Thai Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin-Soup.jpg

Pumpkins aren’t only for the fall! Rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C, there are plenty of reasons to eat them outside of Thanksgiving season. This Pumpkin Thai Soup is sweet and creamy.

Use organic ingredients whenever possible. When choosing canned goods, remember to look for “BPA-free” on the label!

Makes 2 quarts (approx. 4 servings) 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp butter from pastured cows
  • 1 clover garlic, chopped or crushed
  • 4 shallots, chopped
  • 2 small fresh red chili peppers, chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped lemon grass
  • 2 1/8 cups chicken stock (from pastured chickens)
  • 4 cups peeled and diced (or 2-15 oz canned) pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chilies, and lemongrass in oil until fragrant. Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and cook until pumpkin softens.
  2. Allow soup to cool before next step. Soup can be warm but not hot.
  3. In a blender, blend the soup in batches until it is smooth and creamy.

Enjoy!

Paleo Wrap Quesadilla

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Quesadillas are often made from gluten-filled, starchy white flour tortillas. Price-Pottenger has created a recipe for a classic quesadilla that is gluten-free, using Julian Bakery’s Paleo Wraps and Organic Pastures Truly Raw Cheddar.

You may notice in the recipe that the heat is kept very low and that the quesadilla is not cooked for very long. We used raw cheese in our recipe so that you receive all of the beneficial enzymes that pasteurized cheese does not contain.

Many cooks mistakenly believe that they can easily substitute raw dairy with the pasteurized dairy a recipe traditionally calls for. However, once cheese, or any raw dairy, is heated past 120ºF, it is no longer raw. It’s just been pasteurized! So recipes that call for boiling milk or heating any dairy to very high temperatures in an oven or skillet are not well suited for raw dairy ingredients.

Whenever possible, use raw dairy. If you cannot source raw dairy such as raw cheese, raw sour cream, or raw milk, use organic dairy from grassfed cows. Grassfed dairy is full of health-promoting omega-3 fatty acids. When using pasteurized sour cream or yogurt, make sure that they contain live and active cultures.

Ingredients

  • 2 Paleo Wraps™ from Julian Bakery
  • 1-2 tablespoons organic, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil (we like Tropical Traditions)
  • 5-6 ¼” thick slices organic, raw cheddar cheese from grassfed cows
  • 1-2 tablespoons organic sundried tomatoes
  • 1 chopped organic jalapeno
  • 1 tablespoon organic, fresh, chopped cilantro
  • Organic, cultured sour cream,
  • Organic, raw sour cream or organic yogurt (goat’s milk or cow’s milk yogurt, from pasture-raised animals)

Instructions

  • Over very low heat, in a glass, stainless steel, or other toxin-free frying pan, melt the coconut oil.
  • Assemble the quesadilla by placing the slices of cheddar on one wrap. Sprinkle with the tomatoes and jalapenos and top with the second wrap.
  • Place the assembled quesadilla in the frying pan and heat over the very low heat. The wrap will turn golden brown fairly quickly.
  • Flip quesadilla once with the spatula.
  • Only heat the quesadilla until the cheese has melted slightly, about three to five minutes. If cheese starts to melt out of the sides of the quesadilla and into the frying pan, you have overcooked it.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is very similar in taste and consistency to sour cream.

Grassfed Roast Beef

Want a recipe that is health-promoting which can be enjoyed by everyone for your holiday party, family event, or just an everyday meal? Try this grass-fed roast beef recipe, rich in vitamin B12, selenium, and omega-3s.  These nutrients are food for the brain, helpful when one is coping with the stressors or wanting to promote healthy aging and cognition.

Ingredients

  • 4 + lbs. Organic, Grass-Fed Bottom Round Beef
  • Sea Salt, Redmond Real Salt or Herbamare
  • Organic Black Pepper
  • 8 Fresh, Organic Garlic Cloves or Garlic Powder
  • Arrowroot Flour or Kuzu Powder
  • Casserole dish and small rack or a full-sized baking pan with rack
  • Cotton String (Butcher’s rope)

Instructions

1. Take beef out of the fridge for 1 hour or so, to come to room temp. This helps it to cook evenly.

2. Tie it up with cotton string to help it hold its shape and cook evenly.

3. If using fresh garlic, make 8 small cuts with a paring knife into the sides of the roast.  Peel  8 small garlic cloves and push each piece into the slices you made with the knife. If you don’t have fresh garlic you can use garlic powder on the outside in the next step.

4. Coat the top, bottom, and sides with salt and pepper. Be generous. This is a thick roast. Fresh cracked pepper is great, but pre-ground works well also.

5. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place beef in a roasting pan with a rack.

6. Roast at 375ºF for 30 minutes in the center rack of the oven. Then lower the temperature to 225ºF for another hour. Check with a meat thermometer. To achieve medium-rare (pink center), make sure the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145ºF. You may need to continue to cook the beef, checking periodically with the meat thermometer in order to reach this temperature. For a medium-well roast beef, look for an internal temp of 150-155ºF.

7. Take out of the oven and cover with parchment paper and foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the meat to soften and more juices to drip out.  Uncover and remove the string.

8. Place on a platter for serving or pre-slice on a cutting board and present on a platter.

9. Take the drippings and pour them into a gravy boat if you would like beef au jus. Alternatively, for gravy, place the beef drippings into a pot. To make a gravy, you will need ½-1 tsp. arrowroot or kudzu per 1 cup of beef drippings. Dilute arrowroot in just enough water to make it liquid. Add it slowly so you can reach desired thickness. Pour it into a pan and bring to a simmer, stirring for 1-2 minutes until it thickens.

10. If you haven’t already, slice your roast. Serve with au jus or gravy on top.

Cinnamon Hot Cacao Recipe

cinnamon hot cacao recipe

By Aimee McNew

Serves 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tablespoons raw cacao powder (2 for “milk” chocolate, 3 for “dark” chocolate)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or raw honey
  • 8-10 oz milk (almond, coconut, whole, oat, etc.)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
  • Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
  • Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

  1. In a small soup pan, whisk the cacao, sugar, milk, and vanilla together.
  2. On medium heat, bring to a simmer or to desired temperature.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Enjoy warm.

Kale and Pomegranate Salad

Background info: Among the oldest of cultivated fruits, the pomegranate has been revered for millennia for both its succulent fruit and its medicinal qualities. Pomegranates being used as an antibacterial measure dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who used them to treat intestinal infections, such as tapeworm. Today, modern studies have found that pomegranates promote gut health and can increase production of short chain fatty acids, which may reduce obesity risk.

—Price-Pottenger

● ● ●

By Aimee McNew

Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch of kale, destemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 pomegranate, arils removed
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
  • 1 small orange, juiced
  • ¼ cup raw pecan halves
  • Optional: apples, carrots, quinoa, and any other favorite salad toppers

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, toss kale and arils together.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, salt, and orange juice together. Stir into kale mix.
  3. Top with pecan halves and any other preferred ingredients, and serve.

Lemon Honey Roasted Carrots Recipe

lemon honey roasted carrots

By Aimee McNew

Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 15-20 large carrots, washed, trimmed if desired
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons raw honey
  • 1 large lemon, juice
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • Fresh sprigs of rosemary, or pinch of dried rosemary (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay carrots side by side in a single layer.
  3. In a small bowl, stir oil, salt, honey, lemon juice, and zest together. Drizzle evenly over carrots, rolling once to coat all sides. Lay rosemary across the top if desired.
  4. Roast carrots for 17-22 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Thicker carrots may need to cook longer. Serve warm.