KOFTA: TURKISH MEATBALL SKEWERS

What can you make with a pound of ground beef? A lot! Here’s a terrific addition to the list. There are endless of versions of meatball kabobs with many different names throughout the Middle East and India. This one, made with walnuts, aromatics, spices, and herbs, is based on a Turkish recipe. Serve them on low-carb flatbread or over a bed of riced cauliflower with yogurt or tahini sauce. Small ones on wooden picks are perfect as appetizers. Lettuce, tomato, and cucumber are traditional accompaniments. KOFTA These fine-textured meatballs…

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HAM AND GOAT CHEESE PIE

ham and goat cheese pie

This savory, hearty pie has an easy-to-make, bread-like crust filled with rich, cheese custard. It is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and makes enough to feed a family with leftovers. It is definitely one of the best things I ever ate! HAM AND GOAT CHEESE PIE Crust ingredients: 1 cup finely ground almond flour ¼ cup coconut flour 2 tablespoons hemp hearts, sesame seeds, or finely chopped nuts 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon sea salt 3 tablespoons coconut oil,…

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A FAMILY TRADITION ENDURES AND HEALTHFUL EGGNOG

My husband, Dean, has made gingerbread houses for the grandkids to decorate since they were very small (the oldest just turned 20). They were pleased that he was able to continue the tradition this year despite his recent hospital stay. I made hot chocolate for the kids but Dean doesn’t like hot drinks, so I made eggnog for him. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner!  I haven’t been able to persuade him to join me in my morning regimen of Butter…

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AFTER POTATOES

AFTER POTATOES  Close your eyes and tell me what you see when I say comfort food. Did you see potatoes? Chances are they were mashed with a pool of butter or gravy on top. Or perhaps the spuds in your mind’s eye were deep-fried, crispy and brown, and cozied up to a little paper cup of ketchup. The USDA reported that potatoes are the most commonly eaten vegetable in America. (http://time.com/2818849/these-are-the-most-popular-foods-in-america/) Tomatoes, another member of the nightshade family, came in a distant second. Our rocky…

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AFTER BREAD

ALMOND CRISPS “Your health and likely your lifespan will be determined by the proportion of fat versus sugar you burn over a lifetime.”–Dr. Ron Rosedale When Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt (www.dietdoctor.com) asked his followers what one food they missed the most while following his low-carb/high-fat regimen, bread topped the list by a wide margin! Beer, often called “liquid bread,” came in third, pizza and pasta, which are just bread by other names, took fourth and fifth place and chips were number six. Sweets were the second…

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LETTER FROM PARADISE (with recipes)

Family trip to Kauai, 50th Anniversary, Hawaiian recipes: Chocolate Macadamias and Shave Ice. So much catching up to do! I came back from a family trip to Hawaii with stories to tell and ideas to share. Dean and I celebrated our 50th anniversary in June and our kids treated us to a party while we were all together on Kauai. My husband put together a slide show hitting some of the high points of our life together; some that even our kids didn’t know about…

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RASPBERRY FROZEN YOGURT

A delicious frozen treat that can be ready in an flash! Sugar-free and low-carb. Three years ago we planted three dwarf, thornless raspberry bushes. They were a new variety called Raspberry Shortcake™. We had a lot of rain this spring and the bushes exploded with big, sweet berries. We have eaten a lot more than we should have, given them away, frozen them, and made pies, but they keep coming. The good news is, we will have enough for many future batches of my new…

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CADDIE GANTY

One of my favorite fish dishes! Simple and easy to make, low in carbs, gluten and grain free. CADDIE GANTY The wife of a fish packer in Pelican Alaska is credited with creating this dish in the 1920s. Her name was Caddie Ganty. This version is based on one from the Gustavus Inn where we stopped over on our way to Glacier Bay National Park a few years ago. Ingredients: 2 lbs fresh, skinless halibut fillets or other firm, white fish, at least 1-inch thick,…

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ROAST PORK WITH MOJO SAUCE

Crisp, succulent, roast pork with onions in a spicy, fragrant, citrus sauce. Prepare to fall in love with the flavors of this famous Cuban dish. Low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, Paleo.   I discovered what all the fuss was about the first time I had Mojo Roast Pork in a local place called The Twisted Cafe in Woodenville, WA. The owner based his menu on his mother’s traditional Cuban recipes. After I tasted his mojo pork, I went straight home and starting looking for recipes, partly…

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ETON MESS (STRAWBERRY MERINGUE DESSERT)

“Eton Mess” is one of those silly names the English have for homey dishes, like Toad in a Hole (sausages cooked in popover batter), Bubble and Squeak (fried mashed potatoes with cabbage), Spotted Dick (boiled pudding with raisins), and Wet Nelly (bread pudding). One story says the name originated at Eton college when a dog sat on a picnic basket that contained a strawberry meringue cake. The resulting mess was so delicious, they’ve been squashing them ever since. ETON MESS Try this with cooked rhubarb or a mixture of rhubarb and strawberries…

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CHEESECAKE

This is a very simple cheesecake with options for making it without regular cream cheese or chicken eggs. I’ve discovered that even though I react badly to everything from a chicken (meat, feathers, and eggs), and to dairy products from A1-type cows, I can eat other kinds of eggs and the cheese, butter, and yogurt from goats and water buffalo. Remaking this recipe took some trail and error, but it was so worth it be able to eat cheesecake again! CHEESECAKE Ingredients 1 recipe of Almond…

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