Peanut Butter Pumpkin Soup

I invented this recipe as I was making some quick pumpkin soup and found this sitting on the counter...

Sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free GAPS-safe and completely yummy! If you have the pumpkin cooked ahead of time (half and de-seed the pumpkin; put face-down on a cookie sheet with 1/2" water and bake at 350 till soft; scrape cooked pumpkin into a dish) and in the fridge, it's also fast and easy. The peanut butter adds a hearty dose of protein.

1 cup coconut milk
2 cups cooked pumpkin or butternut squash
1/2 c. natural peanut butter
1 T butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt to taste

Combine in pan over medium heat and cook till bubbling. Turn off. Pour carefully into blender (do several small batches if necessary to avoid explosions) and puree till smooth. Serve with a spoon. I could definitely eat this for breakfast.

Grainless Pumpkin Snacking Squares - Gluten and Sugar Free, GAPS friendly

The best thing about these bars is that they travel marvelously, and for someone on a sugar and grain-free diet, snacks on the go can become rather limited. They're a welcome supplement to my the usual starchless fare of nuts and raw veggies! I admit, they taste somewhat healthy. You won't imagine that you're eating a soft cookie made with white flour -- but they are chewy, flavorful and satisfying.  They key is the spices!

1 cup pumpkin seeds, freshly toasted

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup soft butter or coconut oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

Stevia to taste (8 drops or so of liquid stevia) or xylitol

Grind toasted pumpkin seeds (still hot) and seasonings in blender or food processor until powdery or starting to clump. Add remaining ingredients, blend until smooth (may need to scrape down sides with a knife or wooden spoon) Scrape dough out of the blender jar onto a well-greased cookie sheet and spread to about 1/2" thickness. (Does not need to reach sides) Sprinkle with more cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes (I've actually never timed it!) or until puffy* and lightly browned on the edges. Cut into squares on cookie sheet. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes and remove with metal spatula. Store as you would cookies - about a week in airtight container at room temperature, and for ages in the freezer. I like to keep them in the freezer and eat them cold with a generous topping of butter. 

*These bars have made bubbles for me without fail, despite attempts to prick holes, etc. If anyone tries these and discovers a way to get rid of the bubbles, let me know. On the positive side, the bubbles do make the texture more interesting.

Savory Snacking Squares recipe should appear in a future post.

Simple Chicken Seanoodle Soup - GF, GAPS Safe

Dried seaweed is a great bang-for-your-buck food source.  A small amount expands considerably in liquid and is nutritious and filling. It keeps for months in air-tight storage, so is easy to grab for adding extra grain-free food-ness to your soup, or scrambled eggs. There are numerous varieties, many of which I've not even tried, but all the ones I've had are just fun to eat - noodly texture without the noodly starch - and full of flavor.
This recipe makes one serving but can easily be stretched by just adding more of everything, exact amounts not necessary. It's a great breakfast or snack for when you're under the weather or just want some slurpy comfort food with lots of healing properties.

• 1 cup real chicken or turkey broth (If it has fat on top, use it)
• 2 T dried seaweed leaves (I used hijiki, a dark, small-leaved, chewy seaweed with a shrimp-like aroma)
• 1/4" slice of fresh ginger root, pressed through garlic press
• 1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook broth, seaweed, ginger and garlic in small saucepan over med heat till broth boils and seaweed expands. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low. Crack egg into the soup, swirling the egg white into the broth, but leaving the yolk unbroken. Cover and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Serve in soup bowl. Sprinkle with milled flax seed if desired.

Sweet Burger Skillet Dinner

(re-post from my non-cooking blog) This recipe is gluten-free, and absolutely delicious. Make sure to give enough time for the sweet potato cubes to cook to soft, sticky yummy blobs (unless you like your sweet potatoes crunchy).

I made this skillet supper for dinner tonight. It was so yummy that I wanted to put down the recipe somewhere.

You will need

1 large-2 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pared

1 sweet onion

1 bell pepper

Chop all on a cutting board and add to

2 T coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Cook and stir until onions begin to soften. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Remove temporarily to separate dish. Add to skillet:

3/4 lb. hamburger

2-3 cloves garlic

Cook until meat is brown and add sweet potato mixture back into skillet, stirring all together.

Add

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

fresh basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme - chopped, or 1 tsp. each dried if no fresh available.

Add a Tbsp or so of beef or vegetable stock as needed to prevent sticking. Cover and simmer on low half an hour, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes are soft.

Serve over this base:

Cook millet or rice in half beef or vegetable stock/broth, and half coconut milk with cinnamon, salt and black pepper, till dry and fluffy.

Flourless Crusty Baked Chicken

Going beyond gluten-free to grain-free is sometimes tricky for making filling meals. However, a cracker recipe on the back of some Bob's Red Mill sunflower seeds gave me the idea to modify the recipe for a "breaded" baked chicken that was very tasty and filling.

6-8 chicken pieces

1/4 cup. coconut oil

Grind to crumbs in blender or food processor:

1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Place crumbs in a wide bowl and add:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder (or paprika if you don't like the heat)

- OR-

just add a generous amount of your favorite seasoned salt!

Dip chicken pieces in coconut oil and then roll in crumbs. Place in a greased (or even better, greased aluminum foil-lined for easy clean up) baking dish and bake at 350 for about an hour (depending on piece sizes).

I served this chicken along with a generous mound of steamed cabbage and carrots topped with this saucepan combination:

1/4 cup. melted butter,

1 tbsp. chopped onion (or 1 tsp. onion powder)

1/2 tsp. ground ginger,

3 tbsp. white vinegar,

1/2 t. salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste