Children’s Party

While we’re talking about parties, I’m reminded of all the great ideas that Hollie from Auckland posted about a few months back. She kindly gave me permission to repost it here: I know the thought of upcoming parties is tough with our kids limited diets… so I thought you might be interested in some of the party food I created for our sons birthday party. All the food was GAPS (stage 6) friendly. The food was a hit […]

Christmas menu

When we go to my brothers house on Christmas Day, there will be plenty of meat and veges, and my own starch free Christmas cake, so there’ll be lots we can eat. There’ll also be lots we can’t have, and when my brother ran through the Xmas menu for me, I got to thinking about a Xmas menu that was 100% gluten free and starch free. Since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere, and Christmas Day might […]

Jelly Trifle

I always think of my grandmother at Christmas, usually when I’m wrapping my presents. When I was at high school, every year I would go down to her house a couple of days before Xmas and sit at her kitchen table doing her wrapping for her. She would go round the house collecting up all the gifts she’d been putting away all year and tell me who each one was for. Things were more leisurely then, and […]

Crackers

I’ve been investigating a few GAPS friendly cracker recipes based on nuts. This recipe from Elana’s pantry is particularly good, though I used coconut oil instead of grapeseed. It seems you can make them using eggs, egg whites or even egg free. Different combinations of nuts and seeds also work. So here’s a “mix and match” type recipe you can adjust to your own specific needs. This amount will make two trayfuls of crackers. 4 […]

GAPS friendly Boiled Christmas Cake

Over the years I’ve made various different Xmas cakes recipes, but it all got a lot easier a couple of years ago. I watched Nigella’s Christmas and was inspired to find her recipe for a boiled Xmas cake which looked so easy.  The first year, I made a few slight tweaks: Gluten free – ground almonds, rice flour, arrowroot PLUS pectin, xantham or guar gum Unrefined sugar (eg rapadura, shakkar or muscavado) instead of brown […]

GAPS Baked Beans

This recipe is an alternative to the Baked Beans recipe in the GAPs book. They can used as a breakfast dish with eggs or sausages, a side dish, or added to other casseroles. The Tomato version is aimed to be similar to NZ baked beans in a can.  Basic recipe 500g haricot / navy / white beans 2 Tbs whey, lemon juice or cider vinegar Stock or water (but preferably stock) Sea salt Soak the […]

Cashew Bread

I first came across Cashew Bread in Eat Well Feel Well, a book of SCD recipes by Kendall Conrad. While it was delicious, it wasn’t quite what we were looking for at the time. It was a couple of years before I came back to the idea, when I wanted to develop a GAPS friendly bread for those who were having problems with almond flour. This version has a few changes from the original: 1. […]

Fermented cabbage juice

If you are doing the GAPS Intro stage where you use sauerkraut juice only, this recipe is a lot easier than making the full sauerkraut recipe. It’s also easier to sip this if you don’t like eating sauerkraut. I found this recipe on a NZ website Jacqueline Organics. Here is her recipe with a couple of my own comments below: Fill a blender with chopped green cabbage and distilled water, which is available at the […]

Milk kefir

Milk kefir can be made from kefir grains, or from a powdered starter. Here’s how to make it from kefir grains. When you receive your grains: If your grains have been stored in the fridge or freezer for a while or someone has posted them to you, they’ll need some preparation before they make a good batch. Put the grains into a jar with about ¼ of the normal amount of milk (eg. if you […]

Kombucha

The kombucha starter culture or scoby (a symbiotic colony of yeast & bacteria, sometimes known as a “mushroom”) acts on sugar & tea to produce a wide variety of beneficial acids, such as acetic & lactic acid. It is a therapeutic drink, and is considered a liver tonic, but is also very refreshing as a summer drink. 1 large, uncoloured pyrex bowl 2.7 litres filtered water (3 quarts) 1 cup sugar (white sugar feeds the […]

Sauerkraut

Another important food, especially for the GAPS protocol, is sauerkraut or other fermented veges. There are a variety of different ways of making sauerkraut, but these are the basic steps: Select your veges, wash and, if necessary, peel them Chop them – with a knife, grater or in a food processor Add sea salt and give them a good squeeze with your hands, or pound with a heavy object, such as a bottle filled with […]

Bone broths & GAPS Intro soup

Bone broths (or stocks) are a basic for a Weston Price foundation style diet, and for the GAPS protocol. They are a good source of minerals and amino acids, and aid digestion. For more information on the benefits of broth, see this article on the WAPF website. It also has full recipes for classic beef, chicken and fish stocks, towards the bottom of the page. Have a read of this article and familiarise yourself with […]

Vanilla ice cream

Most ice cream recipes call for an ice cream maker, but this is ice cream you can make without one. This is a small quantity. If you have a large family, you can double or triple the recipe. If you have an ice cream maker, you can use the same ratios, adjusted for the capacity of your machine. Follow the directions that come with it. 1 cup cream 1 egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla essence […]

Coconut ice cream

Coconut cream ice cream is a bit more complex to make, and comes out icier rather creamy. I found this recipe at Wilderness Family Naturals It comes from Coconut Lovers Cookbook, by Dr. Bruce Fife, which contains over 180 great healthy recipes using coconut products. If you want to use a 400ml can, use the quantities in [ ]. 2 x 250 ml/1 cup boxes of coconut cream [400ml can] 2 1/2 Tbs natural sugar […]

Chocolate mousse

This recipe is originally from Lois Daish, writing for the NZ Listener. It’s been a favourite special occasion recipe of mine for several years. Serves 4-6. 120g (4 oz) dark chocolate, preferably 70% cocoa, and sweetened with rapadura, maltitol, xylitol, or other OK sweeteners. (Note that some chocolate is labelled sugar free, but sweetened with Splenda, NutraSweet or other bad sweeteners) 4 eggs Optional – 1-2 Tbs of your favourite liqueur (orange is especially good, […]

Quick & Easy Snow Freeze

If you prefer a soft serve style ice cream, a fruit flavoured one can be made very quickly, as long as you’ve planned ahead. During the summer, keep a supply of frozen fruit slices or chunks in the freezer, and make a delicious ice cream in your food processor or high power blender at any time. This amount serves 3. It needs to be eaten immediately, so if you want a smaller amount, make a […]

Blueberry Honey sorbet

4 Tbs honey, preferably unheated 1 ¼ cup blueberries ¼ cup water Juice of ½ lemon Mix together water, lemon juice and honey. Stir till dissolved. Add blueberries and puree. Freeze in a shallow container. Take out and blend 3-4 times, about every ½ – 1 hour. If you have an ice cream maker, adjust the quantities to suit, and follow the manufacturers instructions. Variations: Ice blocks – after the final blend, freeze in blocks […]

Low Carb Marzipan

Whisk together: 1 egg white 1 tsp almond essence (extract) 2 Tbs softened butter or coconut oil 1 Tbs honey -OR- 1 Tbs maple syrup -OR- 2 Dsp glycerine and pinch stevia extract Add: 200g ground almonds Mix both together to form a paste. If necessary, add a little cold, filtered water to get the texture right. Line a tray with baking paper. Form into balls. Press each ball gently onto the tray, just enough […]

Coconut rough

4 oz coconut oil 2 Tbs honey 2 Tbs cocoa 1 cup coconut 1 cup ground almonds Melt the coconut oil and honey over a low heat. Stir in the cocoa and whisk till well mixed. Add the coconut and almonds and stir well. Add extra almonds if needed to get to a thicky, fudgy consistency. Press into a lined tin. When set, cut into squares.

Coconut date truffles

Makes 12 small balls (make them small as they are very rich). 100g (4 oz) creamed coconut (this comes in a block and is very firm) 3 fresh dates Cut the creamed coconut into chunks, then process in a food processor till mealy. Cut the dates into chunks, add and process till mixed together. Roll into small balls and refrigerate till hard. Take out of the fridge again to soften up about 15 mins before […]

Tomato ketchup sauce

This is based on the Ketchup recipe from Nourishing Traditions, reduced to a smaller serving and with alternative sweeteners. 280ml (1 ¼ cups) tomato paste, preferably organic, with no added salt or other additives 20ml (4 tsp) whey 5ml (1 tsp) fine sea salt 40ml (8 tsp) maple syrup or rapadura or other dehydrated cane juice pinch of cayenne pepper 40ml (8 tsp) fish sauce Mix together well. Put into a jar, leaving about an […]

Tahini spread/sauce

½ cup tahini 1 cup water 1 tsp Celtic sea salt Variation (dipping sauce): ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed If your tahini has separated, so that the oil is in a layer on top, stir it together as much as possible. Measure out the tahini and put into food processor. Add water but by bit, while beating. When it’s smooth, add the sea salt and optional garlic and beat till […]

Peanut (Satay) Sauce

3/4 cup crispy peanuts 2 tsp coconut, peanut or extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbsp red curry paste 400ml (14 fl oz) tin coconut cream 1 tsp tamari (fermented soy sauce) or substitute sea salt to taste at the end 1 1/2 tbsp lemon or lime juice 1 1/2 tsp fish sauce Blend or process the peanuts until they are fine meal. Put to one side. […]

Lemon honey

Also known as lemon curd or lemon cheese. The traditional recipe uses white sugar, of course, but it converts easily to rapadura or other dehydrated sugars, or honey. Honey gives you a more usual look, but the flavour of both is great. Try a small mix (one lemon) first to see how you like it. A standard batch uses 3 lemons. 1 lemon – juice, and grated rind Large batch: 3 lemons 1 oz butter: […]

Sprouted Buckwheat crackers

Blend together in a food processor: 1 ½ cups buckwheat, sprouted ½ cup whole flaxseed, soaked overnight, then drained ½ cup other seeds – sesame, sunflower or pumpkin – soaked overnight, then drained a grated carrot or pulp from juicing carrots some sea salt some extra flavourings of your choice, such as: a clove of garlic, other grated veges, or herbs or spices The mixture needs to be stiff enough to make patties that will […]