Dairy-free Leche Flan (Filipino style)

Well the holidays are coming and I started craving Leche Flan. Leche flan is a Filipino custard-type desert.  I grew up eating it, made by my parents using the traditional way. Loaded with milk and eggs.  My daughter and I are allergic to dairy and I had to find a way to make it safe for us.

Warning: Recipe contains a lot of sugar!   We don't eat this everyday so to me it's okay.

Ingredients:

For the caramel syrup:

1 cups organic sugar

For the flan:

3 beaten eggs

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup organic sugar

2 1/2 cup rice or hemp milk(probably almond milk will work too)

1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla

You will need some sort of a mold or ramekins. I used medium sized ramekins, Corning ware.  You will also need a metal roasting pan, aluminum will do.

In a heavy pan, heat 1 cup of sugar until it melts on medium heat. Swirl it around to make sure there are no lumps.  Do not burn the syrup!  After it's done, divide it between the ramekins. For my recipe I had 5 ramekins.

Now on to the flan.  In a sauce pan, pour the non-dairy "milk" and the vanilla.  Don't boil it but just let it simmer on low. 

In  a bowl mix the eggs and sugar using a handheld mixer. I mixed mine on medium setting until it's fully mixed.  Then slowly add the non-dairy milk/vanilla mixture.  Mix it again with your mixer. Pour it in the ramekins. Fill the roasting pan with water and place the ramekins inside. You want to make sure the water comes up at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cook it on 355 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.  You want it a little jiggly and a bit firm. 

Once it's done, take them out. To get the flan out, you want to use a sharp nice and run it inside the edge of the ramekin.  Then get a plate, place it on top of the ramekin, shake it a little and the flan should slide right out.

I hope you enjoy it! Everyone that have tasted this said it tastes just like the Filipino Leche flan. 

Gluten-free Turon

Turon is a popular Filipino sweet, sort of like a lumpia-wrapped banana or plantain.  I am used to it being a plantain lumpia.  I grew up eating it but since going gluten-free 5 years ago, I've had to figure out how to make it okay for us to eat.  While the lumpia wrapper is made of wheat, the wrap I used is made of rice.  I made these several times until I decided why not post it, maybe someone else might like it.  My family loves it.

You can purchase the rice wraps at Kroger and Asian and Filipino stores.  Follow the instructions that comes with it.

Ingredients:

1 large very ripe plantain
1/4 cup organic sugar
Sunflower oil or use coconut oil if you're able to tolerate it(I can't)
Sliced jackfruit (optional)

Cut the plantain in thin small sizes.  Get the rice wraps ready.  Lay the plantain on the wrap, add a little bit of the sugar and fold it in sideways and roll it all the way. Seal the end with a little water.

Heat oil in medium on a frying pan.  When it's hot then you can slowly put the turon to fry. They tend to stick to make sure they are spaced apart.  Cook until both sides are light brown and crispy. Drain. You can serve it with ice cream or just eat it by itself.

Enjoy!

Plantain(flour) pancakes

I have been meaning to post this and keep forgetting. This is one of our favorites. If you wanted to try something exotic, try plantain flour. Plantain and plantain flour are staples at our house. I normally use the flour for making pancakes. I don't really measure anything when I make plantain pancakes but I'll estimate for the sake of this post.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plantain flour
1 egg
2 tbsp sunflower oil or any oil you prefer
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1/4 cup milk or anything non-dairy that you use. I mostly use hemp milk
2 tbsp Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Mix it all until all lumps are gone.  Heat skillet to medium.  Once on medium,  I normally turn it down to less than medium, on my stove it's on a "3."  It doesn't take long to cook so keep an eye on it and flip it to cook the other side.  Serve warm with organic maple syrup.

(Non-dairy) Cheesy and crumbly chicken

I am missing breaded chicken so I came  up with this recipe.  This is an easy dish and you don't need a lot of prep time and cooking time either.

Ingredients:

4 pieces of chicken breasts, thawed
1/2 cup of shredded  Daiya cheese mozarella flavor
1/2 cup of crushed Nature's Path rice cereal
2 tablespoon of organic Spectrum shortening (not melted)

Preheat the stove at 425 degrees F.  Cover the chicken with the shortening, then roll around the crushed rice cereal and Daiya (cheese substitute).   Make sure it's covered.   Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until done.

For the side dish:

1 package of organic green beans
1/2 cup water
Leftover bacon fat(from frying bacon), you can use any animal fat you have such as tallow or duck.

In a frying pan, put the green beans and the water. Bring to a boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes or until tender. Then when the water is nearly gone, add the bacon fat and stir it around.  Serve hot with the chicken.

My daughter loved this, she was begging me to make more later.

Buckwheat banana muffins

I bought raw organic buckwheat grouts from Whole Foods, sprouted them and after that I ground it into flour.  I received a manual grain mill for Christmas from my sister and have been putting it to use.  I've mainly used it for buckwheat.

I took some pictures can't find them. I'll post some pictures later.

Ingredients:

1 cup sprouted buckwheat flour.

1 large ripe mashed banana

1/4 cup partially melted Spectrum Palm Shortening

1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking soda

1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey if you can tolerate it)

1/4 cup hemp milk

If you are able to sprout your own flour that would be great, otherwise just use regular buckwheat flour. The point is sprouting is to make it easier to digest.

Mix all the ingredients.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until done. Please check since every oven is different.

My daughter loves this muffin, she a bunch in one sitting :).  Enjoy!

Autumn

Fall is here, my favorite time of that year. I love everything about it. The aroma, the delicate leaves changing and falling, the feel of my favorite sweater on my face.  There's something incredibly romantic about autumn, don't you agree?

Aside from that, now that the weather has gotten a little chilly, I'm craving broths and soups again. So I'm back to making nutrition-packed bone broths. I seriously can live on this all fall and winter.  However, in the summer, the last thing I want to eat/drink when it's over a 100 degrees outside is a bowl of bone broth.  

So what about you, what's your favorite thing about fall?

Missing paleo

As some of you know, recently I revamped my diet again. I could not strictly stay paleo anymore because I had to remove many foods that I was eating while following that lifestyle.  I would say I miss coconut the most. I used coconut everything.  Coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter. I miss almonds as well and other nuts(most are also moderate to high in salicylates).  The only nut I'm eating right now is cashew.  It's been frustrating to be honest, being so limited with foods. It was already so limited before and now it's even worse.  I was doing well until last year when I had pneumonia and had to be on steroids and antibiotics. And then a few months after that, had to be on antibiotics and steroids again. Later on I had to be on antibiotics again. I really believe that jeopardized the integrity of my stomach and cause even more dysbiosis. In other words, all the antibiotics and steroids sabotaged my path to healing.  I'm upset about it but there was nothing I could do. 

I haven't been posting many recipes because I'm still struggling with this low salicylate diet. I'm still learning. Some days I just want to give up and just eat everything and just deal with the consequences!

Kare-Kare paleo style (Filipino dish)

Kare-kare

I apologize for the lack of picture but every time I make this it gets snatched so fast. I don't even get a chance to take pictures.  This is a Filipino dish that I've changed a bit to make it paleo.  I hope you like it. I grew up eating it.  My dad made this with peanut butter and I changed it to cashew butter to make it low salicylate and also paleo.

As always I don't ever measure when cooking(aside from baking).

Ingredients:

4 or 5 pieces of ox tail (yes you read it right!)
a dash of black pepper(optional, omit if low salicylate)
a dash of sea salt
1 tablespoon (eyeballing this) of cashew butter or almond butter(if not low salicylate)
3 or 4 cloves of crushed garlic
a handful of chopped bok choy
A cup or two of filtered water

Put everything except the boy choy in a pot to cook until the meat softens.  After oxtail is soft which takes about an hour for me, add the bok choy. Cook for another 15 minutes until bok choy is soft.  Then it's done!  I grew up eating this with boiled white rice.   I also omitted the shrimp paste because I'm severely allergic to shrimp.

Salicylates

The past month I flared up again in massive hives. Now in the past, I would get them and they would be so bad that the only relief I can get was from Prednisone.  I've had hives coming off and on for several years and I thought this year I may have finally got to the bottom of it.

I'm allergic to Aspirin and have known this for years.  So I've been avoiding it for years.  However, I had no idea I also had to avoid the naturally occurring salicylates in foods as well.  I am paleo and I looked at the foods I'm eating and realized they are mostly high on salicylates.  This past month I've learned a lot(no thanks to my doctors) and have decided to tweak my diet even more.  On some days I feel so desperate that there's nothing left for me to eat! It's very hard. But the good news is the massive hives went away on it's own after removing foods that are high salicylates. I do believe I'm on my way to recovery.  I didn't have to use Prednisone this time and for that, I'm so grateful.  Prednisone messes me up very bad. I have a love-hate relationship with that drug but it's been necessary for me too in the past.

I believe the salicylates have also been the cause of my asthma flare up and doing much research on it, found that that is very common.   So I've ventured into changing as much as I can so I can reduce my salicylate exposure.  I've changed my toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lotion, lipbalm and of course removed the foods that are moderate to high.  I am feeling much better.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm still paleo but there were times I was so hungry that I've eaten rice.

Hazelnut scones

1 cup soaked and dehydrated hazelnuts(for easier digestion).  I buy hazelnuts and soak them for 8 hours then dehydrate them until they are dry. Then I grind it using my food processor until it's "meal" consistency.

1 pastured egg

1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda

1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla

2 tablespoon raw honey

1/8 cup Spectrum shortening, softened

a dash of sea salt


Mix everything and then scoop them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes but check often.  It's done when you check with a toothpick and it comes out clean.

We really liked this. It tastes a little bit like Nutella!  Next time I make it, I will add raisins or cherries.

Paleo/SCD banana bread

1 cup almond butter (or cashew butter)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
2 tsp gluten-free vanilla
3/4 cup raw honey
1 ripe banana

Mash the bananas. Mix everything.  Put mixture in a square greased pan.  I used a glass pyrex lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until inside is cooked.  Check with a toothpick or a knife.  This comes out sweet so if you want less sweet, use more almond butter and less raw honey.

Paleo chocolate cookies again

I made these twice now because they were a big hit at my house. I've had to hide some just so I can eat one!  This was a recipe from http://howtoeatandlive.com/2012/02/paleo-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/.

By this way, this recipe is egg-free, great for those who are avoiding eggs.  This was the best paleo chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.   I think the picture speaks for itself!

Simple Paleo lunch

Bacon, eggs and curry cabbage.

The eggs were from the farmers market.   Can you see how dark the yolk is?  These eggs were from chickens that were cage-free, free-range and mostly foraged on their own and ate very little grains.  They have a wonderful taste, not bland like supermarket eggs and definitely healthier for you because they are high in omega-3.  The cabbage was chopped up and cooked with duck fat, almond milk, sea salt, black pepper and curry powder.

Anyway, just a quick, easy meal to prepare when you're in a rush!

Almond Butter Chocolate chip cookies (paleoish)

 
Ingredients:

1 cup of almond butter
Enjoy Life chocolate chips, as much as you want
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs (I used duck eggs)
Several teaspoons of dried coconut
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. Spectrum shortening (I didn't melt it)
4 packets of Truvia. If you use honey, you will have to adjust the amount of almond butter.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix all the ingredients together. Make into small balls, these get bigger as they cook.  Put them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or so, just keep checking.  You should take them out when they're still a little soft, that's a given for cooking with nut.  They will get harder but will still be chewy enough.

I hope you like them!  My 4-year-old child ate 6 in one sitting!

Paleo Stir-fry

I like to make stir-fry with leftover meat from the day before.  This time we had plenty of pheasant.  .

Ingredients:  

*I'm eyeballing as usual so please bear with me.

1 package of yam noodles (they sell this at Whole Foods or other health food stores)
Coconut aminos, about 1/8 cup
Sea salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
Sesame oil, maybe about 1 tsp (optional)
Leftover pheasant meat, removed from bones and diced (you can use chicken, beef, pork, etc)
1 bag of stir-fry veggies
Duck fat (or any animal fat)

Boil yam noodles for however long the package tells you. Drain and then rinse. Heat up a large frying pan or wok with duck fat or any lard you have. Saute meat, then add veggies.  Then add the noodles and everything else. Stir around for a while.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Almost paleo chili

Okay so this is not completely paleo, but it's GAPS-friendly if you're in advanced stages.  I added some sprouted red lentils to this recipe. I soaked and sprouted them myself.  You can omit that to make it paleo.

Please bear with me as I am once again not sure as far as the exact amounts of spices and such that I used. I always eye ball these things.

The veggies don't need to be perfect. If you want them chunky, then just cut them up in whatever shape or form you like, no need to dice them.  It's all good.

Ingredients:

1 pound grass-fed ground beef
Diced onion, half of the onion
A few cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP all spice
1/2 TBSP cocoa powder
a cup of beef broth (I made it from beef bones)
1/2 cup of water or so
black pepper
Trader Joe's chipotle salsa, about 1/2 of the bottle or less if you don't like it too spicy*
Tomato paste (I used 3 ounces)
2 TBSP beef tallow (I made this one too) or coconut oil or any other good quality animal fat
I large green bell pepper, cut up/diced
1/2 cup of sprouted red lentils (optional)
1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced added at the end

Heat casserole and add the tallow.  Saute the onion and garlic, don't burn them!  Add the beef and brown it.  Add all the other ingredients and stir.  Come to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for about 90 minutes or so.  Make sure it's covered during this time.

*Trader Joe's Chipotle salsa says it's medium hot. It tastes mild to me though but maybe that's because I like spicy food. Anyway, just be careful with this if you're not a big fan of spicy.

Enjoy!

Almond Banana Chocolate Muffin

Ingredients:

1 Cup almond butter, creamy (I used the one from Trader Joes)
2 pastured eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 very ripe banana

Mash the banana.  Combine everything except the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.  Add them later.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or til toothpick comes out clean.  

They came out so great! It's very dense so I don't think I can eat more than 2 in one sitting :).  Enjoy!

I thought I would post something not food-related.   Well sort of. It happened at a restaurant.   We were at this little Indian restaurant yesterday during lunch.  As usual they had a Bollywood movie showing on the big screen TV on the wall.  I love Bollywood!   Anyway, the guys were hot and the girls were all very pretty in their colorful and bright sarongs.  There was a time when I even tried one on, trying hard to be Indian LOL.  I saw the price tag and quickly took the sarong off. 

In the movie two guys were talking. One man was giving advice to another guy who was going through relationship problems.  He seemed sad and desperate for help.  The man told him that women are like buses. I snorted.  He said "women are like buses, when one passes by, another one is sure to come by."   The sad man just stared at him and shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head indicating that this lady friend of his was "no regular bus and no other bus will come by to replace her."    The man giving advice continued : "more buses will pass by you but only one can take you home.  You must never miss that bus."   At that, the man seeking wisdom looked down, knowing that he has "missed the bus" and must figure out a way to find that bus again.

I don't know why I'm sharing this but I just thought that perhaps someone will benefit from this. It's so true!  I was touched, though it sounded corny and sappy, by the truth of that advice.

Paleo Irish Soda Bread

Ever since we went paleo a year and half ago, we haven't had any Irish soda bread.  My husband is of Irish descent and this was one of those things that I made that he truly enjoyed. We used to be just gluten and dairy-free so I would make the soda bread with millet and sorghum flours.   I'm so glad we can have soda bread again! I adapted this from Elana's Pantry's Irish soda bread recipe.

2 and 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ cup raisins
2 eggs
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar(or you can also use lemon)


Mix all the wet ingredients separately in a bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients separately in a bowl as well.  Then mix both.   Form into a dough and put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Please see picture above, it's about 8 inches sideways and about an inch and a half of height.   Score the dough with a sharp knife.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, turn off the stove and let it sit in there for another 10 minutes. Take it out and cool it on a rack for half an hour before serving.  It tastes great by itself but my 4 year old loves it with apricot jam.