healthiest ever, primitive pumpkin pie

Are you on a primitive (Hunt + Gather) diet? Are you sad you won't be able to eat pumpkin pie this year? Well.. this one's for you. I know.. save your applause. I don't need a favor in return - just pass it forward.

The crust:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp almond butter
1/4 tsp salt

Oven! 350. Melt the coconut oil. Mix the ground flax seeds with the water and let sit until thickened. Mix the dry ingredients, then add all the wet ones. Roll it into a big ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper that's been taped to the table. Place another piece of parchment paper over it. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Take the top sheet off, and slide the bottom paper with the flattened dough right into a 9" x 13" pan. Poke with a fork.. all over, and bake for 10 minutes.

(caught stealing)

The top:

2 cups pumpkin puree (you don't need a can.. just a pie pumpkin)
4 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 cup coconut cream (the coconut milk separated into cream and water.. I think by sitting still on my shelf for so long - along with the lack of preservatives)
6 tbsp honey (vegans.. you know what to do)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning

Mix all ingredients and spread on top of the baked crust. Good work! It's all easy from here. Just bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
Then let it cool, and cut into squares. (I put a small bit of coconut cream on top) This way you can serve it at a big party.. and you don't need forks or plates! And you can eat a bunch of them and it's still probably less than eating a piece of pie! But it's ok.. because it fits under the ridiculously harsh restrictions of the Hunt + Gather diet. Go you. Anything's possible.

(food porn)

AA soup (avocado almond)

Whoaza. What a delicious afternoon I've had.. because of this soup. Here's a recipe for 4 people to enjoy together.. It was inspired by a recipe in the book Vegetarian Bible.

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup ground almonds (I used my coffee grinder)
2 ripe avocados
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
sliced leeks to garnish

In a pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil for a minute or two. Then add the celery, carrots, salt, water and bay leaf, and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn heat off.
Next mix in the ground almonds in and puree the soup - immersion style or whatever you have.
Then add the avocados and blend it again.
Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt and let it cool.. (or eat it warm if you want)
Saute the sliced leeks for the top and serve!

just give me what you got.

The farmer's market is so much more exciting than the grocery store.. the goods are always changing.

cabbage soup

I hear that cabbage is helpful in healing digestive problems.. so I made plenty of this yummy soup. It's simple to make, inexpensive, and doesn't create many dishes! There should be a category of meals like that.. so you can search for recipes that won't leave you at the sink for the rest of the night. Oh yeah... most people have dishwashers. nevermind.

This recipe basically came from here.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped,
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped in about 1” pieces (or 1/2 a big one)
2 cups almond milk (or any milk you want/can)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

In the bottom of a soup pot, sauté onions, and pepper in oil until soft. Add cabbage and stir fry for a few minutes. Add almond milk and bring to a boil (just up to a simmer if using regular milk). Turn the heat down, add vegetable stock and salt, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Crush the dried rosemary and add to the pot.. Continue simmering for 10-15 more minutes.
Enjoy!

can't beat roasted vegetables.

oven! 350.
In an oven proof dish, toss cut vegetables in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover with tinfoil and bake for 45 mintues.
You probably already knew how to do this - I was just reminding you of the option.

seasonal veggie stir-fry

Kale, the end of summer squash (on sale for not being perfect anymore), a pepper, some radish, garlic, and some more garlic, and olive oil. This is not a recipe. One shouldn't need a recipe to make a vegetable dish. In fact, some cultures don't use recipes - ever. My eastern doctor laughed when I asked him for a chicken soup recipe. I just thought that was interesting.
So far.. the hunt + gather diet is amazing.. ah-mazing.

cedar smoked salmon

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

1. 1 pound of Alaskan sockeye salmon, fresh, wild caught.. and 1 cedar plank.
2. In a dish, pour 1 tbsp of lemon juice over the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then rub with 1 tbsp of olive oil.. let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. Get the fire ready.. outside. Just in case it wasn't obvious.. and soak the cedar plank in water for an hour too.
4. Put the fish, scale side down on the plank, and put the plank on the grill.. over smoldering coals. (if using an oven or gas, low and slow)
5. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. The fat should begin oozing out.
6. Done.

pumpkin pie seasoning

Tis the season for this season.

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Hunt + Gather - the new diet.. for now.

So.. I'll just put it out there.
I have digestive.. issues. problems. uncomfortableness. sadness. Whatever you'd like to call it.
And many people do - but it's no fun to talk about.. so it can get to be a lonely disease. It doesn't get much press, I haven't heard of people walking for my cause. All I do see - are people going out to eat things that I can't.

This past year I read Jordan Rubin's book called Restoring Your Digestive Health, and it literally changed my life. At first, coming from a conventional diet - I thought he was totally extreme, and that I'd never be able to live in the way he was describing. But month after month, I found that I was doing and eating more of the things he was talking about - until I finally decided enough was enough with this digestive disorder - I was going to heal myself.

So - I managed my way through his "Guts and Glory" program which consisted of chicken soup, water with clay, and anti-inflammatory supplements.. but that was no fun. I did get better however, so - I need to give Jordan Rubin some props.

Also in the book he puts food in 4 categories, the "good," "not so bad," "bad," and the "ugly." Cute, huh?
So - instead of a diet of chicken soup - I'm going to stick to his "good" list. These are the foods that are easiest to digest because the human race has been digesting them from the time we came about. It's the hunter/gatherer diet. When I'm well again, I'll slowly work foods back in that were starting to appear in the human diet once pastoralism and horticulture appeared .. but I think this is going to work for now.

Here's the "good" list: (the edited version) - organic is a given

Protein:
-organic meat and fowl. (grass fed)
-game (venison, buffalo, elk)
-eggs
-fish with fins and scales
-organ meat (liver, heart)

Fats:
-raw goat milk butter
-coconut oil
-olive oil
-flax seed, cod liver, hemp seed, pumpkin seed, and hazel nut oils
-water packed olives, coconut, avocado

Dairy:
-cultured goat milk products like yogurt, creme bulgare, and kefir cultured for 30+ hours

Vegetables:
-raw, frozen, cooked vegetables
-unpasteurized fermented vegetables
-raw vegetable juices

Fruits:
-fresh, frozen or cooked fruits. Limit intake to 2 or 3 pieces a day

Sweeteners:
-raw honey (use moderately)

Nuts and Seeds:
-organic nuts and seeds, soaked or sprouted.
-nut and seed butters and flours.

Beverages:
-filtered, non-carbonated, high-mineral or catalyst altered water.
-meat stocks and vegetable broths
-raw vegetable juices
-lacto-fermented beverages

Condiments:
-celtic sea salt and herbamare
-lacto-fermented sauces and condiments
-raw, homemade salsa and guac
-homemade salad dressings
-apple cider vinegar
-herbs and spices

All the recipes until I'm well will be fitting to the Hunt + Gather diet.. I'm going to have fun with it, and you can too.. Heck.. I might even go out to a restaurant and celebrate. (by driving my server insane)

May health be with you, and check back soon!
love,
anna

kale chips

Here's something crunchy, oily, salty, and garlic-y to munch on - on a cold afternoon.. instead of popcorn.. (which makes my stomach say ouch.)
Oven! 350.
Ingredients:
Fresh kale
Garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt

Chop kale into pieces, toss with oil and garlic, place on a baking sheet, salt.
Bake until crispy! (The edges are brown but not burnt.) About 10-15 minutes.

spring rolls! in the fall..

Spring rolls are so easy, delicious, healthy, inexpensive, and attractive.. it's awesome. I didn't make my own dip this time - but I'll fill you in when I do.

Here's what you need:
Spring roll skin (rice flour paper)
Rice noodles (the super skinny white ones)
Vegetables (I used shredded carrots, cucumber, and lettuce)
Fresh herbs (Basil or mint are good ideas)
Anything else you want to wrap. Don't hold back..
and the dipping sauce.


1. Pour hot water over the noodles, and let them sit for 3 minutes. Strain.
2. Use that hot water for the dipping of the rice paper.
3. Dip rice paper in warm water for 1 or 2 seconds, then put it on your plate.
4. Fill it with whatever you wish..
5. Roll it! (How to roll it up)
6. Dip it!
7. Eat it!
I sound like a Daft Punk song..

omega 3 salad dressing

Thanks Jordan Rubin for this insanely healthy dressing. Like salad isn't healthy enough.

1/2 cup flax seed oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
sea salt or spice blend to taste (I used 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, & 1/8 tsp salt)

basic mung bean soup

It was months ago at the health food market when I decided to buy these mung beans even though I had never seen them before. There was a little note card describing them and all I had to read was the phrase "easily digestible." I was sold.
So finally I did something with them. Around here, they are frequently used for sprouts - but I found all these traditional recipes for soup online and gave one a whirl.
The night before, I put 1 cup of mung beans in a large jar and filled it up with filtered water, and I let it sit for at least 12 hours before I started the soup. This made the whole process go a lot faster, as well as making them even more digestible.

Ingredients:
1 cup mung beans (soaked the rinsed)
5 cups of water
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seed
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp salt
fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Pour the pre-soaked and rinsed beans, water and turmeric in a large pot and cook until the beans are tender. (I didn't keep track of the time, but it was about 30 minutes? Sorry..)
2. Add the salt then blend to a smooth consistency.
3. Heat the ghee and coconut oil until clear, add the cumin and stir briefly to release the aroma and flavor. Then remove from heat.
4. Pour the ghee mixture over the soup. Stir.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

pocket sized patty pan pie day

On my way home from school today.. I was thinking of what I have in my kitchen that needs using up. I had a patty pan squash left from the end of summer.. and it was getting a little less than hard. So I decided to make cupcake sized pies. Because cupcake size everything is better.
Now, I am from California. We don't make pies. But I live in Missouri now, and it is time for a change. This was my first time, and on top of that - it needed to be gluten, sugar, egg, dairy, and soy free.
Here's a picture of my magical bottomless sink of dirty dishes. Which, I admit - is my fault. sigh..

Mystery pies in the oven. . . . . . . .
After 50 minutes, I took the pan outside to cool.. just like they do in country films and pictures. That's all I'm going off of here!

So .. I learned today that the crust needs to be a little sweeter, it needs to hold together a little better, and it needs to be a little thinner. Otherwise, the insides were delicious, and I ate 3.. before I could even bring them inside.

I'm not going to put the recipe down just yet.. I'll wait until I perfect the crust. (soon)
Just seeing who is actually following this blog :) I hope you're not too bummed.

eating my grandpa's breakfast

What's for breakfast: 2 "meat muffins" (sorry no one has come up with a better name yet), 2 prunes, and a cup of oatmeal.. made with 1/2 water, 1/2 almond milk, a tiny scoop of honey, another one of cinnamon, and raisins.

It's the most important meal of the day!

chicken soup for the heart

If you need healing of any kind, pretty sure this will do the trick. It's also delicious, if you're just hungry.

I got the recipe out the the Eating for Life cookbook. I'm not a huge fan of the book, so I don't recommend getting on to amazon right now - but this is one good recipe.

Kale, Lentil, and Chicken Soup.. what an unimaginative name.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp snipped fresh basil (or 1 tsp crushed dried basil)
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I had it all ready from making the broth the day before)
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped,
1/2 cup dry lentils (I soaked mine for 7 hours with a dash of apple cider vinegar, then rinsed them!)

1. In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes until veggies are nearly tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add broth and, if using, dried basil to vegetables. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in kale, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 more minutes.
4. Stir in chicken, tomato, lentils, and, if using, fresh basil. Simmer covered for 5-10 minutes or until kale and lentils are tender. Makes 6 servings.

Feel better!
Here it is again, the next time I made it during the Hunt + Gather diet - without the lentils..

making chicken stock.. is important

I can't tell you exactly why it's important.. I just have a feeling..

Ingredients:
1 whole (fresh) chicken or leftover chicken parts.. Or a whole frozen chicken (thaw it safely!)
5-6 quarts water (A bit more or less doesn’t matter, since you can reduce the stock to the intensity level you want, anyway).
Vegetable and herb trimmings (Use what ever you have - such as ends from onions, cores and scraps from bell peppers, celery leaves, herb stems, asparagus throwaway stalks ends, fennel leaves, etc.)

Put all the ingredients in a big pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer.
After about 30 minutes, take the chicken out. That's something nice about homemade chicken stock.. it comes with chicken!
Continue to simmer the rest for an hour. (simmer longer for a more concentrated stock)
Drain it out, compost the veggies, and add salt and pepper to taste!

Let the stock stand in the fridge overnight if you're not going to use it right away.. then you can easily skim the fat off the top.

got fiber? a different kind of cupcake.

Oops! this blog looks just like the last - but - it's different. This cupcake is made out of ... drum roll.. .. .. beans! I made a huge batch of beans a while ago, and they were hanging out in the fridge, then I remembered a cupcake recipe from the Healthy Indulgences blog that called for beans (I changed it, of course).

Here we go. Oven! 350. Makes about 14 mini cupcakes.. I make cupcakes in VERY small batches. Just in case I don't get around to bringing them to my friends.. sorry guys! There are 7 left of this batch if you read this, NOW. Oh dear, that means I already ate 7. ug. But - it's OK! because they're made out of beans!

Take 2. Oven! 350.
1/2 cup cooked beans (I had black.. but I doubt it matters)
2 "eggs" - use eggs if your body wants you to, but I used: 3 tsp of egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup of warm water, as well as 1 tsp of ground flax seed. But the flax seed was probably unnecessary.
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (use honey if you want it sweeter)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp packed coconut flour
1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder (it's all I had left in my house - don't be afraid to add more!)
1 pinch salt
1 pinch baking soda
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder

In your food processor, blend beans with the "eggs," vanilla and almond extract, brown rice syrup, and salt.
Then mix in the melted coconut oil
Add the coconut flour, baking soda, and baking powder..

Fill the mini cupcake molds with batter about 3/4 full. I don't recommend cupcake liners. I just got some because I was curious - but they are so unnecessary! (and these guys didn't stick to my un-greased pan one bit.) Rap the muffin pan to pop small air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes, or until springy to the touch. The healthy indulgence girl then said to let them sit for 24 HOURS! (this is supposed to get rid of the bean flavor that is left.) I just smeared strawberry frosting on them and no bean flavor came through. Maybe it's because I used beans that I made from scratch and she might have used them from a can? Who knows. Be my guest and wait 24 hours before you eat these.. but, like I said. I already ate 7.

a week off

I'm going to be out of town again this week.. but this time without a kitchen! Ah! What will I do? How will my body and soul be nourished? I am trusting the chefs of Washington DC to do the job. But it will be tempting to do some gorilla cooking, in my hotel room, with a single electric burner. Bye for now :)

perfect birthday cupcakes

I have to start out by saying, I didn't make these.. my boyfriend did. And he said I could put them on the blog, and it's really only fair - to you - that I do. These are perfect cupcakes for the gluten, sugar, dairy, egg, and soy free birthday girl. or boy :) And as you can see by my many attempts at perfect cupcakes.. it's hard to do!

Oven! 350.
(this makes MORE than 12 regular sized cupcakes.. he made me many mini ones, 22 in fact :)
Cupcakes:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a sprinkle of salt
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry ones. Then mix them together. Spoon batter into mini cupcake pan, fill about 2/3 of the way up. Bake at 350 for aprox. 15 minutes.

The frosting: (makes a TON.. you can decide to cut this recipe down, or just have leftover frosting. Not a crime.)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 banana
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 crate strawberries

Mix all ingredients over low heat (expect the strawberries!). Blend/puree strawberries separately. Kill the heat. Mix the two together then refrigerate! It need at least 2 hours in the fridge - or I guess you can just put it in the freezer)

speaking of coconut oil... fudge.

oh my god.This fudge originally came from The Nourishing Gourmet
but then I changed it.. so it's only sweetened with fruit instead of palm sugar.
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 small-ish banana (or 1/2 a huge one)

Blend all ingredients until smoooooth
Then pour into a small loaf pan (covered with a layer of parchment paper)
I topped mine with chocolate chips (ones that I can eat) for a little more sweet..
Then put it in the freezer to harden (remember, coconut oil hardens at 75 degrees, so it won't take long at all.. Then pop it out of the pan, and cut it up :)

Try making a stawberry-balsamic, or lavender-honey, or spicy chocolate instead, just by adding some more ingredients. This recipe is just the base!

watching the seasons change.. in my kitchen.

The coconut oil is solid again, and that means it's below 75 degrees in my kitchen. It's actually about 65 right now.. but I didn't think to write about coconut oil until today.

I learned about using coconut oil a number of months ago.. I use it to replace butter, I use it as a lotion for my skin (well, I did - until the summer mosquitoes came).. and I think it was when I started reading food blogs that I came to see it as a normal kitchen item. It's so normal now, that I buy it in bulk.

Here's a website with a LOT of information about coconut oil.. I know you can google too - but this saves you the step. http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

Sorry for the short blog today.. but I'm going out of town again.. I promise to add a new recipe soon.

early autumn soup with sauteed carrots

I made a different soup earlier tonight.. but decided it wasn't the one I wanted to eat. So.. I made this one for dinner. I'm a little nuts. It's delicious. This recipe would serve 4-6 people. Depending if it's a side or main course.

Ingredients:
6 small summer squash (sliced)
1 big head of cauliflower (sliced)
3 cloves of garlic (sliced)
1 onion (finely sliced)
4 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of water
2 carrots (sliced)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
parsley for garnish

-Sweat the cauliflower, squash, onion, garlic & thyme in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the onion is soft.
-Add the vegetable stock, water, and bay leaf- then bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
-Remove thyme sprigs & bay leaf from the pot.
-Blend.
-In the meanwhile saute the carrot slices in the 3rd tbsp of oil until soft.
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Garnish the soup with the carrots and parsley.