Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream

This was my first attempt at making ice cream! It is pretty easy. I used another Comfy Belly recipe. It involved a can of coconut milk, a box of strawberries, and some honey.

I had no idea coconut milk was so creamy! Yum!

Blend it all up


Don't forget to pre-freeze your ice cream maker bowl :)

20 minutes later.... voila!

Storing it for later

Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream
2-2.5 (ish) cups of Strawberries, washed and hulled
One 14oz can of coconut milk
1 Cup of Honey (although I used less, maybe 3/4 cup)

I put a few strawberries aside and blended everything else together in the blender until smooth. Then I added the remaining strawberries and just pulsed a few times to leave some strawberry chunks.

Pour this into the ice cream maker and churn for 20-30 mins.

You asked for it

And you got it :)


I spent today at home, sick. It's 7pm and I haven't left the house at all! I've been mostly sleeping and watching tv. Oh, and tracking Kona online. Anyway, when extreme boredom beat the cold (for a very short period), I dragged my butt out of bed for and did a little easy baking. Grace had inquired about healthy-ish scones a few days ago, so I did some searching for good recipes, and found a new blog with lots of great stuff! Comfy Belly has got a lot of good SCD and gluten-free stuff, I'm impressed!


Her recipe for Scones was super easy, and pretty tasty. I made a half batch, just mixed up the base ingredients (almond flour, baking soda, yogurt, honey), sprinkled a little cinnamon in there and then separated batter into a few portions and mixed different add-ins to each. To one, I added some raisins and walnuts. To another, just currants. To the third, chocolate chips. I skipped the egg wash and stuck them in the oven.


They were surprisingly tasty, I was really pleased with them! I recommend lots of add-ins (raisin and walnut was my favorite), plus I'd add a little salt to the batter next time.


The batter was very thick, like pie dough:





The raisin and walnut variety pre-oven

Out of the oven!Get the recipe direct from Comfy Belly :)

My comments: do the egg wash. Add a pinch of salt to the recipe. Try out different variations!

The best broccoli of your life

One of the great things about having connected with the BTT SCD bakers is the recipe swapping. Krista sent along this article which is a review of a Roasted Broccoli recipe by The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). This is some truly amazing broccoli! Can't wait to try it again!



From The Barefoot Contessa

4 to 5 pounds of broccoli
6.5 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsps kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced
1 lemon
3 Tbs toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I just used enough for a very light sprinkle. Broccoli is supposed to be healthy afterall)
2 Tbs julienned fresh basil (optional)

1) Preheat the Oven to 425
2) Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with 5 tbs olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic slices. (I eyeballed the olive oil ratio since I don't think I had 4-5 lbs worth of broccoli and didn't want it drenched in oil. Just wanted a very light coating)
3) Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until "crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned."
4) Take it out of the oven. Zest the lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil (I skipped this), pine nuts, and Parmesan Cheese. Add basil if desired.

NAGAD Eggplant Parm

SCD baker Regina coined the term NAGAD (not as good as Doug's) when describing her experience making eggplant parm. I experienced the same results during my attempt. Good, but not AS good. I had never even purchased an eggplant before I decided to try this. It took me a while to find them in the grocery store :)

Anyway, since Doug hasn't passed on his SCD eggplant parm recipie yet (ahem), I worked out my own with a little help of Cooks Illustrated. I've tried it 3 different times now, the biggest influence on the success of the dish is the thickness of the eggplant slices. My audience agreed the thinner the slices, the better.




Draining the eggplant. It seems really dry when you first slice it, but adding the salt really draws out the liquid.

Breaded eggplant slices on the preheated/oiled pan

First layer, see how nice and brown those slices are?

Fully assembled

Out of the oven, yum!!

Eggplant
2 pounds globe eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce
3 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes (this is not technically SCD legal. to make it SCD, use fresh tomatoes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit or use less if you don't want any kick to the dish)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped (optional)
2.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish (optional, I never did this)


Instructions

1. FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes.

2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix almond flour with pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

3. Beat eggs in pie plate. As you go, wipe extra liquid and salt off each eggplant slice. Dip eggplant slices in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with almond flour mixture. You might need to make more almond flour mix depending how heavily you are coating the slices.

4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet (should just be enough to cover the baking sheet with a film), tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.

5. FOR THE SAUCE: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Process all 3 cans of diced tomatos if you don't want chunks in the sauce. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan or big casserole dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of parmesan. Layer in remaining eggplant and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

Thanksgiving came early

So after much talk of a SCD Dinner Party, we finally did it. Fellow triathletes Doug, Regina, Krista, and Terry are also interested in or totally committed to the SCD diet. So Regina hosted the first gathering, a potluck style dinner with all SCD approved food. Well, it ended up being a feast!! There were a few appetizers- brie with date chutney, almond flour crackers, salmon dip. There were tons of entrees and side dishes- spaghetti squash and sauce, sausage, eggplant parmesean, squash kugel, stuffed squash, crustless quiche, beef and mushroom roulade, and an assortment of veggies. There were also plenty of desserts- lemon squares, PB banana bread, amazing homemade strawberry ice cream, apple "crisp", and margaritas made with freshly squeezed citrus fruits.

It was amazing. I brought the beef and mushroom crockpot "roulade" which just ended up being shredded beef, spaghetti squash kugel, and apple "crisp" which was not so crispy but still tasty. I'll post recipes with another blog.

While everything was delicious, I think my favorites were the eggplant parm (WOW) and the lemon squares, both thanks to Doug! The strawberry ice cream was amazing too. Great job by everyone, thanks Regina for hosting. Looking forward to the next one!

The Beef "Roulade" that fell apart into shreds:

Spagetti Squash Kugel:

Krista's yummy homemade date chutney with brie and almond flour cookies:

Regina's Stuffed Squash:

My plate:

It looked like Thanksgiving, note the delicious Eggplant Parm:

"Betcha Can't Eat Just One" Lemon Squares:

Apple (un) Crisp and Strawberry ice cream

SCD Avocado Muffins

These SCD muffins are a great treat with breakfast (or lunch, or dinner!). The avocado I used was not quite ripe, so the consistency was not quite right. Still tasty though!


Recipe from SCD*Recipe
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 pureed avocado
1 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup SCD yogurt (I just used Fage, I am not quite ready to attempt homemade yogurt yet!)
2 cup nut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare muffin pans.
2. Cream butter and honey.
3. Beat in the egg.
4. Blend in the avocado, yogurt and nuts.
5. Lastly, add the flour and mix gently but thoroughly until the ingredients are moistened and combined.
6. Place in pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

SCD Peanut Butter Cake

Dan's birthday was a few days ago. I am committed to baking SCD style, so I searched for something that Dan would like. I found this recipe for peanut butter cake.

I actually mis-read the instructions and added 1/2 tsp of almond flour instead of almond flavor. It didn't seem to make any difference- in fact I only just noticed my mistake as I am writing this!

After a few bites Dan proclaimed that he likes the SCD desserts better than any other desserts I've made. This is huge, people! Dan is usually skeptical of the "healthy" food I like. So to hear that he likes this stuff so much is a good sign!!

Here we go...

All natural peanut butter. Just peanuts and salt!

Mmmmm... honey and PB in the blender

Throw in some banana
Add the other ingredients and blend. My blender did not cooperate. This batter was just too thick. Next time I think I'll put the egg in first or consider using a food processor instead. I was so stressed by my almost-smoking blender that I forgot to take any more photos until it came out of the oven.
It was moist, chewy, full of flavor. Delicious!!

Especially delicious with vanilla ice cream. No, the ice cream was not SCD approved. But it was a birthday celebration after all, gotta have ice cream :)

Long story, short.... with pancakes at the end

A slow decline in energy left me frustrated and finally got me to seek medical help. A few blood tests later and I got an answer: Celiac Disease. Still waiting on a biopsy to confirm that diagnosis, but I have decided to start following a gluten-free lifestyle. Currently on my 4th week. It's hard, and can be frustrating. I spend a lot of time reading labels in the supermarket, and currently hate eating out at restaurants (unless they have one of those spiffy gluten-free menus, like Elephant Walk, yummy). After my first race on a gluten-free diet, I learned that even some "safe" carb laden items like potatoes didn't work well with my stomach. I was directed by a friend to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which eliminates all complex carbs. Luckily my friend knew of a fellow triathlete and SCD guru, Doug. He has been a great resource for me and is full of knowledge about this subject. I don't think that I will 100% follow this diet, but I really like the principle and will loosely follow the rules. I'll bake from the list of SCD approved recipes, which have proven to be delicious so far. They are so simple, fresh, and healthy. I'll start off with Doug's own pancake recipe, which is just so yummy I can't even describe it. Check it out below, especially the short list of very healthy ingredients. It's really impressive and they are probably the best pancakes I've ever made. I ate these while carb-loading the day before my last triathlon, and my stomach has never felt better going into a race.

Start by mashing 2 bananas with 2 eggs


Once it is relatively smooth, add baking soda, vanilla, salt, and nut flour(s). You can add more or less nut flour depending on how thick you want your pancakes. The less flour you use, the thinner the pancakes will be.
Cook small pancakes over medium heat. Take care when flipping!!

You can add chocolate chips if you want :)

They brown very easily, no worries!
WOW- yum!! So good!

In case you are wondering, you can buy almond flour at Trader Joe's, and can buy in bulk from online sites like Lucy's.
The recipe Doug gave me just called for almond flour, but I figured that the peanut butter powder I had in my cabinet would work really well with these banana pancakes so I went half almond flour half peanut butter powder. Also, the peanut butter powder (which is peanuts with the oil pressed out, very low-calorie considering it's peanuts) is stickier when combined with liquid and I figured it would hold the pancakes together well. It worked very well!


Recipe
This makes about 10 silver dollar sized pancakes and is good for 2 people with a tiny bit of leftovers. Can easily be halved for one person.

2 bananas, ripe
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
approx. 1/2 cup almond flour (I use half peanut and half almond flour. Would be great with just almond though)
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Mash bananas. Mix in eggs. Stir in vanilla, salt, baking soda. Add nut flour. You might want more or less depending on how fluffy you want your pancakes. The thinner the batter, the thinner the pancakes. You can add whatever fillings you want- fruit, chocolate chips, nuts... whatever! I personally like chocolate chips but Dan loves them plain.

Cook silver-dollar size pancakes on LOW heat. They are not as cohesive as regular pancakes so be careful flipping. They also brown more than regular pancakes, but don't worry, they still taste amazing.