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!