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Low FodMap Taco Sauce

Attention taco lovers! Skip the bottled taco sauce and make this easy, low fodmap, classic taco sauce at home!

I like it drizzled on top of a taco salad, a taco bowl, or my Weeknight Taco Recipe here. 🙂

Delicious Low FodMap Taco Sauce

Low FodMap Taco Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Tomato Sauce

1/4 Cup of Sliced Scallions (green part only)

2 Tablespoons of Champagne Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Garlic Infused Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon of Ancho Chili Powder

1/8 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon of Honey

Directions: Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a low boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Pour the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. Now, for silky smooth sauce, pour it through a fine mesh metal strainer. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

Please, if you do not eat honey on the Low FodMap diet you are folllowing, do not bash the creator of the recipe. I write my recipes using the protocol I personally used and thousands of others have and do as well with success. It is available as a PDF for free at the top of my website. Dr. Allison Siebecker’s SIBO Specific Low FodMap food guide which allows for honey under 2 tablespoons. All rude comments will not be tolerated and removed. As a recipe writer, I work hard to write recipes for myself and others who have dietary restrictions and digestive challenges.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin, Lime and Pumpkin Seeds

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Pumpkin Seeds

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin, Lime and Pumpkin Seeds

I find this time of year with fresh produce in abundance so inspirational!

The vegetables on display by local growers who take such pride in their offerings is sheer art!

Cumin and pumpkins seeds (also know as pepitas), are a very delicious combination and enhance the sweetness of the carrots. Did you know cumin also has the ability to aid digestion as well as help insomnia and respiratory ailments? It was used by the Egyptians 5,000 years ago, and is popular today in many cuisines.

Pumpkin seeds are a great alternative to nuts in cooking, and have excellent nutritional benefits like containing zinc for immune support, magnesium, fiber and plant based Omega 3’s.

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin, Lime and Pumpkin Seeds

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat your oven to 400º degrees.

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Young Carrots

1/4 Cup of Good Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Ground Cumin

Juice of 1 Lime

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink (My favorite :-))

1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper

1/3 Cup of Pumpkin Seeds

Directions: Toss the washed carrots with the olive oil in a large bowl. Add the Cumin, Salt and Pepper and squeeze the juice of one lime over it. Toss thoroughly to spread the seasoning evenly. Pour the Carrots onto a large parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer.

Oven roast for 40 to 50 minutes until the carrots are starting to caramelize. Toss them once or twice during roasting to re-coat with the oil and seasonings.

Remove them from the oven, and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

Serve them hot!

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Pepitas

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin, Lime and Pepitas

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches (Grain Free)

No ice cream freezer? No problem! This old fashioned Ripple Ice Cream is made in a loaf pan! Then it is pressed between two Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers (recipe here!) for a spectacular ice cream sandwich!

The dairy free vanilla ice cream uses a handful of ingredients, and while it has it’s initial freeze, you can whip up the Blueberry Spoon Fruit (recipe here!) for the Ripple!

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 Batch of Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

1 Batch of Grain Free Chocolate Grahams (get the recipe here!) 🙂

Directions:

To make the Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream you need:

1 Cup of Full Fat Coconut Milk

3 Tablespoons of Good Honey, warmed

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil, melted

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Whisk the ice cream ingredients together, and pour into a loaf pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Then remove from the freezer and marble in the Blueberry Spoon Fruit by placing dollops onto the top of the vanilla ice cream and running a knife in swirling motions throughout.

Marbling Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

Place back in the freezer until frozen solid. This will take 2 to 4 hours.

Soften the ice cream, by letting it set at room temperature for approximately ten minutes, until it is scoop-able!

Assembling Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Take two grahams per ice cream sandwich, and scoop a ice cream scoop size ball of Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream onto one graham. Place the other graham atop the ice cream, and press gently to squish!

Melty, Cruchy, Gooey!

Eat right away, or they can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen to enjoy straight from the freezer. You can stock pile these by making a double batch!

Yield: 5 Ice Cream Sandwiches

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Looking for a chocolate graham cracker that is grain free and starch free? I have tested and developed this recipe for you, and after several attempts, I do believe it is perfect! 🙂

They can be used however you like, but my favorite is sandwich style! Look here for my Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches! They will wow you! The flavor is amazing! What a lovely ending to a warm Summer’s day!

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

4 Teaspoons of Gelatin like (Thrive Market Brand)

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil, melted

1/4 Cup Good Honey

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Directions: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir vigorously with a fork until completely blended and a ball of dough has formed.

Place the dough onto a large cookie sheet sized piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly.

Grain Free Graham Cracker Dough Ready to Roll

Place a second piece of parchment on top of the dough, and roll out evenly to almost fill the parchment, or the size of your cookie sheet. The dough should be about a half inch thick.

With a pizza cutter, make squares as shown below. Pierce the grahams with a fork’s tines.

Ready to Bake Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely. Using a large kitchen knife, cut apart the graham crackers at the scored marks.

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Blueberry Spoon Fruit (Date Sweetened)

Making Spoon fruit is a delicious way to use Summer’s fruit bounty! It is a technique that purees and reduces the fruit on the stove top, without added thickeners or refined sugar, to a jammy consistency.

For this luscious Blueberry Spoon Fruit, I used dates and a bit of fresh lemon juice, along with wild blueberries.

I use this spoon fruit in my Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Simple is often the best!

Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Ingredients:

1 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Cup of Pitted Dates (Roughly Chopped)

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions: In a small saucepan, bring the berry mixture to a boil, and simmer for ten minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Add mixture to a blender (I used a small Ninja) and puree.

Making Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Yield: approximately 3/4 cup

Date Sweetened Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Eat Your Nutrients!

20 Paleo Salads to Make This Summer!

Looking to shake up your salads? I have you covered with 20 delicious recipes that I rounded up for you so you don’t have to! Lighter Fare is very appealing in the warmer months of Summer. The Farm Markets are bursting with peak-season produce chocked full of abundant nutrients.

Enjoy these 20 Paleo Summer Salad recipes by some wonderful bloggers. Mix it up! The fleeting availability of Summer fruit and vegetables make it an exciting time for salads. Make the most of the season!

Bacon Date Fennel Salad with Grilled Peaches from Savory Lotus

Low FodMap Seven Layer Salad from A Girl Worth Saving

Broccoli Salad with Crispy Bacon from Paleo Grubs

Paleo Steak Salad with Coconut Pan Fried-Peaches by Paleo Magazine

Tangled Thai Salad by Danielle Walker

Summer Peach and Berry Fruit Salad by Me 🙂

Paleo Detox Salad from Fed & Fit

Hot Cranberry Spinach Salad from The Paleo Mom

Warm Taco Style Salad from The Healthy Foodie

Bistro Lemon Chicken Dinner Salad by Me 🙂

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Asparagus, Strawberries and Djon Vinaigrette from The Thin Twin

Easy Turkey and Bacon Club Salad from Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites

Italian Chopped Salad from Paleo Hope and Autoimmune Disease

Strawberry and Macadamia Nut Chicken Salad from Girl Meets Paleo

Chicken and Cabbage Salad with Almond Butter Dressing from Paleo Leap

Endive, Radicchio and Apple Salad with Porkitos and Hazelnuts by Nom Nom Paleo

Cape Cod Chopped Salad by Barefoot Contessa via Food Network (Cheese Optional)

Deli Chicken Salad by Sam

Peachy Jar Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette by Sam

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad by Sam

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

A cold something something that is creamy and cooling when sliding down sends me into bliss mode on a warm day. I know it does for you too! That’s why ice cream is so, so popular. It reaches the feel good receptors in our brain!

I love making this particular sundae around Independence Day aka July 4th because there are fresh, local, juicy berries at the Farm Market!

This recipe is healthy, cold, creamy, and bursting with berries which are full of antioxidants, vitamin c, fiber and sunshine! If you have been working out like me, there is also a good dose of potassium in the bananas!

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

You will need a high speed blender to make the Nice Cream, and it is simple and quick!

Ingredients:

Sundae Topping:

1 1/2 Cups of Juicy Strawberries

1 Cup of Juicy Blueberries

Place the washed berries in seperate mixing bowls, and muddle with a potato masher or pastry cutter to release some of the juices and break up the berries a bit.

Nice Cream

3 Bananas, Ripe and Frozen

1 Tablespoon of Honey

2 Teaspoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Blend on high until creamy. You will need a plunger to push down the bananas. Blend just until incorporated!

Layer the Nice Cream and Berries as desired. Eat immediately.

You know what I will be doing at some point this holiday weekend! 😉

Cheers!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake (Microwave Mug Cake)

This mug cake is quick and easy! It has a pretty crumb topping with the crunch of pecans and the decadence of chocolate. It is grain free, moist, cakey and full of flavor!

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake - Paleo

It is so cool to be able to whip up a cake in the microwave! I dunno why I am so fascinated with it. It must be from my Easy Bake Oven days. Gosh! I Loved an Easy Bake Oven. It was on my wish list, but I never received one as a child, but I sure loved going to my friends and using theirs.

Another reason I really like these mug muffins and cakes is you aren’t making a huge dessert cake. It is a guilt free, smaller treat!

This recipe takes just 3 minutes to cook! It pops way up, and I was holding my breath when testing it, because it looked like it was going to overflow in the microwave, but it rises way up and then settles down again, like magic!

It is a really delicious cake!

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

Ingredients For the Cake:

1 Ripe Banana

1 Egg

¼ Cup Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut or Almond Milk

2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Chips

2 Teaspoons of Honey or Maple Syrup

¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon of Baking Soda

¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Sea Salt

For Crumb Topping:

2 Tablespoons of Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Broken Pecans

2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate Pieces of Chocolate Chips

Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions: Puree the banana and egg together by mashing or blending with a hand mixer or small blender like a Ninja. Add the remaining cake ingredients except the chocolate pieces and mix until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and pour into a individual serving bowl that holds 1 ½ cups like a soup bowl or extra large mug.

Mix the Crumb Topping together and sprinkle on top of the cake batter.

Microwave for 3 minutes. It will puff way up, but should not overflow the dish. Cool Slightly.

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake - Grain Free

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

Shrimp and Shallots Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Recipes that are simple and delicious are exactly what I am looking for in the Summertime when there are more hours of daylight to be enjoyed.

Yesterday I started off with a quick 20 minute workout using resistance bands that made me feel energized and ready for the day. I had a green smoothie for breakfast and my go to Matcha Green Tea Latte.

We are in Northern Michigan for a few months, where there is 40 minutes more of daylight up here than in Maryland, and we are trying to enjoy every minute! My daughters and I went to a local coffee shop where they are having a fierce Summer competition of a card game called Quiddler. They keep score of every game to have a grand champ score at Summer’s end!

Fierce Quiddler Competition

After lunch we went to the beach, and for dinner I made this new recipe that was blog worthy using Shrimp and Caramelized Shallots over Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash. The citrus flavors really complimented the dish! I liked how the orange juice in the “noodles” melded with the lemon in the shrimp in each bite!

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl

Shrimp and Shallot Bowl with Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Ingredients:

1 Pound of Baby Baby Shrimp

1 Large Shallot or a Few Small (1/4 Cup) thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

Zest of one Lemon

1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/8 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

for Noodles:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (halved lengthwise and seeds removed)

Juice from one Orange

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

Fresh Basil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º degrees. Lay the prepared squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Pepper and place face down and bake for 40 minutes, or until tender. Flip over to cool slightly while you make the Shrimp. Wash and Tear about a quarter cup of fresh Basil and set aside.

For Shrimp – in a large pan on the stove top, add the olive oil, and heat over medium high heat to warm. Add the shallots, garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Pepper, and cook until the Shallot starts to brown and caramelize. Add the shrimp, and cook quickly over high heat until pink.

Set aside and cover to keep warm while you use a fork to shred the Spaghetti Squash into a mixing bowl. Add the Olive Oil, Orange Juice, and Sea Salt and Pepper to taste to the squash noodles. Toss it all together.

Mound the Squash Noodles into three personal sized bowls. Top with the Shrimp and Shallots, and sprinkle with Fresh Basil!

You are ready to eat! 🙂 Grab a fork!

After dinner we hiked our favorite trail with our two pugs, Ming and Lily.