FENNEL APPLE PECAN SALAD

From time to time I buy fresh fennel bulbs both during the summer and winter months. In winter I think more about roasting and baking fennel pieces and in summer I think about adding it to salads. 

Even though it is early spring, I became focused on making a fennel salad today. I usually add orange to a fennel salad but this time I decided to add apple and some nuts. I find a fennel salad to be very refreshing and it is a nice change. In making this recipe I decided to half it as it was for two people as part of lunch and I didn't want leftovers. I cut the quantity of each ingredient into half and used a green apple and pecan nuts. To make thin strips from both the fennel and apple, I used a mandolin. I forgot how useful the mandolin is to make thin strips and need to use it more often. You can use a food processor with the right attachment to make thin strips but the mandolin has less parts to it and easier to clean up. Both the DH and I enjoyed the salad and I will make it again.   

Mixing up the fennel salad.

Ready to eat.

INGREDIENTS:

1 fennel bulb, sliced very thinly into strips
1 green or other tart apple, cored, sliced very thinly into strips 
1 oz chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds 
handful of parsley, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
salt to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

Using a mandolin, food processor or hand grater, shred the fennel bulb and apple. Place into a medium size mixing or serving bowl. Add the nuts and parsley and mix everything until it is well combined. In a small bowl, container or glass jar, mix the olive oil, vinegar, honey and salt. Add to the bowl with the salad mixture. Mix well and serve. Makes 4 generous servings.

RAISIN CHOCOLATE CHIP PALEO COOKIE

Even though Spring arrived this week, the weather is still winter with cold and snow. One needs no better excuse to make cookies. I decided to make these cookies as they are paleo and I like the combination of raisins, chocolate chips and shredded coconut. You don't have to add the chocolate chips. They are a great substitute for oatmeal raisin cookies. I found this recipe in "Against all Grain" which has many interesting recipes.

I used a vegetable shortening and there are other options including palm shortening or butter. I used palm sugar instead of honey as the sweetener. The cookies have a darker colour as the palm sugar is brown in colour. To make the golf ball size dough for each cookie, I used a cookie scooper but didn't fill it all the way to the top. I made 14 cookies and used the convection setting on the oven at 350 degrees F. The cookies turned out great and we enjoyed them.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, room temperature
1/3 cup honey or palm sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract 
4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins or 1/3 cup raisins and 1/3 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Using either a mixmaster or an electric hand mixer, mix the shortening and egg in a bowl for one minute on a high speed. Add the honey and vanilla and mix for another minute or until creamy. 

In another small bowl, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, flours, baking soda and salt and combine using a mixing spoon. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix for another minute until it is all combined. Scape the sides down with a spatula if required. Add the coconut, raisins and chocolate chips (if using). Mix again until everything is combined.

Line a cookie/baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a spoonful of batter, about the size of a golf ball, onto the parchment paper. Once you have placed all of the golf ball size cookie batter along the baking sheet, take a piece of parchment paper, place over each cookie and gently press down using the back of a spatula. Press them into circles, about 1/4 inch thick. The cookies don't spread when baking so you don't need much room between each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown. Makes 12 to 14 cookies depending on the amount of batter you use for each cookie.

Adapted from "Against all Grain" cookbook

BREAKFAST SAUSAGES

I have never made what could be called breakfast sausages before making this recipe. I have made meatballs, sliders and burgers all geared to lunch or supper, not breakfast. But I have bought breakfast sausages. I came across this recipe in the cookbook "Against all Grain" and decided to make it for a Sunday morning breakfast instead of making paleo style waffles or pancakes.

I used a one pound package of lean ground pork and bought pork that was organic grain fed. You can use lean ground chicken or turkey instead of pork. Having two sausages along with some slices of sautéed apple and bullet coffee was very filling. I used dried herbs as I didn't have fresh sage and I didn't have marjoram so I used herbes de Provence. I used one green apple for making the sautéed apple slices.

It is a great recipe and if you have the time to make them, it is much better to have these sausages than buying a store bought product. It doesn't require much time to mix up the meat, herb and spices and the cooking time is no different than that of a store bought product. Both the DH and I enjoyed this meal.

Apples and cinnamon sautéing in a pan.

Cooking the sausages.

Plated and ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground pork
2 tsp chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp marjoram or 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste

1 to 2 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the pork, herbs, maple syrup and spices in a mixing bowl. Heat a frying pan, non-stick if you have one, to medium high heat. Form the meat mixture into patties. I made eight patties and used my hands to shape them.

Fry the patties in the pan and flip over several times while cooking. It should take about 10 minutes. You can cook the apple slices in the same pan once the sausages are cooked. Remove the cooked sausages and place on a plate. Wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove any fine bits left from cooking the meat. Sauté the apples for 10 minutes with the cinnamon. Stir often. Add the meat during the last minute back to the pan to heat them up. Another option for cooking the apples is to sauté the apples and cinnamon in a separate pan with a little bit of butter. I did that while I was cooking the sausages. The recipe makes eight sausages.

Adapted from "Against all Grains".

HOT CEREAL MADE FROM NUTS

Over the years I have visited the blog site of Danielle Walker, Against All Grain,  who has written about dairy, gluten and grain-free recipes. She has written at least two cookbooks and I finally just bought the book titled "Against all Grain". It has a number of wonderful recipes that I plan to make. Danielle Walker started to change to what she ate as she was dealing with autoimmune issues including ulcerative colitis. She started to follow a Paleo diet and found the foods that helped her thrive. 

I have been following and cooking a Paleo style diet as I am watching my carbohydrate consumption/insulin resistance with balancing the amounts of carbs, fat, protein and plant material and the DH deals with some autoimmune issues. I do include some dairy in my diet including plain Greek yogurt with some fat in it, Parmesan cheese and some goat and sheep cheeses. I am careful with not consuming too much cheese. I will also have toast from time to time but I am selective on the type of bread. Sour dough is my preferred choice followed by rye or pumpernickel. I will also have small amounts of oatmeal and small amounts of certain kinds of beans. The DH is also not eating vegetables from the nightshade family and is careful eating some vegetables that have a lot of lectin in their skins. Since changing his diet, he is feeling much better. 

The recipe that I am profiling in this post is from the cookbook "Against all Grain". It is a hot cereal made from nuts. I didn't make any changes though I used almond milk instead of coconut milk. I just happened to grab the almond milk from the fridge instead of the coconut milk. I was leery of adding 2 teaspoons of cinnamon as I thought it might be too much but it wasn't. This cereal is very filling and it makes four portions. It has the consistency like cream of wheat. I would first start off by just taking one portion in your bowl as it is filling and you may think the portion is small but it is deceiving. I added a few raisins, a teaspoon of maple syrup and some almond milk to my bowl of hot cereal. Both the DH and I enjoyed this hot cereal. I will make it again. 

Nuts added to the blender.

Blending the ingredients.

Cereal placed in the pot to heat up.

Adding raisins to the bowl of cereal.

Ready to eat with milk, maple syrup and raisins added to the bowl.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pecan nuts
pinch of sea salt
1 ripe banana
2 cups of coconut or a nut milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon 

DIRECTIONS:

Place the nuts in a bowl or a storage container that comes with a lid. Sprinkle the nuts with the sea salt. Add water to cover the nuts by at least one inch. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight.

In the morning, drain the nuts and rinse them several times in a colander. Place the nuts in a high speed blender or food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a pot, cook on medium high until the cereal starts to heat up and reduce the heat to low. Cook for five to eight minutes. Serves 4. You can add some raisins, milk, maple syrup to your bowl of hot cereal.