Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash

October 6, 2014 | 4 Comments | AIP, Beatty Protocols, Meals, Recipes

Squash is by far my favourite of the fall foods! As soon as the weather cools down a bit in September I throw the first
squash I can get my hands on into the oven and roast it until it starts to caramelize. It is so sweet and delicious, while being a fairly low concentration of carbs, so you don’t get whacked with a massive blood sugar spike. The ironic thing is when I was a kid I hated squash. It would literally make me gag, so I would mix ½ tsp in with a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes so I could taste it less..but then it would ruin my mashed potatoes. Siiggh, 8-year old problems. My brother and I would even fight about who had to carry it to the table, we hated it so.

That all changed when I was in grade 12. I randomly ended up at a sort of friend / acquaintance’s house for dinner one night and her mom served us a quarter of an acorn squash with a pat of butter and some brown sugar. I almost died when I saw it, but I sucked it up and ate it because I didn’t want to be rude. I was shocked to find out it was delicious and I’ve never looked back. Thank you social pressure! My brother still calls me a traitor…

My favourite of all the squash is the Delicata. These guys only seem to be out for a short while in the fall, so I scoop them up where ever I find them! I love them for a few reasons:

small in size, so they cook faster
thin diameter and thin skin, so they are less risky to cut open
you can eat the skin!

Speaking of the risk associated with trying to hack open a raw squash. A few years back I was googling around trying to find an easier way to cut squash, because I was sure I’d lose a finger one day. I stumbled across the most incredible trick that I have used on every squash I’ve cooked since!

Wash the skin of entire squash well. Throw it directly into the oven while it is preheating to the eventual temperature you are going to roast it at. Depending on the size of the squash, leave it in there for 15-25 minutes.

At about the 20 minute mark, pull the squash slice it open and scoop out the seeds. You likely will want to wear oven mitts because baked squash retain their heat forever!

I have done this with acorn, delicata, buttercup, butternut, spaghetti…. it has never exploded because it’s not in there long enough, and I am much more confident in making it to my 30’s with all of my fingers!

Ok back to my favourite squash….today I bring you Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash!

I was inspired by a traditional recipe for stuffed peppers, which typically uses rice and ground beef. I used cauli-rice (anyone who hasn’t tried it, do it! It’s delicious!) and farmer’s garlic sausage from our meat delivery guys because it was already spiced a bit, which made my job a whole lot easier! The recipe may look long and involved, but I promise you it is very easy. The only tricky part is there are multiple parts going at the same time. The good news is, it’s really hard to mess up any one part. So while the recipe may indicate that something needs to be cooked for 5 minutes, anywhere from 5-10 is okay! Just keep the heat below medium to prevent burning, and you can take it at your own pace.

PS. These guys would be amazing stuffed in mini pumpkins for Thanksgiving…just sayin’!

Preheat oven to 400F. Gather ingredients. Wash squash and throw in the oven as it’s preheating. Prep veggies. Gather spices. Take the sausage out of the casings.

Sautee onions and peppers until translucent. Add garlic, cook for a few minutes. Add sausage. Cook through. When the meat is cooked, stir in the chopped kale and cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred cauliflower and sautee in a covered pan with lots of salt and pepper. Cook for a minimum of 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the squash has been in the oven for 20-25 minutes or so, take it out, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place on a tray, cut side down and roast for another 20 minutes.

When both the sausage mixture and the cauli-rice are done, add together in the larger pan. In my case it was the cauli-rice pan. Stir to combine. It can sit at this stage until you are ready to assemble.

Pull the squash out of the oven and flip onto the round side. Turn the oven to broil. Stuff with cauli-rice/sausage mixture, packing down and adding more on top. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and broil for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn. Enjoy every mouth-watering bite!!

So tell me, what’s your favourite fall vegetable??

Baked Chicken Thighs with Herb & Kale Pesto

August 21, 2014 | 0 Comments | AIP, Beatty Protocols, Meals, Recipes

Growing up in the 90’s, when everyone was sure that fat was the cause of heart disease (whoops, major fail), the breast was the only part of the chicken we ate. I remember my mom coming home from the grocery store with packs of chicken breasts and wrapping them in saran wrap to be frozen for later use. If my brother was there, she would inevitably say something about the breasts being so large they must “double d”. My mom and I would laugh together while my brother would scowl at us, mortified. Ahhh memories.

I always loved chicken, but hated the dark meat. It was greasy and it upset my stomach. In hindsight, that was probably because my digestion was significantly sub-par, likely due to chronic dairy consumption. But that was okay, because dark meat was higher in fat and should be avoided! So my belly was looking out for me…or so I thought.

Once I began making an effort to source ethically-raised meat I realized how darn expensive chicken breasts were. Not to mention, I couldn’t find a single paleo recipe that used chicken breasts. So I bit the bullet and bought a pack of chicken thighs – at half the price! While I was significantly less afraid of animal-fat (still borderline though), I still had this strong memory of dark meat making me feel sick, so I was very skeptical about how the recipe would turn out. I think my husband was secretly hoping I still wouldn’t like it so he could eat the whole thing!

So how did it turn out? Let’s just say I haven’t bought a chicken breast since! Not only is it much richer in flavour, the dark meat also packs a serious nutritional punch! It is jam-packed with iron, zinc, selenium, taurine and delicious fat (keep in mind fat is only as healthy as the environment it is raised in). If you keep the skin on you are even better off! The connective tissue from healthy animals is high in glycine – an animo acid found in very low concentrations in the muscle meat of animals. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne has a great article on the importance of glycine. To quickly sum up her post, consuming adequate amounts of glycine is crucial for supporting our own connective tissue (which allows our bodies to stay together – slightly important!); heal tissue damage on a gross and microscopic level; synthesize DNA and RNA; and support a healthy nervous system. Even though it is so important, glycine isn’t considered an “essential amino acid” because our bodies can synthesize it. However, I think of that as more of a “fail-safe” in the body. If we don’t get enough of this crucial amino acid from our diet, our body will figure it out. But why put that unnecessary stress on our physiological processes when it is easy (not to mention delicious) to eat?! So what does this all mean?

Eat the dark meat and enjoy that crispy chicken skin!

I bet you didn’t expert to hear that from a nutritionist! There is one caveat though – the chicken must be pasture-raised and antibiotic free.

This recipe is centred around crispy chicken thighs, but the pesto is really where the magic happens. I love leafy greens and sometimes I go a little overboard at the store (or mother nature goes overboard in my garden!). I end up with a fridge full of wilting greens and not enough mouths to handle the job. So, in order to avoid throwing out vegetables (blasphemy!), I make a huge batch of pesto. I freeze it in ½ cup portions and use it in a variety of recipes – from pasta sauce on spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, to pizza! It is also a great way to add greens to a simple meat-based meal, which is exactly what I did in this recipe – Baked Chicken Thighs with Herb & Kale Pesto – enjoy!

Baking chicken thighs on a rack eliminates the need for flipping halfway and results in a crispy skin all around! Season liberally to maximize flavour.

Add as much or as little kale (or other greens) as you want/have and cook down.

Any herbs will work in this recipe. I used what I had in my garden – fresh basil and a bit of oregano.

Blend and voila! Delicious pesto ready for a variety of recipes!

Get fancy and spread on the plate before plating the chicken, or pour on afterwards. Either method tastes amazing!

So tell me, are you a white meat or dark meat person? And what’s your favourite way to enjoy chicken?

Thai Curry Meatballs [gluten free, paleo]

July 21, 2014 | 5 Comments | Apps, Snacks & Sides, Beatty Protocols, Meals, Recipes

I can’t remember exactly when I discovered Thai food, but all I know is it was WAY too late in my life! I can’t believe how many years went by without understanding the deliciousness that is Thai Curry. So, to make up for the time lost, I include curry-based meals on a regular basis in my house! While I love ordering in from our local Thai Restaurant (Hot Mama Noi’s), we rarely eat out / order in to keep our food costs as low as possible. I would rather spend money on high quality ingredients, than regular nights out at restaurants that use questionable ones.

The first few curries I made used the only curry paste I could find at my standard grocery store, and while my homemade curries were good, they still didn’t taste like a traditional curry found at an authentic Thai restaurant. I knew if I made the curry paste from scratch, I would achieve much better results, but I couldn’t find the correct ingredients to do that! As luck would have it, the perfect curry paste would fall into my lap while I was searching for the perfect coconut milk!

Living with a severe dairy allergy has resulted in an obsessive relationship with coconut milk! I didn’t really love coconut when I was younger, but once I discovered my dairy allergy, I quickly grew to love the thick, creamy, deliciousness that’s found in a can of perfect coconut milk. I had already transitioned over to dairy-free using rice milk, almond milk and coconut milk beverage – but became frustrated at the cost and the questionable ingredients. I started using full-fat coconut milk, watered down to the consistency of skim milk, in my smoothies and baking and was loving the flavour and cost savings! I was more comfortable with canned coconut milk because there were fewer ingredients – simply coconut milk, water and guar gum. I turned a blind eye to the guar gum ingredient for a while, but that didn’t last long. I had previously identified that legumes were the cause of my migraines and had eliminated them from my diet, so I could not explain the occasional migraine that still levelled me. I stumbled across a website on the risks of almond milk for people with digestive sensitivities, which specifically discussed carrageenan being a gut irritant. It also mentioned that guar gum is a legume, which could pose problems in people with sensitivities! Well, that settled that. I needed to find a coconut milk that was just that – coconut milk and nothing else!

Enter my favourite brand – Aroy-D. I located it at my local Asian supermarket and immediately stocked up! Right beside the coconut milk, was a variety of curry pastes, also made by Aroy D. I was thrilled at how clean the ingredients were, so I took a chance and grabbed all 3 flavours. Boy was I in for a treat. Simply combining clean coconut milk with Aroy D curry paste resulted in the most perfectly creamy and flavourful curry – I swear it rivals Hot Mama Noi’s!

One of my favourite recipes to come out of these ingredients is my Thai Curry Meatballs! In order to keep food costs down, we eat a lot of ground meat, so getting creative is a must! The curry paste flavours the meatballs from within, and the curry coconut milk is a delicious alternative to a traditional tomato sauce. Most recently, I made them with an Asian-inspired side salad and let the meatballs stand on their own. However it is also delicious on cauliflower rice (or white rice if tolerated)!

Combine ingredients, roll into meatballs and bake in muffin cups at 400F.

Combine sauce ingredients, warm in a saucepan on low heat.

Garnish with toppings and serve with a side salad!

Category Archives: Meals

Wash the skin of entire squash well. Throw it directly into the oven while it is preheating to the eventual temperature you are going to roast it at. Depending on the size of the squash, leave it in there for 15-25 minutes.

So tell me, what’s your favourite fall vegetable??

Eat the dark meat and enjoy that crispy chicken skin!

So tell me, are you a white meat or dark meat person? And what’s your favourite way to enjoy chicken?