Ground Beef & Lentil Tacos

Who doesn't love Mexican food?  Mexican is pretty 'whole' already, so revising it to be GAPS and digestion friendly isn't very hard if you make it yourself.  Below is our version of tacos.

Tacos
1 c. lentils
1 quart chicken or beef stock
2 garlic coves, crushed
1/2 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef or ground elk
3 T. homemade taco seasoning
Romaine lettuce, washed
Optional toppings: Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onion, shredded cheese, homemade salsa

Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 c. minced dried onions
1/2 c. chili powder
1/4 c. garlic powder
1/4 c . cumin
2 T. oregano
2 T. salt
3 1/2 T. paprika

Homemade Salsa (revised from a Betty Crocker cookbook)
6 Roma tomatoes
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 c.)
1/4 c. yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 T. finely chopped seeded jalapeno
3 T. lime juice (juice from one large lime or two small)
1/2 t. real salt

Rinse lentils.  Pour stock, garlic cloves, salt, and lentils into a medium stock pot.  Simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until lentils are tender.  Cool slightly.  Puree in blender for a 'refried-bean-like' texture.

While lentils are cooking, make salsa (combine all salsa ingredients) and refrigerate.

After salsa is made and while lentils are still cooking, brown ground beef with 3 T. homemade taco seasoning.  Prepare any optional toppings.

Spread pureed lentils down core of a Romaine lettuce leaf.  Spoon ground meat over lentils.  Add any optional toppings.  roll the Romaine lettuce leaf or fold together taco-style.

A less hands-on version is to serve the lentils, meat, and toppings over a bed of torn lettuce for a taco salad.  Enjoy!

Simple Chicken 3 Ways

The Rosemary Chicken version was shared with me by my sister quite a while ago and was the basis for the other two.  I believe the original recipe came from "Taste of Home" magazine but I've eliminated a few steps and don't seem to miss them.

Rosemary Chicken (my way)

2 full chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on has more flavor)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. rosemary, crushed
1/2 t. sage
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange chicken in a 13"x 9" glass baking dish.  Slice butter into tablespoon portions and place sliced butter on chicken.  Sprinkle remaining ingredients evenly over chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-50 minutes, or until juices run clear.  If using chicken with the skin on and a crispy skin is desired, broil for 2 minutes or until desired crispness is obtained (watch closely to avoid burning).

Italian variation:
Omit rosemary and sage.  Add 1 t. dried basil.  Sprinkle with optional Parmesan cheese when chicken is removed from oven.

Seasoned variation:
Omit oregano, rosemary, and sage.  Sprinkle liberally with an unsalted seasoning of your choice (I love Costco's Kirkland brand Organic No-Salt Seasoning).

GAPS Shepherd's Pie (no milk, no potatoes, no canned soup)

I got the idea to make this Shepherd's Pie from The Holistic Squid.  I would have used her recipe except it had flour in the ingredients.  I made several versions of this trying for something that would thicken nicely without the flour.  They were all delicious, but once I found this recipe for Alfredo Sauce, and used it for the filling sauce, it stands alone in all its delicious glory!

GAPS Shepherd's Pie

6 T. butter, divided
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets (if you're able to have potatoes, you could sub mashed potatoes for the cauliflower and decrease the cost of this dish)
1 lb. ground beef or ground elk
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 c. green beans
1 c. peas
1 T. chopped parsley or 1 T. dried parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Alfredo Sauce
1 c. raw cashews
1 c. water or coconut milk (I always use the water)
1 clove garlic
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black ground pepper
optional: 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms or mushroom pieces

Soak cashews for 1 hour for the Alfredo sauce.  After cashews have soaked for 1 hour, place drained cashews and remaining Alfredo sauce ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Warm sauce in a double boiler on low or in a saucepan on VERY low.  This scalds easier than milk.  Stir continually for best results and least amount of scalding.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large saucepan, cover the cauliflower florets (or potatoes) with water and boil until tender.  Drain cauliflower (or potatoes) and add 3 T. butter to cauliflower.  Using an immersible blender or hand beater, blend the cauliflower until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

While the cauliflower and Alfredo sauce are cooking, saute the onions, carrots, and green beans, with 3 T. butter until they begin to soften.  Add the ground meat to brown, breaking meat apart into small pieces. Add the peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the Alfredo Sauce and remove from heat.

Divide the meat and vegetable mixture between two 9" pie plates.  Spoon the cauliflower mash (or mashed potatoes) over the meat and spread evenly.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.  Garnish with parsley and serve.

We love this dish served with a simple side salad and dressing.

Chinese Coleslaw Remade by the Little Sis

My sister brought this salad to a family get together and everyone LOVED it!  We loved the 'traditional' one with cabbage and Ramen noodles crushed over the top, but no one even missed the noodles when she made it this way.

The Dressing's Inside Story:

4 T. dehydrated cane juice or 3 T. raw local honey

2 t. real salt

4 T. Japanese rice vinegar

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

2 t. sesame oil

The Salad's Inside Story :

spinach

chopped green onions

slivered almonds

sesame seeds

optional: cooked chicken

She mentioned that she heated the honey to mix it better with the other dressing ingredients, and uses the optional cooked chicken to make a light meal instead of just a side (which I am so excited to try).