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Friday, June 5, 2015

Aip BBQ Chicken Flatbread & More

Homemade Kombucha with Berries, Lime & Mint
AIP is very HARD...I am just not going to sugar coat it!  I have already had a few moments of weakness but just try to offer myself grace and move forward.  And no noticeable differences with my body yet, but only early days.  I can actually hardly believe I have stayed pretty strong with no dairy, eggs or nuts.  These things were what I really struggled to give up a couple of months ago when I attempted something called the 'whole 30.'  I ended up allowing myself raw milk after 8 days of suffering through no dairy.  But this time I am feeling pretty determined, but this is definitely not easy.

It has been a good challenge to come up with exciting and enjoyable things to eat, I just wish I had a little more energy as it is definitely taking extra thought and prep time to do this.  My 'tablenosh' dinner party days almost seem like a lifetime ago, but  I definitely had more energy and was constantly learning new things and concocting new dishes.  It is good to be back in that zone to some degree, I am just at a very different stage of life not to mention different part of the world!  Maybe I will be able to crank out a 'tablenosh' dinner or two this summer for RVA...we shall see or at least get my 'side porch' underground cafe happening...

AIP BBQ Chicken Flatbread

So what have I been cooking and eating?  Lots of salads, smoothies and gelatin in everything - who knew grass fed beef gelatin was so versatile and could be put in so many things as a added source of protein.  And in the AIP world you can make a 'gelatin' egg and use it as a binder for baking.  And those of you who know me know how much I love baking, so I have been very pleased to figure this out.  One of my recent favorites is AIP flatbread! The recipe came from another bog site called the curious coconut and was my favorite recipe so far, it made enough for two and it was so nice to have the extra already made for the following day.  I made a few alterations to the bbq sauce and added some extra salt and herbs to the flat bread and was very delighted with the outcome!


In terms of the sauce, I pretty much looked at a couple other existing AIP bbq sauce recipes and decided to do the best with what I had in the fridge.  I am really not sure how it compares to others and will have to keep you posted.  I was very pleased, I would not spread it on too thick but with the chicken, mushrooms, arugula, avocado and cilantro it was delicious.


 AIP Strawberry BBQ Sauce Recipe
 1-2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1-2 tablespoons organic molasses
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 onion sliced and caramelized
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
salt to taste

Heat strawberries, molasses, vinegar in a saucepan about 5-10 minutes.  Put everything in a food processor or bullet and blend until smooth.  My measurements might not be exactly right, so keep doing it to taste, I think you call also use maple syrup in place of molasses.  And I can see how smoked salt might also be good, but I did not have any.  Any other spices you think might help I say just go for it!  This was just a start for more so I will update this when I make it again.

 What else...well this morning I made up a 'sweet potato plantain' waffle recipe...unfortunately I did not write it down so I cannot tell you exactly what made it work, but I will try it again and post the recipe soon.  The waffles actually got nice and crispy and did not taste like glue and would have been really good topped with caramelized banana and maple syrup but I did not have any on hand.  I put a little raw honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

AIP Sweet Potato & Plantain Waffles

This week I am working on a few more recipes with more red meat.  I was actually raised a vegetarian and did not really start eating chicken until high school, but never had the stomach or desire for red meat.  When I started 'tablenosh' dinners in 2008 I started learning to cook with red meat and forced myself to taste it but still it did not appeal to my palate.  With the AIP it is really important that I get those nutrient dense meats into my system, so I have been trying!  So far I have only been able to eat a little grass fed ground beef that I cook into AIP lasagna or I make a taco less salad with a cilantro avocado dressing and put the ground beef on that.  Last night I hit whole foods and chatted with the butcher and stocked up on some new cuts of meat...hoping I can grow to LOVE beef & pork!  And it would be really great if I could learn to drink 'bone broth' while I am at it...I bought a bag of bones :)