Blueberry Almond Bread

This recipe is an adaptation of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's grain free bread recipe found in her book, Put Your Heart in Your Mouth. Ali came up with the idea of cooking our bread without raw honey in it, as heat destroys some of the nutrients. We add the honey and cultured butter after the bread is baked!


What you need:
 3 eggs
 2 1/2 cups almond meal
 1 tsp. sea salt
 1 tsp. baking soda
 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
 1/2 cup apple sauce
 zest of 1 lemon
 juice of 1 lemon
 1 tsp. vanilla
 4 oz. blueberries

Equipment:
 Mixing bowl
 9" X 5" glass loaf pan

What you do:
 Preheat oven to 300º
 Melt small amount of butter, ghee or coconut oil in loaf pan
 Beat eggs
 Mix in almond meal, salt and baking soda
 Mix in melted coconut oil
 Mix in apple sauce, lemon zest and juice, vanilla
 Mix in blueberries
 Bake for 50 minutes and check for doneness. May be quite jiggly in middle, but will firm up
 Serve with lots of butter and raw honey or homemade cream cheese/honey spread (recipe coming   soon)
 Enjoy!

Fresh Salsa

Our family goes through a lot of salsa! I use to buy an organic fresh salsa, but often it didn't taste very fresh, and it was quite pricey. So, now I just whip up a batch in my VitaMix in minutes! My precious future daughter-in-law, Maria, requested this recipe. So, my dear Maria, this one's for you...


What you need:
 A bunch of cilantro
 Several cloves of garlic
 2 serrano chili peppers
 1/4 onion
 1 tsp. salt
 juice of one lemon or lime
 2 28oz. cans diced tomatoes

Equipment:
 Vitamix or food processor

What you do:
 Rinse cilantro and remove thick stems (thinner stems are okay)
 Place all ingredients in VitaMix, with the tomatoes last
 Pulse several times to desired consistency
 Enjoy!

Seafood Stew

This stew was developed because of some cod that had been in my freezer a little too long. It is best with all the toppings!


What you need:
 2-4 Tbs. ghee
 1 onion, chopped
 4 carrots, diced
 1 red pepper, diced
 3-6 cloves garlic, minced
 1 tsp. dried oregano
 1 tsp. dried basil
 1-2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
 1/2 cup white wine
 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
 2 cups homemade broth
 1/2 package frozen corn (only if organic, non GMO*)
 1 tsp. sea salt
 1-1 1/2 pounds wild cod, defrosted and cut in 1 inch pieces
 1 12 ounce package Langostino Tails, defrosted and rinsed

Additional ingredients:
 Grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream, cilantro, capers

Equipment:
 Large stock pot

What to do:
 Heat ghee in large skill or stock pot
 Add onion, carrots, red pepper and sauté for approximately 5 minutes
 Add garlic and sauté a few minutes more
 Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, white wine and cook one minute more
 Add tomatoes, broth, corn, salt and begin to simmer
 Add cod and continue cooking about 4 more minutes
 Top with grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro and capers


*The health risks of consuming genetically modified organisms:
GMO Dangers, Institute for Responsible Technology website

Spicy Shredded Chicken

We have been serving this dish in our home for years. Everything goes in the slow cooker in the morning, and it's ready by dinnertime! It is simple, satisfying and delicious!


What you need:
 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
 2 Tbs. chili powder (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
 1 Tbs. ground cumin
 1 Tbs. dried hot pepper flakes (more or less according to taste)
 1 tsp. dried oregano
 1/2 Tbs. sea salt
 1/2 tsp. black pepper
 1 to 2 cups homemade bone broth

Additional ingredients:
 Shredded raw sharp cheddar cheese
 Diced avocados
 Sour cream
 Homemade salsa (recipe to come)

Equipment:
 Slow cooker

What you do:
 Place chicken in slow cooker
 Add all spices
 Add enough broth to almost cover chicken
 Cook on slow for 6 to 8 hours
 Shred with two forks
 Scoop into bowls and top with grated cheese, salsa, avocado and/or sour cream
 Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

I created this pancake recipe with my nephew, Brad, in mind. He is trying to stop eating gluten, and he needs to eat a lot of healthy proteins and fats because he is very active.


What you need:
 6 eggs
 1/2 cup coconut flour
 1/2 cup applesauce
 1/4 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
 1/4 tsp. sea salt
 1/2 tsp. baking soda
 1 tsp. vanilla
 Butter
 Maple Syrup

Equipment:
 Vita-Mix
 Frying pan or pancake griddle

What you do:
 Blend first eight ingredients in Vita-Mix
 Heat butter on frying pan
 Add batter (smaller pancakes are much easier to turn)
 Flip when browned on one side
 Enjoy topped with butter and maple syrup!
 Makes about 16 pancakes


Benefits of consuming healthy fats:
Taking the Fear out of Eating Fats, by Lori Lipinski, Certified Nutritional Consultant
The Truth About Saturated Fats, by Mary Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon
What if Bad Fat is Actually Good for You?, by Nina Teicholz
Good Fats, Bad Fats, and Why I Eat Plenty of Butter, by Stephanie Langford


ps-Brad tested and approved!

Spicy Sausage

I love sausage with scrambled eggs, in soup, or just by itself. When we became more aware of the ingredients in the foods we were eating here in our home, I could not find sausage without sugar and added stuff. So, I experimented and came up with a "real food" version.


What you need:
 2 pounds ground beef
 2 tsp. ground sage
 2 tsp. ground garlic
 1-2 Tbs. crushed red pepper flakes
 2 Tbs. maple syrup (grade B)
 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
 1/2 tsp. pepper
 Ghee

What you do:
 Mix all ingredients, except ghee, in large bowl
 Form into patties. (I usually get about 16 patties; two ounces per patty.)
 Heat ghee in large skillet and cook patties approximately 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook.
 Freeze left overs in freezer in glass containers.
 Enjoy!

Soup Varieties

Last week, a dear friend (who is like a sister to me) was sick. I wanted to bring her two different types of soup. So, I added different meats to my vegetable soup and dropped off two mason jars of homemade soup! Simple!

One basic soup recipe, many different soups!

To my basic soup recipe, I add:

 chopped roasted chicken for Chicken Veggie Soup

 some spaghetti sauce for a Tomato Meat Soup

 chopped homemade sausage for a Spicy Sausage Soup

 spicy shredded chicken for a Spicy Chicken Soup

 spicy ground beef (recipe coming soon) for a Spicy Mexican Soup

Then, top off with:

 grated sharp cheddar or parmesan cheese

 a large dollop of organic sour cream

 avocado chunks

Enjoy!

Since I often have mason jars full of soup and different meats in my freezer, dinner is easy. I especially appreciate this after a long day at the office. I move the jars from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before. The next evening, dinner is simple, satisfying and stress free!