January 14, 2014 By 6 Comments

Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Mousse and Salted Pecans (grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free)

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I’ve been on a mission to make a deliciously moist, grain free chocolate cake for some time, specifically for my older daughter’s birthday.  I have this terrible tendency to just “wing it” sometimes, so I decided to throw together what I thought would be a delicious chocolate cake – on her actual birthday – like, T-H-E  D-A-Y  I-T-S-E-L-F.  You would think I’d be concerned about serving a cake I hadn’t tested to a bunch of people coming to a party.  You would think…

Long story short, it ended up looking (and tasting) like a big chocolate hockey puck – not exactly one of my trophy mom moments.

To redeem myself, I went to work on this cake to get it juuuuuust right.  And, thankfully, I think I’ve succeeded.  I was able to perfect it by the time our youngest daughter had her second birthday.  I’ve served it several times now – to SCD dieters, Paleo eaters as well as gluten-loving “normal” people and it’s gotten raves so far.

Not being much of a frosting fan, I actually love this cake plain with no topping.  I admit, I’m in the minority on that one, so I topped the cake with this delicious dairy free, refined sugar free “mousse” by Tasty Yummies.  It’s actually her Creamy Chocolate (Avocado) Fudgesicle recipe wherein she indicates it can be served as a pudding or frozen into fudgesicles.  (I’ve done both and have always gotten compliments from kids and adults alike.)

Mangia!

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Fridays, Healing with Food Friday, and Gluten Free Fridays.

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Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Mousse and Salted Pecans (grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free)
 
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Ingredients
  • one batch of chocolate mousse, made ahead and chilled
  • 1½ cups cooked navy beans (I use Eden Foods brand in the BPA free can)
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil, (or butter or ghee) melted
  • 1 cup blanched almond flour
  • ½ cup raw cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (optional)
  • SALTED PECAN GARNISH:
  • ¾ cup pecan halves (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter or ghee), melted
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
  1. NOTE: navy beans need to be soaked 24 hours, drained, cooked until soft and then drained again. Eden Foods canned beans uses this method for their beans.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F.
  3. Grease a 9 inch baking pan with coconut oil or palm shortening and, if not using my favorite pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.
  4. In food processor, process the first six ingredients (beans through ⅓ cup melted coconut oil) until smooth.
  5. In medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt.
  6. Add dry ingredients to food processor and process again until smooth. Scrape down sides and process again.
  7. Add in chocolate chips and stir in by hand.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Give the pan a tap on the counter to remove air bubbles.
  9. Bake 20-30 minutes, being careful not to over bake. Top should spring back when touched.
  10. Meanwhile, make pecans.
  11. In small bowl, toss pecans with 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil and salt.
  12. Lay pecans on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 300F until fragrant. Test in 5 to 10 minute increments to prevent burning. Allow to cool.
  13. Process nuts in nut chopper or mini food processor. Set aside.
  14. TO ASSEMBLE:
  15. Allow cake to cool completely then top with chocolate mousse, spreading to the edge of top layer (not on sides).
  16. Finally, sprinkle edges (or entire top) with ground salted pecans.

 

 

Filed Under: Holiday Fare, Sweet Things
December 30, 2013 By 17 Comments

Creamy Potato and Chicken Soup (AIP, nightshade free, dairy free)

P1040698 Have you ever had one of those friends?  You know the kind.  The Wonder Woman kind.  (Yes, I had the Underoos as a kid.) Dripping with beauty, strong, talented, great fashion sense, hysterically funny, really great hair and able to do virtually anything she puts her mind to and do it well.  Yeah.  That kind of friend.  Well, I have a few of those.

The particular friend I’m thinking of right now is an amazing person.  Maybe you can relate.  She’s one of those friends you are so thankful for because you love her dearly and enjoy her company, but she’s so talented and gorgeous that you kind of want to ditch her…but you can’t…because you’ve known her since your single days…and, quite frankly, she knows too much…

This particular friend is an artist, singer, interior designer, but these things don’t define her, at least not fully.  She’s a devoted wife and mother.  She’s a faithful Christian.  She’s passionate as well as compassionate, caring, tender-hearted, encouraging, a servant, and makes me laugh out loud…a lot.  And if that’s not enough, she’s one of the most amazing cooks I know.  She texts me pictures of dinner and every time, I wish I was eating at her house.

One of the reasons this friend is so amazing (besides God just making her that way) is that she works her little tushie off cooking and caring for her son with Crohn’s disease.  In fact, this is how an old friendship got rekindled.  I ran into my friend whilst shopping (on Black Friday last year) and noticed she had a look of desperation about her.  A look I knew all too well.  Her son had been in the hospital and the diagnosis was Crohn’s.  Heavy-hitting drugs were all they could do for him – even going so far as to admit the drug they wanted to switch him to “has been known to cause cancer in boys”.

“I can’t sign my son up for that.  What’s the name of that nutritionist you recommend?” My friend knew we had been through the wringer with our daughter who has inflammatory bowel disease and that we had great results working with our certified nutritionist, Julia McRae.

Well, long story short, they started him on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), then switched him to Autoimmune Protocol (AIP a/k/a Autoimmune Paleo).  And my friend went to work.  She totally threw herself into his new dietary changes, which can be quite difficult I might add, especially when you’re new to it all.  My friend has utterly amazed me.  Her creativity has taken AIP to a whole new level.  In fact, I frequently tell her that she’s the one who deserves to have a blog.

So, all that to say, this recipe is really the result of my friend’s creativity and talent in the kitchen.  I gave it a little tweak, but she deserves the credit, as the brainchild is hers.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Mangia!

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays, AIP Roundtable and Healing With Food Friday.

Creamy Potato and Chicken Soup (AIP, nightshade free, dairy free)
 
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Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
  • 12 oz. package nitrate free bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 leek (see note on preparation below)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups white sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 6 cups parsnips, peeled and cubed (or rutabaga or combination of both)
  • 8 cups chicken bone broth
  • 5-7 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • juice of one large lemon (maybe more)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sliced green onions, optional

Instructions
  1. NOTE: to prepare leek, slice in half lengthwise then thinly slice. Take sliced leeks and wash in a large bowl of cold water. Using both hands, lift leeks out of water and drain. If very dirty, repeat with fresh water.
  2. Heat large dutch oven to medium. Add diced bacon and stir until cooked through and crispy. Scoop out bacon and drain on paper towels, set aside.
  3. Add onion, carrot, celery and leek to bacon grease in pot. Stir and cook until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
  4. Next, add white sweet potatoes, parsnips and/or rutabagas, bone broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook until root vegetables are tender.
  5. Remove bay leaves. Using great care, ladle about one-third to one-half of soup into Vitamix or high powered blender, making sure to get both root veggies and broth. Puree until smooth. Alternatively, you may use an immersion blender right in the pot.
  6. Add pureed soup back to pot and stir. It should thicken the soup and become creamy.
  7. Next, add salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice. Stir well and taste. This soup really needs the tang of the lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the root veggies. Add more to taste if needed.
  8. Lastly, add the shredded chicken and give a stir. Just allow it to heat the chicken through.
  9. Serve topped with bacon and green onions.

Filed Under: AIP, Poultry, Soups/Stews, Uncategorized
December 19, 2013 By 12 Comments

Mini Lemon “Cheesecake” with Gingered Date Crust (AIP, nut free, dairy free, refined sugar free)

P1040742Every once in awhile, things just come together in my universe.  By this, I mean a craving for some long lost food I’ve become allergic to actually gets satisfied by a recipe developed with substitutions and much modification.  Honestly, there’s no formula for this and, quite frankly, it doesn’t always work.  For instance, in my book, there’s no such thing as an AIP (Autoimmune Paleo a/k/a Autoimmune Protocol) chicken pot pie.  How can you pull off a flaky crust with no gluten, grain, nuts, butter or eggs?  I’ve given up on ever sinking my pearly whites into an AIP croissant filled with sliced apples and brie “cheese”. Nope. Not gonna happen.  I’ll do without and eat another piece of bacon, thank you.

But really, it’s ok.  I get to whining about it here and there, but TODAY I REJOICE – because this recipe fills my current need for a yummy holiday treat (and a taste for cheesecake – lemon and ginger, no less – two of my favorite things)…”When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m fee-ling saaaaaad…”  I feel a musical moment coming on.

Here’s a little background on this recipe:  This week we had some friends over to make Paleo Mom‘s Paleo Gingerbread Cut-Outs (a fantastic recipe, BTW, but not considered AIP as it contains egg whites and almond flour).  I got to thinking that a lemon icing would be phenomenal on these gingerbread peeps so I threw something together and it just happened.

MAGIC.

My friend (a tremendous allergy-conscious self-trained home chef who should be the one with the food blog) and I put our heads together on how to make an AIP lemon ginger “cheesecake”.  In other words, dairy free, nut free, egg free, refined sugar free, etc., etc.

So, without further ado – Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope this recipe satisfies your “hankerins” and brings you joy this holiday season.

Mangia!

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays and AIP Round Table…

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mini Lemon “Cheesecake” with Gingered Date Crust (AIP, nut free, dairy free, refined sugar free)
 
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Serves: Makes 18-20 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients
  • CRUST:
  • 10 Medjool dates, soaked in warm water if hard
  • 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
  • FILLING:
  • ¾ cup raw coconut butter (I use Artisana)
  • ½ cup palm shortening (I use Spectrum Vegetable Shortening. The only ingredient is palm oil.)
  • 2½ tablespoons honey
  • 1½ tablespoons lemon flavoring (I use Simply Organic)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • lemon zest for garnish(optional)

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Line a mini muffin pan with mini paper liners.
  3. Drain dates if soaked, then pit and roughly chop.
  4. Spread shredded coconut onto lined cookie sheet and toast in oven until golden brown. Watch carefully as it will burn easily. Allow to cool.
  5. In a mini food processor, pulse all of the crust ingredients until it comes together into a ball. Chill, if desired, while working on the filling.
  6. For filling, measure out coconut butter and place filled measuring cup into a larger cup or bowl filled with hot tap water. This will soften the coconut butter, making it easier to work with. Be sure that no water gets into the coconut butter.
  7. Once coconut butter softens, beat all filling ingredients with either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until smooth and shiny. (It’s ok if there are some small bumps.)
  8. To assemble, make little balls out of the crust and press into the bottoms of the mini muffin cups.
  9. Pour filling into a zip-top bag, seal top and cut a corner off the end of the bag.
  10. Pipe filling onto the crust.
  11. Chill in fridge or freezer until set.
  12. Store in the fridge. Best served cold.
  13. Garnish with grated lemon zest.
  14. Enjoy!

Filed Under: AIP, Holiday Fare, Sweet Things, Uncategorized
October 23, 2013 By 1 Comment

Baked Pears with Cinnamon and Bacon (refined sugar free, AIP)

P1040223This recipe is going to sound, well, weird.  But let me tell you…it’s goooooood.  My son kept saying, “Mom, pears and bacon?  Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

I have one.  Simple.  Answer.

“Get away kid – ya bothuh me.”

He ate his words, don’t worry – along with lots and lots of baked pears with bacon.

Mommy bliss.

Mangia!

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays…

Baked Pears with Cinnamon and Bacon (refined sugar free, AIP)
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 pieces of nitrate free, uncured bacon
  • 8 ripe pears, peeled (if desired) cored and chopped or sliced
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Chop bacon and set aside.
  3. Place pears in either a casserole dish or individual ramekins.
  4. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
  5. Top with chopped bacon.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
  7. Eat the pears with the bacon. Then throw aside all decorum and drink the juice/pan drippings. :)

 

Filed Under: AIP, Holiday Fare, Sweet Things
October 14, 2013 By 2 Comments

Chicken Burgers with Grilled Pears

P1040433These chicken burgers with grilled pears were such a deliciously simple meal that my family raved about.  In fact, I made them twice in the same week (once for company).

Keeping my game face on for AIP (autoimmune protocol) has been a difficult task.  The game face comes off and the cry-baby face goes on.  Once cry-baby has had her say, then game face gets dusted off and put back in it’s rightful place.  Food restriction and Italian heritage don’t exactly get along, CAPISCE?

3uzjkrI should’ve added roasted red peppers to the above meme…brain cells are dyin’ ova hea!

I’ve not cheated on AIP – not because I’m such a disciplined person, but because the benefits of sticking with it are too important.  And I don’t want to go back to the place that brought me to AIP.  So, that said, here’s a recipe that this AIP-er and her non-AIP fam really enjoyed.  And it’s nice to enjoy food again…

Mangia!

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays...

Chicken Burgers with Grilled Pears
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. ground chicken or turkey
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons gluten free coarse mustard
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic power
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 4-6 ripe pears
  • few tablespoons coconut oil
  • cinnamon

Instructions
  1. For burgers: In a large bowl, mix ground chicken or turkey, ground pork, mustard, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder and coconut aminos with a large fork until well combined.
  2. Prepare pears: Cut pears in half. Carefully remove stem with a sharp knife and scoop out seeds with a melon baller or spoon.
  3. Brush pears on both sides with melted coconut oil and sprinkle with cinnamon.
  4. Grill burgers until cooked through (I grill about 6-8 minutes per side on low heat but it depends on thickness of burgers).
  5. I like to put pears on grill when I flip burgers to finish cooking. Pears should be grilled and warmed, but not overcooked and soft.
  6. NOTE: Some AIP-ers stay away from mustard because it is a seed-based spice. I’ve not personally had problems with this on AIP, but proceed with caution. Leaving it out is an option, but it really flavors up the chicken nicely.

 

 

 

Filed Under: AIP, Main Dishes, Poultry
October 7, 2013 By 2 Comments

Coleslaw (refined sugar free, AIP)

P1040260Hello again.  My name is “Jen” and I’m a blogger that hasn’t been blogging much.  Why?  Because I’m very busy and because they’ve taken all of my favorite foods away.  So…I’m sulking.

Not really.  Well, sometimes.

A couple of posts ago, I shared a delicious recipe for Carolina Style BBQ Pork, which has become a family favorite.  In said post, I believe I made promises to share the recipe for the AIP coleslaw that accompanied the dish – which, by the way, has become another favorite around these here parts.

Today, I make good on my promises and share with you this Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) friendly side dish. I PROMISE you will NOT miss the mayo in this coleslaw.  It’s sweet and tangy but light and crunchy too.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as we have.

Coleslaw (refined sugar free, AIP)
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ small head of green cabbage
  • ½ small head of red cabbage
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
  1. Finely shred red and green cabbage. Grate or shred carrot. (I use the large shredding disk on my food processor to do the cabbage and carrot.)
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots and scallions.
  3. In a medium bowl, add apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder and salt. Whisk.
  4. While continuing to whisk, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream.
  5. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to combine well.
  6. Cover and keep in fridge for at least an hour before serving.

 

 

Filed Under: AIP, Salad, Side Dishes
September 17, 2013 By 3 Comments

Liver Pate (AIP)

P1040233Believe me or not, I’ve had several people waiting for this recipe to get posted.  Crazy, I know.  But I think liver has gotten a bad rap over the years.  My kids make all sorts of faces when I tell them to taste it, yet while this recipe is cooking, my son usually says, “Something smells really good!  What are you making?”

LIVAH!  Our baby-kins loves liver pate.  She chants “wih-wah! wih-wah!” when I get ready to feed it to her, somehow able to eat the pate while leaving the cucumber slice or carrot stick behind.  She’s not been ruined by the prejudices of her elder siblings…yet…and I hope she never does.  While I did not grow up eating beef liver and onions, my mom tells me that she did bread and fry chicken livers – though I have no personal recollection of this.  I DO remember eating liver pate and liverwurst on bread and crackers and must admit I loved it as a kid.

Becoming more squeamish over the years, I’ve steered clear of organ meat, offal as it is also called.  (I’m sure the pun on that one has been worn out.)  Pate seemed somehow more palatable to me, and though my days of eating it on crackers has long gone, the thought of it spread on crunchy carrot sticks or cucumber slices sounded quite good.

I started making liver pate regularly in large batches to keep on hand in the freezer after reading more and more the importance healing the gut through nutrient dense foods – such as bone broth and organ meat.  Paleo superstars like The Paleo Mom and Chris Kresser, L.Ac have written compelling articles encouraging their readers to regularly consume organ meats – while providing several links to great-looking recipes.

This recipe is one of my favorites because it comes together quickly and makes a lot to keep on hand in the freezer. I’m no chef or Paleo superstar, but here’s my contribution to the organ meat frenzy sweeping America!  AND, here’s some organ grinding background music to listen to while you…uh…grind up some organs…

Liver Pate (AIP)
 
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Ingredients
  • 12 oz. bacon (uncured, no nitrates, etc.), diced
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 large leek
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ tablespoons AIP spice blend
  • 2 lbs. pastured chicken livers (or half chicken liver and half beef liver)
  • 4 bay leaves
  • ⅔ cup sherry (dry or cream sherry, not cooking sherry)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil

Instructions
  1. Prepare leeks by slicing thinly and washing in a large bowl filled with cool water. Leeks are very dirty and sand will fall to the bottom. Scoop out of the water and set aside.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven to medium heat. (I love my Le Creuset for this.) Once hot, add the bacon. Stir until cooked but not crispy.
  3. Add coconut oil; then the onion and leek to pot. Stir well until soft.
  4. Next, add garlic, AIP spice blend and bay leaves. Stir well for about 30 seconds. Add chicken livers and stir until brown on the outside and no longer red or bloody-looking. (sorry for that)
  5. Add in the sherry and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced, but not dry.
  6. Add the liver mixture to a food processor and process until smooth.
  7. To store, I like to fill freezer-safe four-ounce containers with the pate then add a little splash of olive oil to coat the top. Put about a half to one teaspoon of the olive oil on top, then swirl around to coat. This will help keep the pate fresh.
  8. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate or freeze.
  9. It is perfectly normal for the top of the pate to be brown in color, while the middle of the pate is pink. This is good and does not mean that it’s not fully cooked.

 

Filed Under: AIP, Lunch Ideas, Munchies
August 26, 2013 By 10 Comments

Carolina Style BBQ Pork (AIP)

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Before you read this post…please oblige me by clicking on the cute little MP3 player above.  You know me enough by now to know I like atmosphere, presentation, M-O-O-D.  And I need to set the stage for you.  So, go ahead.  Click that play button. Turn up the sound. Then read on…

I got “the talk” from SupaDoc this past week. Without going into great detail, it went something like this. “Tests have confirmed you have autoimmune reactivity.”  Then a lot of yada, yada, yada medical talk to fill in the gaps.  He talked about leaky gut being healed and certain foods being okay to start re-introducing.  Yada, yada, more medical talk. Then, he said these words…

“It looks like the AIP (autoimmune protocol) is a diet that would benefit you to stay on F – O – R (gasp) L – I – F – E.”

Everything stopped.  Did he just say that in slow motion or was it just me?  Suddenly, delightful food memories flashed before my eyes:  crusty Italian bread dripping in my mom’s homemade meat sauce; Pecorino Romano cheese on everything from meatballs to veggies; Caprese salad with ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil; fresh roasted red peppers dressed in olive oil and garlic atop Italian bread.

After wallowing for a bit (every gal needs a good waller once in awhile), I started Fran talking. (Fran is my mom.) I give myself Fran talks every once in awhile. My Fran talks always involve a Long Island/Brooklyn accent:  “Jennifah Marie!  Fuggedaboutit!”

Then, I got to thinking.  (Watch out! She’s thinking people!)  AIP hasn’t been all that bad.  I mean – really, I’ve made some yummy things from my own concoctions to delicious recipes from other bloggers and AIP cookbooks.  I’m in the kitchen a whole lot LESS than I was when I did hard core SCD.  AND – if staying on the straight and narrow to reduce triggers for autoimmunity means further reducing flare ups, having more energy, staying healthy for my family – then I’m in.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to sing the blues here and there.  I don’t like feeling…well…weird, for lack of a better word.  Some of you have known me long enough to think I’d be used to that feeling. But, frankly, I’m not.  It feels weird to bring my own food to church gatherings and our family’s homes for dinner.  It feels weird to give the waiter a long list of food allergies and ask a bunch of questions about how something is prepared and whether or not they use “pure” olive oil or an “olive oil blend”.

But a little weirdness is worth it to me.  Maybe I’ll start a revolution and weird will become COOL.  Weird eaters UNITE!

All right-y then.  This mamma is pressing on and going to share with you a FABOO dinner of Carolina-ish BBQ Pork that I would serve to any guest.  We’ve been eating it with an AIP coleslaw and either roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash.  (sound familiar?)  I’ll post the coleslaw recipe soon.

Mangia!!

The contents of this pot contain nothing but L-O-V-E.  See that rich, dark sauce in the bottom?  WUV, TWUE WUV…Wuv is what bwings us togevah…today… (name that movie)

Shared on Allergy Free Wednesday…

P1040252

5.0 from 1 reviews

Carolina Style BBQ Pork (AIP)
 
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Serves: a crowd!

Ingredients
  • 1 (4-6 lb.) Boston Butt or pork shoulder roast (OR 2 roasts each weighing 2.5 to 3 lbs.)
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, bacon fat OR fat of choice
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar, or maple syrup or honey (SEE NOTE BELOW)
  • 2 Tablespoons AIP Poultry Spice Blend
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1 Tablespoon coarse grain mustard (gluten free)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Pat the roast(s) dry and remove any butcher string.
  2. Combine AIP spice blend with cinnamon and coconut sugar (if not using coconut sugar just wait to add the maple syrup or honey later).
  3. Rub the spice mixture on all sides of the roast(s).
  4. In a small bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, coconut aminos, and mustard. Set aside.
  5. Heat a large oven-proof dutch oven (Le Creuset works beautifully) to medium or medium low.
  6. Once heated, add coconut oil to the pot and sear meat on all sides. Remove meat to large bowl or platter.
  7. Add onions to now empty pot and stir well until starting to brown.
  8. Nestle pork back into pot and pour any accumulated juices on top.
  9. Pour vinegar mixture gently over roast and onions. Toss in garlic.
  10. Place tight-fitting lid on pot (or if your lid isn’t tight-fitting, place a piece of tin foil over top of pot, then put lid on) and place in preheated oven.
  11. Roast for 3 to 4 hours (I lean toward 4).
  12. Shred meat with two forks, removing any unwanted fat.
  13. Don’t forget to pour the rich, beautiful sauce atop meat!! (Feel free to remove the liquid fat first if you must.)
  14. NOTE: I’ve made this recipe with coconut sugar and without. Coconut sugar works nicely with the spice rub. But honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was AIP legal. That said, if you leave it out – just use 4 TBSP (instead of 2 TBSP) of maple syrup to the vinegar mixture.

 

Filed Under: AIP, Beef/Pork, Holiday Fare, Main Dishes
August 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

My Amazing Certified Nutritionist – Julia McRae, C.N.

JuliaAboutPic-Version-2-150x150

Hey, don’t I look awesome?????  Oh, alright.  Thou shalt not lie.  That’s not me. It’s my wonderful nutritionist, Julia McRae.  I wanted to tell all of my readers about her because I just know it’s going to make her famous to have ALL of the readers from my BIG FAT grain free life check her out!  Don’t all bombard her at once, now – all 12 of you.

Seriously, Julia’s input and guidance regarding my health as well as my daughter’s has been invaluable.  If you’d like some insight as to my journey with our daughter who has Inflammatory Bowel Disease and suffered from failure to thrive, please check out this post.  It was a long journey and a painful one, but my daughter is growing, thriving, doing so well in school and living a vibrant, healthy life.  I’m convinced it would not be so if it wasn’t for the Lord giving us Julia.

Julia takes nutrition seriously and stays current on research and studies.  She travels as a guest speaker giving talks on all sorts of health concerns and would be amazing to have speak to your corporation, group or church.  Not only is she current with her research and thorough in her care, she’s C-A-R-I-N-G.  I’m sad to say that’s a quality hard to come by in many health circles – both conventional and non.  Julia takes her clients’ concerns to heart.  There’s no such “cookie cutter” mindset when it comes to Julia’s approach to health.  Everyone is different.  One approach to health doesn’t fit for every person, even if they suffer from similar maladies.

Julia’s nutritional experience spans over two decades and includes studying under the much-revered Dr. Bernard Jensen.  Her website, juliamcrae-cn.com, has a plethora of articles from diaper rash to men and cardiovascular disease.  She consults with people nationwide regarding bowel disease, autoimmunity, diabetes, weight management, cardiovascular disease, surgical recovery, nutritional cancer support, and a variety of pediatric conditions.

I have the utmost confidence in Julia’s knowledge and expertise and wanted to pass that along to you.  The road to health can be an arduous journey – I know from personal experience.  Trying to sort it out on our own can not only be exhausting but also somewhat risky.  It’s great to know I have Julia to call when I need help with my family’s health and well-being.

If she could only make me a size two and grow two inches…

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Uncategorized
August 19, 2013 By 8 Comments

Day…uh…I lost count…

P1040107 (5)

Where in the world have I been, you ask?  Well, I can promise it’s not been under a rock, on a tropical island, or hiding in a corner eating croissants with brie cheese and fig preserves…although out of those three options, I’d take the latter…but then you knew that.  Didn’t you?

I’m not “over” my food allergies yet.  I’ve lived many years enjoying pasta, bread, meat sauce and Pecorino Romano. Cut me some slack, will ya?

I’ve been living life, working diligently on my health, spending lots of time in the kitchen, detoxing (a/k/a on the couch laid out flat), and preparing for the new school year.  I’ve also been cleaning up messes that an adorable 19-month-old loves to make.  (See above picture of freshly made coconut milk…) As much as I love blogging and sharing recipes – I simply can’t keep up with it all and blog posting is the first thing to go.  Sorry, my friends.

I have been working on some recipes, though, and hope to share them with you soon (as soon as I can remember to take pictures).  They are AIP compliant, but non AIP-ers have greatly enjoyed as well.

Supa-doc (P.S. – that’s not him in the picture) has given me the A-OK on food re-introduction.  Leaky gut is officially healed.  He gave me the thumbs up over a week ago but I haven’t delved into it quite yet.  Apparently, I’ve got to be still long enough to notice a reaction and just haven’t had the time or forethought to do that.  I think what I’ve missed most during AIP (besides roasted tomatoes) are eggs, and I’m looking forward (with hope) to trying those out.  We are in the process of getting our chickens onto a completely homemade gluten, corn and soy free chicken feed.  I’ve read, heard and had Supa-doc confirm that I will have greater success being able to accept eggs if the chickens are not eating any of those allergens.  My plan is to try eggs once our chickens have been free from gluten and corn (they were already soy free) for about two weeks.

I have learned, quite the hard way, that my body despises certain oils – such as safflower and sunflower.  Missing crunchy things, I started eating Terra sweet potato chips, thinking myself to be free and clear to munch away.  I had no idea which oils they were fried in and didn’t care (D-E-N-I-A-L). After almost a month of terrible itching that started at the nape of my neck, included my ear lobes and then shoulders and arms, I started eliminating.  I had no idea and prayed that the Lord would help me see what was causing this reaction.  The itching kept me up at night and was…in a word…TORTURE.

One day, it dawned on me that it could possibly be…not just “the chips”…but my beloved, crunchy, precious chips.  I eliminated them and noticed the itching started to decrease.  By the end of the week it was almost completely gone.  After being off of them a full week or so, I wanted to make sure it was the chips (because where do I live? in DENIAL).  So, I ate two.  Only two.  By the next morning, the itching at the base of my neck was killing me…killing me softly…

Moral of the story?  No convenience foods for me.  :(

Mel over at The Clothes Makes the Girl has a recipe for Caramelized Coconut Chips that has really helped curb my desire for crunchy salty things.  All in all, the AIP hasn’t been as tough as I thought.  In the beginning, my life revolved around which day of AIP I was on.  Now?  I’ve lost count.  I’m over 100 days, so “yay me!” but that’s about it.  I find that I’m actually in the kitchen LESS than I was doing hardcore SCD.

Thank you for all of the well-wishes and if you actually read this entire post….I’m SO PROUD OF YOU!  More AIP recipes coming soon…

 

Filed Under: AIP
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