Did you know you can eat Radish leaves? Well, I didn’t know that either. When I brought in the first radishes of the season, I thought, “What a shame that I have to throw away all of those greens!” So, I looked on the internet. (How did we survive before the World Wide Web came along?? 😉 Radish leaves are a little bitter in taste, but bitter is good when combined with other flavors. I like these very much with only salt and pepper, but I served them recently with the fabulous No-Fail Five Minute Hollandaise Sauce (link in instructions). Elegant and delicious! Radish leaves may also be used in salads, soups and stir-fries.
Remove tender parts of leaves from radishes. Do not use the stems.
Wash thoroughly and remove water, either with a towel or a salad spinner.
Melt bacon grease in a medium-sized skillet on medium-low heat.
Add greens.
Stir and cook until they are well wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Try them served with 5 Minute No-Fail Hollandaise Sauce.
Swiss Chard, and other leafy greens, have high levels of oxalates which can cause problems by forming stones in our body, especially in our kidneys. Since oxalates are water soluble, the blanching of leafy greens like swiss chard, spinach and beet greens is recommended before eating. I’ve tried to research whether dehydrating removes oxalates and have not found any evidence that it does. I would suspect that since only H2O is evaporated from the vegetable, the oxalates would be even more concentrated in the dried greens. Can a healthy person consume small amounts of high oxalic foods without problems? Probably.
Wash, drain and dry the swiss chard. Remove the center rib of the chard and cut the leaves into approximately 4″ pieces. Blanch in boiling water for a minute. Drain the chard and discard the water. Lay the leaves in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet and place in oven which has been heated to 150 degrees. Check the progress every hour until the leaves are dry and crumble easily. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container for use in soups and stews throughout the winter.
Ease your potato craving with this GAPS friendly breakfast favorite! It is smoky and savory all in one delicious bite! GAPS diet restrictions don’t allow you to have potatoes, though celery root (used in this recipe) is an amazing alternative. You might find that you like this better then original hash browns!
Since potatoes are usually a breakfast thing at my house, I wanted to create something unique with breakfast flavors. That is when I thought of celery root bacon hash browns! Celery root makes a good stable alternative to potatoes. When you are shredding the celery root, the smell will be strong, but don’t let that stop you from making these. When celery root is cooked, the texture, taste and smell resemble potatoes. The bacon really adds a nice flavor that helps cover up the “vegetable” taste of the celery root.
I designed the recipe so the celery root hash browns can be kept in the freezer for an easy breakfast. I pre-cooked them and then froze them into squares. So, when breakfast or lunch comes around, all you have to do is pop one out and put it on the stove or a baking sheet until golden brown!
Dice your bacon and add to the skillet.
Dice your onion and add to the same skillet.
Add the 4 TBS of fat to the skillet and brown everything together.
Wash the outside of your celery root.
Cut the skin off of the celery root. Save the skin for your chicken or vegetable stock!
Quarter the celery root to fit into your Cuisinart.
Use your Cuisinart (thick shredder side) to shred the celery root. You can also use a normal grater.
Add the celery root to the skillet and cook down for a few minutes.
Scoop the mixture out of the skillet and press down onto a baking sheet (I only used 1/2 of baking sheet. The flat sheet makes it easier to cut on than a baking pan).
Freeze for about 1 hour until hardened and cut it into squares.
Separate the squares with a knife or spatula.
Store in a container or plastic bag layered with parchment paper.
To Prepare:
Heat up a skillet. No extra fat needed!
Add your frozen hash brown and cook until golden brown.
or
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place your hash browns on the baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Eat!
Lots of eggplant? Too many summer squash? Here is a quick and easy dish with a classic French twist. Slow cooked veggies with tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers makes a great side to any roasted meat or alone with a slice of crusty bread. Also, a great dish when you are on the go.
Place diced eggplant and zucchini in an colander and salt it. Let veggies drain for an hour. In a cast iron pan, saute bell pepper and onion. Place in a slow cooker. In same pan, saute egg plant and zucchini until golden brown. Place cooked veggies in slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt an pepper to taste. Cook for 6 hours. Serve with roast beef, lamb, or alone with a crusty loaf of bread.
Kohlrabi (or German turnip) is actually of the cabbage family and is a good source of fiber, Vitamins C and B6, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, and Phosphorus. It’s also gluten-free and GAPS and Paleo legal. We call these Baby Fries because they’re only a couple inches long.
Preheat oven to 450º. Peal & chop kohlrabi bulbs. Be sure to really peel them well or you will end up with tough fries.
If your oil is solid, melt it, then pour over fries and toss to coat. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle seasoning over fries.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
A grain-free version of a classic favorite! This is a really tasty dish that satisfies the craving for something hot and cheesy…cauliflower makes a great stand-in for pasta!
Steam cauliflower for 10-15 minutes until crisp-tender, and then drain well.
Melt butter in a saucepan, and then add arrowroot, salt, dry mustard, tarragon, and nutmeg, stirring until bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk, and let the mixture thicken.
Stir in cream cheese and cheese, then turn off heat and add sour cream. Mix with cauliflower, and then pour into a buttered 9×13 baking dish. Mix together almond meal with garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, then sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Serve in bowls or with a slotted spoon, as there is lots of yummy cheese sauce in the bottom of the pan!
Adding a bit of healthy fat to vegetable dishes is very important so that the fat-soluble vitamins can be absorbed by the body. Here is a quick and simple way to cook Swiss Chard.
Carefully wash the Swiss chard and shake it over the sink to remove excess water.
Dice the green onion and mince the garlic
Lay the chard on a cutting board with the stalks lined up together. Slice the thick stalk portion into 1/2 inch slices.
Roll the leaves together and then slice them into 1/2 inch slices and then cut a few times in the other direction.
In a cast iron skillet, on low heat, melt together the olive oil and butter.
Add the onion and garlic. Saute’, stirring for 3 minutes.
Add the sliced stalks and saute’ for 3 more minutes.
Add the leaves and saute’ for 3 more minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste - generously!
A mild side dish that goes well with almost any main (grass-fed, sustainable of course) meat dish. In fact, I thought about it as I was typing and I would suggest it goes well with ANY meat dish!
Cut up cabbage and bell pepper into strips and place in a pot large enough to accomodate the vegetables.
Coat in butter, add water, salt, pepper and herbs de province and turn to medium heat.
Cover and steam for 8 minutes or until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.
Add cubed cream cheese and stir in until creamy.
Talk about eating the rainbow. I love preparing chard for my family. They range from dark greens to oranges, to reds. In this recipe you untilize all of the chard, including the stems. It is very tasty and delicious. It is also kid-approved! Fresh spinach works really well too.
Remove the leaves from the stems (something the kids can do)
Chop stems finely and set aside
Chop leaves of chard and set aside.
In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil.
Add stems to olive oil and saute until tender, five minutes.
Add garlic, then add leaves sauteeing for another five minutes
Salt and pepper taste.
Add cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately
A fast, easy, delicious side dish, can use many kinds of veggies though brussel sprouts are featured.
Cut your veggies into similar sized pieces. I quartered the brussel sprouts.
Heat skillet (with a lid) on medium. Melt your butter (or whatever fat you’ve chosen).
Add your veggies and stir gently (just gently enough to not mangle them).
When I’m sure everything has been coated in butter, I cover it and reduce temp to med-low. Let it steam/cook/saute, whatever it’s doing under there that results in tender yumminess!
I check tenderness after about 7 minutes, but it’s not usually done yet. 🙂 When tender, add your sea salt and pepper.
Serve to happy family! 🙂
Sweet and tart orange paired with fennel brings new life to an already favorite way to prepare Brussel sprouts. Simple and scrumptious.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the brussel sprouts lengthwise and discard any tough outer leaves or tough stems.
Place halved brussel sprouts in a 13×9 glass casserole dish. Drizzle over the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and half of the orange juice. Sprinkle with salt, fennel seeds and orange zest. Toss to coat.
Roast for about 35 minutes on the middle rack, stirring occasionally, or until slightly caramelized.
Remove the sprouts from the oven. Drizzle over reserved orange juice. Toss to coat.
Even those who are leery about brussel sprouts will enjoy this dish. Roasting the brussel sprouts in the oven with balsamic imparts a sweetness and also helps caramelize the sprouts some. The roasted sprouts are then coated with a lemon vinaigrette to complement the sweet and savory flavors.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the brussel sprouts lengthwise and discard any tough outer leaves or tough stems.
Place halved brussel sprouts in a 13×9 glass casserole dish. Drizzle over balsamic and the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat.
Roast for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly caramelized.
While the sprouts are roasting, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard and salt. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to create the vinaigrette.
Remove the sprouts from the oven. Drizzle over vinaigrette. Toss to coat.