Ever wondered what they ate in Europe before the potato? Pease porridge was one of the staples of the diet. Who doesn’t love a good pea soup with ham hock or sausage? Ever thought that mushy peas might make a fantastic pizza sauce? It does. We had a little pea soup left over from dinner last night so I thought I’d give it a shot. My pea soup was made with beef broth and lots of ginger, onions and garlic, and made a lovely bright green flavorful sauce.

This recipe also makes a great gluten and grain free thin crust pizza using almond flour, the recipe for the crust is from a fantastic cookbook I have just gotten: Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad.

Crust:

• 2 t olive oil
• 2 c (220g) almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c (115g) dry curd cheese
• 1/4 t salt

Read more ...

Last night I decided to try an almond torte with cherries and cream. The BC cherries are fantastic and I get raw cream from our local herd-share fresh every week, in fact I have just gotten back from picking up my share.

The almonds probably come from California. I did find a online farm-stand that would ship me nuts from the farm in 30 lb boxes, but I haven’t gotten around to doing that yet. Most almonds are pasteurized these days, unfortunately. As usual my oven burnt the hell out of my tortes. As a result I use a lower temperature for a longer time that might normally be used for a torte, feel free to experiment with the temperature.

Read more ...

When I was a kid, my favorite recipe to make at Christmas were Swedish spritz cookies. I used to get up at dawn and pinch a few of them from the cookie jar to nibble in bed before anyone else was up. In those days I was using refined sugar and flour, but I think originally these cookies were made with blanched almond flour and honey. Made this way they taste like toffee or almond roca while at the same time being healthier!

• 1/2 c honey
• 1 c butter (softened)
• 1 egg
• 1 t almond essence (optional)
• 2 1/2 c almond flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda

Method Beat together butter and honey, add beaten egg and almond essence (I like to substitute cardamom for the almond essence sometimes) and beat well. Add the almond flour (to blanch almonds just pour boiling water over your almonds, let sit a couple minutes, then rub the skins off with your hands and discard). I use a coffee grinder to process my almonds into flour which works very well. Add in the salt and baking soda and mix. Chill for about 20 minutes. Use a cookie press on a greased baking sheet or just spoon the mixture out about a couple inch apart from each other. Bake for about 10 minutes in a 250 degree F oven.

Read more ...

This recipe has such a great story that I just have to share it! The other weekend at Seedy Saturday, I met a lovely lady (Sandy) from Twining Vine Garden who sold me some seeds for American Ginsing. I was looking for a plant that would do well in a container and she told me of this amazing friend of hers (Marian) who had recently passed away after surviving cancer for about ten years (I may not have all the details exactly right). Sandy told us how her friend had used American ginsing, and said perhaps this helped. She then went on to tell us about Marian’s wonderful recipe, and said at the memorial service to this spunky and active lady they gave out recipe cards with this recipe and photo of Marian with a big smile and one of these fabulous cookies.

Read more ...

This tasty snack can be made with any nut or seed or combination of. It makes a great crust as well.

• 1c curds (ground)
• 1c pumpkin seeds (soaked, toasted and ground)
• 1/2 c sunflower seeds (ST&G)
• 2T butter or other fat (coconut, tallow, goose)
• 1/2c parmesan

Method: I don’t have a food processor, but I have a great spice grinder which I use for everything I don’t use my mortar and pestle for. I grind up my curds and seeds with this and then mash everything together with my hands. I have always loved feeling the texture of foods ever since I baked as a kid. Feel free to just use a food processor.

Read more ...

We just made a batch of these and the wonderful aroma fills our apartment. These are so delicious, you barely realise you are on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet. Based on the Zucchini Muffin recipe in Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.

• 2 c grated zucchini
• 2 c ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c ghee or melted butter
• 1/3 c honey (raw)
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t baking soda
• couple of pinches of salt
• A couple handfuls of frozen or fresh blueberries

Method: Mix almond flour, zucchini, fat and honey. Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix very well. Add blueberries (or other fruit), but don’t add too many or the muffins will not hold together.

Bake in muffin tins filled 2/3 full for about 20 minutes in a 350 F (180 C) degree oven.

Read more ...

I picked up a bag of shelled hazelnuts and soon found they are very easy to shell using a morter and pestle. After soaking the nut meat overnight I roasted them in a very low oven. The following recipe is what resulted next:

• 1 1/2 c hazelnuts (ground)
• 1/2 c almonds (ground)
• 1 T anise (ground)
• 3 T butter, softened (or coconut, lard, duck fat)
• 6 eggs (separated)
• 1″ slice date paste or 2 handfuls of seeded dates
• 1/2 c boiling water (approximate)

Method: Boil water and soak the dates in boiling water to soften. Mix the nuts, anise and butter. Add egg yolks to the nut mixture. Mash the dates to a pulp and add to mixture. Mix well. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks (add a pinch of salt). Fold the egg whites into the nut mixture in 2 to 3 stages. Do not over mix. The egg whites will bring air into the mixture to lighten the cake.

Place mixture into a round cake tin that has been buttered and floured. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Read more ...

My copy of Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride arrived last week and over the weekend I had leftover spaghetti squash. On page 149 I found a recipe for egg-free bread/cake/muffins which called for mashed squash. Spaghetti squash is a little watery so it comes out quite dense, but very healthy and tasty.

Carrot, Blueberry and Spaghetti Squash Muffins

1c spaghetti squash (cooked)

1c carrots, grated

3T butter (lard, duck/goose fat, coconut oil)

1 1/2 c almonds, ground

1/2 c walnuts, ground

3/4 c date puree or seedless dates (about 2 handfulls)

1/2 c boiling water (soak dates in water 5 mins)

1/2 c frozen blueberries

1 t cinnamon

Read more ...

One of my favorite places to get this cake in Yangon is at at little hole-in-the-wall fresh coffee shop on Sule Pagoda Road. In Burmese this cake is called San Win Ma Kin.

• 1/2 c semolina (substitute cream of wheat)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c coconut cream
• 1 c warm water
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 T clarified butter (ghee)
• 2 T raisins
• 2 T poppy seeds

Method: Toast semolina until golden, mix in sugar and water. Let stand 30 minutes. Beat eggs and add to mixture.

Heat clarified butter in a large pan add semolina mixture and cook stirring constantly until thick. Add the raisins, coconut cream and salt and 1 T poppy seeds, keep stirring for about 5 minutes and the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Put into cake pan smooth and brush with butter and sprinkle with remaining poppy seeds. Bake at 180 degrees F for 15 minutes until top is golden. Add caramelized coconut as a topping.

Read more ...

This is a multi-purpose soaked-nut dough recipe, with variations for making delicious:

• muffins
• pancakes
• crackers

Basic Nut Dough:

• 2 cups soaked almonds or other nut (soak for 7 or more hours in water with a tsp or two of salt)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup fat (like butter, coconut oil, lard, tallow, -these last better for savory breads in my experience)
• 1 tsp baking soda (optional)
• pinch unrefined salt (I use celtic sea salt)

For a savory option add 2 tsp. finely minced fresh or dried rosemary.

Method Blend very well in food processor. Spread in a well greased pan and bake 20-25 min at 350 degrees F  until slightly browned. This dough does not keep long in the fridge, maybe a day or two, but it can be used to make many things.

For pancakes, add 2-3 more eggs and fry in lots of good butter or coconut oil.

For muffins add any or all of the following:

• 1/2 cup roasted squash/pumpkin or other mushy fruit or veggie (for moisture)
• pureed dried fruit or honey for sweetness
• whole dried fruit
• cinnamon
• almond flavor or vanilla
• raw grated ginger
• allspice, nutmeg or cloves
• a little more fat than the bread…
• other crispy nuts or seeds

For crackers use the basic dough and spread on a well greased pan. Bake at 300 for 45 min, or until browned and crispy.

This recipe is good for the GAPS or SCD diet, or anyone who wants to stay away from gluten and likes a healthy and tasty snack!  Also, a food processor is the best kitchen tool ever for making nut recipes, I wouldn’t last a day without it.

Read more ...