Liverwurst (aka. superfood sausage!)

I just made this tonight, and I was really thrilled! Everything is approximate - so play around with the recipe. Try different spices too... I'm still obsessed with cumin & cayenne :)

• 1 lb grass fed beef liver
• 1 lb pastured organic ground pork
• half bulb garlic
• half small onion
• 3 tsp kosher salt
• pepper (as desired - up to 2 tsp)

Use whatever sausage seasonings you like - One recipe I looked at for liverwurst used allspice, sage and marjoram. This is what I used:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp ginger

Put in onions and garlic (pre-chopped a little) in processor. Then add liver and puree. Then add ground pork and spices. I stuck my nose in and smelled it - if I still smelled liver, I added more spices. Once pureed, it should be the consistency of gloppy pudding. If anyone comes in the room and asks what you are making, you can tell them that it is pudding. Hee hee. Heat cast iron skillet on medium heat. Drop by big spoonfuls onto skillet (no need to pre-grease unless the pork is lean) and spread with spatula into 1/4 in patties (bread shaped for sandwiches!) Brown for a few minutes on each side, and then serve up for a super-powered meal.

Keeps in the fridge at least a week, and freezes nicely too!

Linked to Monday Mania. 


UPDATE: Check out my updated recipe! 

Rosemary Squash Faux-tatoes

Forget mash potatoes this thanksgiving. This is SOOO good! It tastes like super rich mash potatoes and the rosemary is wonderful.

4 cups mushed cooked butternut squash
3/4 cup yogurt, or sour cream or soured cream (raw cream that sat in your fridge too long)
2 heaping tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp rosemary (fresh would be even better)
parsley

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 400º until warmed throughout. Probably about 20 minutes.

Cauli-Rice

I've updated this recipe to skip the processor and use just one pot!

I make cauli-rice quite a bit. Not just for stir-fries, I also like it underneath some sloppy joes instead of a bun. Or any other dish that formerly used rice. Here is the simplist way to do it.

  Wash cauliflower, break into chunks and run through processor until it becomes small crumbles. You’ll probably have to do that in batches. (You can also grate it.) Put all of it in a large pot or skillet with a little bit of coconut oil or other fat. Stir often on medium heat. 

When cauliflower is becoming more translucent, make a shallow area in the center. Add some additional fat or oil.

 
Pour two or three beaten eggs in shallow area and gradually stir into cauliflower, leaving chunks of egg throughout.

 Season with paprika, wheat-free Tamari sauce, salt, garlic, onion, and anything else that strikes you. Pile on protein and other veggies and dive in!

Oh... Liver (with brussels and salt pork)

I've been working hard trying to figure out how to include liver in my diet. Chicken liver is easy to just blend into chicken salad or soup - it's flavor is incredibly mild. Beef liver on the other hand, is strong! Whew! And I have about 24 lbs of it in my freezer from grass fed wonderful cows. Here was one success and we'll try to do this monthly:

(Based on a recipe by Real Food for Less Money)

1 pound grass fed beef liver
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 lb salt pork
2 onions- cut in half and sliced thin
1 lb brussels sprouts

Slice liver while frozen very thinly, and soak overnight in lemon juice or whey.

I liked doing this in one pan - but you do have to start it fairly early. Cut salt pork into small peices and cook up on medium heat until cooked through. Set aside, leaving drippings in the pan. Meanwhile, slice onions thinly and wash and trim brussels sprouts. Cook onions and then sprouts  in salt pork drippings (can put in another pan so liver can cook at the same time) until browned, and then turn heat to low and continue cooking slowly for about 10-15 minutes until caramelized. Mix almond flour with salt and spices and coat both sides of liver slices with flour mixture. Cook in salt pork drippings on medium heat until browned, flipping to cook both sides.

Serve with the crumbled salt pork and don't tell anyone they're eating liver :)

Peanut Chicken Wraps

Chicken salad is my favorite packable food. It is also a wonderful way to use the little-too-dry chicken from making stock. (and a great place to hide ground up bones, mushy weird organs and nutritious  bits that no one wants to eat. Shhh!) For GAPS, I wrap it in steamed cabbage leaves, or just eat it out of the bowl. I like adding almonds and green onions and cheese and egg and random leftovers and make it a million different ways. I've made chicken curry salad a few times and it was really yummy - a spicy twist on the usual chicken salad. Then recently I tried a peanut chicken stir-fry and thought it was amazing! So this is a fun blend. My husband even thinks this is ok (he doesn't like cold chicken, any time, anywhere.) I feel this is still a recipe in progress, but it is still too yummy not to share.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken

Sauce:
1/4 c peanut butter (organic, unsalted is best)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or pineapple vinegar)
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 c cream or coconut cream (could also use yogurt possibly for different flavor)
3 Tbsp oil - coconut, olive, sunflower seed
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

1 small onion, cooked, finely chopped (opt.)

If using coconut oil, gently melt in a sauce pan. Sauté garlic, then add ginger and stir til fragrant. Mix rest of sauce ingredients thoroughly. It should be a gloppy brown sauce.  Since I used pineapple vinegar, which I find to be a little more mild than apple cider, I used a bit more. You may like more ginger too. Just taste it and see what you think. Mix in chicken and onions.

For wraps, break off (carefully) a few cabbage leaves (I filled 8 with this recipe) and put them in a pot, stems down, with an inch of water to steam for a couple minutes.

Serve warm or cold!

Naked Salmon Tacos!

I finally tried this recipe for southwest salmon and oh is it yummy! Mix it up with sautéd veggies, pile on fresh greenery and a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt). I'm going to make this tonight and add some beans as well, flavored with lime, salt and good stock. You could also add avocado slices, fermented salsa, shredded cheese....

(Recipe is easily double or tripled, this should be good for two people or more if you have beans with it)

• 2 salmon fillets
• ghee, butter or coconut oil, to grease pan
• juice of 1 
lime (or lemon)
• 2 Tbsp yogurt or SCD mayo
• 1/2 tsp
 oregano, dried
• 
1/2 tsp
 cumin, dried and ground 
•  1/2 tsp
 salt,
• 1/4 tsp 

crushed red pepper or chili powder, (use less if you like it less spicey)
• 4 tsp 
Basil or Coriander(cilantro), Fresh 

Mix yogurt or mayo with seasonings & lime juice, then spread over fish, and allow to marinade in the fridge for an hour or two (or overnight) till you are ready to bake. Marinating isn't critical if pressed for time, but does enhance the flavors. Heat oven to 400º. Grease a pan and put fish with yogurt mixture in it, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily. Salmon doesn't like being overbaked.

Shred and mix with the rest of your taco fillings that you prepared while fish was baking, and eat while warm. This also tastes good as leftovers!

Filling up on Fat

I've been asked a few times now where I get my fats. I use many different kinds, primarily saturated animal fats, since those are the best for your body and best for cooking, but I try to use a variety and am learning to include coconut oil in my diet more. If you still think saturated fats will increase your waistline, I encourage you to read the book "Eat Fat, Lose Fat." and read what the Weston A. Price foundation says about fats. Fats are essential for energy, digesting, satiety, and lower the glycemic index of foods. They make up every cell of your body, so why not make sure you body is made up of good, strong fats? Here is a list of the fats I use, where I get them, and what they work best for.

Bacon fat
I save every last drop of drippings when I make bacon. I usually cook up about a lb of nitrate free farm fresh bacon each month, and the drippings are usually enough for the month. Try to find a pig source where the pigs are farm raised and pastured. Happy, well fed pigs make more nutritious (and  better tasting!) meat.
Good for: sautéing veggies, meat, fish, flavoring veggies with bacon flavor.
Keep in fridge, fairly soft right out of fridge.

Lard
I don't have any lard at the moment, but will have some soon! My mom and I will be distilling some lard from pork fat that we are buying from a local farmer. You only need to simmer it in water all day, and then strain out the rich fat and let it cool. Be careful purchasing lard already prepared, it is often hydrogenated to make it more shelf stable.
Good for: frying, baking, sautéing, etc. Nice neutral flavor and very heat stable. Also excellent to add to beans when mashing them.
Keep in fridge, soft after a few minutes in room temp.

Beef tallow
A lot like Lard, only from beef fat. It used to be the frying fat of choice at McDonalds before the whole "saturated fat is evil!" scam came about. I save the fat whenever I cook beef, the rind from steaks, the big chunks on roasts, or the drippings from ground beef (if there are any, grass fed is pretty lean.) Simmer in a pot of water for several hours, strain, and refrigerate, the fat will rise to the top and can be kept in the fridge.
Good for: adding to soups, baking with meat and vegetables, frying, gravy.
Keep in fridge, will be hard until closer to room temp.

Chicken fat
I usually don't have any of this in my fridge, as whatever fat sits on top of my chicken stock I use with my soups and drink with my broth. The fat helps you assimilate more of the minerals and nutrients in the stock - so why would I remove it? Well, sometimes there is a lot more fat than I need, and then I'll scoop it off the top when the stock & fat are cold, and store it in the fridge for future use.
Good for: adding to soups that need more fat and flavor, sautéing, adding to beans when mashing, flavoring potato-like dishes or chicken dishes that have little fat on their own.
Keep in fridge, softens when warmed. 

Butter
Oh, how I love butter. When grains return to my diet I will be slathering my bread in butter. For now, I slather my eggs in butter (a wonderful combination for digestion.) I also try to add lots of butter (or another fat) to any vegetables I eat, since fats help you digest greens, and greens help you digest fats! I used to use generic store butter, and while that is certainly better than margarine, it is usually made from leftover whey and is very low in nutrients - that is why it is so pale. If I had access to as much cream as I wanted, I would certainly make my own butter. It is really easy, and you can even let the cream sit out for half a day so you can have cultured butter! For now, I found a source for grass fed cultured butter made from the cream, that is pasteurized (cooked) but is at least not ultra-pasteurized, and tastes wonderful. It is a rich yellow color and I find that I'm happy to use a lot less than store butter.
Good for: slathering on everything, baking, frying, etc.
Keep in fridge (or freezer if longer than a couple months), softens after a few minutes in room temp.

Forgot to mention ghee as well! - ghee is clarified butter and has virtually no milk proteins or sugars in it. Often people unable to tolerate dairy handle ghee just fine. You can make your own ghee fairly easily, but you can get excellent ghee from Pure Indian Foods.

Palm shortening/ Palm kernel oil
Mild neutral flavor, and very inexpensive. This is what I use now for pretty much all my baking when flavor is not needed (cookies and brownies are richer with butter, for sure.) I get it through Tropical Traditions (when they have their half-price or free shipping sales) and it lasts me for a good half of the year. High in saturated fat so good for lots of uses and doesn't need to stay in the fridge.
Good for: pan frying, baking, etc. 
Keep in cool cabinet, soft at room temp.

Coconut oil
I'm learning to use more of this in my dishes. Coconut is a natural detoxifier and has strong antifungal and antimicrobial properties, so I'm working my way gradually with it. It also adds a slight coconut flavor to certain dishes, which can be delicious if you like the coconut flavor. I don't personally, but I don't notice it in stir-fries or in flavorful dishes. A lot of people also use it for skin - from deodorant to natural sunscreen, I'm learning to do that as well. Be sure to find cold pressed and organic, this is often over-processed as well. Tropical Traditions carries good quality coconut oil for fairly inexpensive.
Good for: baking, any kind of frying, binding for granola, smoothies, skin.
Keep in cool cabinet, or fridge. Softens when heated, very hard below about 80º.

Olive Oil
I try to minimize cooking with this wonderful oil, is it is high in monounsaturated fats, which are very good in moderate amounts, but more easily damaged by cooking. I use it plenty in other dishes though. Be sure to buy cold pressed extra virgin. Be sure to test your bottle - it should turn completely solid after a couple days in the fridge, there are a lot of misslabeled bottles out there. It should be in a dark bottle and be richly colored and cloudy.
Good for: salad dressings, pesto & other sauces, some baking.
Keep in cabinet, use within two months of opening.  

This mom also has good tips on cooking with fats.