Salsa + stuff = lunch

Its summer time, therefore, time to eat salsa! Not only is it raw (or super-powered raw if you ferment it) but it is a great way to eat your garlic, acids, onions, and makes whatever you top it on flavorful and good.

I used to add corn and black beans to my salsa, but otherwise, this is the same approximate recipe I've used for years. The addition of a food processor is wonderful, and any excess liquid (if you don't remove the juice from the tomatoes) can be used to flavor soups, make guacamole, or as a soaking liquid.

I usually make salsa every other week and keep it in the fridge (it stays good for a while with all the acids and garlic in it!) and just pull out protein, cheese, and some other greens if desired, and voila! lunch!

Fresh Salsa
(adjust to your own taste buds, very flexible!)

1 large onion - red or white
1-2 jalepeños (I usually taste after adding one, I like it mild, but often I use two.)
1 large bunch cilantro
juice of 1 lime or lemon
2 bell peppers
4-6 cloves garlic
5-7 large tomatoes (I like mixing different kinds for a complex flavor.)
tsp salt - to taste

Wear gloves for handling jalepeños, and scrape out seeds into compost unless you want it really spicey. Chop finely or put in processor first. Chop garlic and onion finely as well, along with cilantro. I find bell peppers and tomatoes are nice to keep chunky as well as finely chopped, so I sometimes process everything but a couple tomatoes, and then have those larger. Add lemon/lime juice and salt, mix and let flavors meld for a couple hours.

Keep in a non-reactive (glass) bowl in the fridge for a quick topping to everything!

Have you tried salsa on eggs? It a delicious wake-me-up breakfast. Yum!

Week 9

No major updates this week. Continuing to eat GAPS food, continuing to see healing which is slow but steady. Pediatrician was thrilled to see that my baby no longer has any rashes or signs of yeast, is pleasantly plump, no diarrhea, and looking happy. She has perfect baby skin these days that eluded us those first nine months before I figured out the problem.

I also discovered another GAPSer that has a bunch of phenomenal recipes! I wish I had discovered this blog before. Check out Grain Free Foodie for more recipes to keep you excited about food even when you've cut out entire food groups. There are also lots of fruit recipes that you won't find here.

Meanwhile, I need to start planning GAPS meals for vacation. We'll be in a cabin for a week and have a stove, fridge, etc. but I will have to pack everything and have lots of quick meals. Any suggestions?

Sweet & Sour Lentils

I tried out this recipe from Keeper of the Home. It is seriously yummy, it just doesn't score high on the presentation factor. To make it more exciting, I topped it with fresh chopped pineapple and crispy cashew pieces. I think next time I make it I will also add a tiny bit of pork and other veggies such as green pepper, carrots (for hubby), leeks, water chestnuts, and other stir-fry type veggies.

If you like sweet and sour, try it out. The taste more than makes up for it's odd appearance.


Sweet and Sour Lentils
by Keeper of the Home with my modifications in italics.

(I double this recipe for our family of 4, and it gives me enough leftovers to serve it to the kids and I for lunch)


2 1/4 cups water or bone broth
 or mixture of both
1 cup lentils (green or brown, not orange)

1/2 medium onion, diced (I used a whole one)
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp honey
               (I used half as much honey)
1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. basil

Soak the lentils with a tbs whey, overnight or start them early in the morning (using the 2 1/4 cups liquid).
Without draining, bring the lentils to a boil, then turn low and simmer for 1/2 an hour. Add the onions and cook for another 15 minutes.         ---- I did half hour total, they were plenty tender, they soaked a full 24 hrs.
If there's still quite a bit of liquid remaining, remove the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes more.
When tender, add oil, vinegar, honey and seasonings. Cook again for 5-8 minutes, mixing well. (I skipped additional heating to preserve enzymes in the vinegar. Turned out just fine.)

topped with a little bit thinly sliced fresh pineapple, and crispy cashews.

Egg in a Squash Basket

I eat cooked butternut squash for breakfast a lot. I usually add a little bacon fat or butter, and a pinch of salt. Reheating it in the toaster oven is pretty fast, so along with my egg drop soup, I have a "quick" breakfast. Baby likes it too.

But once in a while it is nice to look at something a little different.

1/2 c leftover winter squash
1 egg
1 tbs butter

Lightly grease your pan and preheat oven(or toaster oven) to 400º - alternatively, this can be done on the stove, just put a lid on the skillet and cook it gently. Spread squash into a mound, then make a bowl in the center for the egg to go and drop egg in. Bake for 15 minutes till egg white is done and yolk is still slightly runny. Put butter on top of egg while still warm so it can melt, and sprinkle with a dash of salt to taste.

Looking at other recipes - it looks like this is best done with a broiler for about 7 minutes. I've not tried that though, but I have cooked it longer so the yolk is more done.

I especially like how the sweet flavor of the butternut squash plays with the salty flavor of the egg and butter. Mmmm...

Shared on Pennywise Platter Thursdays.

Cilantro Lime Navy Beans

I finally got my order of navy beans in. They are so much cheaper when you order 5 lbs at once! I love throwing beans in soup to help spread the meat farther, but with the heat we didn't feel like soup. This had a slightly mexican flavor and was super yummy.

Basic recipe:

• 1 cup beans, soaked for 24 hours with a little whey, simmered for 6 hours
• juice of 2 limes
• handful of cilantro, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 medium onions, 1 red, 1 white
• half bulb garlic
• little salt to taste
• little organic, non-irradiated taco seasoning

Other add-ins:

• several handfuls of green beans
• 2 chopped bell peppers
• jalepeño
• cooked chicken from making stock

Soak beans the day before in about 3 cups water and a couple tablespoons whey, vinegar, or salt. This helps tremendously with digestibility. Simmer in the chicken stock for 6 hours, You should use up most of the liquid this way, if there seems to be too much you can just take the lid off, or if you are running out too early, just add some filtered water. When nearly done, chop onions and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes in bacon fat, lard or ghee. Add other vegetables and cook for another few minutes till onions are clear and other greens have just changed color. Add bean mixture, along with lime juice, cilantro, salt, and seasonings.

Top with fresh avocado and dig in.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Octopus Squash Birthday Cake

My baby is one! I made chocolate bean cupcakes for everyone else, but for my highly sensitive baby, I wanted to make her a cake she could squish, cover herself in, and eat without any reactions. So far homemade yogurt, mashed avacado, pre-chewed meat, and butternut squash are happy foods for her. So I cooked up a squash until it was nice and mushy, and squished and squashed and molded it into an adorable little octopus. Little bits of broccoli made the face, and my baby had a marvelous time.

On the Menu

• Sweet & Sour Lentils
• Chicken Fingers
• Buttered Bacon Baby Cabbage
• Salad with crumbled bacon, egg, tomato, and homemade ranch dressing
• Leftover minestrone