Blog

THAT'S Italian!

6/21/2017

When my kids were little, I labored over a hot stove, as it were, to create authentic Italian spaghetti sauce. One night, running late for a Little League game, I opened a jar of Ragu.

I felt guilty.

They loved it. ("Oooh, make this again, Mommy. This is the best sauce you ever made!")

And that was the end of my spaghetti sauce making....

Until I switched to Paleo and then I was back to making my own sauce because most jarred sauces out there aren't organic, have added sugar, and, frankly, don't taste all that great.

I recently got an email from a representative of Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties. She had stumbled across my blog and wondered if I'd be interested in trying their sauces, which are not only organic, but certified Paleo, as well.

Well, of course I would! As you might remember, in my last blog post, I extolled the virtues of slow cooking. But sometimes, you just want to get something on the table in a hurry, and a jar of spaghetti sauce, some meatballs that you cooked months ago and pulled out of the freezer this morning, and Miracle Noodle Fettuccine just hits the spot. And besides, somebody at Uncle Steve's slowly cooked that sauce with love, so that has to count for something.

Uncle Steve's is the kind of spaghetti sauce your grandmother would make if you had an Italian nonna, which I didn't. I had an immigrant Jewish grandmother who was a wonderful cook, but whose idea of American food was spaghetti slathered in ketchup with fried fish on the side.

Steve Schirripa, who, In addition to making some pretty great spaghetti sauces, is an actor (The Sopranos) and author, did have an Italian nonna, hence the inspiration for the sauces. And inspired they are. The cost is comparable to the organic spaghetti sauces sold in my local health food store and the taste is so much better. To find Uncle Steve's products, go to the website: www.unclestevesny.com

Meatballs,Miracle Noodles and Uncle Steve's Marinara Sauce
Serves 2, with leftover meatballs

1 recipe Paleo meatballs, below
2 packages Miracle Noodles Fettuccini or Angel Hair
1 jar Uncle Steve's Marinara Sauce
Nutritional yeast (in place of grated Parmesan) for serving

Paleo Meatballs

(This makes about 40; freeze the rest for those nights when you just want
to throw dinner together). You can actually use your favorite meatball recipe and just substitute almond flour for the breadcrumbs, Here's mine.

1 lb. ground grass-fed beef
1 lb. ground organic pork
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
3/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper
3. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (I like to use my hands, just remember to take off your rings first)
4. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until done (you don't want them pink inside because of the pork)
6. About 15 minutes before serving, add the meatballs to the sauce and heat until hot.
7. Prepare Miracle Noodles according to package directions (easy, just rinse, throw into boiling water for one minute, then drain)
8. Serve pasta topped with sauce and meatballs and sprinkle with nutritional yeast, if desired.

Paleo Chicken "Parmesan"

Miyoko's Vegan Mozzarella, made with cashew nuts, is another cool Paleo-friendly product. Paired with fried chicken cutlets and Uncle Steve's Tomato Basil Sauce, it makes a creamy, delicious Chicken Parm, which isn't really parm because there's no real cheese in it. Whatever. Even my non-Paleo husband pronounced it "outstanding."

"You're eating vegan cheese, you know."

He shrugged, reached for another helping and said "Doesn't matter, it's fab! Love this sauce!"

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup tapioca flour
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
Grapeseed or coconut oil for frying
1 jar Steve's Marinara or Tomato Basil Sauce (or Arrabiata Sauce if you like it spicy)
8 ounces Miyoko's VeganMozz Cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pound chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper until chicken is 1/4 inch thin; cut into serving pieces.
3. Mix tapioca flour, salt, pepper and dried oregano in a bowl and dredge each piece of chicken in mixture.
4. Heat oil in pan and fry chicken pieces until golden brown on each side. Remove from pan and drain chicken on paper towels.
5. Pour about 1/3 of a jar of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a shallow rectangular baking dish.
5. Place 1/2 of the chicken breasts on top of the sauce, then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella, and another 1/3 of sauce.
6. Make another layer of the rest of the chicken breasts, top with the rest of the sauce, then cover with the rest of the mozzarella
7. Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

2 Comments

Slow and Steady

5/3/2017

2 Comments

So, thinking that I had overcome my fear of burning the house down with an unwatched pot, I bought myself a slow cooker a couple of years ago. It was going to change my life. I could turn it on in the morning, go out for the day, and come home to a fully cooked meal with only one pot to clean! The problem is, I never got over that primal fear about burning my house down (I unplug the toaster oven every night because somewhere I think I read that a turned off, plugged-in toaster once burned a house down, and when we go on vacation I unplug the iron, the TV, etc. It drives my husband crazy and he assures me that a turned off, plugged-in appliance won't cause a fire, but I don't believe him). Anyway, the slow cooker mostly sits on the bottom shelf of the kitchen island cart, collecting dust and dog hair (see photo of culprit, below), along with the stand mixer, which was also going to change my life (Spoiler alert: It didn't).

This is the adorable reason my floors and furniture are covered with dog hair,
no matter how much we vacuum!

But hope springs eternal, so I decided to dust off the slow cooker and make Sweet and Sour Pot Roast for Passover this year, (but I ended up staying home the whole time it was cooking, because God forbid the house should burn down while you are cooking for Seder).

The whole idea of cooking something slowly got me to thinking about taking time to cook for loved ones (and, of course, you should count yourself as a loved one!). But, as you may have noticed, this blog has not appeared for several months. I haven't felt like putting my heart into meal prep because said heart has been breaking for our country since last November. And the last several months have been pretty ghastly, right?

But, we still have to eat, and we still have to love each other. So, for me, love made manifest is a delicious, soul-nourishing meal, and that doesn't mean defrosting something in the microwave and slapping it on a plate, but taking time and care. Kind of what we should be doing with anything that is important in our lives, whether it's raising children, planning a career, growing a garden, tending a marriage, or recovering from a broken heart and making damn sure that we work hard and elect sane, compassionate and progressive leaders in the next few years. Slow and steady, and never give up.

I made the following three dishes for our tiny Passover Seder this year. It was just Henry and me, because the extended family Seder was taking place over 500 miles away, too far to drive for one night. But, thanks to speaker-phone, we were able to join the crew for a little while, and got to hear our oldest grandson read about the Exodus from Egypt.

Anyway, this food need not be restricted to holidays, Jewish or other. Make all or some of the dishes when you just want to take the time to show someone how much you love them.

My Mother's Sweet and Sour Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

This recipe first appeared in last year's post, Little Passover on the Prairie. It is always delicious, but this time I prepared it in a slow cooker, which made the meat even more tender.

Ingredients
3-4 pound beef brisket or pot roast
2 large onions
3 TBS grape seed or olive oil
1 cup organic chicken or vegetable stock (I use Imagine brand)
1 bay leaf
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS coconut sugar
1/3 cup raisins
2 TBS organic ketchup

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Brown the onions, then remove from the pot. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
2. Set your slow cooker for low and for 8 hours. Place the browned onions, meat, stock and bay leaf in the cooker and cover.
3. After 6 hours, stir in vinegar and coconut sugar and cover.
4. One hour before meat is done (7 hours) stir in ketchup and raisins and cover until time is up.
5. You can keep the meat warm for several hours in the cooker (it automatically switches to a warming setting) or let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Remove bay leaf and spoon gravy on top of meat.

2-Day Chicken Soup with Paleo Matzoh Balls

You don't have to be Jewish to love matzo balls, and chicken soup is guaranteed to make you feel better, no matter what ails you. My Aunt Toby, who turns 93 this year, is still making this dish for Passover, and her chicken soup and matzo balls are the best, but my Paleo matzo balls are pretty darn good (secret ingredient is chicken fat!) Cooking the soup and letting it sit overnight and then cooking it again the next day, makes it rich and delicious .

Ingredients
3-4 lb chicken, liver and giblets removed
3 quarts organic, low-sodium chicken broth (I use Imagine brand)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, quartered
6 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
18 matzo balls (see recipe, below. You will only need two matzo balls per serving, but the rest can be frozen)

1. Place all ingredients except matzo balls in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat. Simmer, covered for 4-6 hours.
2. Cool, then refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, remove the soup from the refrigerator, and remove most (but not all!) of the hardened fat from the top of the soup. You can keep this fat, refrigerated, for several week, and you can use it for frying, making chopped liver, etc.
4. Remove chicken from the pot and shred the breast meat. Discard the skin. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and save the legs, thighs and wings to serve for another meal.
5. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the soup is ready to serve.
6. Put two matzo balls in each soup bowl, then ladle in soup, making sure each serving has some chicken, carrots, parsnips and celery. A large bowl of this soup makes a hearty meal. If you want to serve the soup as a first course, remove the whole chicken from the pot, reserve for another meal, and just serve the broth with the matzo balls.

Paleo Matzo Balls
Makes 18

The original recipe for this dish comes from Elana's Pantry (elanaspantry.com), but I think my added ingredients make these matzo balls even more traditional. You can make this while the soup is simmering because the mixture needs to be refrigerated for several hours.

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
2 TBS chopped parsley
1/4 cup chicken fat (softened, if it's been in the fridge)
Scant splash of seltzer, optional

1. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, 1 tsp salt, and pepper for two minutes until frothy.
2. Stir in almond flour, chicken fat, parsley and seltzer
3. Refrigerate mixture for 2-4 hours.
4. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the additional teaspoon of salt.
5. Wet your hands and form mixture into 1 inch balls and gently drop into boiling water. Because of the seltzer, the mixture might be a little wet, but its addition makes a lighter matzo ball, I've found.
6. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. If you've made the matzo balls on the second day of soup making, remove from water and put two matzo balls in each bowl and ladle in the soup. If you've made them on the first day, remove from water, let cool, and refrigerate overnight. Reheat for a few minutes in the simmering soup before serving.

Bon Appétit's Best Chocolate Macaroon Cake

This is a cake that is kind of labor intensive, but, oh, the results are SO worth it. I kept cutting off tiny pieces and eating them off the knife and of course that added up to big pieces and a weight gain of a couple of pounds, but I will swim more laps this week to atone (and to be able to zip up my jeans without having to suck in my gut). Condé Nast, the publisher of Bon Appétit wants you to pay royalties if you reprint their recipes, but they are o.k. with providing a link, so here it is: Bon Appétit's Best Chocolate Macaroon Cake

This might be the very best cake I've ever baked.

2 Comments

Put An Egg On It (or In It)

2/2/2017

0 Comments

I love eggs, and every summer (the season of country fairs and blue ribbons for poultry raising) I toy with the idea of raising some backyard chickens, but then I remember that if you are raising chickens in Maine, you need to find a way to heat the chicken coop in the winter (oh, and first you have to buy a chicken coop) and then it becomes very expensive, and my husband has already said absolutely not, and anyway, I'm allergic to feathers. Luckily, I can get organic eggs from free-range chickens each week at our local farmers' market. And no, those are not Easter eggs in the photo, below. The blue eggs come from Americauna chickens, the kind I would raise if I weren't allergic to feathers.

I actually did raise some chickens once...in the basement of our suburban house...for my 8th grade science fair project. I can't even think about it without cringing, because I'm sure it was torture for those poor, caged creatures, but I was convinced I was furthering scientific knowledge and that someday I would win a Nobel Prize for Medicine. Well, yeah, that didn't exactly work out (and I didn't become a ballerina, either). My mother, however, WAS a doctor--a psychiatrist--and encouraged any scientific leanings in her children, no matter how far out (the year before, I experimented on white rats, also caged in the basement, also another cringe-worthy Dr. Frankenstein project).

It just so happened that my mother's office was in our house, next to that self-same basement where the chickens were ensconced. Although she never, ever shared any information about her patients with us (or any information about us with them...whenever a patient was due to arrive or leave, we were not allowed to play outside, because, God forbid, a patient should find out that the shrink had a life), she did tell us the following story:

She had one very anxious patient who seemed to grow more anxious with each office visit. Finally, after weeks of reluctance to speak about what might be causing this stress, she finally confessed to my mother: "Doctor, I think I am going crazy. Every time I come here, I hear chickens!"

And then, good doctor that she was, my mother outed herself, and took the patient into the next room to show her the source of the problem.

Eggs are my go-to food when I don't feel like cooking or eating anything complicated, which has been happening a lot since Election Day. Eggs are delicious, versatile, cheap, and acceptable on almost any diet, unless you are vegan. The following offerings make a quick lunch for one or two.

Turkey Egg Drop Soup
Serves one or two

Round about the third day of leftover turkey soup, much as I love it, I have to change it up a bit. This recipe, such as it is, brings me back to childhood forays to Chinese restaurants where Egg Drop Soup (full of cornstarch and MSG) was an exotic treat.
Follow the recipe for Turkey Soup in my last post, Stone Soup, or use your favorite chicken soup recipe. Bring enough leftover soup for one or two portions to a boil, drop in a handful of fresh spinach (optional, but the color is nice in an otherwise brownish soup after you've eaten all the carrots out of it), and lower heat to a simmer. Lightly beat one egg (or two eggs for two portions) and slowly pour the egg into the soup, stirring the soup with a fork the whole time. Simmer for a minute ( you want the eggs to be wispy, so do not overcook, or you will end up with soupy scrambled eggs) and you have lunch.

For a variation, stir in the juice of half a lemon, as well, and you have Turkey Avgolemono Soup (minus the rice).

Egg on Savory Tapioca
Feeds two, with leftover tapioca

My regular readers know that tapioca pudding is my go-to comfort food and that I ate quite a lot of it preceding and in the aftermath of the election. I'm still in need of comfort, but I'm also trying to cut down on added sweeteners. When my son was a toddler, he wanted pastina EVERY morning for breakfast (the child was a creature of habit: his school lunches, every day for many years, included a peanut butter and honey sandwich). But, about that pastina...who WOULDN'T want it every day: tiny pasta cooked in milk with lots of butter and Parmesan cheese? I always finished what was left in the bowl. He stayed thin. I did not.

Anyway, no pastina or Parmesan on Paleo, but tapioca's o.k. once in awhile. And savory tapioca with an egg on top? Definitely a comforting texture and a high delicious quotient.
(Recipe adapted from Classic Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding on the back of the Bob's Red Mill package)

Ingredients

For Tapioca
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca (do not use instant tapioca)
3/4 cup organic low sodium chicken broth (I use Imagine brand)
2 1/4 cups full-fat organic coconut milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs, separated
1 TBS ghee

For eggs
2 cage-free eggs
1 TBS ghee
Salt and pepper to taste

A couple of handfuls of baby spinach, sautéed in a little olive oil

1. Soak tapioca in chicken broth for 30 minutes in a medium saucepan. Do not drain tapioca after soaking.
2. Add milk, salt and lightly beaten egg yolks to tapioca and stir over medium heat until boiling. Simmer, uncovered, over very low heat, 10-15 minutes. Stir often.
3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Fold about 3/4 cup of hot tapioca into egg whites, then gently fold mixture back into the saucepan. Stir over low heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add 1 TBS ghee, and stir again.
5. Fry eggs in 2nd TBS of ghee; salt and pepper to taste.
6. When ready to serve, divide sautéed spinach into two servings and put on plates. Top spinach with 1/2 cup tapioca for each serving, flatten a little, and top tapioca with a fried egg.

Fried Eggs on Zucchini and Pesto
Serves two

This recipe is from my very first Paleogram post, in September, 2015, when zucchini and the ingredients for pesto were rampant in my garden. Forgive me, I'm usually pretty good about keeping these posts seasonal, but it's February, it's been a rough year, and I could use a little summer right about now. If you were smart and efficient (I wasn't ) you would have made and frozen pesto last summer. If you weren't, a jar of store-bought pesto (as long as all ingredients are Paleo-friendly) would not be cheating here. If you feel the need to make a dynamite pesto from scratch, follow the recipe for Mint-Walnut Pesto in the above-mentioned post.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1-2 TBS olive oil
Salt to taste
2 cage-free eggs
1 TBS ghee or olive oil for frying
Paleo-friendly hot sauce (like Tabasco or Frank's), optional

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange zucchini slices on roasting pan and drizzle with one to two TBS olive oil. Roast for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
2. Fry eggs in 1 TBS ghee or olive oil, basting continuously.
3. Arrange four zucchini slices on each plate, top with 1/4 cup pesto for each serving, and then top each with a fried egg. Add a little hot sauce if you like it spicy.

0 Comments

Stone Soup

1/18/2017

1 Comment

When my kids were little, one of their favorite books was Stone Soup, which was based on an Eastern European folk tale of two hungry soldiers (or peasants or wayfarers depending on which version you subscribe to) who enter a village with a large empty cooking pot. They ask the villagers for food, but the wary people are loathe to give. Then the clever soldiers (or peasants or wayfarers) fill the cauldron with water and put a stone (washed, I hope) in the bottom. They extoll the virtues of Stone Soup but muse on how much better it would be with a carrot. Soon, someone appears with a bunch of carrots. Then the chefs (who are soldiers, peasants or wayfarers) expound on how delicious it is but would be just that much better with a few potatoes. And guess what appears magically from someone's root cellar? And then it's turnips and celery and a chicken and salt and pepper, etc. You get the picture. When the soup is all done, everyone shares, and it's a great lesson in cooperation....or Stronger Together, to borrow from a recent campaign theme that still keeps me going through my post-election despair.

Of course, we made Stone Soup at home, many times, and for years my kids were convinced that it was the (well-scrubbed) stone that made it so yummy. I think they believed that right up until the time they stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus (we were an ecumenical family).

Anyway, it's mid-January and freezing here in Maine, definitely soup weather. The first recipe is a really easy one. You wouldn't believe how good it is, and it doesn't even need a recipe, but it does need a secret ingredient (NOT a stone). This process also helps you clean out your refrigerator (but do not add anything unrecognizable from that Tupperware hidden in the back of the fridge).

Leftovers Soup

Take some recent leftovers ( in the photo I used some duck, collard greens, potatoes, and some onions and sauce from last night's chicken schwarma) and put them in a pot with organic chicken broth (I use Imagine low sodium brand). Then add a few big forkfuls of sauerkraut (the secret ingredient ) and heat up to make an easy lunch. You can use those wilted carrots in the vegetable bin and that slice of onion that will just sit there until you end up throwing it out...you get the picture. If you use raw vegetables, you'll just have to cook it a little longer.

Winter Borscht
6 or more main dish servings

This is a beautiful ruby, red color, and when you mix in the Paleo sour cream, it turns pink. And did I mention that it's also delicious? Especially if you love beets, which I do. Oh, and it's really, really healthy. Which makes the fact that it's a bit labor intensive well worth it.

Ingredients

4 lbs. meaty soup bones
10 cups water
4 TBS ghee (clarified butter)
2 large onions, chopped
2 lbs fresh beets, peeled and grated in a food processor
1 medium celery root (celeriac), if available, peeled and grated in food processor
4 large carrots, grated in food processor
Small head green cabbage, cubed
4 cups canned tomatoes, crushed, with juice, or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp coconut sugar
1 TBS sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 TBS fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 lb boiled potatoes
Paleo sour cream for serving ( use the cream from top of can of organic full-fat coconut milk and mix in lemon juice and sea salt to taste)

1. The night before you are going to serve the soup, place soup bones in large pot, add 10 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Then turn down heat and simmer, covered for about 3-4 hours until meat is tender. Cool and refrigerate. The next day, scoop off the hardened fat and discard, reserving the meat and broth.
2. Melt the ghee in a large soup pan and then sauté the onions over low heat, about 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Add the grated beets, celery root, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, coconut sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, bay leaf, dill, and all of the broth that you cooked the night before (but not the meat). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
4. Cut the meat from the bones, and add meat to the borscht. Heat for a few minutes until meat is hot. Remove the bay leaf.
5. Place a boiled potato in a soup bowl. Ladle borscht over it, dollop with Paleo sour cream and garnish with chopped dill.

Turkey Soup
Makes 4-6 servings

Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving. I cook several turkeys throughout the winter months, mainly for what follows: Turkey Soup, made from the meaty carcass, skin, leftover gravy and a bunch of winter vegetables. This recipe makes lots, so you can freeze some for those night when you just don't feel like cooking. And yes, even Paleogram has lots of those.

Ingredients

Carcass from a roasted turkey, with some meat still attached
Skin and drippings or gravy from the turkey
3 quarts organic chicken broth (I use Imagine low sodium broth)
2 large onions onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 cups cooked turkey meat, cubed
1 bunch parsley, chopped
2 large potatoes, cubed, optional if you do not include potatoes on your Paleo diet
2 TBS chopped dill
2 TBS chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Don't be put off by the two-day process. The first day you put all the makings of the broth in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 6 hours. Then skim the scum off, let cool, and refrigerate over night. The next day, you strain the broth, add some reserved turkey meat and a bunch of cut up vegetables, and cook for an hour or two. And that's it.

1. The day before you are planning to serve this, make the broth. Place cooked turkey carcass, skin, gravy or drippings in a large soup pot and add three quarts of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 6 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, skim the fat from the broth (but leave a little for flavor and richness). Heat the soup until it liquifies and then strain through a colander into another large soup pot. Discard the carcass and skin , but if there are large pieces of meat, you can put them back in the pot.
3. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the broth, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

1 Comment

Whole 30... Just in Time for New Year's

12/28/2016

0 Comments

Ever since about 3 a.m. on the 9th of November, I've been in a funk . Not exactly a "I can't get out of bed and just want to stay there for the next four years" kind of funk (well, actually, it was that way for the first few days), but just a kind of general malaise where nothing seems to interest me except eating what I shouldn't. Yes, it is possible to binge on foods that are perfectly fine on a Paleo diet. There's nothing wrong with eating sweet potato chips made only with sea salt and coconut oil--it's Paleo- but not if you eat the whole bag in one sitting. And sweetening foods with honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar is perfectly Paleo, but not if you're baking with them (and eating the results) 3 or 4 times a week. And then you feel fat and bloated and dyspeptic, and that, of course contributes to the general malaise, and we're back to being depressed again. This past weekend, after eating about 1/4 of a chocolate orange torte, I didn't get out of my p.j's for two days (and you can bet I didn't weigh myself), and felt like I needed to apologize to my husband for sitting across the dinner table from him in my funky pajamas, ratty bathrobe and unwashed hair (you'll notice I was not depressed enough to skip dinner, though).

I can't go on this way for the next four years. So, just in time for a New Year, I'm reinvestigating the Whole 30 meal plan, devised by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. The Whole 30 is kind of like a Paleo regime on steroids: all of the normal Paleo no-no's: no grains, legumes, soy, dairy, corn, plus no sweeteners (except what is naturally found in fruit), no baked goods and no "treats" ( like the aforementioned sweet potato chips). Nut, tapioca and arrowroot flours may be used, but only for things like thickening sauces or as a binder (think crab cakes) not to bake Paleo breads, cakes, muffins, cookies, pies, etc. The idea is to help you get over your sugar and baked goods cravings.

Oh, and you have to follow it for 30 days (duh, that's why it's called the Whole 30). If you slip, you have to start over again, AND, you can't weigh yourself for 30 days. Really? For some people, that could be the hardest part.

Will you miss desserts? Yes, especially at first. Will you miss the sugar (or in my case, honey, maple sugar and coconut sugar)-induced food coma after lunch? Nope.

So, for your New Year's present, I went through all of my past blog posts and picked out a few recipes that would comply with a Whole 30. No, sorry, not the Strawberry Shortcake or the Paleo Sandwich Bread, but a perfectly delicious, perfectly legal main dish and a side, as well as a brand new Paleo breakfast porridge. I've purposely included some fairly simple recipes, because you may be impatient and grouchy at first when you start this regime.

I suggest that if you are going to try the Whole 30, you do some research on line and/or buy the Hartwigs' book, The Whole 30.

Roast Chicken with Braised Carrots and Radishes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 organic roasting chicken, about 4-5 pounds
1/2 lemon
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 TBS dried herbes de Provence
1 bunch baby carrots, peeled
1 bunch radishes, leaves and stems removed, cut in half lengthwise
2 TBS duck fat, chicken fat or ghee, melted
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon over chicken, then place in cavity along with rosemary sprigs.Sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
3. Place chicken, breast side up,on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1/2 hour, basting with pan juices from time to time.
4. After half an hour, turn chicken over, being careful not to tear skin(but don't worry if you do...it will still taste delicious).
5. Roast chicken for another 1/2 hour, basting from time to time, then turn chicken breast side up again and continue roasting another 20 minutes or so until leg joint moves easily and juices run clear (not pink) when thigh is pierced.
6. While chicken is roasting, prepare vegetables: Melt duck or chicken fat or ghee in a heavy pan and sauté carrots and radishes for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add water and cover pan. Braise for 5 minutes, then remove cover. Cook another few minutes until most of the water has evaporated and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Serve chicken on a platter, surrounded by vegetables. Moisten all with pan juices.

Curried Cauliflower
4-6 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 TBS fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp ground cumin
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

1. In heavy pan, melt coconut oil, then stir in mustard seeds, ginger, onions, salt and turmeric. Simmer for two minutes, being careful not to let the seeds burn.
2. Add cauliflower and stir, so florets are coated, then stir in ground cumin.
3. Cover pan and simmer 15 minutes until cauliflower is tender.
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

Chia Paleo Porridge
1 serving

This breakfast is very filling, especially if you add the sunflower seeds. It usually gets me to lunch without a mid-morning snack.

Ingredients

2 handfuls frozen blueberries
1 handful frozen cherries
1/2 banana, sliced
3 TBS chia seeds (I use white chia seeds, because it looks nicer, but black ones are fine)
1 TBS hemp seeds
1 TBS golden flax meal
3 TBS organic coconut cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
Boiling water
1 TBS raw sunflower seeds, optional

1. Put blueberries, cherries, banana, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax meal and coconut cream in a microwave-proof cereal bowl.
2. Add boiling water almost to the top of the bowl.
3. Microwave on high for one minute, stir, then microwave on high for another minute.
4. If using, stir in sunflower seeds.

0 Comments

You Don't Have to Be Jewish...

12/14/2016

1 Comment

If you grew up in the New York City area in the early 1960s you can't help but remember the iconic ad campaign for Levy's Jewish Rye Bread with the tag line: "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's real Jewish rye." Billboards, subway placards, magazine ads...all showing the diversity of people who chowed down on Levy's. The Black, Asian, Italian and Native American models probably weren't Jewish, but you never know: When my daughter was 7, inspired no doubt by the 1984 Olympics, she told us she was going to marry a Black, Chinese, Jewish gymnast. Instead, she is married to a wonderful guy who is of Icelandic, British and German heritage, and he isn't a gymnast, but we are crazy about him anyway.

Those of you who have been following my blog lately know that I've been focusing on comfort food, which I normally do when the weather gets cold and the days get shorter and darker. But, of course, this year is even darker and we are even more in need of comfort, which I am finding in the recipes of my grandmother, mother, aunts and old friends. Here are three of my favorites.

My Grandmother Beckie's Chopped Liver
6-8 appetizer servings

This is my re-creation of my grandmother's chopped liver, but, actually, it's everybody's Jewish grandmother's chopped liver recipe. It's really simple, so delicious, and essentially, it's a chunky pâté , people! The not-so-secret ingredients is schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, but it's not so easy to find in rural Maine. The poultry farmer at my local farmer's market told me they're not breeding the fatty birds that they used to (I suppose that's a good thing for health concerns), but, thankfully, you can order Fatworks Schmaltz online if you can't get chicken fat at your local grocery.

Apropos of nothing, I was just remembering the time, 20 years ago, when I brought Passover to my daughter in college (I know that we are closer to Chanukah than to Passover, but this particular story is about assuming you can find the ingredients you need everywhere you go , not about any one holiday).So, as I was saying, 20 years ago, I decided to help my daughter make Passover with her college chums, since none of them could make it home for Passover, which fell mid-week and mid-term. I packed up boxes of matzoh, macaroons, jarred gefilte fish and canned matzoh balls and chicken bullion cubes for soup. I was not the only crazy person on that plane, schlepping holiday food from NY to Cleveland: There were a whole bunch of Orthodox Jews on the flight, and they were bringing soup, chicken in pots, and even eggs and Manischewitz wine (and not in 2 ounce bottles, either). Anyway, having seen the state of the kitchen (and especially the stove) of the house my daughter shared with about 10 other kids, I made the wise decision to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store in Lorain, Ohio. Except, they had never heard of rotisserie chickens, the staple of my weeknight dinners back home. I hit every local market, but all they had to sell me were uncooked chickens.

So, the oven of the aforementioned stove was truly deplorable, hadn't been used in years, probably, and was no doubt the home to several species of rodents, as well. I love my kids and would do almost anything for them, but cleaning that oven was not one of them. We boiled the chicken on top of the stove and served the feast with all the packaged stuff I'd brought with me. Only a couple of kids were Jewish and none of the others had ever attended a Seder. But it was a lovely event, and I still cherish the memory (and no doubt used it over the next few years as a guilt-inducer...I am a Jewish mother, after all...until I remembered that it was my idea in the first place, and she probably would have been just as happy eating tofu for dinner and ignoring the holiday altogether). But still, I'm glad I did it.

Ingredients

2 medium onions, chopped
3 TBS schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) or 2 TBS schmaltz and 1 TBS grapeseed oil
(you can also just use all grapeseed oil, but it won't be quite as authentic or quite as delicious...it will be healthier, though)
1 lb organic chicken livers (even if you don't usually buy organic meats, I would spring for organic here, as the liver rids the body of toxins, so non-organic chicken liver is pretty unhealthy)
4 free-range hard-boiled eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onions in chicken fat for about 5 minutes, until they start to brown.
2. Add livers to the pan, and cook until they are no longer pink, about 7 or 8 minutes.
3. When livers and onions are cooked, put into a food processor along with the hard-boiled eggs and pulse a few times. You want it to have some texture, and not be smooth like French pâté . Season with salt and pepper. You can serve with iceberg or romaine lettuce as an appetizer or indulge in a chopped liver sandwich on your favorite Paleo bread.

My Mother's Cabbage Soup
10-12 servings

My siblings and I used to call this marrow bone soup. My mother made this with meaty marrow bones which yielded the most delicious, glistening morsel of pure fat and was, to us, the point of the whole meal. That being said, the soup is wonderful even if you make it with stew beef or brisket, but if you can buy beef marrow bones with lots of meat attached, go for it. You won't be sorry.

Ingredients

4 onions, sliced
3 TBS grape seed oil
1 medium head cabbage, cored and sliced
3-4 pounds, meaty marrow bones, brisket, or stew beef
1 large can tomatoes
Water
2 tsp salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 TBS coconut sugar
3 TBS apple cider vinegar
Boiled potatoes for serving

1. In a heavy pan, brown the meat in the oil, then remove from pan.
2. Carefully brown the onions in the meat drippings in the same pan, then add cabbage and brown with the onions.
3. Put the beef back in the pan, then add tomatoes and their juices and water to cover (about 4-5 cups). Add salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat all the way and simmer, covered, for about 2-3 hours or until meat is tender.
5. Add vinegar and sugar, cover, and simmer for another 1/2 hour.
6. Cut meat off the bones and return cut-up meat to the pot.
7. Serve in deep soup bowls with a boiled potato in each bowl, topped with marrow, if you have it.

Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles Noodle Kugel
6-8 servings

OMG! I think figuring out this recipe has made me happier than any other Paleo attempt in the last few years. I have a treasured noodle kugel (pudding) recipe, given to me by a family friend over 30 years ago; it is so delicious, and I thought I'd never taste it again. But thanks to coconut milk and Miracle Noodles, here it is, pretty much almost as good as the original. It's not too sweet, so you can serve it as a side dish with dinner, for breakfast, and of course, for dessert.

Kugel: Not so pretty, but soooo delicious!

Ingredients

2 packages Miracle Noodles (available at your local health food store or online), rinsed and dried
Solid cream from top of one can organic, full-fat coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
4 cage-free eggs
1/4 cup ghee, melted
1 jar fruit juice-sweetened apricot preserves (I use St. Dalfour Thick Apricot, available
at most grocery stores)
Coconut sugar
Ghee for greasing pan

1. Mix the coconut cream with lemon juice and salt to make Paleo "sour cream". Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the ghee and beat in the Paleo sour cream and eggs. Add the rinsed and dried Miracle Noodles and mix gently.
3. Grease an 8 by 8 inch glass baking pan.
4. Put half the noodle mixture in pan, then spoon 1/2 the jar of preserves over the mixture , using spoon to gently spread preserves over the top. Sprinkle with coconut sugar. Repeat with the rest of the noodle mixture, preserves, and then sprinkle with more coconut sugar.
5. Bake for 1 hour, covered with foil. Then remove foil and let bake for 10 more minutes.
6. Cool and cut into squares to serve. This kugel is slightly watery; don't worry, just use a slotted spoon to serve and let liquid drain out. And if you drain it and put it in the fridge overnight, it is not watery at all when you eat it for breakfast the next morning.

1 Comment

O Canada! (Or, Traveling While Paleo, Part 2)

11/30/2016

3 Comments

No, we're not planning on moving north of the border, but a couple of weeks ago, when all the hateful rhetoric made turning on the news unbearable and when I thought it couldn't get much worse (little did we know!), we decided to get out of Dodge for a long weekend. It's not so easy to just jet off to Paris or Rome at the spur of the moment, but we found our little touch of Europe just a five-hour drive north in Québec City. And, full-disclosure, I not only wanted to get out of the country for a respite, but I didn't even want to speak English.

The Québequois are lovely, warm, and, because they are Canadian, very polite. When I spoke to them in French, they answered me in slow French so I could understand. They encouraged my efforts and I was a totally happy camper, even more so when it came time for dinner (and lunch, and breakfast), which we ordered in French.

Because every place is not California, where they totally get Paleo, I modify my diet a bit when I travel, avoiding the stuff that would totally send me over the edge (grains, corn, soy, alcohol, beans), but indulging in a little dairy (butter, a taste or two of cheese, accompanied by Lactaid) and sugar. Although there is actually a French Paleo blog, Paléo Régime, most French restaurants would find it difficult to accommodate my restrictive dietary needs and have no concept of Paleo. But I was happy to find gluten-free options in all the restaurants we chose, and we had absolutely fabulous meals.

My favorite dining experience was in a crêperie called Le Billig...we ate there twice, because their crêpes bretons are the best and are made with buckwheat, which is not a grain, but a fruit seed related to rhubarb. It's not technically Paleo, but o.k. once in awhile according to some Paleo nutritionists (I dunno, does 4 1/2 crêpes in 4 days count as "once in awhile"?). The French word for buckwheat is sarrasin. Usually, savory crépes are made with sarrasin and dessert crépes with wheat flour. But the restaurant was happy to make my salted caramel dessert crêpe with buckwheat.

You will notice that the recipe makes about 10 crêpes. What to do with the rest? Well, you could freeze them, but they keep in the fridge for a few days. I reheated them in the toaster oven, then poured a little melted ghee on top and sprinkled with maple sugar. Voilà, dessert!

Crêpes with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach and Eggs
2 servings

Ingredients

4 Perfect Paleo Crêpes from the recipe below
1 cup steamed spinach (use fresh or frozen)
1 pint fresh oyster or other mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in 1 TBS ghee
4 slices cooked bacon, optional
2 sunny side up eggs, fried in ghee

Perfect Paleo Crêpes (reprinted with permission from Jane's Healthy Kitchen, www.janeshealthykitchen.com)
Makes about 10 crêpes

Ingredients

4 large cage-free eggs
4 TBS thin, unsweetened canned coconut milk (use the thick coconut cream on top of the can in another recipe)
2 TBS arrowroot flour
1 TBS olive oil
Coconut oil for frying

1. Add all ingredients except coconut oil to a blender or food processor. Blend well.
2. Preheat 8-inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush pan with a little coconut oil before making each crêpe.
3. Use 3 TBS batter for each crêpe , but put in a quarter cup measuring cup (3/4 full) so you add the batter to the pan all at once. The batter should be quite thin. If it isn't, thin with a little water.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and twirl it around gently to coat the surface. The crêpe will start to dry out on the sides, slightly pulling away from the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. When the entire crêpe can slide and pull away from the pan, flip gently with a spatula (you may have to use your fingers, as well). When second side is lightly browned, about 1 minute, slip it onto a serving plate.
5. Repeat with each crêpe.

To assemble the dish:

For each serving, put two crêpes on a plate, add half of the spinach and half of the mushrooms, and top with a fried egg. Serve with bacon on the side, if you wish.

Parmentier d'oie et canard confit en panais dauphinois Chez Boulay, sort of
Serves 2

So, everything sounds fancier in French, right? I ordered this dish in Chez Boulay, a lovely café in Quebec's Old City. It is slow-cooked goose and duck served with parsnips and cabbage and it was both a feast for the eyes and for the palate. I was determined to reproduce it at home, but seriously, who has the time, the inclination, the access to and the money for goose and duck? But, have no fear, I discovered that an equally delicious and beautiful dish can be prepared with leftovers (especially Thanksgiving leftovers!) with the help of one cheap little kitchen tool, a ring mold. Feel free to change up the ingredients: It's the presentation that makes this so special.

Ingredients

Leftover turkey (dark meat is best), chicken or duck, shredded
Leftover mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash
Leftover roasted vegetables (I used parsnips, carrots and Brussels sprouts, but you
can use any fall veggie. If you don't have leftovers, just slice and roast veggies tossed
in a little olive oil and salt in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until soft).
1 pint oyster or other mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in 1 TBS ghee
Leftover gravy
Fresh herbs for garnish
Serve with leftover cranberry sauce or chutney or apple sauce

Ring mold: a handy little kitchen tool to turn leftovers into a work of art

1. Heat the cooked poultry, squash or sweet potatoes and vegetables separately.
2. When ready to serve, place a ring mold (see photo above) in center of plate. Put sweet potatoes or squash in the mold, about 3/4 of an inch high, and spread out to fill bottom of mold.
3. Pile cooked poultry on top of sweet potatoes and smooth top.
4. Arrange cooked parsnips or carrots on top of poultry.
5. CAREFULLY remove ring mold, and voilà, you will have a nicely composed little dish.
6. Moisten top with a little leftover gravy and scatter mushrooms and other vegetables artfully around the plate. Garnish with fresh herbs (sage is especially autumnal).
7. Wash out ring mold and repeat for each serving.
8. Serve with cranberry sauce, chutney, or even a little homemade apple sauce.

Elana Amsterdam's Double Chocolate Orange Torte
Serves 8

This one really has nothing to do with Canada, but it's for those of you (like my husband) who don't really think it's dessert unless it's chocolate and it IS kind of French. Also, it's just plain delicious and easy, and I need both of those right now. The recipe comes, with permission, from one of my favorite blogs, www.elanaspantry.com. Elana is a genius with all kinds of wonderful recipes in a number of different categories: Paleo, nut-free, egg-free, etc.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Paleo-friendly semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Foods Alive Chocolate Medallions sweetened with coconut sugar)
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 cage-free eggs
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
1 TBS grated orange zest
1/2 cup additional semi-sweet chocolate chips
Coconut oil for greasing 8-inch pan
Orange slice for garnish
Parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bottom and insides of an 8-inch cake pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of pan and place in pan.
2. Place 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
3. Pulse in almond flour, cacao powder and salt, and process until combined.
4. Add eggs, then pulse again, then add honey, grapeseed oil and orange zest and process until smooth.
5. With spoon, stir in second 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into pan.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Garnish with orange slice.
This torte is lusciously rich and fudgy, so cut in small pieces (you can always go back for seconds).

3 Comments

Make Yourself Comfortable (Comfort Food, Part 2)

10/19/2016

1 Comment

Another Presidential debate, another pot of tapioca pudding (this time shared with my daughter, so at least I didn't scarf down the whole thing). Here are some more recipes for comfort foods that should get you safely through any forthcoming revelatory tapes and right up to Election Day. By the way, I voted early...made me feel so much better.

French Toast
Serves 2

It's not called "French toast" in France, but "pain perdu" (literally, "lost bread", which is what I thought it meant to go Paleo). Happily, there are a number of good Paleo bread recipes out there, including the one for Paleo Sandwich Bread from a couple of weeks ago in my "Comfort Me With Meatloaf" post.

Ingredients

4 slices Paleo Sandwich Bread (see paleogram.com, September 21, 2016)
3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canned organic coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS ghee
Maple syrup for serving

1. Mix eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla together in large shallow bowl or baking dish.
2. Submerge bread slices in mixture. Poke holes in bread with fork to help absorption of liquid. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. You could also let this soak, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Melt ghee in large frying pan over low heat and place bread slices in pan. Cook on one side until lightly browned, then turn and cook over low heat until toast is completely cooked and other side is also light brown.
4. Serve with maple syrup, and bacon on the side, if you wish (yum, everything's better with bacon!).

Mashed Buttercup Squash
6-10 servings

Buttercup squash may not be the most beautiful winter squash in the bunch but to me, it is the most delicious. It's sweeter than Butternut (although you can use either one in this recipe) and would make a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. Kids love it, too. Last weekend, my two grandsons asked for seconds and then thirds.

Ingredients

1 large buttercup or butternut squash
1/2 cup cream from top of can of organic full-fat coconut milk
2 or more TBS ghee
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Puncture whole squash in 6 or 7 places with sharp knife.
2. Place whole squash in baking dish with about an inch of water. Roast until you can make an indentation in squash and it feels "squishy", at least an hour.
3. Remove squash from oven, cut in half, and remove seeds and stringy stuff around seeds (kind of messy, but easier than cutting raw squash in half to scrape out seeds before baking). Scrape squash from shell.
4. Put squash in saucepan, add rest of ingredients, and use potato masher or immersion blender to purée. Warm over low heat, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Miracle Pho
4-6 servings

Pho is a warming, comforting soup for any time of the day. Traditional Vietnamese Pho calls for rice noodles, but to make it Paleo, use Miracle Noodles (www.miraclenoodles.com), instead. This is a pretty easy recipe, but it is a two-day process. You make the broth the day before, but then it doesn't take long to throw the dish together the next day.

Ingredients for broth:

4 cups Paleo-friendly chicken broth, like Imagine brand
4 cups water
3 pounds meaty soup bones
1 tsp salt
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 onions chopped (leave the skins on for a richly colored broth)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch parsley
2 stalks lemon grass
1 1-inch chunk ginger, peeled
1 cinnamon stick

2 packages Miracle Noodles, prepared according to package directions

For serving:

2 TBS Red Boat Fish Sauce ( this is Pale-friendly--the only ingredients are anchovies and sea salt
Salt and pepper to taste
2 limes, quartered
1 Thai chile, seeded and chopped, optional
Small bunches fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, Thai basil and parsley
Handful of fresh mung bean sprouts or micro greens

For broth:

1. The day before you are planning to serve the Pho, put all broth ingredients in large soup pot, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 6-8 hours.
2. Cool and refrigerate over night.
3. The next day, skim the fat from the top of the broth, then strain the soup, reserving the meat and discarding everything else.
4. Cut up the meat into bit-sized pieces and return to the broth.
5. Heat broth and add fish sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

For pho:

1. Divide up prepared Miracle Noodles into 4 soup bowls. Ladle soup on top of noodles.
2. Pass the limes, chiles, herbs and sprouts or micro greens for each diner to add to pho.

Apple Clafoutis

My husband thinks we should call our place "One Tree Farm," because this one little apple tree that we rescued from the trash heap after a home renovation about a dozen years ago and replanted in the front yard, is paying us back 100-fold. We have cartons and cartons of apples: In two refrigerators; sitting in the front hall waiting to be turned into applesauce; going to the local soup kitchen; and sent home to Massachusetts with my kids. O.K, we don't really live on a farm, and, actually, there are a few more apple trees on the property, and I am SO not into naming the house where I live (Mar-a-Lago or Trump Tower, anyone?).

But, anyway, this has turned into my hands-down favorite (and easy) apple recipe of the year. It is an adaptation of Elana Amsterdam's Pear Clafoutis recipe from elanaspantry.com . Clafoutis is French, natch, and is traditionally made with cherries. If the birds didn't beat me to the cherries on our two trees each year (another reason why we can't be "One Tree Farm), I would so make this with cherries, as well...I wouldn't even mind pitting them.

Ingredients

5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Ghee for greasing baking dish
4 large free-range eggs
1/2 cup cream from top of can of full-fat, organic coconut milk
1/2 cup ghee, melted
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8" x 8" baking pan with a little ghee.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut cream, melted ghee, honey, and vanilla extract.
3. In small bowl, whisk together almond flour, cinnamon and salt.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until smooth.
5. Arrange apple slices in bottom of baking pan and pour batter over them.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until clafoutis is set in the center and top is golden brown.
7. Cool and serve.

1 Comment

Comfort Me With Meatloaf: Paleo Comfort Food for a Ghastly Election Year

10/5/2016

2 Comments

I don't know about you...no, I take that back, I DO know about you: You are feeling as awful as I am about this incredibly hideous election cycle. When I think about Election Night, I can picture myself sitting under a blanket and sucking my thumb. In dark times like these, the only foods I want to eat are comfort foods...primarily tapioca pudding. I once spent several weeks following one disastrous election outcome (but not as disastrous as this one could be, trust me) comforting myself with warm tapioca, right out of the pan. I couldn't stomach anything else.

So here are a few of my go-to nursery food choices to get you through Election Day. And after that? Depends on the outcome...I'll either go with celebratory meals, or, if my friends follow through on their desires to flee north of the border, Canadian specialties.

Meanwhile, please don't forget to register and VOTE and please let your vote be informed by everything that is GOOD about our country. Love can indeed trump hate.

The meatloaf recipe, below, requires bread (the ultimate comfort food), so I am reprinting the recipe for Paleo Sandwich Bread from a year ago, one of my first posts. So, Happy Anniversary, Paleogram, and thank you, faithful readers, for making it such a fruitful year.

So, what are your favorite comfort foods, childhood or otherwise? Drop me a line under comments and, if feasible, I'll work on making your favorites Paleo and include them in a future blog post.

Paleo Sandwich Bread (from Paleoeffect.com)
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups arrowroot powder
1 cup golden flax meal
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 TBS walnut oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
4 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks
Coconut oil for greasing pan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bread pan.
2. Combine all dry ingredients.
3. Mix 4 eggs, walnut oil and cider vinegar and then combine with dry ingredients.
4. Fold in beaten egg whites.
5. Pour into greased pan and bake for 55-60 minutes.
6. Cool on wire rack.

My Favorite Meatloaf
Serves 6-8

The original recipe came from an old Adele Davis cookbook which is now lost, but I've changed it up quite a bit over the past 40 years, so my kids consider it mine. In any case, it wasn't difficult to "paleotize."

Ingredients

2 slices Paleo Sandwich Bread (see recipe, above)
1/2 cup organic full fat canned coconut milk
2 TBS hemp seeds
1 large carrot
1 small zucchini or other summer squash
1 small onion
Handful of parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
A few grindings black pepper
1 egg
1 lb. ground grass-fed beef
1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken
Paleo-friendly ketchup
Coconut oil for greasing pan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease loaf pan (I prefer glass, but metal works o.k., too) and spread a thin layer of ketchup on the bottom of the pan
3. In a large bowl, crumble the bread into the coconut milk and let sit until bread gets mushy (you may have to mash it with a fork, as this bread doesn't mush as well as regular bread); stir in hemp seeds
4. Using the shredding attachment of your food processor, shred the carrot, zucchini and onion, and stir into the bread mixture, along with the chopped parsley, oregano, salt and pepper.
5. Mix in the egg, then mix in the ground meats, one pound at a time.
6. Now it gets fun: Roll up your sleeves, take off your rings, and plunge your hands into the mix. Use your hands to mix thoroughly until everything is incorporated and there are no separate little chunks of meat or bread.
7. Put the meatloaf mix into the pan, smoothing the top with a spoon. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. To serve, cut loaf into slices and spoon ketchup "gravy" from the bottom of the pan onto each slice.

For extra comfort, serve alongside mashed cauliflower (faux mashed potatoes). Simply steam cauliflower florets until tender, then place in food processor with a tablespoon or two of ghee and salt to taste and process until it achieves the texture of mashed potatoes. And if you don't tell them, some of your eaters may think it is the real thing.

Fettuccini or Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 2

Writer Calvin Trillin once famously called for Spaghetti Carbonara to replace turkey as America's iconic Thanksgiving meal. While I wouldn't go that far...how can you go wrong with bacon, eggs and cream on pasta? Actually, I eat this for breakfast a couple of times a week. Zero calories for the Miracle Noodles, not so for the bacon, eggs and coconut cream, though.

Ingredients

2 packages Miracle Noodles Fettuccini or Spaghetti (available at your local health food store or on-line at miraclenoodle.com), prepared according to package directions, which are basically to rinse noodles, throw in boiling water for a minute and then drain)
4 cage-free eggs, beaten
4 slices cooked bacon, broken into pieces
4 TBS coconut cream (from top of can of organic full-fat coconut milk)
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast, optional

1. Prepare Miracle Noodles and after boiling for a minute, drain the water out and put noodles back in dry pan. Over low heat, stir the eggs into the noodles and cook gently, just until egg are no longer liquid (don't cook too long or you will end up with scrambled eggs).
2. Stir in the coconut milk, add crumbled bacon and salt and pepper to taste. If you want to make this more authentic (Spaghetti Carbonara contains Parmesan cheese), sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a "cheesy" taste.

Tapioca Pudding

Serves 8, or one very needy person, who will eat it warm, right out of the pan (Note: I do not endorse this practice, but it's better than drinking yourself s**t-faced as you are waiting for the election returns from swing states).

This is a Paleo version of the Classic Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding Recipe on the back of the bag of Bob's Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca, which I recommend. Do not use instant tapioca, as it may contain additives. Tapioca is not a grain, so it's o.k. In moderation (with an exception for Election Night) on a Paleo diet.

Ingredients

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca
3/4 cup water
2 1/4 cups organic full-fat canned coconut milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place tapioca and water in a medium-sized saucepan and let tapioca soak for 30 minutes. Do not drain after soaking.
2. Add coconut milk, salt, honey and beaten egg yolks to tapioca and stir over medium heat until boiling. Simmer over very low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Fold about 3/4 cup of the hot tapioca mixture into the egg whites, then gently fold mixture back into saucepan. Stir over low heat for about 3 or 4 minutes.
5. Cool for 15 minutes, then stir in vanilla. Serve warm, but it's good cold the next day, provided there is any left over.

2 Comments

Random Harvest

9/21/2016

1 Comment

Thirty-six years ago, we moved from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Craryville, a small town in New York's Hudson Valley. Craryville consisted of a blinking light at its crossroads (or maybe it was just a stop sign...I forget), a post office, a fire station (where the town's annual Halloween party was held and where, I kid you not, I once took a belly dancing class), a gas station, a pizza joint, a coffee shop, and Random Harvest, an absolutely perfect farm stand/shop that had not yet evolved into the gourmet cheese, olive oil and $8 a pint ice cream boutique that would follow the influx of "City People" into the area (I conveniently ignored the fact that we were the self-same city people who were already driving up prices, so the local kids could not afford to buy houses in their hometowns when they grew up and started their own families).

And, oh yes, there was also Rogers Book Barn, down a back road and actually just over the border in Hillsdale, which bought and sold used books, and provided a "random harvest" all its own: I once walked in with a carton of books to sell and walked out with a sweet little black puppy of random parentage whom we named Maxine.

Anyway, after the disaster that was my first attempt at gardening (see last column, "It's a Miracle"), Random Harvest became my home away from home. First of all, I loved the name, which was taken from a 1942 weepy (based on a James Hilton novel) starring Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson about a soldier in World War I who loses his memory as a result of a head injury; meets, falls in love with, marries and has a baby with a beautiful show girl (yes, in that order...it was made in 1942), then gets hit by a car and regains his memory of his pre-war life, as a scion of a wealthy family, but loses all cognizance of his idyllic recent life with Greer. I won't spoil the ending for you because you know that you want to go right to Netflix and download it, right? (or, if you are lucky enough to live in a place that still has a video store run by a classic movie buff...as I do..you're going to run out and rent it, right? I am seriously going to rent it, as soon as the store opens this morning...well, actually, they don't open until noon...because I haven't seen that movie in about 40 years and I could use a good tear jerker that is not rated PG. The only movies I saw all summer were Finding Dory and Pete's Dragon, because our adorable grandsons spent several weeks with us. Not that I am complaining, but sometimes you just want to watch something that is not Disney or Pixar).

But I digress. Random Harvest (the farm stand, not the movie...although I think Greer and Ronald gardened at their lovely cottage in the English countryside where they almost lived happily ever after) grew most of their own produce and sold the bounty from other local farms, as well. It also provided the first summer employment for both of my kids, helping to instill a work ethic in two teenagers who were loathe to lift a finger around the house.

So, now that I finally have the gardening thing kind of down ( only kind of, because just when you think you know what you are doing, nature decides to play tricks on you...like this year when there were virtually no blossoms on the fruit trees we planted on one side of the yard ...and thus no fruit...and I am waiting with baited breath for the THREE peaches on the tree to ripen so I can grab them before the birds and squirrels decide they want dessert), I have some random recipes to share from my own random harvest.

And it's random because, really, that's what's so surprising and delightful about a garden: This year, we have potatoes, onions, tomatoes, chard, collards and kale to feed an army, but only got six cucumbers and one or two scrawny heads of romaine; no fruit on the trees on one side of the house, but apple trees bent to the ground with the weight of their fruit on the other side of the house; wild blackberry canes surrounding the yard where they never appeared before, but only a handful of blueberries on the bushes I planted years ago.

Not to mention the scraggly patch of oregano that appeared uninvited right smack dab front and center of the perennial garden. I was all ready to rip it out and plant lovely pink fairy roses when the oregano flowered, bringing with it hundreds of bees just wallowing in those tiny white blossoms. So, of course the oregano (and our much-needed pollinator friends) stayed, at least for this season. And next year, I'll be planting that site with the bees in mind.

Hmmm, and maybe add some hives, as well?

Tomato Jam
Makes two small jars

I'm not a jam lover, but this is a great way to use up ripe tomatoes that would otherwise go to the fruit flies.* It ends up being kind of like ketchup and delicious on burgers. It's also nice with a little Paleo cheese (see "It's a Miracle" post for Paleo feta recipe) on a Paleo-friendly cracker like Livin' Spoonful's Sourdough (www.livinspoonful.com) or Jilz Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt Crackerz, pictured (www.jilzglutenfree.com).

*Re: Fruit flies: My son-in-law showed me how to make a cheap, fool-proof fruit fly trap--put balsamic vinegar in a cup or small jar. Cover the top with plastic wrap and wrap it around the bottom so there is a tight seal. Poke holes in the top of the plastic wrap with a fork. The fruit flies will fly into the holes but won't be able to get out, and will drown in the vinegar. My Belgian pen pal says you can accomplish the same thing using sugar water.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh herbs like thyme or basil
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Immediately lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes, until mixture is thick.
3. Put in jars and refrigerate.

Blackberry/Peach Cobbler
4-6 servings

I am NOT going to use the only three fruits my peach tree produced this year in this cobbler. Those will be eaten out of hand, with the juice dribbling down our chins, unless the birds or the squirrels get them first, and then they will be mourned (the peaches, not the critters). Fortunately, the local farmers' market has plenty of lovely peaches. And I have been picking blackberries every day for the past week and there are still enough left for this yummy cobbler.

Ingredients
4 large peaches, sliced (I don't bother to peel them)
1 1/2 cups blackberries
4 TBS Ghee
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 TBS arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 can full-fat coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt 1 1/2 TBS ghee in a saucepan. Add peaches, blackberries, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, arrowroot, and cardamom, stir, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 1/2 cup coconut sugar, both flours, and baking powder in a bowl. Add the coconut milk and incorporate well.
4. Melt the rest of the ghee in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and carefully swirl it around so it coats the sides, as well.
5. Add the peach and berry mixture to the baking pan, then cover with batter.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until brown. Serve warm.

Sautéed Onions and Rainbow Chard
Serves 4

Rainbow chard is not only delicious, it's beautiful, too. The addition of water in this recipe (a hint from my Aunt Honey) allows you to use less oil than you would normally need to sauté the onions, and it tastes just as good.

Ingredients
1 bunch rainbow or Swiss chard, stems and ribs chopped, leaves sliced
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1- 2 TBS coconut oil
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt coconut oil in large, deep skillet
2. Add sliced onions and sauté until soft; add chopped chard stems and ribs and continue to sauté until onions are golden and stems soften.
3. Add water and continue to cook for a few minutes, then stir in sliced leaves.
4. Cook, covered until leaves are soft but still bright green, then remove cover and cook briefly until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Paleo Vichyssoise
Serves 6

The Paleo jury is kind of out on the question of eating potatoes. Some say o.k., some say absolutely not. I've substituted sweet potatoes and yams (both Paleo-friendly) in my diet for the past four years, but this year I grew potatoes in my garden for the first time, and I was not going to do all that work planting, hilling, hoeing, weeding, squishing potato beetles and scraping their eggs from the undersides of the leaves and, finally, digging them, and then not even taste them! Confession: I've done more than taste them, but so far with no ill effect. It's really up to each person: If you find that potatoes cause a problem, by all means substitute sweet potatoes or cauliflower (which makes great "mashed potatoes": just steam cauliflower florets until soft, then pulse them in a food processor with some ghee and salt).

Ingredients
3 leeks, white part only, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
2 TBS ghee
4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 quart low sodium Paleo-friendly chicken broth (like Imagine brand)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives or fresh mint, chopped, for garnish

1. Melt ghee in large soup pot and sauté onions and leeks until soft.
2. Add potatoes, chicken broth, and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes until potatoes are soft.
3. Add coconut milk, then use immersion blender to purée the soup and put into bowls.
4. Garnish each bowl with chopped fresh chives or fresh mint.
(This can be served hot, but is even better the next day, served cold)

Variation: For those of you who are steering clear of potatoes and would rather make a cauliflower-based vichyssoise, the blog stupideasypaleo.com has a really good one.

1 Comment

<<Previous

Meatballs,Miracle Noodles and Uncle Steve's Marinara SauceServes 2, with leftover meatballs

Paleo Meatballs

Paleo Chicken "Parmesan"

My Mother's Sweet and Sour Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

2-Day Chicken Soup with Paleo Matzoh Balls

Paleo Matzo BallsMakes 18

Bon Appétit's Best Chocolate Macaroon Cake

Turkey Egg Drop SoupServes one or two

Egg on Savory TapiocaFeeds two, with leftover tapioca

Fried Eggs on Zucchini and PestoServes two

Leftovers Soup

Winter Borscht6 or more main dish servings

Turkey SoupMakes 4-6 servings

Roast Chicken with Braised Carrots and RadishesServes 4

Curried Cauliflower4-6 servings

Chia Paleo Porridge1 serving

My Grandmother Beckie's Chopped Liver6-8 appetizer servings

My Mother's Cabbage Soup10-12 servings

Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles Noodle Kugel6-8 servings

Crêpes with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach and Eggs2 servings

Perfect Paleo Crêpes (reprinted with permission from Jane's Healthy Kitchen, www.janeshealthykitchen.com)Makes about 10 crêpes

Parmentier d'oie et canard confit en panais dauphinois Chez Boulay, sort ofServes 2

Elana Amsterdam's Double Chocolate Orange TorteServes 8

French ToastServes 2

Mashed Buttercup Squash6-10 servings

Miracle Pho4-6 servings

Apple Clafoutis

Paleo Sandwich Bread (from Paleoeffect.com)Makes 1 loaf

My Favorite MeatloafServes 6-8

Fettuccini or Spaghetti CarbonaraServes 2

Tapioca Pudding

Tomato JamMakes two small jars

Blackberry/Peach Cobbler4-6 servings

Sautéed Onions and Rainbow ChardServes 4

Paleo VichyssoiseServes 6

﻿ Deborah Shepherd﻿

﻿.﻿

Archives

Meatballs,Miracle Noodles and Uncle Steve's Marinara Sauce
Serves 2, with leftover meatballs

Paleo Matzo Balls
Makes 18

Turkey Egg Drop Soup
Serves one or two

Egg on Savory Tapioca
Feeds two, with leftover tapioca

Fried Eggs on Zucchini and Pesto
Serves two

Winter Borscht
6 or more main dish servings

Turkey Soup
Makes 4-6 servings

Roast Chicken with Braised Carrots and Radishes
Serves 4

Curried Cauliflower
4-6 servings

Chia Paleo Porridge
1 serving

My Grandmother Beckie's Chopped Liver
6-8 appetizer servings

My Mother's Cabbage Soup
10-12 servings

Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles Noodle Kugel
6-8 servings

Crêpes with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach and Eggs
2 servings

Perfect Paleo Crêpes (reprinted with permission from Jane's Healthy Kitchen, www.janeshealthykitchen.com)
Makes about 10 crêpes

Parmentier d'oie et canard confit en panais dauphinois Chez Boulay, sort of
Serves 2

Elana Amsterdam's Double Chocolate Orange Torte
Serves 8

French Toast
Serves 2

Mashed Buttercup Squash
6-10 servings

Miracle Pho
4-6 servings

Paleo Sandwich Bread (from Paleoeffect.com)
Makes 1 loaf

My Favorite Meatloaf
Serves 6-8

Fettuccini or Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 2

Tomato Jam
Makes two small jars

Blackberry/Peach Cobbler
4-6 servings

Sautéed Onions and Rainbow Chard
Serves 4

Paleo Vichyssoise
Serves 6

Deborah Shepherd

.