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?

Sweet potato, greens and chicken curry (AIP / Paleo / Grain free / Dairy free / Vegan version)

I love buying vegetables from the farmers' market and going home to cook them right away. Today we bought sweet potatoes and water spinach and came up with this creation. It was great and kids liked it too (well, at least one of them). I put only a little bit spices not to make it too strong for them as they are not used to very spicy food.


You can make this vegan by leaving out the chicken.

Coconut oil
Big bunch of greens (I used water spinach here)
Several sweet potatoes
Mushrooms of your choice
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Salt to taste
Turmeric to taste
1-2 cups of broth (can be vegetable or meat broth)
Chicken, optional

Optional (seed based spices are not included in the beginning of AIP diet so these can be left out as well):
Ground black pepper, cumin, coriander and mustard seed to taste

(These are spices included in the curry spice, just like the other spices above like turmeric which gives it the yellow color - I have made nightshade free curry spice myself in the past by mixing these spices but leaving out chili.)

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut them in cubes. Chop mushrooms and greens.
2. Grate a piece of fresh ginger and chop garlic.
3. Heat up the coconut oil in a big pan on medium heat.
4. Add garlic, ginger and other spices (not salt yet) and stir them in the oil. Be careful not to burn them.
5. Add sweet potatoes and broth and let cook (covered) for a few minutes.
6. Cut chicken in strips and add them in the pan.
7. When the chicken and sweet potatoes are nearly done, add mushrooms and greens.
8. Last add salt and taste it. Add spices as needed.

This recipe can be found as well from Phoenix Helix' AIP Roundtable

Super easy creamy chicken in the oven (AIP, paleo, dairy free, grainfree, gluten free)

This dish has almost a blue cheesy taste although it is dairy free! This food was so good that we were nearly fighting for the last bits. You have to try it, I am telling you! I created the dish kind of accidentally while we were staying in a cabin in the national forest in Finland. We were jetlaggy, tired, needed a dinner quickly and these were the only ingredients I had at hand. I had packed the creamed coconut in my suit case to use in place of milk in cooking. It keeps well, doesn't need refrigeration and I often bring some camping too. Now that I think of it, this would be perfect camp food. It could be prepared ahead of time in bags of foil and just be put on the campfire at dinner time. We are going camping for my birthday this week on the beach, guess what my birthday dinner will be?!

Easypeasy creamy chicken in the oven

2 lbs chicken thighs or breast, cut in strips
small bunch of spinach, chopped roughly (other greens would work too)
1 package of mushrooms, cut in half or quarters
1 package of creamed coconut (I use this one) (half a package might be enough but I used the whole thing)
1/2 lb of bacon (AIP friendly bacon available at US Wellness meats), cut in small pieces
a clove of garlic
salt to taste
coconut oil to grease the pan
A splash or two of water, white wine or broth in addition if the dish feels very dry as you are mixing it, I added some just in case

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease an oven pan with coconut oil.
3. Mix all ingredients in the pan. If the creamed coconut is solid, you can crumble it. The crumbles give the dish actually a cheesy feel. Use a garlic press to mince the garlic.
4. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked. Keep an eye so it doesn't burn from the top and add water or broth or wine and mix if needed.
5. Serve with salad. (Would be very nice with some gluten free noodles or boiled potatoes too if the dish doesn't have to be AIP friendly!)

TIP: If you don't want to use oven in the heat of the summer, you can just as well sautee the dish in a pan or a pot.

More AIP friendly recipes

Paleo/Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches

It was 95 degrees in Los Angeles today. The three year old learned to swim and we made ice cream sandwiches. A good day all in all.

Chocolate Cookies 
paleo, gluten free, vegan, nut free, refined sugar free
Makes 8 big cookies

1/2 cup coconut flour (I most often buy this one)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder 
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/3 cup maple syrup powder
pinch of salt (I like pink Himalayan salt)
pinch of ground vanilla bean
2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp coconut milk 
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted  (I might consider adding a little bit more next time, the cookies were slightly dry on their own but just fine with the ice cream)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all the ingredients together - first the dry ones and then add the liquids.
3. Form balls from the dough and flatten them on a cookie sheet using the palm of your hand. The size won't change a lot so make them the size you want the cookies to be.

Vanilla Ice Cream
paleo, vegan, refined sugar free

2 cups full fat additive free coconut milk (I use this one for best results)
1/3 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean (I use this one)

Mix all ingredients together and follow ice cream maker's instructions.

To make the ice cream sandwiches:

Let the cookies cool down completely first before you even make the ice cream because it takes longer, I know now from experience. It takes also longer than the kids can wait so use freezer to cool the cookies quicker if you need to. Take a cookie and press a scoop of ice cream on it and press another cookie on top. Enjoy!


This post contains affiliate links. I recommend only products I like myself. Using the links to purchase them supports my blogging activities. Thanks you!

Barbeque Sauce

I wanted to make country style pork ribs in the oven and googled for recipes. Many recipes required barbeque sauce. I googled next for barbeque sauce recipes and based on my findings I developed this paleo and autoimmune paleo friendly recipe.


Tomato Free Barbeque Sauce
paleo, AIP, night shade free, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, corn free, soy free, egg free

1 cup pureed pumpkin (apple sauce could work too)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1. In a saucepan, sautee slightly the garlic and ginger in coconut oil. Be careful not to burn them.
2. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Use on your favorite barbeque meats and veggies. Pour the rest into a glass jar and refrigerate.

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.

Coconut Balls (updated: two different recipes)

I have fond memories of making and eating coconut balls as a child. Me and my friends next door made them from time to time in their kitchen as a special treat. The delicious treat contained rolled oats, butter, sugar and cacao powder and were rolled in shredded coconut.  I have been trying to think how I could give my own children also the experience of making coconut balls without using oats, sugar or butter. The other night we came up with a recipe. This recipe is easy for the kids to do themselves with some help with measuring from an adult if needed.






Coconut balls ("Kookospallot")
VERSION 1

paleo, grain free, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, corn free, soy free, refined sugar free

1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut flour
pinch of salt (I like Himalayan pink salt)
1/3 cup palm shortening (or enough to make it right consistency)
1/4 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/4 cup honey
(a pinch of ground vanilla bean)

more shredded coconut to roll the balls in


1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Wooden spoon works but some little hands might like to mix it by hand. Be careful not to mix by hand for too long so the warmth of the hands doesn't melt the shortening too much.
2. Form little bite size balls.
3. Spread some shredded coconut on a plate and roll the balls in it.
4. Serve right away or store in the fridge for a few days. (We had nothing to put to the fridge, they were gone very fast.)

Coconut balls ("Kookospallot")
VERSION 2

paleo, grain free, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, corn free, soy free , refined sugar free

1 cups dates, pitted
3/4 cup shredded coconut
pinch of salt (I like Himalayan pink salt)
3 tbsp palm shortening or coconut oil
1 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

more shredded coconut to roll the balls in

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor bowl and mix until all the dates are pureed and everything is mixed well together.
2. Form balls and roll them in shredded coconut.

Lemon Panna Cotta with Caramel Sauce

I tasted Meyer lemon pannacotta recently in an event and it was so delicious I realized I just have to recreate it at home. Besides we all know how healing gelatin is to the gut... This does have plenty of alternative sugars so even if it is autoimmune paleo friendly it is meant to be only an occasional treat.

I knew the ingredients because I asked before accepting the food to see if I could eat it: coconut milk, gelatin, lemon and honey.

Here's my version! Enjoy!

Lemon Pannacotta

3 cups full fat additive free coconut milk (I use Aroy-D and Chaokoh)

1/3 cup honey

1 vanilla bean, cut in half (optional, some avoid vanilla bean on autoimmune paleo protocol)

zest of one lemon

pinch of sea salt

2 tsp grassfed gelatin (I use this one)

4 tbsp cold water

1. Mix gelatin with water in a small bowl and put aside.

2. Add other ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to boil.

3. Add the gelatin and mix until it has dissolved.

4. Let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors absorb.

5. Strain in serving bowls and refrigerate for a few hours or until solidified. Serve with caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce:

juice of one lemon

2 tbsp maple sugar (I like this one)

1/2 cup coconut milk

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional, leave out if you avoid vanilla bean on AIP)

1. Measure ingredients in a sauce pan. 

2. Bring to boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir the sauce constantly so it doesn't burn.

3. Let cool down a bit and serve with the pannacotta.

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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?

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.

Vanilla Cupcake With Strawberry Frosting (Grain Free, Vegan, Paleo)

I don't make a lot of sweets but then there are special occasions. I made these for my three year old's birthday. Technically these cupcakes are AIP legal as well but they might be too sugary as some may try to avoid even natural sweeteners. Some avoid vanilla bean as well and that could be left out. I like to make mini cupcakes so that you can eat just a small bite. Then again, if you eat five mini cupcakes because they are soooo good... Hmmm. These were very good. I might have had more than one.

Vanilla Cupcake
grain free, vegan, paleo, refined sugar free
makes about 24 mini cupcakes

1/2 cup coconut flour (I use this one, affiliate link)
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt (I like to use Himalayan pink salt, affiliate link)
1 apple peeled and grated/pureed
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (I use this one, affiliate link)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey)
1/2 cup coconut kefir

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line your cupcake pan.
2. Mix coconut flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla bean in a bowl.
3. Mix finely grated apple, maple syrup and coconut kefir in another bowl.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix.
5. Pour into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until done.
6. Let cool and frost.

Strawberry Lime frosting 
grain free, vegan, paleo, corn free, refined sugar free

1 cup organic palm shortening (this one is great, affiliate link)
1/3 cup maple syrup
a pinch of ground vanilla bean (I use this one, affiliate link)
8 smallish strawberries, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp lime juice

1. Measure all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until desired consistency. You might have to mix for even 5-10 minutes. It starts separating first but just keep going.

2. Decorate the cupcakes and serve immediately or refridgerate.

Quick Snack Idea (Great For Kids!)

My son who turns three tomorrow likes to make his own sushi snacks. This snack is easy to do with anything you have available, can be accomodated to any diet that allows sea weed and can be packed to go as well. It would make a fun and healthy school lunch.

I cut nori sheets in pieces and give him prepared sushi rice and different fillings like carrot sticks, cucumbers, smoked salmon, cooked shrimp, avocado pieces etc. he can choose from. He will place the fillings on the sea weed and eat it like a taco. Today I had set up just carrots but he chose strawberries and sugar snap peas leftover from breakfast. :)

Grain free/rice free version: Leave out rice!

Vegan version: Leave out meat fillings!

TIP:  Use those ready sea weed snack packs instead of cut nori sheets for an even faster option. Remember to read the ingredients on those to check for any foods you might be avoiding. They have more ingredients than the nori sheets usually. I like these raw nori sheets (affiliate link to Amazon).