‘He Won’t Know It’s Paleo’ – a Review

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Book Review, Cookbook, Cookbook Review, Elimination Diet, He Won't Know it's Paleo, Paleo

Bre’anna Emmitt, of He Won’t Know it’s Paleo fame, makes you feel like you’re in on a joke. Not a nasty joke, mind you. Rather, one with the very best of intentions. A joke with a small ‘j’…

You see, Bre’anna started to feed her husband a ‘Paleo-style’ diet – reducing sugar, cutting out processed frankenfoods, removing grains (gluten) and trans fats, and increasing vegetables – in an effort to encourage him (and their family) to be more health conscious.

Only – small omission –  she didn’t actually tell her husband about her grand plan.

But here’s the thing:

The food Bre’anna cooked was so good, he didn’t even notice!

Fast forward six months of Chris (Mr Bre’anna) unknowingly eating this way, and he is feeling so fit and fabulous, she feels it’s time to come clean on her sneaky healthy eating regime.

When she confides in him, he’s so impressed, he encourages her to start sharing her recipes. How cool is that?

The ‘He Won’t Know it’s Paleo’ blog is born.

He Won’t Know it’s Paleo Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
LM calls this ‘Kumara Bake’. You say tomato…
(Image by LM for TSL)

Bre’anna starts to share her recipes with a fast-growing and appreciative audience. About this time, she also starts experimenting with the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in an effort to mitigate some of her digestive issues.

And – fast forward to present day – we come to Bre’anna’s inaugural ‘He Won’t Know it’s Paleo’ cookbook – over 100 AIP healthy and tasty recipes at your fingertips.

I love this growth in autoimmune protocol-friendly cookbooks as more and more of us experience significant health improvements through adopting the principles of AIP.

‘He Won’t Know it’s Paleo’ is chock-full of great AIP-compliant recipes. But, it’s more than that. There’s a great section on stocking your pantry and a few of the basics – things like making gelatine eggs are well covered.

Do yourself a favour and check out Bre’anna’s book. It’s so very worth it!

The Scalloped Sweet Potatoes recipe is dinner-party worthy (especially, unlike me, if you cut your sweet potatoes with a mandolin!) and a fantastic alternative to regular potatoes…

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

• Servings: 8
• Time: 55 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

2 pounds/900g sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 medium potatoes)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (I used fresh!)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Layer the sweet potatoes and onion in an ungreased 3-quart (just under 3 litres metric!) pan.

3. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the sweet potatoes and onions.

4. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. If desired, finish by turning the broiler on for the last 3 to 5 minutes, until the top is browned.

E N J O Y !

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Lip-Smackingly Good Lemon Ice Cream (AIP Friendly)

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Dairy Free, Dairy Free Ice Cream, Gluten Free, Healthy Dessert, Paleo

Forget art. Put your trust in ice cream. (Charles Baxter, ‘The Feast of Love’)

One of the very happy discoveries I have made on my Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) endeavour is that of coconut ice cream. That is, ice cream made from coconut milk. Not the store-bought coconut-flavoured ice cream full of trans fats, soy extracts, sweeteners and preservatives!

When you are in the strictest elimination phase of the protocol, finding special sweet treats can be something of a challenge. So, there is something quite liberating about having a little ice cream every now and then.

And, of course, I’m a bit of an ice cream tragic, so I’m REALLY in love with my homemade coconut ice cream. You won’t believe how easy it is to make, either.

Homemade Lemon Ice cream
Garnished with Honey Candied Citrus Peel from The Urban Poser
(Image by LM for TSL)

When I first started making my AIP-friendly ice cream, I tended towards an old fashioned sundae. You know the kind I mean – vanilla ice cream, whipped (coconut) cream and strawberry or raspberry coulis. I’d whip these up for casual dinner parties, with MUCH success. Ice cream sundaes seem to bring out the inner child in my dinner guests.

Who knew?

Of course, it must be said that while it is possible to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, it is so much easier if you have one.

I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous tangerine-coloured * KitchenAid bought for me a few years back (LM buys the best presents!). It was not too expensive to pick up the ice cream attachment. The frequency with which I now make ice cream has made it a very cheap addition to my kitchen gadget arsenal!

Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos. (Don Kardong)

This particular recipe was inspired by my almost-eight year old nephew, Blue. Lemon is his favourite flavour.

During his recent visit, Blue requested a lemon ice cream.

To be honest, I was a little dubious as to how it would turn out. I was also a little afraid the citrus would curdle the coconut milk.

But, I needn’t have worried. The resulting ice cream tasted fabulous and reminded me of a frozen version of a lemon mousse my Mum used to make for special occasions when I was growing up.

It’s a winner!
(Image by LM for TSL)

So, it was not only a big hit with Blue, but my Dad loved it, too!

And here’s the recipe. Just don’t tell anyone how simple it is!

Lemon Ice Cream (AIP-Friendly)

• Servings: 3-4
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

1 x 400 ml can full fat coconut milk
2 – 3 x Tablespoons Maple Syrup (according to taste)
Zest of one unwaxed, organic lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method:

1. Freeze the insulated bowl for your ice cream maker.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk all your ingredients together. Taste for sweetness.

3. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the appropriate directions for your machine.

4. Serve immediately for a ‘soft serve’ consistency, or freeze for an hour or so for a firmer ice cream.

E N J O Y !

*colour no longer in production

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable

Things Julia Child has Taught Me (That Have Nothing to do With the Art of French Cookery!)

Tags

Career Change, Cooking, Friendship, Health, Health Coaching, Julia Child, Learn to cook, Passion, Quotes

Isn’t that the BEST pic?
(Original image by Paul Child)

I’m a little bit in love with Julia Child. You could say I have a girl-crush on her.

Don’t know who Julia Child is? – Where have you been?

In a nutshell, Julia was a TV chef and author. She is most famous for adapting complex French cooking for everyday Americans, in a time when cooking was not in vogue, with her groundbreaking cookbook ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’.

Mainly, I love the paradox of Julia – so very sensible and yet, at the same time, so wonderfully kooky and eccentric.

And, I love that she was middle-aged before she found her true passion. She may have started cooking in her thirties (like me!), but it was much later that this became her driving force. And, she found such joy in her cooking.

Julia Child gives me confidence that I can change direction. In a big way, too.

So, today’s post is a celebration of Julia…

I totally relate to this. I didn’t really start to cook until my thirties, either. But I have always loved to eat! And if you haven’t yet really mastered cooking, it’s never too late to learn!

And, it took me a while to find my cooking mojo. Like any craft – learning to cook takes practice. It’s only by trial and error that you gain confidence.

But, the really great thing about being able to cook is that everybody has to eat.

Sure, some people enjoy food more than others, but everyone eats… And, it’s a skill that will ensure you never have to eat another take away meal again (unless you really want to!).

I’m not a fancy cook. Nuh-uh! In fact, my preference is to keep things pretty simple. Unless it’s a special occasion, of course.

But I do insist on good ingredients. The best I can find. By this I mean – as Julia says – as fresh as possible, minimally messed with (preferably organic), and locally grown if I can get it.

That also means I head to my farmers market every weekend. LM comes with me. So does Bella. And, anyone else I can drag along. I love it. I talk to the farmers. I buy what’s in season. And I get ideas for my cooking experiments. LM is a willing subject!

While I’m a big advocate of keeping things simple, I have learnt that some level of planning is key. Having a good stash of homemade stock (bone broth) at the ready in my freezer means I can always whip up something healthy and tasty, even on those nights I can’t face cooking from scratch. Once a month, I make a big jar of fermented vegetables (TSL’s House Kraut), which keeps my gut happy! And, I’m a fan of batch cooking.

You’ve heard me say it before – Cook once to eat twice or thrice. That way, there’s always something in your larder as back up.

I’ve discovered that I’m really passionate about getting healthy. I’ve been doing this by applying the principles of Sarah Ballantyne’s Autoimmune Protocol.

Over the past two years, I’ve changed the way I eat. I’ve changed the way I approach sleep (hint: it’s a priority!) And, I’m pretty committed to managing my stress levels, too.

Along the way, I’ve been voraciously reading, learning and trying out realistic ways we can apply healthy changes to our every-day lives.

And, it’s been so successful for me that I now want to share that knowledge by working with others to effect healthy changes to their lives. I’ve recently qualified as a Health Coach. I’m in the process of designing my website. And, this blog will eventually migrate over to the new site.

So, you’ll notice a few changes heading this way at Casa TSL in the coming weeks. More on that in a later post. I hope you’ll stick with me…

The more I explore this healthy living gig that we’ve adopted here at Casa TSL, the more I realise that I will never know everything there is to know about it. Impossible.

And, I’m not alone. New discoveries are being made every day.

For example: – even five years ago, we had no idea just how important the health of our microbiome was to our general well-being. We hadn’t made the connection between gut health and how it has the capacity to affect such diverse aspects of our physiology as our mental health and our immune system.

And, I’ve discovered I really like learning about health. It’s such a positive topic – especially when small changes can have such dramatic effects.

So, the wonderfully ebullient Julia Child has taught me a lot. I’ve followed her advice and found something I’m passionate about. And, I AM tremendously interested in it. It’s inextricably tied to cooking real food well. Which is mighty convenient – because that’s also a passion for me. 

Have you found something you’re passionate about?

 

Easter Inspiration Recipe Round Up

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Chocolate Easter Treats, Easter, Easter Recipe Roundup, Easter Treats, Gluten Free EAster, Paleo Easter

Easter is just around the corner. How did that happen? So, this week I went looking for some Easter inspiration. And, it occurred to me that you might like to see just what wee gems I discovered…

I definitely lean more towards being a savoury cook than sweet (much to LM’s chagrin). And, that has only increased since I started this AIP caper. But, a bit like Christmas, Easter is a time of year when the treat or two seems fitting.

And, when you’ve been so restricted in what you can and can’t eat for so long, the opportunity to break free is pretty compelling!

My wee list is by no means the most comprehensive out there, but these are all recipes I’d like to try myself (and I slipped in one that I have already put my name to!)

While most of these are not strict AIP, they are all grain free, whole food numbers…

Do feel free to add any of your suggestions in the comments. I’d love to add to my repertoire!

No Nut Butter Easter Eggs
(Original Image from Canada Girl Eats Paleo)

No Nut Butter Easter Eggs – what can I say. These wee morsels look dangerously easy to over-indulge in! And so easy to make, too.

Raw Carrot Cake Balls
(Original image from The Urban Poser)

Raw Carrot Cake Balls – the only question I have is how am I only learning about the Urban Poser now? One of two recipes in my round-up to try from Jenni’s amazing site.

Healthy Hot Cross Buns!
(Original image from the Sydney Morning Herald)

Healthy Paleo Hot Cross Buns – This recipe is an extract from Lola Berry’s ‘The Happy Cookbook’. And, I will be making these. I have a MASSIVE hankering for hot cross buns this year!

Flourless Zucchini Brownies
(Original image from Delighted Momma)

Flourless Zucchini Brownies – OK, I know – brownies don’t really scream Easter. But 100% flourless. YUM!

Almond Flour Cinnamon Scroll
(Image from the Urban Poser)

The BEST Almond Flour Cinnamon Roll Biscuits (aka Cinnamon Scrolls) – The 2nd of my ‘wanna try’ recipes from Jenni. I am reasonably confident that the minute LM sees this post, he’s going to ask me when I’m going to make these. And, he’ll want them more than the hot cross buns.

Reece’s Peanut Buttercups (TSL Style)
No Peanut Butter!
(Image by TSL)

Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups (only without the peanut butter!) – these are my babies. Only, I haven’t made them in a while. May have to resurrect ’em!

Fudgy Chocolate Tarts
(Original image from Against All Grain)

Fudgy Chocolate Tarts – now before you tell me that this is the first of two recipes from Danielle over at Against All Grain, it’s a guest post! This baby is actually a recipe from Carrie of Deliciously Organic. And, they’re so gorgeous. Dinner-party worthy!

And, you could easily make these 100% AIP by subbing the cacao with carob.

Mandarin Chocolate Truffles
(Original image from Against All Grain)

Mandarin Chocolate Truffles – small confession, I’ve had this number of Danielle’s bookmarked to try for some time. I’m a fan of one-bite treats. And, if I don’t make these for Easter, they may make the table the following week (when my folks come to visit from New Zealand)

Coconut & Carob Truffles
(Original image from A Squirrel in the Kitchen)

Coconut & Carob Truffles – Sophie over at A Squirrel in the Kitchen always has such fabulous recipes. And, this one is no exception. And it’s 100% AIP compliant, too. I can’t actually eat carob, but I can always sub in cacao… Don’t they look gorgeous?

Chocolate Lava Cakes
(Original image from Grazed and Enthused)

Chocolate Lava Cakes – Alaena is another AIP blogging buddy who always has such fabulous recipes. And, if I was a betting woman, I’d say this one would be #2 on LM’s list in this selection. It’s another 100% AIP compliant number, too!

Well, what do you think? Are you inspired? Or, maybe you’ve got a recipe you think I should be trying…? If so, I’d love to know!

CRACKING Cauliflower Tortillas

Tags

AIP, AIP Reintroduction, Autoimmune Protocol, Cauliflower, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Linga Longa, Paleo, Slow Cooked Pork, Tortilla

I wrote an edible cookbook. The pages are made out of tortillas. It’s also the Book of Love. (Batteries and hot sauce sold separately.) -Jarod Kintz, ‘Love quotes for the ages. Specifically ages 18-81′

I’m a wee bit addicted to the Linga Longa pork neck I pick up from the Eveleigh farmers markets. It’s a fantastic cut of meat, tastes out of this world and is so easy to prepare.

It’s actually a toss-up whether my slow cooked pork neck or four-hour lamb recipe is LM’s absolute favourite. Either way, we seem to rotate them week-about here at Casa TSL.

And, Greg (the Mr Linga Longa farmer, himself) knows just how much I love his pork. His is the first stall I head to every week at the markets. And, Bella loves him, too (possibly because he’s always generous with a bone or three for her).

This week, we picked up 2.6 kilos of lovely pork neck. And, the best thing is that when I make that much slow cooked pork over the weekend, I know I’ve got enough protein for several meals.

2.6 kilos of porky goodness ready to go into the oven!
(Image by TSL)

If I’m feeling lazy, we’ll just have the shredded pork over a big jumble of roasted vegetables with some apple sauce and fermented veggies. For a low effort meal, it’s pretty fine…!

But sometimes, a girl feels like experimenting. And, with LM out and about for much of this weekend past, I thought I’d try something new this week.

Enter the Cauliflower Tortilla!

Shredded pork lends itself to being rolled or sandwiched into your carbohydrate of choice. Think pulled pork sliders or Mexican tortillas…

Only, when you are on a restricted diet – grain-free, even – that just ain’t going to happen.

Until now…

Cauliflower Tortillas TSL-Sty;e…
(Image by LM for TSL)

Inspired by the likes of Joshua Weissman of Slim Palate fame, and Lauren Geertsen over at the very informative Empowered Sustenance, I had my first attempt at making cauliflower tortillas. And, let me tell you, it definitely won’t be the last time I make them. O for Oarsome!

People ask me all the time, ‘What keeps you up at night?’ And I say, ‘Spicy Mexican food, weapons of mass destruction, and cyber attacks. – Dutch Ruppersberger

I filled our tortillas with my slow-cooked pork neck, some red onion and some smashed avocado with just a squeeze of fresh lime juice. But, I reckon I could have done a slightly more anglo-style tortilla with slow cooked lamb and a little sheeps-milk yoghurt (and perhaps some fresh mint instead of the coriander), too…

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: ? hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

1 x cauliflower
3 eggs
A handful of fresh, chopped coriander (cilantro)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 190°C/ 375°F.  Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Wash, core and chop up your cauliflower into small florets. Throw it into your food processor and pulse until super-fine. Think smaller than rice kernels. It will take a little stopping and starting…

3. Bring a cup of water to boil in a medium-sized pot. Add your super-fine cauliflower, pop on the lid and simmer for 6 minutes (until cooked)

4. Drain your cooked cauliflower in a sieve. Allow to cool for ten minutes. Once cool enough to handle, pop it into a clean tea towel. Squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can.

5. Whisk your eggs in a clean bowl. Add your drained cauliflower, chopped coriander and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

6. Take your mixture and spread as evenly as possible into 8 circles onto your baking trays – four on each.

7. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip your tortillas, rotate the trays and  pop them back into the oven for a further 8 – 10 minutes.

8. Cool on a wire rack.

9. When you’re ready to load your tortillas, heat a frying sized pan over medium heat. One or two at a time, pop the tortillas into the pan. Brown each side and serve.

E N J O Y !

 

The EASIEST Stew in the WORLD! (AIP Friendly)

Tags

AIP, Alcohol Free Stew, Autoimmune Protocol, Beef, Braised Beef, Easy Beef Stew, Hearty Meal, Stew, Winter Warmer

It’s officially autumn – or fall – in this corner of the world. And that means we can start thinking about warming food. Food like stews and casseroles! Slow cooked numbers that fill the house with comforting aromas as they work their magic over an afternoon in the oven. My favourite kinds of food…

This number is 100% AIP compliant.

Not even a drop of wine in this baby. Traditionally, a good hearty stew will have a healthy dose of red wine. And, technically that is allowed on the protocol – the alcohol will be cooked off.

But this recipe doesn’t even have that. Mainly, because LM isn’t all that fond of alcohol. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, alcohol isn’t so fond of LM.

So, this is a tee-totalling stew, too!

TSL’s Tee-totalling Stew…!
(Image by LM for TSL)

Stew’s so comforting on a rainy day.
(Dodie Smith, ‘I Capture the Castle’)

The best thing about a good stew is that it really is a doddle to make. Simply brown your meat, sauté some veggies, throw in some good quality bone broth or stock and some aromatics, pop it into your oven and walk away. Its that simple.

So simple that even a non-cook can make a great stew!

And, I know I’m always banging on about doubling a recipe or cooking once to eat twice or thrice, but I’m going to say it again. Especially here, when making a stew. Because as with a good Ragu Bolognese, it’s just as easy to cook a large portion of stew and freeze leftovers for those days you just don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen. So, to make your life SUPER easy, this recipe is enough to comfortably feed 6 already…

Easy Stew with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Homemade Sauerkraut
(Image by LM for TSL)

This really is the easiest stew recipe. And, because it is so easy, it’s also a great one to experiment with. Feel like adding mushrooms? Or perhaps some parsnip? Maybe you don’t have rosemary handy and want to use a different herb? Or, you have some lamb in your meat locker instead of beef (in which case, can I suggest some mint?)… The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Go forth and make stew!

The Easiest Stew in the World

• Servings: 6 generously
• Time: 4 hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

1.5 kilos diced chuck steak/braising beef
1 1/2 x Tablespoons tapioca flour
fat of choice
3 x red onions. peeled and roughly chopped
4 x carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 x celery sticks, roughly chopped
5 x cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 x Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Zest of one orange
4 x sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt
800mls bone broth

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180° C/ 350°F.

2. Coat your diced beef in tapioca flour. I find the best way to do this is to take a large plastic bag. Pop your meat and flour into the bag. Seal and roll it all around until the meat is covered.

3. Pop a heavy bottomed casserole dish over a medium-high heat (I use my le Creuset) and add a little fat. Brown your meat in batches, setting aside in a bowl as each batch is nicely caramelised.

4. When your meat is all browned and set aside, add a little more fat to the pan. Gently sauté the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and orange zest until softened. Add the apple cider vinegar to the pan and give everything a good stir.

5. Add the bone broth and a good pinch of salt.

6. Bring to a gentle boil, pop on a lid and place into the oven for three hours.

7. The meat should now be meltingly tender! Check for seasoning before discarding the rosemary stalks.

8. Serve!

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable

Preoccupied With Parsley Oil…

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Easy Dinner-party Meal, Garnish, green sauce, Meat, Oil, Paleo, Parsley, Parsley Oil

(Image by LM for TSL)

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember that Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’. It was released in 1993. Yep – that’s 22 years ago! Which makes me officially old. At least, according to the teenager, it does.

Destiny is something we’ve invented because we can’t stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental. (Annie in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’)

Well, that particular movie has little to do with this recipe. Other than the fact that I was reminded of it when I was considering ‘Preoccupied with Parsley Oil’ as a title for this post!

This whole preoccupation with parsley oil came about thanks to one of the AIPers at our recent picnic. She made a comment about some of my recipes being ‘dinner party-worthy’. Which I was so chuffed about! I have always thought of myself as more a wholesome every-day kind of cook…

The GREAT Parsley Oil Experiment
(Image by TSL)

To be honest, somehow the synapses just started firing in weird ways (does that happen to you?) and I started wondering about how I could make one of my world-famous-in-New-Zealand Root Vegetable Soup recipes into a slightly more dinner-party worthy meal without too much effort… We are fast approaching rugby season after all.

Of course, adding meatballs of any description to vegetable soup is a good way to make it more ‘hearty’. So that was a bit of a no-brainer.

But! – what if I garnished it with parsley oil? – wouldn’t that be kind of cool? And – how do you make parsley oil, anyway?

TSL ‘Anything Goes’ Meatballs in Root Vegetable Soup with Parsley Oil
(Image by LM for TSL)

That started me down a rabbit hole of experimenting with making parsley oil. And, you know what I discovered?

Making parsley oil is easy!

Et voilà! A dinner-party dish (at least for in front of the rugby!) was born.

Step 1: Take one recipe for awesome root vegetable soup – you could use this one or this one!

Step 2: Take one recipe for ‘Anything Goes’ Meatballs

Step 3: When ready to serve, garnish with parsley oil (recipe below!)

Parsley Oil

• Time: you will need to start this the day before
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

2 x large bunches of fresh, organic flat leaf parsley
3/4 x cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

1. Bring a big pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath by emptying a tray of ice blocks into a large bowl of cold water.

2. Chop the stalks off your parsley. Don’t worry about being too precise. Throw the parsley into the boiling water for 15 seconds.

3. Drain into a colander and immediately plunge the parsley into the iced water bath (to stop the cooking process). When it is nice and cold, gently squeeze the parsley between a few sheets of paper towel to release as much of the moisture as possible.

4. Chop the parsley into approximate quarters. Pop two of the quarters into your high-speed blender. Add half the EVOO. Blend for two minutes. It will be the most amazing colour!

5. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the blender and then add another quarter of the parsley and half the remaining oil. Blend for two minutes. Repeat with the last of the parsley and oil.

6. Pour the parsley oil into a glass jar, screw on the lid and pop into the fridge.

7. The next day, secure a piece of cheesecloth firmly over a bowl. Pour the parsley oil onto the cheesecloth and allow it to work its magic for an hour.

8. Discard the cheesecloth. (Don’t be tempted to squeeze out the cloth – it will cloud your oil).

9. The oil will keep refrigerated for a few days. It freezes well.

E N J O Y !

Bella likes meatballs, too…
Ever hopeful
(Image by LM for TSL)

TSL’s ‘Anything Goes’ Meatballs (AIP Friendly)

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Ground Meat, Meatballs, Mince, Nightshade Free, Paleo

(Image by LM for TSL)

One of the topics of conversation at the AIP picnic on Sunday was this: –

 What do you eat on the AIP when you can’t face cooking?

And, it’s a good question. It was mooted that perhaps there might be a ‘secret squirrel’  restaurant here in Sydney that could cater to one in the elimination phase of the AIP. Sadly, if there is, I have yet to find it.

My not-so-sexy answer for those nights you can’t face cooking is this: –

Have a secret stash in your freezer!

Anyone who is well versed in cooking for a special diet – autoimmune or otherwise – knows that the first step is preparation. In fact, preparation is likely the second and third step, as well. Preparation is e v e r y t h i n g !

Here at Casa TSL, I’m a massive (not just big, baby. MASSIVE!) believer in cooking once to eat twice, thrice or even more if I can get away with it. If you’re going to the trouble of preparing good, wholesome REAL food from scratch, do yourself a favour – double the recipe and freeze the extras.

And, one of the easiest, most economical staples to have in your secret freezer stash is meatballs.

Miracles are like meatballs, because nobody can exactly agree on what they are made of, where they come from, or how often they should appear. (Lemony Snicket, ‘The Carnivorous Carnival’)

Meatballs are a bit of a wonder food. They’re portable. Kids love them. They’re versatile. And, this particular recipe can be amended to suit whatever you happen to have in your larder…

If you have lamb mince instead of beef or pork, then go with that. Fancy mint or coriander (cilantro) over parsley? – no problem! Prefer grated carrot or zucchini to silver-beet. Done! Only have spring onions (scallions)? That’s fine, too.

Here’s my stand-by freezer stash number for you:

• Servings: approx. 38 balls
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

450g x grass-fed beef mince (ground beef)
450g x happy pork mince (ground pork)
1 x small onion, peeled and chopped
1 x garlic clove
1 x generous handful flat leaf parsley
1/2 x cup chopped silver-beet/chard
1/2 x teaspoon salt
1 x Tablespoon fat

Method:

1. Throw all the ingredients except the meat into your food processor and give a good whizz until thoroughly minced and mixed.

2. Add your minced meat and mix again.

3. Using a Tablespoon as a measure, roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls and pop onto a plate.

4. Heat a large fry pan over a medium heat with your fat. Fry the meatballs in batches – about 5 minutes before turning and repeating.

5. Serve!

E N J O Y !

We served our TSL ‘Anything Goes’ Meatballs in Root Vegetable Soup with Parsley Oil
Parsley Oil Recipe coming in the next post!
(Image by LM for TSL)

How do you like your meatballs?

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable.

You Won’t Believe it’s TOMATO-FREE Ragu Bolognese (AIP-Friendly)

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Best Bolognese Recipe, Best Tomato Free Bolognese Recipe, Healthy Bolognese, Nightshade Free, Paleo, Tomato Free

TSL Tomato-Free Ragu Bolognese
(Image by LM for TSL)

If kids can learn how to make a simple Bolognese sauce, they will never go hungry. It’s pretty easy to cook pasta, but a good sauce is way more useful. (Emeril Lagasse)

Until just over a year ago, when I started on this Autoimmune Protocol caper, I’d been trying to teach the teenager how to make a good Bolognese sauce for quite some time. I reckon’ everybody should have a good Bolognese recipe in their repertoire…

The thing is, a good Bolognese takes time to cook properly. Hours. And, the teenager likes food that is more immediate…

And then, I started the protocol. And my lovely BEST EVER Ragu Bolognese became naught but a memory. Because, a good Bolognese is traditionally made with tomatoes.

Until now

This week is all about Ragu Bolognese here at Casa TSL. And, my personal mission to create an AIP-friendly version of this winter staple. In other words, without tomatoes.

And, I’ve cracked it! In fact, LM says this even trumps the original tomato-based version. Bold words!

In addition to my beetroot and pumpkin-laden Tomato Passata Replacement, this number also has the added benefit of both bone broth and chicken livers. Not only does it taste great, but you can be sure you’re getting some good gut repairing bone broth and a big hit of vitamin A from the liver. It’s a great way to sneak some more liver into your diet if you’re a little funny about offal…

The thing about Bolognese is that, while it does take a long time to come to its full flavour potential, because you’re making a large amount, you have enough for a big crowd. In fact, once you portion it up and pop it in your freezer, there’s easily enough for eight to ten in this recipe.

And, with Bolognese in your freezer, you have a seriously good meal only minutes away.

Spaghetti is love. (Mario Batali)

Tomato Free Ragu Bolognese on Zoodles
aka green spaghetti!
(Image by LM for TSL)

We served ours over oodles of zoodles (zucchini noodles) this week. But it could just as easily have been placed into lettuce cups with some avocado and coriander (cilantro). Or, served over lightly steamed veggies.

Tomato Free Ragu Bolognese

• Servings: approx 8 - 10
• Time: 4 1/2 hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

About 500g grass-fed Beef mince
About 500g happy pork or veal mince
Coconut oil (or fat of choice)
About 225g happy chicken livers
2 x medium onions (chopped)
4 x large cloves of garlic (minced)
About 150g speck (or pancetta), chopped
800mls of my tomato-free passata
500ml beef bone broth (preferably home-made!)
Fresh herbs of choice (basil, parsley or whatever you have to hand)
Salt & Pepper (omit pepper if in elimination stage of AIP)
Sea Vegetables (Optional, but so good for you! I use this one)

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 140°C/275°F
2. Heat your largest frying pan over a medium heat. Add a generous dollop of coconut oil. Gently fry the onion and garlic until softened – about ten minutes. Give it a stir every now and then.
3. Add the chopped speck to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a large casserole (my beloved le Creuset holds just over 4 litres).
4. Add some more coconut oil to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Add the minced beef in batches to brown. I use a wooden fork to break it up in the pan. Add the cooked mince to the casserole. Repeat until all your beef is browned.
5. Do the same with the pork mince. While the pork mince is cooking, rinse the chicken livers and pat them dry  with a paper towel. Trim off any sinew and chop them into teeny-tiny pieces.
6. Once the pork is browned and transferred to the casserole, heat a little more coconut oil and briefly brown the chicken livers. Add these to the casserole.
7. Place the casserole over a direct medium heat and give everything a good stir. Add the tomato-free passata, bone broth and a generous seasoning of good salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the sea vegetables, if you are going to. Go on – dare you!. Stir again and allow to come to a simmer.
8. Add the chopped leaves of about half a bunch of basil or parsley, stir and place the casserole in the oven (without a lid) for 3 1/2 hours. I give it a stir every hour or so. You should end up with a thick, unctuous meaty sauce with only a teeny bit of liquid.
9. Check for seasoning and add the remaining half bunch of your herbs.
10. When the sauce has cooled, divide it up. I use my scales and measure out 250g portions which serves two.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable 

 

Tomato Passata Replacement (AIP-Friendly)

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten Free, Healthy Sauce, Nightshade Free, Nomato Sauce, Paleo, Sauces, Tinned Tomato Alternative, Tomato Free

(Image by TSL)

I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it. (Mae West)

A while back, I wrote a wee piece on Autoimmunity and the Removal of Nightshades from Your Diet. I’m still ‘officially’ off nightshades. I use the inverted commas because I’ve discovered that white potatoes – in moderation, at least – seem to be ok for me; and, because I’m pretty sure I’ve inadvertently had the odd nightshade when I’ve been out for a meal.

Nightshades are pretty ubiquitous and most people have no idea what they actually are.

I’m not game to ‘officially’ reintroduce nightshades for two reasons. The first is that Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) sufferers (that’s me!) tend to be particularly sensitive to them; and second, a fellow HS comrade-in-arms recently suggested to me that, when it comes to nightshades, “the dose makes the poison”. So, I’m limiting my nightshade consumption to when I’m not so in control of the ingredients in recipes.

But I miss them. Tomatoes, in particular.

In my past life, I was a lover of ratatouille. In my opinion, the perfect veggie accompaniment. But full of eggplant, capsicum and tomatoes… ALL nightshades.

And, my go-to BEST EVER Ragu Bolognese, like most good Italian meat sauces, has a generous helping of tomatoes. I used to always have a stash of portion-sized ragu in my freezer. The perfect last-minute meal stand-by… But, since going nightshade-free that is no longer an option.

(Image by TSL)

At home, I make a large batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in meal-size portions in freezer bags. (Joe Bastianich)

Well, I’ve decided that I won’t be held prisoner to my tomato-free existence any more. I want to have ragu back in my freezer again – for those nights I just can’t face cooking.

So today, I bring you my tomato passata replacement. This is the jar of goodness that you use when a recipe calls for tinned tomatoes. It’s 100% AIP-friendly. It tastes good and it’s good for you.

This recipe makes a generous amount of passata replacement. One of the biggest challenges on the autoimmune protocol is the need to plan ahead – so, with this recipe, you’ll have extra left over that you can pop into your freezer for the next time a recipe calls for tomatoes, passata or otherwise.

And, it works beautifully with my revised AIP-Friendly, You Won’t Believe Its Tomato-Free Ragu Bolognese.

This baby is made with roasted beetroot and pumpkin. The roasting really brings out the flavour of the vegetables. And, then we add fresh herbs to make the whole thing sing…

Tomato Passata Alternative (AIP Friendly

• Servings: 2 - 4
• Time: 90 minutes minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

500g x beetroot (about 3 generous-sized beets)
500g x pumpkin (about 1/3 medium-sized pumpkin)
1 x onion
2 x Tablespoons fat + extra for drizzling (I used coconut oil)
1 x generous handful flat leaf parsley
1 x generous handful fresh basil
2 x cloves garlic
500mls x water
Salt

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Slice off any beetroot leaves and give the beets a good scrub under water with a brush. Wrap them individually in foil. Pop into a roasting dish.

3. Slice the pumpkin into two. Drizzle with a little fat. Add to the roasting dish.

4. Roast until cooked – about 60 minutes. I check every 20 minutes and test with a sharp knife.

5. Let the beetroot and pumpkin cool on the bench. Once cool enough to handle, peel the beets (I use plastic gloves to prevent my hands from staining) and remove the pumpkin skin.

6. Peel and finely dice your onion. In a large-ish pot, heat your fat over a medium-low flame. Add the onion and sauté gently until translucent.

7. While the onion is cooking, pop your beetroot, pumpkin, parsley, basil and garlic into the bowl of your food processor. Blend thoroughly until smooth.

8. Add your pureed vegetables to the sautéed onions. Stir.

9. Add water and stir until smooth. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

10. Check for seasoning and salt to your taste.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable