GAPS Guide

CASEIN-FREE

When I figure out a new casein-free dish that I like, I post it here, for the first few weeks at the top of this list, and then alphabetically. For dishes which include goat yogurt, click here. In the summer, I do a lot more raw and vegan. With the chilly Northern winter now settled in my bones, this particular list is all about fueling up and being cozy. All of the meals below are free of casein (dairy’s protein). If you are also avoiding ghee, coconut oil or animal fats can be used in its place. (Though in some recipes, I really like the specific taste of ghee.)

Borscht – Not a very helpful name, because it has totally different associations depending on which country one is from. Anyway…My son was very hungry yesterday so I had to figure out a way to use up my few remaining ingredients and fast! I sauteed onions (lots) and garlic in coconut oil, then added chopped beets, broccoli and a head of cauliflower. Added 500 mls broth, then water to reach all but the top inch of veggies. Added dillweed, salt, and lots of ghee. Simmered until all veggies were soft, then blended. A tastier, prettier soup there never was! Variation: Otherwise as above, but the veggies being two medium-large beets, one small head of cauliflower, one big leaf of kale, two small zucchini.

Cabbage Rolls – Unfortunately, I don’t know the recipe! My brother makes us cutlets from sunflower seeds and/or walnuts, ground, and a bunch of veggies. More recently, he used this mixture for stuffing in cabbage rolls. We used cabbage frozen two weeks then boiled in fresh tomatoes. If casein-free, serve with dill-flavoured kraut. Delish! One might opt to use the more traditional fermented cabbage leaves. Another filling option would be grated cauliflower, steamed three minutes, mixed with ground beef.

Carrot-Cauliflower-Ginger Soup – The recipe I started with is the Carrot-Ginger Soup on this page. Here’s what I more recently did as a variation: In large pot, melt coconut oil, saute onions. Add water (not too much – for a thick and creamy soup, you want to ensure the water comes an inch or two short of the top of the veggies). Add a thumb-size of peeled and minced ginger, about six chopped carrots and a cauliflower, chopped. Add salt, couple of shakes of cinnamon, black pepper. Simmer 20-40 minutes. Blend. So thick, so like a true cream soup. Warming in so many ways.

Carrot Mousse Cake – It’s not really a cake, nor really a mousse. Well, you’ll see. Steam 6-7 larger carrots. Into a loaf pan, put: the steamed carrots 1/2 cup ghee (let it melt); shredded coconut (1/2 cup or so); honey to taste; ginger (fresh, or 1 tsp or so powder); nutmeg (1 tsp or so); sea salt; 2 large eggs. Preferably before the eggs have a chance to “cook” on the heat of the carrots, with a handheld blender mix all of the above. It should end up quite fluffy. Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The result should be a moist but firm, mousse-like consistency with a slightly drier top layer. Best when eaten warm. My son and I really enjoyed this. We have also done it without the shredded coconut and enjoyed it. As we have progressed in GAPS, we have needed less and less honey in recipes like this.

Chicken, Curried With Mock Rice – Onions and garlic sauteed in coconut oil, then curry and cumin powders, chopped carrots and broccoli, chicken broth, salt and let it simmer a half hour or so. I then added the pieces of boiled chicken. I poured the mix over cauliflower which had been grated then steamed three minutes. This was lovely! The grated cauliflower was such a delicate texture in this dish, like a white basmati rice.

Chowder – On my breakfast post, I listed “chowder”, too, but I made it differently. Tonight: Sauteed chopped onions and garlic in coconut oil for seven minutes. Add chopped cauliflower (lots – it is pretending to be potatoes), mushrooms, kale and broth –enough to reach an inch from the top of the veggies– from the liquid left after poaching a fish. Simmer 20 minutes. Add leftover fish with skins, salt and pepper. Blend.

Cold Tomato Soup - Great on a terribly hot day! Into a mixing bowl, place four tomatoes (quartered), basil, oregano, crushed chili peppers, salt, one small zucchini (coarsely chopped), 2-3 cups of gelled broth, one garlic clove, half a red bell pepper (coarsely chopped). With a stick blender, blend. Eat immediately or chill first. Amounts do not need to be exact; this concept is very versatile – all sorts of combinations would work well.

Curried Chicken – It’s been a few months since I cooked a chicken, but I was keen on some broth and my kid seemed to be needing more meat. I cooked it up yesterday and, while out today, daydreamed about a warm chicken curry dish. As usual, I sauteed chopped onion (lots) in coconut oil. I added curry and cumin powders, then some chicken broth –just enough to prevent burning. I was going to serve the dish over grated cauliflower (steamed three minutes, this is a fabulous substitute for rice) but realized I had a good amount of yesterday’s veggie medley left over, so I mixed those in instead. I then added salt and chicken pieces and simmered it down to a thick sauce. It was all warm and salty and thick, just like in a restaurant. Oh, we were happy!

Fish Salad, Cold – In a mixing bowl, place many many cups of spring mix. Add canned or leftover fish (tuna, salmon, etc). Add dill sauerkraut. Mix.

Ginger StirFry – A warm yet cleansing dish. In coconut oil, sautee for ten minutes onion slices, minced garlic, minced ginger. Add any combination of the following: chopped carrots, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, kale. Add black pepper. Add a bit of water. Sautee uncovered ’til desired softness and thickness of “sauce”. Shut off. Add salt. Mix in lots of sesame seeds.

Green Sunflower Patties – This was a funny one and it turned out wonderfully! Earlier in the day, I had offered my son a combo of cooked butternut squash, raw egg, coconut oil and ghee. He didn’t like it. Later, I decided to make burger patties, and realized that dish would meld perfectly. I homogenized lots of (pre-soaked) sunflower seeds, a carrot, some broccoli florets that had to be used up and some kale. I mixed these with the squash/egg/ghee/coconut oil blend and added basil, oregano, thyme and salt. I formed them into patties. (Between the squash and the egg, they formed perfectly.) I sensed these were a little “too green” and that the flavour would need to be balanced out somehow. My choice? A thin slice of fresh tomato on each patty. I baked them on greased baking sheets at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Well, they were wonderful! My son and I ate the whole batch.

Guacamole – Ripe, organic avocados were on sale and whenever that happens, I buy lots, anticipating this dish. I mash the ripe avocados, add chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped tomato, lemon juice, salt, pepper. We eat it with a spoon or with dipping veggies, but if you are a chip or cracker maker, you could of course scoop with that. If you like exact proportions, or are keen on variations, Google ‘guacamole’ for approaches involving lime juice, cilantro, chili peppers, cumin, etc. It’s only been through GAPS that I’ve ever in my life been able to eat raw garlic (or raw onions), so I get a real kick out of this!

Lebanese Baked Eggplant: For the recipe, click here. I just tried this one for the first time tonight. I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and cauliflower where it called for potatoes. Not bad, but it definitely needed the liquid that would have been provided by the can of stewed tomatoes. So, if you’re using fresh tomatoes, do add some tomato juice. (Note: For some reason, canned tomato juice is supported in Breaking the Vicious Cycle, but canned tomatoes and canned tomato paste aren’t.) Also, I didn’t really notice the walnuts so for me, that felt like a waste of protein options. (I like to rotate my foods as much as possible, so aim to use a different protein source each day.) The eggplant slices at the bottom were nice and soft; the ones on top were almost crispy. I liked both, but I wonder if I was supposed to put the tomatoes and juice on top? Finally, the cauliflower was a bit crunchier than I like in a dish like this, which makes me think I would prefer to steam and mash it first next time…Which would result, basically, in my Shepherd’s Pie recipe with some eggplant added!

Michelle’s Sunburgers – For the original recipe, click here. Note that its ingredients are very similar to that of our Sunflower Pizzazz. I’ve been doing variations on this recipe: no celery (my son can’t tolerate that), more onion, no tomato (because I severely limit canned stuff and haven’t yet bothered making paste from scratch), random proportions of veggies, coconut oil (always) instead of olive oil, etc. Everything seems to work. Update: Adding 156ml of tomato paste per three cups (measured pre-soak) of sunflower seeds really enhances this dish. Also, to save time I do not form this into patties but spread across a casserole dish.

Red Pepper Carrot Ginger Soup – When my son didn’t finish all of his red peppers from the “Salmon With Red Peppers”, above, and asked for soup, I blended: leftover Carrot-Cauliflower-Ginger Soup (way below), the salmon’s poaching water, and the remaining veggies and bits of salmon from my son’s plate. This soup was gorgeous and delicious!

Refried Almonds With Veggie Sticks: For the first months of GAPS, I missed black beans. I like their heartiness, texture and versatility and I’d always loved “refried beans”. Well, imagine my delight when I found a recipe for “refried almonds”! This is offered in Jordan Maerin’s book Raw Foods for Busy People. (This little book has been so worth it! In locating the link, I noted she has Book 2 out. So getting it.)

Salmon Salad – I felt like I needed a day off, but as a single parent of a preschooler on a Saturday, this can be tricky to achieve. Thus, I bought a can of wild salmon. In wondering how best to use it tonight, I was inspired to mix it with mock rice (cauliflower grated and steamed three minutes). After mixing the two ingredients together, I added olive oil, salt and pepper, then realized a chopped tomato in it would be lovely, too. Finally, I laughed, realizing my tastebuds were recalling for me a dish I hadn’t made in about fifteen years: a couscous salmon salad, which I’d always really loved. The final ingredients? Lemon juice and lots of chopped parsley. This dish is eaten cold. Chilling for several hours enhances the flavours. Other veggies and flavours can be included, too. For ideas and inspiration, Google ’salmon couscous’ recipes. The closest one to my own that I located in a quick search was here. Note: One can also use fresh salmon, but in this dish I especially appreciate those crunchy little bones.

Salmon with Red Peppers – Very simple. I wanted to make sure I was poaching fish “right” so watched this video, which inspired thoughts of sauteed veggies. I poached a salmon steak in water (the rule of thumb for poaching salmon being 8 minutes per inch of fish height; also, to clarify the video’s instructions, have enough liquid in the pan to reach halfway up the fish). In a separate pan, I melted ghee, then sauteed minced garlic, thinly sliced onion and thinly sliced red bell peppers (lots) until they would want to drape themselves over the fish, then added chopped black leaf kale and let that soften. I added pepper and salt, then spooned a whopping pile of veggies over half a steak. Not a phenomenal dish, but very easy, very pretty and very balancing.

Spanish “Rice” – Well, okay, there are a lot of different recipes called Spanish Rice. Most involve oil, sauteed onions and garlic, and tomato. I didn’t have any tomato, but I did have quite a bit of grated cauliflower prepared, as my son had declined it a couple of days ago. Today I sauteed onions and garlic in coconut oil, added chili powder and salt, then the grated cauliflower (which had previously been steamed for three minutes). Delicious! My son was very happy again to eat cauliflower! Again, normally Spanish Rice would include tomato (and often have the rice cooked in chicken broth).

Mushrooms & Onions – Somehow the ingredients blend to develop a taste that reminds me of soy sauce. Again, super simple and some evenings this light but warming dish is exactly what my son and I want. In coconut oil, saute thinly sliced onions and minced garlic. Add sliced mushrooms and ground pepper. Cover and saute on low to medium for 30-50 minutes, until the onions are somewhat carmelized. When done, continue sauteeing with the lid off until most of the water has evaporated. Add salt. Eat.

Pulp Burgers - Just like Michelle’s Sunburger’s variation, but I felt this trick deserved its own paragraph. When juicing a mix of vegetables (beets, carrots, celery, garlic, kale, spinach, etc), I save the pulp in a quart jar and refrigerate or freeze it. I mix the pulp with soaked then homogenized sunflower seeds, homogenized onion, eggs, coconut oil and spices. I form the mix into patties and bake 30 mins at 350 C. I love getting the full nutritional value of the raw juice, yet still the fibre, flavour and texture of the pulp.

Risotto, Curried – This recipe is found in the wonderful Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. At this point in our SCD journey, I skip the yogurt. I definitely prefer it with, but without works just fine, too!

Risotto, Curried Basic – In a pot, saute for six to ten minutes duck fat or coconut oil, a clove or two of minced garlic, one minced/chopped onion, curry powder, cumin. Grate a small head of cauliflower. Add grated cauliflower to the mix and continue to heat on low-med another four minutes (ish). Add salt and serve. For variations, see below.

Risotto, Curried-Beef – In a pot, saute for about six minutes coconut oil, minced garlic, minced/chopped onion, curry powder, cumin. Add ground beef, simmer until browned through. Grate cauliflower. Add cauliflower to the mix and continue to heat on low-med another ten minutes (ish). Add salt and serve.

Risotto, Curried With Tomato – There are variations on this theme below, but this specific one is not yet covered. In a pot, saute for about six minutes coconut oil, minced garlic, minced/chopped onion, curry powder, cumin. Add chopped tomatoes, then grate a small head of cauliflower. Add cauliflower to the mix and continue to heat on low-med another ten minutes (ish). Add salt and serve.

Salad - Yesterday, my body sent me a message. It was silent, yet clear: Eat something raw! “Uh, sure,” said I. My body is loving me for this. Today I mixed torn lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, chunks of yellow bell pepper, then added my Ginger Garlic Sauerkraut, salt, pepper and goat yogurt. Again, goat yogurt is very tangy –much like sour cream. This combo was fabulous!

Shepherd’s Pie. All my life I’d done Shepherd’s Pie as a vegetarian –a lentil base, with mashed potatoes on top. Now that our diet demands some meat, I do an omnivorous, but again non-traditional, version. Make Shepherd’s Pie as usual, but use steamed and mashed celeriac (slight celery-like flavour) or steamed and mashed cauliflower for the top layer. Drizzle with bone broth for a beautiful design.

Spaghetti With Veggies – In a pot, saute for six to ten minutes duck fat, coconut oil or ghee, a clove or two of minced garlic, one minced/chopped onion. Add chopped red peppers, basil, oregano, thyme. Saute another 10 minutes. Add salt. Add spiralized zucchini and ghee.

Stew – We don’t have this very often now, though I’m not sure why –it’s so satisfying and gives me happy memories (really!) of intro. It’s also a great way to take a day off: Cook this simple dish in the morning, eat a bowl for breakfast, fill some thermoses and head out! In coconut oil or broth fat, I saute onions and garlic for ten minutes. I add ground beef and brown it. I add tonnes of veggies: carrots, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, kale, whatever! I simmer this for 20-30 minutes, add salt, pepper and ghee and eat. My son likes his blended. This stew, by the way, also serves as the bottom layer of my Shepherd’s Pie.

Stuffed Peppers – Set your oven to “broil” with the top rack in place. In a pot, saute for about six minutes coconut oil or duck fat, minced garlic and minced/chopped onion. Add small-chopped mushrooms and zucchini. Add basil, oregano, thyme. Simmer about ten minutes, until soft. (Add a tablespoon or two of water if needed to prevent burning and to provide steam.) Add salt. Lengthwise, halve red and/or yellow bell peppers and place them in a baking dish. Stuff the “boats” with the vegetable mixture. Broil approximately 10 minutes, until the peppers soften and a couple of edges on one or two are lightly charred.

Sunflower-Carrot Pizzazz: Again, this was directly inspired by Brendan Brazier’s book The Thrive Diet. (It’s worth getting!) His original Sunflower-Beet Pizza recipe has been a hit in our house for awhile but when I most recently went to prepare it again, I found I was out of beets! I had carrots on hand, so used those, with my favourite results to date. Here’s what I did: Soak sunflower seeds in lightly salted water for 12 hours. Drain and rinse well. Once drained and rinsed, I sometimes leave them out for several hours so they start to sprout. Homogenize the seeds (I mash them through my Omega 8005), with half as many cups of carrots and some onion. Add coconut oil, basil, oregano. Press this thickly or thinly into a deep baking pan. Bake at 300 F for anywhere from 10-60 minutes, depending on how soft or crusty you want it to be. In the meantime, chop any veggies: onion, broccoli, rainbow chard, tomatoes, etc. Mix in some more basil, oregano and some thyme and salt. Top the crust and bake about 30 minutes or so. Pour a bit of lemon-flavoured EFAs or olive oil (which I’m not a big fan of, personally) on top. Note: The day after, we eat as-is or blend any remainder up, add an egg and make burger patties, which my son loves.

Veggie Medley, Curried Chilli – In coconut oil, saute one onion, two medium cloves of garlic, curry powder, chili powder and cumin for 6-10 minutes. Chop and add the following: two medium zucchini, one red pepper, two tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes. Blend. Use as sauce over cauliflower, grated and steamed three minutes.

Veggie Medley One – Clearly I’m on a veggie roll. By the time I get home on these snow-heavy days, I feel small and tired. This means I don’t have the oomph to cook an involved meal. It also means my body is not up for digesting challenging foods. We had a snack of almonds and figs, then I started in on the supper prep. I sauteed over medium heat onion (thinly sliced) and garlic in lots of coconut oil. I added thinly sliced bell peppers and mushrooms. Remembering NCM’s tip that long-sauteed onions provide immune support, I let it cook for a good 20-30 minutes. I then added a chopped tomato, black pepper and sea salt. Just before serving, I mixed in mashed avocado. This was a nice light dish, and yet fatty enough to be satisfying and refueling. Again, a low-prep, low clean-up meal.

Veggie Medley Two – I’ve already forgotten exactly what I did, but here’s my best recall: In coconut oil, saute two onions and several small to medium cloves of garlic for 6-10 minutes. Add slices of one red pepper, one medium-large zucchini (chopped), two small tomatoes (chopped) and ground peppercorns. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add lots and lots (8 cups?) of spinach leaves and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, once or twice stirring the spinach in, until the spinach is wilted. Add ghee and salt to taste. Blend (optional) to desired coarseness or smoothness. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (mine are pre-soaked then dehydrated).

Vegetable Soup One – So basic, but as pre-GAPS I didn’t really know how to cook, it’s new for me. In coconut oil, saute one onion and two medium cloves of garlic for 6-10 minutes. Add the following veggies, chopped: one red pepper, handful or so of crimini mushrooms, six leaves of red chard, one green pepper, one small zucchini. Add basil, oregano, ground black pepper plus water to reach 1″ short of the top of the veggies. Simmer 20 minutes. Add salt. Sesame seeds would go nicely in this soup.

Vegetable Soup Two – After a crazy physical journey on a bitterly cold day, I had nothing on hand when we walked into the house. I elected to take all my oldest veggies and make a soup. I saute the onions and garlic in ghee, then add other random veggies and water to just below the top of the veggies (so it will be thick). I simmered kombu in this one and removed it before blending (our preferred style for soups), then added salt. So thick and “creamy”! We add more ghee to our bowls as we desire.

Zucchini Pasta with Tomato-Veggie Sauce. My addiction to this was originally inspired by vegan triathlete Brendan Brazier’s book The Thrive Diet. (As we are dairy-free at this point in GAPS, I am finding vegan cookbooks very helpful!) Essentially, use an apple peeler to slice zucchinis right down to their core, heat the strips over medium-heat in coconut oil until soft. (You may or may not saute chopped onion, garlic and spices in the oil first.) Top with homemade tomato-veggie sauce. Yum!

Check this post regularly for more dinner ideas…

A Little About Finding New Recipes: My absolute favourite online recipe source is allrecipes.com I especially enjoy its Advanced Search function. I type in the ingredients I have, are in season, or that I crave and, in the second column, enter a few major items I don’t want to use, like milk. When it offers me results, I then ask it to ’sort by rating’. I select only the ones other readers have tested and rated with the highest possible points.