Carrot, Red Roasted Pepper, Spinach Salad

Carrot, Red Roasted Pepper, Spinach Salad
Makes 2-4 servings

2 large organic carrots
3 strips jarred organic red roasted peppers
1 large organic beefsteak tomato
1 1/2 cups organic spinach
2-3 TBSP Italian Dressing, or to taste

• Wash, trim carrots.  Using box shredder, shred carrots and place in large salad bowl.
• Rough chop 3 large strips of jarred red roasted peppers.  Add to bowl.
• Wash tomato.  Remove seeds and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add to bowl.
• Wash spinach and spin dry.  Chop into bite size pieces.  Add to bowl.
• Add Italian dressing a tablespoon at a time, tossing salad, until desired consistency.

Roasted Zucchini, Yellow Squash SCD

Roasted Zucchini, Yellow Squash  SCD

2 Organic Zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

2 Organic Yellow Squash, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 Organic Carrots, cut lengthwise into quarters then in to 3 inch long pieces

1/2 TSP Organic dried Basil
1/2 TSP Organic dried Oregano

3 TBSP Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 cup freshly grated Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese

Fresh Parsley, chopped fine for garnish

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, basil and oregano. Set aside for 10 minutes so flavors infuse into the oil.
• Place Carrots, Zucchini and Squash in a large bowl.  Pour olive oil mixture over and toss to coat.
• Place on lined baking sheet in a single layer.
• Sprinkle cheese over the top .
• Roast in preheated oven 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Garlic, Carrots, Onions SCD

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Garlic, Carrots, Onions

3-4 Pastured Chicken Breasts, cut each into 3 strips
1/2 TSP dried Organic Basil
1/2 TSP dried Organic Oregano
1/4 TSP dried Organic Rosemary
5 Organic Carrots, cut into 3 inch pieces
1 large onion sliced into thick pieces, I generally use Vidalia
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 TSP dried Organic Thyme
3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 cup freshly grated mild Organic Cheddar Cheese
2 TBSP fresh chopped Parsley
3/4 cup homemade chicken broth

• Pour chicken broth in bottom of slow cooker.
• Season Chicken strips with Basil, Oregano and Rosemary, place in bottom of 6 quart crock pot
• Toss carrots, onion, garlic with olive oil and Thyme, place in crock pot
• Cover and cook low 6-7 hours or on high 3-4 hours
• Sprinkle with grated cheese before eating

Chicken Vegetable Meatballs

I have enjoyed my beef meatballs so much that I decided to try making ground chicken breast meatballs.  You can use any kind of ground chicken that you like, but I am very picky and ground two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about a pound, using a food grinder on my Kitchenaid mixer.  I also like sneaking vegetables into my meatballs.  These would be great for picky eaters who don't like greens, you can't taste the spinach if you mince it small enough.

CHICKEN VEGETABLE MEATBALLS                 makes about 14 small meatballs

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 lb) ground
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large organic carrot , finely shredded
1 stalk organic celery, finely minced
1-2 TSP olive oil, or coconut oil for sautéing vegetables
1/2 TSP sea salt
1 TBSP olive oil (to add to mixture)
**(optional) 2 cloves garlic, minced (cook last 2 minutes with veges)
**(optional) 1 cup organic spinach, finely minced (don't add if you plan to freeze)
**(optional) 3 TBSP homemade basil and spinach pesto mixed into meatballs (don't add if you plan to freeze)
*(optional) 1/2 - 3/4 cup No Tomato Red Sauce for dipping or to serve over meatballs.  When I make the beef meatballs, I mix the sauce right into the meat mixture before baking.  So far I haven't tried that with the chicken but will let you know how that works out.

Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil about 7 minutes. Let cool.
Mix into the ground chicken along with olive oil and salt and **optional ingredients if using.
Roll into small meatballs, about 1 rounded TBSP.  Place them in a glass baking dish.  Cook for 20-30 minutes.  Mine didn't brown.

Carrots, Organic Baked Carrot Fries

We eat a lot of organic carrots!!  The first time I saw a five pound bag of organic carrots, I wondered who eats that many carrots.  Well guess what, my husband and I eat five pounds a week! Once I realized that cooked carrots don't bother my tummy, they are on the menu every day.  I use carrots as the base for many recipes.  Carrots can be used for baked carrot fries, baked carrots and onions, stir fried carrots, carrots in soup and in No Tomato Sauce, similar to spaghetti sauce without the inflammatory nightshade vegetables, ie. tomatoes.  Plus, they are one of the less expensive organic vegetables usually priced about five dollars for five pounds.  So between my happy tummy, versatility and cheap price, we eat five pounds a week!

One of my favorite carrot recipes is baked carrot fries.  I have seen several varieties of this recipe but I like the recipe my daughter shared with me that a friend shared with her.  This is easy and not really much of a recipe but tastes soooo good.

BAKED CARROT FRIES 

I usually plan one to two carrots per person depending on how big they are.  Use carrots that are similar in size so they cook evenly.  Simply wash and clean up the outside of the carrots with a peeler to remove any outer dirt.  Slice the carrots in half to decrease the length and then cut each half into four long pieces (shaped like French fries).  Toss in about 1 TBSP olive oil or more depending on how many carrots you use.  Make sure to coat them well.  Place in a baking dish and put in a 400 degree oven.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  If your carrot pieces are big, you may need to add additional baking times.  Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Spinach and Carrot Soup



Lemon Chicken soup from our local Greek restaurant has always been a favorite of mine.  But the last two times I had it (before starting the anti inflammatory elimination diet) I became very sick within minutes of finishing it.  Possibly the eggs or thickening agents but my tummy really didn't like it.  So when I thought about making lemon chicken soup that is safe on my anti inflammatory elimination diet, I decided to only use ingredients that I knew my tummy was ok with.  I am keeping it simple these days and trying hard to have flavorful meals.

 

I started with my usual trilogy of Vidalia onions, carrots and celery, along with some homemade chicken bone broth, chicken breasts, spinach and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  I like hiding vegetables and thickening my broth with vegetables that I put in the food processor with just a little broth.  I need all the help I can get eating more vegetables.  I wanted to keep this broth on the thin side, so I only used one onion.  You can also add some cooked chicken with the onion in the food processor for a little more texture to the broth. 

 

I made this in the crockpot.

 

EDITED:  When using already cooked chicken breast, I don't cook this in the crockpot.  I saute the onions and celery in a little olive oil about 7 minutes.  Using immersion blender, blend until creamy.  Add all of the ingredients to a medium size stock pot, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, or until the carrots are tender.  Add chopped spinach and cook an additional 10 minutes.

 

LEMON CHICKEN SPINACH CARROT SOUP             3 SERVINGS

 

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in half ( Greenwise from Publix)

4 cups homemade chicken bone broth (make and keep in the freezer in Mason jars)

1 Vidalia onion, rough chop

1 rib (piece) organic celery, rough chop

6 organic carrots, sliced

2 cups organic baby spinach, finely chopped

1/4 lemon juice, fresh squeezed

• Put the onion(s) and celery in food processor with 1/4 cup broth, pulse several times until you can only see tiny pieces of veges or until smooth.  Place in crockpot.
• Add chicken breasts, the remaining broth and lemon juice.
• Cook on HIGH 3 hours
• Add spinach and carrots and cook on HIGH 1 hour.
• Before serving, cut chicken into large chunks

Chicken Bone Broth Anti Inflammatory Elimination Diet

Chicken Bone Broth  good for healing my gut / makes about 12 cups broth

1 Green Wise Chicken from Publix without giblets (or antibiotic free / pastured chicken)

2 organic carrots cut into chunks

2 organic Celery ribs (pieces) cut into chunks

1 Vidalia Onion cut into chunks, you can use any onion you want, I have just found these don't make me sick

2 TBSP Braggs Organic Vinegar

1 TBSP Pink Himalayan Salt (health food store) or you can use Sea Salt

enough water to to fill your crock pot (mine is a 6 or 7 quart pot)

• Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
• Remove chicken and pull the meat off the bones ( we eat this for a meal ) leave veges and broth in the pot.
• Put the bones, skin, cartlidge and any meat that you won't eat like the back bone back into Crock pot.
• Add water to fill the crockpot all the way up, cook on high about and hour then cook on LOW 18-20 hours.
• Remove lid and let it cool about an hour.   Remove all of the bones and veges and discard.
• Strain the broth into a fine mesh strainer to remove any small chards of bone or you can use cheese cloth over a regular strainer.  I do this 3 times.

I have Mason Jars that I bought at Walmart that you can also freeze in.  I have several sizes but I like the half pint jars (8 ounces) for freezing the broth, that way I can just thaw one at a time for each day.  I drink one or two of these a day or use it to make soup.

No Tomato Red Sauce, Tomato Free Spaghetti or Pizza Sauce

Tomato Free Red Sauce, use in place of spaghetti or pizza sauce.  Make a big batch, it freezes well.

I first saw this recipe for no tomato sauce on The Primordial Table via Pinterest.  This tomato free red sauce is beyond amazingly good!  For anyone with allergies to tomatoes or nightshades, just give this a try, it is delicious.  I do recommend that you make this a day ahead of time, as it tastes even better the second day!

* I also want to add that I melted my blender gears by not waiting until the sauce was very cool to blend after cooking.  I now use an immersion blender.*

I have made this sauce for my family several times and they can't get enough of it.  My grandson used it for dipping his chicken into instead of using ketchup.  So much healthier!

The following is the way I make no tomato red sauce.  I encourage you to use the original recipe.  I am posting this mainly for my family and friends so they know the changes I made to the orginal recipe.

I also found another version of this recipe called No Tomato Pasta Sauce and it uses canned carrots and beets.  I am not a huge fan of canned vegetables, but in a pinch I might try this!

There is this version also, No Tomato Sauce, but it uses red bell peppers which aren't good for some people on special diets.

Here is how I adapted The Primordial Table's recipe for my family. 

No Tomato Red Sauce   makes about 5 cups

6 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped small
3 organic celery ribs (pieces), chopped small
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 organic beet, peeled and shredded (about a cup)**
3 cups homemade chicken bone broth
1 1/2 tsp dried Basil
1 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
2 TBSP organic Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

*1 cup organic baby spinach, chopped very fine - don't add until you are ready to eat the sauce - if you plan to freeze sauce, don't add spinach*

**I steam my beets ahead of time and freeze them so I have them all ready for this recipe but I think you could use beets that have been washed, peeled and cubed small, then just cook with the rest of the ingredients until beets are soft.**

Put all of the ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about an hour until veges are soft.  Remove from heat, let cool slightly.

Using an immersion blender, blend until sauce is smooth.  Reheat the sauce before serving.

If you are using a regular blender, please be careful and let sauce completely cool before blending.  I melted my blender gears because the sauce was too hot.
 
I plan to try and freeze some sauce to see if it freezes and thaws well.  So far, we have eaten every ounce that we make...might be time to double or triple this recipe.

EDITED:  I have frozen this sauce several times now and it thaws great in the refrigerator.

Organic Black Bean Quinoa Carrot Burgers (Recipe Makeover)

Organic black bean / quinoa / carrot burgers have become a favorite in my house!  I am so happy I have been able to add black beans back into my diet. They quickly became that "go to" meal when we can't think of what to make for dinner. These healthy bean burgers have kept us from eating out more than once!  Serve on a bed of lettuce, baby spinach and avocado/homemade guacamole and we have a filling, healthy meal.

These burgers also freeze well!

Organic Black Bean Quinoa Carrot Burgers                    makes 4 burgers / 2 servings

1/2 cup cooked organic quinoa (not SCD legal but my tummy tolerates just fine)
15 ounce can organic black beans, rinsed and drain, mash with hand masher leaving some whole or use 1 1/2 cups homemade cooked organic black beans
3/4 cup finely shredded organic carrots
1/4 cup organic Almond Flour
1 clove organic garlic, minced
1 tsp organic cumin (if allowed on your diet)
(optional 1/4 tsp sea salt)
1-2 TBSP olive oil for cooking burgers

Cook quinoa according to package directions to equal 1/2 cup cooked.  Let cool, then add shredded carrots, minced garlic, mashed beans, almond flour, cumin and salt.  Mixture will be lumpy but should stick together.  Form into 4 patties.  I like mine flattened a little so there is more crunchy surface, if you like a softer burger leave it a little thicker.  Cook 8 minutes on each side in olive oil over medium heat.  If they start to get too brown/crunchy, turn the heat down slightly.

I freeze these burgers on a cookie sheet individually, then place parchment paper between them before placing in freezer container.  This makes it easier to just remove one burger at a time.