Thursday, December 17, 2015

Success!!


Here they are in all their glory. 

These truffles are delicious!

They were easy to make but took some time. 

The ganache was made the night before. 

Tonight I used a melon ball to portion the ganache and rolled them all in cocoa powder. 

It was easier than trying to make some different. Next time I might try powdered sugar with a touch of cinnamon, or perhaps add a mocha touch with instant coffee powder added to the cocoa. 

The ingredients were as pictured here:



Plus the addition of these 2 ingredients pictured here:


4? T sugar, maybe more, dissolved in hot coconut milk
1T port (next time I'd use 2)



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Tuesday, December 15, 2015


Delicious easy one pot meal.
(Not AIP)

Rather than true risotto, this is a quick version that cooks by steaming under pressure. The result is perfectly cooked and seasoned rice with the texture of stovetop sautéed risotto. 

The sausage is so flavorful, little added seasoning is required. If sausage is more bland, or if using plain ground meat, add 1/4t. Bells Seasoning, 1/4t. cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. 

Sauté 1/2 onion chopped 2 minutes in about 2 T olive oil in Instant Pot pressure cooker on sauté setting.  Add 1-1/2 mild Italian sausages from Draeger's and 1 stalk celery chopped.  Brown sausages whole, both sides then slice into 1" chunks and lightly brown again on all sides. Add one broth flavor from Trader Joes, 3 sliced crimini mushrooms, 3 spears fresh asparagus chopped into 1/2" pieces, 1-1/2 go basmati rice and stir 1 min to coat rice with oil. Add 3 go water. (1 go is about 180 cc or 3/4 cup*).  Put on lid and cook on rice setting under pressure at default timing (12 min). Quick release pressure. Stir and serve hot. 

* 1 go is the size of a standard rice measuring cup for an average of one typical serving of rice. 
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My first attempt at coconut treats for dessert. These are quick no-bake treats. 

Recipe from unconventionalbaker.com

http://www.unconventionalbaker.com/recipes/raw-coconut-snowballs/ 

Here is another pic 


These ingredients and a food processor are all you need. I used one tablespoon per ball. This made 17 balls. 


Update:
Upon taste-testing, the size is determined to be too big. So next round we will try smaller balls. 


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Wednesday, December 2, 2015


Pressure cooker two turkey breasts in under 20 minutes

Gravy in about five. 

Recipe:
Salt and pepper and sprinkle breasts with Bells seasoning. Sauté breasts in Instant Pot pressure cooker to brown both sides. 
Add 1 c broth and pressure cook per instructions. 

Remove breasts and make gravy with broth by adding about 2T thickener dissolved in a little water and boil about 1 min. 



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Tuesday, November 24, 2015


Tonight is a redux of my AIP vichyssoise 

http://autoimmune-paleo.blogspot.com/2015/07/paleo-vichyssoise.html

and some deli-purchased poached salmon. 



I used a chopper for the parsley and snuck in some fresh cilantro left over from last night's chicken soup. 

The potatoes were quickly sliced on a mandolin to save my right thumb, currently out of commission. The leeks were hand chopped. In hindsight I should have just used my cuisines to make short work of it all. And I could have just used frozen hash browns for the potatoes. 

I doubled the soup recipe and probably shouldn't have. 

The soup was pressure cooked for 30 minutes in my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, and turned out creamy and smooth as velvet - delicious!!

I'll try freezing it to preserve it. 

The salmon tastes terrible cold, not the best.  






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Monday, November 23, 2015


For Cold and Flu season, there is seldom something as healing as traditional chicken noodle soup. 

In this gluten-free version, plenty of herbs, along with fresh ginger and lemon do the trick. 

Since I injured my hand, I tried to eliminate prep as much as possible. So I purchased a container of chopped onions and celery and herbs meant to stuff a turkey (it's the Monday before Thanksgiving). For thickener, use your favorite flour or corn starch substitute. I show Trader Joes brown rice pasta, and baby potatoes; you could easily swap out cubed yams or sweet potatoes or parsnips for the baby potatoes. 

2c chopped celery and onion, about 50-50 ratio. 
3T EVOO
1 chopped carrot
1/2 T fresh sliced ginger 
2 boxes chicken bone broth (4c)
2 flavor packets trader joes chicken broth
2 chicken breasts from the deli, cooked and chopped (or pre sauté in pot) 
1/2 c fresh parsley chopped 
1/2 c fresh cilantro chopped
One long lemon peel from around middle of lemon with vegetable peeler
Juice of one fresh lemon
3 pinches salt
2 cubes trader joes basil frozen 
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 c halved baby potatoes or cubed yams, sweet potatoes, parsnips, or other root vegetable of choice
2 heaping Tbsp. flour substitute dissolved in 1/4c water 
(any preferred thickener - tapioca powder, etc.)

Season with optional ingredients for extra heat and maximum sinus clearing, omit if AIP
1/4 t fresh ground pepper
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t California chile powder

Sauté onion celery herb blend, carrots and ginger until onions are transparent, in pressure cooker on sauté setting. Add all other ingredients, cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Discard lemon peel and bay leaf, add precooked pasta if desired (either omit pasta or use your favorite AIP pasta noodles if AIP). 

Enjoy!




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Tuesday, November 10, 2015


Whip 1 can 14 oz. Trader Joe's coconut cream, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp sugar, until soft peaks form. 

Chill 1 hour and serve over fresh berries. 

* Chill overnight for firm whipped cream. 





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Friday, October 30, 2015


Spaghetti Squash

Cut Squash in half and scoop out seeds. Pressure cook 3 minutes on steam rack over 1 c water. Let sit until just before fish is ready. Fork out threads of squash and toss with olive oil and basil and black pepper. 


Pressure Poached Cod

A
3 Cod fillets frozen from TJ's and thawed 
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf 
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 T capers
1/4 t nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 c coconut milk 

2 T coconut flour

1/4 c coconut cream

Place all ingredients of "A" in Instant Pot pressure cooker making sure to cover fish with liquid. Sprinkle coconut flour over top of fish.  Pressure cook for 3 minutes. Stir in coconut cream. Serve immediately. 


Spinach

One bunch fresh spinach washed and chopped 
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch salt

Steam 5 minutes. Serve. 







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Monday, October 12, 2015




Recipe for Meatballs:

3/4 lb ground turkey thigh meat
3/4 lb mild Italian sausage from Draeger's
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 T coconut oil 
2 T coconut flour
1/4 powdered spice blend (sage, etc.)
1/2 t salt

Saute onion in oil in large cast iron skillet until clear and slightly carmelized.  In mixing bowl coat onions with flour and seasoning.  Blend remaining ingredients with hands.  Form 1" to 1-1/4" balls of meat.  Brown in cast iron skillet on all sides.  Cook in pressure cooker in steam basket with 1 cup of water in bottom of pot, for 12 minutes.  Makes about 20-24 meatballs.  

Recipe for Stroganoff Sauce:

1/2 large white onion, chopped
2 T coconut oil
1/3 c fresh chopped parsley
2 stalks celery sliced thinly
1/4c frozen mushrooms, or substitute frozen chopped spinach instead
Pinch dried Marjoram
Pinch dried Oregano
Pinch ground Nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 cube frozen basil (from Trader Joe's)
1 packet Turkey broth
1 c water
1 can coconut milk

Saute onion in oil in cast iron skillet until clear and slightly carmelized.  Add all other ingredients except for coconut milk and continue to saute on medium heat until celery is cooked through and mushrooms are defrosted.  Stir in coconut milk and heat through, but do not bring to a simmer.  Serve over meatballs.

Serve with one of the following:
  • Wild Rice Pilaf
  • Konnyaku Noodles
  • Kelp Noodles
  • Mashed Root Vegetable (White Yam, Turnip, etc.)

Makes 2 doz. using round tablespoon to form about 2 Tbsp. meatballs. 




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Sunday, September 27, 2015

How to prepare coconut ingredients from raw fresh whole coconut. 

Starting with how to open a coconut - 

http://thehealthyfoodie.com/crack-open-coconut-easily-painlessly/ 

How to make coconut milk - 

Fresh:
http://thehealthyfoodie.com/homemade-coconut-milk/ 

Four ways:
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Coconut-Milk 

How to make coconut butter - 

http://thehealthyfoodie.com/basic-coconut-butter/







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Monday, September 14, 2015

The recipe book that came with my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker has a great chicken recipe. This is my second time making it. I purchased 2 organic free range chicken legs tonight. 


The lemon chicken is smothered in the thickened sauce and veggies I added to the mix - delicious!

We enjoyed mashed Japanese sweet potatoes (they are golden white, not orange) and fresh corn on the cob. 

Ligurian Lemon Chicken and Veggies

2 chicken legs rinsed and patted dry
1 sweet onion coarsely chopped
3 carrots chopped into 2" pieces
3 celery stalks chopped into 1/4" thick pieces
1/2c Parsley coarsely chopped
Juice 1 lemon
2T Bragg's apple cider vinegar
1 c broth
2T cornstarch
1T olive oil

Put broth in pressure cooker pot. Place grate in pot.  Salt chicken and Brown both sides of chicken legs in olive oil until dark Carmel brown. I used a cast iron skillet. Lift out chicken from skillet and set in pot on grate. In skillet sauté onion 5 min. add to pot. Deglaze skillet with 2T vinegar on medium high heat for 15 seconds or so without letting it boil away, and add skillet liquid to pot. 
Add vegetables, lemon juice and herbs on top of chicken. Pressure cook high 12 min. When done, lift out grate with chicken and set on serving platter. Remove all vegetables from pot and place on platter. Set pressure cooker to sauté. Mix starch with equal amount cold water. Add to broth in pot and stir constantly for about 1 min. until thickened. Serve in gravy boat or spoon over chicken on platter. 

Start potatoes after pressure cooker is started. 

In separate pot steam 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into large hunks about 20 min. Remove steam basket, discard water, put back potatoes in pot and add seasoning mix. Mix is 2T sugar, 1-1/2T coconut oil. Crush potatoes with hand masher. Add about 1c coconut milk slowly while stirring potatoes with masher. Add just enough milk to achieve desired consistency.  Keep warm. 

After potatoes are set on to boil, set on corn to boil 10 minutes in a pot of water with lid on top. Water can half cover corn in pot. When done remove pot from heat and set aside with lid on to keep warm. 

Timing should be about right for all dishes. 








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Tuesday, September 8, 2015


Recipe

1 sweet onion diced
5 stalks celery finely sliced
2T coconut oil
5 large carrots peeled and chopped into large 2" chunks
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/2 c fresh orange juice
2 c bone broth (or enough to cover veggies)
2 packs chicken broth concentrate 
2 c coconut milk

Seasoning
Salt 1/4t
Pepper 1/4t
Turmeric 1/2t
Cumin 1/4t *
Chili flakes 1 pinch *

* optional non-AIP 

In pressure cooker sauté celery and onion in coconut oil 5 min. Add carrots, juice, parsley, bone broth and broth concentrate.  Pressure cook 20 min. Blend with immersion blender. Stir in coconut milk and serve. 


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Wednesday, September 2, 2015


For this traditional meal, I turned to classic recipes and gave it a Paleo twist. 

Tonight for convenience and taste-testing, (this was my very first meatloaf) I kept it simple with ketchup and potatoes.  I used turkey for the ground meat. Other ingredients could be tried of course. Mashed potatoes of course have several lovely alternative root veggies to mash deliciously - cauliflower, turnip, white yams, etc. However the key flavor ingredients of meatloaf, Worcester sauce and ketchup, are a bit trickier. The egg was substituted with 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed soaked in 1/4 c. water. I believe egg could simply be omitted altogether. The breadcrumbs were substituted with coconut flour. 

Meatloaf Recipe

I just used this recipe straight, with above substitutions, except I omitted the garlic. 

http://www.food.com/recipe/turkey-meatloaf-54752

2T olive oil
1 sweet onion chopped
1 lb ground free range no hormone turkey 
1T ground flax seed soaked in 1/8c water
1/2c coconut flour
1T Worcester sauce
3/4c Ketchup (1/4c for mix, 1/2c for top)
3/4t salt
1/2t fresh ground black pepper

I sautéed the onion in the oil in a cast iron skillet for 5 min turning occasionally- it carmelized brilliantly. Then I mixed all ingredients, put 1c water in base of pressure cooker, oiled the steamer basket, put in cooker, pressed the meat into steam basket until evenly thin, and topped with ketchup.  

I cooked it for 17 min on high pressure. 

We ate it with peas, mashed red potatoes and instant turkey gravy. 

I am currently experimenting with how to modify this meal to become fully AIP. 




 


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Veggie Soup


3 Leeks
6 Red potatoes
1 lb carrots
1 bundle celery
1/2 c or so cup chopped parsley
1/2" sliced ginger
Juice 1 lime
4 c broth to cover

Spices
Salt 
Pepper
Turmeric
Cumin
Nutmeg

Pressure cook 30 minutes

Blend with immersion blender

Add 2 c coconut milk





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Nice articles on a diet based approach to remission of the spectrum of autoimmune diseases...

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/01/16/is-the-autoimmune-paleo-diet-legit?page=2

This one has practical advice and offers several resources...

https://chriskresser.com/5-steps-to-personalizing-your-autoimmune-paleo-protocol/


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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

What started out as one pot pasta primavera in my new Instant Pot pressure cooker, morphed into chicken noodle soup. 




Neither of which were that great. 

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Saturday, July 25, 2015

.

Autoimmune Paleo Roasted Chicken, Green Beans, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Spagetti Squash Noodles and Curried Cauliflower Cous Cous with Spring Vegetables

Having just received my brand new electric pressure cooker, I went a bit overboard testing several dishes in one evening. 

It was amazing how productive this one little gadget can be
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Grilled Salmon with Rosemary and Carmelized Lemon

Grill salmon steak topped with lemon and rosemary, about 6 min. per side. 


Cauliflower Cous Cous with Parsley 

Sauté onion for 3 min., add cauliflower and sauté for another couple of minutes, then steam in steamer basket in pressure cooker with 1 c. water for 3 minutes. Add  chopped fresh parsley. 


Asparagus

Steam fresh asparagus spears until al dente (1 min. in pressure cooker) and top with pan fried crispy Bacon.  





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Sunday, July 19, 2015


Salmon with Carmelized Citrus and Rosemary, with Asparagus and Plantains

Meal prep timing

Prep asparagus, salmon fillets, and plantains, in that order. Fry plantains and set in oven on warm. Start to steam asparagus. Warm soup if having warm, or serve chilled. Grill salmon. When salmon is done, turn off asparagus.  Enjoy. 


Plantains

2 brown black plantains, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
1 T coconut oil

Fry until brown on each side in oil.  Keep warm in oven in serving dish. 


Steamed Asparagus

Snap off ends of one bunch of asparagus. Steam for 7 minutes. 


Grilled Salmon with Carmelized Citrus

2 Wild caught Salmon fillets frozen sealed individually, thawed. 
1 T Fresh or 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
3 T Fresh chopped parsley
6 slices fresh lemon or lime
Coconut oil spray
Pinch Sea salt
Pinch Freshly ground pepper

Rinse fillets and pat dry. 
Spray both sides with coconut oil. 
Season both sides with salt pepper rosemary and parsley. 
Top each fillet with 3 citrus slices. 
Grill on cookie sheet 3-4 minutes each side. 





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Friday, July 17, 2015


Ingredients

4 Chicken Tenders, browned and sliced
1 minced onion
1 c frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
Fresh herbs chopped - tarragon, basil, etc. 
1 package frozen stir fry Trader Joes vegetables
2 T Coconut oil
1 c bone broth
1 c coconut milk
Salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, oregano, celery salt, to taste 
Not on Autoimmune Paleo are these flavors - Herdez green salsa, Tajin red pepper-lime seasoning, California molido mild chile, chipotle chile, Paprika. 

Sauté onion in coconut oil and 2T bone broth until clear then golden. Add remaining bone broth and purée with immersion blender. Add remaining herbs and spices and coconut milk and simmer. 

In separate pot, cook veggies in some water per package instructions until done. Fold cooked vegetables and cooked meat into curry sauce. 

Serve. 

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This recipe uses tomatoes and so is not strictly Autoimmune Paleo. To convert it simply substitute coconut cream for the tomato purée in equal volume. 



Ingredients

3 pork sausages, casings removed, and chopped into small pieces. 

One onion diced medium 

Fresh mushrooms coarsely chopped (omit for strict Paleo)

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 cup bone broth

2 t Coconut oil

2 T Braggs Vinegar

1 box Pomi brand crushed tomatoes or 2 c coconut cream

2 T cane sugar

Spices to taste
Salt 
Pepper
Turmeric
Cumin
Dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Etc. 
(See photo)

For cream sauce use
Salt 
Pepper
Sage
Nutmeg

Prep all ingredients ahead for fastest dinner. 

In soup kettle on medium-high heat,
Sauté sausage until browned and crumbly, remove sausage and set aside, leaving grease in pot as much as possible. 

Sauté onions in 1/4 of broth until clear, continue to carmelize until golden brown. Deglaze pan with 2 T Braggs apple cider vinegar. Add mushrooms, fresh herbs and sauté until mushrooms absorb some oil and cook through. Return sausage to pan. Add spices. Fold in all ingredients. Add tomatoes or coconut cream and heat through. Keep on simmer as you prepare pasta. Make ahead in a large batch and freeze. 

Serve over noodles such as konnyaku, or kelp. A gluten-free option that is not strictly autoimmune Paleo but are of very good quality are Trader Joes brown rice spaghetti or similar pastas, hard to tell they aren't wheat!

Top with fresh basil leaves rolled and snipped with scissors into strips. 





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I am keeping tabs on all the recipes I conjured while emptying my fridge and freezer, or prompted by an impulse grocery store purchase of a particular delicious looking seasonal veggie or meat item. 

My goal is to come up with my favorite meals so we can repeat them and have a total of minimum 10 go-to meals we can eat for dinner. 

They have to be quick, easy and yummy. 
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I am generally in love with the Joy of Cooking. 

Tonight I took inspiration from 2 leek recipes to create Autoimmune Paleo Vichyssoise. 



Leek Potato Soup / Vichyssoise 

And 

Creamed Leeks

Here is the rough recipe:

In one large soup kettle, 
1 leek thinly sliced and sautéed in 
1 T coconut oil until translucent and just starting to become golden, 10-15 min.,

Add
2 potatoes thinly sliced with a mandolin to speed cooking - Paleo folks substitute white yam or turnip or steamed cauliflower, etc. 
3 cups broth such as bone broth or chicken broth
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped frozen spinach or other dark green leafy veggie

And spices to taste,
Salt
Pepper
Turmeric
Cumin
Celery salt
or your favorites 

Simmer until cooked through, about 10-15 min. 

Blend in pot with immersion blender, or in regular blender, sieve if you like

Add
1-2 c coconut milk

Heat through and serve, or chill and serve. 




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Monday, June 29, 2015



This dinner rocked.

The chicken was already done.
All I had to do was boil 2 sweet potatoes, add coconut creamer and butter, and mash.  (Paleo peeps try using bone broth to boil, and add flavor instead of butter-needs testing...)
Then I cooked the frozen veggies mix in some water.

That's it!!



I saved the bones for making a broth.
Tonight I have the broth on slow cook for 24 hours.  :)
I'll freeze it before we leave for the 4th of July festivities.



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Step 1:  Burn the bacon and set off the smoke alarm.

Step 2:  Salvage the burnt bacon by trimming off the black edges and chopping the bacon into bacon bits for a ... salad!

Step 3:  Make avocado cream dressing - until the avocado you slice is too green.  Abandon this plan and make another dressing:

1T Apple Cider Vinegar
2t  unrefined cane sugar
1T fresh garden herbs - parsley, tarragon, basil
Pinch Iodized Sea Salt
Red Pepper Flakes to taste (Paleo folks use ginger or wasabi)
Green Jalapeno Hot Sauce - just a splash (omit if Paleo)
Shake of freshly ground Black Pepper
1T Olive Oil

Step 4:  Toss 6 lettuce leaves, the bacon bits, and 6 grapes halved, with the dressing.

Rolled Turkey

The recipe for the rolled baked turkey was from the Joy of Cooking.  I used turkey instead of veal, and coconut oil instead of butter.  I baked the turkey for 45 minutes at 350, instead of pan frying it, because it was thicker than 1/8" and I was worried it would not pan fry well done.  It worked!  I used prosciutto as called for in the recipe.

Braised Fennel

I got fresh fennel from Trader Joe's and followed the instructions on the package - Lightly browned the fennel in coconut oil, then boiled it for about 30 min in some broth.  I also did the same with carrots, and it was a nice addition.

Steamed Yellow Summer Squash

Lightly browned the squash and steamed it over the fennel/ carrots and threw in some bacon bits on it as well.



That's it!

We liked the salad the best.

I think the turkey would have been better if I made the veggies into a nice sauce and moistened the turkey as it was a bit dry.





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Here are the two books I purchased to start my experiment in cooking Paleo:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Autoimmune-Paleo-Cookbook-Allergen-Free/dp/0578135213

This book is nice because it is simple and doesn't attempt to incorporate strange unfamiliar foods, particularly meats.  It is simple enough to show how to start a new meal plan and understanding of what to cook and eat.

The second book is:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Approach-Cookbook-Detailed/dp/162860008X

This recipe book is so thorough that it is going to fill the gaps that meat and veggies cannot fill.  This includes interesting desserts and muffins and other unique items seemingly unimaginable on the limits of the paleo diet.


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Finally found a name for the diet closest to the one that matches all my allergies (except for garlic).  Previously I just said I'm a gluten-free meat-eating vegan, which was the closest thing to describe what I knew.  This Auto-Immune Paleo diet is awesome because all the recipies in all the cookbooks for this diet I can eat (because I just leave out the garlic).

This is particularly exciting!

I have tested to have the following IgG allergies, determined via doctor-ordered blood test:

gluten
dairy
eggs
garlic
brewers yeast

This diet is not simply "paleo" where every other recipe has eggs or other problematic ingredients.  The autoimmune paleo diet eliminates all of the items I'm allergic to (including brewer's yeast) but also excludes nuts, grains, legumes, seeds, nightshades, refined/processed sugars/oils.

This blog is a kind of diary which will allow me to track the recipies that worked, and track the failures to note for improvement.

Here goes!



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