Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake + A Special Giveaway (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

A Year in the Life

This past weekend, we celebrated a very special moment. One year ago we met our beautiful little girl for the very first time. We brought her home to our house and introduced her to her three fur siblings and then thought, now what? LOL. Let's face it, no one knows what the heck they are doing as first time parents. It's nerve wrecking, and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. As each month passed, my husband would say to me, "well we made it one more month." We all still had our fingers and toes and everyone, for the most part, was doing well. Those first few months felt like years of time as the passed. All the time and energy I spent trying to have a beautiful breastfeeding relationship with Emily now seems so distant and a drop of water in the ocean (read about our journey here).

Then in a blink, it was time to let Emily enjoy all my favorite foods as we began baby-led weaning. No surprise at all, she was a natural foodie baby and loved everything I gave her. If you don't already, follow me on Instagram where I often share pictures of what she is having each day. Right around 6 months, was the moment I am sure the world started spinning faster and time sped up because the next thing I knew, it was less than two months until her first birthday and it was time to plan to celebrate a whole year of her life.

To Smash Cake or to Not Smash Cake?

I must be honest, I was not even originally planning on having a smash cake for Emily's birthday. I just didn't see all the hype, and since she is such a fantastic eater, I didn't expect there to be any smashing. BUT after attending a few of her friends first birthdays I couldn't help myself. I wanted her to experience that as well, and then one day we can look back at those pictures and I can share the whole crazy day with her.

When I finally decided to have a birthday cake for Emily, I knew two things right away.

1. I will be making it from scratch.
2. It will use my most favorite flour ever, Otto's Cassava Flour.

Recently, I shared this AIP Chocolate Mug Cake recipe which was in inspiration for the cake. I decided to remove the sweeteners from the cake and add applesauce. This required a little adjusting of the other ingredients. For the frosting, while I knew a simple coconut cream frosting would work just fine, I really wanted something that was more frosting like in texture. While Emily does not eat strict AIP (she does eat eggs and many other paleo foods), I decided to keep this as an AIP cake so that I could use it for other occasions.

I have tested this recipe three times now and Emily has had it twice. I can say for certain it's a winner for both mommy and baby. What I also love about this cake (having tested it so much) is that both the cake and frosting can easily be separately  made ahead and assembled wherever you need them. Or you can make then entire cake ahead, freeze it, and travel to your destination. For Emily's birthday, I made the cake and frosting two days before the party and kept them in the fridge. Then the day before, I put the cake together and froze it and drove to my parents house (2 hours away) and it kept in their fridge until the party the next day. It turned out perfect!

Emily's Birthday Giveaway

Not only am I sharing this delicious birthday cake recipe with you all, but Otto's Cassava Flour has so graciously agreed to giveaway a 5 lb bag of cassava flour to help celebrate Emily's birthday. To enter for a chance to win a bag of cassava flour comment below who you plan to make this birthday cake recipe for next! The winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 23 at 12:00 pm EST. (for U.S. participates only). This giveaway is over. Congratulations, Rebecca Nicodemus for winning a bag of Otto's Cassava Flout. Thank you for all those who entered.

Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1/4 teaspooon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon applesauce
• 3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/2 cup of palm shortening (tallow  or lard can also be used)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Option: fruit juice or vegetable juice to color frosting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 4-oz ramekins or a muffin tray.
2. Start making the cake batter by sifting the cassava flour, coconut flour, carob powder, and baking soda into a large bow. Whisk to fully combine.
3.  Add applesauce, coconut milk, and avocado oil and stir to incorporate all ingredients.
4. Evenly distribute the batter between the two greased ramekins or two muffin molds. If using ramekins, place them on a sheet tray so they are easier to take in and out of the oven.
5. Place cake batter in preheated oven and back for 25 minutes, or until they pass the tooth pick test (stick a tooth pick in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, they are done)
6. While the cake is baking, you can get started on the first two steps to make the frosting.
7. In a small sauce pan, combine coconut milk and cassava flour and warm over medium low heat. Stir until it turns into a paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a fridge safe bowl with a lid, and place in fridge
8. Using a standing mixer with whisk attachment or a large bowl and a hand-mixer, add the palm shortening and maple syrup to the mixer or bowl and whip on high until it is light and fluffy and peaks begin to form. About 10 mins. If it gets too soft and melted, place in fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
9. By now the cakes should be done. Remove them from oven and let them sit for 5 minutes undisturbed. Then carefully remove them from the ramekins or muffin tray and place on cool rack. You will want them completely cooled before your frost them. If you have time, you can allow them to cool at room temperature, or you can place them in the fridge or even freezer to cool faster.
10. While the cakes cool, finish preparing the frosting. Remove the coconut milk/flour paste from the fridge, be sure it is completely cooled. Add the paste to the bowl with the whipped palm shorting, and mix until fully combined and fluffy. About 10 mins. 
11. Once cake is cooled it's time to decorate. Carefully slice the two cakes in half, making four even layers. Begin building your layers. Lay the bottom layer of cake on wax or parchment paper (so you can easily move it to another surface after it's assembled), then add some frosting, then another layer of cake, and so on until you have built your 4 layers.
12. If you want to be fancy, you can first do a crumb coat. Which means you use a light layer of frosting all over the cake. It is just enough to catch all the crumbs so that you don't see them when it is fully frosted. If doing a crumb coat, place cake back in fridge or freezer to allow the frosting to set before doing the final layer of frosting.
13. Now you can be as creative as you want. You can simple use a knife and cover the full cake with thick layer of frosting. You could use a piping bag and make a fun design. You could even mix in a little fruit or vegetable juice (a 1/4 tsp or less) to color the frosting. Similar to what I did for Emily's birthday. 

Note; If frosting gets to soft, simply place in fridge or freezer to let it firm up a little. Or if you leave it in the fridge too long and it is hard, use standing mixer or hand mixer, to whip it back to fluffy goodness. 

Note 2.0: The cake and frosting can be kept in fridge for up to 3 days. Which means, you can make the cake a few days ahead and not stress about it as you finish all other preparations. Or maybe you all aren't procrastinators like myself?

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!

Seafood Chowder (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of seafood chowder. There are a lot of fantastic recipes out there for AIP chowder, and I highly recommend you check them out too. This was simply my version, based on what goodies I found in my kitchen. I tend to prefer a not so thick chowder, but you might. If you would like to make this a little more thick, I recommend reserving some of the cooked potatoes and blend them separately, then add them back to the chowder.

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons lard
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1 medium white sweet potato, diced
• 2 cubs bone broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon cassava flour + 1 tablespoon of water, whisked together
• 1.5 mixed raw seafood, I used 1 lb of shrimp and 8oz of mussel meat

*use bone broth instead of white wine for Whole30 compliance.

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil and lard over medium heat.
2. Once oil is warm, add shallots and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes.
4. Pour in white wine, and let cook for about 3 minutes, until it starts to reduce.
5. Now add  sweet potatoes, bone broth, coconut milk, and herbs to pot. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes to allow flavors come together and potatoes to cook.
6. Whisk in cassava flour/water mix.
7. Add seafood to pot and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until it is cooked.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Fluffy Paleo Pancakes (Nut-Free)

The eternal search for a fool-proof fluffy pancakes recipe is real. I am not going to make claims this is it, but it is pretty darn close. While this are not AIP compliant, as they use 1 whole egg, if you have successfully reintroduced eggs, then these bad boys are for you. These pancakes use my favorite flour ever, Otto's Cassava Flour and a little coconut flour, but no nut flour or milk which is a nice change from many of the other paleo pancakes out there.

Fluffy Paleo Pancakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cassava flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 cup coconut milk

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk cassava flour, coconut flour, and baking soda.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together maple syrup, egg, 1/4 cup avocado oil, and coconut milk.
3. Add wet ingredients to large bowl with dry ingredients. Combine with a spoon until mix is completely wet, but don't over combine. You want it to be lumpy. It will be a pretty thick batter.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in medium frying pan over medium heat. 
5. Using a 1/4 measuring cup (fill about half way) to scoop batter into pan and form a pancake. Make sure the mix stays about a 1/4 inch thick, this is how you will get a fluffy pancake. I usually get about 3 in a pan.
6. Allow it to cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes. Check the bottom to see if it is browned, then flip. Cook for another 3 minutes on the remaining side.
7. Remove from pan and repeat steps 5 & 6 with the remaining batter.
8. Serve with your favorite toppings like coconut cream, maple syrup, and/or caramelized apple slices. 

Mix makes about 8 three-inch pancakes.

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

Carrot Diakon Mint Risotto (AIP, Low-FODMAP, Paleo, Whole 30)

This risotto brings in some new rice options for those who can't have or don't like cauliflower rice. The mint adds a nice fresh element as well. Plus it is fun to use ingredients like, diakon radish, in ways you never thought to.

Carrot Diakon Mint Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and rough chopped
• 1 ½ cups peeled, diced diakon
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped bone broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup finely chopped  fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lavender

Instructions

1. Add carrots and diakon to food processor and blend in short bursts, about 2 seconds at a time until it is fully riced.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add riced carrots and diakon to pan and cook for 5 mins.
4. Pour in bone broth, sea salt, mint and lavender to pan and stir to combine.
5. Turn down heat and simmer in uncovered pan for 20 minutes. Most of the liquid should absorbed. 
6. Serve and enjoy!

Yuca con Mojo {Cassava with Garlic Sauce} (AIP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

Long before I discovered the Yuca Slayer, Jennifer Robins from Predominantly Paleo, I remember buying my first yuca (cassava) root because it intrigued me. Having no idea what to do with it, I did what I always do when at a loss with a new ingredient, I googled it. The one recipe that stuck out to me was yuca con mojo, aka yuca (cassava) with garlic sauce.

After trying many different variations of this recipe and making a few tweaks of my own, I found a recipe I truly loved. It is a traditional Cuban recipe that uses yuca (cassava) root, lime, garlic, and olive oil. However, my personal taste buds didn't care for the lime, so I have chosen lemon for my recipe, steering it a little from tradition. I make this recipe pretty often and love to eat it as side with anything really, but I really enjoy it with chicken and big pile of kale.

Yuca con mojo {Cassava with garlic sauce} 

Ingredients

• 1 lb yuca (cassava root) fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• 1½ teaspoons plus + ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
• ½ garlic cup sliced red onion
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Prepare yuca
1. If using fresh yuca, cut of each end, and cut in thirds. Then, cut off the outside peel. Once peel is removed, cut up into bite size pieces. 
2. If frozen, let sit out for a few minutes until you can cut it down into bite size pieces.
2. Add cut yuca onto a medium size pot and add enough water to cover it. Add in ½ teaspoon of sea salt and 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice.
3. Bring yuca to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25 mins (or until yuca is tender but not mushy)
4. Combine garlic and ½ teaspoon of sea salt in a small dish
5. When yuca is done, drain, and sift through to remove hard center core. Even the frozen sometimes has a little left over. Set aside.
6. Return saucepan to stove top and set to medium high heat. Add red onion, olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, and garlic salt mix to sauce pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
7. Lastly, add yuca to the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve and Enjoy!

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!

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

Curried Chicken Salad (AIP, Paleo)

You may or may not have noticed, I have a bit of a turmeric obsession. This recipe, like many of mine lately, came together on a whim. There was leftover chicken that needed to be used and I am always looking for fun new ways to eat jicama. Naturally, it made the most sense to combine the chicken, jicama, and turmeric plus bunch of other ingredients to make an awesome chicken salad.

Plus, I have successfully reintroduced eggs, so I was finally able to make home made mayo again! Don't worry my fellow AIPers who haven't yet reintroduced eggs or unable to eat them, I have three other options for you.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 10 ounce can of chicken or about a 1 cup of chopped/shredded leftover chicken
• 1/2 cup of diced apple
• 1/2 cup of diced jicama
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 ½ tablespoons of homemade mayo*
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons of green onions
• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste

*I have made these two AIP mayo recipes before and they would both work well in this recipe: Egg Free Mayonnaise and Garlic Mayo, both from The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. Alternatively, you could use just coconut cream (the part that separates from the water after being in the fridge overnight). 

Instructions

1. Chop/dice/shred ingredients as mentioned above.
2. Combine chicken, apple, jicama, and celery in a bowl until well combined.
3. Add remaining ingredients, and salt to taste.
4. Serve with some additional chopped green onion.
5. Enjoy on a cucumber slice, on a spoon, or on top of a bed lettuce. 

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!

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Caramelized Fennel and Sweet Potato Sauté (AIP, Paleo)

The other day I through pork shoulder in the crock pot (recipe coming very soon!) in the morning and thought, "Yay, head start on dinner!" Of course, when I got to making the rest of dinner, I had completely forgot to come up with a plan for the sides. As I looked at what we had in the kitchen, I knew I could have gone with something we always have, but what's the fun in that? 

My goal was something simple and delicious. I tend to stray away from recipe with too many ingredients unless I have time to plan and prepare. Plus, you don't need to over complicate real food because it is so good on it's own.

Along with being super delicious, this sauté it is super easy to make and only requires five main ingredients. Sometimes you need to change up your vegetable side game, but don't want to over complicate things. I don't blame you, and that is why I am sharing this one with you. Plus this sauté will pair perfectly with the Super Easy Pork Shoulder Roast.

Caramelized Fennel and Sweet Potato Sauté

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1/2 a large onion
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 cup bone broth
• Sea salt

Instructions

1. Cut the top steams and hard bottom off the fennel bulb and slice the remaining in to 1/4 thick strips. Removing hard core. Set slices aside. Save a few fronds for garnish.
2. Thinly slice onions and set aside.
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add EVOO. 
4. When oil is hot, add sliced fennel and onion to pan. Stir to coat everything in oil and then let cook. Don't stir too much, as you want to get a little color (e.g. burnt) on it and let it caramelize. Cook the fennel and onion for about 12-15 mins.
5. Meanwhile, peel sweet potato, cut in quarters length wise and then thinly slice. Pieces should bite sized and not too thick. You want them to be similar, so they cook evenly.
6. Add sweet potato slices to pan and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes. just to get a little color on the sweet potatoes. 
7. Finally, add bone broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and little simmer. Cook until sweet potatoes are soft and the bone broth is absorbed. About another 10-15 mins. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste.
8. Serve with your favorite main dish. Garnish with a little fennel fronds clippings.

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