Category: Recipes

Recipes, meal plans, healthy eating advice ..

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Recipe: Hannah’s Tonic aka Switchel

ginger-switchelSometimes I get sick of drinking water.  Generally when someone hears me say this, they look at me like I have two heads as water is my drink of choice.

Besides coffee and hard cider, my favorite way to stay hydrated is with Switchel, also known as Haymaker’s Punch.  It is a heritage drink that farmers used to make to stay hydrated in the fields when swigging large amounts of water would just lead to an upset belly.  Its affects are similar to sports drinks in that it provides hydration, sugars, and electrolytes.  Ginger would help soothe the stomach, cider vinegar gives it a citrus bite, and maple syrup provides energy and taste.

Hannah’s Tonic aka Switchel

1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (optional)
1-2 gallons Water

Add all ingredients to a shaker cup and mix.  I then dilute with 1-2 gallons of water depending on how strong I am wanting the drink.

EDIT: As The Vermont Switchel Company commented below, I do add 1-2 tablespoons of molasses to bump up the electrolyte levels.

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Recipe – Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Ok, I confess. I MISS MASHED POTATOES!! I used to love making them with the requisite cream and butter, leaving just a bit of texture so as not to turn them into library paste. Since going Paleo many moons ago, and the other dietary restrictions that I’m supposed to follow for optimum health, I can no longer eat this bowl of happiness. I took to eating mashed cauliflower, but when we were coming up on Thanksgiving this year, for some reason I just couldn’t stand the thought of plain cauli-mash. So I thought, “why not roast the cauliflower?” Poking around online, I found that PaleOMG had already tested this out, but also did the bonus move of roasting a head of garlic to put in there. SCORE!

I found that you can take or leave the coconut milk as it didn’t add that much to this. It was mostly for the purpose of added fat and to give that tiny bit of “mouth feel” to the mash. You can add more olive oil or simply add water or stock to it. On a side note: with the stock add rather than the coconut milk, I found this worked reasonably well as a dip for veggies (think roasted garlic hummus).

(Credit: http://paleomg.com/roasted-garlic-cauliflower-mashed-potatoes/)

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons canned coconut milk (ed – optional. Sub in water or stock if desired)
salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop up your cauliflower into small florets and place in a large baking dish to roast.

3. You’ll also need to roast your garlic, so cut off the end of your head of garlic to show the cloves. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil on the head of garlic then wrap foil around it.

4. Place your cauliflower and foil packet in the oven to bake for about 30-35 minutes.Once everything is roasted away, remove from oven.

5. Place roasted cauliflower in your wonderful food processor along with roasted garlic cloves. To get the cloves from the head of garlic, just squeeze them out or use a fork to pull them out.

6. Turn food processor on, pulse until garlic and cauliflower begin to become a paste, then add olive oil and coconut milk/water/stock to help form your preferred texture. If you want it a bit smoother, add a little more of your preferred liquid. Just play it by ear.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Consume.

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Recipe: Curry Spiced Chickpea Burgers

OT493683LI am often looking for a quick and easy lunch without needing to go to the store.  Since I usually have some type of canned beans on the shelf, I decided to come up with a curry spiced chickpea burger.  I have since made them with different variations, noted below.  These are delicious and a great change  up from the typical black bean burger.

Curry Spiced Chickpea Burgers
1 can chickpeas, drained and mashed
1 onion, grated
1 summer squash*, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1/2 cup gluten free oatmeal
1 egg**
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper
olive oil
butter

Sauté the onion, squash, and garlic in a combination of butter and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix into mashed chickpeas and add curry powder and garam masala. Taste for seasoning. Add more curry or garam masala if necessary.
Once seasoning is right, mix in egg and oatmeal.
Form 4 patties and cook on medium heat in butter or olive oil until solid and browned.  Time will vary based on thickness.  Can also be baked in the oven if preferred.

Serve with your favorite burger toppings although chutney is an excellent topping.

* Can use zucchini, potato, or carrot, all grated instead of summer squash.
** Can use a vegan egg (water and ground flax or water and ground chia) to make the recipe vegan.

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Recipe: Coconut Lime Cauli-rice

dinnerfreeThis recipe came as courtesy of Meatified.com. I like cauliflower rice, however I really get bored of it quickly. So finding new flavor combos is essential. I did some roasted garlic cauliflower mash that was outstanding – but that’s a story for another day. I was making an asian inspired fish and it was just begging for a rice side, so this one came out of hiding. I do omit the cilantro as neither Paul nor I like it. I sub in green onion, but feel free to play around with this to complement whatever you are making. This recipe is Whole30 and AIP compliant.

Coconut Lime Cauli-Rice

Ingredients
• 1 tbl coconut oil
• 1 1/4 lb cauliflower florets (4 packed cups once “riced”)
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 4 tsp lime zest (about 2 limes)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Instructions
1. PREP: Add the coconut oil to a large pan over low-medium heat. While it is warming up, use the S blade of your food processor to “rice” the cauliflower by pulsing the florets into rice-sized pieces. You will need to do this in at least 2 batches so that you don’t get mush at the bottom of your bowl.
2. FRY: Add the riced cauliflower to the pan and stir through to coat with the coconut oil. Cook for about 5 minutes to get rid of some the of the excess moisture in the cauliflower.
3. SIMMER: Stir in both the coconut milk and shredded coconut. Add about three quarters of the lime juice. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat down slightly so that the pan doesn’t come to a boil. Simmer until tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.
4. SEASON: Pour in the last of the lime juice, along with the lime zest and fresh cilantro. Season to taste with salt. Stir through and cook until the lime juice has been absorbed.

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Recipe – Paleo Fish Pie

I was sitting around wondering what to make for dinner a few weeks back. I had it in my mind that I had a bunch of fish down in the basement freezer. I thought for sure there was a bunch of cod and pollack, and I remembered I had bulk bought a bunch of frozen wild caught tilapia filets (they were on sale). So what could I do with this and thin the freezer out a bit. I kicked around a soup and baking some off, but then had a thought of something I remembered seeing in the UK. A fish pie! Now originally I was thinking about crusts and kind of a pot pie kind of thing, but when I started poking around I found that the fish pies were sort of like cottage pies or shepherd’s pie. So I took several recipes ideas and mashed them all up into what you see below. Now, I did discover that all I had was tilapia, but went ahead with the pie. It turned out really fantastic and I will certainly be making this again, although this time I will be including other bits of fish!

Paleo Fish Pie

1 whole medium sized cauliflower

6-7 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

1 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, minced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced

1 can full fat coconut milk divided

2 tablespoons of butter OR Olive oil/coconut oil if dairy free.

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

½ cup asparagus, chopped

3 large handfuls of baby spinach, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 teaspoon of English mustard

1.5 lb white fish (or prawns or scallops), cut into small 1-inch chunks

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

handful each of parsley and basil, finely diced (optional)

2 lemons

salt and pepper

 

Cooking:

 

  1. First prepare the herbed cauliflower mash. Cut the cauliflower into rough florets, removing stem and leaves. Grab a pot with a steamer basket and fill water to below steamer basket. Place cauliflower into the steamer basket along with the garlic cloves. Steam until a fork pierces the cauliflower easily. Remove the cauliflower but reserve the steamer water. Place cauliflower into a food processor along with the herbs, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, the two tablespoons of butter or oil and pulse until smooth. If still too thick use the steamer water to thin to desired consistency. Set aside
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. Add a bit more oil to a large saucepan or skillet. Place carrots, onion, celery into the pan and stir. Cook until slightly softened, then add leek and asparagus. Cook for a few more minutes, then add the coconut milk. Cook for 2 minutes then add the fish, ginger, mustard and the spinach. Cook for another 5 or until fish is warmed through.
  4. Pour mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 pyrex casserole dish (something with deep sides)
  5. Spoon the cauliflower mash over top of the fish mixture. Spread the mash to the sides of the casserole dish, sealing in the fish mixture.
  6. To make this “pretty” feel free to sprinkle the top with paprika, or make a crumble topping  by mixing half a cup of almond flour with half a cup of coconut flour. Add a dessert spoon of coconut oil (ideally chilled) and rub together between your fingers to make a crumble.  Another version of the crumble I found was to combine 1/4 cup coconut flakes and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Personally I just used the paprika.
  7. Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with a side salad, steamed veggies, or simply on its own.
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Recipe – Basil Chicken Alfredo

Ever have one of those cravings for comfort food? Something really warm and satisfying? Yeah, me too. I had some roasted chicken I needed to do something with and the usual ideas just weren’t cutting it. I didn’t want a salad nor soup. I thought about doing something Italian, but wasn’t feeling red sauce. The though of chicken alfredo came to mind, but how to make it dairy free? I found this on the site The Confident Mom, who got it from eMeals. I served it over some zucchini noodles, but spaghetti squash would be really good here as well. Enjoy!
Basil Chicken Alfredo
Serves 4
A Paleo Favorite – Simple and Easy
Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 cup chopped white onion
  3. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  4. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  5. 1 – 14 oz can coconut milk
  6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  7. 1 teaspoon pepper
  8. 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until softened.
  3. Stir in basil and coconut milk.
  4. Bring to a boil; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  5. Stir in salt, pepper and chicken.
  6. Cook until thoroughly heated
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Recipe – Chocolate Banana Protein pancakes

I woke up today and had this insane craving for pancakes. I got thinking about what I wanted in the pancake, and discovered a *very* ripe banana on the top of the fridge. So I thought some banana pancakes. The flaw? Besides being grain-free, I’m also egg-free..

Most Paleo recipes call for a ton of eggs and/or almond butter. So what to do? Look up vegan paleo recipes, of course! I found a great recipe on Eat the Cookie (http://eatthecookie.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/blueberry-pancakes-vegan-and-grain-free/) for vegan blueberry pancakes. I followed this fairly close, and the modifications I made are below. Enjoy! (And yes, there was bacon on the side.)

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Chocolate banana protein pancakes

* 1/2 cup almond meal
* 1/4 cup (scant) flax meal
* 1/3 cup chocolate protein powder
* 1 ripe banana
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/8 tsp stevia powder or 1 tbsp maple syrup
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 4 Tbsp full fat coconut milk
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* Olive oil (for the pan)

To cook:

Dump all the ingredients in the food processor and spin until combined well.

Heat up a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, your pan is ready.

Use a ladle or measuring cup to scoop out some batter. Pour it onto the skillet and allow to cook for a few minutes, flip when the bottom is set.
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Feel free to top with whatever you like, however, we left them plain. These did pass the Mini Test. He loved them!

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Recipe: Basil Chicken “Alfredo”

Hey guys! It’s been a busy time here in the Jones household, but I really wanted to share this recipe. I found this one while looking up some “paleo meal plans”. Yes, even I get bored eating Paleo and go digging for new inspirations. The original recipe calls for spaghetti squash. If you have the time, it’s a great “pasta” substitute, however, I was short on time. For those of you not Paleo, feel free to use regular or gluten free pasta. This was on a sample menu from eMeals.

Basil Chicken Alfredo

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped white onion (or half a large onion)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
14 oz can coconut milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

Either 1 roasted spaghetti squash or 3-4 zucchini, peeled and grated/peeled/spiralized into noodles.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until softened. Stir in basil and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in salt, pepper and chicken. Cook until thoroughly heated. Turn the heat to low and add the noodles. If using zucchini, let cook for a minute or two to soften the “zoodles” to al dente.

Serve with a side of steamed veggies or a salad.

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Recipe – Pad Thai, Beth style

Made an insanely easy version of Pad Thai today. I’d really been wanting some but many of the recipes I found just weren’t what I was looking for. For example – I don’t like anything that smacks of a satay sauce (read nut butters) in my pad thai. Um, no. I understand the sprinkling on at the end, but not adding nut butter to the pad thai sauce. Lots of others just seemed horribly complicated or unbalanced in some way.  I kept thinking to myself, this can’t be that hard. Street vendors can churn and burn this stuff! I finally found a great reference <http://chezpim.com/cook/pad_thai_for_beginners> for “authentic” pad thai.  What he said about the sauce made total sense. You need that balance of sweet, salty, hot, sour, and umami. Sadly, my tamarind paste was way out of date, so I couldn’t use it, but limes made a reasonable substitution. I didn’t feel like gaffing with cayenne pepper, so the sriracha came out of hiding.  So here’s what I came up with. This has been modified for my own tastes/allergies, however, feel free to add in a couple eggs and bean sprouts. I also strayed from the path and added more veggies in there by way of finely minced spinach and veggie “noodles”.

2013-07-04 15.14.51

Pad Thai – Beth style

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup lime juice (or tamarind pulp/concentrate if you have it on hand)
  • 1/4 cup coconut amines (or GF soy sauce, or even regular soy sauce for those not needing GF)
  • 1/4 cup (scant) fish sauce (start with 2 Tbsp and add from there, to taste – it’s easier to add than take out)
  • 2-3 Tbsp sriracha (less if you don’t want it so spicy)
  • 2-3 Tbsp Palm sugar or honey (a bit less if you use white sugar or brown sugar)

Pad Thai base:

  • 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1 lbs ground turkey or chicken
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup green onion, sliced thin
  • 6 cloves of garlic (more or less to taste – I love garlic)
  • 4 cups spinach, minced in a food processor or blender
  • sweet basil (or thai holy basil if you can get it), julienned
  • 1-2 zucchini, cut with spiralizer or wide flat noodles made with a peeler (feel free to use spaghetti squash, or regular rice or kelp noodles for GF)
  • 1/2 cup or more shredded carrots
  • cilantro (optional)

Bang out the sauce first. Add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and heat up until sugar/honey is dissolved. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust accordingly. The idea is to balance all the elements, but play with it to suit your own tastes. Set aside.

Add oil to a large pan or wok.  Heat the oil and add the finely minced onion. Cook for 30 seconds or so, then add the ground chicken and garlic. Cook the chicken until there is no pink. Towards the end of the cooking of the chicken, add in the green onions and spinach. Heat through. Then add 1/2 cup-1 cup sauce. Add in the noodles. Heat through. Then add the basil in the last minute of cooking. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 

 

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Recipe: Devil’s Chicken

This recipe goes back a ways for me. One of the first things I learned to cook way back…

Devil’s Chicken
3-4 lbs chicken (thighs or breasts, or even a whole chicken cut up)
2-3 Tbsp Tabasco (or to taste)
Juice of 2 lemons (or you can use 1 Tbsp lime juice and 1 1/2 tsp dried lemon peel)
1 tsp lemon zest (if using fresh lemons)
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a ziplock bag. Marinate chicken for at least two hours. Grill chicken on a grill or broil on high 5 inches below the heat for 15 minutes. Turn and grill/broil another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.