Sunday, January 9, 2011 by Bennett
Gluten-free biscuits & gravy
Biscuits and gravy were definitely on the menu when I was growing up. They aren’t a favorite food that I dearly miss now that I’ve gone Paleo (can we have a moment of silence for pizza, please?) but every now and then they were a nice treat. And when I saw Trog’s comment, I felt up to the challenge. I mean he did most of the hard work for me, suggesting coconut milk and arrowroot. The rest was super easy.
So if you’re one of those people who gets his panties in a wad over the fact that cavemen totally wouldn’t have been making biscuits and gravy, might I remind you of a quote from Andrew Badenoch, “Paleo is a logical framework applied to modern humans, not a historical reenactment.” That there quote applies to this here recipe. All the ingredients are technically Paleo, but I’d use this more as a treat for those lazy Sunday mornings every now and then when you want to hang out in the kitchen and make some true comfort food. It’s also perfect to try out on those Paleo-reluctant family members. The taste and texture overall is pretty darn close to the real thing. If I may say so, the gravy is spot-on. The biscuits are never going to be as light and fluffy as gluten-bombs made with cake flour and shortening, but they are good. They remind me of the whole wheat biscuits I used to make back in my weight watchers days: a little dense, but still biscuity enough to be called biscuits.
Some recipe notes
I added in sage and fennel to make the gravy even more sausage-y and mask the taste of the coconut milk. It worked. You could use any type of country style sausage here (that means sausage not in a casing). I used pork, but turkey sausage would work fine, and spicy sausage would be even better. The cayenne gives it a little kick, but leave it out if you must. Not familiar with arrowroot powder? Well here you go:
Arrowroot powder comes from the rhizome of the West Indian arrowroot plant, and is a thickener similar to cornstarch. Besides trying to avoid the evilness that is corn, I prefer it to cornstarch for a couple of reasons: It has a more neutral flavor than cornstarch, it works well at a low temperature and tolerates acidic ingredients for a longer cooking time, it gives dessert sauces and fillings a really pretty sheen, and unlike cornstarch, you can freeze things made with arrowroot without them turning into a blobby, gummy mess. Don’t use arrowroot powder with dairy, though, it turns things into a disgusting slimy mixture. Not cute.
Paleo Sausage Gravy
16 oz. country style pork sausage
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 can coconut milk (shake it up before you open it)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
- Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage. Break up the sausage into fairly small pieces so it will cook easily, but I like to leave some bigger chunks in there too. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Discard most of the fat, but leave about a tablespoon in there, and leave all the stuck-on brown bits of sausage in the bottom of the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add the arrowroot and stir it into the fat & brown bits, whisking constantly for about a minute so it doesn’t burn. It will get pretty thick and almost dry.
- Add the coconut milk about 1/3 of the can at a time, and whisk together with the “roux” you just made, incorporating it thoroughly. Some of the browned bits should start to come off the bottom of the pan, too. This is what we want. Keep adding in the coconut milk until it is all incorporated. Add the fennel, sage, cayenne, salt and pepper and mix it in.
- Add the sausage back in and incorporate throughout the gravy. Cook for a moment so everything is heated evenly. Serve immediately over biscuits.
Paleo Biscuits
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cold grass-fed butter (coconut oil is fine here too)
6 egg whites
a little coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease up 6 cups of a muffin tin with coconut oil.
- Put coconut flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated. The butter pieces should be about the size of peas.
- In a blender (or by hand if you’re feeling energetic), whiz the egg whites until they are frothy. Add them to the food processor and pulse a couple times until they’re incorporated. Don’t go crazy though, just pulse it a few times until just blended.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the 6 cups of your muffin tin. It should fill them about 3/4 full. These biscuits don’t rise, so that’s okay. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are browned.
- Pour your gravy on top, and enjoy.
RECIPE FROM http://robbwolf.com/2011/01/05/gluten-free-sausage-gravy-paleo-biscuits/
Sunday, December 12, 2010 by Craig
Recipe taken from Caveman Gourmet
Ingredients
16oz brussel sprouts
16oz cubed butternut squash
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut off the ends of the brussel sprouts and take off any wilted outer leaves. Halve the brussel sprouts (you can leave whole if you like). In a large mixing bowl, mix the sprouts and squash with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Pour them on an baking pan and roast for 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Sunday, November 14, 2010 by Bennett
Ingredients
4 Large Apples
1 T Cinnamon
1 Lemon
1 Cup Raisin
1 Cup Diced Ham
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
4 T Coconut Oil (1 T per apple)
1 T Almond Meal
Directions
#1 – Place Raisins in a large mixing bowl
#2 – Add Juice of 1 lemon to Raisins and allow to marinate for 10 minutes
#3 – Core each apple
#4 – Sprinkle each apple with cinnamon
#5 – Add Ham, Raisins, and Chopped Pecans
#6 - Top with Coconut Oil and Almond Meal
#7 – Cover with Foil and Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees
#8 – Remove Foil and Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees
And there you have it – a sweet and savory fall time dish – Baked-Stuffed Apples
Sunday, July 18, 2010 by Craig
“If your spending less than an hour a day on food you seriously need to rethink your priorities.” -Robb Wolf
That said, many of you find it difficult to find the time to plan out healthy meals. This is especially difficult in the morning. Here are some recipes to help you in your quest for healthy meals.
1. “Eggs with mushrooms and Pine Nuts”
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2tbs chives, finely chopped
1cup sliced mushrooms
1tbs olive oil
1tbs pine nuts
Salt and pepper
2. “Raisin Omelet”
Ingredients:
2tbs raisins
3 eggs
Dash ground cinnamon
Dash ground all spice
Dash nutmeg
Directions:
Boil raisins in some water for 1 minute. Drain well. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg. Stir in raisins. Heat a frying pan lined with baking paper. Pour the beaten eggs onto the baking paper. When the bottom of the eggs have cooked, turn the mixture over by placing another sheet of baking paper to the side and flipping and eggs onto it, then transfer it onto the heated frying pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until browned on the bottom.
3. “Paleo Cereal”
This makes a great pre-work out breakfast, snack or dessert.
Ingredients:
1/2 apple diced
1/4 cup chopped nuts. (I like walnuts and almonds)
2 dates chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
Directions:
Put all ingredients in bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon and cover with coconut milk or almond milk.
4. “Scrambled Eggs with Chives”
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2tbs chopped chives
Salt and pepper
1tsp Olive
Coconut Oil
Directions:
Place oil in a frying pan on medium heat, fry onions for 3-4min or until slightly browned, remove from pan. Whisk eggs in a bowl then place in the frying pan, stirring continuously. When eggs have almost cooked through, add the chives and continue cooking for another 1min, or until eggs are cooked through. Serve right away.
5. “Bacon”
Bacon
6. Coconut Milk Smoothie
7. Paleo Apple Muffins
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups almond meal
4 omega 3 enriched eggs
1 organic apple finely chopped
1 very ripe banana
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon
Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350. Peel the banana and using a fork, mash the bananna in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Using a hand held chopper if you have one, finely chop the apple, and add to the bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix by hand. The batter will not be super thick, but more like a cake batter. Using a bit more coconut oil, grease a muffin tin. Fill the tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes. You will know they are done when you can insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin and it comes out clean. Serve hot out of the oven with some ghee melted on top, accompanied by eggs over-easy, and hot black coffee. If you eat them all at once, don’t blame me… Makes approximately 16 muffins.
8. Leftovers from dinner
If you are like me and cook most of you meals, you will typically have leftovers. This can make for a easy, delicious, 2-3 minute breakfast. Simply throw dinner into the microwave for 2 minutes and enjoy.
Sunday, July 18, 2010 by Craig
Ingredients:
For the chimichurri sauce:
1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
5 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the steak:
2 pounds flank steak
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Process parsley and garlic in a food processor until chopped fine, about 20 one-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and whisk in remaining sauce ingredients until thoroughly blended.
2. Butterfly flank steak by slicing it horizontally with the grain, half of the thickness of the steak, stopping about one inch from the edge of the meat.
3. Open the steak and completely cover with chimichurri sauce. Roll the steak into a cylinder so the grain of the meat runs the length of the roll. Tie the steak closed tightly using butchers twine, with one tie about every inch along the length of the roll. Season the outside of the steak with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill steak to desired doneness–until an instant read thermometer reads 140°F when inserted into the middle of the roll for medium–turning four times during cooking to evenly brown the outside. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice between the pieces of twine, then remove the twine from each slice, and serve.
Chimichurri sauce from Cooks Illustrated
