Tag Archives: Low FodMap

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

I am in love with spiralized vegetables! It changes the texture and whole experience of eating them. The noodles or spirals coming out of the spiralizer as you turn the handle are gorgeous and abundant! Recently, I spiralized golden beets and then wondered, what should I do different with these gorgeous spun gold noodles? I decided to lightly steam them and serve them as a chilled beet salad. I wanted crunch, flavor and eye appeal. I also wanted to keep the ingredients simple. The results were a salad with almonds for crunch, scallions and avocado oil.

I tend to spiralize several things at once and then store them in the refrigerator until I want to use them, so I only have to clean up the spiralizer once. These beets were ready a day in advance, and the actual preparation time the day of was about 20 minutes.

Spiralized Golden Beet Salad

Ingredients:

2 Medium Golden Beets, washed, peeled and spiralized

1/2 Cup Scallions, sliced, green parts only for Low FodMap

1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds

3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

2 Teaspoons White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt (to Taste)

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper or to Taste

Directions: Place a few inches of water in the bottom of a pan with a steamer insert and bring to a boil. Add the beets and steam five minutes, just till tender…think al dente. Remove from the steamer and run under very cold water to cool quickly and prevent further cooking. Drain the beets well. Add to a bowl and toss with the remaining salad ingredients. Serve, or refrigerate to chill more and let the flavors meld.

Everything contained in this salad is not only delicious, but offers health benefits. Beets are rich in nutrients, fiber, detoxify and contain phytonutrients. Scallions are great for immune system health and contain Vitamin K for bones and Vitamin A for the eyes. Almonds contain fiber, protein and good fat as well as the good fat in the avocado oil, which is delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

I have a Spring “ice cream” recipe for you today that is tart, creamy and dairy free! It uses a pound of fresh strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest (for the zing), coconut milk, honey and a pinch of salt. It is beneficial to use whole fruit in treats whenever possible to get in the fiber and nutrients the way they were meant to be consumed. It also slows down the absorption of sugars, as opposed to just using a juice with the fiber and fruit extracted. This Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream is a Low FodMap recipe as well with just a quarter cup of honey in the batch, and it serves six! This would be delicious as an Easter treat or served at a Spring cookout. I really love the color of this ice cream, it is a beautiful shade of pink, all natural, and just a few ingredients. All you need is a blender…..no cooking…..and an ice cream maker. The one I use is the Cuisinart here. I have had it for years and it keeps going strong!

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 Pound Fresh Strawberries

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk, No Additives

6 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Zest of Two Organic Lemons

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

Clean and hull the fresh strawberries and place in the blender with the can of coconut milk. Zest the lemons and put the zest in the blender. Then, squeeze the juice of the lemons and add to the blender. Add the honey and salt. Blend on high for one minute, or until smooth.

Place in a sealed container in the refrigerator and chill for four hours and up to 24 hours. When chilled, churn your ice cream and serve. If you have any leftover, you can freeze it in a air tight container. When eating any leftover ice cream, make sure it sits at room temperature about 10 minutes to allow the ice cream to soften again.

Serves 6

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Lemon Herb Juicy Roasted Chicken

I don’t know about you, but I like my chicken juicy! I also like it to taste like chicken…..good chicken, not chicken injected with something to make it more tender.

The chicken I ate as a child was good pastured chicken with firm, juicy, unadulterated meat. Try this recipe at home for a juicy roasted chicken using the best quality chicken you can afford. I used an organic 4 1/2 pound chicken. Preparing the chicken ahead with the seasonings and refrigerating it for an hour and up to 24 hours will make it even more flavorful!

Lemon Herb Juicy Roasted Chicken

Directions: Preheat your oven to 425º degrees.

Ingredients:

1 – 4 1/2 Lb. Good Quality Chicken

2 Tablespoon Grassfed Ghee

1 Organic Lemon

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt, Plus extra for inside the bird

1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper, Plus extra for inside the bird

2 Teaspoons of Dried Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon

Directions: Rinse and pat your chicken dry. Place in a roasting pan with a rack. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt an pepper to season the cavity. Rub the outside of the chicken with 2 tablespoons of Ghee. Zest the lemon and mix the lemon zest with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 teaspoons of parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of tarragon. Sprinkle the herb blend evenly all over the chicken. Quarter the zested lemon and stuff inside the chicken.

At this point you may refrigerate the chicken covered for up to 24 hours or bake it right away.

Prepped Oven Roasted Chicken Ready for the Oven

Bake the chicken in the preheated 425º oven for one hour or until the meaty part of the thigh registers 165º degrees. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes to retain the juices before slicing.

Yummy!

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Orange Currant Muffins

This new muffin recipe uses whole peeled oranges in it, which adds a lot of flavor! There are many benefits in eating food in it’s whole form the way nature made it, so I was very excited to come up with this recipe! There is no added sugar. They are sweet and flavorful from the banana, and oranges with an added benefit of carrots in the recipe. This is an ultra moist muffin and is egg free.

Orange Currant Muffins

Directions:

Preheat your oven 350º degrees and line muffin pans with 16 natural liners.

Ingredients:

2 Flax Eggs (combine 2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed and 6 tablespoons water, whisk and refrigerate 15 minutes)

1 Cup Very Ripe Banana (sliced and packed) this took 3 medium bananas, but measure

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Cups Orange Segments (no seeds, peeled)

2 Cups Peeled and Sliced Raw Carrots

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 1/2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Dried Currants for the Tops

Orange Currant Muffins Ready to Go Into the Oven

To Make the Muffins: Place all the ingredients except the dried currants in a food processor with a blade attachment. Pulse to start incorporating and chopping larger ingredients, then turn on and process for two minutes until completely blended. Fill each muffin cup almost to the top with a muffin scoop, refer to photo, (you should have 16 muffins) and sprinkle with dried currants, dividing evenly.

The muffins are sweet and moist! It is hard to believe they have no added sugars and are made completely with whole nutritious fruit!

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

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Simple Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

I was at the grocery store last week buying butternut squash, and the checkout clerk held up my squash, squished up her nose in curiosity and asked, “What do you do with these? I see people buying them, but how do you eat them?” I asked her if she had ever had butternut squash? She said, no she was Italian and was familiar with zucchini, but not butternut squash. I was so excited to share with her my favorite way to prepare it…..oven roasted. Simple is often extraordinary! It is delicious, caramelized, sweet and nutty when oven roasted. I so wanted to invite her into my kitchen and give her a demonstration so she could taste it for herself! So, that has motivated me to do a series of simple vegetable dishes that are delicious and nourishing.

Butternut squash, referred to sometimes as Butternut Pumpkin in Australia and New Zealand, is full of health benefits including a good amount of beta-carotene which our bodies convert to Vitamin A, Potassium for our bone health, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Fiber and some good Carbohydrates (5% in a cup) in addition to Carotenoids, which are naturally occurring pigments thought to be preventative against cancer and macular degeneration.

Here is a simple and delicious way to prepare it!

Simple Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 Medium Butternut Squash

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

2 Teaspoons Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400º degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash and peel the squash. I use a vegetable peeler. It works beautifully! Slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. It will look like this:

Peeled and Seeded Butternut Squash

Cube the Squash into 2 inch cubes and place on your rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle it with the salt and pepper.

Cubed Butternut Squash

Melt the coconut oil, and pour it over the cubed squash. Toss with your hands until well coated. Spread the squash out in a single layer on the cookie sheet, and place it in the oven. Roast a total of 50 minutes to an hour until it is starting to caramelize, tossing with a spatula every twenty minutes. There you have it! Utterly delicious, and you are Eating Your Nutrients in a very yummy fashion!

*If you are eating Low FodMap a serving is 1/4 Cup at a time.

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Good Eats for a Lunar New Year Celebration!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! It is the first day of the Lunar New Year Celebration, and I have put together a collection of recipes that you can make for a fun party! It is also known as the Spring Festival, and spring is just around the corner! Believe it, it is coming! This year is the year of the sheep. It is my daughter, Skyli’s year. The date and animal changes every year, because it is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, you can see a calendar here and read fun facts! You have probably seen this calendar on a paper place mat at a Chinese restaurant.

Two of my daughters were born in China, so we celebrate every year, but you don’t have to be born there to celebrate! I have included here the Asian Fusion Shrimp Egg Custard with Scallion Oil Drizzle as a starter, Chinese Five Spice Chicken Bites, Asian Pork Ribs, Savory Carrot Scallion Pancakes and Matcha Green Tea Cookies. Serve it with some warm Jasmine Tea, Sliced Oranges (which signify good luck and prosperity in the coming year) and Cauliflower Rice or White Rice, and you have a party!

The Lunar New Year celebration lasts for two weeks, there are dragon dance parades, fireworks, good food and community culminating with the lantern festival. You will see a lion in the collage above. It is different from the dragon which comes at the end of the dragon dance parade. You can read more about Chinese New Year in China here. The decor is extraordinary during this time in Asia. Google Chinese New Year Photos to see real pictures of the parade.

Here is a photo of my family in China several years back in the spring in Tiananmen Square.

Our Family in Tiananmen Square While Traveling in China

There is nothing like traveling to the country of origin and eating the authentic food. It changed my entire view of Chinese food.

I hope you enjoy these recipes! For more delicious additions to your party, check out these Grain Free Chinese Almond Cookies on Tasty Yummies by Texarin Baking, or PaleoLeap’s Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Note: White Rice is not Specific Carb Diet approved so go with cauliflower rice if you are on it.

New England Clam Chowder

This week was “Eat the Pantry Week” at our house, and I made this amazingly delicious New England Clam Chowder from items I had on hand. Have you ever done that? You don’t go shopping unless it is an emergency item, and you cook from your pantry for a set amount of time. I have been making some really delicious food, it is a great mind exercise and creative outlet, plus I think I have saved about $500 bucks just by using what I already had on hand!

Whether you are eating from the pantry or not, this is a dairy free, low fodmap, Paleo clam chowder recipe that will warm your insides and nourish your body!

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

3 – 10 Oz. Cans of Clams, drained and juice reserved (I used Crown Prince)

8 Oz. of Sugar Free Bacon, chopped (you can get it at U.S. Wellness Meats or Pete’s Paleo)

3 Cups Diced Celeriac Root (this will naturally thicken your soup without starch)

1 1/2 Cups Chicken or Bone Broth

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk no additives (like this)

3 1/2 Cups Diced Carrots

1 Bunch Scallions, sliced (green parts only)

4 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil (I use this brand)

2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, add 2 tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add your diced celeriac root and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Sautee for 8 minutes covered, stirring occassionally. After 8 minutes, add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or bone broth. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes until tender. Meanwhile in a small skillet, cook the chopped bacon. After the bacon is crisp, drain the fat and set aside.

Place your cooked celeriac root with broth into a food processor with a blade attachment and puree until very smooth, adding a little more broth if necessary.

In the same pan you cooked your celeriac root, add the remaining two tablespoons of garlic infused olive oil. Heat over medium high heat and then add your diced carrots, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook until tender, about ten minutes. When the carrots are tender, stir in the green scallions, bacon and reserved clam juice. Then, incorporate the pureed celeriac root, stir in the coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a medium high simmer. Continue to simmer for ten minutes. Finally, stir in the clams and warm through.

Serve!

6 servings

For a delicious grain free bread to go with your clam chowder, check out this Grain Free Sandwich Bread recipe from Danielle Walker of Against All Grain or this Simple Bread recipe from Elana’s Pantry.

If you have an experience with eating from the pantry you would like to share, please tell us about it in the comment section!

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Strawberry Nut Bites

Valentine’s Day is a fun time to eat these delicious little pop ins. They are rolled in crushed, organic, freeze dried strawberries that burst with flavor in your mouth and have the health benefits of Raw Almonds and Walnuts! I recently finished reading The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from The People Who Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner, and eating nuts is one of the things the octogenarians in all the blue zone regions had in common. They are simple to make and portable. I have been packing them in lunches, (include an ice pack), and they are great when you want a little something sweet. February is a busy month at my house. Three of my daughters have birthdays this month….the 21, 22nd and 23rd, and also my youngest daughter’s adoption day is on the 22nd. For Valentines Day this year my husband is taking me out to our favorite Spanish Tapas restaurant. The food is excellent, and they are very aware and careful about food allergens. It is a Paleo friendly restaurant as well. The recipe for Strawberry Nut Bites is below.

Strawberry Nut Bites

Ingredients:

1 Cup Freeze Dried Organic Strawberries, Like These

1 Cup Raw Walnuts

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut, unsweetened

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

Place the strawberries in a food processor with a blade attachment and finely grind the strawberries. Remove them from the food processor and put in a medium bowl for rolling the formed nut bites in.

In the same food processor, place your nuts and coconut and pulse until finely chopped. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Continue to pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Pinch off enough of the nut filling to form 1 1/2 inch balls with your hands, and roll the balls in the strawberries. Store them in the freezer or refrigerator. I like them frozen. They are berry delicious! Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

Whether you have a significant other or not at this time in your life, I hope you have a Happy Valentines Day, spread a little love, and enjoy these nutritious treats!

*Note: 1 Strawberry Nut Bite is a serving if you are very Low FodMap.

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Banana Pineapple Coconut Leather

Are you ready for a portable treat that is oh so satisfyingly chewy and good for you? Was that a yea? Then these scrumptious snacks are going to make your day! I promised you some fruit roll ups, and this is the first one with more to come. The first time I made these, they were devoured right away, and I had to guard the last one for myself. They aren’t difficult, but you do have to wait for the dehydrator to do it’s job, so it requires patience……I am working on that in many areas of my life. I love the way they make the room smell like I am baking banana bread while they are dehydrating. It is like natural potpourri, but better because you get to eat it!

Banana Coconut Leather

Directions:

Turn your food dehydrator to 135º degrees. Line six dehydrator trays with parchment or teflon inserts.

Ingredients:

6 Ripe Bananas

1 Cup Chopped Fresh Pineapple

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Add Bananas, Pineapple, Himalayan Pink Salt, Honey, Cinnamon and Lemon Juice to a high speed blender, like this one, and blend until smooth. Add the coconut and blend for 30 seconds. You still want small bits of coconut in it. Pour the batter onto the six trays evenly dispersing.

Banana Coconut Leather Ready To Go In Dehydrator

Now, pick up the tray and tip and swirl in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly. Dehydrate for seven hours, flipping them after six hours. They can go a little longer and be fine too. I have left them for ten hours, they will just be more crunchy instead of chewy. Remove from the dehydrator, cool and roll up with strips of parchment, or you can store them flat. These are a wonderful, yummy, healthy snack! My children’s friends are so envious when they bring them in their lunches! If you like these, stay tuned for more roll up recipes!

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Pizza Kale Chips

If you are looking for a way to get in more greens, want to avoid dairy or just don’t tolerate it but love pizza (and who doesn’t), want to crowd out the junk without pain and cravings, may I suggest these crunchy, Pizza Kale Chips? Warning, they are addictive!

Pizza Kale Chips

Ingredients:

2 Bunches of Organic Curly Kale

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 Cup Pine Nuts

1/2 Cup Organic Sundried Tomatoes (Plain no Oil, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water)

1 Organic Red Bell Pepper

1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Sliced Green Scallions (green parts only)

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel Powder

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 Cup of Water

Directions:

Taking your thumb and index finger along the spine of the kale leaves, strip the leaves in one swipe from it’s rib or stalk. Thoroughly wash the kale leaves under cool water. Lay out on paper towel in one layer to dry completely, 30 minutes to an hour. I like to use a salad spinner first to get most of the moisture off. It is important the kale is thoroughly dry if you want crunchy chips!

Meanwhile, make the seasoning. In a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, blend all the remaining ingredients to make the pizza sauce. In a very large bowl, place your dried kale and pour the sauce on top. Get your hands in there and thoroughly mix and coat the kale leaves.

Place on six teflon lined dehydrator trays and place in your food dehydrator at 118º degrees for 10 to 16 hours until very crisp.

In the dehydrator, they get crunchy like potato chips and stay that way! If you don’t have a dehydrator, and would like to own one, I highly recommend this one! I have two of them, and they come in handy for a lot of food, including fruit rollups….recipe coming soon!

You can also make them in the oven, but I have never been as happy with the results using the oven. You will have to eat them the day they are made that way, and the texture just isn’t the same. If you don’t have a dehydrator, and would like to make them in the oven, Preheat Oven 300º, using parchment lined baking sheets, lay the kale in a single layer and bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip with a spatula, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes watching carefully so they don’t burn. Cool Completely.

Kale has a lot of roughage. This recipe make 8 servings. Listen to your body and don’t overdo it which is easy to do when they are so good!

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!