Pi Day

Happy Pi Day!  

It's a great excuse to make a delicious savory pie for dinner and a sweet pie for dessert.

Shepherd's Pie

Photo: Ditch the Wheat

  

Pizza Pie - Sweet Potato Crust

Photo: Delectably Domestic

 Pizza Pie - Cauliflower Crust

Photo: Carly Johnson

Chocolate Pie

Photo: Paleo Magazine

Pumpkin Pie

Photo: The Paleo Mom

Apple Crumble Pie

Photo: Our Paleo Life

Butternut Squash Risotto

My husband and I are of the paleo and bulletproof thinking that white rice is ok, as long as you can tolerate it.  For more info than you really want about rice you can check out FitBomb.  Fitbomb says,

If you stick with white rice (which doesn’t contain the phytate and trypsin inhibitor content of the less-milled brown rice) and you cook it properly (which neutralizes the haemagglutinin-lectin), you don’t have much to worry about from an anti-nutrient perspective... It is essentially a blank slate, nothing all that bad about it, but nothing all that great, either.

Chris Kresser, whom my husband and I both highly respect, shares his idea of a paleo template and the optimal diet for modern day humans.

If we are indeed asking what the optimal diet is for modern humans (rather than simply speculating about what our Paleolithic ancestors ate), there’s no way to answer that question definitively. Why? Because just as there is tremendous variation amongst populations with diet, there is also tremendous individual variation. Some people clearly do better with no dairy products. Yet others seem to thrive on them. Some feel better with a low-carb approach, while others feel better eating more carbohydrate. Some seem to require a higher protein intake (up to 20-25% of calories), but others do well when they eat a smaller amount (10-15%).

The only way to figure out what an optimal diet is for you is to experiment and observe. The best way to do that is to remove the “grey area” foods you suspect you might have trouble with, like dairy, nightshades, eggs, etc. for a period of time (usually 30 days is sufficient), and add them back in one at a time and observe your reactions. This “30-day challenge” or elimination diet is what folks like Robb Wolf have recommended for a long time.

As I try to figure out what my optimal diet is, I've begun to "experiment and observe" with a fodmap free template.  Cauliflower is a high fodmap food and so we've had to cut out the cauliflower rice recipes that have become so popular.  Fine with me.  I like rice and can tolerate it well.

With all that in mind here is a fodmap free, very yummy recipe for risotto.  Of course, if you would rather stick with cauliflower, substitute the arborio rice for a head of cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs).

Photo: The Italian Chef

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into chunks
• 4T ghee or bacon fat, divided
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon asafoetida
• 1T fresh sage, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 1/2 cups grass-fed bone broth or organic, grass-fed beef or pastured chicken stock
• about 3 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
2. Place the butternut squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with 2T bacon fat and sprinkle with salt.
3. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
4. Blend squash with 1/2 cup broth in a blender.  Set aside.
5. Heat broth in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat.
6. While squash is roasting melt 2T bacon fat in a large skillet.
7. Add rice, asafoetida, sage, and nutmeg, stir about 2 minutes.
8. Add 1/2 cup heated broth to rice.  Stir together until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
9. Repeat with remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until all liquid is absorbed.  Rice should be cooked through and creamy.
10. Fold blended squash into rice.
11. Season to taste with salt.
12. Top with bacon.

Brown Butter and Caramelized Onion Cauliflower Mash

I love mashed potatoes but they don't love me.  Instead of subjecting my family to the big insulin spiking bomb of mashed potatoes we're on the hunt for an amazing mashed cauliflower recipe.  Oh, we're no strangers to using cauliflower as potatoes (not to mention rice, pizza dough, or tortillas) we're just out to find the best dish for Thanksgiving.

I really like this recipe but it's not quite amazing enough for Thanksgiving.  I'm sharing it with you because you may just LOVE it!  In the meantime I'll make more mashed cauliflower recipes and try to share them with you.

Here's my recipe adapted from Running to the Kitchen's guest poster, KatieDid.

Photo: Running to the Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

5 Tbsp of salted butter
3 cloves of garlic
2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

• Slice onions and caramelize in 3 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. The last 5 minutes, throw in the garlic cloves to release some of their flavor.  Once onions are completely caramelized remove from the pan and set aside.
• Meanwhile cut up cauliflower into florets. Place in a casserole dish and add about a cup of water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes until they are soft.
• Place cauliflower and garlic cloves into a food processor and process for a few minutes.
• Over medium heat add 2-3 tablespoons of butter to your onion saucepan and stir constantly until just beginning to brown, about 3-4 minutes. 
• Add ½ of the caramelized onions, all the browned butter, and a healthy pinch of salt to the cauliflower in the processor. Process until fully incorporated and a smooth, creamy mash has been formed. This may take several minutes depending on your food processor. Taste and adjust salt.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I tried making pizza last year with no success.  The secret?  You have to squeeze out the excess water from the cauliflower once it is cooked.  Be careful, it will be extremely hot.  I use oven mitts to protect my hands.  It may be smarter to make your cauliflower ahead of time so you have time to let it cool before you try squeezing out the water.  

Ingredients

• I head cauliflower
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• sea salt to taste
• 1 cup tomato sauce, optional (Personally, I think this pizza is delicious without sauce)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• toppings
• fresh oregano or basil, to garnish

Directions

	1.  Line a pizza stone or baking sheet with parchment paper. 2.  Pre-heat the oven to 425˚F.
	3.  Process cauliflower a food processor until it resembles course crumbs.
	4.  Microwave or steam the riced cauliflower until soft. 5.  Place riced cauliflower in a fine cloth and squeeze out the excess water.
	6.  Place the riced cauliflower into a large mixing bowl and add the egg, Parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, you should have a fairly stiff but malleable dough.
	7. Place the cauliflower "dough" onto the prepared pan and pat out into a large circle, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.
	8. Remove from oven and top with sauce, toppings, and cheese.
	9. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Top with fresh oregano or basil leaves and serve.

Cauliflower Mash

Summer is so busy and most days I don't want to cook.  I end up serving tried and true dishes that I don't really have to think about, hence the few posts over the last couple of months.

We're getting down to the last few servings from our 1/4 cow (see my "we're buying a cow" post).  Last night I made a chuck roast from I breathe... I'm hungry... (which gave me the idea to do the Whole30, but that's another post).

Photo: Eating With Purpose

I served the roast over cauliflower mash.

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut off the stalk and broken into small pieces
• 2-4 tablespoons grass-fed butter
• 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, mct oil, or olive oil
• splash of raw milk or heavy cream (if dairy intolerant, use broth)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté all ingredients (except liquid) in a heavy stainless steel skillet until slightly softened 
2. Stir in a splash of liquid - I like my mash thick and lumpy, use more if you like yours thinner
3. Use an immersion blender in the pan to mash the cauliflower
4. Stir to incorporate all ingredients 

Serve alone as a side dish, as the topping for shepherd's pie, or in a bowl under a roast and all the yummy juices.

Shepherd's Pie

We love Shepherd's Pie.  Just a few little tweaks and we can still enjoy this family favorite.

 

The bottom is organic, grass-fed ground beef and veggies du jour.

Cook the ground beef until there is no more pink then saute the veggies with the cooked ground beef.

Transfer beef and veggies to a baking dish.  To the skillet, and the yummy bits from the beef, add raw cream, oregano, and thyme.  Thicken the sauce with a little almond flour and add sea salt to taste. 

 Combine the beef mixture and the sauce and top with mashed cauliflower.  Add 3-4 teaspoons of grass-fed butter (we use Kerrygold) on top and bake at 350º for about 20 minutes until heated through and top is golden.

Kid rating: 2 thumbs up!

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Poppers

Easy and super yummy as a side dish or afternoon snack.

Turn on the oven to 425º and by the time your oven is preheated you'll have your head of cauliflower chopped up.

Drizzle cauliflower florets with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

The first time I made this my kids and their friends devoured it within seconds.  Seriously!

I tried to tell my popcorn-loving friend this would be a good substitute for her popcorn cravings but after making and eating it again, it really doesn't take care of that need for crunch.

It is delicious, though!  I hope you try it.