Asian Chives Pancake

This crispy and chewy Chive Pancake was inspired by my Auntie P from Napa, California.  You see, Auntie P  and her family ran a Chinese restaurant in the 80s.  During my first visit to the states, I experienced how a real commercial kitchen was run.  I was impressed at how such a slight and small frame woman could handle the heavy wok with ease. I eagerly pitched in serving and busing tables so I can play restaurant in real life.  At night, Auntie P continued to prepare more food for the next day.  My favorite was her Northern Chinese favorite snack, Chive Oil Pancake.  Here I am using the dough adapted from Predominantly Paleo, hope you like it. 

Makes 6 servings     Prep time 15 mins      Cook time 10 mins  

Ingredients

• 5 stalks of green onions, chopped
• 1 pack grated cassava, defrost if from frozen
• 1/4 c coconut flour
• coconut oil
• avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• optional -  2 tbsp cooked ground pork

Instructions

1. Sprinkle salt over grated cassava
2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat
3. Empty pack of defrosted grated cassava into oiled pan
4. Using a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to prevent scratching the pan, stir cassava until translucent dough forms, the dough will be firm to form and he might build some upper body strength while you are at it
5. Sprinkle coconut flour on rolling board
6. Roll dough out to 1/8" thickness into a rectangular shape
7. Spread a thin layer of coconut oil on flattened out dough
8. Sprinkle chopped green onions ( optional -   I added some cooked ground pork in one of the pancakes) over rolled out dough
9. From the longer side of the rectangle dough, roll it up like you were making a burrito
10. Cut the long dough into two sections
11. Close up one end of each dough sections by sealing it with your fingers
12. Now, roll the long dough up like a cinnamon pin wheel
13. Seal up the outer end of the dough to prevent any green onions from leaking out
14. Take your rolling pin and flatten the "pin wheel" 
15. Repeat 11-14 with the second dough section
16. Heat oil over medium heat in a pan larger enough to pan fried the pancakes
17. Pan fried each side until golden brown about 4 mins. 
18. Cut into 4 -8 sections and serve with sauce

Not just another salad round up

I recently went on a road trip with the family. There is always a bit of anxiety for AIPers especially IBDers when traveling as we are away of our comfort zone - our kitchen.

Even when we are not in a flare, unknown ingredients in prepared "eating out" food can trigger symptoms.

I wasn't feeling that great as we left, but I no longer let the " not feeling perfect"  prevent me from enjoying time with my family.

I did my research for where to eat in the city and quickly honed the art of ordering out on AIP. I ended up eating a lot of salads with oil and vinegar and a piece of simply cooked protein.

I made a few trips to Wholefood and gathered my supplies to make my salads in the hotel. Having a fridge in your room is so important and pack some canned fish or smoked oysters as your just in case protein.

Since our returned I realized I have become hooked on these wonderful salad. The extra fiber ( which can irritate an inflamed gut of an IBDer ) didn't bother me as it has before. I credit it to my body has become stronger and my gut has continued to heal nicely. I am now eating 2-3 full meals of salad with protein and my family seem to be catching on too.

I decided to jot down a few notes on how one can make a salad meal exciting.

Protein

• Batch bake chicken breast and freeze. Defrost and eat as needed. I have been batch baking chicken breast ( about 8- 10 lbs a week for the whole family) 
• Seafood - fresh, seared, baked or canned are convenience.

Keep your greens fresh

• learn how to store your greens to keep them fresh longer here  and here

Very your oils/ fat

• Coconut milk, coconut oil, Extra virgin oliver oil, avocado oil.

Add a splash of cold bone broth for more flavor

Eat your rainbow, as the Sesame Street gang says,  make your salad as colorful as possible, here is just a sample of your palate;  red beets, orange carrots, yellow mango, Green Kale, light green cucumbers, blueberries, purple cabbage.

Try new herbs and vegetables - my favorites are radicchio, endives and watercress.

I love playing around with my salad dressings but here is one of my favorite recipe at the moment

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c full fat organic coconut milk
• 1/4 c Kombucha Vinegar  or Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c finely chopped or minced herbs of your choice or add equivalent whole herbs to a blender
• These are the herbs I have been using
• 2 stalks of garlic greens ( LowFODMAP) or 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp minced parsley
• 1/2 tbsp minced cilantro
• optional 1/2 tsp bone broth

Instructions:

        Add all ingredients to blender and blend until your preferred consistency



Need more ideas? Here are a couple salad links from some AIP bloggers, Thanks Sweet Treats and Petra8paleo

Grapefruit avocado kale salad by Sweet Treats
Mason jar salad dressing by Petra8paleo

 And if you haven't read my review of Meatified latest cookbook Nourish, you should check out her sneak peek Preview recipe of another awesome salad here.

So next time you think having a salad as a meal is boring... think again and refer to these recipes. Your body and your mind will thank you.

Rainbow Faux rice

a great side in an endive boat for my little one as those innocent looking cherry tomatoes ( nightshade)  will not settle well in my tummy

My food processor was always tucked away in the back of the bottom cupboards until my recent love of making faux rice. I am embracing how to make faux rice with all sorts of vegetables, the trick is not to over process nor over cook them to keep their crunch. Here are a couple of my favorite AIP rice dishes. Finally some comfort food in the bowl to eat with my chopsticks.

 Rainbow Faux rice

A colorful fried faux rice

Serves 4         Prep time 15 mins         Cook time 15 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 small parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 2 small turnip, peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 head of broccoli, separate stem and florets, cut stem into cubes, breakup florets into small clusters
• 2 stalks of garlic greens
• 1 small purple yam, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• pink himalayan salt to taste
• fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fat of your choice (bacon fat, duck fat or coconut oil)
• optional: garnish with cilantro 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground pork, grated ginger, salt and fish sauce and let sit while you prepare the vegetables
2. Put small batches of prepared vegetables ( accept broccoli florets) into processor and pulse until they are size of beans. You may need to empty the pulsed vegetables a few times to prevent uneven and over processoring 
3. Pulse broccoli florets last in an emptied the processor, stir all processed vegetables well to mix
4. Heat fat on Medium heat in a deep and large pan 
5. Sautee vegetables for 5 mins, turn heat off and cover
6. In another pan, on medium heat, fry marinaded ground pork until cooked, no more pink
7. You can mix cooked pork together with vegetables or serve it vegetables on the bottom and pork on top.  Garnish with cilantro 

Mexican comfort

I went out for Mexican food with my family last night. I watched them, as I sipped my thermos of bone broth from home,  enjoy their carne asada burrito and chicken flauta and to top it all... with rice and beans. I miss Mexican food, all I want sometimes are some rice and beans, but they kill me. So here is my safe version made with taro root for the consistency and purple carrot for the black bean coloring. I am continuing with my ginger train to add some kick in my dishes. 

AIP low FODMAP "rice and beans"

Ingredients

• 4c peeled and cubed taro root
• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
• 2 stalk celery
• 1 small purple carrot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large sliced onions
• 2 tbsp fat
• 1/2 - 1c bone broth
• juice of 2" ginger root

Instructions

To make garlic and onion infused oil

1. Melt fat in med heat pan
2. Add garlic and onion
3. Let cook for 5 mins
4. Remove and discard garlic and onions

Now you have infused oil

1. Sauté celery, fennel and carrots for 5 mins at med heat in infused oil
2. add taro and sauté for 5 mins 
3. add bone broth
4. simmer for 10-15 mins until all vegetables are soft.
5. Mash with masher, add more bone broth if the consistency is too thick
6. Stir in ginger juice for an extra kick

Serve with cauliflower rice and garnish with cilantro, green onions and lime juice

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