Home

Versatile Eat Your Veggies NoMato Sauce

This sauce is the bomb! My twenty year old son, Jeffrey, has a hard time eating vegetables, and he didn’t even know the amount of vegetables he was consuming when I used this sauce instead of tomato sauce in my Bolognese recipe last week. In fact, all four of the other family members sat down to dinner and inhaled the sauce.

Eat Your Veggies Tomato Sauce Collage

If you are eating nightshade free and miss tomatoes, this is a very versatile tomato sauce that tastes exactly like tomato sauce with a lovely full bodied consistency, but a little thicker. So, it could be used as a tomato paste substitute, or thinned down with extra broth. If tomatoes aren’t a problem for you, this is a way to get more vegetables into your meals with ease and a flavor punch.

Versatile Eat Your Veggies “Tomato” Sauce

The total time to make this sauce is about an hour and a half. It makes 3 1/2 cups. I like to jar the sauce in one cup containers and freeze what I am not using for later convenience. Doubling the recipe takes very little extra time, and gives you more to freeze for later.

Use this sauce straight from the jar, or use it in your favorite tomato sauce recipes measure for measure. I currently have on my list of recipes to develop with this sauce, pizza and enchiladas! The sky is the limit! Here’s the recipe:

Versatile Eat Your Veggies “Tomato” Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Cups Carrots, Peeled and Chopped

1/2 Cup Shallots, Peeled and Sliced

1 1/4 Cups Red Beets, Peeled and Diced

1 1/2 Cups Red Onion, Peeled and Diced

1/2 Cup Celery, Chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

2 Cups Broth (Chicken, Bone Broth or Vegetable Broth)

1/2 Cup Aged Balsamic (I love this 18 Year Old, No Sugar Added, High Quality Balsamic)

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Anchovies (Umami Guys! Don’t skip it!)

1 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon Turmeric

1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Mace

1 Bay Leaf

Directions: Place 1/4 Cup of olive oil in a heavy stock pot over medium high heat. Add the Anchovy, and stir until it almost melts into the oil. Add the prepared vegetables, and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix all the herbs, mace and salt together in a small bowl. After the vegetables have cooked for five minutes, add the seasoning, and stir for one minute. Add the broth, bay leaf and balsamic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Remove bay leaf. Add all the ingredients to a high speed immersion blender, and blend until very smooth.

Place the sauce in jars and use within three days in the refrigerator, or freeze for later.

I would love to hear how you are using this sauce in your recipes! Stay tuned for more recipes with this sauce coming soon!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Iced Orange Sweet Rolls

‘Tis the Season when I want to enjoy a treat! These rolls are purely indulgent and reminiscent of carefree days, my Mother’s baking, and sharing a decadent breakfast on a cold winter’s day.

Coconut Orange Sweet Rolls Ready to Eat

Times have changed for me since then. Who knew I would grow up and have food intolerances. But as hard as it was in the beginning to transition to a new way of eating, after almost four years of eating gluten free and then a grain free, Paleo diet, I never would have imagined food in it’s true form is what I have come to crave, what tastes really good to me, and is what makes me feel so great! These rolls satisfy all my indulgence dreams, and as a previous artisan bread baker, they are a great creative outlet. I adore handling dough……I know a little weird, but it is art therapy to me! 🙂

Orange Iced Sweet Rolls AIP Paleo Coconut Flour

I love this recipe, and I hope you do too! 🙂 It is a hit with my children for sure!

Iced Orange Sweet Rolls

Preheat the oven to 350º degrees. Lay out a parchment lined baking sheet.

The Bun Dough Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Tapioca Flour

1/2 Cup of Tigernut Flour (Read More about Tigernut Flour in this article by Lauren of Empowered Sustenance)

1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup of Applesauce (No Sugar Added)

1/4 Cup of Clear Honey

1/4 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/4 Cup of Organic Shortening

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions: In a food processor, add all the dry ingredients. (Tapioca, Tigernut, Coconut Flours, Salt, Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda). Pulse a few times to blend. Add the shortening and pulse to get pea sized pieces in the flour. Add the wet ingredients and process until completely combined and coming together in a ball. Remove from the food processor and form a ball with the dough. Lay the dough out between to pieces of cookie sheet sized parchment paper, and roll into a rectangle until the dough is 1/2 inch thick.

Filling Ingredients:

1 Cup of Medjool Dates, Soaked for ten minutes in warm water and pits removed

1/4 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/4 Teaspoon of Orange Zest

1/8 Teaspoon of Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (No Alcohol for AIP Friendly)

1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Pulse all the ingredients together in the same food processor you made the dough in. No need to wash the processor. Spread the filling to within a quarter inch of the prepared, rolled dough.

Coconut Orange Sweet Roll Dough Spread with Filling

Taking the edges of the parchment as a guide, roll up the buns on the long side. It should look like this.

Ready to Slice Coconut Orange Sweet Rolls

Slice the buns into twelve even pieces with a serrated knife.

Place on your prepared, parchment lined baking sheet. Like this:

Coconut Orange Sweet Rolls Ready to Bake

Bake in your preheated oven for 18 minutes, until the buns are starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting. Icing Recipe Below!

Coconut Orange Sweet Rolls Ready to Frost

Sweet Coconut Orange Rolls Icing

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Coconut Butter

2 Tablespoons of Honey

2 Teaspoons of Tapioca Flour

1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

With a hand held mixer, mix all the ingredients until creamy. Spread it on the cooled rolls. They are ready!

Coconut Orange Sweet Rolls Inside Frosted

Iced Orange Sweet Rolls are the perfect treat! Paleo, AIP and Gluten Free

Makes 12 Rolls.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Baked Proscuitto Topped Tilapia with Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash

Are you looking to get more seafood into your weekly meals? Here is a flavorful, moist, and easy way to make fish that is pretty enough to serve for company, and fast enough to make for a weeknight meal!

Baked Proscuitto Topped Tilapia with Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash

I like to serve the fish on top of a mound of Parslied Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash. They go perfectly together! Find the recipe below!

Baked Proscuitto Topped Talapia

Ingredients:

9 Talapia Filets

3 Oz. Proscuitto (I used this one with just pork and sea salt in the ingredients)

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350º degrees. On two parchment lined cookie sheets, lay out the filets. Brush them with olive oil top and bottom. Mix the sea salt, garlic powder and parsley together in a small bowl, and rub all over the fish top and bottom. Lay one thin piece of proscuitto on top of each seasoned fish filet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish reaches 145º degrees.

Place the fish atop Parslied Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash, (recipe below) or serve with your favorite sides.

Baked Proscuitto Topped Tilapia with Parslied Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash

Parslied Parsnip, Leek, Celeriac Mash

Ingredients:

2 Large Parsnips

2 Leeks

1 Celeriac Root

2 Scallions, diced

1 Cup Bone Broth or Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup Coconut Milk (Full Fat no additives. I use this brand.)

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Parsley, plus more for garnishing

Directions:

Peel and Large Dice the Parsnips, Leeks, Celeriac Root and Scallions. Add Olive oil to a heavy, 5 1/2 quart, coated cast iron pan. I used this one, which I can’t live without! 🙂 Add the vegetables and sea salt, and sautee over medium high heat, uncovered, for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes until fork tender.

Scoop the vegetables and broth hot into a food processor. Add the parsley and coconut milk, and puree until smooth. Place in a serving bowl, and sprinkle with additional dried parsley.

I suggest getting the vegetable mash started first, and then prepping the fish and baking it. Everything will then be ready at the same time for serving.

Yum! Delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Paleo Pizzelle Cookies

I am delighted to have created a Grain Free version of one of my favorite cookies…..Pizzelles!

Pizzelle Cookies Paleo Style!

The first time I had these was when I was a child, and I was not gluten free. We had a neighbor from Italy, and his mother came over from “the old country” for a visit and brought her pizzelle maker with her. I was wowed by the cookie! They are delicately crispy and have an intricate pattern. I had never had anything like them, and my own mother started making them every year for the holidays.

Every year at Christmas since having to give up grains, I have missed these cookies! Whether you are gluten and grain free or not, I think you will love them! You do need a special pizzelle maker that you can find here. But it is a great addition to you kitchen if you love cookies!

Paleo Pizzelle Cookies

Preheat your pizzelle maker by plugging it in while you mix up the cookies.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Super Fine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch

1/4 Cup Maple Sugar

2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Flour

2 Tablespoons of Organic Shortening

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Anise (Omit for a Vanilla Pizzelle)

2 Eggs

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions: Mix the almond flour, tapioca starch, maple sugar, arrowroot, anise and sea salt together in a medium bowl with a whisk. In a seperate bowl whisk together the eggs, melted shortening and vanilla extract. With an hand held electric mixer, blend the wet ingredients into the dry until it holds together and is thoroughly blended.

With a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto the pizelle maker, like this:

Pizzelle Cookie Dough Ready to Press

Close the hot pizzelle maker, and press the dough firmly to spread it. Set a timer for two minutes, when the timer is done open the press gently, and remove the cookies with the tines of a fork to loosen them from the press carefully. If the press doesn’t easily open, wait a few more seconds. Cool on a wire rack, and repeat until all the cookies are made.

Pizzelle Cookie Ready to Remove from Press

Makes to 16 Pizzelle Cookies

Paleo Pizzelle Cookies

Plate of Pizzelle Cookies

Paleo Pizzelles Grain Free Italian Cookies. Crispy and Delicious.

Ming Gets Ready for Santa

Ming loves holidays! This year marks her fourth Christmas! On her first Christmas she was the gift that arrived under the tree, and the holidays without her would be like Christmas without cookies.

Ming gets ready

Although she is not a fan of dog sweaters like her little sister Lily (who loves them), she doesn’t mind a loose T-shirt.

I completely understand the power of comfortable cotton over a bulky, hot and possibly itchy sweater. She also has a double coat, as all fawn pugs do. So, when she does wear a extra coat of clothing, it is to go outdoors for a walk in brisk weather, or to please a human family member, who wants her to look “nice”. 🙂

Elf in Training

There is one blaring signal she wants it off. If you try out a new fashion accessory on her and she is displeased with it, she will promptly go to a corner and sit, refusing to budge, until the offending object is removed restoring her to her original good humor.

Nonetheless, she is a good spirit when it comes to Christmas. I am sure if she had the opportunity to be an Elf in Training she would embrace it with enthusiasm. There would be all those bright colorful toys, soft stuffed objects, and other gifts in the making to feast her eyes upon, and maybe chew, roll or lay on when Santa wasn’t looking.

But seriously, how can I tell Ming loves the holidays other than having more opportunities to bark at delivery people? She loves the excitement of the bustling home, kitchen smells, and extra company. It gives her more opportunities for scratches, hugs, tricks, conversation, and treats, and what self-respecting pug wouldn’t love that?

Festive Cranberry Sauce

Festive Crannberry Sauce

This is the Best Cranberry Sauce Ever!!! IMHO 🙂 Even if you don’t like cranberry sauce, you will like this one! It is that good!

It is bright, sweet, and tart, a gorgeous, gorgeous shade of berry, and the coconut sugar added at the final stage adds an earthy warmth like a cozy hug that can’t be described. After the sauce is poured warm into a serving bowl, it is sprinkled with toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts and chilled for the perfect accompaniment to your holiday table! It is definitely going on mine! Happy Holidays!

Festive Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Pint of Fresh Cranberries

1/2 Cup Organic Apple Cider

1/2 Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/2 Cup of Honey

Zest of One Organic Orange

1/2 Cup Toasted Walnuts

Directions: In a medium saucepan, add washed, fresh cranberries, cider, orange juice, honey, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the berries pop and the juices have reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350º degrees, and place the walnuts on a cookie sheet. After the oven has preheated, toast the walnuts for five minutes. Remove from the oven and cool, then coarsely chop them and set them aside for sprinkling on the top of the cranberry sauce when it is ready.

Place the warm, simmered cranberry sauce into a blender. Blend until smooth and emulsified. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle while warm with the toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts. This allows some of the walnuts to sink into the sauce so they are throughout and on the top. Chill at least four hours. This will keep in the refrigerator and can be made in advance!

Makes 2 Cups

Eat Your Nutrients!

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Sliced Avocado

If you are looking for a hearty meal to put on the table that you don’t have to slave over, is inexpensive, and lower carbohydrate, try a plate of Beef Paprikash! The Spaghetti Squash noodles are low carb. and hold all the juices, and the avocado goes well with the spicy beef sauce. It is delish!

This recipe uses a slow cooker, so it can be prepped the day before or in the morning, and then you can walk away until it is time to eat. I added some smoked paprika to the beef sauce to give it a smokey flavor that veers slightly away from the traditional recipe, and it is dairy free! It is the perfect cool weather meal that will leave you satisfied and nourished without adding to your waistline.

Beef Paprikash on Spagehtti Squash Noodles with Avocado

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Sliced Avocado

Ingredients:

1 Two Pound Chuck Roast

2 Tablespoons of Tapioca Flour*

1 1/2 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

2 Teaspoons of Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

———————————————–

1 Large Yellow Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers, Large Diced

4 Cloves of Minced Garlic (or 2 Tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil if you are eating Low FodMap)

1 Cup of Beef Broth

1/4 Cup Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon of Paprika

1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Caraway Seeds, crushed

1 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon of Dried Dill

1 Teaspoon of Fish Sauce

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk, added before serving

——————————————————–

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash

2 Ripe Avocados*

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Avocado

Directions: With paper towel, pat the chuck roast dry. Mix the Tapioca Flour, Salt and Pepper together with a whisk, and season the Chuck Roast. In a large heavy pan over medium high heat, add your olive oil, and brown the chuck roast for 5 minutes and then flip it over and brown it on the other side for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the onion and dice the peppers, and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Whisk together the spices, tomato paste, broth, garlic, and fish sauce. When beef is browned, place it on top of the sliced onions in the crockpot. Pour the sauce over the top. Cook on low covered for 8 hours in the crockpot. Remove the Beef from the crockpot after 8 hours and shred it with two forks. Add it back to the sauce and stir in 1/2 cup coconut milk right before serving.

For the “noodles”, one hour before serving, preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Slice a medium sized spaghetti squash in half, and remove the seeds. Season the inside with salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan cut side down with 1/2 cup of water. Bake for one hour. Right before serving, remove from the oven, and cool for about ten minutes so it is easy to handle. (It should pierce easily with a knife.) Flip the squash over and run a fork along the inside of the squash, making noodles.

Slice two ripe avocados to serve with the dish.

Serve the saucy Beef Paprikash over the “noodles” and place the avocado on the side like the picture above.

Beef Paprikash on Spagehtti Squash Noodles

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles

*Omit if you are eating Low FodMap

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls

These little Energy Balls are a great way to bust a craving, with benefits! The raw cacao busts an intense chocolate craving, which can actually be your body’s way of telling you it is deficient in magnesium. Raw Cacao is rich in it! The almond butter contains protein and healthy fat, walnuts contain brain boosting Omega 3’s, tart cherries are anti-inflammatory, the honey is a natural form of sweetness, and the sea salt gives our bodies trace minerals it needs. Just one of these a day can really help reduce cravings for sweets, or why not replace these with other sweets you might reach for that don’t contain clean, health promoting, ingredients? Here’s the easy recipe! They are delicious to serve at a holiday party as a truffle.

Chocolate Cherry Energy Balls

Ingredients:

1 Cup Almond Butter, no added sugar (I Used Artisana Brand)

1/3 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

1/3 Cup Dried Tart Cherries with no Added Sugar

1/4 Cup Raw Honey

1/8 Teaspoon Almond Extract

1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt

3/4 Cup Raw Walnuts, Coarsely Chopped

Directions: In a food processor, or vigorously with a fork in a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the chopped walnuts. Form the mixture into 34 balls, and roll in chopped walnuts. Refrigerate in a sealed container, or if you like them firmer you can freeze them.

Apple Butter in the Crockpot

I love apple season! The apples are crisp and abundant in the Fall, and I believe everyone loves the smell of apples and cinnamon when they walk into a home.

Apple Butter in the Crockpot (No Sugar Added) in a Rose Chintz China Bowl

Do you love apple butter as much as I do? i didn’t grow up eating it. I learned about apple butter when I moved to a Southern state from Northern Michigan in my twenties. The town I moved to had an annual apple butter festival where they made it in large copper pots during the festival weekend, and the whole town smelled like delicious cooking apples!

The fact that this recipe is so full of flavor and natural sweetness from the apples themselves is very appealing from a nutrition standpoint. Naturally fruit sweetened apple butter contains vitamin C, phytonutrients, and fiber, and also small amounts of potassium and calcium.

Some of the ways I use apple butter is for baking, with pork, topping sweet potatoes, in cookies, muffins, apple pie, as a spread, and in smoothies, and honestly I like it plain by the spoonful. It is especially beautiful in this Rose Chintz china bowl that has been passed down through the generations in our family. 🙂

Apple Butter (Crockpot No Added Sugar)

This crockpot recipe means you can walk away and don’t need to stand over the pot stirring! It is thick and as good as the more labor intensive way, and your house will smell amazing!

Apple Butter in the Crockpot

In this recipe, I caramelized the apples on the stove top before adding them to the crockpot for a richer flavor, and to add layers and complexity to the apple butter, I included the zest of the lemon and a bit of salt.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Pounds of Apples (I used 4 Granny Smith and 4 Fuji Apples)

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil (You could also substitute Grass Fed Butter or Ghee)

1 1/4 Cup Fresh Apple Cider (No additives or sugar added)

Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

!/4 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Melt the coconut oil in a large sautee pan over medium high heat. When the coconut oil is melted, add the apples. Cook the apples in the coconut oil for five minutes, stirring only occassionally until the apples are nicely browned.

Sliced Apples

Add the remaining ingredients to the apples, and bring the apples to a boil.

Sauteeing Apples

Then, place the apple mixture in the crockpot and cook on high for one hour with the lid slightly ajar. After one hour with the lid ajar, place the lid completely onto the crockpot, and cook an additional three hours until the apples are mostly disintegrated.

Apples Sauteed and in Crockpot

With an immersion blender or food processor (you could also use a blender). Blend the apple butter until smooth. Place in glass jars and seal.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 Cups.

Eat Your Nutrients!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

My family loves my mug muffin recipes, and they have been asking for an apple pie mug muffin! I can’t wait to share it with you also! Mug muffins are so awesome…….they are fast, fresh, and cater to an individuals preference, because you make one at a time! You don’t have a whole batch to consume before they get stale, and if you feel like apple, pumpkin, berry, or whatever you have in the house, you get to choose.

This muffin takes two minutes in the microwave, and you can prep it and refrigerate it the night before if your morning is rushed. Then all you have to do for breakfast is pop it in the microwave for two minutes, and it is ready! Even so, they only take ten minutes to prep and two minutes to cook if you make it right when you want it.

It is a nutritious, grain free, guilt free breakfast or snack! I personally like to make one in the evening, and my children like to make them for breakfast. This Apple Pie Mug Muffin is sweetened with just a tablespoon of honey, has a healthy fat and protein rich egg in it, and the apple of your choice, which is a good source of fiber as well as the coconut flour! I used Fuji apple in the muffin pictured below. If you like an apple with more tartness, try a Granny Smith, but any kind will work! Use your favorite!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup Chopped Apple (this is about half a medium apple, peeled and cored)

2 Tablespoons Apple Sauce

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

1 Tablespoon Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon Honey

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

A Dash of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the apple. Fold in the apple, reserving a little bit for the top. Spoon the batter into a mug. Sprinkle with the remaining diced apple. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Serve! Be careful, it is hot and delicious, and smells soooo good!

Enjoy your day!