For those new to my blog: I began my real food journey after
becoming very ill in May 2012 with what I now know to be Mast Cell Activation Disease (MCAD). Even before I understood the scope of the problem, my
intention was to heal through nutrition. From the outset, it was
very important to me to eat well in spite of the changes. I love food.
I’ve tried a lot of nutritional programs over the past
couple of years. GAPS didn’t work out for me. Not enough variation. Not enough
starches. Too much histamine. (Histamine is a major nemesis for those with
MCAD.) Paleo wasn’t quite right. Low sulfur didn’t do it for me. Vegetarianism
was a short lived experiment. Everything I tried seemed to backfire.
To further complicate matters, my trigger foods continually
change. I’ve had to stay on my toes.
Until March of this year, I was kind of at a loss. Enter
Jennifer Nervo of 20 Something Allergies and her fabulous nutritional therapy program.
With her help, I learned how to manage and maintain a
low-histamine, autoimmune paleo diet on a four day rotation. Eating this way
has vastly improved my health. Thankful
doesn’t begin to describe my feelings for this woman. Thanks to all she
taught me, this year’s Thanksgiving menu was scrumptious without the unpleasant
side-effect of making me ill.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the gathering
and gratitude and food without the
pressures which accompany the Christmas season.
This year, I had much to be grateful for. Just one year ago, I did not know the name of
my disease or how to properly manage it.
I’m not certain I would have obtained any level of stability
health-wise without Jennifer’s help, and here I am actually better though I have been diagnosed with a progressive disease. I
was even able to attend a family gathering after eating a quick bite at home! Praise
the Lord!
So what did I eat that was free of grains, dairy, nuts,
legumes, eggs, nightshades, seeds, squashes, dried herbs and spices, high
histamine foods, and latex cross-reactive foods?
The Menu
I began by considering my protein. I chose pork because I
rarely eat it. It’s a treat, which keeps it from becoming a threat. (Except for bacon. Bacon makes me pay every. single. time.) If I’m
going to roast pork, I might as well add some vegetables to the pan because
YUM! So I came up with this recipe for Cider Glazed Ham Steaks with Roasted
Vegetables.
Cider Glazed Ham
Steaks with Roasted Vegetables:
Serves 4-6
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 pastured ham steaks, 1-2 lbs. each
1 T. coconut oil (ghee, lard or tallow would work well, too)
1 leek, sliced into 2-3 inch strips
2 medium-sized parsnips, sliced into 2-3 inch spears
1 large carrot, sliced into 2-3 inch spears
Sea salt to taste
Glaze:
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. honey
sea salt to taste
Place ham steaks in salt water for 1 to 24 hours. I brined mine for a little over an hour. I wish now I had let them sit overnight. If you go the overnight route, be sure to keep them in the fridge and take them out an hour before cooking so they won’t be cold going into the pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm coconut oil in an oven-safe pan over medium high heat. Remove ham steaks from brine and pat dry. Salt the steaks generously. When the pan is hot, place the steaks in, and sear on both sides (5-10 minutes per side). While the steaks are searing, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, and sea salt in a small bowl. Remove the steaks from the pan, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Add sliced veggies, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula until the vegetables are lightly browned and covered with the juices. The salt left in the pan should be enough to season the veggies. Add the steaks back into the pan, brushing the entire surface of the steaks with the cider glaze. Cover pan and place in oven for about an hour or until the steaks reach an internal temp of 165 degrees.
1 T. coconut oil (ghee, lard or tallow would work well, too)
1 leek, sliced into 2-3 inch strips
2 medium-sized parsnips, sliced into 2-3 inch spears
1 large carrot, sliced into 2-3 inch spears
Sea salt to taste
Glaze:
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. honey
sea salt to taste
Place ham steaks in salt water for 1 to 24 hours. I brined mine for a little over an hour. I wish now I had let them sit overnight. If you go the overnight route, be sure to keep them in the fridge and take them out an hour before cooking so they won’t be cold going into the pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm coconut oil in an oven-safe pan over medium high heat. Remove ham steaks from brine and pat dry. Salt the steaks generously. When the pan is hot, place the steaks in, and sear on both sides (5-10 minutes per side). While the steaks are searing, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, and sea salt in a small bowl. Remove the steaks from the pan, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Add sliced veggies, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula until the vegetables are lightly browned and covered with the juices. The salt left in the pan should be enough to season the veggies. Add the steaks back into the pan, brushing the entire surface of the steaks with the cider glaze. Cover pan and place in oven for about an hour or until the steaks reach an internal temp of 165 degrees.
Like I said, I wish I would have brined my ham steaks for
much longer, but those vegetables were amazing.
Cranberry Sauce:
Serves 4-6
Serves 4-6
For me, cranberry sauce is a must on Thanksgiving. I went
with this recipe by Nourished and Nurtured,
subbing 2 drops of Young Living's orange essential oil for orange extract.
Sweet Potato
Casserole:
Serves 4-6
Serves 4-6
I’m a Louisiana girl. Casseroles are our thing. Sweet potato
casserole has been a favorite of my people for years. Most traditional recipes
call for milk, eggs, wheat flour, and nuts, none of which are safe for me. So I
came up with my own version.
Ingredients:
3 cups yams, boiled and mashed (5-6 medium sized yams)
¼ cup honey
1 t. sea salt
1 t. vanilla extract
½ c. coconut oil (ghee or butter would work well if not on AIP)
Topping:
½ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
¼ c. coconut flour
¼ c. arrowroot flour
2/3 c. coconut sugar
1/4-1/2 t. sea salt
¼ coconut oil (ghee or butter)
2 t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, cube and boil potatoes until fork tender in a 2-3 quart saucepan. Drain. Add honey, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla to pot. Puree with an immersion blender. (A food processor would work just as well, but you will need it for the topping.) Place potato puree in a greased casserole dish. In a food processor, blend shredded coconut, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, and salt until well combined. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blend until you have a moist, crumbly consistency. Crumble evenly over the top of the potato puree. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
This recipe did not disappoint. It would have served perfectly as dessert, but in the south, sweet potato casserole is just a side.
¼ cup honey
1 t. sea salt
1 t. vanilla extract
½ c. coconut oil (ghee or butter would work well if not on AIP)
Topping:
½ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
¼ c. coconut flour
¼ c. arrowroot flour
2/3 c. coconut sugar
1/4-1/2 t. sea salt
¼ coconut oil (ghee or butter)
2 t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, cube and boil potatoes until fork tender in a 2-3 quart saucepan. Drain. Add honey, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla to pot. Puree with an immersion blender. (A food processor would work just as well, but you will need it for the topping.) Place potato puree in a greased casserole dish. In a food processor, blend shredded coconut, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, and salt until well combined. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blend until you have a moist, crumbly consistency. Crumble evenly over the top of the potato puree. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
This recipe did not disappoint. It would have served perfectly as dessert, but in the south, sweet potato casserole is just a side.
Ginger Apple
Crisp:
Serves 6-8
Serves 6-8
Because pumpkin, pecans, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves,
nutmeg, and allspice are all triggers for me, finding a satisfying fall dessert
was not easy. In the end, I decided to go with a cinnamon-less apple dessert
because apples were already in the cranberry sauce, and I needed to save a few
foods for the next three days of the rotation.
I’m not usually a big fan of apple desserts, particularly because cinnamon isn’t involved, but Brandon likes them. I almost did not eat any, but the chef has to taste her own food, right? I was not expecting it to be so delicious! My review? Delighted giggles. That’s right—giggles. My apple-dessert loving husband was impressed, too. He didn’t even add cinnamon!
I’m not usually a big fan of apple desserts, particularly because cinnamon isn’t involved, but Brandon likes them. I almost did not eat any, but the chef has to taste her own food, right? I was not expecting it to be so delicious! My review? Delighted giggles. That’s right—giggles. My apple-dessert loving husband was impressed, too. He didn’t even add cinnamon!
Ingredients:
2 large apples of choice, cored and sliced thin (about 1 quart)
½ lemon, juiced
zest of ½ lemon
½ inch grated ginger root
¼ c. coconut sugar
1 T. arrowroot flour
2 T. coconut oil, solid
Topping (same as the Sweet Potato Casserole topping):
½ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
¼ c. coconut flour
¼ c. arrowroot flour
2/3 c. coconut sugar
1/2 t. sea salt
¼ coconut oil (ghee or butter)
2 t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, grated ginger root, coconut sugar, and arrowroot flour. Stir until the apples are well coated. Pour apples into a greased baking dish, and evenly distribute the slices. Disperse small pieces of the solid coconut oil over the apples. In a food processor, blend shredded coconut, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, and salt until well combined. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blend until you have a moist, crumbly consistency. Crumble evening over the top of the apples with your fingers. Bake 30-35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the topping. Serve warm.
2 large apples of choice, cored and sliced thin (about 1 quart)
½ lemon, juiced
zest of ½ lemon
½ inch grated ginger root
¼ c. coconut sugar
1 T. arrowroot flour
2 T. coconut oil, solid
Topping (same as the Sweet Potato Casserole topping):
½ c. shredded coconut, unsweetened
¼ c. coconut flour
¼ c. arrowroot flour
2/3 c. coconut sugar
1/2 t. sea salt
¼ coconut oil (ghee or butter)
2 t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, grated ginger root, coconut sugar, and arrowroot flour. Stir until the apples are well coated. Pour apples into a greased baking dish, and evenly distribute the slices. Disperse small pieces of the solid coconut oil over the apples. In a food processor, blend shredded coconut, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, and salt until well combined. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blend until you have a moist, crumbly consistency. Crumble evening over the top of the apples with your fingers. Bake 30-35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the topping. Serve warm.
Now that was a
thanks-worthy meal!
For those on restricted diets this holiday season, I hope
you won’t lament over stuffing, rolls, and pies (which, in many cases, be modified
into a safe version). If I can enjoy a holiday meal without having to choose
between feeling deprived and getting sick, you probably can, too. I hope my menu offers you some ideas. If not, I would
be happy to help you meal plan! I enjoy a good challenge!