy.  A stick blender works well also.  Pour mixture into 8x8 baking dish or individual ramekins/containers.  Place in larger pan filled with hot water.  Water should be halfway up the sides of baking dish.  Bake 30-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Be careful not to overbake.  If serving hot, spoon into dishes; if serving cold, allow mixture to cool before cutting into squares.  Could top with sprinkles of cinnamon, fruit or whipped cream.  Serve warm or cold.  Makes 4 ramekins or 1 8"x8" pan.

Very Cherry Bars

(Similar to Lara Bars)

1/4 cup chopped dates (roughly chopped)
1/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole pecans, almonds or walnuts (I've also used cashews)
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Set out 2 pieces of plastic wrap for shaping and wrapping the bars.  Do this first; you'll have sticky fingers when you need it.

Place the dates and cherries in a food processor.  Pulse until processed to a paste.  Transfer paste to a medium bowl (don't clean processor).

Add the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Add the nuts, along with cinnamon, to the bowl with the fruit paste.  Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste.

Divide mixture in half.  Place each half on each of one of the sheets of plastic wrap.  Wrap the plastic around each bar and start squishing into a bar shape form, 3 1/2" long, 1" wide and 3/4" thick; press against countertop to flatten bottom side, flattening top side and ends with flat of hand.  Tightly wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator.  Makes 2 bars.

Variations:
Apricot-Almond:  Use 6 Tbsp coarsley chopped dried apricots and 2 Tbs dates, use almonds for the nuts.

Tropical:  Use tropical fruit bits; cashews, add 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp grated lime zest, and 1 tsp fresh lime juice to the mix.

PB&J:  Use 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries and 1/4 cup raisins or dates; use raw or roasted peanuts for the nuts.

Blueberry Bliss:  Use 1/4 cup dried blueberries and 1/4 cup dates; use almonds for the nuts.  Add 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest, and a drop of almond extract to the mix.

Cashew Cookie Dough:  Reverse the proportions of fruit to nuts - use 1/3 cup date for the fruit and 1/2 cup raw cashews for the nuts.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:  Same as cashew cookie dough, but add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, pinch cinnamon and 1/2 ounce very finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the mix.

Pistachio Heaven:  Same as cashew cookie dough, but use raw pistachios and add a tiny drop of almond extract.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough:  Same as cashew cookie dough but use raw or roasted (lightly salted) peanuts for the nuts.

Jelly Donut Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Elana's Pantry

Jelly Donut Cupcakes
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
For the filling:
1/2 cup GAPS legal jam or jelly (I used fermented apricot)


In a food processor, combine eggs, apple sauce, oil, honey and vanilla and pulse together.  Pulse in coconut flour, salt and baking soda.  Allow batter to sit and thicken just a bit.  Line cupcake tin with paper liners.  Spoon 2 heaping Tbsp cupcake batter into each cupcake liner.  Spoon 1 Tbsp jam on top of batter in each cupcake liner.  Spoon another Tbsp batter in to cupcake liners to cover jam.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.  Cool and Serve.  Makes 8 cupcakes.

Avocado Mayonnaise

This is a current favorite!  We have had it with meatloaf, on top of burgers, and even in tuna salad.  I think it would be good on a lettuce salad too and plan to make another batch and try it soon.

This is from the GAPShelp e-mail list.

Avocado Mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
around a Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg yolk
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ripe avocado
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

I used a stick blender (immersion) in it's mixer cup.  I put all ingredients in the cup, inserted blender and blended until emulsified, smooth and creamy - it was very easy and fast!  Tom especially really loves this mayonnaise.

A nutritious snack

The kids really enjoyed this snack, full of good stuff but fun - kinda like pudding...

Green Banana pudding
1 whipped egg yolk
1/2 banana
1/2 avocado
a little ghee
Whip together the above (makes 1).  Top with chopped nuts, sprouted seeds, or dried coconut as desired.

Breakfast meatloaf

We made this recently and enjoyed it.

Breakfast meatloaf

2 pounds ground pork (beef or turkey would work too)
6 egg yolks
salt and pepper to taste
3 med carrots and 2 med onions, shredded or pureed
sausage seasoning mix

Mix well and bake at 350 for about an hour.

We also made these in cupcake tins and added an egg on top at the end.

Birthday cake!

Tom and I had a birthday yesterday, so we made the GAPS - legal homemade pizza and I found a carrot cake recipe that with a bit of tweaking was also mostly GAPS-legal (-baking powder).  We liked it, so I am including the recipe below!

Carrot Cake
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or could use ghee)
1/2 cup coconut cream / milk
12 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Combine melted oil (or ghee), coconut cream, eggs and vanilla.  Add honey and mix again.  Combine coconut flour with baking powder, salt and spices.  Whisk into batter until there are no lumps.  Fold in carrots and nuts.  Pour batter equally into 2 greased 8 or 9 inch layer cake pans (I used a flower-shaped 12" round pan).  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool for a few minutes, remove from pan (this cake holds together well and slipped right out of the pan for me - no sticking).  Allow to cool completely, then frost.

Frosting
1 quart whole milk plain yogurt
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla

Fasten cheesecloth over the mouth of a jar with a rubber band, allowing some to hang into the jar to make a "pouch" for the yogurt to be poured into.  Pour yogurt into jar and allow to sit for a day - this will cause the whey to drip into the jar (save for fermenting foods!), and the yogurt left in the cheesecloth pouch is a cream cheese like substance.  You may have to do this a few times to get the whole quart through and have enough "cheese" for frosting the cake.

Spoon out the cream cheese into a small mixing bowl, add honey and vanilla and stir.  Frost cooled cake.

I also sprinkled some coconut over the top and decorated with a few pecans.  Enjoy!

Chicken curry soup

Had this for dinner a couple weeks ago, we loved it!

One 14-oz can coconut milk
2 Tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp lemon zest (or lime)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely minced
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 quart chicken stock
16 oz canned tomato puree
2 tsp salt
3 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsley chopped cilantro (I didn't have this)

In large pot, combine coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and lime zest, simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate pan, saute onions in coconut oil until soft, stir-fry chicken cubes until cooked fully.  Add garlic, then remove from heat. Puree onions and garlic with curry powder, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Add blended mixture, salt, carrots, celery, tomatoes and red pepper to simmer coconut milk, stir to combine.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, 8 minutes or so.  Stir in curry paste, lime juice, cilantro and serve.

Pizza!!!

Crust

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 cup flax seeds

Grind all seeds in a coffee grinder, measure into bowl *after* grinding.  Add 3 tsp olive oil, 3 med eggs and 2 tsp salt.  I also added some oregano, sage and garlic salt at this point.  Mix well.  Grease pan (I spray olive oil or smear coconut oil).  Spread "dough" on pan evenly.  Will make a large 12"x16" or 2 smaller round pizzas.  Don't make too thick or it won't bake well, this is for a thin/crispy crust.  Place crust in oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Toppings

While the crust bakes, chop your selected veggies.  We used spinach, red onion, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, chunks of baked chicken... I would have like to add black olives and pineapple too, but didn't have any.

When the crust is done baking, remove it from oven and turn oven down to 350.  I spread a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves on first, then topped with spoonfuls of canned tomato puree (only ingredient is tomatoes), then the chicken and chopped veggies, followed by another can of tomato puree and a sprinkling of minced garlic.  Bake in the oven until veggies are warmed and your kitchen smells wonderful!

Cut immediately with pizza cutter and serve!  We topped with mashed avocado and yogurt "cheese" (plain yogurt drained through cheesecloth to remove liquid whey - leaves a sour cream type substance, be sure to save the whey for fermenting other foods!)

Soooo very yummy and wholesome, the whole family loved it and we will definitely be making this again and again.  It is very filling too, so one large rectangle pizza was enough for my family of 5.

Recipe - Beef and Eggplant casserole

Made this for dinner tonight - wanted to see how everyone liked eggplant and needed to use some ground beef we had in the fridge, so this is what I came up with.  We all liked it, everyone had seconds!  :-)

1 eggplant
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves (could use frozen)
2 cups tomato puree
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper

Wash eggplant, remove top with stem and leaves.  Peel and dice.  Brown ground beef, add red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste.  In a 13 x 9 glass baking dish, layer the eggplant and green pepper dices, top with the ground beef mixture, next put a layer of spinach leaves.  Pour tomato puree over top to cover, slice mushrooms on top.  Place uncovered in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

Favorite breakfast

I may have posted this before, but it is a favorite and worth doing so again. I have learned the way we like it best and can do it in one skillet for our family which is another reason to love it!

Eggs Benedict rendition

Place a couple Tbsp coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet, add 1/4 cup sliced red onion and 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms - cook until soft. Fill pan with spinach leaves and allow to cook down, fill again 2 more times, allowing to cook down between each. Stir to mix spinach with onion and mushrooms, add a couple squirts Bragg's aminos, and 2 Tbsp minced garlic. Next, crack eggs on top of the spinach, add salt and pepper, cover and allow to cook to desired doneness - less for sunny-side up, more for hard cooked yolks. Use a spatula to cut portions between eggs and scoop spinach and egg out onto plates. We like to add a bit of mayo mixed with lemon juice to the top for a bit of a kick.

Mock Shepherds Pie

Made this for dinner tonight:

2 heads cauliflower

2 pounds ground beef

3 large carrots, sliced thin

peas

green beans

Brown beef, I added minced garlic, minced onion, italian seasoning, and Bragg's aminos. Cut up 2 heads of cauliflower, put in large pot, cover with water and bring to boil. In smaller pot, place carrot slices, peas and beans and cook until soft. When cauliflower is soft, drain and place in blender, add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and 2 Tbsp chicken broth, garlic salt, salt and pepper - blend until creamy. I did this in 2 batches, adding seasonings to each. Place browned beef in bottom of 9x13 pan, drain veggies and place on top of beef. Pour 1/2 can of coconut milk on top and stir all together. Top with the pureed cauliflower and place in oven, uncovered at 375 for 25 min or until very lightly browned.

Comes out creamy and filling, you could taste the coconut milk - Tom said a bit too much and Will didn't care for that flavor at all but the girls and I loved the flavors and creaminess!

"Spaghetti"

We had spaghetti using spaghetti squash instead of pasta for dinner tonight. It always surprises me how yummy this is!

If you've never used a spaghetti squash, or never used it this way, you are in for a treat. I like to first wash mine and remove any produce stickers, then cut in half lengthwise with a long knife. I place both halves, cut side down, in a shallow baking pan with a bit of water. Bake at 350 for around an hour - if it is a large one, it may take longer.

The one pictured here baked for an hour and 15 min but was a bit crunchier than I had hoped for still, another 15 min would have been good. Just try a piece until you have the consistency the way you like it. When you take it out of the oven, scoop the seeds out of the center - then comes the fun part! Using a fork, gently loosen the "noodles" so that it comes apart in strings like spaghetti. The whole thing will come out this way. Tonight, we served it with homemade spaghetti sauce with lots of veggies - you could try white sauce, or just toss with coconut oil and more cooked veggies - yum!

Nut Butter "Brownies" - a big hit!

I saw this recipe come across from Eileen at the yahoo group GAPShelp and decided to give them a try today. They were a big smash with the kids and healthily curbed some sugar cravings they were having. Heather even said they were yummier than chocolate brownies.

Nut Butter Brownies

1 egg

1 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter, the original poster recommended almond butter)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup butternut or other winter squash puree (I baked and then pureed in the blender with a touch of water)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 square pan and set aside.

In a bowl, beat the egg with a whisk and then add the peanut butter and honey. Beat until smooth. Add the squash and whisk until mixed. Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.