BBQ Beef Pizza (AIP, Paleo)

Last week, I was lucky enough to receive samples of KC Natural AIP Paleo BBQ sauce, and to say I was excited is an understatement. Don't get me wrong there are some awesome AIP BBQ recipes out there, but there is something so nice about having a pre-made version you can dig right into.

Immediately after getting the bottles, I had to open each to test them out. First, I tried the Primal Cherry. It has a nice sweet and smokey flavor which would be amazing drenched over some ribs. Then I tried the Mastodon flavor. It has this sweet, peppery kind of tone that I knew would make a perfect topping for either shredded meat or ground meat like in this recipe. It actually reminds me a little of a sloppy joe type of flavor. Both sauces have such great notes of flavor that make them so different, but really encompass that smokey and sweet flavor you want in a bbq sauce.

This recipe combines my most favorite AIP pizza crusts, from The Healing Kitchen, and this new AIP product by KC Natural to make a yummy pizza that won't make you feel like you are missing anything.

BBQ Beef Pizza

Ingredients

• One Pizza Crust from The Healing Kitchen
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• ½ a medium onion, finely diced
• ½ cup, KC Natural AIP Paleo Bbq Sauce, Mastodon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar or just balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ packed cups arugula

Instructions

1. Follow instructions to make one pizza crust. This can be prepared ahead of time.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
3. Place pizza crust on a parchment paper lined cooking sheet and set aside.
4. Heat medium frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Add ground beef and sea salt to pan, and brown.
6. Once ground beef is cooked, add carrots, celery, and onions to pan allow to cook for at 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
7. Reduce heat to low and add bbq sauce, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar, and garlic powder to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4. Stir frequently.
8. Remove meat mix from heat. 
9. Use extra virigin olive oil to lightly coat pizza crust. This will help keep the meat mix on in the pizza, but also prevent it from soaking into the crust.
10. Spread the meat mix on top of pizza. Depending on the size of pizza you make, you may have leftover meat. You can either super load up your pizza, or just snack on it.
11. Place pizza in preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula. 
13. Devour and enjoy!

Semi-Sweet Plantain Fritters (AIP, Low-FOMAP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

Plantains have become one of my favorite starches since going AIP. Just a year ago, I didn't even know what a plantain was, much less what in the world what to do with it. Then I made tostones, and my world was forever changed. I tend to mostly use green plantains and never quite sure what to do with then start to tern yellow.

Usually I just slice and fry them up (which is delicious), but the other day I decided to try something new. I had a few plantains that were just yellow and turning a little soft. There are just becoming sweet, but still have a good bit of starchiness in them that helps them become perfect fritters.

Semi-Sweet Plantain Fritters

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 yellow plantain
• 1 ½ tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon cassava flour 
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

Instructions

1. Peel plantain and cut in large chunks. Add to food processor and do 2-second pulses (about 2-3) until it is finely chopped up, but not pureed.
2. Add chopped plantain to small bowl and mix in water, cassava flour, cinnamon, and sea salt.
3. Heat a medium pan over medium/low heat. You want it to be warm enough to heat the oil, but not too hot or they will stick.
4. When pan is hot, add oil to warm.
5. Fill a 1/4 cup with plantain mix and use that to put mix in pan. I found when I tapped the edge of the pan with the cup handle, it plopped right into a nice patty. Lightly press it down with a spatula to shape.
6. Allow to cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes. 
7. Carefully slide spatula under the fritter, if it is sticking, give it another minute. If it is ready, flip it over and cook it for another 2 minutes.
8. Remove from pan and enjoy.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (AIP, Paleo)

This simple salad combines some of my favorite flavors to make a delicious and light salad to go with any meal or make it a full meal by topping with your protein of choice.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon
• ½ a bunch of large leaf kale (about 5-6 leaves), chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ cup grapes, halved
• ¼ cup bacon fat (reserved from cooked bacon)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a medium frying pan, cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Pour drippings into a medium glass bowl.
2. Add kale, grapes, carrots, and avocado to a large bowl to combine or distribute between plates for fancy plating.
3. Add  the vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and garlic powder to bacon fat and whisk together
4. Drizzle dressing over salad portions and enjoy! To make it a meal, top the salad off with some grilled chicken, salmon, steak, or your choice of protein.

Sugar(less) Cutout Cookies (AIP, Paleo)

Apparently pregnancy has turned me to a baker. Have I mentioned I usually hate baking? I love baked goods, but making them myself almost never turns out. The fact that this is my second cookie recipe in a month that has came out on basically the first try, I have to say it is pregnancy hormone magic.

The fun part about these cookies are that the cookie itself has absolutely no sugar in it. The sweet potato acts as a the sweetener. Also, I share two frosting recipes, both use the same base but are flavored a little different. They do use maple syrup or honey, but if you want to keep the cookies totally sugar free, just leave off the frosting.

Sugar(less) Cutout Cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooked white sweet potato, mashed (I used Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe)
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon cassava flour
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons organic palm shortening, melted
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk together sweet potato, cassava flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour and baking soda.
2. Stir in palm shortening and avocado oil, it will be a little crumble still. 
3. Lastly add in water and stir to fully incorporate. You should have a sticky dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, pull dough out and begin to preheat oven to 350 F.
5. Place a large piece of parchment paper on counter and put unwrapped dough ball on it.
6. Place another piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top of dough ball and roll out dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. 
7. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. The dough will still be a bit sticky. The best way to move them to the cookie sheets is using a spatula.
8. Bake in oven for about 12-13 minutes or until the edge just start to brown.
9. Immediate remove and place parchment paper and cookies on a cooling rack.
10. Let cool completely and then enjoy on their own or top with one or both of these two frosting options.

Cookies can be kept on the counter in an airtight container for about 4 days.

Frosting Options

Both recipes are developed to cover all cookies. If you would like to make both, half each recipe.

Tangerine Frosting 

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic palm shortening, softening
• 5 teaspoons tangerine juice
• 3 teaspoons cassava flour
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoons tangerine zest

Instructions

• Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until full combined.

Maple Syrup Frosting

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic palm shortening, softening
• 3 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cassava flour
• 1 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract

Instructions

• Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until full combined.

Easy Healing Chicken and Vegetable Soup (AIP, Paleo. Whole 30)

Tell me this is not a familiar situation for you: you come home from work to sick child or spouse or even you are getting the sniffles. The fancy dinner you had planned for this evening is not going to work now. You have nothing else defrosted and ready to go, but you know you have to make something for the family. More importantly, you want to stop this cold/flu before it takes down the whole family.

This was the situation I found myself in yesterday. Enter my favorite kitchen gadget ever: Instant Pot. I absolutely love that you can just throw everything in it and not worry about defrosting things. You just turn it on, and walk away. Then, like magic, you have the most delicious meal ever and barely did a thing to make it.

This soup took only about 5 minutes to prep and about 45 minutes to cook (counting in pressure and depressurize times). Who doesn't want a big bowl of chicken soup when they aren't feeling so great? Plus, with homemade bone broth, ginger, and turmeric, this soup is ready to battle that cold away. I am unofficially calling it my "Get Better Soon Soup!"

Easy Healing Chicken and Vegetable Soup 

{aka Get Better Soon Soup}

Ingredients

• 1 lb frozen chicken thighs
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped or sliced (your preference)
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 2 shallots or ½ a medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled, and diced
• 4 cups of bone broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.
2. Close lid and make sure it is sealed. Using manual, set for 25 minutes.
3. When done turn off Instant Pot and either let the pressure release naturally, or if you are hungry manually release pressure.
4. Remove chicken thighs, and shred with forks. Once shredded, and back to pot and stir to combine.
5. Serve, enjoy and kick that cold to the curb! 

Makes 4-6 servings

Easy Braised Cabbage (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

Recently, I had the pleasure of guest posting on for Leslie of the The Whole Life Balance. She is a an amazing blogger who shares how to find the balance between life, health, and so much more. In fact, Leslie did a fantastic guest post on Don't Eat the Spatula covering my most favorite topic, Meal Planning. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend doing so now!

The recipe I shared on her site is a very simple way to make cabbage that can be cooked up at the beginning of the week and used as leftovers with almost any dish. I usually make a batch of this every week to have it as an easy side. Click here to view the recipe.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables (AIP, Paleo)

So in a moment of truth, I have no idea how I acquired my pressure cooker. I think it might have been an old roommates, maybe? It has been in my kitchen for at least 7 years, and yet, my first time using it was only a month ago.

It is an old Presto Pressure Cooker, that I wasn't even sure if it worked, but it still followed me around. I finally decided to see if, first, I had all the pieces, and second, if it would still pressurize. It totally worked! My first trial recipe came out great, and now I am kicking myself for waiting so long!!!! One day I do hope to get an electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, but this little pressure cooker works just fine for me. You can get a new pressure cooker like mine for around $40-50 online, or you may even luck out and find one at thrift store.

This recipe is the definition of comfort food. Even it is summer for us right now, this dish still was so delicious and filling. It also freezes really well, so you can make up and save it for later.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients

• One, 3-4 lb chuck roast
• 3 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1  teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ cup bone broth
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 4-5 bay leaves
• 4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium Korean sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch, plus a little water

Instructions

1. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and ginger in a small dish.
2. Pat dry chuck roast and then rub spice mix all over roast.
3. Heat pressure cooker (or frying pan) to medium heat and heat olive oil.
4. Brown roast on all sides. If you used a separate pan, add roast to pressure cooker once browned.
5. Add bone broth, garlic and bay leaves to cooker with roast.
6. Seal lid and bring to pressure over high heat. 
7. Once it is pressurized cook for 25 minutes. You can prep the carrots, sweet potatoes and onion at this time.
8. When roast is done let pressure release naturally, this should take about 10 minutes.
9. Add veggies to cooker once the pressure has released.
10. Return cooker to heat and pressurize once again over high heat.
11. Once pressurized, cook for 10 minutes.
12. Again, allow the cooker to release pressurize naturally, which should take about 10 minutes.
13. Remove veggies and roast from cooker into separate bowls. Yes a fork to shredded the roast.
14. You should have the drippings left in the pressure cooker to make a delicious gravy if you would like. To do so, simply warm up the drippings over medium heat. In a small bowl mix 2 teaspoons of arrowroot starch with just enough water to make a paste. Whisk in arrowroot starch mix into drippings until it begins to thicken. If it gets too thick simple cut it with water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gravy is ready when the recipe is the consistence you desire. I prefer a thick gravy, personally.
15. Enjoy and serve!

Cherry Turnovers (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

It's cherry season on east coast and while I could eat them by the handful on the their own, I thought it would be fun to try something new. With the discovery of Otto's Cassava Flour, the Paleo baked good game has really changed. I know I've gone on about this flour before, but it is seriously my favorite. When testing, I have been able to successfully sub it 1:1 with regular flour. which is more than any other options out there. Ok, enough about the flour, it's time to get to these yummy treats.

These cherry turnovers are actually pretty easy to make, though they do take some time due to allowing the dough to rest. My favorite part is that the filling uses no sweeteners at all, not even natural ones.

Cherry Turnovers

Ingredients 

Shell

• 1 ½ cup cassava flour
• ¼ cup arrowroot starch/flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup organic palm shortening
• ½ cup ice water

Filling

• 1½ cups cherries, pitted and quartered
• ½ tablespoon arrowroot starch/flour
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

Shell

1. Combine cassava flour, arrowroot starch, and sea salt in a food processor. Just a few pulses to combine.
2. Cut up palm shortening into small pieces (about a teaspoon each) and add to food processor with the flour. 
3. Plus mix a few times, 1-second a time, until it is a mix of crumbled flour.
4. Transfer mix into a large bowl.
5. Added half the ice water and mix until just combined. Add in remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time until it can be clumped by your hand.
6. Transfer mix onto a clean work surface such as a granite counter or parchment paper lined counter top. Your mix should look crumbly.
7. Slowly, one bit of a time, use the bottom of your palm to push and drag out the dough in quick movements. This will help it slowly come together. Do this all the way through twice
8. Once you have made it through the dough, gather it and mold it into a small loaf.
9. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 45 mins.
10. Place dough on a parchment paper lightly dusted with cassava flour.
11. Roll out into a rectangle. The dough should be about a ¼ thick.
12. Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, then following the narrow edge, roll the dough into a circle. It will fall apart a bit, just mold it into place.
13. Press down the dough into a rectangle and then repeat the process from step 11 once more.
14. After you coil the dough once more, press it down into another loaf.
15. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge while you prepare the filling. You can make the dough about to a day ahead or you can freeze the dough for later use.

The method above is based on the one found here.

Filling

1. In a small bowl, mix cherries, arrowroot starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined.

Turnovers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pull out dough from fridge and roll it out until it is around 1/8 inch in thickness.
3. Cut out circles. I used my Pyrex 2-Cup Round Dish, which is about 4½ inches in diameter to cut out my circles.
4. Pull and roll out dough as needed to get circles. Using my dish, I got 8-10 circles.
5. Place circles on a parchment paper lined baking dish.
6. Carefully spoon filling into the center of each circle, you will use about a tablespoon or so in each. 
7. Lightly wet the edges of the dough and fold over to crease the middle edge. It will come a part a little on top but that's ok. If it doesn't use a knife to make a few slits on top. You can crimp the edge with a fork if you like, but I personally liked the open look.
8. Place in oven for 25-30 mins, or until the edges start to brown and the filling starts to pour out.
9. Cool turnovers on a baking rack.
10. Once cool enough to eat, enjoy on their own, or drizzle with a little melted coconut butter.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussel Sprouts (AIP, Paleo)

Sometimes it's fun to try your favorite foods in different ways. Usually I just bake my acorn squash in halves and stuff it with meat or other veggies. However, this time I decided to ditch the shell, chopped up the squash it in to bite size pieces and mix in some brussel sprouts. I coated them all with bacon fat, because, I mean it's bacon fat, but you can use your favorite fat of choice. This is a delicious side to go with your favorite protein and a fun new way to try this versatile squash.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, peeled and diced
• 1 lb fresh or frozen brussel sprouts, halved or quartered if really big
• 2 tablespoons warmed bacon fat (or your fat of choice)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Add prepped acorn squash and brussel sprouts to a cooking sheet.
3. Drizzle veggies with bacon fat and top with spices. Toss until completely covered.
4. Place in preheated oven for 30 mins, stir once, half way through.
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Duck Fat Plantain Fries (AIP, Paleo)

I have a confession to make, I have been holding out on you guys. Back in December, I prepared this recipe to share with you all, but couldn't quite get the pictures right. Now that I've had some months to practice lighting and my photography skills, I am ready to share. Yes, I know, totally selfish.

Anyway, enough about my selfish ways, these fries are legit delicious and so easy to make. The first several times I made them with pork lard, which totally works, but then I made them with duck fat. Game. Changer. What I love most about these fries is that they get this nice crunch on the outside, but a perfect soft center, making them the most fry-like of any potato alternative.

Duck fat can be super expensive and hard to find. Which is why I hadn't tried it before. Until I made my own. I was able to get a whole duck for just under $3/lb. By the time we were done with eating the meat, rendering the fat, and using the bones for broth, it has more than paid for itself. Again, you can make this recipe with other fats, but duck fat takes it to the next level, just saying.

Duck Fat Plantain Fries

Ingredients

• 2 green plantains
• 2-3 tablespoons duck fat (you can also use pork lard, coconut oil, or a organic palm shortening)
• Course sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat duck fat in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. You want enough fat to cover the bottom of your pan, so depending on the skillet size, you may need more or less.
2. While oil is warming up, peel the plantains. 
3. To cut the fries, I first cut the plantains into thirds, this is about as long as you want them. Then slice them into fries. Try and make them as uniform in size as possible to prevent any from cooking faster or slower than others.
4. When fat is ready (aka, when a drop of water in the pan sizzles), carefully add in cut plantains with tongs, or you will get splashed with hot oil. Be careful not to over fill the pan, by making sure fries aren't touching. 
5. Cook about 2-3 minutes on all 4 sides. You will want them to change from the dull yellow color to a nice light brown. Another way to tell they are done is by taping them and see if they outside is hard. 
6. When they are done, put them on paper towel lined plate and season with sea salt.
7. Enjoy! My favorite way to have these are along side a guacamole burger. 

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable
Featured on Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Round-Up June '15

Homemade Italian Dressing (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

One of the hardest things to find is an AIP friendly or even Paleo friendly salad dressing. Most salad dressing you find at the store include about 20 ingredients that make no sense and about 4 that you actually feel comfortable consuming. As an alternative, many of us learn to live with a little olive oil and vinegar, and that works a good bit of the time. However, sometimes you really want a salad dressing that tastes like one.

When I set about coming up with an Italian Dressing recipe, it was partially because I missed it, but what I missed more was a dressing that can also be used to make Grilled Marinated Summer Vegetables. This dressing can be tossed on a leafy green salad or as a marinade or in anything you would normally use Italian dressing.

Homemade Italian Dressing

Ingredients

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon dried basil
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place everything but the olive oil in a large wide mouth mason jar or large bowl. 
2. Use an immersion blender or whisk to combine ingredients.
3. Once other ingredients are combined, slowly add in the olive oil while blending or whisking.
4. Store in a mason jar in fridge for up to two weeks. Recipe makes 1 cup of dressing.

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable
Featured on Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Round-Up June '15

Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie (AIP, Paleo)

PIE. I am actually not the biggest pie fan, BUT my mom's strawberry pie was the definition of summer to me. Loaded with sugar and topped with whipped cream, it was my favorite treat growing up. Obviously, there was no way I could have a piece of that now, so I had to figure out how to make something that was just as worthy, but appropriate for my new lifestyle.

This  recipe uses Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour. I am so excited to have found a flour that truly works as a 1:1 substitute to regular flour. It has opened a whole new world for the AIP/Paleo community.

Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ¼ cup cassavaflour, plus another tablespoon for dusting
• A pinch of Salt (approximately 1/8 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ cup Organic Shortening
• 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
• Up to 6 tablespoons of cold water

Filling

• 1 cup of blended strawberries 
• ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of gelatin
• 2 ½ - 3 cups of diced strawberries (depending on how much you want to stuff your pie, hehe) 

Preparation

Pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease pie pan with 1 teaspoon of palm shorting. (I have only tested this recipe with a glass pie dish, so I am not sure how another type will bake.)
3. In a large bowl, add cassava flour and salt.
4. Make a small whole in the center of the flour and add in the maple syrup, palm shortening, and avocado oil.
5. Now get your hands dirty. Use them to mix all the ingredients together. It will be crumbly, this is ok, just be sure to combine, so the flour is no longer powder.
6. Finally, add in cold water, one tablespoon at a time. It will begin to become dough like, mixing it with a spatula. First it will get a sticky. Add enough water so that it is no longer stick and can be formed into a ball, but don't over work it either so that it is to smooth.
7. On a clean work surface, lightly dust with cassava flour. Grab your rolling pin and dust it a little too.
8. Form the dough into a large ball and put it on the dusted surface. Roll out the dough to form a large circle. You will need to do this very slowly and work with the dough, be patient. 
9. When crust is ready, transfer to pie dish. Crimp the edges with your finger and use a fork to poke the bottom of the crust.
10. Place in oven and cook for 20 mins. 
11. Once done, remove, and let crust cool.

This crust can be made a day or two in advanced. If you choose to make it on the same day, you will need to allow time for it to completely cool before adding the filling. This could be a few hours.

Filling

1. Add sliced strawberries to cooled pie crust. You want to fill the whole crust and for them to be level with the top edge of the crust or a little over.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine crushed strawberries, pomegranate juice, and maple syrup.
3. Sprinkle on gelatin and let bloom for 1 minute, 
4. Over low heat, warm sauce for 2-3 minutes, lightly whisking as gelatin melts.
5. Once warmed, carefully pour sauce over strawberries so that it evenly covers them.
6. Place in fridge and let it set for at least an hour. Again you can make this pie a day ahead of time.

When ready to serve, let sit out for about 30 mins to an hour. You can eat it right out of the fridge, but letting it warm, just provides a little better of a texture.

Serve it topped with some whipped coconut cream or a little date syrup if you get your hands one some. 

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

No-Egg Waffles (AIP, Coconut-Free, Paleo, Vegan)

Recently I got my very first bag of Otto's Cassava Flour. Filled with excitement, I contemplated what to make first. My mind began swirling with ideas. I decided to make something, that was not these waffles. It turned out pretty good, but needed another go.

Then I had a thought, let's see if I can make waffles with the flour. My goal was to try and come up with a recipe that was simple and that many could enjoy. The first try was a complete success. There was fluff, there was flavor, there was a waffle I could enjoy! So of course I had to share it with you all as soon as possible.

No-Egg Waffles 

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/4 cup cassava flour
• ¼ teaspoon arrowroot starch
• 1 ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• Up to 1 and 1/4 cup of cold water

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Make a small hole in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients minus the water. Slowly add in the water a 1/4 cup at a time until it because slush like. You don't want it too soupy (pancake like) but thicker than that. If it becomes too wet, add a little more cassava flour.
4. Grease waffle iron and pour in mix to suitable size portions for machine.
5. Let them cook for just a minute or two past the timer.
6. Enjoy with syrup, fresh fruit or your favorite toppings.

These are definitely more dense than my other recipe, but are more waffle like. This recipe made about 6-8 waffles, depending on the size.

Featured on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Cabbage and Ground Pork Curry (AIP, Paleo)

Prior to AIP, I was actually never a huge curry fan. Mostly because it always made me feel so icky afterwards. Having now learned about AIP, I realize that is likely I am sensitive to those spices like cumin and coriander. It was not my intention to create a curry recipe. Right now, I am seriously obsessed with putting ginger and turmeric in any dish that works. Additionally, sage and cinnamon are basically the only spices I use when cooking pork, so I decided to through them all in a pan together with some cabbage and see what happened. To my surprise, it tasted great! So I've decided to share this one pan dish with you all.

Cabbage and Ground Pork Curry

Ingredients 

• 1/2 large head of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground sage or 1/2 teaspoon of rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric* 
• 1/4 cup of bone broth (preferably pork or beef)

*If you have access to fresh turmeric, you can also add another 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated turmeric.

Instruction

1. Preheat large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and cook until browned.
2. Divide cabbage in half and add half to the pan with pork. Mix and cook for about 2-3 mins, or until cabbage starts to wilt a little. 
3. Add in the remaining cabbage and sea salt to pan and stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Add cinnamon, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground sage, and ground turmeric to pan and stir until seasons cover the pork and cabbage.
5. Lastly add bone broth to pan. Once broth is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover pan with lid or aluminum foil.
6. Cook covered for 20 minutes on low heat. 
7. Remove lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until all liquid has disappeared.
8. Enjoy!

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Super Easy Pork Shoulder Roast (AIP, Paleo)

I have absolutely zero luck with pork in the crock pot, there I said it. Phew. I try recipes over and over again, either I over cook or under cook or I grab the wrong cut and it just never seems to work out. This may sound strange, but it's the truth. I am also super bad at following directions, so this may be part of it. This was the reason why I need something that required the least amount of instruction to equal the best results.

The recipe for this came as a bit of a fluke. I picked up a pork shoulder roast for a good deal at the store and had no clue what I was going to do with it, but had to buy it. When I went to prepare it, I literally grabbed a few of my favorite herbs, tossed them on top of the roast, turned the crock pot on low, and walked away. What came out was perfection! I love it when that works out. And best of all, this is completely approved by my non-paleo hubby, so you know it's a hit!

Super Easy Pork Shoulder Roast

Ingredients

• 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each of the following: oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, and rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Instruction

1. Place pork shoulder roast in slow cooker. If it is wrapped in kitchen netting, you can leave it on.
2. Rub garlic over the top of roast. Mix herbs together and sprinkle over the top of the roast.
3. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 9-10 hrs or until roast reaches 165 degrees F.
4. Remove roast and set on cutting board. Tent it with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 mins. This would be a good time to make your sides, like the Caramelized Fennel and Sweet Potato Sauté
5. Slice, serve, drool, and enjoy!

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable