Grain-Free Hot Cereal (aka: N'Oatmeal)

I have really been missing hot cereals for breakfast, especially now that Autumn is here.  I REALLY like oatmeal and creamy wheat.  But when I eat them my tummy hurts, even when I soak them, and I am so wiped out of energy for hours that it just isn't worth it, no matter how yummy it tastes!

Well, I stumbled onto several variations of what is being called "N'Oatmeal" or Paleo Oatmeal this last week and this morning was the morning to try this N'Oatmeal idea. There are several recipes that I was looking at, (see my Gaps Pinterest board) so my basic recipe here is based on those, but I needed something super simple, something without bananas...  So I adapted them.  Besides, I still use dairy, so I guess it's not paleo, but it could easily be subbed with Coconut milk or unsweetened Almond milk if one would prefer...  (One recipe included unflavored gelatin, which I would love to experiment with, but I would think it needs to replace the flax seed rather than just add it... But that will have to wait for another day.)

I'm listing two amounts.  One is for a small single person serving. (this was just right for me, especially if I was going to have anything else with it... like GAPS intro pancakes made with zucchini.)  The other is for a two person medium serving.  (for a one person large serving, just double the amount of a small serving).

I'm not the best photographer, but you get the idea...

Small Single Serving:
1 Egg
1/4 c. Pumpkin or Butternut squash Puree,
          Unsweetened Applesauce*, or Banana Puree
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
Pinch of Salt
Dash of desired spices*

Two Medium Servings:
3 Eggs
3/4 c. Pumpkin or Butternut squash Puree,
          Unsweetened Applesauce*, or Banana Puree

1/3 c. Milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ground Flax
1/4 tsp. Salt
up to 1/4 tsp. desired spices*


I used my stick blender to really make sure it was all incorporated together.  (I had read in some comments of other recipes that people were having issues with egg chunks.  If you don't have a stick blender, then heat the milk, pureed fruit/squash, and temper your eggs.)

With that, heat a frying pan, add a little coconut oil/butter, and cook your mixture.  Stir it around and it will get nice and thick.  Then dish it up and serve it how you like it!  (I used a splash of cream, and a drizzle of maple syrup this time, but coconut milk or butter, and honey to sweeten. (If using squash I sweeten but I really don't think using banana or applesauce would require further sweetening for me, but I haven't tried those yet because I'm so in love with the pumpkin!)

The flavor was great and the texture reminded me a little of bread pudding... but still hot cereal-ish.  For me, this is a huge thumbs up win.  Can't wait to try it with hubby.  That's always the real test, lol...

*The spices I used for pumpkin were cinnamon and allspice.  You could also use nutmeg, cloves, ginger... (did I miss any pumpkin pie spices??)

For Apple I would use cinnamon or any wassail spices, and for banana, I don't know... I might just toss in some vanilla or almond extract and let it be, but I just have a strange aversion to bananas... plus sometimes they make my mouth itch, hence the reason I was looking to adapt the recipe in the first place.  (But I love banana bread, so what do I know, lol...)

Also, when using applesauce, you can omit the milk because it's already got it in there.  That said, you could probably use pureed peaches for a yummy peach cobbler tasting breakfast cereal!  I don't have any peaches or I would try it myself.

Enjoy!!

Grain Free Chocolate Cream Pie Squares

I love when a fail in one area creates a success in another.  This recipe was the result of the Easy Paleo Almond Flour "Graham Crackers" (slightly adapted to use honey and butter) I tried to make and baked just a tad too long.  Not burnt, but not right.

I definitely didn't want to throw it away, and thought, it would be perfect for a cookie pie crust, and then I remembered the Bulletproof Chocolate Mouse recipe (slightly adapted to use regular liquid vanilla, and 1/4 c honey plus 1 tsp liquid Kal brand Stevia ) and realized it would be a GREAT filling to make Chocolate Cream Pie!  When I finally got around to it, I decided to make it into squares rather than pie just for kicks and it tastes delicious without the tummy troubles. That's the best kind of food if you ask me.  So, that said, here's the results:

Grain Free Chocolate Cream Pie Squares

Almond Flour Graham Crackers:

2 1/4 c Super Fine Almond Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder*
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Butter (melted)
2 Tbsp Honey
*use 1/2 tsp Baking Soda for GAPS legal version.

Mix together in a food processor and chill 30 minutes. (I ended up leaving mine in the fridge for a couple of days because I planned to make them in the morning and life kept interrupting!)

Roll to about 1/8-1/4" between parchment papers (I say go with 1/8" because it's never really thin enough and for me 1/4" means I'm really rolling it to 1/3-1/2", but, hey, that's me.) I don't recommend using wax paper for this because the bottom piece is going into the over WITH the cracker dough!

Use a pizza roller or knife to cut into desired cracker sizes. Bake @325 for about 12-15 minutes. Watch them close. Anything made with almond flour can go from perfectly brown to slightly burnt in under a minute!

Once they cool, throw them into the food processor and turn them into crumbs.  Measure out 2 c crumbs and add 1/3 c melted butter (and a couple of Tbsp cane sugar, but you could also use Coconut Sugar, and I'm thinking you can also leave it out entirely.)

Press into 9x9" dish and bake at about 350-375 degrees for around 7 minutes (you can also do a microwave for 2 1/2 minutes on power level 7.)

Chocolate Mousse Filling:

*Note, you can probably make this before you start the graham crackers if you are doing it start to finish within a couple of hours.  The filling takes a couple of hours in the fridge before it's partially set in the fridge if it helps with timing.  If it ends up being fully set before the crust is ready, bring the mousse to room temperature for easy spreading and it will gel back up nicely in the fridge. 

4 c full fat Coconut Milk, divided (about 2 1/2 cans)
1/4 c Honey
1 tsp liquid Stevia*
1 Tbsp Unflavored Gelatin*
2 tsp Vanilla
3/4 c Cocoa Powder
4 Tbsp melted Butter*
1 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil
Splash of Heavy Cream (optional for more of a softer milk chocolate taste)

*I used Kal brand, probably not the best idea since I found out it's also got maltodextrin from corn, next time I'll just increase my honey to 1/2 c, if using gelatin-collagen mix, use 2 Tbsp, the original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but with the cocoa powder, I like the way the salt actually helps smooth out the cocoa flavor.

Heat 1 cup of coconut milk with honey, stevia, and gelatin until gelatin is dissolved.  Place remainder of coconut milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, melted butter and coconut oil (and cream if using) into a blender.  Puree and scrape sides as needed.  Add in mixture from the pan and blend again. Pour over crust or chill until crust is ready.  Mousse takes about 4 hours in fridge to fully set.  Best served after being refrigerated overnight.  Serves 12.

Almond Flour Crusted Chicken

I have really been craving fried chicken lately and had some inspiration that I could tweak the really great fish recipe I posted recently. So I got into the kitchen and got busy.  I thought since I wouldn't have the "crust" on both sides of the chicken, the breasts should be cut in half to reduce the thickness.  It worked out perfectly!  With that I used a lot of inspiration and the traditional seasonings that I would have if I had been doing my traditional fried chicken and this is the result:

Almond Flour Crusted Chicken with Green Salad
and Homemade Ranch Dressing

Not only was I excited for how well this turned out, but I used it again for Chicken Parmesan and it was amazing! I will even list the marinara sauce recipe I used for it below the main recipe just in case it sounds too good to pass up. = )

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, cutting thickness in half to make 4 chicken cutlets
• 1 Tbsp. Bacon Grease or Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Lightly season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and sear both sides in frying pan with fat.  Remove to 9x9 baking dish and cover with seasoned topping.

• 1/2 c. Almond Flour
• 1/4 tsp. each: Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika
• 1/8 tsp. each: Pepper, Poultry Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Melted Butter

Mix together almond flour and seasonings to distribute well, then add in butter to create a crumbly mixture.  After topping the chicken (leave loose or lightly tamp down, up to you) bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until lightly golden brown.

Marinara Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 lg. Onion
• 2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Tbsp. Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
• 2 oz. Tomato Paste
• Water (enough to thin to desired consistency
• 1/2 tsp. Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. each: Salt, Basil, Marjoram
• Pinch of Oregano
• (Adjust seasonings to desired taste)

Saute onion in butter over medium low heat until soft.  Add tomatoes and wine.  Let simmer about 5 minutes.  Add everything else (I added some leftover sauteed mushrooms that added a bit of heaven!) and stir/whisk until smooth.  

For the Chicken Parmesan, I cooked the chicken as up above and removed chicken from the over and spooned the sauce over the top of the chicken and topped with shredded parmesan cheese.  Then returned back to the oven for about 5 minutes.  Serve with a heaping delicious serving of buttered spaghetti squash and you have an amazingly nutritious meal. =) 

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Grain Free Chocolate Cake

I was looking through one of my Pinterest boards for a grain free brownie recipe tonight and could NOT remember which one I had previously made that we really liked... What's a girl to do???  Well, I decided to try something new and I am SOOO glad I did. I made a couple of adjustments since I'm only using honey sweetener to stay and close to GAPS legal as possible, and while it did not turn out to be something I think resembles a brownie, it would give any flour based chocolate cake a kick in the caboose! Spongy and moist... and the fact that my husband CAN'T stay out of it even by threatening him within an inch of his life speaks volumes! He's being very supportive of my grain-free changes for my health, but he misses and notices with I've changed things. Topped with the Ganache recipe I recently found, adjusted for it's richness since it was just a little tooooo much for hubby, we have found a hit!

Post Note: as it turns out, it WAS the original recipe I was looking for, not a new one after all. I didn't realize it until I saw that I had commented on the recipe several months ago and completely forgot! 

This isn't the best picture, but when I made it the first time
we ate is so fast I didn't get a chance! Yes!!  It's THAT good!

Ingredients

• *Double the recipe if making 2 round cakes or for a 9x13" pan.
• 3/4 c Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 c Melted Butter plus extra for buttering baking dish
• 1/4 c Cocoa Powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 c Raw Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly butter one round cake tin or 8x8 baking dish with butter.
2. Mix almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. Combine melted butter, honey, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until well mixed.
4. Pour liquid into flour and cocoa mixture and still well.  Batter is going to seem a little on the thin side but it's going to bake up beautifully!
5. Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean without overcooking. 

Ganache Recipe

• 1/4-1/2 c. Heavy Cream
• 3/4 c. Bakers Chocolate pieces
• 1/4 c. Honey
• *8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil

Heat cream and honey until warm over low heat.  Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces and peppermint oil and stir until chocolate is melted and all the cream is incorporated.  Let cool and stir well before spreading over cake. 

Baked Cod with Feta Basil Crusting

Sometimes you try look for a recipe to get the ideas flowing and run into something that requires a tweak here and there but turns out SOOO amazing you know your tastebuds have died and gone to heaven!  That's where the Grain-free Baked Cod with Feta Basil Crusting came from.  Originally from this recipe, I needed to make it grain-free.  And I didn't have any fennel... or white wine.  In fact, to be honest, I just bought my first ever small cube of wine for cooking just last week.  I'm hooked!  I love the flavor it imparts with sautéing!

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

• 4 Tbsp. Ghee or Butter, divided
• 1-2 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
• Splash of Cabernet Sauvignon (maybe 2 Tbsp.)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3/4 c. Almond Flour
• 1/4 tsp. Dry Basil
• 2-3 oz Feta Crumbles
• 1 lb. Cod Fish Fillets (about 3/4" thickness at most.  I sliced part of one piece in half thickness-wise and it was perfect!)

Preheat oven to 425F with rack the oven rack in center. In 12" oven-proof skillet, sauté celery in 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat until about translucent. Meanwhile combine almond flour, basil, and feta.  Melt remaining ghee/butter and stir in with feta mixture. Set aside.  

When celery is ready, add garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and wine to pan.  Continue over medium to low heat until bubbly, about 3-5 minutes.  

Move tomato mixture evenly around pan or transfer to baking dish.  Lay fish fillets on top of tomatoes and cover evenly with feta mixture.

Bake about 15 minutes or until feta topping is lightly golden.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I realized about a year ago that grains, especially wheat, was wrecking havoc with my body.  Not only had I begun having IBS symptoms, but little did I know that the radiating pain in my low back area was from inflammation of the gut.  I Decided to experiment with the GAPS diet and within one short week I realized that the burning aching back pain was GONE.  Not a little bit better.  It was G-O-N-E... Completely.  I relished in the feeling and for three full months enjoyed much improved health.  My Acid Reflux symptoms were gone.  My IBS symptoms disappeared, and I started losing the inflammation weight (about 25-30 lbs). 

Well, I admit I fell off the wagon when our family took a week long family vacation to the south.  I've been on and off GAPS back and forth for the 8 months since then, but mostly I've been striving for grain free.  Sometimes I'll have the grains, like maybe rice, but usually not.  But then, once in a while I'll cave and have something with wheat.  If it's only one thing, my body will be mostly forgiving but that burning in my back will flare up a little.  Not painful to the touch, but I know it's there.  Make it two or three days of cheating in a row and I'm in PAIN.  and I'll usually spend some extra time in the loo because of it. I know... TMI, but it is what it is.

One of the best parts of the journey has been finding really good foods that help me stay grain free.  Not the junk labeled "gluten-free" from the store.  That "stuff" (because it really isn't food when it's still so processed) is filled with all the more detrimental-to-health ingredients that I just don't need or want for my body and they really don't take or feel satisfying to me.  But I have found recipes... SO many recipes! (feel free to follow my grain-free recipe board on Pinterest)  

Most of the recipes on my board I've actually tried and they are good!  Not just good, but amazing good!  Better yet, I'm excited because I've been doing it long enough now that I'm now starting to be able to experiment with making my own recipes for things I can't find already.  My first recipe?  I've had a hankering for pumpkin spice cookies!  I couldn't find one so I made my own and I have to say... I am impressed with myself!  It turned out really good!

So without further ado, I give you the Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookies!!

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• 1/4 C. Butter
• 1/4 C. Honey
• 1 Lg Egg
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 C. Pumpkin Puree*
• 2 C. Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
• 1/8 tsp. All Spice
• 1/2 - 3/4 C. Craisins (optional, organic or homemade are best)
• 1/4 C. Chopped Walnuts

Mix honey and butter together.  Add in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree *(this was canned pumpkin puree.  It needs to be pretty thick if it's not canned because homemade is pretty watery, so you will need to strain homemade puree in cheesecloth for a few hours to make it nice and thick).

Mix Almond flour (Scooped and leveled but not packed), baking soda, salt, spices, craisins and walnuts.  Stir into honey-butter mixture and stir until completely incorporated.  Cover dough with lid/plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour (or overnight worked really well!)

Place by spoonfuls on baking sheet and press down some with back of spoon.  Bake in preheated oven at about 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. (It's going to take some experimenting.  Watch closely so it doesn't burn.  If the inside is not cake-like and seems doughy, but outside is threatening to burn, reduce temperature and cook a minute or two longer. I tend to bake almost everything in my toaster oven and the magic number for that is 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes and letting them stay in the toaster oven to "cool" for 10 minutes.)

Makes1 1/2 - 2 dozen

Simple Organic Mayonnaise

I liked the taste of of mayo, but it was full of crap and the organic equivalent was expensive,  tasted more like salad dressing. So, my usual answer is to make it myself.  But here's the problem -  I'd made mayonnaise before and it was REALLY messy and temperamental to say the least. 

But,  I am thrilled to share my new found solution! I discovered it thanks to a presentation I was watching on YouTube by Sally Fallon 'The Oiling of America'. (I have included the link below, it is VERY valuable information!)

So, she is reading the recipes from a cook book back from the very early 1900's, and on the overhead projector the recipes are shown.  Including mayonnaise and salad dressing recipes. Yes! I knew there was an answer!!

So I am looking at them and they cook the egg yolks and add butter and cream and such.  I thought it was worth a try.  Not awful,  but not mayonnaise that I have known all my life either.  I want something I can grab right from the fridge because I made it a day or two earlier when I had time.

Then today,  it hit me...  Why not use the cooking process for the simple recipe I already had? It was worth a try.  SUCCESS!!!  I used organic expeller pressed safflower oil since it's hopefully not going to be rancid and deodorized, (yet to be researched) plus the benefits that come from being organic. Olive oil can be used too, but I wanted to start with a more neutral taste since my only experience with commercial olive oil mayonnaise was just gross...  Maybe next time I will try my evo2, it's pretty mellow. But on to the recipe!

No-Mess Mayonnaise 

2 Egg Yolks
2-4 tsp.  Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp.  Sea Salt
1/2 tsp.  Dry Mustard or Dijon Mustard
1 c. Oil
dash of Cayenne Pepper or Paprika *optional (I find I've been overdoing it lately with the cayenne and it's just odd)
Up to 1 Tbsp. Water

Note: Making mayonnaise on a stormy day may prove to be frustrating.  It's tends to "break" and be more temperamental.  I put it in the fridge until the next day, let it come to room temperature the next morning and used my immersion blender (more on that below) and my ingredients were saved! The previous stormy day wasn't a loss either, I was using it to make Ranch Dressing and tried the "Hollandaise Hot Water Fix trick and it WORKED! But that's another story for another day, maybe...

Mix egg yolks, vinegar, salt, and mustard in sauce pan.  Whisk over high heat just until the mixture begins thickening and immediately turn off heat.  This only takes a moment... 30 seconds to a minute maybe. Immediately begin adding small amounts of oil as you whisk.  Continue until oil is mixed in. Slowly add water,  about 1 tsp at a time. (Notice how it lightens the color?) 

That's it! My recipe called for a full cup of oil for each egg yolk but my mayonnaise couldn't hold together with that much and broke down. Never fear! Super easy fix,  repeat process with 1 yolk,  2 tsp. vinegar, a pinch of salt and 1/3-1/2 cup oil.  Once the heat is off,  add broken mayonnaise first in small amounts, and finish with the oil. 

It tastes great,  no mess,  no GMO's,  no fillers or preservatives,  no crap.  Just good wholesomeness!

*as a note, in case anyone cares, odds are that my expeller pressed safflower oil is probably still deodorized and cleaned which isn't ideal, but seeing as it is one of the lowed in polyunsaturated fats, AND it's still not from a GMO crop like soybean oil... so I'll take it until I can find something more suitable.  It's not like I live on the stuff... Just like a sandwich every now and again and use it for homemade Ranch Dressing... (Maybe that should be my next post???)  You can try using olive oil,  not sure how it will taste or spread coming out of the fridge,  but I do intend to test it out eventually.

Update: I've used this recipe with my stick blender and it's even more awesome!  The easiest EVER! (plus I just use a whole egg which is nice to not have to find another use for the white or throw it away.)  Seriously, nice to have the cooked method in case I don't have electricity, but check out the super easy demonstration by Healing Cave Lady on Youtube!

And, as promised... The Oiling of America presented by Sally Fallon.