Most of my life I have been excessively healthy. No cavities, never sick, and with rapid healing powers so that I have no scars despite the multitude of oven burns and other disasters that being a chef generally involve (I have chopped off the tip of my left pointer finger several times–but you wouldn’t know by looking at it!). I took that amazing health for granted, assumed that it was just who I was and didn’t stop to think for a second that it might not last. Working in the fast-paced and highly demanding culinary industry stresses your body physically, the long hours and high pressure alone are quite enough to wear you down over time, but along with that for years I maintained a diet of coffee, sugar and cigarettes. In fact I generally thought it crazy to spend money on food (working in a kitchen you get some good free meals so I didn’t really have to buy food). After a couple years of this I discovered that I was highly neurotic, with blood sugar swings that left me an emotional basket case.
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) ...
As we all know the supplement industry is run by greed and money almost to the same degree as the pharmaceutical industry (if that's possible). I personally believe that we can get everything we need from our food, but at times we may not be able to afford to buy all organic or from farmers markets, ...
After reading Anna's positive experiences with the GAPs diet I ordered the book and have just finished reading it, I have tried a lot of diets over the years especially after living in a moldy apartment in Wellington, NZ which has resulted in problems with my digestive tract ever since. November las ...
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, ...
This recipe is adapted from D. Mary's recipe for Cucumbers in Jars on page 75 in the book Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning. 1 1/2 T sea salt per quart (litre) of water
unchlorinated water
small handful fennel seeds
6-10 black peppercorns
1 T mustard seeds
5-7 cloves
5-6 cloves of ...
Now here is a great alternative for cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, especially if you like the flavors of Asia this is modeled on Sally Fallon's raisin chutney recipe in Nourishing Traditions. 1 lb (500g) fresh dates (pitted)
1 lb (500g) fresh cranberries
1 t red chili flakes
1/2 head garl ...
Lacto-fermentation is actually safer than canning for the inexperienced beginner as there is less chance of contamination with unwanted bacteria and asparagus are high in inulin which lactobacilli love to eat. 1 kg asparagus
4 dried chili peppers (optional)
6 cloves garlic, sliced
10 black p ...
Guest Blogger Anna Miller-Rhees tells of of her experiences on the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet). It was this post from Anna that originally inspired me to take the plunge and get on the GAPS diet ourselves. It has changed our lives for the better. Thanks so much Anna! Looking back over ...
Our original GAPS blogger, Anna Miller-Rhees sent in this recipe for a basic nut bread that is good for folks on the GAPS and SCD diets. This is a multi-purpose soaked-nut dough recipe, with variations for making delicious: muffins
pancakes
crackers Basic Nut Dough: 2 cups soaked almond ...