Homemade Crackers

A complaint/struggle people with Candida have is that they can't have chips or crackers... I have been trying to find a good homemade recipe without all the junk it in! (White flour, wheat flour, sugar, food colorings, preservatives, etc.) 

These were easy to make and you don't need any crazy ingredients.  The only problem is that they kind of crumble if you bite them in half.  But there is a simple solution... Cut into bite size pieces :)  Enjoy!!

Ingredients 

• 1 egg- whisk till frothy
• 2 TBS coconut oil- melted
• 3 Cups almond flour
• 1 1/2 Tsp sea salt
• (Her recipe called for an additional TBS of honey.  I didn't add it to make sure it tasted okay for people on Candida Clear.  For everyone else you can add in the honey to give it a sweeter taste but it was perfectly fine without.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or I just coated with coconut oil).
2. Mix all ingredients, except almond flour, together. 
3. Slowly add in the almond flour to form a dough.
4. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper.  It is easier if you do half of the dough at a time.  Roll to about 1/8 inch thickness. Peel the top layer of parchment paper off and cut the dough into bite sized squares.
5. Place dough squares onto prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until just starting to brown. (Mine needed about 9 to 10 minutes but each oven is different.)

4 to 5 Ingredinats VERSUS... Keebler Club Cracker
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, SUGAR, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF SALT, LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CORNSTARCH, SOY LECITHIN.
**TBHQ= A preservative= Not healthy for you

I like the idea of only 4 ingredients... but that may just be me. 

The Flattened Out Dough

Next Step: Cut in bit size pieces and put on baking sheet

My Cooked Crackers!

They make for nice little turkey sandwiches :)

By the way- The Paleo Mom is a great resource center.  She has such great recipes!
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/01/recipe-paleo-club-crackers.html

Egg Drop Soup! 2 Ingredients!

Okay so this could possibly be the easiest recipe yet... not kidding!  Just because its so simple to make does not mean it lacks in taste!  I have had this for dinner the past 2 nights! :)  I love egg drop soup at Chinese restaurants but you never know what all goes into it- especially the seasonings and flavoring (and MSG).  So in place of it try this!!  I think it tastes just like one at a restaurant I promise!
 
Ingredients
-4 Eggs
-Chicken Stock (I use the organic chicken stock from Coscto.  Such a great deal.)
-Sea Salt and Pepper
 
Boil 4 cups of chicken stock (which happens to be right around the size of the Coscto chicken stock box).  While the chicken stock is heating up, in a separate bowl whisk 4 eggs.  Once the chicken stock is bowling slowly add in the eggs. They will cook instantly!  Add a little sea salt and pepper and you are good to go!! You can add green onions on top like they do in the restaurant or even add a little scoop of quinoa to make it slightly more filling.  (That's what I tried tonight and it worked great!)

It truly doesn't get any easier and less time consuming than that.  Enjoy!!

The Soup!  It looks better in person :)

Sausage and Gravy... Seriously Easy and Delicious!

Okay so this may be my favorite recipe so far.  I know I have said this before... but I am NOT joking.  This was so incredibly easy and so tasty.  Sausage and gravy is such a classic Southern food that  I thought would be hard to duplicate, let alone with only 3 ingredients.  Try it and be amazed like I was.  I made my fiance look at me when he tried so I could see his expression... and it was a good one! A must try!!!!!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
1 pound of sausage (make sure it has no preservatives in it- nitrates, nitrites, sulfites, sulfates)

Soak your cashews in warm water the night before.  I just took a mason jar and filled it with my cashews and the warm water to sit overnight.  It does not matter how much water you soak them in as long as they are all submerged.  In the morning drain the water out and put the cashews in blender or food processor.  (I used a food processor.)  Put 2 cups of fresh water in with the cashews. Blend until creamy.  It took about 30 seconds in my food processor and the recipe online called for 2-3 minutes in a blender. 

Cook your sausage on medium heat.  When done drain excess grease.  Then put pan back on medium or low-medium heat and add your cashew gravy. Stir until warm.  (You can also add more water at this time to make it less thick but I didn't.) 

That is it!!!  Add pepper or any other seasonings you want.  Try it and feel free to be skeptical like I was but I do not think you will be let down.  This opens up the door to making gravy for potatoes, turkey, chicken, quinoa, etc... I am pretty excited about it as you can tell :)  Enjoy!!

Cobbler! Easy to make!

Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner I am experimenting with some desserts. Today cobbler. Tomorrow pumpkin pie? (I also just found a recipe for sausage and gravy... cross your fingers that its good!) So here is the recipe for berry cobbler and some changes I would make at the end.

Ingredients

• Fruit (Recipe calls for 2 pints of blueberries. I only had a pint of strawberries at my house so those worked great! You could also use could use raspberries or blackberries... yum!)
• Xylitol or Honey (Xylitol for those on Candida Clear)
• 1 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
• 1 Egg
• 2 TBS of Coconut Oil
• Cinnamon

Directions

• Wash and dry fruit.
• Grease baking pan with coconut oil and put berries in it.
• Drizzle xylitol or honey on top of fruit. (I didn't have my smaller baking pans cleaned so I used 2 Pyrex containers.)
• In another bowl mix almond flour, egg and coconut oil together. (I would add some honey or xylitol in this as well to make it sweeter.)
• Sprinkle the almond meal mixture over berries and sprinkling cinnamon on top.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes on 350 degrees until almond mixture turns golden brown. (And simply for pleasure occasionally open the oven to get a good smell of what is baking. It smells sooo good!!!)

My notes: The 'crumble' topping wasn't sweet at all (which is not a problem but most people would say it was bland). I didn't add any xylitol or honey and I think that would be a good addition in the mixture to give the 'crumble' a little taste. My crumble was more like a thick batter. I pulled it apart and put the chunks (not an appetizing word but I can't think of any other word now) on top of the fruit. It just wasn't a dry crumble like typical berry cobbler. It could be that I added to much coconut oil to the almond meal mixture. Mine also was pretty watery after it was cooked and it could have been the strawberries... but it was still tasty!!

Try different fruits and even drizzle with honey, pure maple syrup or xylitol right after you take it out of the oven. Enjoy!

Stawberries drizzled with honey before the crumble topping!

All done!

Recipe from: http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blueberry-Crumble-Paleo-Friendly/

Theirs turned out much prettier than mine :)

Zucchini Lasagna! Only 4 ingredients

For those of you who are missing lasagna... There is hope! It's great for anyone on Candida Clear, those avoiding pasta for other reasons (in my case I get instantly bloated and gain 2 pounds the next day. Not kidding) or for anyone wanting just a healthier option.

All you need is 2 to 3 zucchinis, goat cheese, hamburger and pasta sauce. (The pasta sauce is a tricky one. I was at Kroger and only found one that didn't have sugar or some form of it as an ingredient. You will have more options at Whole Foods I would imagine but make sure to read the labels. I have a pic of what I got below. It wasn't the cheapest thing but it was my only option. Plus I didn't use all of it so you can use it on something else. Maybe the homemade noodles? Click the link for the recipe http://drcarolynmaxfield.blogspot.com/2013/06/homemade-noodles-only-4-ingredients.html)

First throw your hamburger in a skillet and cook until it browns. While cooking try to prevent it from clumping (so it has a crumble like consistency).  

While it's cooking you can work on the zucchini. If you have a mandolin use that to cut your zucchini in slices. I don't have one so I cut it lengthwise in as thin of slices as possible. Some I could cut the whole length while others I could only make it half the length. No matter how it's cut it all tastes the same. 

One thing I didn't do that I would do next time is pull the moisture out of the zucchini so when it's all cooked the lasagna wouldn't be as runny. You can do this by slicing your zucchini and sprinkle sea salt on one side of it and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes while it 'sweats.' Dab up the water and the flip the zucchini over and repeat.

Now it's time to layer. I put my zucchini down first. It doesn't perfectly fit together and there will be some gaps but you get the picture. Next crumble goat cheese. Then add a layer of hamburger. Lastly pasta sauce. I made 2 layers of each. 

Bake for 25 to 30 min on 350. Before I took it out I crumbled more goat cheese on top and broiled it for a couple minutes. 

Take it out and enjoy! You may notice it is a little watery which is due to the zucchini. No big deal. Also mine fell all apart when I served it. Presentation is not my priority :) So if it doesn't maintain it's form like regular lasagna don't be alarmed. If it does... Tell me how you did it! 

Other things you could throw in it that I thought about after... Chopped up onions or garlic. Seasonings such as dried oregano or basil would have been good in it too. Any or all of the above would be perfect in the pasta sauce layer. 

Now go enjoy your 'lasagna' and don't feel bad if you eat 1/2 of the pan or more! And no bloaty stomach afterwards :) Yay! 

Layer 1

 

 

 

Layer 2 and 3

 

Layer 4 

 

 

Pasta Sauce

 

 

 

Easy Avocado Fries!

I got this recipe from a patient... very easy and delicious!  All you need is an avocado, almond flour and any spices you would like to season with.

Instructions
Take the pit out of the avocado and slice into wedge like pieces (1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness is best).  Take the slices and completely coat in almond flour.  The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of almond flour per avocado.  I just put some in a bowl for easy dipping and threw in some cayenne pepper.  You can throw in any seasonings you want into the almond flour.  The recipe online calls for thyme but I am sure any seasoning will do.  Make sure to throw in a little sea salt to the almond flour too. 

Take a baking sheet and cover with wax paper or coconut oil to prevent sticking.  Bake on 375 degrees for 30 minutes and flip the slices half way through baking.  Enjoy!!

I also made a dip with soy free Vegenaise mayo and basil.  I threw both of those things in the food processor and it turns into a delicious dip!

BEFORE

AFTER