Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream {Dairy-Free, Vegan}

Pumpkin Pie. Coconut milk. Ice cream. Warm "autumn" spices.

I can't even pick which of those four things is my favorite, I love them all. So, when all four were combined into an incredibly tasty, cool dessert during the heat wave we experienced earlier this month, I was a happy camper.
And it explains why I have not one photo, not even a cell phone pic, of this frozen treat. We devoured each serving in such a happy daze of ice cream bliss, that no one thought to get the camera. We even made a second batch recently - no physical evidence of that either.
Enough said?
Try this ASAP!  :)

Homemade [Dairy Free, Vegan] Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

What you need:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree - I used canned Libby brand. Trader Joe's is another good option
• One can full-fat coconut milk - approximately 2 cups
• 1/3-1/2 cup pure maple syrup (sweeten to your liking)
• 1-2 teaspoons each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger or 1-2 TB pumpkin pie spice (season to the flavor intensity you prefer)

What you do:

Pour pumpkin puree and coconut milk into blender or large food processor, and mix for 20-30 seconds to combine well. Drizzle in maple syrup through the top while it continues to mix. Stop machine, add in spices and blend another 20 seconds to ensure all the flavors are evenly distributed.
Pour into ice cream maker and process for 25 minutes (or otherwise noted in instruction manual).
Enjoy!

[Almost No Effort Required] Paleo Breakfast

Who would've thought? Giving myself a break has resulted in more energy and more Paleo meals and snacks than not, this weekend. I'm here to tell you that relaxing once in a while, and giving yourself more grace, can do wonders helping you feel better :)

Over the weekend I was inspired by some items in my refrigerator and came up with a very flavorful breakfast. Another item I purchased on my little grocery store trip to help me have a vacation from scratch cooking everything, was a package of Al Fresco Sweet Apple chicken sausages. I was informed by someone else with a garlic allergy that they are garlic-free, and you cannot quote me on that; if you are allergic to garlic, please check it out for yourself before trying! But so far I have not had any problems, and I can usually tell very quickly if I've had garlic (not being able to breathe is a good clue).

I know this isn't a great photo, but it gives you the idea:

Sauteed spinach & onion with chicken apple sausage + squash with pumpkin seeds and p.pie spice and maple syrup + Earl Grey tea with coconut milk

It's pretty self-explanatory, but here is a short run-down. I've bolded the key ingredients:

Put the sausage(s) into a skillet to heat. Dice onion and put into same skillet, and cover with two handfuls of organic spinach. I like to use the cast iron skillet with a little bit of leftover bacon grease (uncured bacon if possible). The flavors that you will taste from that combination is amazing!

Let the skillet cook everything for ten to fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, put the frozen squash "cube" in the microwave in a safe bowl with a splash of water and cook for four minutes. Stir well, and cook for two minutes more. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin seeds and drizzle lightly with maple syrup.

One of my favorite morning beverages is Earl Grey tea with all natural, full fut coconut milk added as "cream." It is delicious! It gives a little caffeine boost without being as acidic or hard on the stomach as coffee. 

Don't get me wrong, I love me some coffee! I try not to have it every day though. To learn more about that, read this interesting post from The Paleo Baby. Then, read this recent article from The New England Journal of Medicine. With all the varying opinions and research out there, I think it best to make your own informed decision about coffee, make sure you're in control of your consumption of this "legal addictive stimulant" (Tom Hanks gets credit for that line) and have peace with it.

Make it a great week, friends!  :)

Easy Egg-Free Turkey Loaf

It's finally the month of May! I love May, I always have. It's my birthday month, it's my second birthday [liver transplant] month, and now I get to celebrate Mother's Day in May too! And I remember as a kid, knowing when May rolled around that the sun was going to return to the Northwest and the school year was winding down. Happy thoughts!
But apparently the sun didn't get the memo this year... We have been having a terrible run of rain, wind, and COLD weather here. It's been a little disappointing. One of our local farmers' markets opened yesterday, and I kept looking out the window thinking of those poor vendors in the blustery cold wet street. Come on, spring, we need ya!
Anyway, this weather has called for some comfort food. I made a simple turkey loaf (egg-free!) the other day that has flavors hinting at Thanksgiving. Ironically, as soon as it was out of the oven the sun came out for a bit. That made me see that while this dish is hearty enough to be satisfying and warming, it is light enough for a picnic lunch in the spring and summer time.
Enjoy slices hot or cold, with a salad and sweet potato fries on the side. Yum!

Easy Egg-Free Turkey Loaf


What you need:
1+ pound 99% lean ground turkey breast*
2 leeks, white parts only (save green parts for making stock)
2-4 celery stalks, ends cut off (save leaves and ends for stock)
dried marjoram
ground sage
dried thyme
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt

*I suggest Trader Joe's brand. It tastes great and has NO additives. Be very careful when buying pre-ground meats; I've noticed many brands have "natural flavorings" listed in tiny print on the label, and that often means they have GLUTEN and other icky stuff!

What you do:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out your favorite (smallish) loaf pan - I used my glass Pyrex 8.5x5.

Wash and trim your celery ribs and leeks. Slice the leek whites into small 1-2" sections. Do the same with the celery ribs. Put sections into food processor and pulse until minced and mixed together. If you don't have a food processor, simply mince by hand. Transfer minced veg into a large mixing bowl.

Grab your spices and start adding them in the mixing bowl. You guys know, I am not a stickler for precise measurements; I believe you should adjust seasonings to your own tastes and experiment - it builds confidence in the kitchen. You won't mess it up, because every time you cook it's a learning experience!
But to give you an idea, I'd say I added approximately 1/2 tablespoon each of marjoram, thyme, and sage, and about four turns of the pepper mill and a pinch of sea salt.
Note: When you add the marjoram and thyme, scoop the leaves into one palm and rub your palms together over the bowl. This releases the flavors.
Give everything in the bowl a good stir to blend.

For this next step, you'll want to remove any rings and bracelets you are wearing. Unwrap your ground turkey and transfer it to the mixing bowl. With both hands, start blending the turkey, minced leek and celery, and spices. Knead and mash it together gently until the turkey seems evenly seasoned.

Transfer the turkey to your loaf pan. Gently press it down to make the top surface flat - there is your turkey loaf! Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes; check; continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes as needed.* It is done when the top is starting to brown and the juices are running clear. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!



*Note: Because I used a glass loaf pan, which conducts heat differently than metal, if you are using a metal pan your baking time will probably differ. When you make this for the first time, you'll want to stick nearby the kitchen and keep an eye on the loaf to assure it doesn't over cook.


Other Suggestions: This dish is perfect as one of those "cleaning out the refrigerator" recipes because you can add a variety of vegetables and seasonings to take it in different flavor directions...

• To enhance the Thanksgiving flavors, add some small dice of butternut squash or sweet potatoes and top with turkey gravy (homemade turkey stock + coconut flour)
• If you can tolerate nightshades, perhaps try an Italian version with minced bell peppers, small dice eggplant, shredded zucchini and Italian seasoning, with homemade Marinara tomato sauce
• Pesto version with pureed basil, garlic, chopped pine nuts and olive oil
• The possibilities are endless... What ideas do YOU have? Please share :)

Shrimp Ginataan (Coconut Milk) "Curry"

My beautiful friend Lourdes is Filipina, and shared a photo of her dinner one evening, several years ago. I told her that it looked delicious, and I needed the recipe. She delivered it, and I FINALLY tried my hand at making it this week. It turned out really well (at least Hubs and I thought so). Warm, creamy coconut milk with plump shrimp and vegetables, served over hot rice. I'm going to go down a short rabbit trail here and address this fact: Yes, we had rice! For the first time since January! and so far, so good. It won't be a regular thing, but once in a while you just have to have a dish properly. Certain dishes, particularly of the Asian variety, just need to be served on a bed of hot rice!

We boxed this up hot in our glass Snapware and headed to the park for a lunch picnic!

Ok, back to the dish. I did a little bit of research and found that "Ginataan" mean "coconut" in Filipino culture, but not specific to a certain type of dish. It can refer to this kind of savory meal, or to a coconut dessert. I amcalling this a "curry" even though it is not very spicy. If you are inspired with a more fitting name, please share it with me :)

Shrimp Ginataan Curry

Adapted from this original recipe

What you need:
1/2 pound raw shrimp (can be frozen)*
1 onion, sliced thin
2-3 inch knob ginger, peeled, diced and minced
1 cup water or chicken bone broth
1 bag frozen squash cubes OR about 4 cups raw squash peeled and diced
1/4 of one yellow bell pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 TB "bagoong" shrimp paste** (find at Asian market)
1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk, free of preservatives and binders (I love Taste Nirvana brand)
1/2 cup canned coconut cream
dash of salt


*Peeling shrimp is easy, but deveining (removing the black line of ... um... "shrimp waste" along the back) takes a bit of time and patience. For this reason I suggest buying the kind that is deveined already. I also recommend buying frozen shrimp, especially if you can find a sustainably fished option, because they will keep in your freezer until you're ready to cook with them.

**I could only find bagoong that had corn oil and MSG in the ingredients list. If we plan to make this dish a lot in the future, I plan to try and make my own shrimp/fish paste with more natural ingredients. Here is a link I found to do just that with anchovies: How to Cook Bagoong (Coincidentally, the jar of factory-made bagoong pictured there is the same one I have in my refrigerator!)


What you do:
The way to make Asian cooking easy is to prepare your ingredients first. Then when your pan is hot and you're working on a quick schedule, you can just grab what you need and toss it in, no hiccups in the process.


Prep:
Measure out 1/2 pound of frozen shrimp into a strainer. Set inside a larger bowl and pour cool water over the strainer. Shrimp will start to thaw; while it softens, peel shells and remove tails. By the time you're done, they will probably be ready to use. Leave shrimp in water bowl and set aside.
If using frozen squash cubes, remove bag from freezer. If using raw, I suggest buying the pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash in the store (these are seasonal, but recently Trader Joe's has small bags next to the refrigerated greens and Costco has large containers in the cooler).
Peel and slice onion and mince ginger. Wash bell pepper and dice.

Cook:
Put a shallow, wide saute pan or wok over medium-low to medium heat (depending on your pan metal's conductiveness). Drop in a spoonful of coconut oil and let it melt and spread around.
Saute onions for several minutes, then add ginger. Cook together until onions are starting to turn translucent.
Add squash, water/broth, shrimp paste and coconut milk. Stir
Turn up burner as needed to bring to a simmer, and cook 10 to 15 minutes until liquid is reduced and squash is tender. (If using frozen squash, you may choose to wait to add until liquid has started to reduce, because it will become overly mushy.)
Now add coconut cream and peppers; stir around, then add shrimp, gently placing each piece into pan. Watch the shrimp closely, it will only take a couple minutes for it turn to pink underneath. Flip each shrimp and cook one or two more minutes, until each piece is pink/white and firm. Give the pan a final stir-around, and you're done!

If you eat rice, start a pot of short grain white or Jasmine rice before you begin preparing your ingredients. It will be ready at the same time you finish cooking the Ginataan curry.

Voila! A beautiful Filipino dish full of creamy flavor and fresh ingredients.

Notes:
Lourdes recommends adding any favorite seasonal vegetable in this dish; she loves to include eggplant and string beans. I would have included massive amounts of garlic, but I am allergic. The original recipe also calls for tomato, but if you are avoiding nightshades it is good to leave it out.

Leaky Gut Drama

Hi there, friends.

I miss sharing my recipes with you! I've been struggling to keep up with the daily life stuff; no time or energy for blogging. My "leaky gut issues" have turned into some serious drama as of late. In particular, over the weekend I had garlic accidentally, more than once (talk about feeling stupid!) and it activated all sorts of breathing problems, pain, and too-low blood pressure and heart rate. And then I lost my inhaler. AH!
Yesterday I got in to see the doctor, and I got a new inhaler and an Epi-Pen - just in case, because of the way things are going. I'm getting set up with an allergist, to get these food allergies, sensitivities, and who knows what else figured out. Remember how I didn't have any [visible] food reactions until just two or three years ago? It's so interesting to me that as I cut out more foods once I realize I am reacting to them (first soy and dairy, then wheat, gluten, citrus, then garlic, pineapple...), when I accidentally ingest one of these foods, the reaction is so much worse then before. This is how I know my guts are leaking like crazy, for one thing...

And on that note, what a nice coincidence - today when I opened my Google reader, I saw that Paleo Parents is featuring a series of guest posts on the nutrition and science behind the Paleo Diet, all written by Paleo Mom. Today's post just so happens to be on the topic of Leaky Gut syndrome. First of all, I highly recommend the Paleo Parents blog. Their recipes, tips and videos are SO helpful, fun and straightforward. They are a gift to the Paleo and blogging community! In addition, this series of articles (by Paleo Mom) is going to be good, I can tell just from this first post. Her writing is clear and full of science to back it up, and her drawings are quirky while also being super educational. It's a great post, go read it.
Maybe one day in the future, this kind of information about Leaky Gut will be on all packaging of grains, dairy, gluten free foods, and the like, so Americans can at least make informed personal decisions about whether to follow the recommendations of high grain and dairy intake pushed on us, or perhaps go another way... like gluten, grain and dairy free! That probably won't happen, but I can dream :)

No promises on when I'll be back with a recipe. I've got a lot on my plate and need to work on healing. In the meantime, you can assume I'll be eating lots of creamy, warm winter squash puree with yummy toppings, like this:

How To: Butternut Squash [for Breakfast!]

I guess you could say I'm on a winter squash kick. I posted about Spaghetti squash a little over a week ago, and here I am about to tell you all about Butternut squash. I think I am just so excited to [finally] be cooking and eating this stuff on a regular basis, and I want to get all I can before spring rolls around and the season for these is over until autumn!

One of the reasons I am so excited about winter squash is because it is so satisfying. Roast some in the oven with a little bit of coconut oil and pumpkin pie spices, drizzle the top with a touch of maple syrup if you like, and you're going to check the clock because you'll think you just arrived at dessert!

It isn't difficult to go from this:

to this:

Paired with mango chicken sausage for breakfast, and you'll be more than satisfied

Let me show you what to do, and you'll have some sweet golden nuggets to dive into in no time!

What you need:

one whole butternut squash

OR a great shortcut: a bag or two of peeled, cubed squash from grocery store (such as Trader Joe's)

coconut oil

optional though highly recommended: 

pumpkin pie spice

maple syrup

[minimally processed, gluten free, MSG free, nitrite free] mango or apple chicken sausage (also found at Trader Joe's, other stores)

What you do:

First, let me say that it seems safer to me when wielding a chef's knife, to be cutting something softer than a raw squash. So I start out by poking holes into the [rinsed and dried] squash, about three in a row every inch or two around the the gourd. Then I cook it on high in the microwave for five to ten minutes. This will make the skin more tender. Wait until it stops steaming and hissing before removing it, and use oven mitts to protect your hands from the heat.

Next, you want to peel the skin off the squash. Use your best veggie peeler and go to town. In some spots you may be able to just peel it off by hand. Once you see beautiful bright orange all around, cut it in half and remove the strings and seeds. Cut it into fourths, even eighths if that works for you. 

Here's my squash, peeled and cleaned, ready to dice

Then, working your way around the pieces, dice it all into cubes, as uniform in size as possible. Put the cubes into a Corningware type baking dish. I used a tart pan this time - no rigid rules here:

Get a big spoonful of coconut oil and put little pats all over the squash, like you would with pats of butter on a pie. (Oh dear. Why did I bring up pie? Moving forward quickly...) 

Sprinkle your spices on top of everything.

Pour a little bit of water into the dish. 1/4 to 1/2 cup water works well. You can always check it once it's cooked for a bit, and add more as needed. I find that most cooking and food is gracious to you as the cook :)

(If you haven't figured it out yet, I'll tell you now - I am not a scientific, precise cook. Use your best judgement with all my vague directions. I believe this way of cooking will build your culinary confidence and help you learn to trust your own judgment and palette.)

Put the baking dish of prepared squash into a preheated 350 degree oven, and check after twenty minutes. Give everything a gentle stir and continue to cook until the cubes are softened, steaming, and smell delicious!
Pull the dish out of the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Spoon some onto your plate, and if you like, drizzle a teaspoon of maple syrup on top.

Your plate may look something like this:

A sunny looking dish for a cold winter morning

This baked squash experience was several days ago. Today I used the shortcut method with Trader Joe's bagged, butternut cubes and the microwave:

I gave the squash cubes a good rinse (even though the package says they are pre-washed, it seemed like a good idea to freshen them up). I added the coconut oil, spices and water just the same as when baking, and even put it all in the same baking dish.

I microwaved it on full power for fifteen minutes, stopping every five minutes to check and stir. After the last segment of five minutes, I left the dish in the microwave for another five minutes to steam everything some more.

I heated up (nearly burnt, actually...) a mango chicken sausage and had that with my "shortcut squash" today for a brunch time meal. Everything was delicious. The flavors all went together nicely, and I have to say I'd pick that meal over a typical dessert! YUM!

Humble brunch today, with an almond milk latte ;)

So, what do you think? The season for whole winter squash is winding down. Will you get out there, hunt down a squash and try this? If you do, I'm sure you'll be hooked and next fall you'll be so excited when the squash appear again :)

If you have any tips for cooking squash or favorite seasonings to prepare it with, share with us by leaving a comment below.

Happy March, everyone!

How to: Spaghetti Squash

Whether you're going Paleo or simply deciding to pick up more whole, colorful foods every time you shop - your choosing to do that opens up many new windows of opportunity to try new or forgotten foods you probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise. On that note: have you experienced Spaghetti squash?  If not, I think you should give it a try.

Hello sunshine!

It's popular in the diet crowd [sigh] as a substitute for pasta noodles. I don't like to think of it as a "substitute." I want to embrace it for what it is: a unique, delicious vegetable, full of nutrients and beautiful pigment. It happens to resemble a man-made creation (noodles) but squash was here first. So... the real truth is that pasta wants to be spaghetti squash, right?  :)

Another selling point of squash - it is very affordable! I picked up two HUGE spaghetti squashes a couple weeks ago for just $2, because they were down to 20 cents a pound at the produce stand! Score!

Once cooked, the squash strands ("noodles") are moist and soft but have a delightful "crunch" when you're chewing. 

I have tried it several different ways, and they are all winning combinations. So, let's get cooking. First we'll prepare the squash and then try a few serving suggestions...

The fastest way to prepare this is to cook it in the microwave. Rinse and dry your squash(es). Poke holes all over the skin with a strong fork or knife. Pop it (them) in the microwave and cook on full power for at least ten minutes. You can tell it's ready when your fork or knife goes into the skin without much fuss. Use oven mitts to take it out of the microwave, and let it sit to cool for a few minutes. Once cook enough to handle, cut it in half around the "waist." Be careful of steam! Use a spoon to scoop out the stringy innards and seeds. You can save the seeds, clean them up, sprinkle on a baking sheet with chili powder and roast them for a few minutes at 350 for a great snack!

Unedible strands and edible seeds

Once you have two clean halves, you can cut them again the other direction if you need better access to the squash "meat." Take your fork and start to pull at the yellow cooked stuff. Squash "noodles" will start to come off, and you can put them into a bowl. Do this with each piece of squash until they are all clean, and you'll have a bowl of spaghetti squash ready to eat!

You get a lot of "noodles" from one squash! Put it into containers to refrigerate or freeze

A "breakfast option"

Here are a few ways I like to enjoy this squash:

Breakfast - Scoop a bowl of spaghetti squash and top with organic raisins and raw pumpkin seeds (optional to add a drizzle of maple syrup or sprinkle of sucanat)

Sweet Treat - Lay a base of spaghetti squash and top with homemade unsweetened applesauce, a scoop of coconut cream and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Yum!

Hearty Dinner - First, cook up some chicken Italian sausage (I like Isernio's because their products are made here in the Pac NW and have no icky preservatives or questionable ingredients). Lay a base of squash and top it with the cooked sausage, sauteed onions, zucchini and/or bell peppers, and marinara sauce. Ooh!


So are you going to give this great veggie a shot? You really should. Don't be a wimp. ;)
If you already love spaghetti squash, leave a comment sharing your favorite way to enjoy it. Have a wonderful President's Day, friends!