Chew On This: Paleo Fried Cauli “Rice” & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s been an exciting month for me! A local new station, KDKA, is doing a segment on the Avani Institute and our Healing Yourself In The Kitchen class series. Kym, the reporter doing the segment, came to my house to interview me while I was cooking! I couldn’t decide what to make, so I decided to make my ‘go to’ EASY meal!

I tried this recipes a few months back and I’m pretty sure I ended up making 3 times in one week. It’s super easy and such a great way to get a ton of vegetables all at once! You can make it vegetarian or you could add shrimp, chicken – whatever you have in the fridge! The night of the tapping I used some left over grilled chicken I had from the night before!

Here are some sneak peek pictures!

Link to recipe: Cauliflower Fried Rice

Here are some notes/additions that I’ve made:

• I’ll literally use whatever vegetables I have in my fridge. Some of my favorites are cabbage (green & red), bok choy, broccoli, bean sprouts
• I also like to include some sea vegetables in the mix. When we throw them in our dishes we add a whole other level of nutrients that we usually don’t get. I wasn’t familiar with them prior to changing the way I cook, so don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them. Be on the look out in the grocery store now and try them! I’ve bought some at Fresh Market, Giant Eagle, SunnyBridge and Whole Foods has a whole section of different sea vegetables. When we taped the segment, I added Nori and Wakame in the dish. It’s cheaper to buy in the store, but I added a link to amazon just so you could see what they look like.
• Umi Plum Vinegar is another ingredient that I never used to use before. It adds another dimension of sweet, sour and salty to a dish. I throw in a few squirts when I’m making an asian dish.
• This recipe uses coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. I use coconut aminos and liquid aminos interchangeably. Soy sauce has hidden ingredients that we should be avoiding. Many include sugar, gluten and gmo-soy! IF you use soy sauce, make sure you’re getting a gluten free, organic, certified non-gmo soy sauce. Otherwise, use the aminos in your recipes. You can find both the coconut aminos and liquid aminos are SunnyBridge, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Giant Eagle, or on amazon!
• Instead of lard in the recipe, I use coconut oil in my pan. I think it adds another dimension to the taste.

And for dessert (because, DUH you ALWAYS need dessert!)

Link to recipe: Flame To Fork AIP Chewy “Chocolate” Chunk Cookies

I’ve tested many different paleo and gluten free chocolate chips cookies over the past 2 years and this recipe is by far my favorite! After making them quite a few times I’ve found the following notes to be helpful:

• I like to use EnjoyLife chocolate chips in my recipes. They can be found at Fresh Market, SunnyBridge and Giant Eagle. Fresh Market sells them the cheapest. If you go out and buy Carob chips, make sure to look at the ingredients and pick ones that do not include soy!
• You can substitute ghee for the shortening, but don’t try to substitute in coconut oil. You’ll end up with one giant, paper thin cookie that will force you to eat the entire pan yourself.
• I buy the shortening at either Whole Foods or I’ll buy it online here.
• When you buy gelatin, make sure it’s grass fed. I’ve bought it at Fresh Market, SunnyBridge, Whole Foods and here on amazon. I don’t know if Giant Eagle has it or not. Gelatin is GREAT for healing your gut!
• Since there is no egg in the recipe, I end up eating a lot of the dough before I bake them. So don’t worry if you end up doing the same!

So try out these recipes and see what you think! I betcha you’ll love them 🙂

UPDATE: If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and get KDKA News, the segment is to run during the 5pm news (likely around 5:45pm) on February 24th,2015!

UPDATE: Watch the news article here!

Wishing You A Pain Free Day!

 

 

 

Make sure to pin this post so others can enjoy it too!