Primal Zucchini "Noodle" Lasagna

Recipe number 4 of the day!  The chocolate chip cookies and lasagna were both made last night when we had friends over who requested the recipes.  So I figured if I was going to write them out and send them, might as well post on here where everyone else can see them too :-) .  Thanks to Wellness Mama for the original recipe that served as the inspiration for mine.  I am a subscriber to her weekly meal plans and have fun trying out several new dishes (at least) each week!

Primal Zucchini "Noodle" Lasagna

4-5 medium zucchini
1 pound ground meat or sausage (chicken Italian sausage or ground beef are both good!)
1 jar organic pasta sauce
1 jar diced italian tomatoes
2 cups almond pulp "ricotta" (recipe below)*
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (opt)
4 eggs, beaten
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Basil
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice zucchini lengthwise using a mandolin to 3/8" thick.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place zucchini slices on baking sheet leaving a space between each slice.  You will have to do 2-3 batches.  Spray or brush olive oil on zucchini slices and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until brown on bottom and starting to cook through.  Repeat until all zucchini is cooked.  Reduce oven temp to 350.  Meanwhile, brown meat of choice in large skillet.  If not pre-seasoned sausage, add seasonings of choice (try 1/2 tsp each of garlic, onion, basil, oregano, salt, pepper).  Then add diced tomatoes to pan.  Cook for several minutes until liquid begins to evaporate.  Add jar of pasta sauce.  Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes.  Mix almond pulp "ricotta" with eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan (is using dairy) and 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp basil and pinch of nutmeg.

Assemble lasagna in layers in large (9x13) baking dish.  Start with a thin layer of meat sauce on bottom.  Top with layer of zucchini slices then layer of "cheese".  Repeat until all ingredients are used.  Top with additional 1/2 cup parmesan cheese if desired.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Enjoy!


* Almond pulp is leftover from making almond milk.  For the amount in this recipe, I soak 2 1/2 cups raw almonds in water for about 3-4 hours, draining and rinsing several times until water runs clear.  "Pop" almonds from skin (should remove easily after soaking, but if not can pour boiling water over for 1-2 minutes to help loosen them), then place in high powered blender (Vitamix, etc) with 6 cups water.  Process for 1-2 minutes until you can't hear almond chunks anymore.  Pour into a nut milk bag, several layers of cheesecloth, or fine fabric kitchen towel and squeeze out all liquid.  To almond milk you can add vanilla and sweetener if desired and will keep in fridge up to a week.  The leftover pulp is what you use for the ricotta.  Add the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 - 1 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Stir and add a bit of water if needed to desired consistency.

The Best Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So apparently, it is my day for posting recipes.  One of these days I might get around to actually writing about life, but for now, recipes will have to do!  Have been enjoying cooking and playing around with making some of our traditional favorites but without grains, beans/legumes, refined sugars and pretty much any and all processed food.  Chocolate chip cookies have always been one of my very favorite baked treats, and after trying and modifying quite a few recipes have finally stopped searching.  For now at least...

This recipe was adapted from Elana's Pantry Gluten Free / Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan, Dairy Free & Gluten/Grain Free)

2 1/2 cups almond flour (from blanched almonds)*
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut nectar/sap
1 cup dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life, Sunspire 65%, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine almond flour, sea salt and baking soda in a large bowl.  Melt coconut oil and combine with vanilla, maple syrup and coconut nectar.  Stir wet ingredients into dry mixture.  Once well mixed, stir in chocolate chips.

Press Tablespoon sized balls onto parchment lined baking sheet (or lightly grease with coconut oil if parchment paper not available).  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, then cool and serve!

* I use Bob's Red Mill almond flour even though Elana says it does not work properly and prefers a couple other brands.  It is the only one available here locally and sells at our Tacoma Food Co-op for $4.99 / lb.  I have found that it works better if not bought in bulk as it has settled into the package and measures more correctly in most recipes.  But if I lightly pack it into measuring cups then most of the time it works out just fine!  Too little "flour" (or too much coconut oil) and the cookies will spread out and be crispy.  I actually make them on purpose this way sometime, but they're not quite as pretty.  Too much "flour" and they won't spread out at all and the insides will stay gooey unless you overcook them.

Fritatta with Bacon and Collard Greens

Breakfast round 2 at our house this morning was a fritatta with bacon and collard greens that turned out even better than I expected it would!  I will definitely be making it again so wanted to get the recipe written down here before I forget how I made it :-) .

Makes 3-4 servings

10 eggs (organic, free range, and pastured preferred)
2 Tbsp water
8 oz package natural bacon (no antibiotics and nitrite free), diced
1 bunch collard greens, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Red chili flakes
Cheese, grated (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring pot of water to a boil and cook chopped collard greens for 10 minutes.  Pour into colander to drain. Chop bacon into bite sized pieces and saute over medium heat until browned in an oven safe skillet.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Remove additional bacon grease if needed to leave 1-2 Tbsp in pan.  Add sliced onion and minced garlic with a pinch of red chili flakes (more or less for spiciness as desired) and cook until onion is soft and lightly browned.  Return bacon to the pan and add drained collard greens.  Saute for 5-10 minutes until everything is well cooked together.  While collards are sauteing, mix eggs with water and spices as desired.  I think I used about a 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  Add egg mixture to greens in skillet and mix well to combine.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until mostly set (egg will still be wet on top).  Move to middle rack of oven and cook for 5 more minutes until all egg is cooked.  Top with grated cheese if desired and tolerated and broil for 2-4 minutes until top and/or cheese begins to brown. Let cool, cut into slices, and serve!

Coconut Flour Apple Waffles

2 1/2 year old Ari was asking for waffles this morning for breakfast, so I searched for a recipe using coconut flour.  Some we didn't have all the ingredients for while others I remember trying and them being super dry unless topped with tons of melted butter and maple syrup.  So we created our own recipe that turned out really well and I wanted to share!  They were very moist and the perfect sweetness - Ari ate more than 2 of them without any other toppings :-)  .

Makes 3 small waffles

2 eggs
1 Tbsp almond milk*
1 tsp coconut oil (melted and cooled)
1/4 c apple puree**
1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Whisk eggs together then add remaining wet ingredients.  Stir together dry ingredients and sift into wet mixture. Whisk well until batter is smooth.  Pour onto pre-heated and greased waffle iron and spread slightly if needed.  Cook until done, likely about 5 minutes.

* Made with a thick, home-made almond milk.  Could try subbing coconut milk or dairy milk too.

** I pureed an apple (with peel) in my food processor.  You could also probably use home made or store bought organic applesauce with good results.

Easy Homemade Paleo Mayo

I know, it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  Our computer hard drive crashed and it's taken me awhile to get back up and running.  The Paleo/Primal diet is still going great and Paul and I just started a 30 day challenge with our Brilliant Life Chiropractic community on Monday.  We will all be super strict for the next 30 days - eating only meats (including seafood, poultry and game meats), eggs, vegetables, healthy fats (coconut milk/oil, olive oil, avocado oil, etc.), nuts, seeds and fruit in moderation.  I've found that having home made mayo around really helps for making creamy salad dressings, using as a veggie or artichoke dip, or for even just dipping leftover chicken in!  My first couple of attempts honestly didn't go too well.  One was super runny and the other just didn't ever emulsify.  But after playing around with it for awhile, trying out different ingredients and ratios, I've created my "Easy Homemade Paleo Mayo" using one of my favorite kitchen tools, the food processor.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg (Preferably local, fresh and pastured)

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 C Light Olive Oil

Directions:

Place egg, mustard, salt and lemon juice in food processor fitted with metal blade.  Blend about 30 seconds until well combined.  Stop to scrape down sides of bowl if needed.  Keep motor running and add oil drop by drop using the "drizzle hole" in the lid (if you're like me and always wondered why your lid had a hole in it...now you know!).  Stop blending once all oil has dripped out and is combined in the mixture.  

Voila!  Homemade mayo that is better for you and tastes so much fresher than anything you will buy in the store.  If you don't eat it all right away, the mayonnaise can be transferred to a covered container and stored in the fridge for about 5-7 days.  

Additional Tips:

Your final product is much more likely to be successful if the egg and lemon juice are at room temperature.  I recommend leaving both out for at least 3-4 hours before proceeding with the recipe.  You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice if you are all out of lemon or just want to try something different, but I personally prefer the flavor of lemon juice.  If you use extra virgin olive oil, your mayo will have a very strong olive flavor, especially if made in a food processor.  If it's all you have, I have heard that making it with a whisk helps to keep the flavor more subtle.  My first ever batch was made with extra virgin oil as I didn't know any better and I ended up throwing it out.  I wish I could find an Organic "light tasting" olive oil, but haven't had luck with that one yet.  Mayo can also be made in a food processor without a hole in the top, a blender, or with a whisk by hand (as mentioned above) but you have to be really careful to add the oil slowly, drop by drop, especially at first to make sure an emulsion forms. 

Enjoy and let me know how it goes for you!  

Going Primal!

It's been an interesting week of eating with Paul and I experimenting with eating a "Primal" diet - or close to one at least.  After reading bits and pieces about the principles behind primal/Paleo/caveman nutrition over the last couple of years, it was when Paul became interested from his Crossfit circles that we both finally dove in head first and did some serious reading and research to see what it was all about.  And the principles behind it made enough sense that we decided we had to at least give it a try! For those not familiar with the recommended dietary guidelines, that means eating mostly a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables along with pastured, wild caught and/or naturally raised meat products.  Also eggs, nuts and seeds, and sometimes raw dairy (everyone has their own opinion on that one!) . Sounds good so far, right? The hard part is that the list of allowed foods pretty much stops there. Grains, beans, other legumes and sugars of all kinds are on the off limits list.

I can imagine what you might be thinking. What kind of crazy diet plan is that? Why in the world would someone want to avoid eating whole grains and legumes? Aren't they the healthiest foods out there? But the more I read, the more I think what they say makes sense. Genetically, our bodies have not adapted to eating grains. Most of us have probably heard about how common gluten intolerance is now and how much better these people feel on a gluten free diet. The truth is, all humans would feel and function better without gluten. But it doesn't stop there. Other grains, even beloved brown rice, also have anti-nutrients in them that make it very hard for us to digest. Traditionally when humans first started planting and eating grains, they were always soaked, sprouted and/or fermented to make them edible and easier for us to digest. Over time, most have stopped these practices, but continue to eat grains. The Paleo/primal diet advocates say this has contributed to a whole host of sicknesses and disease. Auto-immune disorders, diabetes, obesity, etc. 

So you'll likely hear more from me about this in future posts. I'm planning to figure things out over the next few weeks, then commit to 30 days of a 100% Paleo diet (dairy free too) in September. Anyone wanna join me??

My second Blog Entry!

I know all 2 of my followers have been waiting and waiting for another incredible post from me.  So here it is.  In the time since my last post (4 months maybe??) quite a bit has happened.  One huge thing is that I have become a cloth diaper consultant with Diaper Parties by EverythingBirth.  So fun diving into the world of "fluff"!  My friend Amanda and I are hosting our first party next Saturday and I'm looking forward to teaching new moms and mommas to be about how and why to use cloth and showing current CD'ing mommas my huge new stash of goodies :-).  You will likely be seeing more on here from me about dipes and what I love about them.  

I have also started visioning for the chiropractic center I will open when I'm ready to dive back into working actively as a family chiropractor.  It feels good to start the creative process and know that I can work on it and dream about it in my free time over the next year, or two, or three until it's time to take that step.  So instead of just being "on an extended maternity leave" I can now say (and know) that I am actively involved in the visioning and planning process of creating my next chiropractic wellness cafe.  How exciting!  

I am off to bed to try and get some sleep before Ari wakes up and wants to nurse for the rest of the night.  I will likely be writing a post on all night nursing a toddler soon.  For now, I'll just say that I never imagined my almost 2 year old would be nursing constantly all night long and that over half the time when he wasn't I would be holding him and rocking him to try to keep him sleeping!  How I long for just one night of uninterrupted sleep.  Or three hours even!  That would be incredible.  

And next time, I promise I'll come up with a more original title and that it won't be 4 more months between posts.  Especially since I have a fun new "smartphone" I can use to keep up on emails and write my blogs too.  I think I'll try that next time!