Jewel Stuffed Acorn Squash! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hello Happy Tummies!

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

Me and my beautiful mama :)

We're on the countdown to 2015!

At this time of year, I always find myself reflecting on the past 12 months, and thinking about all the blessings in my life. It's so easy to take things for granted, and I always try to remind myself just how much I have to be grateful for.

I have a loving family, wonderful friends, a strong faith in God, my health, a roof over my head, food in my belly, a job that is both challenging and fulfilling, and people who care about and love me.

But enough "sappy stuff." :) Time for some "good eats!"

I wanted to share with you my Christmas dinner meal. It's a show stopper, folks...so hold onto your hats:) 

My Jewel Stuffed Acorn Squash!

A tender and sweet acorn squash stuffed with earthy sweet, jewel-toned roasted veggies!

And it's Gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet Friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (serves 2)

1 acorn squash, halved, seeds scooped

1/3-1/2 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets1 large beet, sliced into 1/4 inch disks2 carrots, diced small1/2 bunch of kale (about 3 large leaves), stems removed, choppedHandful of pistachiosHandful of dried cranberries


Preheat oven to 375. Spritz the skin and cut-side of the acorn squash with olive oil or coconut oil. On a tin foil lined olive oil sprayed baking sheet, place your squash cut-side down and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the flesh is tender.

On a separate tin foil lined, olive oil sprayed baking sheet, place your beet rounds, carrots, and cauliflower florets. Spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and tarragon. 

Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring/flipping once halfway through. --be sure to watch the carrots so they don't burn!


Meanwhile, sauté your kale in a frying pan in 1 Tbsp EVOO, salt, pepper and tarragon.





When your beet rounds come out of the oven, cut them into matchsticks.

Combine all your veggies with your cranberries and pistachios.


To assemble, fill each squash cavity with a generous scoop of the veggie mixture. Garnish with more cranberries/pistachios if desired.

Wow what a delicious meal this was! It was truly a feast for both the eyes and palate!

The acorn squash is a rather sweet vegetable. It is the perfect canvas for the earthy sweet beets and carrots, and the nutty, golden cauliflower. The cranberries provide this punch of tart sweetness, while the pistachios provide an amazing salty crunch.

And it's so beautiful too. Jewel toned veggies overflowing from a golden chariot of acorn squash yumminess! (Haha sorry--I just saw "Into the Woods" so I've got Cinderella on the brain LOL)

Try this delicious and healthy treat. You will love not only how it tastes, but also how "happy" it makes your tummy feel!

Until Next Time!

Christmas Morning Cheesy Egg Souffle! GF, SCD friendly!

Merry Christmas Friends!

I hope you all have had a cozy holiday, surrounded by family, love and joyJ

Thanks Anna May Photography for these special family photos!

I’m signing on from Cincinnati where I had a wonderful wonderful Christmas. We celebrated a couple days early with my entire family. Heaven on Earth if you ask meJ

So for this festive post, I thought I’d share my mom’s favorite Christmas morning brunch recipe. This egg dish is the hit of the table and always gets polished off.

And it’s Gluten Free and Specific Carb Diet Friendly!!! And super delicious and decadent. Remember…calories don’t count on Christmas ;)

It’s called her Cheesy Egg Soufflé and can be whipped up in a snap!

Here’s what you need: (Serves 6-8)

10 eggs
16 oz Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 small cans of Old El Paso Green Chilies (not hot) (SCD use fresh sautéed green or pablano pepper)

2 qt. casserole dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, or rubbed with butter
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, beat the 10 eggs and spices together. In your casserole dish, alternately layer cheese and chilies. Chen casserole is filled, pour egg mixture over the cheese and chilies.

Bake 40-45 minutes until the eggs are set. Do not let it get brown. Serve when the eggs are just set.

I’ll tell you what, there’s nothing better than cheese and eggs in the morning, AmIRight? – or at least so I remember ;)

This dish was RAVED about by my family. There’s a reason it’s a classic!

Light, fluffy, spongy and airy, and with a little kick from the cumin and green chiles.

But the best part, in everyone’s opinion, was how CHEESY it was!!

YUM!!

And the best part, is that it’s Gluten Free and SCD Friendly!

The soufle was the star of our brunch. But along with it, we also had a fresh fruit cornucopia! Grapefruit, oranges, pears, apples, bananas, grapes, canteloup, mixed berries – SO YUMMY!!

We also had a cheese plate with smoked salmon! (Using SCD friendly cheese, of course!)

The Rule of Thumb: No Processed Cheese!

So from my kitchen to yours, Merry Christmas!!

Yay for Christmas!

2015 is going to be an exciting year for GFHT, and I can’t wait to ring in the New Year with you!

Peace and Joy,

Caralyn 

Pina Colada Cookies! GF, V, SCD, Paleo & Raw!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 12 DAYS!!!!

Wait a minute!! Rewind! Hold the phone!!  LESS than 2 weeks?!! Yikes!! Xmas is sneaking up on us, folks!

Aaaanywhoo... one of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to listen to Christmas music. I turn on Pandora and let Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey serenade me as I walk the streets of NYC - or more accurately, dodge shoppers and tourists/brave inclement weather/avoid sludge puddles/attempt not to get frostbite or get trampled by protesters....you get the picture ;)

Well, I was strolling away today, when one of my favorite --albeit "out there"-- Christmas tunes came on: Mele Kalikimaka! Maybe it was my fascination with Hawaii growing up, or my slight obsession with the Disney movie, Rip Girls, but I have always found that luau-tastic, tropical Christmas tune to be a welcomed delight!

So, with that tune stuck in my head, and envisioning Santa donning a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts, I came up with today's recipe.

You can call it a Hawaiian Christmas Cookie :)

Because you see, once I started to think about Santa on the beach...my mind only took me to one place.....................PINA COLADAS!! :D

Introducing, my Pina Colada Cookies!

Raw, Gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Paleo, and Specific Carb Diet friendly....these babies are, in a word, DELICIOUS!!

Tropical little healthy cookie bites that take your taste buds to Hawaii:)  ((Sorry...I'm a little cheesy today)) lol

Here's what you need! (Makes 10 cookies) -- enough for 3-4 people ;)

5 dates, pitted
4 dried pineapple rings
12 almonds
12 cashews
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 Tbsp coconut butter (NOT oil)

Optional: melted dark chocolate (not SCD)

Put everything in the food processor and process for about a minute until everything is roughly the same size. (Like the size of peppercorns). Then, roll 1 Tbsp of dough into balls. Chill for at least 20 minutes, and enjoy.

(Tip: the dough may feel a bit wet when you roll it into balls initially, but that's just the heat from the food processor melting the oils in the coconut butter. This will go away and "firm up" after 20 minutes in the fridge.)

Optional: Melt about 1/4 cup dark chocolate in the microwave (do 30 second increments, stirring in between) or double boiler, and dip half of the cookie. (Do this after they've firmed in the refrigerator for 20 minutes).

Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way.....oh sorry guys, you caught me day dreaming about my toes in the sand while chewing on these AMAZING COOKIES!!

They're so tropical -- it's seriously the cookie form of a Pina Colada! You've got the pineapple, you've got the coconut, you've got the sweetness from the dates....now all you need is rum!

But seriously, these are delicious. They're sticky and chewy, and the dark chocolate just takes them over the top.

Not to mention they look super elegant and "dressed up!"

I can't wait to share these at the next Christmas party!

And you don't have to tell anyone that they're secretly healthy!! :D

So Cheers to you, Old Saint Nick!

I'll take a Pina Colada over Eggnog any day! ;)

What's your favorite holiday tune?

See you soon!

Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Latkes! GF & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Gosh, thank you all for the outpouring of kind words about my family photos I posted earlier this week. You guys are just the greatest:)

I can't believe that there's less than 3 weeks until Christmas! In fact, I get to see this little munchkin in just two weeks! Weee!!

So for today's recipe, I wanted to share a seasonal favorite with a Happy Tummy twist! As many of you know, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 16. Potato Latkes are a traditional part of that holiday, but unfortunately aren't gluten free - or paleo for that matter. Soooo I decided to shake things up and give them a makeover - Happy Tummy style!

Introducing Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Latkes with Avocado Cream Sauce!

And they're Gluten and Dairy Free, Paleo, and have a Vegan option!

Here's what you need: (Serves 2-3)

1 sweet potato, shredded, about 2 cups
1 carrot, shredded, about 1 1/4 cups
2 eggs, beaten (vegan option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp curry powder
3 healthy pinches of salt
3 Tbsp - 1/4 cup olive oil, coconut oil, or grape seed oil

1 avocado
squeeze of lime
1 Tbsp cilantro, minced

optional:
1 fried egg per person

Grate your carrot and sweet potato on a box grater.

In a medium sized bowl, beat 2 room temperature eggs with a fork with the salt, pepper, and curry powder. Stir in your carrot and sweet potato until evenly coated with the egg. Stir in the almond flour.

In a frying pan or cast iron skillet, pour enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Heat the oil for about 2 minutes, over medium-high heat.

Take 1/4 cup of the carrot/potato mixture and form into a patty. Place in the frying pan, and cook for about 2 minutes per side, when the edges begin to turn golden brown, flipping gently with a spatula. Place on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Makes 10 latkes.

Meanwhile, mash your avocado with salt, a squeeze of lime, and 1 Tbsp of cilantro.

To serve, top each latke with a dollop of avocado cream, and garnish with minced cilantro.

OPTION B:
Another plating option is to top 2 latkes with a fried egg instead-of/in-addition-to the avocado cream sauce!

What a treat was this!! It could be dinner. It could be breakfast. It could be a midnight snack. JUST EAT IT, PEOPLE!! hehe:)

But seriously, WOW. The curry is such an unexpected punch of yummy flavor. It's a bit spicy, which is instantly cooled down by the buttery and rich avocado. And it pairs beautifully with the subtle sweetness from the sweet potatoes and carrots. Finally, the cilantro pops in with this burst of freshness that takes it over the top.

And the textures! The potatoes have become nice and crunchy and chewy. And then there's the cool and creamy avocado to compliment it.

But Happy Tummies...the egg. My, oh my! The rich and gooey yolk ties everything together with this luxurious richness that's perfect for dinner, or a hearty breakfast!

Just do yourself a favor -- make this meal! Whether you call them latkes, potato pancakes, hash browns, skillet potatoes, WHATEVER -- just do it! Your tastebuds will thank you:)

What's your favorite holiday tradition? Mine is putting up the Christmas tree while listening to Kenny G :)