Monday, September 20, 2010

Shepherd's F*ing Pie!!!

There is nothing like a big plate of warm, simple comfort food.
I've always enjoyed the basic flavors of rustic "country" dishes more than any fancy-butt gourmet meal. Gimme rich, buttery potatoes, cheap nutritious veggies, and simple sauces that mellowly flavor the dish without over-powering the natural beauty of it.
Not being able to eat potatoes again has broken my heart. Sure, I can cheat if I want to, I won't die immediately from them. But I'll be damn sorry the next day when my knees and hips get so stiff and painful that I walk around like a rickety old lady. No fun.

The other day I was watching an episode of No Reservations where Tony goes to Ireland. Of course, he has to eat a huge, steamy plate of shepherd's pie, one of my ultimate all time nestled-in-the-cockles-of-my-heart dishes. When I saw it on the tv screen, and I had to figure out how to have it.

Thank god for the potato's unrelated adopted cousin, the sweet potato. Not being a nightshade plant, sweet potatoes don't harbor the same horrible toxin that potatoes do, so I CAN EAT THEM. Yay.

After that, I did an internet search for "sweet potato shepherd's pie". I found this recipe from the infamous Rachel Ray (of all people): http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Turkey-Sweet-Potato-Shepherd-s-Pie
It wasn't perfect, but it was damn close.

So here it is kids. A nightshade-free, dairy-free, gluten-free mother f'in SHEPHERD'S PIE. Bow down before it, then dig in.


Ingredients:

* 2 pounds sweet potatoes (the pale kind, not the orange ones), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
* Sea salt
* 2 tablespoons coconut oil
* 1 pound ground organic local turkey or grass fed beef
* 3/4 large onion, chopped
* 1 large carrot, grated
* 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I didn't have this on-hand, it's basically sage, rosemary, and majoram)
* Pepper
* 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
* 1/2 cup broth (homemade is best)
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 1/4 cup coconut milk
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sweet potatoes and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving the pot.

2. While the sweet potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 425°. In a deep skillet or pot heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the beef or turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Stir in the onion, carrots, and poultry seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

3. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil/ butter over medium heat. Whisk in the starch for 1 minute, then whisk in the broth and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until kinda thickened (this is a sad moment for gluten-free cooks- the fact that gluten makes thick gravy... So just so your heart isn't too broken like mine was, realize this will be watery sauce) Then stir the sauce into the protein mixture. Mix in the celery and remove from the heat.

4. Mash the sweet potatoes with the coconut milk and a dallop of coconut oil. Add more garlic powder to this, it helps cancel out some of the sweetness of the coconut.

5. Throw the protein/veggie mix into a casserole dish. Top with the sweet potato mixture and smooth the top. Cover the sweet potatoes with the nutritional yeast and bake about 5-10 minutes.

6. Stuff yourself full of amazing food!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tasty Tonics

I'm feeling much better today after my "glutened" episode yesterday. I owe my speedy recovery in part to the wonderful healing drinks I've been knocking back. So I thought I'd share them with you all.

Liquid Chlorophyll: This magic raw elixir is essentially like the thick green blood of plants. It is a powerful detoxifier- it kills harmful bacteria in the colon and liver and enables your body to heal faster because of it. It also resolves many GI issues. (wanna be regular? drink chlorophyll!) You can find it in most natural food stores, I prefer the mint kind personally, it's more palatable. The bottle needs to be kept in the fridge, and take a swig of it (aprox. a table spoon worth) once or twice a day.



Aloe Juice: You know it heals burns, but did you know that same healing ability can help your intestines? Yep! It helps repair tissue in the intestine- so it's very Celiac friendly! It's also good for your immune system and cleans the heck out your colon. I buy giant jugs of it from Trader Joes and cut it with juice, preferably organic* pineapple juice. (see why below)








Pineapples: These vitamin C packed fruits are also anti-inflammatory, among many other amazing super-fruit properties. They are recommended for all sorts of things, from digestive problems, sore muscles, joint pain, arthritis, and more. Be sure to eat them or drink the juice alone and not with a meal to maximize the benefits.





Kombuca: This is a crazy fermented tea that is very much an acquired taste, but it makes you feel AMAZING. The drink is highly detoxifying, probiotic, may prevent cancer, and just gives you peppy energy. My favorite kinds are GT's Ginger, Trilogy, and Synergy Botanic #4 flavors. I have high hopes to one day make my own at home as well.








So I managed to drink ALL of these things yesterday... and I went from a glutened zombie in the morning, to bright and spunky by late afternoon! yay! Try it out and see how you feel!


*Organic foods are very important, not only for the environmental and social impact of pesticides, but also for your health! Pesticides kill the healthy bacteria in soil and thus plants grown there are covered in chemicals and lacking in nutrients. Especially if you've been suffering from symptoms due to malnutrition from Celiac, you need to treat your body good and feed it nutrient rich organic foods! 'Nuff said! :)