Asian Pear and Pumpkin Custard with Ginger Coconut Sauce...

I'm on day 29 of my second round of Whole30. This has been the most amazing lifestyle change I've ever made. I've lost an astronomical amount of weight, gained amazing levels of energy, and learned so much about myself and how my body works. Never have I enjoyed cooking more than I do right now! On Whole30 you are not supposed to have any desserts or sweeteners, even Paleo approved ones. If you really want to "slay your sugar dragon," you have to avoid anything that can cause the dragon to return. 

I came up with this recipe today because I had one Asian pear in my fridge and I just ran with it. :-D I like this as a breakfast dish because it is subtly sweet, not overly rich, and delicious. :-) It was satisfying without feeling like I was eating a heavy dessert. Even Michael liked it and he isn't doing Whole30. ;-)

Enjoy and please share any feedback with me!

 Asian Pear & Pumpkin Custard  

 with Ginger Coconut Sauce 

~ Ingredients ~
* 15 ounce can pumpkin (I use Trader Joe's organic pumpkin)
* 1 cup coconut cream
* 1 ripe banana
* 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 6 eggs
* 1 large Asian pear, cut and diced
* 1 teaspoon alcohol and sugar free pure vanilla
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
* a couple dashes each of ground cloves and coriander
* 1/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup (optional. If you aren't doing Whole30, I would recommend adding sweetener)
* 1/4 cup slivered roasted almonds (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 450

~ Directions ~
Put banana in small bowl and mash well (I used my handy dandy "mix & chop" from pampered chef. It's one of my favorite kitchen utensils, second only to my OXO stainless steel salad spinner). Add to stand mixer and add pumpkin, applesauce, and coconut cream and mix until blended well. Add in eggs and vanilla and keep blending. Then mix in remaining ingredients and put into deep dish glass pie dish. Place custard into a big pan of water and place in oven.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes. Cut and serve warm or cold with coconut cream sauce (recipe below). 

~ Ginger Coconut Cream Sauce ~
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dashes of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and Nutmeg
Maple Syrup (optional)

Put all ingredients in a magic bullet or blender and blend until well mixed (put in refrigerator if you are going to serve it cold. You want it nice and thick!). Drizzle over warm or cold custard! 

Paleo and Whole30 Chicken Tikka Masala...

I never had *real* Indian food until I married my husband. Michael has such a great love for India (its people and culture) after spending five weeks helping at an orphanage in 2005. He tells stories of food so hot it blistered his lips. He tells stories of babies healed through prayer. He tells stories of how it changed his life and convinced him of a calling into pastoral ministry. I've grown to love it too and hope to visit someday.

I just love the unique blend of spices. The creamy textures of some of the dishes. The exotic flavor. The delicate comfort. The vibrant color.

I hope you enjoy just a little taste of the beauty and art that is Indian food, with a bit of the paleo touch.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients for chicken marinade:
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. powdered ginger)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Tomato Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 cup coconut cream (not coconut cream concentrate)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For Chicken Marinade:
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least one 1-3 hours.
Cook chicken (with marinade) until cooked through and then drain. Set aside until needed.

For Tomato Cream Sauce:
Heat coconut oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until onion is transparent. Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Add cilantro and stir in tomato sauce and coconut cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

Add cooked drained chicken to tomato cream sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over spaghetti squash or zucchini "noodles" and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Chicken Pumpkin Chili...

I don't know about you, but I adore Fall. And with Fall, comes Pumpkin flavored everything. Savory or sweet, it is an obsession of mine. I hope you enjoy this unique take on regular ol' chili. :-D

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

16 ounces chicken stock
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons oregano
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin (I love Trader Joe's organic pumpkin)
½ cup coconut cream
¼ cup coconut oil
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, diced
¼ cup chili powder, plus extra for sprinkling
Dashes of nutmeg and cayenne
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch greens (mustard, kale, or collard), washed, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
1. Combine the chicken, stock, 3 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, skimming the foam off the surface. Add ½ teaspoon of the oregano, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove and cut into bite size pieces. Add back to the broth and simmer on low.
2. Mix 3 tablespoons pumpkin, the coconut cream, and salt to taste in a bowl. Cover and chill.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, onions, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook until transparent, about 15 min. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoon oregano, chili powder, and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Add the remaining pumpkin and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomato mixture to the chicken and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the mustard greens and cook 10 more minutes. Season with salt. Put the chili into bowls and top with the pumpkin cream and a sprinkle of chili powder. Enjoy!

Lacto-Fermented foods...

It has been a long time since I posted. Pregnancy will do that to ya. Food no longer seems fun, more like something you *have* to get down you to survive. Anyway, hopefully I will be out of the woods soon with the nausea.

I had a brief respite the other day so I decided to make something I've never made before. I made Lacto-Fermented pickles and preserved lemons (those are cinnamon sticks in there. I like them by the spoon (maybe that is just the pregnancy) :-P but you can use them in recipes too. :-) I've made Lacto-Fermented sauerkraut and ginger carrots before and they were amazing... going to do that again next week. :-) The only downside is that I have to wait to eat them (2 days for the pickles and 2 weeks for the lemons). :-D It is worth the wait though! Lacto-Fermented food is SOOO good for your digestion and overall health. :-)

The cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" (by Sally Fallon) is a wealth of information. While I don't agree with every single thing she says, it is truly amazing. Check it out!

What is your favorite Lacto-Fermented food that you either made or tried?

Low carb and sugar free Coffee Cake Muffins...

These were extraordinarily tasty! They definitely don't taste "healthy"! My mom gave me the original recipe (she hadn't made them yet). I tweaked it a bunch and here is the final result. I used freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg. It truly makes these delectable! The true test of any healthy recipe is when someone who does not have to watch what he eats (such as Michael) thinks these are delicious! :-D Enjoy!

Coffee Cake Muffins
* 1 cup flax meal
* 1 cup fine almond flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
* 1 cup coconut sugar
* 1/2 cup ghee or coconut oil, melted
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Makes 12 muffins. Oven at 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups well.
Mix dry ingredients well. Add beaten eggs, oil, water, and vanila. Mix well. Fill muffin cups a bit more than halfway. Cook 20 minutes until tops are golden brown. Allow muffins to cool in pan and then remove.

Sweet Topping
* 1/2 cup coconut sugar
* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* Dash of nutmeg

* 2 tblsp. ghee

Mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon together in one bowl. Pour the melted ghee into ANOTHER bowl. Dip top of muffin in ghee and then in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Serve and savor!

Warm Olive Salad with Mint...

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped (I used half of one elephant garlicclove)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup sliced celery (including the inner stalks with leaves)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

Put the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, then mix together well. Heat the olive oil and vinegar, the olives and garlic paste in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the tomatoes, celery and mint. Season with salt and toss to combine. Serve immediately! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Eggnog Cheesecake

Gluten Free Eggnog Cheesecake

* Two 8 oz. packages cream cheese (room temperature)

* 3/4 cup raw cane sugar or Xylitol

* 3 eggs

* 1 teaspoon rum flavoring

* 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

* 1 pint full fat sour cream

Cream the cheese until fluffy. Add sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Fold in sour cream. Grease 9" pie plate and pat down shortbread crust. Set in freezer for 2-3 minutes until firm. Pour cheesecake mixture over crust and bake in 375 oven for 30 minutes, turn oven off, and leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or cool.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Enjoy!

Shortbread crust...

* 1 1/4 cup gluten free shortbread cookie crumbs (or regular shortbread crumbs if gluten isn't an issue)

* 2 tablespoons each of melted butter and sugar

Mix well.