California hamburgers

We often eat our burgers with lettuce wraps (just like the protein style burger at In-N-Out, which by the way if you are in California and have food allergies, you can ask to be plain and "allergy burger" so they are more cautious). Sometimes we eat burgers also with just a salad or with with a side of broccoli but every now and then I make buns which makes the kids especially so happy. I make them to be honest mostly just to hear them say things like: "You make the best hamburger buns in the whole world!" The kids say these paleo (and AIP) buns are the best ever. I have had even non-paleo kids say that they are really good.

Instead of fries I often serve some kind of veggie side. Or serve the veggies as an appetizer as I learnt from my friend. I have noticed if I put the veggies as a side, the kids may leave them on the plate and just eat the burger but if I serve the veggies as an appetizer when they are at their hungriest, before giving the main course, the veggies might disappear quickly. This time the appetizer/side was steamed broccoli with lemon juice from our own lemons. The avocado in the burger adds creaminess without any sauces.

California burgers for four with a side of lemony broccoli 

1 lb ground beef
Herbamare or salt
1 tbsp tallow or other cooking fat for frying
broccoli
half a lemon
olive oil
avocado
lettuce
3 ripe (yellow) plantains or around 4 ripe burro bananas
1 cup arrowroot starch
1/3-1/2 cup water
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tsp salt

1. Set your oven to 350F.
2. Prepare the batter for the buns: Peel plantains and chop them. Add everything to the blender: the plantains, 1 cup arrowroot starch, 1/3-1/2 cups water (add first the smaller amount but increase if the blender can't mix it), 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup of avocado oil (you could replace some of this with water). Scoop eight pancake size piles of batter, for instance with the 1/3 cup measuring cup, on 1-2 parchment paper lined cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. Leave some space between as they may spread a little. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
3. Steam broccoli now so you can serve it as appetizers. Steam in a steamer pot until the fork just goes through, don't let them become mushy. Add a capful of olive oil, sprinkle some Herbamare on them and squeeze half a lemon on them as well.
4. Heat some tallow on medium heat in a cast iron pan (you could also grill the burgers!). Share the pound of ground meat in four pieces, form burgers, salt with Herbamare and fry from both sides until cooked.
5. Cut some avocado slices and get some lettuce from the garden (or your fridge :)) to go with the burgers.

My favorite breakfast bowl

I have been eating this a lot recently. I created it for a breakfast bowl but it could be eaten for lunch or dinner too. It is delicious and I have even packed it to go. (Once I even ate some when I was stuck in morning traffic on my way to Beverly Hills for work...)

So all you will need is:

1. A batch of cooked spaghetti squash which you can prepare in bigger batches ahead of time and just warm it up in the frying pan or microwave. How to prepare spaghetti squash. Add some salt, olive oil and fresh herbs to taste if you like.
2. Some fried ground beef or bison. Add salt to taste. You could also use any other leftover meat.
3. Sauerkraut or other fermented vegetables
4. Sliced olives (check ingredients so they are AIP compatible if following AIP)
5. You can also add any leftover salad or veggies or sliced avocado is delicious on it too.

Pur spaghetti squash in the bowl and top it with all the other ingredients. Enjoy!

PS. This would make an excellent camping or travel food too that you could prepare ahead of time and eat cold or find a way to warm it up. Don't heat the fermented veggies though, keep them separate. Heating would destroy beneficial bacteria.

Yellow Tail + Mango Ginger Salsa

The kids loved it. They especially love always the fresh fish as it has no "fishy taste" which develops as the fish ages.

(The problem with cooking at night is always the same, the pictures don't look so great as there is no day light! Every time I swear I will save some of the food for next day and take photos and almost every time it fails as there are no leftovers... Oh well.) 

Every week my kids and I go to the farmers market around the corner and buy organic vegetables, honey, fruit and pick up our weekly Community Seafood share. Community Seafood is a local community supported fishery in Santa Barbara, California. Their goal is to support the fishing community and sustainable ways of harvesting seafood.

I signed up a few months ago and our family has enjoyed the variety of seafood. I have tasted foods I have never tasted before, and may not have otherwise tasted, and learnt to prepare them too. Some of the new acquaintances have been mussels, oysters, ridge back shrimp and lobster. Some of the fish are new to me too. I grew up eating fish but mostly salmon, herring and some sweet water fish like perch.

This week's share was yellow tail. We have had it many times before and we usually enjoy it either grilled or fried in a cast iron pan. We like our fish simple. Usually we use just salt as a seasoning and squeeze some lemon from our tree on the cooked fish. For yellow tail I have made a few times a fruity salsa from fresh fruit I have had at hand like pineapple, peach, plums or mango. This week's salsa had mangoes.

I will post my most delicious paleo/AIP fish recipe experiments in future too. Stay tuned!

It is important to start with skin side up.
Otherwise the skin may stick to the pan.

Fried Yellow Tail 

yellow tail filets
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil

1. Cut the fish in smaller filets if needed. Leave the skin on.
2. Wash the fish and pat them dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
3. Heat a couple of spoonfuls of oil in your cast iron pan.
4. When the pan is warm, lay the fish pieces on the pan skin side up.
5. Leave them for a few minutes and turn them over.
6. Sprinkle salt on the fish and cover if you like.
7. Lower the heat a bit and cook until fish meat is white and flakes.

Mango Salsa 

1 ripe mango
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
juice from 1 lime
pinch of salt
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped or cut small with scissors

1. Peel the mango and chop the meat in small pieces. I like to cut small slices against the pit first horizontally and then vertically to make squares and then cut along the pit to remove the pieces from the mango. Then repeat on the other side of the pit.
2. Put the mango pieces in a bowl and crush some of them with a fork to extract some of the juice.
3. Add lime juice, salt, crushed garlic and grated ginger. Let it sit for a while in the fridge before serving. If it is not spicy enough for your taste buds, add more ginger.

Use fresh ingredients for best results!

Veggie sides

I try to make sure we get plenty of vegetables every day. To help with this goal I have started to make often two veggie sides instead of one as I used to do.

With the fish and salsa I also served steamed asparagus that is in season now and sauteed purple mustard greens I got from the market as well. The asparagus I steamed just enough that it felt soft when I pierced a spear with a knife and tossed them in olive oil and sea salt.

The mustard greens I sauteed very lightly in a little bit of coconut oil and added a touch of salt. For sauteeing them I got instructions from the vendor at the market to heat the oil in the pan, add the greens, toss them in the oil, cover the pan and turn off the heat and let sit for just a little while. The greens stayed a little bit spicy in this way and were absolutely delicious!


What is your favorite way to prepare yellow tail?

New BREAKFAST cook book and a sample pancake recipe!

Happy New Year from Sequoia national forest! (I did schedule this post ahead of time as there is not much of internet access where we are!)

I am so proud to announce our new cook book coming out TODAY! It is a pretty incredible e-book with 85 breakfast recipes. Just breakfasts! Because breakfast seems always to be puzzling people most when they go on a grain free diet and all their old safe breakfast foods fly out the window.

One year ago I was preparing to start AIP diet to battle blood sugar swings and food intolerances. The diet I started on January 2nd has been life changing for me. I still have healing to do, but I have come a long way and have learnt what foods tweak me and which don't. I feel better. And I have learnt how to eat really healthy.

I nowadays recommend AIP almost to anyone as a diet reset, to check in how your body is doing, feel better, and especially if you have any autoimmune issues or unexplained illnesses, it is a great way to start healing and feeling better. If you do the reintroductions properly after eliminating lots of foods for 30 days (or more) you get valuable information of which foods you are sensitive to, or which foods make you feel yucky, cause insomnia, headaches or other symptoms or have your autoimmune illness flare up.

I am so excited to be part of this new cook book. It was my biggest fear when starting the diet - what to eat for breakfast? This book has 85 answers to that question. It has a variety of breakfast recipes from several different bloggers (including me!) and authors who are following the AIP diet themselves. The editor is the lovely Eileen Laird of Phoenix Helix, a popular AIP blog. You can imagine my excitement when she asked me to be part of this community cook book project.

In the AIP breakfast cook book there are recipes for skillets, pancakes, waffles, soups, patties, bowls etc. All paleo and AIP compatible recipes. The recipes are grain free, sugar free, dairy free, egg free, seed and nut free, night shade free. One great thing about the book is that it even has dietary modifications for those avoiding coconut, the ones following a low-FODMAP diet, GAPS/SCD or low-histamine diet. The low-FODMAP modification was something I was dealing with. You can read about that here.

Here is a taste of what the book is about. It is just one of many pancake recipes!

Oven baked pumpkin spice pancakes
by Jaime of Gutsy by Nature


2 tablespoons gelatin
1/2 cup hot water
4 medjool dates, pits removed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup sweet potato flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping: maple syrup, honey, and/or whipped coconut cream, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water and mix well.
3. In a food processor or high speed blender, puree dates, pumpkin, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and the gelatin and water mixture until smooth.
4. Add sweet potato flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Puree again until all ingredients are well combined (the batter will be thick – more like a cake than a traditional pancake).
5. Make six roughly equal size pancakes on the cookie sheet – spreading them out so that each one is about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they hold together when you gently slide a spatula under them and try to move them.
7. Serve with desired topping or eat plain.

Good Morning Breakfast Salad

Before paleo life, when I was on a standard Finnish diet I had every morning pretty much the same breakfast (like probably a lot of other Finns if they didn’t eat oat meal): A slice of dark sour rye bread with butter, a slice of cheese and sliced cucumbers or tomatoes with some herb salt (Herbamare). If someone had told me that I would one day give up that habit and eat soup or even a salad for breakfast, I would have probably laughed politely and thought: Never.

Leaving grains and dairy has changed my thoughts about breakfasts completely. Any food can be a breakfast food now. I mean I tend to lean towards bacon and breakfast patties with veggies and fruit but occasionally I eat also soups and salads. Soup is actually a common breakfast food in Japan so it just feels strange here in the West.

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. We have an AIP breakfast cook book coming out on January 1st (stay tuned!) so I thought I should finally post this breakfast recipe too. It is not in the book but it is delicious and should be shared!

One day few weeks ago when I came back from my early morning Crossfit workout I craved something fresh but also warm. I used leftover romaine lettuce from the fridge and picked some lettuce and cress from the garden and made this salad. I had some leftover dairy free ranch dressing left and it paired well with the salad, see the recipe below.

Making the salad was a nice meditative activity and morning sun in the garden felt good and I watched for a while the bees pollinate my spaghetti squash flowers.

Good Morning Salad

A few strips of bacon (I buy sugar free bacon from US Wellness Meats)
Half a package of mushrooms
Lettuce
Cress
One mango
One avocado
Olives
a Persian cucumber

For ranch dressing, add the following ingredients together in a jar with a lid. Shake the jar to mix the dressing.

1 cup of coconut kefir
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

1.  Fry the bacon with the mushrooms in a cast iron pan.
2.  Tear lettuces in pieces.
3.  Chop cucumbers, mango and avocado. Remove pits from olives and slice them.
4.  Pile the ingredients on a plate, the warm mushrooms and bacon on top. Serve with the dressing.

Don't forget to check back in on January 1st (subscribe to posts to get the email!) when the new breakfast cook book comes out! This book rocks!

Brussel Sprout Lover's Pan of Happiness

Did you know that in my native language, Finnish, brussel sprouts are called "rose cabbages"? I love that name! They do look like little cute baby cabbage heads. Anyway, this recipe is so good. You will love it, I promise! You will want to have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I do at least. If you ever meet someone who says they don't like brussel sprouts, offer them a taste of this dish! You might just convert them. Have I sold this recipe to you yet?

I loooove brussel sprouts in all forms so who am I to say though, but I have heard a lot of sighs of happiness from people eating this food. This is the best brussel sprouts recipe I know of.  What is your favorite way of preparing brussel sprouts? Please share in comments!

I usually buy sugar free and additive free delicious bacon from US Wellness Meats, for this day's version I had to use alternate bacon as they have been out, the bacon is so good. I am a part of their affiliate program so if you buy yours through my link above you support my blog! Thank you!

Delicious Sauteed Brussel Sprouts 

1/2 lb bacon 
a couple of pounds of brussels sprouts
1/2 lbs of mushrooms (optional)
1 big clove of garlic
1/3 cup of broth (I make my own delicious and healthy broth, learn how you can, too!)
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp creamed coconut
salt to taste

1. Prepare the brussels sprouts. Wash them, cut the hard bottom part off, remove any too wilted outer leaves and cut the sprouts in half.
2. Wash mushrooms and cut them in half. Very small ones you can keep whole.
3. Cut bacon in small pieces.
4. Brown the bacon pieces in a large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and stir.
5. Add brussels sprouts and mushrooms and toss them in the bacon fat for a couple of minutes.
6. Add broth, coconut milk and creamed coconut and simmer on low until the brussels sprouts are as soft as you like them. Mix every now and then to prevent anything from burning. Add more liquid if it all evaporates to prevent the dish from burning.
7. Enjoy alone or with friends!

Review: Reintroducing Foods On The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

When I heard about Eileen Laird's eBook Reintroducing Foods On The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, A Step-By-Step Guide With Recipes my first thought was that I would have really needed this book a couple of months ago. Then I read it and I know now for sure I would have needed it.

See, I started the autoimmune paleo diet without finishing my research, like I do with most things. I studied very carefully everything I could eat and what I couldn't eat but I didn't give much thought to the life after the original elimination period. It seemed very far in the future and I thought I will just wing it. It took me a long time to combine all the info from different sources (Eileen Laird's website Phoenix Helix was one of them!) to get started with the diet and I guess I was too overwhelmed by all of it. Also, all this information wasn't then to be found in one place. This eBook is great because it will also summarize the foods you eliminate and then go to the most important part - reintroduction.

The elimination period is important because it will kind of reset your body and by then introducing things one by one back you can see what triggers your body. So rushing things will work against the whole purpose you went on the diet.

This guide makes you understand that reintroducing is good to be done slowly, one by one, and in a certain order. I had no idea about this order thing so I introduced back wine first (not good according to this manual) and white rice so I could eat sushi. Oh well. But my body was actually fine with those and I haven't really introduced back much else as I haven't felt I am ready. Or even the need to, I like this diet and I am scared to start introducing too many things back. Oh, I did try a sip of coffee the first thing after the 30 day elimination period when my husband came back from his coffee roasting class. It didn't go well at all so I gave up coffee. Oh, and I have snatched a few pieces of chocolate from the kids too... Oops. But the point is that it is good to introduce foods that are least likely to trigger a reaction first and tricky foods last and give enough time in between. I introduced chocolate, coffee, rice and wine all in the same time I think... I did the mistake #1 Eileen Laird lists on page 13. I rushed. I was impatient. Don't do as I did and get this guide to do things properly. Read it before you start the diet so you are prepared. On the 30 day elimination diet you are busy learning to cook AIP foods.

This reintroduction guide will tell you exactly how to do the reintroductions. I know now. Thanks Eileen! I think I will after the summer vacation take a step back and go again on the strictest version of the diet for a few weeks, no occassional white rice or wine, and start over with all my new knowledge.

The book has also delicious looking recipes for when you are ready to introduce foods back so it makes it pretty easy. They made me miss night shades so much! I haven't eaten peppers or tomatoes in years.

The best part of the book maybe was after all that it is so supportive. Reading Eileen's story and her encouraging comments throughout the book made me feel like I am on the right path. The support of the AIP community has been huge help. I do feel good with my modified diet too but I would like the information my body would tell me if I actually took time to do this properly, now I have the tools. Thanks for providing us all this information, in the book and also on your website, Phoenix Helix, Eileen!

If you want to buy this book, you can do so from here.

Paleo Camping Food

Last weekend we went to Joshua Tree with some friend families to camp and do some rock climbing. I had never been camping yet completely grain free so I had to do some planning and preparing ahead but it was surprisingly easy to come up with a grain free camping menu.

Most of it was AIP friendly too apart from some gluten free sausages that might have had night shade spices and kids had some s'mores with gluten free graham crackers at the campfire. Here are some ideas for your future camping trips!

Check out also my post about traveling while on a special diet. The travel food ideas apply to camping too.

Equipment needed for the camp kitchen (on top of a tent, sleeping bags, pads, warm clothes and other camping gear you need):

a camp stove and fuel

lighter or matches

a frying pan and spatula

cutting board

knife
can opener *swiss army knife works for many of your needs

plates, cups, forks, knives and spoons

paper towels are the thing I always miss when I don't have them

hand disinfectant is handy to use after handling the raw sausage 

flash light, lantern or headlight if you plan on cooking in the dark

Dr. Bronner's liquid soap is handy for dishwashing and hand washing

a brush or sponge for washing dishes

coal if you use a grill

firewood if you want to cook on fire

Breakfasts:

Pancakes

I made ahead of time some plantain pancake batter at home and stored it in ziploc bags to use at the campground.

Breakfast Sausage and fried zucchini

I made a breakfast sausage mix before hand at home and stored it in ziploc bags to use at the campground. I have modified a breakfast sausage recipe from Nom Nom Paleo for this.

2 lb ground pork (at least 20% fat)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp salt

fresh herbs to taste (cut them with scissors in small pieces) - I used rosemary, thyme, sage and sweet marjoram

1. Mix everything together. Store in a container or a zip loc bag until you are ready to use them. 

2. Form little patties or sausages and fry in coconut oil or lard.

3. Cut zucchinis in slices and fry in the leftover fat from the patties (or bacon).

Sides: 

Sauerkraut or other fermented vegetables, sliced avocados, fresh fruit, fresh veggies like cucumbers and carrots

Lunches (all of these work as snacks too):

Persian cucumbers

Baby carrots

Crackers

Homemade fermented pickles or other veggies

Canned tuna or salmon (check ingredients)

Smoked salmon (check ingredients)

Avocados

Olives

Salads and coleslaws prepared ahead of time at home and packed in containers or ziploc bags. See a ziploc coleslaw recipe here.

Dinners

Tuna salad

Lettuce (ready cut in a bag is nice and saves trouble!)

Cucumbers, chopped

Olives

Canned tuna (or salmon)

Dressing prepared ahead of time at home and brought to camp in a leak proof jar:

1 part balsamic vinegar / coconut vinegar / apple cider vinegar

4 parts olive oil

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Shake to mix and serve with the salad.

Hobo Aluminum Foil Dinner

This you can prepare already at home to save trouble and time at the campground. 

Raw veggies and meats or fish of your choice 

Coconut oil

Salt

We used: 

turnips (some of us ate potatoes) - these I precooked at home

bok choy

spinach

pineapple

pork

mushrooms

Cut the veggies and meats and pack them in heavy aluminum foil (if you don't have heavy foil, it is best to double the foil). Before you close the packages, add some oil and salt. Put the foil packages on grill with charcoal or wait until the campfire has burnt  for a while so you can put the packages in the coals. Check from time to time to see if they are ready and that they don't burn. 

Happy camping! Please share your paleo camping food ideas in the comments below!

Plantain Pancakes (updated recipe!)

We make these grain free and vegan pancakes a lot. They are fast to make even on busy mornings. Kids love them, adults love them. Kids like to help making them. It is our new favorite breakfast in addition to leftovers and homemade maple pork sausage patties (I use the recipe from Nom Nom Paleo book for those). Last week I made some of this pancake batter at home to take camping and we fried them on our camp stove in Joshua Tree. During last months we have made all kinds of updates to the earlier recipe I posted. I started updating that post but there were so many updates that I decided to make a new post altogether.


I found this recipe from Purely Twins for grain free pancakes. I modified it a little to suit our diet. We have kept modifying the recipe to make it our own and here is the result of months of experimenting!

Our newest discovery were burro bananas as our grocery store was out of green plantains. They worked even better than plantains. The consistency of the pancake was amazing.

Grain free vegan pancakes
autoimmune paleo, vegan, grain free

1 green plantain or green burro banana (you can use yellow ones too, the batter will be just less starchy and more difficult to maneuver when turning the pancakes, I suggest adding 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or 1 tbsp coconut flour in this case)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or coconut kefir
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (I buy mine from here, affiliate link that supports my blogging)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of sea salt (I like Himalayan pink salt, affiliate link)

1. Peel the plantain, chop it and add in the blender or food processor (this is a perfect job for little kids!)

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

3. Warm your pan on medium-low heat.

4. Spread the thick batter on the pan. You might need to spread it a little bit with a spatula so the pancakes are not too thick.

5. Cook on one side until you are able to turn them. They are ready when they seem solid.

6. Serve them with maple syrup, jam, berries, unsweetened apple sauce, whatever you like. My kids favorites are apple sauce and the other one's maple syrup. You can transform them to a healthy lunch (school lunch too!) or even dinner by adding spinach and making spinach pancakes. Or eat them later cold as "bread".

Have a great Easter weekend! Easter post coming soon!

Sirpa

Bone Broth And An Every Day Gourmet Soup

We eat a lot of soup. The base of the soup is always the same, homemade broth. The other ingredients vary as I use whatever I have at hand. Every soup becomes different in this way and is always a new adventure! Read on to learn how to make your own broth/stock and how to use it as a base for a soup made of foods you happen to have at hand. I like to eat this soup when I have it at hand for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Home made bone broth is healthy and delicious

The secret to a really good soup is in the homemade long cooked broth. The best restaurants make their own broths and you can cook delicious foods if you base them on your home cooked stocks. I save all bones and scraps of meat and veggies in my freezer and make broth out of them. You can use any kind of bones. Beef, chicken, pork, duck - all bones will do. You can buy grass fed beef bones from a butcher or health food store or use your leftover carcasses or bones from drumsticks or ribs. If you are not ready to use them, or don't have enough from one meal, you can freeze them in a ziploc bag to wait for a better moment and keep adding bones to the bag.

I prefer to use bones that have a little bit of meat attached to them, because the broth tastes better that way I think, but it is not necessary. I usually leave some meat on chicken carcasses for this purpose or add some leftover chunks of meat. Saving trimmed parts opf connective tissue (in that freezer bag) is a good idea too. Especially beef bones you might be able to use twice for two batched of broth!

Ingredients:

bones
water
(it is believed a splash or two of apple cider vinegar will help in removing minerals from the bones but some don't like the taste - I do like the added flavor)

Optional add ons (pick one or more to flavor the broth):

carrots
celery
bay leaves
whole peppercorns
fresh parsley or carrot tops
garlic cloves

Method 1: Slowcooker

Add the bones and any add ons in your crockpot. Add enough water to more than sufficiently cover the bones. Cook on low for 8-24 hours. Or even longer. I have sometimes had the broth simmering for days and just made sure to add more liquid from time to time. It has been nice to scoop a cupful of hot broth to drink and use in cooking straight from the cooker.

Method 2: In the oven

Add the bones and any add ons in an oven proof stock pot with a lid. Add enough water to more than sufficiently cover the bones. Bake in 200F for 8-24 hours. Or longer.

Strain the ready broth (you can try to use the bones for a second lighter batch) and freeze it or store in the fridge for up to a week and use in your cooking or drink by the cupful.

How to transform your broth into a delicious soup and get called a gourmet chef

1. Add chopped vegetables and meat in a pot. You can use up all leftover scraps from your fridge!
2. Pour in enough broth to cover the vegetables (you can replace some of it with water if you want).
3. Add spices to taste. I usually add salt, grated fresh ginger, crushed garlic, sometimes pepper.
4. Let simmer on low until the vegetables and meat are cooked.

TIP: My favorite soup contains chicken, white cabbage, kale, mushrooms and carrots with ginger and garlic. Sometimes if I am in a rush and don't have broth I boil a whole chicken in water for an hour or longer if I have time and in the meanwhile chop vegetables. When the chicken is cooked, I fish it out, throw the veggies and spices in to simmer and and then strip the meat from the bones and add the meat in the soup. The carcasse I keep for a second round of broth I cook for a longer time.

Marinated Olives

Anytime I serve these olives to anyone, they ask for the recipe. Some even say they are the best marinated olives they have ever tasted. I have to confess now upfront that the recipe is not mine originally. I wish it was. I have stolen the idea from a restaurant called Silvoplee in Helsinki, Finland. Silvoplee serves delicious vegetarian, raw and alive foods. Of course I don't know their recipe exactly but I have done my best to copy it. This is a great appetizer or a snack. Put some in your salad, too.

Marinated Olives

Good quality naturally cured olives (no white vinegar, preferably olives in just water and salt)
A couple of cloves of garlic, crushed
A bunch of fresh cilantro, cut fine with scissors
Good quality olive oil

Add olives, cilantro and garlic to a bowl and drizzle just enough olive oil on them that you can mix them easily. Let marinate in the fridge at least for a few hours, preferably overnight or a day or two.

Finnish Salmon Soup

Fish soup is a very common food in Finland. It is often made with salmon, potatoes and milk and garnished with dill. If you don't have fish stock at hand you can use water only but homemade fish stock is easy to make and gives a delicious flavor to the soup. Stock made from fish bones and heads is also very nutritious, full of minerals and makes a great addition to a healthy diet.


How to make fish stock:

1. Get a few pounds of fish bones and heads from a fish store or the fish counter from a grocery store. You might have to call them ahead to reserve the bones as they sometimes just throw them away. You shouldn't be charged a lot for them.

2. Put the bones and heads in a big stock pot and fill with water. Add 1-2 bay leaves, a carrot and about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar.

3. Bring to boil and let simmer lid on for at least a few hours or as long as 24 hours.

4. Strain the stock. You can collect the fish meat from the bones and add to the soup or eat as is later.

Salmon Soup

4.5 cups fish stock (some of it can be replaced with water)
1/2-1 cup full fat milk (I use coconut milk)
1 lb salmon, skin removed and cut in cubes
4-5 medium sized turnips (or potatoes if you are not avoiding night shades)
1 carrot
5 whole allspice
1 small clove of garlic
1 tsp salt
dill

Optional: you can saute some onions in a fat of your choice in the sauce pan before adding the stock.

1. Measure the stock to a big enough sauce pan and bring to boil.

2. Chop the potatoes and carrots and add them to the stock as well as the whole allspice berries and chopped garlic.

3. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are easily pierced with a fork.

4. Add the fish, salt, milk and chopped dill. The fish takes only a few minutes until it is ready. Check one fish piece to make sure it is cooked.

Check out more great recipes from Phoenix Helix Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Roundtable.

Liver and Mushroom Stir Fry

My tries to incorporate more liver to our meals led to this dish. I used chicken liver for mild flavor but for stronger liver flavor use beef liver. I'd like pork liver for some foods but it is not commonly sold in the US it seems.

Liver and Mushroom Stir Fry

8 oz bacon (check ingredients carefully and for sugar free/additive free bacon, check out US Wellness Meats website)
8 oz liver
8 oz mushrooms of your choice
2-3 handfuls spinach or dandelion greens
2 cloves of garlic

1. Cut bacon in small pieces and slice liver thinly.
2. Fry bacon pieces in a cast iron pan. When the bacon is crispy, remove from the pan but leave the fat.
3. Add thinly sliced or chopped garlic to the pan. Be careful not to burn it.
4. Add mushrooms and fry until they get some color, then add spinach. Continue frying until spinach is just wilted. Remove from the pan but leave the fat.
5. Add the liver in the pan and fry until it gets some color.
6. Add all the other ingredients back to the pan and toss around for a minute or two so they are well mixed.
7. Serve as an appetizer or for main course with salad. Would be a nice breakfast too.

This recipe was posted in Phoenix Helix AIP Roundtable. Check it out for more recipes!

AIP/Paleo Emergency Food

In Southern California we have had a couple of earthquakes in the last week or two and even if they weren't big enough to cause big damage they were big enough to get people reviewing their disaster plans. What are we going to do if the "big one" hits? Our earth quake kit in the garage which is an old suit case filled with this and that is hopelessly outdated. I have been now buying and planning new emergency foods - AIP compatible emergency foods. You don't want to have to eat foods that make you sick in a situation like that on top of everything else. Here is a list of foods I have got / are on a shopping list for our emergency package:


- Canned tuna (ingredients need to be checked as some contain vegetable broth which's ingredients are unknown)
- Olives (traditionally cured in glass jars, no white vinegar or other additives, just salt and water)
- Canned salmon, sardines and chicken (check ingredients)
- Palm hearts in glass jars (Trader Joe's)
- Any suitable canned vegetables (check ingredients)
- Canned meat (check ingredients)
- Raisins and other dried fruits
- Freeze dried blueberries and other freeze dried fruit
- Freeze dried vegetables and meats (Honeyville Grain for instance is a good source)
- Water
- Our camp stove and extra fuel
- Extra coal for our barbeque (don't forget the matches!)
- Plum kids pureed fruit and vegetable pouches
- Plantain chips
- Water filtration system (for backpacking)
- Apple sauce
- Canned coconut milk (or in cartons) - this is a good option
- Seaweed snacks
- Nori sheets for making wraps
- Paleo wraps
- Organic shredded coconut, coconut flour, honey, coconut oil etc. to roll coconut balls for instance (omit cocoa powder for AIP friendly coconut balls)

I keep some water bottles in the freezer so that if the power goes out I can use some of them as ice packs in a cooler to keep perishables from the fridge cold longer.

What would you add to the list?

Book Review: Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott

I felt very happy and honored to receive a review copy of Mickey Trescott's Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. The book is amazing. It became instantly on of my favorite cookbooks.

It is hard cover, beautiful and inviting book with stunning photography and very delicious looking recipes. All recipes I have tried so far have been very yummy. My favorite (and my kids favorite) so far is the mushroom stuffed cornish hens. And maybe the halibut. And a few other things.

I think we need more cook books like this. Autoimmune diseases are epidemic and people suffering from them don't always get relief from main stream medicine. Nutrition can be another way to ease symptoms by removing problematic foods, heal the gut and make one feel better.

People are intimidated to start allergen free diets as they fear that the food will not taste good. They have tasted some dry store bought gluten free cookies or bread and think that all gluten free food is nasty (and yes, those foods can be nasty). If you make your foods at home from real ingredients using recipes like Mickey Trescott's, the foods will taste delicious and if you serve them to your guests, they will not even know they are "paleo" or "allergen free".

Mickey Trescott speaks from her own experience with autoimmune disease and she has brought healing with a paleo diet, to be more precise autoimmune paleo diet. Autoimmune paleo diet consists of meats, vegetables and fruit excluding processed foods, dairy, legumes, eggs, night shades, nuts and seeds.

When starting a dietary journey like this, it can be intimidating to think of what to eat. Especially if you are not feeling well and are low on energy. Mickey Trescott provides also all basic information and meal plans with shopping lists to follow. The recipes are very thoroughly written and if you follow the instructions step by step you'll soon have delicious meals to enjoy and you won't miss your old foods at all.

I am thrilled to have a cook book that I can use without having to come up with all kinds of substitutions to foods we don't eat. I hardly ever buy even paleo cook books because they often rely heavily on night shades and eggs. I will keep this book on my kitchen shelf and reach to it when I am out of ideas.

Visit Mickey Trescott's website for more information on autoimmune paleo diet, recipes and more. And buy the book from here!

Homemade Sausage

We don't really buy sausage anymore because it is hard, if not impossible, to find sausage that would be sugar free and night shade free. I took the plunge and bought a stand mixer with the meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachment. The stand mixer is handy anyway in other tasks too like making these corn free and egg free marshmallows with honey as an occasional treat for camping trips.


Homemade Pork Sausage
paleo, AIP, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, corn free, night shade free, egg free, refined sugar free

2 lb pork from Rainbow Ranch Farms, cut in one inch chunks
1/2 lb fat (I used lard)
20 gr salt
5 mushrooms
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh parsley, cut fine with scissors
3 tbsp apple sauce
1 clove of garlic
natural casings (I used these ones, affiliate link)

I made the sausages with a Kitchenaid stand mixer and its meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachment. I followed the instructions on this video. (I am not affiliated with Kitchenaid by the way, it is just the tool I happen to use.)

I first ground the meat with the lard and mushrooms in the food grinder. I gently mixed in all the other ingredients from above (except casings of course) and then changed to the sausage stuffer attachment.

According to the instructions on the video below I made the sausages. The sausages can be boiled, fried or barbequed. The video says you'll need two people to make the sausages but I did it alone. It was a little tricky but not impossible.

This recipe is posted also on Phoenix Helix AIP Round Table. Check it out for more great AIP friendly recipes!

Pineapple Dessert

I came up with this dessert when I cooked Shrimp Pineapple Fajitas and had so much pineapple that it seemed like too much for the main course. I just saved some of the fried pineapple but you can also prepare them separately.

Pineapple Dessert (paleo, AIP)

Serves 4

A third or half of a pineapple cut in bite sized pieces

Coconut oil

Balsamic vinegar

Mint leaves (I like to use small apple mint leaves)

Maple syrup (optional)

1. Fry the pineapples in coconut oil in a cast iron pan and when they have got some color, drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on them and toss a minute or two more to caramelize them.
2. Arrange in serving bowls and if you wish drizzle just a hint of maple syrup on them.
3. Pour some cold vanilla sauce (recipe below) on the warm pineapples. 
4. Garnish with some torn fresh mint leaves.

Vanilla sauce

1 frozen banana (peel it before freezing it)

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

Measure all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Shrimp Fajitas (AIP, Paleo, Grain free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Corn Free, Nightshade Free)

I have missed Mexican restaurants while being on our healing diets. We used to often have a Mexican night at home too on the weekends and it was always so much fun. But now we don't eat beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers or dairy so that's pretty much it, right? In my cravings last night I took what we had at hand and with the help of guacamole made it resemble a Mexican meal. This dish is not really Mexican but it has a little bit of that feeling!

Shrimp Pineapple Fajitas

1 pound uncooked peeled shrimp
2 zucchinis
1/2 pineapple (I used the other half for pineapple dessert)
Coconut oil
Mushrooms
Salt
A piece of fresh ginger
Paleo coconut wraps (I use these)

Paleo Guacamole

Coconut kefir (it can sometimes become sour cream consistency or thicker if you let it sit in the fridge for a while)

1. Cut everything in bite sized pieces.
2. Heat a tablespoon or so of coconut oil in a frying pan (cast iron is a must especially in this recipe!). Start by frying the pineapples and ginger. When they have some brown color, move them to another dish.
3. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil and add the chopped zucchinis in the pan. Fry them until almost soft and add the uncooked peeled shrimp. Fry until the shrimp is ready which takes only a few minutes. Add salt to taste. Don't overcook the shrimp. It is pretty much done when it has turned red but check of course first before serving.
4. Bring all food to the table and everyone can make their own wraps with guacamole and some solidified coconut kefir if you wish.

Carrot Top Pesto And 10 Other Ways To Use Carrot Tops

Carrots store best with their tops removed so remove
 them as soon as you bring them home or harvest them.

Not throwing away food is one of my pet peeves. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report found out that 30% of the food produced in the United States is wasted every single day. That is a lot. Big part of it is of course the stores and restaurants, not all households throw away a third of their food but still. I have nearly zero tolerance for throwing away food. I have noticed that when not buying bread and milk and junk foods, we throw very little food away. The vegetables rarely go bad if stored right. Some vegetables like roots and cabbage and hard shelled squashes and pumpkins last for a very long time. Fermented, they last even longer. The meat, stored properly (ours is most often in the freezer), does not have to go bad. Overripe fruit I freeze for smoothies or bake, all others we eat. I use all parts of vegetables usually and I boil leftover bones, chicken legs, necks, fish heads and carcasses etc. to nourishing broth.

I am always looking for more ways to utilize all parts of our food sources. I was asked recently how to use the carrot tops so I thought I'd collect ideas in a post. I first heard about utilizing the carrot tops when someone told me that in Finland - where I used to sell vegetables and berries and chantarelles at a small town farmers market - Chinese immigrants come to collect the carrot tops the sellers throw away as the customers do not want them in their baskets. Wow, so you can eat them too. here are five ways to utilize them and lastly the recipe of a carrot top pesto.

Oh and before you bring up the myth about carrot tops being toxic, check out this excellent post busting the myth.

1. Mix them in your sauteed greens

Chop greens like chard, kale, collard, mustard greens or turnip greens and mix some carrot tops in the mix. Sautee in a pan in broth.

2. Use them instead of parsley

Carrot is in the same plant family as parsley. The flavor is not exactly the same but you can just fine use it instead of parsley in recipes. Try it for instance in Robin Hood Chicken.

3. Add them to your stock pot

When making vegetable or meat broth, some use vegetables and parsley to improve the flavor. Try adding the carrot tops in your next batch of broth.

4. Add to salads
Garnish any salad with carrot tops. Chop them first or cut in one inch pieces with scissors.

5. Herbes Salées (Salt Herb Preserve)

Preserve your end of the season herbs with carrot tops in a jar with salt. Very cool recipe from Well Preserved.

6. Steam them

Simple recipe: Steam the carrot tops, add some coconut aminos (try coconut oil too) and enjoy!

7. Green smoothies
Add some carrot tops to your green smoothie. Our favorite green smoothie is: 1/2 banana, 1/3 cup blueberries, a few handfuls of greens, a few splashes of water or coconut milk and ice. Put in a blender and blend until smooth!

8. Juice them
Just like with smoothies, use the greens like any greens in your green juice. Juice some carrot tops with an apple, carrots, a small piece of ginger and a small clove of garlic (my favorite juice recipe).

9. Medicinal uses (Source: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html#medicinal)
Carrot greens have antiseptic qualities. They have been added to mouthwashes. They have also been mixed with honey and used to disinfect sores.They are also diuretic and can help treat kidney disease and edema. Chewing carrot leaves can heal injuries in the mouth, bad breath, gum bleeding and mouth ulcers. Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40-c. 90), who catalogued over 600 medicinal plant specie, said that the Greeks used carrot leaves against cancerous tumors.

Make carrot top tea for detoxing, strengthening kidneys or urinary issues: Take a handful of carrot leaves, wash them, tear them in pieces and put them in a pot. Pour boiling water on them, cover and steep until tea has cooled down. Strain the tea and drink it or store in the fridge for a few days.

10. Yellow dye

Use them for yellow natural dye! Incredible, huh? Follow these directions.

And finally:

Carrot Top Pesto

Tops from 3 bunches of carrots

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp sea salt

1/2-3/4 cups of olive oil (or enough for the blender to blend well)

a handful of fresh basil leaves 

(ground black pepper to taste)

(1 tsp nutritional yeast)

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency. You can also use a food processor. Eat with zucchini pasta, put on grilled veggies or dip veggies in it.

For more autoimmune paleo recipes, check out this roundtable by Phoenix Helix where this recipe is posted as well.

Traveling While On A Special Diet (Paleo, Gluten Free, AIP etc.)

I am packing today to go for a couple days to pediatric massage training by Liddle Kidz Foundation. My life has changed so much from when I last used to travel for work. That was when I was working for Left Alliance in Finland, a political party. I was the head of communications and traveled often. My suit case was filled with business casual (very casual in my case but still) clothes, makeup and nice extra shoes. A novel. Now I have comfy clothes, my yoga mat, woolen socks, a parenting or nutrition book and a cooler full of food. Before I also had all kinds of things like ibuprofen or cortisone or lip balm with me just in case but after going gluten free and especially after going paleo I don't even need to think about packing any of those anymore. (I save these styrofoam boxes whenever I get any cold products shipped, they are very well insulated for situations like this! And this one fits in my suit case!)

Eating out while on a restricted diet is tricky so I travel with food. Sometimes I have packed a toaster oven with us and then we can buy food to cook in the hotel room or wherever we are staying. This time I packed ingredients for wraps, salads and snacks:

- coconut wraps (I use Paleo wraps) - use any of the items below to fill the wraps - breakfast, lunch or dinner!
- cabbage slaw in a ziplock bag: white and red
cabbage, kale, shredded carrots, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Herbamare (mix in a ziplock and shake)

- cooked chicken (this recipe) - I froze some of it overnight so it would stay cool longer

- sauerkraut
- cucumbers
- lettuce
- carrots
- fruit
- olives
- avocados
- canned salmon/tuna (check ingredients!)
- coconut kefir
- sauteed greens (chard, sauteed in broth and garlic)
- hearts of palm in glass jar
- plantain chips (recipes online, check out this one)
- boiled whole yams
- plate and utensils and a swiss army knife (If you fly, don't pack knives in your carry on, believe me, I have done that accidentally a few times and have paid a lot of money to keep my knife in paid storage at the airport, it is now worth its weight in dollar bills probably.)

I have eaten this on airplanes straight from the bag
with a plastic fork. It has stayed fine in my purse 
even without a cooler for very long times.

All of these are fine for me to eat cold. If I had more time on my hands today, I'd make these crackers and puree some naturally cured olives with olive oil and garlic for a quick tapenade... Maybe I will after the kids are in bed! After I have packed I still have to check on all my ferment babies, bottle some kombucha and water the garden. These are also new additions to my packing routine. Oh how my life has changed! Safe travels to me! I'll be a certified pediatric massage therapist in a few days!

For more recipes, check this out!