Recipe: Butternut Squash "Fettuccine"

I know I have already posted about my spiral vegetable slicer.  I love it and it can really add variety and interest to dishes.  I do love butternut squash, but chopping and roasting it can get repetitive and boring after a while.  So I decided to try making a "fettuccine" with the slicer out of butternut squash.  It was harder to get it through the slicer, but it did work with a bit of elbow grease and turned out delicious!

Butternut Squash "Fettuccine"

1 butternut squash, just the long, cylindrical top part above the seeds, peeled
2 TBSP coconut oil
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

First, take a butternut squash, and chop it right before the round section with the seeds.  Keep that part to roast or use in soup, set aside.  Peel the long portion and chop the stem end off to create a flat surface.  Place it in the spiral vegetable slicer with the "large" spiral blade.

Chop the sage leaves.  Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add all of the ingredients to the pan and toss to coat the squash with the oil.  Cover, stirring occasionally, and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe: Simple Rosemary Chicken

One of my favorite flavors with both chicken and pork is fresh rosemary. I'm lucky to live in a climate where Rosemary grows outside. This recipe is simple and flavorful!

Simple Rosemary Chicken

2 Boneless chicken breast

3 TBSP fresh rosemary, minced

2 TBSP ghee or other fat

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat skillet to medium heat and melt the ghee. Generously rub the chicken breast with the minced rosemary, salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chicken breast in the pan, and reduce the heat slightly. Cover and cook on those sides until lightly browned.  Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. Be sure to let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. 

Recipe: Allergen-free Macaroons

Once in a while, I crave a treat.  I think most of us do.  Or if I know I'm going to a party where I can't eat any of the treats I'll bring one of my own.  Makes the party more fun if I can too can indulge.  Here's one of my favorites.  Coconut is a FODMAP for me, but if I only eat one or two macaroons at a time it doesn't seem to bother me.

One key to this recipe is to let them cool completely before moving them off the pan.  When hot, the coconut butter will be soft, but once cool they will firm up.

Allergen-free Macaroons

2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
1 cup of Coconut Butter (sometimes called Coconut Mana), melted
2 vanilla bean pods
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pods.  Mix those and all of the ingredients until well blended.  I use my hand for this.  Then roll the dough into small balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes or until they start to brown at the edges.  Keep a close eye and start checking them at 20 minutes.

Let cool completely before moving from the pan.

Recipe: Falafel

I tried a modified version of falafel.  It turned out green, but still tastes great!

Falafel

Ingredients

2 cups of properly soaked chickpeas

1/4 cup parsley

4 green onions

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/3 cup arrowroot flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

1 egg

Coconut oil

Add the parsley and onions in the food processor and pulse until evenly chopped.  Add the chickpeas and egg and pulse until it has a fairly even, but chunky consistency.  Finally add the cumin, corriander, arrow root flour and baking powder and pulse to blend.  Chill the dough for 30 minutes.  Dust a plate with some arrow root flour.  Melt enough coconut oil on medium to medium high in a skillet to come about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch up on the patties.  Form the dough into a patty, then dust it in the flour and put in the pan.  Cook until golden brown, then flip and remove when golden brown on both sides.

Recipe: Savory Butternut Squash Soup

I seem to be craving soup a lot due to the cold weather, so here's another soup recipe.  Butternut squash are very nutrient dense and in season right now.

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, cubed or sliced in a food processor
1 large carrot, shredded
1 large stalk of celery, minced
1 small onion or 6 green onions, minced
2 TBSP coconut oil
4 cups of filtered water
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt the oil on medium heat.  Add in the carrots, celery and onion and cook until translucent.   Add the squash, sage, salt, pepper, water, and butternut squash.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash is soft, about 30 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.

Recipe: Zucchini "Pasta"

I can't say I really miss "regular" pasta at all.  Maybe it's just been too long since I've had any.  However, I do love the flavors that go along with pasta: oregano, basil, olive oil, etc.  Here is one of my favorite "pasta" recipes I've thrown together.  Feel free to use no meat, different meat, or different veggies that you tolerate.  In the summer this can be served chilled too as a salad.

Zucchini "Pasta"

1/4 c chopped green onions
1/4 c red pepper, chopped
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
Fresh oregano, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh rosemary
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP ghee (or butter if tolerated)
1 chicken breast
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the ghee in a pan over medium low heat.  Mince the rosemary and sprinkle it along with salt and pepper on the chicken breast.  Cook in the pan with the ghee covered, about 7 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the chicken breast.  While steaming the vegetables below let the chicken breast rest, then chop it.

Spiral the zucchini and yellow squash using a spiral tool like this one.  Put the zucchini and squash  as well as the red pepper and green onions in a steamer basket. Steam about 3-5 minutes, then set over a plate for a few minutes to drain.  Transfer the drained vegetables to a large bowl and add the herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.  Add the chicken to the top.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Cozy up to some Lentil Soup

It has gotten really cold here, highs in the 40s F.  A nice hearty bowl of lentil soup seemed like a great way to warm up.  I couldn't find a recipe that was both low histamine and used all ingredients I could tolerate otherwise, so I created my own.  It turned out fantastic!

The first step is to properly prepare and soak the lentils.  I soaked them overnight in salt water, then rinsed them and picked out anything that wasn't a lentil.

Lentil Soup

6 cups filtered water
2 cups prepared lentils (see above)
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup of green tomatoes
2 TBSP ghee (you could use any fat here)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Melt the ghee in a large pot on medium heat and add the carrots, onion, celery and salt.  Sweat the veggies until soft.  Add the lentils, water, tomatoes, and remaining spices.  Bring to a boil , then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Optional: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the desired consistency.  This gives the soup a creamier texture.

I know there is a lot of debate over whether slow cooking and  leftovers are a problem for histamine issues.  Based on this article and comments by The Paleo Mom, I am going with the assumption that as long as the food is at a high enough temperature to be cooking and/or frozen immediately, the bacteria cannot be actively creating histamine.  If you are more sensitive than I am, that might not work for you.  Everyone is different and it's important to listen to your body.  As soon as the 40 minutes were up on this recipe I immediately froze what I did not eat in single serving containers.