The next year he had the brilliant idea to plant a second patch of tomatoes, at some distance from the garden, just for the hornworms. Uh, yeah, with a sign that said "Eat these, not those"?  No, didn't happen, but I think the hornworms got the message. We haven't seen them since.

Anyway, the garden is my miracle each year. It's an incredible thrill to put tiny seeds into the ground and have them turn into the basis of a season's worth of meals just a few short months  later. This year, we grew potatoes for the first time; digging them was like searching for hidden treasure (but only for about 5 minutes for the aforementioned grandsons).
​

The original, non-Paleo recipe comes from a favorite cookbook called Short and Sweet by Melanie Barnard. It is full of easy dessert recipes, many of which can be adapted with Paleo ingredients. This luscious pudding is one of them.

​Ingredients

2/3 cup coconut sugar
2 TBS arrowroot powder
2 cups canned organic coconut milk
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk coconut sugar and arrowroot in a saucepan.
2. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk until smooth.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and whisk about a half cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and then return the yolk mixture to the pan.
5. Cook, stirring, for about one minute, until it is smooth and starting to thicken.
6. Remove from heat and add ghee and vanilla. Do not stir. Let stand for two minutes, than gently whisk until just blended.
7. Divide into ramekins. Either serve warm or chill for several hours.

Text excerpted from SHORT AND SWEET © 1999 by Melanie Barnard. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

​This one also originally came from Short and Sweet. And, although I have fond memories of the My-T-Fine Instant Pudding of my childhood, this one is SO much finer (and mightier).

Ingredients

2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
3 TBS arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups full fat coconut milk
3 oz. Paleo-friendly bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut cream from top of can of coconut milk for garnish, optional

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the coconut sugar, cacao, arrowroot and salt.
2. Whisk in one cup of coconut milk until smooth, and then whisk in second cup.
3. Set pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to whisk and boil for another minute.
4. Remove pan from heat and add chopped chocolate and vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes until chocolate is melted and then stir gently until pudding is smooth.
5. Pour pudding into dessert bowls. Let cool for about 20 minutes to serve warm, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with unsweetened coconut cream, if desired.

Text excerpted from SHORT AND SWEET © 1999 by Melanie Barnard. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
​

Ingredients

1 cup coconut cream (from top of canned organic coconut milk) plus 1/4 cup coconut water from the same can
2/3 cup canned organic pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of sea salt
Coconut cream from top of can of coconut milk for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, stir together coconut cream and coconut water and bring to a simmer.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, coconut sugar, spices and salt.
4. Slowly whisk the the hot coconut cream into the egg mixture.
5. Divide the custard into heat-proof ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking pan half filled with hot water (so water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins). Bake custards until they are nearly set in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.
6. Remove ramekins from the water bath. Let cool for a few minutes to serve warm or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Garnish with unsweetened coconut cream, if desired.

​Text excerpted from SHORT AND SWEET © 1999 by Melanie Barnard. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

​So, creamy tapioca pudding is probably my number one comfort ( read nursery) food. And, since tapioca is not a grain or legume and is gluten-free, it is grudgingly acceptable to Paleo experts. "Grudgingly" because this starch is low on nutrients and high on nothing but carbs. On the other hand, chia seeds have protein and healthy fatty acids. So, substituting chia for tapioca in this classic recipe makes sense, and while it tastes yummy, I'm probably not likely to binge on it. It's also healthy enough to have for breakfast.

But, if we have catastrophic election results in November, that will be me inhaling pots of REAL tapioca pudding (well, real Paleo tapioca pudding, using coconut milk and coconut sugar), carbs or no carbs.

It's a whole lot less complicated than moving to Canada.

Ingredients

1 can organic full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup white chia seeds
5 TBS coconut sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
Unsweetened coconut cream (from top of can of coconut milk) for garnish, optional

1. Mix coconut milk, chia seeds, coconut sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Whisk 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the beaten egg, one or two tablespoons at a time.
3. Add egg mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat  for one or two minutes until mixture is thick.
4. Pour into ramekins and let sit until cool. Garnish with a dollop of unsweetened coconut cream if desired.

We bought a wonderful herby roast chicken from my favorite purveyor, Les Rôtisseries du Roy, around the corner from our apartment in Montmartre. It was pricy, 23 euros, but it was "bio" (organic) and so luscious that a few days later we bought another one. With fresh greens and tiny haricots verts , followed by fresh strawberries (all purchased from the greengrocers across the street, which had more than freshness and locale going for it: I shopped there every day because the proprietor responded to my attempts to speak passable French in, well, French!), it made a perfect Parisian meal.
​

In the Netherlands, they serve small pancakes called pannenkoeken. Needless to say, I didn't sample them. While this recipe is not from the Netherlands ( its origins may be Pennsylvania Dutch) it is something I used to make with my kids when they were little. It makes a great brunch dish, with bacon and soft-scrambled eggs on the side.
​

Ingredients
For pizza crust
( This will make enough for 2 small crusts; cut dough in half and freeze second half for another purpose)
2 or more cups almond or cashew flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Parchment paper
Pizza stone or cookie sheet

Topping
1 blood orange, peeled and pith removed, sliced horizontally
1 naval or cara cara orange, peeled and pith removed, slice horizontally
2 clementines, peeled with pith removed, segmented
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut chips, lightly toasted in toaster oven

Caramel Sauce
6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (if dates are hard, soak for a few minutes in boiling water and then drain)
2/3 cup water
Pinch coarse sea salt

1. Put pizza stone or cookie sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients for crust in food processor.
3 Add water and olive oil to dry ingredients and blend until dough forms a ball. Add more flour if necessary.
4. Cut dough ball in half and freeze second half for another purpose. Re-form remaining dough into ball.
5. Put dough on large piece of parchment paper and cover with second piece of parchment paper.
6. Roll dough to desired thickness (flatbread  thickness is good for this recipe).
7. Remove top piece of parchment paper and slide bottom piece, with crust, onto pizza stone. Prick crust all over with a fork.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes until crust starts to color and crisp up.
9. Remove crust from oven.
10. Arrange orange slices, clementine segments and banana slices on crust.
11. Bake for 8-10 more minutes until crust is crisp and fruit softens.
12. Meanwhile, make caramel sauce. In food processor or blender, combine chopped dates, water and salt. Blend until it is the consistency of a smooth sauce. Add a little more water if necessary.
13. When pizza is done, remove from oven and sprinkle with toasted coconut chips. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Cut pizza into four slices and serve.
​

I adore bread pudding. Pre-Paleo, I ordered it whenever I was lucky enough to find it on a dessert menu. Actually, I adore all of those nursery/comfort food puddings like tapioca, rice, and butterscotch...which gives me an idea for a future post: Paleo Puddings!

Needless to say, bread pudding has not been part of my repertoire lately, but that's about to change. This one is especially easy, because it uses the basic 90-second microwave banana cake  from my birthday cake post of last month (really a banana bread, if you don't frost with coconut whipped cream) as the base.
​

Ingredients
For banana bread
1 tsp coconut oil
4 TBS almond or coconut flour
3 tsp coconut flour
1 TBS flax seed meal (ground flax seed)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
1/2 banana, mashed with a fork
1 TBS raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 TBS coconut oil, melted in microwave
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

1. Melt the 1 tsp coconut oil in a 2-cup microwave-safe glass measuring cup. Carefully rotate the cup until the bottom and sides are coated with oil. Pour out and discard the excess.
2. Whisk all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add mashed banana, honey, vanilla, egg, 2 TBS melted coconut oil, and grated lemon rind to the dry ingredients and mix until well-combined.
4. Pour batter into greased measuring cup and microwave for 90 seconds. Check cake, and if top is still wet, microwave in 20 second increments until done. Do not overcook.
5. Let cool in cup for 1-2 minutes, the put small plate over cup and turn over. Banana bread will slide onto plate. Let cool completely.

For pudding
1 recipe Paleo microwave banana bread (above)
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 banana, sliced
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 TBS maple sugar or coconut sugar
1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
Boiling water
1/2 cup cream from top of canned coconut milk, sweetened to taste with maple syrup for topping pudding, optional
2 four-inch oven-proof ramekins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease ramekins with ghee
3. Slice, then cube banana bread. Gently toast bread cubes until slightly dry, then divide evenly between the ramekins. Top with banana slices.
4. Beat the egg, egg yolk and maple sugar until smooth. Add the 1 cup coconut milk and mix until well-blended. Strain the mix and pour over cubed banana bread.
5. Put the ramekins in a baking dish. Boil water and pour into baking dish, being careful that water does not get into ramekins. Water should reach one inch up the sides of ramekins.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until custard is set. Serve warm with sweetened coconut cream, if desired.
​

Frankly, our Little House matzo was inedible. Probably more like hard tack, which was appropriate, given the Laura Ingalls Wilder thing we were doing. If you want to make your own Paleo matzo, go to Elana Amsterdam's website, www.elanaspantry.com, as she has a really doable recipe which I can vouch for. There is also a matzo recipe in a Paleo book that just came out, The New Yiddish Kitchen,  by Simone Miller and Jennifer Robins, but I haven't tried any of the recipes yet.

I recently learned what the word "hack" means (doing something that demonstrates cleverness or ingenuity; solves a meaningful problem; and is not a common solution to the problem) and I came up with my own. 

Paleo Coconut Wraps (available from www.julianbakery.com), when lightly toasted, make an acceptable matzo substitute. It won't be strictly kosher, as matzo must contain grain, but it will be Paleo and it won't taste like hard tack (and it's square, like real matzo!).

All you have to do is prick the wrap lightly with a fork (so it looks more like, well, matzo) put it on the tray in the toaster oven (don't put directly on the rack, as wrap contains coconut oil which could drip on coils and cause a fire) and toast VERY carefully for about 15 seconds, as it can burn easily. And handle carefully, as it is even more fragile than real matzo.

That's it...easy, right? Pretty good when spread with ghee and sprinkled with coarse sea salt, too!

Since this is even better the next day, heated up, it's a good idea to make it the day before.

Ingredients
3-4 pound beef brisket
2 TBS coconut or grape seed oil
2 large onions, sliced
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I use Imagine brand), plus more if needed
1 bay leaf
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS coconut sugar
2 TBS Paleo-friendly ketchup (or make your own, just google Paleo ketchup for recipe)
1/3 cup raisins
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, brown onions in oil, then remove them from pan (leave oil in pot)
2. Brown brisket on all sides in the same pot, then add onions back
3. Add stock and bay leaf
4. Cover tightly and simmer for one hour, adding hot stock from time to time to prevent burning
5. Add vinegar and brown sugar, cover pot, and simmer for another hour.
6. Add ketchup and raisins, cover and cook for another half hour until meat is tender.
​

When my cousin Rick brought his fiancée, Flo, to Passover, we knew she would fit right in with the family, because she loved good food, just like the rest of us.
​
Over the years, Flo's Kisses, chocolate chip meringues, have been a hit on the dessert table, rivaled only by my Aunt Toby's chocolate mousse (see recipe, below). The little kids, especially, gobble them right up. And they recently became even sweeter when Flo told me that she still has the original recipe card, written in her late mother's handwriting, carefully preserved in plastic wrap, and that in her family they were called Prawny's Kisses, named for a cousin who loved prawns. 

These become Paleo by using coconut sugar (which makes them darker than those used in the original recipe) and Paleo-friendly chocolate.

Do not try to make these on a damp or rainy day. They'll end up really sticky instead of crisp.
​

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup coconut sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz. chocolate chips or 4 oz. chocolate medallions (Foods Alive, www.foodsalive.com, makes Paleo friendly chocolate medallions made from cacao beans, coconut sugar and cacao butter; there are several other brands of chips that are made without soy or dairy, although they do contain sugar. Not strictly Paleo, but so much better than commercial brands, that they'll do in a pinch. If you use the medallions, break each one in half)

Parchment paper lined baking tray

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. With hand mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form
3. Fold in the coconut sugar, salt, vanilla and chocolate chips or medallions
4. Drop by tablespoon full onto parchment lined pan
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Cool for 5 minutes.

What? You don't think chocolate mousse is a traditional Passover food? You would if you attended our family Seders. My Aunt Toby, who is almost 92, has made this luscious dessert for the last 50 years or more. Trust me, if the Israelites had tasted it, it would be part of the Seder plate. And this Paleo version ( which uses coconut milk instead of heavy cream) is kosher for Passover, because there is no dairy in it.
​
Note: This recipe contains raw eggs, as do most traditional mousse recipes. Not recommended for young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.
​

​Ingredients
3 eggs, separated; put each egg yolk in a separate small bowl
4 oz. Paleo-friendly chocolate, like Foods Alive Chocolate Medallions
1 1/2 tsp coffee (liquid)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cream from the top of one can unsweetened organic coconut milk (Native Forest or Natural Value are good brands), refrigerated over night. 
Maple syrup (Note: depending on the sweetness of your chocolate, you may want to add maple syrup to the coconut milk as you whip it, before you add it to the rest of the mousse. Foods Alive Medallions, which I used in this recipe, are 66% cacao, so I added 2 1/2 TBS of maple syrup)

1. Carefully melt the chocolate over hot water in a double boiler, or in a microwave. Stir in the coffee and let cool.
2. Use hand mixer to beat egg whites into stiff peaks.  
3. In a separate bowl, whip coconut milk until fluffy (with maple syrup if you think the  chocolate isn't sweet enough)
4. After chocolate has cooled , beat in egg yolks, one at a time, with an electric beater. When all of the yolks have been incorporated into the chocolate, beat in the vanilla extract.
5. Carefully fold beaten egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in half of the whipped coconut milk into the mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve (at least two hours).
6. Sweeten the rest of the whipped coconut milk with maple syrup ( if you haven't already sweetened it) and refrigerate. This will be the topping for the mousse.
7. Serve mousse with sweetened whipped coconut milk on top.
​

The photo on the left, below, is my daughter on her second birthday, 37 years ago. From the time she could talk, she requested that cake for every birthday. The photo on the right is her son, my younger grandson, picking strawberries here in Maine last year. You can bet that those berries (the ones that were left after he and his brother filled their bellies in the field) went into some delicious Paleo shortcakes.
​

Ingredients
For biscuit
1 large egg white
3 TBS almond or cashew flour
2 tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 1/4 tsp ghee, refrigerated until cold
1 tsp ghee for greasing measuring cup

For strawberries
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 tsp coconut sugar

​For whipped topping
Cream from top of one can organic coconut milk (refrigerate for a few hours so cream will be solid)
Maple syrup to taste
(Note: Since this cake is only one serving, you may not want to use all the whipped coconut cream...that's a lot of calories! Save the rest for another day)

1 whole strawberry for garnish

1. Mix sliced strawberries with 1 tsp coconut sugar ( or more, depending on the sweetness of your strawberries) and set aside
2.Melt the 1 tsp ghee in a two cup glass measuring cup in the microwave. Carefully rotate the cup until the melted ghee coats the bottom and sides. Pour out and discard excess.
3.Whisk egg whites until frothy; set aside
4. In a bowl, whisk almond (or cashew) and coconut flours, baking powder, salt and 1 tsp coconut sugar
5. With your fingers, mix in the cold ghee until mixture is crumbly. Put in refrigerator for 10 minutes, then remove and fold in egg white.
6. Scoop batter into the greased measuring cup and microwave for 60 seconds. Remove from microwave and check for doneness. It may need a little more time, but microwave in 20 second increments. If it cooks too long, biscuit will harden.
7. Cool in cup for 1-2 minutes, then place small plate over cup and turn over. Biscuit will drop onto plate. Do not assemble cake until,biscuit is fully cooled.
8. Remove can of coconut milk from refrigerator and scoop cream from the top into a bowl. Using hand mixer, mix until fluffy. Stir in maple syrup to taste.
9. To assemble short cake, place biscuit on a plate, top with sliced strawberries and the strawberry syrup that has accumulated in the bowl, then top with whipped coconut cream and garnish with whole strawberry.
​

Ingredients
For cake
4 Tbs almond or cashew flour
3 tsp coconut flour
1 TBS flax seed  meal (ground flax seeds)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
1/2 banana, mashed with a fork
1 Tbs raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 TBS coconut oil melted in microwave
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp coconut oil for greasing measuring cup

For whipped topping
1 recipe whipped coconut cream topping (see Strawberry Shortcake recipe, above)

For banana filling and topping
1/2 banana, sliced
​

1. Melt the one tsp coconut oil in 2-cup glass measuring cup in microwave.  Carefully rotate the cup until the oil coats the bottom and sides. Pour out and discard the excess.
2. Whisk all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add mashed banana, honey, vanilla, egg, 2 TBS melted coconut oil, and grated lemon rind to the dry ingredients pand mix until well-combined.
4. Pour batter into greased measuring cup and microwave for 90 seconds. Check cake and if still wet, microwave in 20 second increments until done. Do not overcook.
5. Let cool in cup for 1-2 minutes, then put small plate over cup and turn over. Cake will slide onto plate. Let cool completely.
6. Slice cake in half, horizontally, to create two layers.
7. Smooth half the whipped topping on the top of the bottom layer, cover that with sliced bananas and place top layer on top of the bananas
8. Smooth the rest of the whipped topping on the top layer, then garnish with the rest of the sliced bananas.

Ingredients
For cake
4 TBS almond or cashew flour
4 tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
Juice and grated zest from 1/2 large lemon
2 eggs
3 TBS raw honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut oil to grease measuring cup

For whipped topping
1 recipe whipped coconut cream topping (see Strawberry Shortcake recipe, above), combined with 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 thin slice fresh lemon, for garnish
​

1. Melt the 2 tsp coconut oil in a 2-cup glass measuring cup in a microwave
2. In a bowl, whisk together the almond (or cashew) flour, the coconut flour, the baking powder and sea salt
3. Add lemon juice and zest, eggs, honey and vanilla extract and mix well until all ingredients are combined
4. Pour batter into greased measuring cup and cook in microwave for 90 seconds. Check cake and if still wet, cook in 20 second increments until cake is done. Be careful not to overcook.
5. Let cool in cup for 1-2 minutes, then put small plate over cup and turn over. Cake will slide onto plate.
6. When cake is completely cool, slice in half horizontally to create 2 layers.
7. Smooth half the whipped topping over bottom layer, and place top layer on bottom layer.
8. Top with the rest of the whipped topping and garnish with lemon slice.

Spoiler alert: This cake is pretty labor intensive for a tiny little cake, but I wanted to see if it could be done in a microwave. It can, and it is delicious, but I think that when I  make it again, it will be a full-sized cake, baked in the oven (which only takes 15 minutes). So, for the holidays next winter, I will include a recipe for a full-sized Bûche de Noël for your enjoyment ( just be sure to invite a lot of people over because you do not want leftovers of this creamy, chocolaty delight calling to you from the fridge, trust me).

​Ingredients
For cake
1/2 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
1 tsp tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
2 eggs, separated
1/2 TBS cacao or organic cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp coconut oil for greasing glass loaf pan

Parchment paper to line bottom of pan
Clean dish towel for rolling cake

For vanilla filling
1/2 cup cream from top of can of organic coconut milk (put can in refrigerator for a few hours to harden cream)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For chocolate frosting (from Elana's Pantry, www.elanaspantry.com)
1/4 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips or chunks (I use Foods Alive Chocolate Medallions, which are sweetened with coconut sugar)
2 TBS coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sprig of fresh mint for garnish
​

1.  Melt coconut oil in glass loaf pan (8 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 4 1/2); swirl oil around so sides and bottom of pan are greased, cut parchment paper to size and put in bottom of pan
2. Whisk together the maple or coconut sugar with tapioca or arrowroot to make powdered sugar, or shake these ingredients in a covered jar until combined.
3. With hand mixer at high speed, mix egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup powdered maple or coconut sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. In a separate bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat yolks until they are thick. At low speed, beat in 1/4 cup maple or coconut sugar and 1 1/2 TBS cacao or cocoa powder. Fold yolk mixture into whites and spread batter over parchment paper in loaf pan.
5. Microwave for 60 seconds, then check. If still very wet on top, microwave in 20 second increments. Take cake out when still slightly damp on top. It will firm up when it cools.
6. Sprinkle dish towel with additional cacao or cocoa powder. Invert the cake onto the part of the towel covered with the cacao powder, then peel off parchment paper.
7. From the narrow end, roll the cake in the towel. Place on a rack to cool.
8. For vanilla filling, beat 1/2 cup hardened coconut cream, 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract in a small bowl with mixer at medium speed until mixture is fluffy
9. For chocolate frosting, melt chocolate chunks with 2 TBS coconut oil and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in microwave in 20 second increments. Stir between increments.Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
10. To assemble Bûche, unroll cake and remove towel. Spread top with vanilla filling and roll up again, from narrow end. Place cake seam-side down on small plate and spread with chocolate frosting. Garnish with mint sprig and serve.

I ate gumbo all over New Orleans, and I think that this Paleo version compares with the best of them. A word about okra, which is an essential component of this dish. Eaten by itself, this vegetable is an acquired taste. I didn't grow up in the South, so I had never seen it before my mother placed this slimy, hairy disgusting vegetable on my plate when I was about 8 or 9. I don't know what she was thinking: it was completely gross. We had the one-bite rule in our house, which meant that even if you didn't like something, you had to at least taste it. So, with tears running down my cheeks, I put a bite of okra in my mouth and promptly vomited (yes, at the table). That was the first and last time my mother ever served it. But years later, I ate pickled okra (delicious). And curried okra in Indian restaurants is fabulous, as is this gumbo. So, I am an okra convert.

Ingredients
1 lb. raw shrimp in shell
5 cups water
8 oz. bottled clam juice
2 onions, one quartered and one chopped
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup bacon grease (or coconut oil)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb Paleo-friendly spicy sausage, sliced (I used Island Acres Farm Lemon-Pepper Chicken Sausages from my local food co-op, which are fully-cooked, but you can also use uncooked. Just make sure that sausages are free of bread crumbs and other non-Paleo ingredients)
1 10 oz. package frozen, sliced okra, or a pound of fresh okra, sliced
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp sea salt
A few grindings of black pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
A few drops Paleo-friendly hot pepper sauce, like Frank's
Chopped parsley for garnish
Cauliflower rice for serving ( 1/2 cauliflower head, broken into flowerets and processed in food processor until it resembles grains of rice. Sauté in a little coconut oil until "rice" is cooked through).

​1. Shell and devein the shrimp. Put the shelled shrimp in the refrigerator.
2. To make the broth, put the shells in a pot with the water, the clam broth, the quartered onion and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes. Strain,  reserve the broth, and discard the shells, onion and bay leaf.
3. To make the roux, melt the bacon grease (or the coconut oil) in a heavy skillet and stir in the coconut and almond flours. Stir constantly over low/medium heat until the roux is smooth and the color of peanut butter. (The nice thing about a Paleo roux is that it takes a lot less time than one made with wheat flour, which could take 30 minutes or more). Turn off the heat and keep stirring for a few minutes more.
4. In a heavy soup pot, melt the ghee and sauté the chopped onion, celery and green pepper (the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking) until they are soft, but not brown.
5. Add the sausage and  the okra. Cook until the okra stops giving off white "threads."
6. Add remaining bay leaves, salt, black pepper, cayenne and a few drops hot pepper sauce. Add stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, partly cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
7. Whisk the roux into the mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for another 40 minutes. Stir from time to time.
8. While gumbo is cooking, make the cauliflower "rice" (see directions, above).
9. Add the shrimp to the gumbo and cook until shrimp turn pink, about 2-3 minutes.
10. Put cauliflower "rice" in bowls and top with gumbo. Garnish with chopped parsley. Provide hot sauce at the table for those who like their gumbo really spicy.
​

Beignets are traditionally served with café au lait at the world-famous Café du Monde in New Orleans. They're actually fried dough with powdered sugar...so, not Paleo. In keeping with the New Orleans theme of this post, I tried this recipe for baked beignets from Paleo Fox and ...o.k., they weren't exactly Café du Monde, but they were yummy. They were more like...

"Kichel!" said my husband at first bite. And he was right. They tasted just like the old Manischewitz Egg Kichels, airy, eggy cookies which were the same as Stella d'Oro Egg Biscuits (only one company was Jewish and the other Italian). Drizzled with honey, they also reminded me a little bit of Mexican sopapillas. And, true confession here, I like the idea of beignets better than the real things (too greasy), so these Paleo quasi-beignets are just perfect for me! Add a cup of café au lait (half coffee, half warmed full-fat canned coconut milk) and you can almost hear the Zydeco!

French lesson for today: Zydeco is the music of French-speaking Creoles in southwest Louisiana. The word comes from the French "les haricots"--pronounce the "s" like a "z"--meaning "beans," more specifically from the phrase "Les haricots sont pas  salés (the beans aren't salty) a colloquial expression meaning "Times are hard."
​

Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 large eggs
Raw honey, for drizzling
Powdered maple sugar (2 TBS maple sugar, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot).

Equipment: 12 silicon muffin cups, cookie sheet;  OR pastry bag and greased cookie sheet

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine coconut oil, coconut milk, salt and vanilla in a small saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and let boil vigorously for 5-6 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, pour into food processor and add the tapioca flour all at once. Process until thoroughly mixed and it starts to thicken.
3. Put mixture back in saucepan and heat over medium heat , stirring, until it thickens into a sticky dough.
4. Put dough back in food processor. Process for 2-3 minutes, then add eggs and process for 2-3 minutes longer until thoroughly mixed.
5. Put the silicon cups on a cookie sheet and fill the cups half full ( I have just discovered these and I think they are fabulous. You don't have to grease them and the beignets pop right out when they are baked) or, as in the original recipe, spoon dough into pastry bag and pipe into squares on a greased ( with a little coconut oil) cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
8. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with powdered maple sugar (and try not to eat 4 of them in a sitting, as I did!).
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Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, in one piece
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp coconut sugar
A few grindings of black pepper
2 medium sweet potatoes or Japanese yams, cubed (I used Japanese yams, which look like regular white potatoes, except that they're not)
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
A few grindings black pepper
2 TBS coconut oil
A few large handfuls mixed baby greens, baby kale, arugula, etc.
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
2 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
Hot sauce ( made with Paleo-friendly ingredients), optional
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1. The day before you are going to make the bowl, score fat side of pork belly and use fork to prick holes on the lean side. Mix 2 tsp salt, coconut sugar and pepper and rub into all sides of pork belly. Put it into a zip lock plastic bag and let sit in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

2. After meat has marinated for its allotted time, preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove pork belly from bag. Dry thoroughly with paper towels and put on a rack in a roasting pan.

3. Roast for 1 1/4 hours, or until top is crisp and browned.

4. Meanwhile, salt and pepper sweet potato cubes and melt coconut oil in frying pan. Sauté sweet potatoes, stirring frequently until almost done.

5. Add shallots and sauté with sweet potatoes until both are nicely crisp.

6. Dress salad greens with oil, lemon juice and salt, toss, and divide into two bowls.

7. Divide sweet potatoes and put on top of salad in bowls.

8. Slice pork belly and put two or three slices on top of each portion of sweet potatoes.

​9. Melt ghee and fry eggs, then top each bowl with a fried egg. And avocado slices. Add your favorite Paleo-friendly hot sauce , if you like, and serve.
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I first encountered the California Pizza Kitchen years ago in Baltimore, not in California, and, although I was not exactly a pizza fanatic at the time,their BBQ chicken pizza blew me away. Here's a Paleo version that's even better:
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Ingredients
​
For crust
2 or more cups almond flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Parchment paper

For topping
1 1/2 cups cut up roast chicken
1/2 cup prepared or homemade BBQ sauce (a little cheat here if you don't make your own--the sauce I found, Scratch, did contain organic cane sugar, but otherwise was close enough to Paleo-friendly)
3/4 cup Paleo mozzarella cheese , grated( see Paleogram post from 12/30/15, Meat-free Mondays)
2 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/2 avocado, sliced
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1.Place a pizza stone in the oven, then preheat to 375 degrees. 
2. Combine dry ingredients in food processor
3. Add water and olive oil to dry ingredients and combine until dough forms a ball. Add more almond flour if necessary.
4. Put dough on a large piece of parchment paper and cover with a second piece of parchment paper.
5. Roll out to desired thickness (you want it to be more of a flatbread pizza than a Sicilian pie).  Then remove top sheet of paper, prick crust all over with fork and carefully transfer dough to pizza stone in oven, removing the bottom sheet of parchment paper. 
6. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until crust starts to turn color and crisp up
7. Mix chicken with BBQ sauce and scatter over pizza then top with grated Paleo mozzarella.
8. Put back in oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts.
9. Remove from oven and top with salad greens and avocado.
10. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
11. Slice and serve.