I had no energy to struggle with them so I modified the recipe and decided to bake them in the oven. I ended up with Falafel Cookies. And you know what? They were actually pretty good and very handy to kill some small hungers along the day. Next time when I am on the way, I will make sure to have the falafel cookies in a handbag.

Ingredients

• Walnuts – 1 cup
• Boiled chickpeas – 2 glass pots from AH/Jumbo/other or 1 big pot from Turkish shop
• Onion – 1 small,
• Petersly – 1 cup
• Garlic- 2 gloves
• Egg – 1
• GF flour (all purpose or chickpeas flour)- 3-4 spoons
• Baking soda – ½  teaspoon
• Cumin – 1 ½ tea spoon
• Olive oil (to spread on surface)

Preparation steps

1. Pulse walnuts in a kitchen processor (until you have small chunks) and then transfer them to a big bowl.
2. Drain chickpeas very well. You can additionally dry them on a paper kitchen towel. Then pulse them in a kitchen processor until you get very tiny chunks. After, add them to the processed walnuts.
3. Chop an onion and the petersly. Add them to the other ingredients in the bowl.
4. Press garlic and add it together with cumin, GF flour, soda and an egg to the rest of ingredients. Mix everything.
5. Spread baking paper on a baking tray and form cookies from the prepared ‘falafel’ mixture.
6. Before placing the tray into the oven, spread some olive oil on the surface of each cookie.
7. Bake in a pre-heated to 180 degrees Celsius oven for about 15-20 min. Adjust baking time accordingly when needed.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

Ingredients

• Butternut squash – 1
• Carrots – 2
• Parsnip – 1
• Onion – 1
• Bell pepper – 1/2
• Red linzen (dry) – 2/3 rd cup
• Cold water – 3-4 glasses
• Chilli spices (ready blend e.g. Beltane or self-made) – sea salt, paprika, dry onion, pepper, turmeric, coriander, dry  garlic, cumin, caraway, chili, oregano, savory, bay leaf;
• Tomato sauce (1 cup; I used AH organic natural)
• Petersley – chopped 1 cup
• Garlic – 3 gloves chopped or pressed
• White beans in tomato sauce ( I used half of the pot from Lidl)
• Small piece of ginger – chopped or pressed
• Olive oil/Butter – 1 spoon

Preparation steps

1. Cut the squash half. Then each of halfs cut half again. Repeat one more time. You should end up with long stripes by now. Cut off the squash from the outer part and cut in cubes.

2. Wash and peel vegetables, then cut them in small cubes/chunks.

3. Heat olive oil on a pan and add cut onion and garlic. When soft add other vegetables: squash, carrots, parsnip, bell pepper. Stir while frying shortly. Then add 3 glasses of cold water,        lentils and chilli spices. Let it boil until everything is soft.

4. Afterwards add white beans in red sauce, red sauce and chopped petersley.  Let it boil some more.

5. Try and eventually add more spices/salt if needed.

It can be served with rice, bread or as a sauce on potatoes :-)

Cheers,

Kati xxx

For the last couple of months, other than reading about pregnancy and newborns, I was experimenting in a kitchen with new & old recipes.

Now, as I am getting heavier and I spend more time sitting, I thought of sharing some of the recipes with you.

Below, you can find a recipe for well-known in Poland ‘RACUCHY’. It is a kind of small thick pancake resembling the American pancake, but with apple (or berries) inside.

Ingredients

• All-purpose GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill) – 300 g
• Baking soda – ½ teaspoon
• Brown sugar – 1 spoon
• Eggs – 2
• *Almond or soy milk – 1 glass
• *Soy yogurt – 1 spoon
• Salt –  a pinch
• Apples (rasped; big holes on grater) – 2 middle size
• Cinnamon – 1 tea spoon
• Vanilla extract – 1/3 tea spoon
• Optional: blueberries –a couple of spoons
• Fat for frying

Preparation steps

1. Peel and rasp apples. Use the big holes on a rasper.
2. Mix together in a big bowl all dry ingredients:  GF flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
3. Then add eggs, soy yogurt and – while mixing – gradually almond milk.
4. After mixing everything thoroughly – add rasped apples (and eventually berries or other fruits)
5. Fry small portions on a hot oil.
6. For an optimum polish experience – serve with a powdered sugar on top : – )

They are so delicious! You can use w/e topping you like, for instance (soy)yogurt and/or apple puree : – )

Have fun cooking,

Kati xxx

To increase consumption of dietary fiber and enjoy different food textures, I made this cauliflower rice from a cookbook ‘Against all grains’. First, I didn’t know what to expect from this dish but it turned out really awesome!

And it is so easy to make!

All you need                                                                                                                

Ingredients: raw cauliflower

Utensils: a food processor or a kitchen rasper/grater

How-to

If you process it in a processor I suggest to pulse it slowly until you get the size of ‘rice’ which suits you best. If you use rasper/grater, I suggest to use the ‘big wholes’.

Flavor

Now, this is optional and totally up to you but you can spice your rice up! I added juice from half lemon and fresh chopped parsley leaves and it just completed the dish!

The dish from the featured photo: beef, carrots, mushrooms, chive and string beans – wokked on ghee with garlic and salt. Optional 2-3 teaspoons of soy sauce (if you are not eating Paleo or AIP).

There are various ways to flavor the cauliflower ‘rice’. You can use any herbs and spices that you like or have at home. It could be e.g. basil, mint or turmeric; you name it :-)

Have fun in the kitchen!

Kati xxx

The most difficult meal of the day when following the AIP diet is breakfast. Not always one feels like cooked vegetables or meat/fish so early in the morning. Breakfast containing too much fruit (smoothie with fruits mostly) is also not such a brilliant idea: it significantly elevates blood sugar.

~ Paleo & AIP Breakfast Pap ~

What you need

Ingredients: small apple, big carrot, 2 dry figs, hand of coconut chips, 1 teaspoon coconut fat, big pinch of cinnamon; optional: coconut milk with cinnamon as a ‘sauce’

Utensils: a frying pan and a spatula, a grater/rasper and a knife

How-to

• Rasp a carrot & peel and slice an apple
• Melt coconut fat on a pan
• Place sliced apple in the hot pan and let it soften
• Add cinnamon to apples and mix well
• In the end, add rasped carrot to apples and let it ‘warm up’ shortly
• Move everything on a plate, sprinkle with pieces of dry figs (not too many; lots of sugar!) and coconut chips
• As you can see I used a little of coconut chips but if it is something that works well for you, you can easily add much more. Bon appetit!

Kati xxx

Multiple studies reported that organ meat is much richer in minerals than meat. It is estimated that consuming about 100 g of organ meat per week is very healthy. The liver from pork has somewhat stronger taste while the chicken liver is mild in its flavor. If you are new to it, I would suggest to go for chicken organ meats first.

As far as I don’t have a problem with e.g. liver fried with onion as it is, I know people who feel aversion to it. This is why grinding organ meat might be a really good idea.

Recently, I tried liver burgers and liver-pork burgers and I must admit they were much nicer to eat than the whole liver pieces.

What do you need to make Liver-Pork Burgers

Ingredients: Pork meat, liver, onion, spices (I used salt and ground cumin).

My proportion between meat:liver were about 4 to 1

Utensils: Meat grinding machine (or you get your meat ground in shop and process raw liver in a kitchen processor) and a frying pan

How I made my patties

• I ground the raw pork meat first
• Then I ground the raw liver
• I ground an onion in the same machine
• After, I mixed all components together with a big pinch of salt and a table spoon of ground cumin
• I used spoon to transfer the mixture on the hot oil as it is more liquid than a regular meat for patties
• The patties shouldn’t be too big as they could be too fragile to turn them up side down on the pan

They are best when served with fried or caramelized onion :-)

Enjoy cooking!

Kati xxx

Very easy and filling snack without allergens and without refined sugar. Snacking is one of my bad habits but I am working on it :D Sometimes it requires to bribe my belly with something truly tasty and guilt free. This plantain baked in coconut oil is such a healthy alternative to the processed food snacks.

Snacking on bacon is not that bad either ;-) Fats are good for thyroid. Tip: Fried bacon cut in small pieces and sprinkled on a salad instead of croutons adds nice flavor to it :)

Things you are going to use to make the plantain snack

Utensils: a frying pan and a spatula

Ingredients: ripe (yellow) plantain,  a table spoon of coconut fat and a half teaspoon of cinnamon

What you need to do

• Cut plantain in small rings (the riper plantain the sweeter it is)
• Heat a table spoon of coconut fat (The coconut fat in glass containers has the best quality)
• Add plantain to the coconut fat and fry on both sides
• In the end sprinkle generously the cinnamon
• Served warm is nicest :)

As I am typing it, I am thinking how would the plantain taste when prepared on a grill. Never tried but perhaps something to test this summer :D

Enjoy your snacking!

Kati xxx

The ready spice mixes contain many highly refined food additives which irritate humans intestines. Healthy people usually don’t feel it but someone with compromised digestive system will experience unpleasant symptoms.

Paleo diet (considered a healing diet) allows using spices and herbs. But spices are powerful ingredients and some of them could irritate the very damaged intestinal wall (at celiac patients without intestinal villi, people with a leaky gut). For us there is developed Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). It is an elimination diet which excludes all foods potentially irritating guts for a period of time (30-90 days) sufficient to fully heal intestines.

People with diagnosed celiac disease (or other gluten intolerance) can use dry spices only from the brands that guarantee no gluten traces.

Simple flavor inducing food ingredients approved for AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) 

• Onion (fresh & dry)
• Chives (fresh & dry)
• Garlic (fresh & dry)
• Imbir (fresh & dry)
• Horseradish (fresh & dry)
• Lemon grass
• Turmeric
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Olive oil
• Parsley (fresh & dry)
• Dill (fresh & dry)
• Basil (fresh & dry)
• Other fresh or dry herbs: Marjoram, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, Lavender, Cilanto, Peppermint, Saffron, Sage, Tarragone,
• Salt
• Fruits: oranges, pineapple, bananas, apple mousse, raisins,
• Coconut flakes
• Carob
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Mushrooms
• Crispy bacon (e.g. instead of croutons on salad)
• Ghee
• Olives green & black
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Capers
• Sauerkraut

AIP friendly ingredients for bases of homemade sauces

• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Ghee
• Coconut oil
• Coconut milk
• Coconut cream
• Lemon juice
• Orange juice
• Bone broth
• Vegetables pure
• Fruits pure (e.g. rhubarb, apple)
• Water with coconut flour or arrowroot starch

There are many many other basic ingredients which could be used in Paleo recipes but NOT in AIP diet.

Some examples

• Nut butters
• Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds butter
• Mustard, mayonnaise
• Egg yolk
• Nut milks (almond milk)
• Seeds derived spices like cumin, pepper
• Tahini
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Cocoa/cacao
• Vanilla
• Nightshades like tomato’s, red pepper and products made of.

I hope that such a list inspires to experiment with flavors or/and makes the AIP shopping a bit easier. Have fun shopping for new ingredients and experiment!

Kati xxx

The best kind of dinner is the dinner that prepares itself, am I right :-) ? And these beef rolls are exactly such independent gals :D

Well, actually meat production is a burden for our environment. So are the cars. But Loesje’s ..are just super cute ;-)

Btw. Did you hear of that great plan which will be introduced in France in 2016? Supermarkets are not allowed to throw away food which is just before or after the expiration date. It has to be send to charity or farmers who will use it as a feed for animals. Now, that is caring about environment if you ask me, no food waste!

~Back to Beef Rolls~

What do you need to make them

Ingredients: thin beef slices, raw bacon, onions, pickles and mayonnaise

Appliances: an oven dish and an oven ;-)

Tip: Did you know that red meat contains pro-cancer components but they are totally blocked when eating green vegetables with meat at the same meal?

What you need to do

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut long thin pieces of onion, pickle and bacon. Spread slices of beef and sprinkle some salt (and other spices of your choice) on it. Then take a stripe of bacon, pickle and onion and roll them in the beef. Place some mayonnaise on top of the meat if you like. It isn’t necessary though, beef won’t get burn in the oven without it.

What you can’t see on the picture is that I sometimes close the ends of the roll with toothsticks so the juices stay inside of the roll. It is not necessary but it sure makes the rolls more juicy.

What you get

Tasty meat that looks fancy while it is actually very easy to make.

I keep trying to photograph them when they come out of the oven but I always can’t wait to eat them rather than dance with the camera around them. So if you like to see them baked, I suggest to make them yourself ;-)

Rock your kitchen and enjoy the meal!

Cheers,

Kati xxx

Do your intestines tolerate the shop bought bouillon? If yes, then you can consider yourself lucky. If not, you can consider yourself lucky too because I will share with you a recipe for the best homemade chicken soup ever ;-)

What ingredients are needed to make the soup

• Chicken – the best would be from a farm, freely hopping and eating organic feed, such a little happy guy :D
• Carrots – 2
• Parsley root – 1
• Onions – 2 small
• Leek – 1
• Green celery or root celery – 2-3 stalks
• Bay leaves – 2 big
• *Allspice seeds – 5-6
• *Black pepper seeds – 5-6
• Salt – a generous pinch
• Parsley (green) chopped
• Water – about 2-3 liters
• Optional: rice noodles

! *For Autoimmune Protocol leave allspice and pepper seeds out.

..and appliances

• Big pot
• Cutting board, knife to peel and cut vegetables
• Colander to wash vegetables

How to make the chicken soup

I place the entire chicken (cleaned from the internal organs) in a pot with 2-3 liters of cold water and a pinch of salt & I start cooking it on a middle gas pit.

While chicken is being boiled I peel, wash and cut vegetables. I add them to the chicken when the meat is already boiled (after an hour or so) and I continue to boil. At the same time I also add the bay leaves, allspice and black pepper. I let it all cook for 2-4 hours on the smallest gas pit. The longer it cooks the better quality bouillon it is.

Afterwards, I remove chicken gently. It falls apart because the nutrients from joints and other connective tissues are well dissolved in the bouillon. I clean the chicken from bones and skin and place the cleaned meat back to the soup.

I serve it hot with fresh green parsley leaves and rice noodles. It is very healthy to drink as well.

I wish you Happy & Healthy cooking!

Kati xxx

Eggplant is a beautiful vegetable but I have never been a huge fan because of its ‘odd’ taxture, so I thought until today. I was experimenting with my lunch and managed to create really tasty salad with just 4 ingredients! The inspiration came from a cookbook ‘Against All Grains, meals made simple’ by Danielle Walker’s. I remember her pictures posted on FB when she was on her way to the publisher’s office and now I have her book at home :D Her recipe is ‘Roasted eggplant’ so not my salad but my idea was born when paging her book so I think she deserves the mentioning. And the book is full of very easy recipes – just what I like best!

 What I used to make my salad

Ingredients

• Half an eggplant,
• 3-4 table spoons of bacon pieces
• Tomato
• 4-5 basilica leaves
• a bit of ghee for frying

Utensils:   Frying pan and a spatula, cutting board and a knife.

What I did

• I fried bacon on a little bit of ghee
• Then added chopped eggplant to the fried bacon and fried together until the eggplant became nice and soft
• In a meantime I chopped tomato and basilica leaves
• Mixed all together and enjoyed with a pinch of salt

Enjoy cooking :-)

Kati xxx

Do you know the cookbook ‘Plenty’ of Yotam Ottolenghi ?

All recipes in this book are vegetarian (some contain eggs and dairy products). I was inspired by the ‘Royal Potato Salad’ which originally is made with potatoes, green peas and quail eggs and I created something similar – Potato Salad with Pesto and Fava Beans.

What do you need

Ingredients

• Boiled potatoes – as many as you want
• Basilica leaves – 1 cup
• Pine nuts – 1/3 of a cup
• Olive oil – 1/3 of a cup
• Salt – a pinch
• Parsley – fresh chopped; as much as you like
• Fava beens – 1 cup (I bought frozen)

Appliances

• Water boiler
• A bowl
• Kitchen processor

And how to make it..

1. Boil water and pour it over the frozen fava beans. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes
2. Cut boiled potatoes (still warm) in chunks
3. Process pine nuts with basilica leaves in a kitchen processor. Pulse until a pesto is formed.
4. Peel fava beans with your fingers. You can watch a video that shows how to do it :-) (Just squeeze it).
5. Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle it with salt and olive oil. Be generous with the olive. If you use a good quality olive it is very healthy! Did you know that 30 % of our energy should come from fats? Now, add some more of that healthy liquid, don’t you ? ;-)

Tip

The Glycemic index (GI) of boiled white potatoes is about 82. Eating cooled or reheated potatoes reduces their GI by 30–40%. The GI and glycemic load offer information about how foods affect blood sugar and insulin. The lower food’s glycemic index or glycemic load, the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels.

Ok, if you followed the recipe you probably ended up with something like this

Enjoy your meal :-) So easy, right?

Cheers,

Kati <3

How do you like to eat chicory (witlof)? I used to prepare it in two ways: in an oven dish with ground meat and potatoes or on a pan with honey and pine nuts. Now I have a better recipe. Chicory wrapped in bacon!

What is needed to make the chicory in bacon

Ingredients: chicory, bacon, almond milk, ghee

Utensils: an oven dish and an oven :D

..and how to make it

Cut chicory in half, wrap each half of chicory in two slices of bacon and place them next to each other in an oven dish. Add big spoon of ghee and a generous splash of almond milk to the dish so the chicory is resting on the liquids. If you don’t mind refined flours, you can add some flour to milk and ghee to create a kind of bechamel sauce. You don’t need to salt it as the bacon will lose some of its flavor to the sauce. Place everything to the preheated oven (about 160-170 degrees Celsius). My chicory was ready after 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on them and remove before the bacon is burnt ;-)

What to expect

Soft and juicy chicory – on the picture they look little dry but it is far from the truth!

Don’t you just feel like making them? :D

Bon appetit!

Kati xxx

Nothing is better on a gluten free cracker or on a slice of bread than a homemade bread spread. I usually have meat or eggs or smoked salmon on my cracker but I like to make some new things whenever I have time. Lately, I couldn’t eat enough of the beets tapenade, it was so special. Now, I am into fish -based spreads. Normally, I would use tuna from a tin in a homemade spread like this as a tin is easy to store and I always have some at home. This time, I made it with a smoked mackerel.

Ingredients

• Smoked mackerel
• Big onion
• A cup of chopped parsley
• A couple of teaspoons of mayonnaise
• A pinch of salt
• Optional: boiled eggs, pickles, olives, ..

Preparation

• Separate fish meat from the rest of the fish carefully. To make sure that all fish-bones are removed – squeeze the fish meat between your fingers.
• Mix fish meat with the rest of ingredients and serve!
• In principle you can add anything you like to it: corn (not Paleo), pickles, green onion, dill, boiled eggs, bell pepper, olives etc.

Happy cooking! :-)

Kati xxx

I like these Gummies because they are healthy and free from white refined sugar. They are a perfect snack for someone who has problems with bones and joints. They add gelatin to a diet and (good quality) gelatin is supposed to be good for both, joints and bones. Sadly most of Celiacs have troubles with their bones later on in their lives so I like to counteract already now.

Do you know what gelatin is? It is a mixture of peptides (elements of proteins) produced by partial hydrolysis (a kind of breaking reaction) of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals. I used the Great Lakes gelatin derived from grass fed cows. It is known for its very high quality. It is available in The Netherlands here.

Gummy Candy

Diet restrictions

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Grain free
• Egg free
• Nuts free
• Soy & corn free
• Sugar free

Ingredients

• Frozen raspberries – 1 cup
• Apple mousse – 4 -5 spoons
• Water (or some juice) – 6 spoons
• Gelatin – 6-7 spoons
• Salt – a pinch
• Optional: maple syrup (1-2 spoons)

Preparation steps

• Pulse the raspberries and apple mousse in a kitchen processor to smooth consistency

• Mix pulsed fruits with water (or juice) and a pinch of salt and bring it to boiling while continuously stirring
• Slowly add gelatin (keep stirring)
• Let it boil for a couple of minutes while stirring
• Cool it and then fill in the forms
• Let it cool a bit more in forms and then place it in a fridge
• It will solidify in a fridge very fast – don’t wait to long, enjoy it :-)

My gummies weren’t sweet as I used no sugar nor syrups. It is possible to add 2-3 spoons of maple syrup or other sweetener for sweeter effect. One can play with this recipe as much as possible by using other fruits, coffee, juices, teas etc. My next trial will be apple mousse with cinnamon, ‘ à la’ apple pie :D

Thank you for dropping by :-)

Kati xxx

I found amazing recipes for Plantain waffles. Paleomum.com posted a recipe based on plantain banana, eggs and coconut oil. Similar recipe but without eggs was published by Holdthegrain.com. I love these recipes as they require just two/three main ingredients. I even excluded some of the minor ingredients from the original recipes and the waffles were still amazing :-)

~Plantain Waffles~

Dietary restrictions

• Grain free
• Dairy free
• Nuts free
• Refined white flours free
• Refined sugar free
• Eggs free (as I eat a lot of eggs with other meals)

I like minimalism so this is what I used to make my waffles

• Plantains (yellow and ripe) – 2
• Coconut oil – 2 melted spoons
• Cinnamon – 1 spoon
• Vanilla extract – 1/2 spoon
• Baking soda – 1/2 spoon
• Apple cider vinegar – 1 spoon

..and this is how I made them

1. I mashed the plantains using a kitchen processor
2. In a small pan I melted 2.5 spoons of coconut fat and I mixed it with the plantain pure
3. Then I added the rest of ingredients: cinnamon, vanilla, soda and vinegar
4. Well mixed pure I transferred  to a hot waffle machine which was earlier coated with coconut fat
5. Baked until golden brown

I chose ripe yellow plantains with black spots all over. They were soft and really sweet. As I didn’t eat refined sugar for 10 days the waffles seemed very sweet to me. Just don’t expect them to be extremely crunchy. Mine were soft and only slightly crunchy but still mouth watering!

The most guilt free use of my waffle making machine ever :-)

Kati xxx

I really like eating eggs for breakfast. Such a meal keeps me full for the entire half a day. But how many days in a row can I eat scrambled eggs or boiled eggs :D Today, I made something else: mini- pancakes. There is a reason why they are ‘mini’. If you try to make them bigger, you might have a problem with turning them up side down. They seem quite fragile until baked on both sides.

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Grain free
• Soy & corn free
• Refined sugar free

Needed appliances

• Kitchen bowl
• Fork
• Frying pan
• Spatula

Ingredienst

• Banana – 1
• Eggs – 2
• Coconut flour – 2 spoons
• Flax seeds (broken) – 3 spoons
• Apple fibers Le Poole – 3 spoons
• Optional: gelatin (I use organic from Great Lakes*) – half a teaspoon
• Fat for frying

*I bought it here

Preparation

Mash banana with a fork and add the rest of ingredients to it. Mix well and fry on a hot pan.

They are rich in fibers and protein. After eating them at breakfast I felt satiated until lunch. They are nicely sweet so I think they would go great with fresh berries.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

I am a big fan of beets. My favorite way of eating this vegetable is warm pure. Recently, I came across of tapenade made of black olives and beets. It is so delicious. Even my partner, who never eats beets, enjoyed it. According to ‘Healing with Whole Foods; Asian traditions and Modern nutrition’ eating beets has following benefits:

• Strengthen the heart
• Improve circulation
• Purify blood
• Benefit liver
• Moisten the intestines
• Treats constipation
• Promote menstruation
• Together with carrots – regulate hormones during menopause
• Treats nervousness

There is a number of nutrients in beets, like folates, niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6) and minerals such as iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium. What is more beets are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains. Betanin and vulgaxanthin are the two best-studied betalains from beets, and both have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. In recent lab studies on human tumor cells, betanin pigments from beets have been shown to lessen tumor cell growth through a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of pro-inflammatory enzymes (specifically, cyclooxygenase enzymes). The tumor cell types tested in these studies include tumor cells from colon, stomach, nerve, lung, breast, prostate and testicular tissue.

Tapenade

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nuts free
• Sugar free
• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Paleo

Needed appliances

• Kitchen processor
• Pan to boil beets (unless you buy already boiled beets)

Ingredients

• Boiled beets (2 big or 3 small)
• Black olives (4-5 spoons)
• Basilicum leaves (half a cup)
• Olive oil (a couple of spoons; to your preference)
• Lemon juice (from half a lemon)
• Salt

Preparation steps

• Boil beets and peel them
• Place boiled cooled beets, black olives and basilicum leaves together in a kitchen processor. Pulse till desired consistency
• Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt and mix together

This tapenade is excellent on bread/cracker but also with fish and meat at dinner.

Enjoy,

Kati xxx

If we went for a party to my aunt or we celebrated Christmas at my grandparents’ house – the vegetable salad with mayonnaise was always there. No matter what occasion to celebrate was it. It is our traditional food :D

I made this vegetable salad last Easter. It is delicious and filling. You can eat it at breakfast, for lunch and even with a dinner. It is gluten and dairy free. Remember that not all mayonnaise is gluten free, check the label (I used Delaan Belgian mayonnaise which is free from preservatives and color agents). Yumm!

Ingredients

• Carrots – 3
• Potatoes – 4
• Eggs – 5
• Green Peas – one  tin/jar (about 250 ml)
• Corn – one tin/jar (about 250 ml)
• Leek – 1 big or 2 small
• Salt
• Pepper
• Mayonnaise – 1 big spoon
• Optional: Fermented/Pickled cucumbers – 4
• Optional: ham

Preparation steps

• Boil carrots and potatoes together (don’t let them become too soft; they need to keep their shape when you cut them in small blocks);
• Boil eggs and let them cool;
• Cut leek in small rings; wash and blanch it with boiled water; let it stay in hot water till it is cold-ish;
• Open jars/tins with corn and peas and drain well;
• Optional: cut cucumber and ham in small blocks;
• Add spices and a big spoon of mayonnaise and mix everything;
• Serve cooled.

Try it out, it is really nice.

Cheers from Arnhem!

Kati xxx

This year (at Easter), I made my own pate for the first time. I read the recipe from Bezglutenowamama.pl (here), I called my mum for more tips and I went to shop to buy all ingredients.

Such homemade pate is fully nutritious and delicious. It contains no preservatives or other functional ingredients.

Tips from my mum

• Don’t use lean pork. Make sure there is some fat on it (so the pate is not dry)
• Cook beef 30 min longer than pork
• Don’t boil/fry liver – place it in boiled water and let it cool down (boiled liver will taste bitter)
• Beef, pork and bacon can be boiled together
• It is enough to grind meat once
• You can omit butter in recipe if you used enough bacon and fatty piece of pork
• You can use any liver, e.g. from pork or chicken
• Don’t  add salt to the boiling meat

Ingredients

• Beef – 500 g
• Pork – 500 g
• Raw bacon – 500 g
• Liver (I used chicken) – 500 g
• Eggs – 5
• Butter (in room temperature) – 250 g <*for Paleo leave it our or use ghee, lard, more bacon or replace with more vegetables>
• Carrots – 2 big ones
• Onions- 2
• Parsnip – 2
• Salt
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Pepper

The machine (meat mincer) I use to process meat (see picture).

Any other kitchen processor you might have at home will do a good job too.

Preparation steps

1. Boil water and add beef to it. Cook for 30 min. Then, add pork, bacon, carrot and parsnip (optional: onion) to it and boil for another 45-60 min.
2. Remove boiled meat from the water and put into the boiled hot water the liver. Let it stay in water until cold.
3. Optional: you can fry onion or let it boil with meat. I boiled mine.
4. Grind the cooled down meat, liver and vegetables together once. Mix together well.
5. Add eggs, butter and spices to the mix. Make sure all is well combined. You can use spoon to mix it or your hand.
6. Place the mix in a baking form (spread butter on it first or use baking paper) and decorate (for example with vegetables or herbs)
7. Bake pate with a cover for 30 min at 180 °C. After, uncover it and bake it for another 30-45 min until golden brown.

From the ingredients listed in the recipe I made two forms as shown on the picture above.

Feel free to modify the recipe. You don’t eat pork? Leave it out! It is a great opportunity to incorporate organ meat in a diet without the ‘bleh’ effect ;-) Play with ingredients and their amounts for the taste that suits you best.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

Ingredients 

(for about 12 small patties)

• Fresh fish e.g. cod – about 400 g
• Gluten free bun (or bread slice) – 1 or 2 (I used 1 Genius bun)
• Fresh parsley – as much as you like
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Spices: salt & white pepper *
• Gluten free flour or paneer (I used corn flour)
• Fat for frying

*White pepper fits with fish much better than the black pepper but if you have only black one at home, just use black pepper.

Necessary appliances

• Food processor (to grind fish)
• A kitchen bowl (to mix everything)
• A cutting board and a knife (to cut the parsley)
• A garlic press
• A frying pan & a spatula

Preparation steps

• Cut fish into blocks and grind it in a kitchen processor.
• Chop parsley.
• Wet a gluten free bun and drain the water away (just give it a good squeeze in your hand).

• Place ground fish, drained bun, cut parsley in a bowl. Add pressed garlic clove, salt and pepper.

• Mix everything together and form burgers.
• Paneer the burgers in a gluten free paneer or simply in gluten free flour of your choice. I recommend corn flour (not too finely ground).

• Fry the burgers until golden brown on both sides.

Recommended :-)

Kati

I am not an expert in making gluten free dumplings. This year I made GF dough for dumplings for the first time. I was lucky, it worked out very well!

Ingredients for dough (for about 20-25 dumplings)

• GF flour mix – 200 g (I used the one from Celiko to make pasta. It contains 65% rice flour and ~35% potato starch)
• GF flour mix for bread *– about 1 cup (I used Doves Farm flour mix for brown bread)
• Any GF flour for covering the working space on which the dough was rolled (about half cup)
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 spoons of water (20 ml)
• 1 spoon of oil
• Pinch of salt

*The flour mix for bread from Doves Farm contains Xanthan Gum. I believe that this hydrocolloid made the dough strong enough to form dumplings of it. If you plan to use other flours in your recipe, makes sure your flour mix contains a gum as well or adds some to it.

Ingredients for filling

• Sauerkraut (mine contained carrot)
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Salt and pepper

Preparation steps – Filling

1. Boil water in a pan.
2. Drain sauerkraut and place it in the boiling water for about 10-15 min. Afterwards, drain in very well.
3. Cut mushrooms in tiny pieces and fry on ghee.
4. Cut onion in small pieces and fry on oil.
5. Cool the boiled cabbage and cut it so it doesn’t contain long strings of cabbage.
6. Mix cabbage, fried mushrooms and fried onion together. Use salt and pepper to adjust the flavor to your own taste.

Preparation steps – Dough

1. Place 200 g of GF flour mix to the bowl. Add 2 eggs, 4 spoons of water and 1 spoon of oil. Mix together.
2. Slowly keep adding the flour mix for bread to the dough and keep kneading with your hands. Don’t add the entire cup of flour at once. Knead for about 5 min. In the end you should obtain an elastic ball of dough. If necessary: add more flour or water.

Preparation steps – Dumplings

1. Boil salty water in a pan.
2. On a surface covered with Gf flour roll the dough into a thin layer (about 5 mm thickness).
3. Cut circles in the dough using a cup.

4. Take one circle and place it in your hand. Using a spoon place small amount of the filling in the middle of the circle. Then, form half-moons filled with the cabbage. Grab the edges together between your fingers and stick one to another. It needs to be done gently as the dough is not extremely strong. It is strong enough if you handle it with care.

5. The formed dumplings place gently in a simmering boiled water (keep the fire low). Let them boil like this for about 3-5 min. Make sure that the dumplings are well sealed and don’t open in the boiling water.

6. Hot dumplings can be served with cut into small pieces and fried onion or it is possible to fry them after cooling them down.

*I didn’t freeze my dumplings but I did store them in a closed container in a fridge for 2 days and they were fine.

Have a Merry Christmas <3

Waffle is a kind of dough baked between two hot plates and it tastes divine. The last time I was visiting my home town I could only ‘enjoy’ the smell of it. When I saw a waffle making machine while shopping a couple of months after, I put it in my shopping basket immediately (here, you can see where I bought it). You should smell the air while the waffles are being baked. It is just one more thing I refuse to miss out on. I am not going to allow the celiac disease to take away waffles from me!

Ingredients

• Eggs – two
• Honey (or sugar) – 4 spoons (optional; I enjoy them when less sweet as well)
• Vanilla extract – 1/2 spoon (optional)
• Almond milk – ½ cup
• Gluten free flour – 1 cup of Schar mix C OR 2 cups of almond flour (they have different water holding capacity thus different amounts are needed)
• Salt –  a big pinch
• Baking soda – ½ spoon
• Baking powder – ½ spoon

Necessary appliances

• Waffle making machine
• A bowl
• A spatula
• A kitchen mixer
• A spoon to transfer the dough to the waffle making machine

Tips

• If you want your waffles crunchy – use the Schar’s mix C
• If you want your waffles soft – use the almond flour (it contains more fat thus forms softer texture)
• It is possible to use other flours; these two are the only ones I tested so far. Flours have various ability to hold water, depending on the content of the flour, different amounts will be needed
• I allow my waffles a slightly longer time in the machine for more crunchy texture
• Great idea for a quick dessert – without the need of baking a cake; plus if you use fat free flours – it is milder on your digestive system

Preparation steps

1. Beat the eggs with salt, honey/sugar and vanilla extract using a kitchen mixer
2. Afterwards add the almond milk and mix all together
3. In another bowl mix flour with the baking powder and baking soda
4. Add the flour mixture to the eggs and mix all together
5. You can add extra water/flour to obtain ideal consistency (it should be more dense than the dough for the European pancakes)

Why do I make my own pesto?

• I use organic basil
• I use the best quality, organic olive oil (raw, organic, cold pressed, not filtered, in a dark bottle)
• Homemade pesto is pure and tastes better (no unnecessary additives)

Needed kitchen appliances

• A food processor
• A kitchen bowl
• A knife

Ingredients for one pot (250 ml) of pesto

• Basil – one basil plant (about 2 cups of fresh leaves)
• Olive oil – half cup (choose oil with the best quality: raw, organic, cold pressed, not filtered, in a dark bottle)
• Pine seeds – 1/4^th cup
• Garlic – 2 big cloves
• Sea salt- a big pinch
• Optional:(not Paleo) cheese, olives, nuts, pepper, cayenne pepper

Preparation steps

Place all ingredients in the kitchen processor and pulse-grind until desired consistency.

If you decide to give it a try – I am sure you will love it!

Cheers,

I thought of trying millet since it is a good source of some very important nutrients, including copper, manganese, phosphorus, but especially magnesium – a mineral that acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes, including enzymes involved in the body’s use of glucose and insulin secretion.

The phosphorus from millet participate in the structure of every cell in the body. It plays a role in formation of the mineral matrix of bone. The phosphorus is an essential component of numerous other life-critical compounds including adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the molecule that is the energy currency of the body. Phosphorus is an important component of nucleic acids, the building blocks of the genetic code. In addition, the metabolism of lipids relies on phosphorus, and phosphorus is an essential component of lipid-containing structures such as cell membranes and nervous system structures.

Highlights

• Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nuts free
• Only 2-3 main ingredients
• Nutritious (rich in magnesium)
• The meat-filled balls are a good source of iron
• Very easy to make

Ingredients (for 3-4 persons /about 20 balls)

• Millet – 400 g (1 ½ of a cup)
• Water – 2x the volume of millet – 1 ½ of a cup of millet needs 3 cups of water
• Tapioca flour – a couple of spoons for dough (depends on consistency of the boiled millet; I used 3 spoons) and about 1 cup for rolling the balls
• Optional: egg – one raw
• Salt – ½ of a tea spoon to the dough
• Filling: I used ground meat (around 250 g) with dry herbs but anything would do – stay creative!
• Fat – to fry ground meat
• Salty boiling water to cook raw balls after they are formed

Appliances

• A bowls – to mix the dough
• A plate – to form and store the balls
• A spoon – to scoop a dough to your hand
• A kitchen pot – to boil the balls
• A slotted spoon – to fish the boiled balls out of the boiling water
• A kitchen processor – to grind boiled millet (you can also use fork or your hand)

Tips

• It’s very important to wash your millet before cooking. Otherwise it can end up quite bitter!
• If you don’t have kitchen processor you can mash the millet with your hand or fork
• You can replace tapioca flour with potato starch flour (or any other starchy flour)
• You can probably make them from mashed potatoes with gluten free universal flour but then they are less nutritious

Preparation steps

• Boil water and add washed millet to it. Wash millet under cold running water. Afterwards, wash it with hot tap water. Only then, you can boil millet in a clean batch of water. Use 3 cups of water per 1 ½ of a cup of millet. Let it boil on a small stove burner until millet uptakes all the water (about 10-15 min). Afterwards switch off the fire and let it rest under the cover for another 10-15 minutes.
• In a meantime, fry the meat (if that is your filling). Do not forget to add spices/salt.
• Place the boiled millet in a kitchen processor and pulse it a couple of times. You should obtain smooth mashed dough.

• Place millet with one raw egg and 2-3 spoons of tapioca flour in a bowl and mix together (use your hand or a spatula). If the consistency is too lose you need to add more flour. You should get in the end elastic sticky dough.

• Take a big plate and cover it with tapioca flour. Take some of the flour in your hands (sorry, you need to get a bit dirty when making this dish :D). Then, scoop some of the dough (you could use spoon or your hand) and flatten it in your palm. Try to make it round and not to thin/not to thick. Sprinkle some of the tapioca flour on both sides of the round ‘pancake’ in your palm.
• Scoop some of the filling (like the fried ground meat) in the middle of the dough and try to close it. Slowly and gently make a ball out of it. After a couple, it will be very easy. Keep going until all the balls are done. Make sure, the surface is well sprinkled with flour.

• In a meantime, boil a pot of salty water.
• Place gently all balls in the boiling water and boil on a small stove burner. Wait until the balls start floating just under the surface of the water. It is a sign that the balls are ready.

• The meat-filled balls taste best with a sauce or with fried onion.

Have fun making your own filled millet balls :-) You won’t regret making them! Let me know how it worked out for you,

Highlights

• Glutenfree and dairyfree
• Eggfree, soyfree, nutsfree
• Paleo
• Vegetarian
• Just 4 ingredients
• No baking

Ingredients

• Avocado
• Ripe banana
• Honey – I used 1 ½ tea spoons (make it as sweet as you like it)
• Cocoa – I used 3 tea spoons

Needed appliances

• A bowl
• A fork or a kitchen blender
• A spoon

Tips

• You can add to it whatever you like e.g. berries and other fruits, nuts, puffed rice/quinoa.
• The more ripe your banana, the less honey you need to add.

Preparation steps

Mash avocado with banana and honey. Then add cocoa powder. Mix all very well until smooth consistency.

Enjoy,

Although buckwheat flour is usually used to make savoury crêpes, I prepared sweet pancakes of it. By adding a pinch of sugar and cinnamon they gained new delicious aroma and flavor. They tasted best with apple pure, fresh berries and sprinkled with chocolate-orange sauce.

Highlights

• Glutenfree & Lactosefree &Soyfree
• Paleo / Vegan/ Vegetarian
• Breakfast/ Lunch/ Supper

Ingredients (for 2-3 persons)

• Buckwheat flour – 1 cup (160 g)
• Almond milk – 1 cup (250 ml)
• Raw egg – one (big)
• Salt – a pinch
• Sugar – a pinch (optional)
• Cinnamon – ½ tea spoon
• Fat to fry pancakes

Needed appliances

• A bowl (to mix all ingredients)
• A kitchen blender/mixer (I used immersion blender)
• A soup/sauce spoon (to apply the dough on the frying pan)
• A frying pan and a spatula- to turn the pancakes

Preparation steps

• Weight or measure 1 cup of buckwheat flour to the bowl
• Add raw egg, salt, sugar and cinnamon
• Blend everything for about 1-2 minutes until liquid-ish dough with a smooth consistency is obtained
• Preheat a frying pan with a small amount of fat
• Use soup/sauce spoon to transport the dough on the frying pan
• Fry each side for a couple of minutes. You can use spatula to turn the pancakes around unless you are good with flipping them around in the air ;-)

They were best when still warm but I enjoyed them cold too and still had an amazing meal. My favorite additives are: apple pure, fresh fruits and chocolate sauce. Roasted almond pasta is a great pancake spread too, or homemade raspberries sauce, homemade berries jam etc.

Cheers,

Highlights

• Gluten/wheat  free and dairy free
• Protein rich
• Vegetarian
• Satiating
• Lunch/Dinner

Ingredients

• Boiled Chickpeas  – 2 x 350g
• Chickpeas flour –  4 or 5 teaspoons
• Onion – 1 big or 2 small
• Garlic – 1-2 gloves
• Fresh parsley
• Salt – big pinch
• Cumin – 2 teaspoons
• Corn grids or amaranth flakes – for ‘breading’
• Fat – to fry
• Optional: one raw egg

Needed appliances

• A bowl (mixing)
• Two plates (breading, de- fatting)
• A spatula (mixing, frying)
• A kitchen processor (grinding chickpeas)
• A (frying) pan
• A kitchen paper towel (de-fatting)

Preparation steps

1. Peel onion and garlic
2. Dry boiled chickpeas on a paper kitchen towel
3. Blend dried  chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley in a kitchen processor (see picture)
4. Add chickpeas flour, salt and cumin (optional: raw egg) and mix all together
5. Form small balls and ‘bread’ them in amaranth flakes
6. Fry falafels until golden brown
7. Serve warm or cold

Enjoy your meal,

Two days ago, we made very popular, so called ‘law-salted’ pickled cucumbers.

Pickling is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine (or vinegar). This procedure gives the food a salty (or sour) taste. The most commonly consumed pickles are sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers and peppers.

Brine is a solution of salt (sodium chloride) in water.

Although the pickling process was initially invented to preserve foods, nowadays pickles are made as a delicacy. Pickling improves the nutritional value of food by B vitamins produced by bacteria. The flavor of the pickled vegetables is determined by the type of the dominating microorganisms developed. The latter depends on the acidity or salinity of the brine, the temperature of fermentation (pickling), and the lack of oxygen.

Highlights

• To preserve/prepare vegetables
• Nutritious (rich in vitamins B)
• Contain good microflora
• It’s very easy

Ingredients

• Young cucumbers – about 10-15 small ones – the amount depends on the size of your glass pot
• Salt (without iodine)– one spoon
• Water – 1 liter
• Garlic – 5-7 gloves
• Dill – whole stems including roots and flower buds
• Horseradish – one root or a couple of leaves (horseradish greens)

Tips

• In the Netherlands, small cucumbers can be found in Eastern shops e.g. Turkish supermarkets
• It is better to mix dry and green stems of dill for the ultimate taste
• It is possible to replace the horseradish root with horseradish greens or add both
• Cold water can be used for brine instead of boiled water
• Instead of a glass pot you can use a stone pot

Needed appliances

• Big glass pot (with a cup) to pickle cucumbers in it
• A kitchen pot to boil water
• A knife

Preparation steps

1. Boil one liter of water and dissolve one spoon of salt in it
2. Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends
3. Wash the horseradish and dill
4. Peel garlic gloves
5. Place greens and spices (horseradish, dill, garlic) on the bottom of the pot
6. Place the cleaned cucumbers vertically in the glass pot

To make so called low-salt pickled cucumbers

7. Pour the brine solution to the pot until all cucumbers are covered by the brine and let it stand overnight partly covered by the cap (but do not turn it). Make sure you have about one tea cup of the brine left.
8. The next morning, pour the rest of the brine to the pot with cucumbers until all the cucumbers are covered and let it ferment for about 15-24 hours before consuming. It is important that all cucumbers are covered by the brine.

OR

To make strongly fermented pickled cucumbers

7. Pour the hot brine until all cucumbers are covered. Close the pot, turn the cap until sealed. Place the pot upside down and let it rest for 24 hours. Afterwards turn the pot upside up and let it rest for a couple of days longer (2-3). They can be stored even for a couple of months. The longer time of fermentation, the richer taste of your pickles.

Have fun making your own pickles :-)

Highlights

• Preparation within 30 min
• Very easy preparation
• Gluten-free & dairy-free
• Egg-free, soy-free, corn-free
• Delicious and nutritious

Ingredients (for 3 normal portions / two normal and two small portions)

• Chickpeas – about 150-200 g
• Zucchini – 1
• Leek – 1
• Carrots – 4
• Rice – 2 cups
• Coconut milk – a tin
• Curry spices* – 1 tea spoon
• Salt – a pinch
• Fat to fry – one tea spoon
• Optional: fresh ginger, parsley

*Coriander, Fenugreek, Turmeric, Cumin, Black Pepper, Bay Leaves, Celery Seed, Nutmeg, Cloves, Onion, Red Pepper, And Ginger. (Or you can buy ready mix like I did ;)

Tips

• To save time I used pre-soaked chickpeas in a glass pot
• By using organic vegetables  you can decrease amount of consumed pesticides
• I used ghee for extra flavor

Needed appliances

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Bowl
• Frying pan
• A pot/steamer (to cook rice)

Preparation steps

1. Start boiling water and cut vegetables

1. Place rice in a pot and cover it with boiled water. Boil rice till ready (the cooking time depends on rice, I always try it from time to time until I like its texture)and drain it.
2. Warm up the pan with a little bit of fat and fry first: leek and carrots. When they become soft, add zucchini and chickpeas.
3. When all vegetables are soft-ish, add coconut milk and (curry) spices. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Enjoy your meal,

• Not a boring cabbage dish
• Supports healing of intestinal lining (cabbage contains anti-inflammatory isothiocyanates)
• Dinner or lunch
• Preparation time about 1 hour

Ingredients

• Fresh cabbage (you can use any type of white cabbage)
• Carrot –  1 big or 2 small
• Fresh dill – as much as you want (I added two small boxes from AH)
• Tomato puree – one small pot/tin
• A piece of raw or smoked bacon – as much as you want
• Pepper –  a pinch
• Salt – a pinch
• Laurel –  1-2 leaves
• Dry dill
• Allspice (English pepper) – 4-5 seeds
• Optional: a couple of fresh tomatoes cut in blocks, onion

Needed appliance

• A cutting board
• A knife
• A frying pan
• A spatula
• A cooking pot with a cover
• A kitchen rasper

Tips

• I often make a vegetarian version – without bacon
• You can add fresh tomatoes (for a richer taste)
• If you don’t have fresh dill, you could use only the dry one but the taste is much better when you use the fresh herb
• My mum would add dried mushroom to it but I don’t fancy it that much
• If you don’t have or you don’t like bacon, you can use other meat like pork or beef
• After steaming your cabbage stew, let it cool down overnight
• Eat it warm
• You can eat it with bread or boiled potatoes or on its own

Preparation steps

1. Cut cabbage in thin stripes
2. Place cut cabbage with dry dill, pepper, salt, laurel, English pepper in a cooking pot. Add 1 and ½ cups of cold water, cover and stew for 20-30 min on a small gas burner. Mix it from time to time
3. In the meantime, fry bacon
4. Cut dill, and rasp carrots
5. When cabbage starts losing water (after 20-30 min), add rasped carrots, fresh dill and fried bacon
6. Mix everything together and add tomato puree
7. Stew everything a bit longer (another 20-30 minutes)
8. Ideally: let it cool dawn (the best is to leave it overnight in a fridge). <or enjoy it immediately>
9. Before serving, warm it up
10. Enjoy on its own, with bread or with boiled potatoes

• Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nuts free
• Only 2 ingredients
• 5-10 min preparation time
• Filling quick meal
• Breakfast or Lunch
• Endless variations

Ingredients

• Eggs – 2 big (or 3 small)
• Corn flour – 2 full spoons
• A little spoon of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• Fat for frying  (ghee gives a wonderful flavor to it)
• Whatever you want to put on your omelette (my choice: almond pasta and homemade raspberry puree or fresh fruits)

Needed appliances

• A bowl
• A fork
• A spoon
• A frying pan

Tips

• You can use vanilla sugar for extra flavor or add a pinch of fresh vanilla to the ‘dough’
• Or you can skip sugar for a more salty version and add herbs of your choice (this version goes well with cheese on top)
• The consistency of the ‘dough’ should be thicker than that of a ‘dough’ for pancakes
• Variation: I added a couple of spoons of puffed quinoa to the ‘dough’
• If you are like me from a couple of months ago – you will probably skip the ghee and use oil for frying; it’s fine but your are missing on something really good! ;-)
• You ca try to use other g-f flours but I think corn flour fits best

Preparation steps

1. Beat eggs in a bowl using a fork
2. Add corn flour, salt and sugar
3. Beat all ingredients together until smooth ‘dough’
4. Fry your omelette like a pancake

Enjoy your meal,

A delicious, multi-coloured salad is my favourite lunch. Especially, when it contains avocado. Below, a couple of salads I managed to photograph before enjoying them!

Why it is healthy to eat salad every day

• Vegetables are a great source of dietary fibers
• Vegetables contain powerful antioxidants like vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene. Antioxidants protect your body from damage caused by free radicals
• Addition of avocado, olive oil, seeds & nuts increases a ratio of healthy fats in a diet! They also help your body in absorption of the protective phytochemicals
• Easy and tasty way to consume the big part of the daily vegetable intake. A delicious (homemade!) dressing will guarantee that you enjoy your salad!
• It will boost your energy
• Italian research showed that eating raw vegetables and olive oil reduced mortality among people above 60!

TIPS

• Use as many colors in your salad as you can
• Add small amounts of seeds and nuts (one small handful is enough!)
• Don’t be afraid to splash some good quality olive oil there
• I use lemon juice in each and every salad
• If you add avocado – you don’t even need to make a dressing
• I add legumes (beans, lentils) for additional proteins
• Both: raw and boiled vegetables should have a place in your daily menu – it’s tasty to add boiled vegetables to your salad too
• Boiling vegetables containing beta-carotene will increase its absorption from 2-5% to 70%!
• My regular dressing: juice from half lemon, few spoons of olive oil, sea salt. Simple and healthy.

How to make a perfect salad dressing (source: unknown; found somewhere on net)

Recently, I added a pineapple to my salad (featured picture) and it turned out a great additional flavor!

• Suitable as lunch/dinner
• Tasty and filling

Ingredients

• Fresh pumpkin
• Three potatoes
• One root parsley
• An onion
• A cup of boiled chickpeas (or ready to use from shop)
• A piece of fresh ginger root
• A pinch of salt
• Optional: bullion block(s)

Needed appliances

• A cutting board
• A knife
• A pot
• An immersion blender

Tips

• It is possible to add other vegetables like carrots, celery;
• If you don’t have chickpeas – you can skip them (they add some proteins to your meal though)
• You can add a spoon of soft goat cheese to your plate with soup for extra flavor
• Additional bread or crackers can complement the meal

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Preparation steps

• Peel and clean pumpkin and cut it in small blocks
• Peel other vegetable (root parsley, onion, potatoes) and cut them is small blocks
• Place washed vegetables in a pot and cover with cold water (I add as much water as it is needed to cover all the small vegetable blocks)
• Put the soup on fire
• After 10 min add salt (optional: bullion block) and keep boiling
• When the vegetables are getting soft, add the boiled chickpeas and squeezed piece of fresh ginger root
• Boil everything for 5-8 more minutes
• Switch off the fire and blend the vegetables in a pot with the immersion blender

Enjoy your meal,

• Initially developed as a breakfast but turned out to be suitable even as a ‘cake’ with your tea/coffee
• Breakfast/Lunch/Snack/Cake/Dessert
• No added sugar
• No sophisticated kitchen accessories needed

Ingredients

• Oat flakes – 2 cups
• Almond milk – 1 cup
• Raw egg – 1
• Nuts – 0.5 cup (I used Brazilian nuts ‘Dutch: Paranoten’)
• Apple – 1
• Pear – 1
• Banana – 1
• Frozen forest fruits  – 2 cups (I used one box of the frozen fruits from AH)
• Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
• Fat to coat the oven dish (I haven’t used it and the bottom was a bit stacked to the dish)
• Optional: dry fruits (I haven’t used them)

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Tips

• Oat flakes could be replaced by buckwheat flakes
• Instead apple & pear – it’s possible to use fruit puree
• I used homemade almond milk – recipe

Needed appliances

• A bowl to mix ingredients
• A spoon
• A fork and a small bowl to beat the egg
• An oven dish
• Oven preheated to 190ºC

Preparation steps

• Place 2 cups of oat flakes, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl
• Beat an egg and mix it with almond milk in another bowl
• Mix the content of both bowls together (oat, cinnamon, baking powder, egg and almond milk) and leave it for 15 minutes so the flakes can absorb the moist
• In a meantime cut nuts, apple, pear and banana in small pieces.
• Mix everything together and put it in the (optionally: coated with fat) oven dish.
• Distribute the frozen fruits on top.
• Place the dish in the oven and bake it 25 minutes in 190ºC.

Enjoy your meal,

• reat option for a meatless meal
• Suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner
• No processing , cooking

Ingredients

• One tuna in a tin
• Red bell pepper
• Olives
• Fresh parsley
• Optional: lettuce (in Dutch: baby sla)
• Gluten free ciabatta
• Olive oil

Tips

• Don’t be scared to introduce variations (onion, corn etc.)
• Ciabatta can be replaced by other gluten free bread or buns
• It can be consumed without bread/buns too

Needed appliances

• A knife
• A cutting board
• A spoon
• A bowl
• Optional: tin opener (depends on a tin that you purchased)

Preparation steps

• Open the tin with tuna and place the fish in a bowl
• Wash the bell pepper and parsley and chop it
• Add the bell pepper, parsley and olives to the bowl with tuna
• Mix all ingredients
• On a plate, place lettuce and the tuna salad
• Poor good quality olive oil on gluten free ciabatta

Enjoy your meal :-)

• Anti-inflammatory
• Refreshing
• Delicious

Ingredients

• A piece of a ginger root
• A few slices of a lemon
• Water
• Optional: ice cubes

Tips

• Addition of the fresh mint leaves

Needed appliances

• A knife
• A glass

Preparation steps

• Peel a piece of a ginger root and cut it into small pieces
• Wash one lemon and cut a few slices
• Fill the glass with water, add pieces of ginger and slices of lemon
• Give everything a good stir

Enjoy,

• ten free
• Delicious
• Greatly filling meatless dinner

Ingredients

• Gluten free pasta lasagna
• Red sauce
• Vegetables (I used what I had in a fridge: onion, carrots, paprika, cauliflower and champignon)
• Fresh parsley and garlic
• Rasped cheese

Tips

• You can use any vegetables you want or currently have at home
• You can make your own red sauce if you like or use a bought (gluten free) red sauce
• You can add ground meat or beans (e.g. chickpeas) to the sauce
• You can leave the cheese out or use lactose free cheese

Needed appliances

• A cutting board and knife
• A pan/frying pan to pre-cook vegetables
• A spatula to mix vegetables
• An oven dish
• A soup serving spoon
• An oven

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Preparation steps

• Pre-set the oven to 180ºC
• Wash and cut all vegetables
• Stew (fry/wok) vegetables; I started with carrots and onions and after 2 minutes I added the rest of vegetables
• When the vegetables are soft – add the red sauce to the pan (when using pre-made one like me)
• Add a cup of water to the sauce to decrease its viscosity (in the end it shouldn’t be dense). Stew all for 5-10 minutes
• Take the oven dish and pure some of the sauce (choose the liquid without vegetables) to cover the bottom of the dish
• Place the dry pasta on a thin layer of the sauce & cover the pasta with more sauce and vegetables (Repeat it few times so in the end you will have 4-5 pasta layers)
• Cover the last pasta layer with sauce and rasped cheese
• Place it in the oven (180ºC) and keep for at least 40 minutes

Important: Recently, I noticed that my oven works faster than other ovens. It’s possible that you need to prolong the baking time. You can stick a fork in the dish after 40 min to check if the pasta is soft.

Enjoy your meal,

• Only 3 ingredients!
• Preparation ~ 20 minutes!
• Gluten free, lactose free and soy free!
• Easy and tasty!

Ingredients

• Rice noodles
• Biological bacon pieces
• Fava beans (I use the beans in a glass pot from AH) (in Dutch tuinbonen)

Tips

• You can use the type of rice noodles that don’t have to be boiled. To prepare these noodles – all you need is to boil water and let the noodles soak in it for ~ 10-15 minutes!
• Of course, you can use any gluten free noodles/pasta.
• You can use frozen fava beans instead of these in a pot (e.g. from AH).
•  You do not need fat for frying. The bacon fat is more than enough.
• I do not add salt or any spices – bacon is usually salty enough and gives a wonderful flavor!
• Instead of fava beans you could also use Brussels sprout.

Needed appliances

• A frying pan and a spatula
• A pot/kettle to boil water 

Preparation steps

1. Boil water
2. Add rice noodles to the hot water and let it soak for ~ 10-15 minutes
3. Heat a frying pan and fry bacon pieces
4. Add fava beans (drained) to the fried bacon
5. Mix drained noodles with bacon and fava beans

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Enjoy your meal,

• Suitable for lunch and dinner!
• Rich in dietary fibers and proteins!
• A source of Omega 3 fats!

Ingredients

• Cod fish (steamed or baked)
• Rice (boiled or steamed)
• Egg (raw)
• Optional: half a cup of gluten free grain flakes (amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat or oat)
• Spices (I used: salt, lemon juice, parsley)
• Fat for frying
• Amaranth flakes for ‘coating’ the fish burgers

Tips

• Cod can be replaced with other fish e.g. zalm
• Grain flakes in a fish burger could be replaced with a slice of a gluten free bread
• The ratio between fish and rice should be 1:1
• Add two eggs if you make a big batch
• Other substitutes to bread crumbs that can be used (substitudes)

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Needed appliances

• Steam cooker or oven (to prepare the fish)
• Rice cooker
• Frying pan and a spatula
• Bowl to mix all ingredients
• A fork to mix all ingredients
• A plate for flakes to coat the fish burgers

Preparation steps

1. Steam the cod fish
2. Boil/steam rice
3. Tatter the fish with a fork
4. Add the rest of the ingredients (except egg) and mix well
5. In the end, add a raw egg to bind all the ingredients
6. Form burgers and coat them in amaranth flakes
7. Heat the frying pan
8. Fry the fish burgers
9. Serve the fish burgers hot or cold

Enjoy your meal,

Ideas for easy and healthy gluten & lactose free desserts

•        Dark chocolate
•        Nuts (almonds, walnuts, Brazilian nuts; optional: in dark chocolate)
•        Fruits (melons with optional: sorbet)
•        Fruit salad
•        Fruits with a touch of a dark chocolate (chocolate fondue)
•        Dates with roasted almond pasta (my fav!)
•        Chia seeds pudding (with almond milk and cacao; optional: honey)
•        Sorbet from frozen fruits with almond milk
•        Sorbet from frozen bananas
•        Smoothie
•        Bon-bones from frozen roasted almond pasta in dark chocolate (optional & not Paleo: puffed grains)
•        Apple slices with roasted almonds pasta and honey or chocolate sprinkles
•        ‘Ice-cream’ from roasted almonds pasta with blended bananas

Not Paleo:

• Baked rice with apple moose and cinnamon
• Cookies from cornflakes with dark chocolate

Ingredients

• Not roasted almonds – pasta (EkoPlaza)
• Water

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Accessories

• Shaker or blender
• Tea spoon

* If you have no shaker nor blender – just give it a good stir with a spoon. The pasta is easily soluble in water!

How to

• Fill the shaker or blender with a glass of water
• Take a spoon of almond pasta and add it to the water
• Give it a good shake/blend
• Optional: add some fresh or frozen fruits
• And enjoy!

Version with fruits requires a blender (see pictures).

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

The almond pasta is pricey, I know. But it will last for many glasses of almond milk.  What’s even more important contains NOTHING else but almonds. Another option is to buy almonds (if you leave them in water for a while, they will be extremely easy to pill) and make the pasta yourself. But if you buy biological almonds the end price will be identical (it just gives you an additional work!).

Enjoy,