GAPS BBQ

Memorial day inspired us to make a traditional BBQ menu.  It was a small party of 5, but well worth all the effort.  Here is what we served:

BBQ Chicken
Seasoned Bone-in, skin-on Chicken Thighs with tandoori spices, garlic, and salt.

Coleslaw
Mixed grated cabbage, carrots and pears with olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Watermelon
Cut off the rind and served in triangles.

Potato-Free Salad
Ingredients
2 Cauliflowers, cut into small florets, steamed
2 Pickles, but up into small pieces
4 Celery spears, cut into small parts
2 Green Onions, minced
1/3 cup cooked bacon, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup home-made mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Steam Cauliflower.
2. Cook bacon.
2. Cut up pickles, celery, onion and add to a large bowl.
3.  Mix Cauliflower, veggies, bacon, mustard and mayonnaise.

Gingerbread Whoopie Pie with Peppermint Creme Filling

Inspired by my dear friend Emily to make something that we all can eat.  Here is my version of a special occasion treat.  Enjoy!

Gingerbread Whoopie Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Flour

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ginger, fresh, grated

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Cloves

1/2 cup Honey

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend all the dry ingredients together, and then add all the wet ingredients and blend well.
3. On baking sheets covered with parchment paper or a baking mat (such as a Silpat), place heaping tablespoons (about 2 measured tablespoons) about 2 inches apart in circles, across the sheet.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool completely – at least 15 minutes – before sliding them off the mat with a spatula.
6. Take one pie and spread frosting on it. Place another pie on top of the frosting. Serve.

Peppermint Creme Filling

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Honey

2 Egg Whites

1/4 teaspoon Peppermint flavoring

Directions:

1. Bring the honey to a steady boil in a small saucepan. You want to bring the temperature of the honey to at least 250 degrees F. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, or until it is starting to darken (almost bringing it to the edge of burning). You’ll know when it’s ready if it forms a ball when you drop some of it in a cold water.

2. Whisk the egg whites until you have stiff peaks forming when you lift the whisk out of the mixture. Try not to stop whipping the egg whites, and slowly add honey and vanilla to the egg whites while you continue whisking. Some of the honey may spray a bit, so try to drizzle it down the side of the bowl, away from the whisk.  I use my Kitchen-Aid mixer for this job.

3. Spread, serve, and store in the refrigerator. You can re-whisk the mixture if it begins to separate.

"Creamy" Tomato Soup

This dish brings up this fond memory of my college roommate and how we would make Campbell's tomato soup and put it in a toasted bread bowl.  I love the memories I have of sitting on the floor in our apartment and laughing. Where in I cannot have the bread bowl now, or the dairy, this creamy soup was still super delicious.  I hope you like it too and can appreciate the potential for it to evoke your own memories.

Today I sat and ate it for lunch with Italian sausage patties, an almond flour pancake and a little three-year-old roommate that was sure to make me laugh.

Ingredients:
2 small cauliflower heads, broke into large pieces
6 cups beef bone broth with marrow
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 onion
4 stalks of celery (leaves and hearts okay)
24 oz. Strained tomatoes
7 oz. Tomato paste
1 Tbl. honey (optional)
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Add broth, cauliflower, garlic, onion, and celery to a stock pot.  Bring to a low boil.  Check until cauliflower is soft.

2.  Add contents of pot to the blender, blend until smooth.
3.  Return half of blender contents back into stock pot on medium heat.
4.  Blend remainder of cauliflower mixture with both strained tomatoes and tomato paste. Add honey if desired.
5.  Let cook and thicken for 5-10 minutes.  Salt to taste.

Fluffy Egg Cake

Perfect for a Saturday morning, this beautiful egg souffle will win over your children or yourself for that matter.  It takes a little longer than the normal breakfast and is best made when you don't have to rush out of the house.  We have called it "Egg Cake" from the beginning, as in the first few months of GAPS this was the only thing that resembled cake to all of us.  It smells like doughnuts, although my sniffer may be altered due to the lack of doughnuts for the last 8 years.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (optional)
Shake of salt
2 Tablespoons Coconut oil

Toppings of your choice: blended fruit, apple sauce, etc.

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2.  Separate the whites and the yolks.

3.  Whip the the egg whites and a sprinkle of salt in a stand mixer until they are stiff.

4.  Meanwhile, stir in the honey and vanilla to the egg yolks.
5.  Also, begin heating your cast iron pan on the stove.  Add coconut oil when the pan is hot.

6.  Fold the egg yolks into the white mixture gently.

7.  Spread the mixture gently in the hot pan, spreading it out evenly.

8.  Place a lid on the pan, let cook for 5 minutes.
9.  Remove lid, cook in the oven for another 10 minutes, until top is not too spongy and looks slightly browned.

10.  Run a knife around the edge and serve in cake like slices.

11.  Top with your favorite fruit, or not.

Best Carrot Muffins Ever

Beginning the big birthday WEEK at our house.  Someone is turning 7!  Her first request for her "boss us around birthday week" was to make muffins.  She helped mix and measure and they turned out wonderful!  We served them with fresh pressed veggie juice and bacon.  Well into her first bite my girls exclaimed, "These are the BEST muffins, EVER!"


1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
3 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts (optional, we omitted them)


1. In a large bowl or mixer, combine almond flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg; Mix.
2. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, honey and oil.
3. Stir in carrots, raisins, and walnuts into wet ingredients. 
4. Add wet ingredients to dry.
5.  Place batter into muffin tins.
6. Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes.
7. Cool lightly, serve and enjoy.

Asian Pork Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
4 Tb. animal fat, I used pork lard
2 large portabella mushrooms, cut into squares
5 cups bone broth
1 lb. ground pork
3 cloves garlic
2 green onions
2 Tb. apple cider vinegar
5 clusters of baby bok choy, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 eggs (can easily omit)

Directions:
Heat oil, onion, and mushrooms in soup pot.  When onions are translucent, add bone broth.  In food processor add garlic and green onions, puree.  Add to garlic and onions pork, apple cider vinegar and salt to taste, Puree.  Drop pork mixture into hot broth mixture by the Tablespoon.  After pork is almost cooked ( a few minutes), add chopped bok choy and grated carrot.  Before serving, scramble eggs and slowly add them to the soup, stirring while you add them.  Salt to taste and serve.