Squash pork sausage with AIP " 4 spices " seasoning salt

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This recipe post is a two parter; 

1. How to use your leftover cooked squash or yam to make a complete AIP protein and starch anytime snack 
2. My AIP version of " 4 spices " seasoning to jazz up your dishes with an Asian flare. 

I have been playing around to find an AIP version of 5 spice seasoning and it is hard to mimic the non-AIP spices like Star Anise and fennel. I have come up with this combination of AIP compliant spices that makes my meat dishes delicious and certainly add an Asian flare. The key spice is Cekur aka Sand Ginger commonly used in Malaysian dishes. Cekur, Kencur, Galanga, 沙姜 in Chinese, is a cousin of ginger root we normally use but is more fragrant. Look for this powdered spice in your local Asian markets or you can get it here. Sometimes they are marked as ginger powder in English so look for the Chinese characters above on the packaging. I keep a batch mixed up and use them in my dry rubs, marinades, seasoning and finishing salt. I know this spice mix is what gives this tender leftover Squash Pork Sausage a special kick in the flavour department. I hope you like it cause my kids certainly didn't leave me any from my first batch. Their respond was " Oh, sorry mom, we ate them all because we thought you couldn't eat it." 

Nice one kids!

Makes 12 patties        Prep time 10 mins        Cook time 15 mins ( 10 to cook squash if you don't have any leftover and 5 mins to cook up the sausage ) 

Ingredients

• 1lb. Ground pasture or Organic pork
• 1/2 c cooked and mashed kobucha squash or peeled yam
• 2 - 3 tbsp of minced fresh herbs of your choice, I used green onions, parsley and thyme here
• 1-2 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp himalayan pink salt or AIP " 4 spice" seasoning salt (see recipe below)
• cooking fat of you choice ( I used my Pasture Lard from Big Bear Ranch) 

AIP " 4 spices " seasoning salt

• 1 part ground cinnamon
• 1 part ground ginger powder
• 1 part cekur ( aka. galangal) powder, check your local Asian stores or order here
• 1 part ground clove 
• 1 part himalayan pink sea salt
• ( Optional ) Black pepper if you are not in AIP elimination phase

Instructions

1. Heat cooking fat in frying pan on medium heat
2. Saute chopped mushroom 1-2 mins to get most of the moisture out
3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed
4. Form meat mix into large meatballs and place them into pan
5. Cook for 1 min before flattening with fork, cook for 2-3 mins
6. Flip over patties and cook, another 2-3 mins, until inside is not pink

My kids ate them wrapped up in butter lettuce leaves from the garden!

Back to School AIP easy crispy tender chicken legs

For families with children, school is starting tomorrow. I am thinking up easy yummy recipes for the busy pace. Here is my AIP low FODMAP chicken legs served with a side of pan fried brussel sprouts, garlic greens and pancetta. A squeeze of lemon juice adds a spark to this meal. 

AIP easy crispy and tender chicken legs

Serves 5  Prep time 20mins ( up to 2 hours of marinade time)  Cook time 1hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 5 chicken legs with thighs attached

For marinade

• 2-3 stocks of garlic greens
• 2 green onions ( greens only for lowFODMAP)
• 2 stocks of celery
• 1/2" ginger root
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp himalayan sea salt

Instructions

1. Put all marinade ingredients into blender and blend until somewhat smooth
2. Put chicken legs into a zip lock bag and pour marinade into bag
3. Clean bag and shake to mix 
4. Open bag to remove as much air as possible and reseal the bag
5. Let marinade in fridge between 30 mins to 2 hours. 
6. Preheat oven 315F
7. Remove chicken out of bag and lay in ( raised ) oven tray - the ones that came with the oven.
8. Bake at 315F for 30mins per side ( flip once) 
9. Turn oven to Broil and broil for 5 -10 mins to brown and crispy up skin. 

Mau Gua with minced meat

The weather is getting cooler and I'm feeling some Asian comfort food is needed. I recently went out for a family Chinese dinner at a restaurant, being on AIP, the only thing I could eat was the winter melon soup. Even that was questionable whether they added MSG in it. But I enjoyed it and didn't suffer after the meal. A winter melon soup takes a lot of preparation because the soup is basically steamed in the whole melon with meats and seafood. I decided on an easier to accomplish home version that will give me similar taste and texture. I took another favoured and smaller Chinese squash called "Mau Gua" which translates to hairy squash, poached it and topped it with sautéed ground meats. The combination of cleanly (no oil) cooked veggies paired with well seasoned meats make a satisfying and easy to digest AIP meals.

Mau Gua with minced meat

Serves 4                      Prep time 30 mins                  Cook time 20 mins

Ingredients 

• 1 small to medium size Mau Gua, scrap off the tiny hairs with a serrated knife and cut into 1 - 11/2" sections 
• 1"-2" ginger
• 1lb ground meats of your choice ( I used meatloaf mix - veal, pork and beef )
• sea salt to taste ( I use himalayan pink sea salt ) 
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp EVOO or bacon fat
• 1/4 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 stalk of green onions 

Instructions

1. Season ground meat with sea salt and coconut aminos and let marinade for 30 mins
2. Clean and cut Mau Gua into sections
3. Cook in med heat with 1-2 c water and 1" of smashed ginger in a pan until soft, 5-10 mins. The squash will turn to a lighter green when it is cooked. 
4. In another pan, add oil and sautéed onions until translucent
5. Add seasoned ground meats and cook until liquid isn't pink anymore. 
6. Toss in chopped green onions, stir but leave uncovered, turn heat off. 
7. Carefully plate cooked Mau Gua into a serving dish
8. Spoon meat on top of each section and garnish with thinly slice ginger. 
9. Pour the squash broth in the bottom of the dish and serve. 

You may want to season the squash broth with pink salts but I find the meats added enough flavour to the broth. 

use a serrated knife to scrap the outer layer on hair and skin off the squash 

Cut into sections

What do I eat in a day

One of my group AIP & Paleo Canada have come up with an idea of posting what a day in our AIP life looks like. Guidelines are state the health issue you are trying to address with the AIP approach and list what we ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with any supplements we take. This is a great way to support each other and let others have a glimpse of our one day menu.

Diagnosed mild to moderate Ulcerative Colitis June 1, 2013 confirmed by colonscopy.

Short term ASACOL and Salafolk, unable to control bleeding.
August 12 Went to hospital for pain management and fluid rehydration
Start 5 weeks prednisone

Bought Against All grains book and starting my Paleo journey week 2 of steroids

6 months later, went into another flare, stress and stomach bug triggered. Lost excessive weight, rebuilt with Absorb Plus pre- digested meal replacements for 3 - 4 months. Slowly reintroduce foods.

Explore other diet options, SCD, GAPS, Listen to your gut, AIP

Breakfast: Smoothie - homemade Milk kefir, Coconut milk kefir, frozen banana, baby romaine leaf from garden, grass fed gelatin,  Udo's 3.6.9. oil, stevia drops

Lunch: AIP meatballs - pork and beef, beets, carrots, onions, pink himalayan salt, steamed broccoli and carrots

Dinner: Kombucha, AIP pork ribs - beets, carrot, onions, garlic, ACV, pink himalayan salt, steamed carrots, fresh blueberries, cherries, spinach, melon, cantaloup

Dessert: Acorn Squash coconut milk Faux-nomeal.

Supplements: 5000-10000 UI Vit D, slippery elm and marshmallow root gruel to soothe digestion track. George's Always alive aloe juice to heal bleeding ulcers in colon. Include food source probiotics daily - homemade Kombucha, Water, Kefir, Milk Kefir, Coconut Milk Kefir, fermented vegetables.

Current progress: If my worst flare was a 1 like back in January, I feel I am at a 6. My fatigue, inflammation and digestive systems fluctuate day by day. Diet focus AIP. Find grazing helps digestion.  Starting working with a homeopath beginning of July and seeing progress with improving energy and decreasing gut symptoms.

The best probiotic power shake without the powder

Being on a very restrictive diet often makes me miss foods I used to consume, a regular milkshake is one of them.

When I was battling really intense Ulcerative Colitis symptoms only months ago, I had to rely on an Elemental diet ( pre-digested food supplement ) I used to take 3-4 Absorb Plus shakes a day and that helped heal my gut and gave me energy to carry out my day to day activities. As my body slowly healed, I was able to decrease the number of Absorb plus and slowly introduce easy to digest foods. 

Now, I still start my day with a nutrient packed shake that is much tastier than powder. I use Milk kefir and coconut milk kefir to power up my shake with 50+ strains of probiotics. The kefirs also offer a good source of good fats and protein, then I add my grass fed gelatin for more protein and gut healing powers and joint support. I keep a supple of frozen fruit in the freezer and add to it as I buy fresh fruit. I have found the combination of these ingredient gives me the best thick milkshake like texture and amazing taste. 

This is my go to meal replacement, a treat or dessert. This shake is so good that it makes me forget all about any food restrictions. 

Powderless power probiotic shake

Excitement

Ingredients

• 1/8 c Milk Kefir
• 1/8 c Coconut milk Kefir
• 1 tsp Grass Fed Gelatin
• 1 tbsp Udo's oil
• 1 frozen banana
• 1-2 frozen strawberries
• handful of frozen fruit of your choice, sometimes I add baby greens from my garden
• 3 drops stevia ( optional )
• 2 tbsp water if your blender cannot handful all the frozen fruit

Instruction

1. Put all ingredients in a blender, I use a Nutribullet and let everything sit for a couple minutes to defrost before blending, otherwise I sometimes get chunks of the frozen fruit in the smoothie. If you have Vitamix or Blendtec, you probably can go straight to blending.

Ingredients

Had to share with my son 

always keep frozen fruit on hand

Quick AIP chili

It was 3pm and the kids and I were on the way home in the car when my older one asked if we could have chili or stew for dinner. I thought to myself " chili or stews take forever to simmer to be good…" I agreed anyway because the kids have been so patient when I was down with a UC flare recently. I know I had veggies at home so I picked up some ground meat at the butcher and headed home to try this quick experiment.

When I got home, I posted for advice on my FB AIP Canada group. Of course, my trusted friend didn't take long before they replied with suggestions. I browsed though the links and gather all my ingredients and started cooking. I was concerned how it would taste without the tartness of tomatoes. So I dug in the fridge and found the sour cherries from my Aunt's tree that no one seems to want to eat. I pitted them and set aside for the dish. I also added apple cider vinegar in place of the tomatoes. 

The result was surprising good. I am a planner and prefer not to cook on the spot, but I think with all the cooking and experimenting I have done in the kitchen, I had a good idea what might work with what. Or maybe there was a bit of luck on my side too. "The cherries were a nice touch"my hubs said. and my current favored kobucha squash added great texture and thickness to the chili without thickener or beans. 

I made a big pot but there was no leftover after.

AIP chili

Kid dug into it before I could take a photo

Serve 5  Prep 10 mins Cooking 45 mins 

Ingredients

• 3/4 lbs. ground meat ( I used meatloaf mix - veal, beef and pork )
• 2 strips nitrates free bacon, cut into small pieces ( I use the Trader Joe's ones ) 
• 1 tbsp duck fat ( or bacon, coconut oil) 
• 2 c bone broth
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 small beet, grated
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 small kobucha squash, cubed ( about 2 c)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 stalk celery
• 3tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 10 sour cherries
•  sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat heavy pot to medium heat
2. brown chopped onions and garlic in fat
3. add celery and carrot, sauté for 5 mins
4. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, brown chopped bacon ad ground meat 
5. add meat into heavy pot of vegetables
6. add kobucha and zucchini, sauté for another 5 mins
7. add sour cherries, apple cider vinegar and bone broth, stir, cover and let simmer until all vegetables are soft. The kobucha cooks down to a mush which will thicken the chili

Added bone broth ice cubes

sprinkled with freshly chopped herbs

My personalized SIBO protocol - second round

Click Here to read about how I learned about SIBO.

I am still trying to calm another flare at the moment. This one was not as bad as the last one because I have been using pre-digested meal supplement during my bowel rest. The last one I only relied on bone broth and fresh juice and lost too much weight from undernourishment. However, This one was not a cake walk either, I think it was triggered by stress and a lingering cold from the family and finally did me in.

It seem to have started gradually, I was seeing small amount of blood in, then like out of nowhere " Bam!" the extreme fatigue came and followed by increased bleeding with intense pain and cramp. This went on for three four days where I was mainly consuming the meal supplements, by the fifth day, the shakes were hard to get down without pain, drinking water was uncomfortable, I could feel the liquids just swishing around inside or me and creating lots of painful gas. I was weak and dizzy from malnutrition. It was very difficult to carry on day to day chores, let alone care for my family. It is true how they say that you need to hit rock bottom before you can head back up. This is what happened to me. Luckily, I have learned to be more patient this time, I knew the healing is happening and better days will come, but many times, I still wonder when comfort will arrive. My turning point arrived when I felt a sense of joy and from my family. This joy came from a report card that showed great progress; a sense that things are falling into place and that there is growth and harmony in the family despite all my energies poured into healing the body. I smiled. 

I still had to survive a few more episodes of intense pain before I could say I was feeling better. I felt strong enough to practice some gentle yoga, I managed to work some gas out of my body with the stretches. I also stretched out the tension that had built up from being in constant discomfort for the past week. The tension alone has slowed down the healing. Then, I felt it's time to revisit the SIBO protocol. I feel the last little while of experimenting with gluten, sugar and thinking I could eat like the way I used had built up allergens or toxins.

This time, I plan to do a combination of the SCD approach, which is to starve our the parasites or bacteria with diet and kill them with the natural antibiotics. I remember the last time I was on the SIBO protocol, it started well, I felt improvement quickly, then after a month or so, symptoms came back and I wasn't feel better. I got discouraged and eventually stopped because I feel the natural antibiotics was too harsh on my system. The die offs was also very intense.

This time I have started with the garlic pills, twice a day followed by the Natren probiotics twice a day ( probiotics has to be taken 2 hours after "antibiotics" otherwise they will be killed too by nature's powerful stuff). I will take a day or two break and only do probiotics and switch to a different antibiotic, berberine. Then I will assess how I am doing and take the same break and move on to oil of Oregano.

No I don't know how this will work out but all I can do is try and listen to my body.

I am also ready to address the emotional component of my colitis. Since the gut is the second brain, I have to get to the bottom and release any history ( baggage ) that doesn't serve me anymore.

I have made arrangements to meet with an EFT practitioner to do some inner work. Honestly, I am nervous about having to dig up old buried stuff in order to release them. But I think in order to aid my healing,  I must be brave to face and clear those skeletons in the closet. I will write more about my EFT experience when the time comes.

Chinese dessert drink

I miss having those dessert soups at the end of a Chinese meal at the restaurants. Since I have made my lifestyle and diet changes in order to heal my gut, I have had very ( and I mean VERY) few meals out comparing to before. Usually at the end of the meal, the dessert that comes is a sweet soup. Sometimes the most common one is the red bean soup, which I am not really a fan of. On special occasions, you may be offered almond, walnut or sesame soup. I love them. I have made them at some before but it are a little time consuming. Here is my version of the dessert soup made with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pitted dates ( chopped) 
• 1 tbsp ground seed or nut flour ( you can also pre-soak the nuts or seeds to make them easier to digest ) 
• 1 tsp Grass Fed Gelatin
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Soften chopped dates with 2 tbsp hot water
2. Add Grass Fed Gelatin, stir well
3. Add coconut oil 
4. Add 3/4 to 1 c. warm or hot water
5. Add ground seeds / nuts 
6. Blend until smooth with immersion hand blend
7. Pour and serve

Get those sick kids healthy faster

The best way to nurse a cold or flu is of course lots of fluids and rest. Sometimes plain water just doesn't cut it. So I made this Ginger Raw Lavendar honey Orange/Lemon aid for my kids when they are under the weather.

Prepping for my healing orange lemon-aid

Kick the Cold Orange Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1/2 inch ginger root ( peeled and thinly sliced )
• 1/2 orange juice
• juice of 4 little sweet lemons or 2 large lemons
• 1 tbsp raw lavender ( plain ) honey, more or less to your taste

Instructions:

1. Add ginger to 1/2 c. boiling water and simmer for 10 mins ( the longer your simmer, the more flavor you can out of the root ) 
2. Stir in honey to dissolve
3. Add a few ice cubes to cool the sweetened ginger water so you won't kill the goodness from the juice
4. Add orange and lemon juice, stir well.

Poached Basa in bone broth

Ingredient 

• 1 basa fillet 
• 2 cups bone broth or water
• mushroom of your choice
• 1/4 cup grated zucchini
• couple basil leaves
• Sea Salt to taste

sauce

• Fish sauce to taste
• 1 tbsp Coconut aminos ( this is a great soya sauce replacement ) 
• 1 tsp vinegar of your choice, I used Apple Cider Vinegar
• sesame oil to taste, can omit if you want nothing to do with seeds 

Instructions

1. Defrost 1 frozen basa fillet and pad dry with kitchen towel
2. Bring 2 cups of homemade bone broth to boil 
3. Add thinly sliced mushrooms, grated zucchini, cook for 2 mins
4. Carefully add basa and poach on low to med heat for 5 mins, watch over it as it can boil over easily like milk if you cover pot. 
5. Once cooked, laddle into bowl with some  broth and veggies, garnish with basil slivers and sauce 

For the sauce

Mix sauce ingredients together

PS. I added the veggies first into broth to make sure it's well cooked. It is easier for my digestions.