Tag: dairy free

Desserts · Sweet

Country Crumble – Allergen Friendly

SteffanieLeave a comment

Apple Crumble Pie

 

My oldest turned five this month, I cannot believe it! We live on nearly 200 acres, and on some of those acres there are some impressive and ancient apple orchards. A few of these aged and beautiful trees are of the summer variety. We dont have to wait for fall to bake up a fresh apple pie, or crumble. So naturally for his birthday, my son requested apple crumble.

I do have to say, I am very pleased with how this recipe turned out, especially it being the first try, on a whim, and in a hurry with all the other hustle and bustle of birthday happenings. Just look how it glistens, begging to be eaten and of course accompanied by a cup of tea.

 

Apple Crumby

 

This recipe is dairy, gluten, sugar, egg and coconut free. Its got enough protein to count as a meal, so it’s basically breakfast. It has a Cassava flour crust – I’ll count that as a veggie! 😉 – a fruit filling (that gelatinizes with beef gelatin, replacing the pounds of sugar used in most recipes) and an oatmeal topping. I was worried about the crust not behaving like a traditional pie crust, boy was I pleasantly surprised to pull out the first piece and discover this! Perfectly flaky, and “buttery”, holding together the filling so beautifully! The beef gelatin not only offers a quality source of protein and amino acids, as well as binds together the filling to give you the customary mouth feel of grandmas pie. I also chose to sweeten this pie with Xylitol – I wanted to avoid the blood sugar spike and crash that accompanies sugar/honey sweetened treats and Xylitol does just that. It has zero impact on your blood sugar, making this a perfect treat for diabetics, those looking to reduce inflammation or loose those few extra pounds.

 

Apple pie back

 

So lets get onto the recipe.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

For the filling you will need:

  1. 3 pounds of apples
  2. 1/2 cup Xylitol
  3. 20 grams or 2 scoops Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
  4. 1 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon 
  5. 1/2 tsp Sea salt

Peal, core and slice your apples. Mix in everything else and allow it to sit while you prepare the dough.

 

For the crust you will need:

With a pastry blender, or fork, mix into crumbles your flour and shortening and salt. Once incorporated, slowly begin adding the water, and mix just until a dough forms. At this point, I pressed my dough into the pie pan to simplify my life. Cassava flour does not hold up as well to manipulation as regular wheat flour.

 

For the crumb topping you will need:

Mix together until uniform.

 

Assemble your crumble, and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown! Let cool for at least an hour before serving.

 

 

 

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Savory

Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks + Tips

SteffanieLeave a comment

Lamb

 

If you’re cooking for flavor, I believe time is your greatest advocate. I know a lot of people are getting into pressure cookers, or insta-pots, but there is something about the traditional way of cooking that won’t disappoint. Utilize time and allow simple ingredients to infuse your food, building upon itself minute after minute, hour after hour, incredible flavor.

Here are my tips for effortlessly adding tons of flavor and tenderness to your choice of protein. Let time do all the work!

  • Marinade in vinegar. This actually begins the ”cooking” process. No at this point your choice of protein is not in an oven, but by marinating your meat in vinegar, the digestive or breaking down process begins. The vinegar softens and tenderizes the meat without the risk of overcooking. This works wonders if you find yourself with a particularly tough cut of meat, but dont want to heat up the oven for 12 hours and end up with jerky.

 

  • Salt well in advance. This rule does not apply to all choices of protein. Chicken and Lamb do really well salted ahead of time where as steak and pork render more tender of a product when salted just before cooking. The salt on your lamb shanks will allow for your meat to retain moisture, the same way your body reacts to lots of salt by water retention, resulting in a melt in your mouth experience!

 

  • Braise or broil before beginning the slow cook. You want to ensure that all the delicious flavor you’ve worked so hard to culminate in your meat stays there. By braising or broiling the meat before it begins to cook, you will seal in the salt and vinegar, allowing them to work for your advantage during the cooking process.

 

  • Let your meat rest. The point of this is to allow the meat to cool down, so it can retain the liquid that is in the meat. When slicing into a hot piece of protein, you will notice the juices from that meat pouring out onto the surface of your block. That is because meat struggles to hold onto moisture at that temperature. By allowing your protein to cool, it will be able to maintain the moisture that got heated during the cooking process, resulting in a much more juicy product.

 

For this particular recipe:

  • Marinade the lamb shanks for 8 hours in Red Wine Vinegar and Salt. Adding herbs/seasonings at this time is also appropriate. (Thyme, Rosemary, Mustard, Harissa, Cumin to name a few.)
  • Broil the lamb at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.
  • Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and cook covered for 3 hours. Be sure to keep some liquid in the pan to ensure the legs dont dry out. You can use additional vinegar here, or bone broth to infuse more flavor.
  • Let the lamb rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Savory

AIP Parsnip fries

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French Fries

 

Its grilling season, and nothing completes an AIP salad and grilled protein like these parsnip fries. So easy, and actually preferred over potato fries by every single person I’ve made these for – you’ll be running back to the farmers market every week just to pick up parsnips.

Parsnips support your body in the way of a high fiber content, magnesium, folate and potassium. So important to get those minerals and nutrients through food, daily. And how delightful in the form of a baked, greasy, salty vegetable!

  • 2-3 Medium Parsnips
  • 4 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 1 tsp Himalayan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop your parsnips into similar sized sticks. Place your parsnips on a sheet pan, drizzle with oil and stir as to incorroporate all of the oil. Sprinkle with salt. You of course may add whatever herbs spices your heart desires.

Bake for 30-45 minutes based on how thick you cut your parsnips. Bring the temperature up to 500 and broil for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your fries. We like ours on the crispy side!

Sweet

AIP Fudge Sauce

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For when you just need a quick pick me up. A little extra zaz to add to your AIP shortcake cookies, a ganache for your cake or brownies, or a romantic fondue for your and your better half. This is an effortless, quick and affordable way to feel a little bit more human while complying with an AIP lifestyle.

 

AIP Fudge Sauce

 

 

In a saucepan, melt your palm shortening, honey, water, carob and salt. Once combined, whisk in your gelatin. You’re done! How easy was that?

2 tablespoons of Carob Powder has 42mg of Calcium, without containing oxalates, a compound that can reduce your ability to absorb the Calcium you do get. Like Cacao, Carob also provides you with antioxidants and fiber all without the caffeine! Its much sweeter than Cacao, not offering much bitterness – a great addition to any bakers kitchen!

If you have successfully reintroduced chocolate, I recommend that for this recipe. By using truly Raw Cacao, you will be adding a quality source of Magnesium to your diet, getting 40 mg in just one tablespoon of Cacao powder. 60% of Americans are depleted in this very important mineral and its one you’ll find your body needing more of on an AIP diet. Magnesium promotes sleep, relieves stress on your muscles, aids in regularity and can soothe painful PMS. That’s why us girls need our chocolate!

*If you do use Cacao, omit the water, and use a 1/2 cup serving of honey.

Sweet

AIP Rhubarb Marmalade

Steffanie1 Comment

Rhubarb Marmalade

Rhubarb is in season, and I have begun my rounds with Rhubarb Marmalade. Tart and smooth you’ll have every reason to whip up your favorite AIP bread to join in on the festivities!

One serving of Rhubarb provides you with nearly 50% of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for proper bone health, can aid in PMS, fights against cancer and reduce stress causing inflammation. Vitamin K can strengthen your immune system and promote healthy skin! Because Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, be sure to accompany any Vitamin K rich food with a healthy fat to act as a carrier and assure proper absorption.
Rhubarb is also high in anti-oxidants and because of its high fiber content, is very effective at combating digestive discomfort.

I had a fresh batch of my All Purpose AIP bread come out of the oven, and couldn’t help but lather it up with some of the Marmalade still warm off the stovetop! You can find the recipe for the bread here.

Multi Marmalade

So lets get to it. You cant get much simpler than marmalade. I’m not sure why people buy it from the store. With all the added junk thats in it, you’re usually not even getting any real fruit!

  • 5 Stalks of Rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tsp Backstrap Molasses (optional)
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Beef Gelatin

My family doesn’t eat many sweets, so the 2 tbsp of honey was adequately sweet for us. You may find you’d like to add a touch more.

Dice your rhubarb. In a saucepan, add your rhubarb, water, honey, molasses, cinnamon and salt. Let it simmer with the lid on for about an hour. Your rhubarb will be done when you can take a whisk to it, and purĂ©e it on the stovetop. Once cooked, and purĂ©ed, stir in your gelatin, slowly. Once you’ve achieved a uniform texture, pour it into your jar and let it cool. Once the marmalade has cooled, the gelatin will act as your binder and solidify it into spreadable summertime!

Savory · Sweet

All Purpose AIP Flatbread

Steffanie16 Comments

 

multi purpose bread

 

Batch cooking is essential to most following an AIP diet, and very worthwhile for all. Its also helpful when batch cooking, to create something versatile. Thats what inspired this recipe. I aimed for a simple bread that I could use for anything and everything. From hamburger buns, to flatbread, even a pizza base, this all purpose dough can perform it. Fresh out of the oven, it reminded me a lot of cornbread. Because of the tigernuts, the bread does come out more on the sweet side, but by simply omitting the blackstrap molassas, it definitely works as savory as well!

Its quick, easy, and you’ll find you probabably always have all the ingredients on hand. And did I mention, Its COCONUT FREE? I wanted to avoid coconut, and cassava as it seems those two ingredients are in everything AIP and broaden my use for tigernuts.

Tigernuts are not actually nuts, but tubers that grow in the soil under the grounds surface. Noted as the most nutritionally dense tuber in the world, they offer a plentiful source of amino acids, vitamins C and E, magnesium, potassium and are 33% fiber! Originating in Ancient Egypt, but also playing a vital role in Africa and Europe, these little bulbs have sustained generations for thousands of years.

 

Multi Marmalade

 

I recently made a batch of fresh Rhubarb Marmalade and tried it out on a slice of this bread. What a treat to enjoy while sipping a cup of chamomile tea outside in the evening! You can find the Marmalade recipe Here.

 

 

Pre- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. In a high speed blender or food processor, grind your tigernuts. Add all your dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix. Add your oil, vinegar and molasses and stir until combined. At this point it will look crumbly, dont be afraid to get your hands in and mix it well! Once uniform, begin adding the hot water about 1/4 cup at a time. When all the water is added, your dough is complete!

At this point, you may shape the dough for your particular use. Hamburger buns, biscuits, wraps, get creative! This particular time, I chose to spread it out onto a cookie sheet over some parchment paper. I used a spatula to pat down the dough to achieve a flat top. I also separated the dough from the sides of the pan slightly, so the edges would be straight.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

I would love to hear how else you choose to use this recipe in your kitchen. Don’t shy away from commenting!

Sweet

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Steffanie1 Comment

It was my (almost) two year olds birthday, and I wanted to make home something special. I commend my husbands willingness to perform the duty of food critic when it came to this cake, he never once complained about having to take another bite. 😉

I dare say, his suggestions were helpful, this cake turned out absolutely flawless!

carrot cake

 

-Cake-

  • 1/2 cup Ghee or Coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
  • 8 Eggs
  • 15 oz can of Pumpkin
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tbsp ACV
  • Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Almond Flour

-Frosting-

Pre- heat your oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the salt and baking soda. Whisk well, then add the ACV and whisk again. Let that sit while you mix up the other ingredients. In a saucepan, melt oil and honey. Remove from the stove and stir in the vanilla, pumpkin and spices. Add the saucepan to the eggs, tempering to make sure you don’t scramble your eggs. Mix well, then add the flours. Pour the mixture evenly into cake pans, and bake for 45-50 minutes. Be sure to separate the cake from the sides of the pan with a knife when it comes out, allowing for excess moisture to escape. Rest for 15 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack.

In a mixing bowl, whether by hand or machine, beat soft goat cheese, ghee, vanilla, honey and salt in a bowl.

*If you can tolerate butter, use instead of Ghee for a more traditional cake and cream cheese frosting.

Sweet

Cassava Brownies

Steffanie2 Comments

brownies

 

Brownies. Chocolate. Gooey and delicious. Today we made something just for fun. While this recipe wasn’t intended to meet the requirements for a health dessert, it still packs a seriously healthy punch! With beef gelatin, (yes I’m obsessed) and raw cacao you are still adding benefits to your diet, while eating dessert.
Beef gelatin provides an abundant source of collagen, supporting the bodies ability to maintain healthy skin, hair, nails, bones and joints. Its also wonderful for soothing gut issues! Its what gives gluten free baking a beautiful spongy texture!
Raw Cacao powder is extremely nutrient dense, offering fiber, protein and fat all without carbohydrates. Its rich in magnesium, antioxidants and polyphenols – a micronutrient that can help prevent degenerative diseases!

Now that we know what we’re eating, lets get to it!

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a sauce pan, heat oil, honey, cacao powder, gelatin and salt. Stir. Once melted, mix your dehydrated coconut milk into the water and temper the liquids. Wisk in eggs. Add the baking soda and ACV. Once combined, stir in the cassava flour. I baked mine in a 9×7 glass Tupperware container for about 20 minutes. You may need to adjust your timing if its in a different size pan. The toothpick trick is tride and true!

This is a very basic brownie recipe. You can add anything to it, get creative! Vanilla or coffee extract, peppermint essential oil, cacao nibs, or even drizzle it with a little bit of warmed up coconut manna.

Savory

Seed Biscuits

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We For those of us following an AIP diet (the Auto Immune Protocol) successful reintroductions always deserve the happy dance! I chose to begin my reintroductions with seeds – for their versatility and nutritional benefits.

One of the many challenges of the Auto Immune Protocol is getting enough fiber in. That is no longer an issue with these biscuits! A serving of one biscuit delivers 8 grams of fiber! The combination of Chia, Flax and Hemp seeds provide the balance of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Both vital to proper gut health, digestion and absorption of nutrients. Not only do these biscuits offer fiber, but also contribute to our protein requirements for the day coming in at 9 grams. Last but not least, these bad boys are KETO. What more can you ask for? Fiber, Protein and Ketogenic, these are the perfect way to end a delicious meal.

 

Biscuits

 

This recipe is so easy my four year old can put it together. All you need is a coffee grinder, some silverware, and a few measuring cups. I chose to blend up my seeds in a coffee grinder because the amount was too little for my Vitamix to mill it appropriately, and all three seeds require different times before completely ground.

So, without further ado, here is what you’ll need.

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a coffee Grinder, mill your seeds. *I would recommend only ever buying whole, raw seeds. Once a seed is milled, it begins to loose its nutritional benefits, and can become rancid. Purchase your seeds whole, and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.* I found It worked best to mill no more than 1/2 cups at a time. Add the rest of your dry ingredients including herbs if you choose to use them. I enjoy thyme and rosemary. With a fork, or pastry blender, incorporate your shortening to achieve a crumbly texture. Pour in your vinegar and water, combine until a uniform dough forms.

This dough works perfectly for drop biscuits, but I prefer the pretty round shape. To attain that, save your 1/4 cup measuring utensil and scoop it full of dough, flatten it with your spoon, and plop onto your baking dish. The biscuits will puff up a bit, so give them room to spring.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown on the top. Cool on a plate or wire rack and enjoy! The beef gelatin in this recipe will cause the biscuits to harden up once they cool, so dont be concerned if the biscuits seem undercooked when taken from the oven. There is nothing in them you cant eat raw – it would be worse to over bake them!

Sweet

AIP Pastry

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pastry

Rainy days are for making pastry, mostly so that your tea will have something to accompany it. Yes, that is how I’m justifying these. Flaky, buttery and AIP compliant! You wont feel like you’re missing out on anything.

For the frosting, I made coconut mana. You can find that process here.

Preheat oven to 425. Pulse cassava, honey, gelatin, salt and oil in a food processor, bledner or by hand. Add in the water until your dough forms.

Roll out onto a floured surface. You may have to work the dough a little bit, it is very forgiving. Cut desired shapes and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Fill, and top. Seal the sides with your fingers. You can leave them like that, or use a fork to line the edges. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown!

Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then they’re frostable. Heat up a little coconut mana and drizzle it over the pastry.
These are SO yummy, and wont last long. But if you find yourself having to store them, place them in a container you can seal, and keep in the fridge.