Zughetti and squash sauce with a side of veggie balls.

The hubby and I were on the lookout for some quickie meal ideas, and since we had just gone to the market, we had a few extra ingredients on hand, one of which being zucchini. We wanted something simple, yet comforting, and what is more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs...? Zughetti and veggie balls of course! I've always had an interest in using zucchini in place of traditional spaghetti noodles, and now that we're on the GAPS diet, it seemed like the perfect time. I thought it was a fun idea, and since I was planning to quickly and lightly stir-fry the noodles, thought it would be just the thing to star in our quickie dinner.

It was also a bit of a leftover meal, using up some of the older ingredients that had been lingering about the kitchen, in particular these two acorn squashes that had been threatening to become permanent fixtures if they weren't used sooner than later. So it was decided, squash sauce to top the zughetti noddles! The recipe for the sauce comes from MarthaStewart.com, and with only minor modifications, primarily the use of coconut milk in place of half-and-half, the dish was rather GAPS/paleo friendly. I was also quite liberal in my use of garlic (as always), caramelizing the cloves**, and adjusting the rest of the ingredients accordingly to accommodate the large amount of squash we had. Sticking with the theme of simplicity, instead of pealing and cubing the squash as the recipe suggested, I simply cut the squashes in half and sprinkled in my seasoning and oil, letting them cook open side up. Overall it worked out quite well. The sauce was delicious, and went amazingly well with our second attempt at the Detoxinista's Meat(less) Balls. What pulled it all together though, was how we topped everything off with the amazing leftover slow-cooker chicken we had made earlier in the week.

It turned out to be quite an amazing meal. Not necessarily the quickest, but considering what was all made, the effort was fairly minimal. And as a bonus, we finished off the last of our fouxtatoes/cauliflower hummus, which made for another great serving idea for the veggie balls. Definitely need to try doing the veggie balls falafel style!

I LOVE garlic, and really, is there anything roasted garlic doesn't go with?

While zucchini noodles are great on their own, a quick stir-fry can really make the flavor shine!

Delicious.

The Recipe

• 1 large zucchini (for the noodles)

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds (I used acorn squash)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic*
• 5 cloves garlic (very rough estimate)
• 1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil (or desired fat for caramelizing)
• 1 cup coconut milk (original recipe calls for half-and-half)

The Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Using a large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard. (To simplify, cut squash in half, remove seeds and prep each open half. Bake open side up. and proceed to step 4.)
3. Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. (*If cooking as whole halves, sprinkle minced garlic on each half.)
4. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.
5. *While squash is cooking, begin cooking garlic cloves on a low setting, stirring occasionally. (The goal is to slightly caramelize.)
6. Transfer squash and garlic and onion mixture to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add coconut milk through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water (I did not add water as I like a thicker sauce); continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt.

Serve over zughetti, veggie balls, or anything else you're looking to spice up, and enjoy!

**I have grown to love Sam's Club's Fresh Peeled Garlic. It's a huge bag of garlic already prepped for cooking. What more could you ask for?!

Another juice pulp recipe: Bread

The homestead has had a bit of a juice pulp surplus as of late, mainly because I've been holding off on the chip making to look for more ways of putting the pulp to good use. As I've scoured the net for more juice pulp recipes, I've come across quite a few bread recipes, and so was curious to give it a try myself. I found this recipe from the Milk From The Morning Cake blog. All in all it was a pretty painless process, and was ready to enjoy in about an hour. Since I've been avoiding sugar, I left out the honey/sweetener, and did not find it to be lacking in the slightest. I love the spice flavor with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and in many ways it reminds me of my mom's zucchini bread. Quite delicious, it may be one of those recipes we need to add into the regular rotation. The biggest takeaway for me though, was the prep tip of lining the bread pan with parchment paper. A simple thing I know, but made all the difference in the world when it came to removal. I had tried using various types of fat to grease the pan in the past like butter, coconut oil, olive oil, but the parchment paper definitely wins out.

One thing I'll be interested in trying in the future is a more savory version of the bread, something more akin to the pulp chip recipe I love so much. Perhaps mingling it with the wonderful savory waffle recipe. I could imagine this turning out to be some pretty awesome sandwich bread, or perhaps it would work best as a dipping bread (I love olive oil!)! Hmmm....sounds like a new recipe experiment!

I again found that mixing the eggs first and adding everything else to them worked VERY well!

Getting my hands dirty.

Success!

A little quick cinnamon butter and we're all good.

The Recipe

• 8oz juice pulp
• 6oz ground almonds (or ground cashews, hazels or sunflower seeds or coconut flour, I happened to use almonds)
• 2oz melted butter
• 2-4tsp honey (or maple syrup for non SCD and low fructose diets, can also be omitted if avoiding sugar all together)
• 4 large free range eggs
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Juice of half a lime or a third of a lemon (I used a tablespoon of lemon juice)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Half tsp fresh grated nutmeg (I used dried, powdered)
• 3 tsp cider vinegar
• small handful of chopped walnuts, pecans or raisins (This is entirely optional, though I found the walnuts to be a wonderful addition. Leave out raisins for low fructose diets)

The Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 1lb loaf tin with parchment paper, letting it hang well over the edges.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together carrot pulp, ground almonds, melted butter, spices, bicarb and eggs.
3. In a small bowl or cup stir together, lime juice, vinegar and honey. Pour over the rest of the ingredients (adding the option extras if wished) and stir till well mixed in. Pile into the tin and smooth the top.
4. Bake for 50 - 70 minutes (mine was done in about an hour), until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes and then gently loosen with a knife and lift out using the paper strips. Leave paper attached until completely cool and then remove carefully so as not to detach the crust. Slice and toast or keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Otherwise, slice and open freeze, storing in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three weeks.

A savory update to the Civilized Waffles

I just wanted to post a quick update to the Savory Waffles post.

After the delicious results from the modified waffle recipe, I wanted more. The hubby was in agreement as well, but wanted to do the waffles properly, most closely following the recipe with benedict and all! And so it was, and it was once again amazing! The bacon and chives not only add another degree of flavor to the waffles, but texture. The fresh waffles are so crunchy, and while they have a wonderfully light, airy middle, the bacon adds an additional savory crunch to every bite. In many ways it reminds me of chop block bread, but even more awesome! I'm excited to experiment with these more, perhaps adding in some sun-dried tomatoes and herbs, maybe even a cheese. Sounds like a modified breakfast pizza will be in the near future....

The second part of the recipe, the Hollandaise sauce, was interesting. Not quite as sauce-like was we were anticipating, though that may have been chef error (guess we'll just have to try making it again), it still had an amazing flavor that only got better as it mingled in with the egg yolk and started soaking into the waffle.

All in all this was another amazing brunch. Eating out on the porch I felt like we were at our own little bistro complete with exceptional food and the best company (thank you honey!). Can't wait till next weekend to experiment some more!


The Recipe(s):

WAFFLES

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup raw cashew butter
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 2 teaspoons bacon fat, melted
• 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 piece of bacon and chopped rough
• 2 chives chopped

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

• 2 eggs yolks
• 1/4 cup melted grassfed butter or ghee, unsalted (for dairy-free, follow my recipe for Coconut Oil Hollandaise)
• 2 Tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Paprika or Cayenne if you want some heat

TO SERVE

• 4 Savory Waffles
• 4 Slices cooked ham
• 4 Eggs poached
• 1/4 Cup Hollandaise Sauce, recipe follows
• Chives to garnish

The Process (Waffles and Benedict):

• Preheat your waffle iron
• In a stand mixer, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the cashew butter, almond milk, bacon fat, and garlic.
• Mix the salt, baking soda and coconut flour in a small bowl, then pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
• Beat for 30 seconds until the batter is fully incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure you get all of the sticky cashew butter.
• Fold the chopped bacon and chives into the batter by hand.
• Cook your waffles according to the instructions on your waffle iron, then keep them in a warm oven until you’re ready to assemble the benedict.

***Every machine is different, so watch the waffles really carefully to ensure they don’t burn. This batter will not take as long to cook as a regular waffles and will probably be done before your indicator light turns green. Once the steam stops, they are likely done. Mine takes about 30-45 seconds for each batch.***

The Process (Hollandaise Sauce):

• Pour boiling water into a blender, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Dump out the water and dry the container thoroughly.
• Blend the egg yolks with the lemon juice, salt, and paprika.
• With the blender running on low, slowly pour in the hot melted butter.
• Blend for about 30 seconds until the sauce has thickened and the butter is well incorporated. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

***If it gets too thick, warm it over very low heat until it becomes runny again (about 10 seconds in a microwave and a minute on a low burner). Be careful not to use too high of heat or your eggs will scramble and your butter will curdle.***


Layer each waffle with a slice of ham, poached egg, drizzle of hollandaise, and a few chives.

The best whole chicken in a crock-pot, really!

This recipe has really become the go-to for the hubby and I, and I can't tell you enough just how amazing it really is! The recipe comes from the 100 Days of Real Food blog, and besides being incredibly easy, as most slow-cooker recipes are, the resulting chicken tastes fantastic, so juicy and flavorful! We generally double up on the recipe, somehow squishing in two whole chickens into one (large) crock-pot, and reserving the remaining juices and bones to start the next batch of bone broth.

I love the set-it-and-forget-it style recipes, especially when they yield such awesome leftovers, and as we continue to go more GAPS/paleo, having a good meat recipe on hand is an essential. This slow-cooker chicken has made an awesome addition to dishes like our zughetti with squash sauce and salads, is a great topper for juice pulp chips, and is pretty darn good all on it's own. I can't say enough about this recipe, so try it and let us know in the comments what you think, and if there are any fun variations you've come up with!

The Recipe

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 large chicken

The Process

1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.*
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets** from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high*** (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don’t forget to make your homemade stock with the leftover bones!

*I just sprinkle all the ingredients over the chicken(s) once they are in the crock-pot, which has worked just fine.

**When possible (or when provided) we use the entire chicken, giblets and all!

***I generally let it cook on a low setting for at least 8 hours or more, till it's falling off the bone, or when I can get around to processing it.

More Civilized ideas: German Apple Pancakes

Ah breakfast. My husband and I have made the most important meal of the day into a bit of an art. We love breakfast foods, so when we came across this delicious looking German Apple Pancake recipe from the Civilized Caveman, we had to try it. The photos made them look more like apple fritters than pancakes, which was especially intriguing to me (who doesn't like apple fritters?!). They just looked like a whole lot of awesome, and based on the ingredients (with one minor modification) would be GAPS friendly. The hubby and I were definitely in the mood for a whole lot of awesome!

The overall process was pretty painless, and cook times were pretty accurate as well, which was only somewhat surprising since we used jumbo muffin tins instead of the suggested Ramekins. The results were amazing. In the end, they turned out looking a little more like pineapple upsidedown cake, but the (not too overpowering) sweetness of the apple, along with the spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg gave these German Apple Pancakes an incredibly rich flavor. Serving suggestion: place in the middle of a large bowl of (plain, full-fat) yogurt - amazing!

The Recipe:
(the batter)

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk (coconut works too)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup (sub honey for GAPS)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

(the filling)

• 2 apples, cored and diced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• juice of 1/2 lemon (I used 2TBS lemon juice)
• handful of crushed pecans

The Process

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup
3. In a small bowl, stir coconut flour, nutmeg, and baking soda
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat well to combine, set aside while you prepare the apples
5. In a small frying pan, heat 2 tbsp coconut oil and raw organic honey
6. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and juice of 1/2 Lemon and cook for 1 minute
7. Add in your apples and sauté until all your apples are nicely coated
8. Evenly divide your apple mixture between 8 ramekins greased with coconut oil and then evenly divide your egg mixture on top of the apples between the 8 Ramekins
9. Place your Ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce heat to 375 and cook for an additional 20 minutes
10. Sprinkle with pecans when removed from the oven
11. Enjoy

The Civilized approach to food: Savory Waffles

This past weekend involved the hubby and I experimenting with some new recipes, which culminated into some pretty amazing meals! As we continue to adhere to the GAPS diet, We've also been getting more into Paleo, which is quite GAPS friendly minus the sweet potatoes and bacon (though lets face it, exceptions need to be made for bacon!). I admit, most of my Pinterest time is spent salivating over the awesome looking Paleo recipes, especially those in the dessert category. Even with my diminished sweet-tooth (thank you GAPS!), desserts always look so darn good, and tend to fill most of my Pin boards. Which is why I was so excited to see this delightfully savory waffle recipe courtesy of the Civilized Caveman. I don't recall ever having savory waffles prior to this, but they were amazing, and that is even with the minor modifications we were (sort of) forced to make due to lack of ingredients...

As you can see from the Civilized Caveman, this is part of a larger Eggs Benedict style recipe. We were more interested in trying the waffles themselves since we already had another recipe started (German Apple Pancakes, again from the Civilized Caveman). With that, we served these waffles sans the eggs and ham, and instead used some leftover broth/stock meat and our homemade guacamole. The savory, garlicy-ness of these waffles (I did not skimp on the garlic) really make them a great pairing for almost anything, so feel free to experiment with your own toppings and post your results in the comments!

The few substitution we made due to our missing ingredients were coconut milk for almond milk, butter for the bacon fat, and simply left out the bacon (tragic I know) and chives. By not skimping on the garlic (using more like a heaping tablespoon rather than the 1/4 listed), the waffles maintained a rich, savory flavor even without the bacon and chives.

The results: Amazing!

breakfast out on the porch, by Phillip Fischer

The Recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup raw cashew butter (or your preferred nut butter)
• 3 tablespoons almond milk (coconut works fine too)
• 2 teaspoons bacon fat, melted (or butter)
• 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic (I chose to be more generous here with 1 heaping tablespoon)
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 piece of bacon and chopped rough
• 2 chives chopped

The Process:

1. Preheat your waffle iron
2. In stand mixer, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the cashew butter, almond milk, bacon fat, and garlic.
3. Mix the salt, baking soda and coconut flour in a small bowl, then pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
4. Beat for 30 seconds until the batter is fully incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure you get all of the sticky cashew butter.
5. Fold the chopped bacon and chives into the batter by hand.
6. Cook your waffles according to the instructions on your waffle iron, then keep them in a warm oven until you’re ready to assemble the benedict.

***Every machine is different, so watch the waffles really carefully to ensure they don’t burn. This batter will not take as long to cook as a regular waffles and will probably be done before your indicator light turns green. Once the steam stops, they are likely done. Mine takes about 30-45 seconds for each batch.***

A GAPS follwup

It's been just over a month since the hubby and I have been full-blown GAPS, and there have definitely been some interesting changes since leaving the intro diet.

First and foremost, I seem to be putting on a bit of extra fat (or is it bloating?) around the mid section. With the more calorie dense foods and me still trying to figure out that happy medium between content and FULL (erroring on the side of full a little too often...), it's not too big a surprise that the body began storing the excess calories as fat. I haven't been super happy about that, obviously, so I've been working on recalibrating my general intake of food with some intermittent fasting (more on that to come), and figuring out how much is truly needed for satiety. It's a work in progress.

Another interesting development has been a reappearance of my period. It's been a little MIA since getting back from Cancun in March (2013). I do have a birth control implant, which explains in the fine print that periods may become very light or stop all together the longer it's in, so I didn't think too much of the irregularity. With leaning out a bit at the start of the GAPS diet, perhaps the development of extra fat has actually made the body happy enough to menstruate again and is actually a healthy change. I could almost be convinced of this, but since it's primarily centered around my mid-section, which is supposedly the least healthy place to be storing fat (and signs of potential/continued gut distress), I find it difficult to believe this is a healthy change.

Along with the period acne has also seems to have come back. Perhaps not as intense as pre-GAPS, but definitely more than I've had with the intro diet. The hubby has also started to see some more flakey skin, eczema-like patches again as well. This was another issue that seemed to have cleared up with the intro, and again while not as intense as pre-GAPS, is slightly disturbing that it's come back at all.......

Aside from those issues, digestion seems to be MUCH better for the two of us. For myself, I'm much more regular, far less gassy, and have generally just felt much better overall. It feels as though the body is finally able to digest all those nutritious foods we've been consuming! Energy levels are generally stable, though sleep is something I can always use more of...perhaps something to work on (starting with eliminating some of the many activities we're involved in....).

Issues or not, we continue pressing onward and upward! The food we've continued to try with this new diet has been amazing! With introducing new foods with the full GAPS, it's almost like color has been brought back into life again. Each new recipe is more awesome than the next, and we're getting to be quite the little cooks if I do say so myself! It's an exciting change, and I'm looking forward to sharing more about the different recipes and health changes here on the blog!