Pizza! (GAPS, Paleo, Primal, gluten Free, grain free, dairy free)

 

By Kristen

Eager as I am to shed the standard American diet and tout myself as reformed Primal/Paleo/GAPS foodie snob with highly developed taste buds (while sometimes secretly wishing I could just eat some mac and cheese) I just can't seem to quit pizza.  I made this almond flour crust that is sure to fulfill the pizza deficiency that resides within us all. While you cannot order this to be delivered to your house, you can coerce your partner/significant other to dress as a delivery person and knock on your front door, GAPS legal pizza in hand.

Make it with: 

Almond Flour Crust

2 + 1/4 cups of almond flour (the type you use wil make a difference in the amount you need. I prefer Honeyville, with which you will need less, more with Bob's Red Mill)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter or melted palm shortening
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Simple Sauce

1 7 oz jar tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning, or not
salt, if you wish

Toppings

Dream away my friend. This pizza was made with our favorite toppings; green pepper, onion, black olive, and browned hot link sausage. Don't get hung up on mozzarella being GAPS illegal, I used 1 block of grated Organic Valley raw cheddar and it was delish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Mix 2 cups of almond flour, salt, and garlic powder. add the melted butter and stir. Scramble the eggs and then blend them in.

Blend the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

Sadly this is not the kind of pizza you can throw up into the air whilst singing "That's Amore" and end up with a perfect crust. You will need to cover a 16"x14" cookie sheet or pizza stone covered with parchment paper. Plop your dough ball on . Now you can either press it down with your hands or place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll it out. If dough is sticky sprinkle almond flour  on top until every part is covered, then continue pressing or rolling. Add more almond flour as needed if it continues to stick. Make the crust quite thin. Bake in the oven for 10-15 min, or until barely golden brown. Add your sauce and your toppings and heat again in the oven until they are melted into delicious goodness.

Note: My husband says this is better than pizza you can get at a restaurant. He also loves me and really isn't all that hung up on gluteny goodness even though he can eat whatever he wants. You decide.

Chicken Bonus (GAPS, Paleo, Primal, gluten Free)

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By Margaux

I will not insult you by attempting to pass this off as an appetizing photo. We both know it isn’t.  The good news is that this chicken recipe is the opposite of the photo. It’s juicy, flavorful, and comes with two bonuses- jus and stock.

Get it:

·      1 happy chicken

·      a couple of celery stalks (chopped)

·      1 large onion (diced)

·      bacon grease

·      salt & pepper

·      spices- we usually use oregano and thyme and then add things like sumac, or chili powder, or cayenne. Herbs de Provence are a no brainer. Whatever suits your fancy!

Make it:

·      Pre-heat oven to 350 (you can lower temp and roast longer as well)

·      Season your bird with spices of choice

·      Heat a heavy dutch oven type pan (large enough to fit your chicken) over medium high heat. When your pan is good and warm add a scoop of bacon grease, let it melt and then place the chicken breast down in the pan. It should sizzle like the dickens, that’s good!  At this time add the diced onion, and let it caramelize while the breast side is searing.  Stir the onions on occasion.

·      Sear the bird for several minutes until it is a fancy golden brown.

·      Flip over and sear other side.  Once you flip the breast side up, stir the onions some more and add the celery

·      After both sides are seared to your satisfaction and the vegetables are cooked down, place the lid securely on the pan and place in the oven (leaving breast side up).  If you don’t have a pan with a tight fitting lid, first cover the pan with foil and then put the lid on.

·      Bake for approximately 60-90 minutes. It’s done when your meat thermometer says it’s done (measure in the deepest part of the thigh near the bone)

·      When the chicken is done you’ll find the most magnificent pool of juice at the bottom of the pan. Pour through a strainer, mashing the vegetables into the strainer with a spoon, allow to sit for a couple of minutes, then skim the fat off the top or use a fat separator.  Keep the veggies you’ve strained out of the jus for use in the the bonus stock.

·      Serve chicken with jus on the side for dipping. Yum!

Bonus

Don’t throw that carcass away, make it into stock! Keep all bones, skin and the giblets and throw back into your dutch oven with the strained veggies, any stray carrot stumps, celery heads and onion bits you have lying around. Fill with water and simmer on very very low for at least 12 hours. Strain the chunks out and refrigerate. Once cool skim fat off the top. Use the stock now or freeze it for later. 

P.S. This recipe is attributable entirely to my hangry husband who does a whole lot of delicious cooking, especially while I’m in school.

Coconut Butter (GAPS, Paleo, Primal, gluten Free, grain free, dairy free)

By Kristen

Coconuts are clearly a gift from tiny tropical loincloth wearing leprechauns to all Primal/Gaps people. How can something so sweet have so few carbs? How can there be so much nutritional goodness and culinary possibility encased within such an odd hairy shell?

The coconut is classified as a true nut, but has few features in common with its crunch botheren. To start with it does not contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Fat in the human body is made up of roughly 50% monounsaturated fat, 45% saturated fat, and 5% polyunsaturated fat. So while your body does need some PUFAs, it is easy to go nuts with the nuts and ingest too many, which has been shown to lead to weight gain in women. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is choc full of supurb saturated fat. One key aspect of the fat in coconut oil is that it contains saturated fat that is primarily medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which means your skin will love it if you don't mind smelling like a tropical drink all day.

Coconut oil has a zillion other health benefits. It is associated with weight loss, heart disease, healthy thyroid, and cholesterol. Additionally it is antimicrobial, antiparasitic, and antifungal. If you are just beginning the GAPS diet you should go easy on it as it can accelerate die off. Seriously I could go on about the mighty coconuts virtues for ages. Instead I will give you the recipe for the most uncomplicated deliciousness you have ever encountered.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried coconut, shredded (large or small shreds)
1/4 cup coconut oil (I like Dr. Bronner's)

Put the 1/2 dried coconut in your food processor using the regular blade. Process for 2-5 minutes until there is room. Scrape the sides with a spatula and add the rest. Process until the coconut is smooth like  melted butter. You may have to scrape the sides a couple more times. Add coconut oil and stir (sometimes I just swirl it all little, not mixing completely). Store in a pint sized jar.

Coconut oil will solidify at room temperature. It tastes delicious either way.

Permutations:
-If you want chunky butter add some coconut flakes at the end.
-Mix some fruit in and enjoy right away.
-Add some cocoa powder.
-Stir in some chocolate chips.