When my kids were little, we lived in the Hudson Valley of New York State, in a  fixer-upper house that never quite got fixed up. When my son had an allergic reaction to cow's milk, we were advised to start him on goat's milk. Back in the day, goat's milk was not readily available at the local grocery and health food stores were few and far between. So, we schlepped each week , recyclable bottles in tow, to a local farmer for our supply. Eventually, it seemed to make sense to milk our own goats (it didn't make that much sense in mid-winter when we trudged to the barn twice a day to milk them, though). Anyway, we had LOTS of milk, so I made yogurt and cheese. It was kind of a production, with precise temperatures and timing and special equipment. The kids didn't even like it. A lot of work for very little payback.

          Fast forward thirty-some odd years, and I am once again making yogurt and cheese (well, cream cheese, anyway), but this time with coconut milk and without all the paraphernalia. It's easy, fun, and, oh yes, delicious.

Coconut Yogurt
Makes about 1 pint

           This summer, my cousin Amy came for a visit and brought a rare and coveted gift, a container of Anita's Creamline Coconut Yogurt. I practically swooned when I tasted it and made up my mind to put in a standing order. Alas, Anita's is only available in New York City and they will not ship it no matter how hard you beg or grovel. When I looked up recipes for this yogurt, they all required hacking up baby coconuts to extract the meat. Way too labor-intensive, so I reconciled myself to no yogurt. But then I wondered what would happen if I used canned coconut milk, instead. And guess what, it's really, really good--not quite the amazing, sensual taste sensation of Anita's, but perfectly wonderful if you live in rural Maine and get to New York City maybe once every couple of years.

Ingredients
-Cream from the top of one can of coconut milk, plus enough coconut water from the can to make a smooth yogurt (I use Native Forest Unsweetened Organic Classic Coconut Milk. This brand contains organic guar gum, but when I tried this with a brand without guar gum, the texture was unacceptable. In any case, do not use reduced-fat coconut milk--unless you want to make kefir) If your kitchen is very warm, you can put the can in the refrigerator overnight before you use it so cream will thicken.
-Contents of one probiotic capsule

1. Scoop the cream from the top of the can and put it in a bowl. Add as much of the liquid from the bottom of the can as you like--if you want a thick, Greek-type yogurt, just add enough so you can stir the mixture; if you like traditional yogurt, add a little more liquid. Do not use the whole can or yogurt will not thicken properly.
2. Empty the contents of probiotic capsule into the cream and stir until well-combined. An immersion blender helps if there are lumps of coconut cream in the mixture.
3. Pour into sterile glass jar, cover, and place in a turned-off oven for 24 hours.
4. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Paleo Sour Cream
Makes about 1 pint

                 When my siblings and I were very young, sour cream and bananas was a favorite dinner choice. I don't remember if this was offered as the actual dinner, or maybe the alternative when we turned our noses up at what my mother put on the table (liver and onions, perhaps?). I actually loathed bananas, and this was the only way I would eat them. It still is, but now my sour cream is made with coconut milk. The bananas, however, are still made with bananas     
​ ( just slice them into a bowl and top with sour cream--voila, instant kid dinner. Or, even better, use coconut yogurt in place of the sour cream, add a tablespoon of raw organic hemp seeds, and you have a healthy adult breakfast).

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk (see yogurt recipe for information)
1 TBS fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt to taste

1. Scoop cream from top of coconut milk into bowl
2. Add lemon juice and salt to taste and mix thoroughly
3. Use in any recipe that calls for sour cream (like my Aunt Honey's Sorrel Soup, see below)

Paleo Cream Cheese

Ingredients
Same as for Paleo Sour Cream, above

1. Follow recipe for Paleo Sour Cream, above
2. Line a strainer with an unbleached coffee filter and place strainer over bowl, then add Paleo sour cream
3. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave on counter overnight so liquid can drain
4. Remove coffee filter and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate and use as you would any conventional cream cheese (yes, you can still have lox and bagels on Paleo--check out Elana Amsterdam's recipe for Paleo bagels on her website www.elanaspantry.com)

Aunt Honey's Sorrel Soup (Schav)
Serves 4

                  My mother was the oldest of 6 girls, and was 20 years older than her youngest sister, so I have several aunts who are not much older than I am. The following recipe, adapted for Paleo, is from my second youngest aunt, who always signs her letters to me FYAHWLY (from your Aunt Honey what loves you). As of mid-October, I still have sorrel (a lemony-tasting green) in the garden. It's a perennial and I planted it just for this soup (it also makes a great sauce for salmon).

Ingredients
3 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic (I omit this, because garlic doesn't like me)
1/4 cup ghee
Sorrel leaves (remove stalks and large veins), coarsely shredded, approximately 8-10 cups
2 TBS vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt, pepper to taste
4 cups low sodium chicken stock (I use Imagine brand)
1 egg, beaten
Paleo sour cream (see above) to garnish

1. Sauté onion (and garlic, if using) in ghee until golden
2. Add sorrel leaves, and cook, covered, until wilted (about 5 minutes)
3. Add stock, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook, covered, about 30 minutes
4. When ready to serve, beat egg in a small bowl, add a little hot soup to the bowl  and then return the mixture to the pot. Stir well. Do not allow the soup to boil or the egg to set.
5. Serve at once with a dollop of sour cream.

So, anyway, in order to keep from getting tired of this meal, I follow a few simple rules...hmmm, I seem to recognize a pattern here: Simple...Easy...:
   1. Make it beautiful: We eat with our eyes as well as our mouths. Herbs and edible flowers can turn
everyday salads into delicious works of art.
   2. Make it big...in fact, make it humongous. You can always finish it as a snack later in the day (although that's never been an issue for me...I eat every last mouthful at lunch).
   3. Vary the ingredients--the more veggies the better, and change up the protein and garnishes.
   4. Whenever possible, grow your own salad and go for the unusual. That means you need to plan ahead. When you are drooling over the seed catalogues next winter ( and judging from the temperature in Maine this morning, that's going to be sooner than we think),opt for the exotic like tatsoi, mizzuna, arugula, mesclun, mustard greens, as well as romaine, kale, and some of the more unusual lettuces. And don't forget the herbs...I especially like mint in salads.

Choose an assortment from each category, below:

Greens: Kale, romaine, lettuce, mesclun, arugula, mizzuna, tatsoi, etc., washed, dried and torn into pieces

Other vegetables: Carrots, cucumber, fennel, radishes, sugar snap peas, haricots verts, leftover roasted vegetables like beets and cauliflower, and avocado ( yes, I know it's a fruit)

Herbs: Mint, dill, parsley, savory, etc.

Add-ins: Sliced apples, raisins, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, raw nuts, dried cranberries (only without oil, and sweetened with fruit juice), and edible flowers such as nasturtiums and marigold petals

Protein, choose one: Canned wild-caught sardines in water, drained; small can tuna or salmon in water, drained; hard-boiled eggs, leftover chicken, meat or fish

1. Toss the greens in a salad bowl
2. Add your choice of other ingredients from the list, above
3. Toss with "The Only Salad Dressing You'll Ever Need ( and the easiest, too)

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 TBS olive oil ( I like Trader Joe's Sicilian Olive Oil)
Pinch of coarse sea salt

1. Shake ingredients together in a jar and pour over salad and toss ( or, if you don't feel like getting a jar dirty, just squeeze the lemon juice onto the salad, drizzle the olive oil over it, add a pinch of salt, and toss...see, I told you it was easy).

One of the easiest dinners ever, and also one of my husband's favorites. The only cooking you have to do is hard-boil the eggs, cook potatoes in a little salted water, and ditto the string beans.

You will notice that there are both potatoes and tomatoes in the accompanying photo. While tomatoes are technically o.k. on Paleo, if you are experiencing inflammation, joint pain, etc., best to steer clear of all nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers). The Paleo jury is out on potatoes ( but sweet potatoes are definitely a Paleo staple), but, again, if you are avoiding nightshades, best to skip them, too. I skip them both, but serve them because my husband could live on potatoes and tomatoes. But not to worry, there are enough
ingredients in this salad so that you will never miss them.

In addition, you can add sliced radishes, avocado slices, canned artichoke hearts (drained), hearts of palm, pitted black olives.

1. Place greens on platter
2. Arrange other ingredients on top of greens
3. Serve with "The Only Salad Dressing You'll Ever Need", see recipe above.

Surprisingly, zucchini did not run rampant in my garden this summer. Not so the pattypan squash: Every day, there would be at least 2 to 3 bright yellow frisbee-sized squash waiting for me. You can make this soup, an adaptation of Molly O'Neill's recipe from the NY Times Cooking website, with any summer squash.

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium ( or one giant) zucchini or pattypan squash, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch cayenne
1 tsp sea salt
Ground pepper to taste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I use Imagine brand)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (I use Native Forest Classic, not low-fat)
2 tsp chopped mint

1. Heat oil in large pan. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the salt and spices, then stir in the broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft, about 25 minutes.
4. Use immersion blender to purée soup
5. Serve with chopped mint to garnish.