This smoothie recipe originates from a recent medical study.  It was used to determine if a whole-food smoothie can help children with Crohn’s Disease, an Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD). Liquid nutrition, also known as Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN), is known to help with Crohn’s Disease. While you can’t live on EEN indefinitely it’s a great short-term alternative to taking steroids. The issue is that commercially available EEN formulas don’t use whole food ingredients so they’re not compatible with many popular lifestyles used for IBD, including the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD ..read more

This is a classic comfort soup that goes great on its own, or add in one of my biscuit recipes. You can even turn this soup into a Creamy Chicken Pot Pie soup, using the biscuit dough I use in my original recipe that appeared many years ago, or use my classic biscuit recipe using almond flour. And there’s my more recent recipe using cashew and coconut flour. If you my Healthy Coconut Flour cookbook there’s a simple drop biscuit using coconut flour on page 41. I started out making a Creamy Vegetable Soup that is grain free and a quick and easy recipe. Then I just added shred ..read more

There are a couple of very good reasons to love this soup.  One. There’s no need to use arrowroot, cornstarch, or other starches to thicken the soup. There are several ways to use vegetables and other ingredients to thicken soups and stews without using a starch. In this recipe I use puréed cauliflower. Two. It has a lot of veggies. Use the veggies you love the most, use an array of them, fresh or frozen or both.  Three. It’s quick and easy to pull together, especially if you have all the veggies on hand. You can use fresh or frozen veggies here, which also means you can cut down on ..read more

You might think that a recipe based on one vegetable is not really a salad. However this Asian-inspired smashed cucumber salad has the flavor to hold up well as a side dish, appetizer, or refreshing snack. Smashing the cucumbers breaks down the firmness and structure. The cucumbers are still crunchy with a bit of a tender center, which allows the cucumbers to absorb the marinade. It marinates for about 10 minutes and then it’s ready to serve. So it’s definitely a quick and easy salad to add to a meal or make for almost instant gratification. This recipe is in honor of Astro, my beloved furry ..read more

Spaghetti squash bolognese is one of my favorite comfort food recipes and it’s great as a make-ahead meal. It can last for several days in the refrigerator, along with cooked spaghetti squash. The sauce can also be stored in the freezer for a few months and thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Here’s my plant-based, low carb version of spaghetti and bolognese sauce. This recipe combines my Cauliflower Bolognese sauce with my Simple Spaghetti Squash recipe. You can find the omnivore’s version of bolognese sauce in my cookbook, Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet page 160. I also added ..read more

When making spaghetti squash there are a few techniques to consider. Your goal is to have slightly al dente strands of spaghetti squash and to avoid making it mushy. Cutting the squash is half the adventure. It’s very firm before it’s cooked, so to make it easier to cut you have two options. The first option is to prick it a few times with a fork or knife and microwave it at one minute intervals until it’s easier to cut. The second option is to prick it with a fork or knife a few times and roast it in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. How you cut it is entirely up to you. If ther ..read more

When you want a smoothie first thing in the morning or after a workout, this is the creamiest, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free smoothie, and it’s so easy to whip up. You’ll have a wonderfully creamy, cold, refreshing strawberry banana smoothie with three ingredients at the ready: a ripe banana, frozen strawberries, and some juice. You can use orange juice or another fruit juice such as apple or tangerine juice. For an ultra thick smoothie to eat with a spoon use a 1/4 cup of juice. To drink it with a straw or from a spoon, use about 6 tablespoons of juice. Another thing I love about this smo ..read more

Tender, falling-off-the-bone chicken is one of the best kinds of chicken, in my opinion. The best way to get there is by slow roasting a chicken on a rotisserie (like a store-bought roasted chicken) or slow cooking it in a slow cooker. Before I had my Instant Pot I had a slow cooker that I used to make this recipe. You can cook the chicken really slowly for about 8 to 10 hours, or shorten the time to 4 to 6 hours. You can also slow cook in your Instant Pot or any other slow cooker or pressure cooker that has the slow cook setting. To be honest I rarely eat chicken but I’ve been testing recipes ..read more

This recipe is part of the Gentle Meal Plan series and is free for members. Print Apple Soda This recipe will also work with white grape juice and other fruit juices. Remember to find juice with no additives. Calories 114kcal Ingredients 1 cup apple juice or other juice 1 cup sparkling water no additives Instructions Pour the apple juice in a glass. Add the bubbly water to the apple juice. Serve immediately. Just like soda, it loses it fizz over time. Nutrition Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g ..read more

This recipe is part of the Gentle Meal Plan series and is free for members. Print Ginger Tea Serve warm or cold. I kept this simple but feel free to a teaspoon or so of lemon juice and honey. Servings 1 serving Calories 19kcal Ingredients 1/4 cup sliced ginger 2 cups water US Customary - Metric Instructions Combine the ginger and water in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat. Bring to a steady low boil and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the ginger steep in the hot water for 10 minutes. Nutrition Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat ..read more