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.

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes (low histamine, paleo, vegetarian)

One love I have is fried green tomatoes.  Thanks to The Low Histamine Chef's blog, I learned green tomatoes aren't high histamine like their red counterparts.  Even though I am not 100% Paleo at this point, I still use it to guide most recipes I make.  So I decided to try making fried green tomatoes the same way I've fried fish.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes

Coconut Oil

Coconut Flour

1 pastured egg

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Basil (optional)

Heat coconut oil in a pan on medium to medium high heat.  When a drop of water sizzles slightly it's ready for frying the tomatoes.  Slice the tomatoes about 1/8th inch thick.  Dredge in egg, then coconut flour, then fry on one side.  When they are golden brown on that side, flip and cook on the remaining side.  Don't overcook or they will get mushy. 

Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped basil on top.