Apr 15, 2014

Nettle Gomae

My youngest sister and her daughter were visiting from Canada for two weeks. It was so lovely to have someone to chat with while cooking, giggle over family stories, and sing harmony with. She washed many sinkfuls of dishes and watched the kids so my husband and I could have a couple dates. Thank you, Miwa!

Having her here brought to mind something I’ve thought to myself in moments of mom-desperation. “We were meant to live in tribes, to have aunts and cousins and grandmothers help with children, and meals, and life in general.” Living close to family has it’s own perils, but so many of us live in relative isolation. Parents spend more hours at work than with children or spouses, extended family often lives far away. Some communities of friends support each other, others have yet to. Click to continue reading

Naomi Food, Foraged Food, Musings, Savoury Food breakfasts, dairy free, egg free, foraging, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, side dishes & starters, spring, vegetarian 11 Comments

Apr 8, 2014

12+ Ways to Use Ramps

Wild food foraging is somewhere near the top on the list of activities I enjoy. I enjoy being in nature, anything to do with food, the satisfaction of getting free food that I didn’t have to sow/weed/water in a garden; I suppose it satisfies my liking of things and activities that are both beautiful and practical.

I tend to go a little overboard though – pick all the plants! They’re free, nutritious, and delicious! Then I get home, and realize that I have more than I know what to do with. Anybody with me?

Here is a list, then, of 12 ideas of things to make with ramps, in case you have too many sitting in your fridge. The flavour of ramps is best raw, so most of these recipes don’t involve heat.

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Naomi Food, Foraged Food, Savoury Food breakfasts, condiments, dairy free, egg free, fermented & cultured, foraging, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, raw, salads, side dishes & starters, soups & stews, spreads & dips, spring, vegetarian 19 Comments

Mar 31, 2014

Nettle and Ramps Pesto (Dairy Free)

Nettle Ramp Pesto 1

Last week I wrote about our outing to harvest ramps (or more properly, European bear garlic). There is another wild vegetable available early in the spring: stinging nettle.

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Naomi Food, Foraged Food, Savoury Food AIP, dairy free, egg free, foraging, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, spreads & dips, spring, vegetarian 25 Comments

Mar 28, 2014

Buckwheat Crepe Cake with Chocolate Avocado Filling and Hazelnut ‘Cream’

It’s a busy week this week here at Almost Bananas, I’ve got another post over at Whole New Mom. It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I wanted something special – this cake did not fail to deliver: buckwheat crepe cake with chocolate (or carob) avocado filling and hazelnut ‘cream’. Moist and rich, it’s also gluten free, dairy free, and adaptable to egg and nut free. Head on over and check out the recipe!

Naomi Food, Sweet Food dairy free, fall, GAPS, gluten free, sweet treats, vegetarian, winter 1 Comment

Mar 25, 2014

Ghee Rooibos Chai Tea

I’ve seen recipes and references to bulletproof coffee, basically coffee blended with butter, but mostly ignored it because I don’t drink coffee. Then a friend recommended Hot Buttered Cinnamon Tea.

I almost facepalmed. If in coffee, why not in tea?

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Naomi Food, Liquid Food (Drinks) AIP, beverage, breakfasts, dairy free, egg free, fall, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, raw, sweet treats, vegetarian, winter 30 Comments

Mar 18, 2014

Our Family Favourite Ferment: Cauliflower

I realize that I have a proportionately high number of recipes with cauliflower, like Garlicky Cauliflower Medallions and Bibimbap. In those recipes cauliflower is a substitute (flour, rice); in this recipe, cauliflower shines as itself. Click to continue reading

Naomi Fermented Food, Food AIP, condiments, dairy free, egg free, fall, fermented & cultured, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, raw, vegetables, vegetarian, winter 53 Comments

Mar 10, 2014

Mixed Halva Treats

My most distinct memory of halva (or halvah) is from my college roommate. She was always excited when her family managed to buy some at the market and bring it to her, particularly the halva with chocolate swirls. And she was generous enough to share it with her roommates – actually, her family was very generous with their fridge stockings and it’s largely due to them that I didn’t waste away to nothing. I can still see her, framed by the cupboards between the kitchen and living room, opening the fridge door in great anticipation for that chocolate swirl halva. Click to continue reading

Naomi Food, Sweet Food dairy free, egg free, fall, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, raw, sweet treats, vegetarian, winter 10 Comments

Mar 4, 2014

Surprisingly Delicious 3 Ingredient Egg Salad/Spread

When my husband came home from a potluck breakfast at work and told me about a delicious dish he had, I admit I was skeptical. “Egg and raw carrots don’t go together,” I thought. But because I know he has discerning taste buds (he was trained as a cook), I gave it a try.

Happily, I was wrong. It really is delicious! Click to continue reading

Naomi Food, Savoury Food breakfasts, dairy free, fall, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, meatless entres, nut free, paleo, salads, side dishes & starters, spreads & dips, vegetarian, winter 27 Comments

Feb 25, 2014

Bibimbap, Korean (Cauliflower) Rice

The recipe is inspired by the Korean dish Bibimbap, which means mixed rice. I’ve adapted it so that you don’t have to go find a special Asian store for the ingredients. Click to continue reading

Naomi Food, Savoury Food dairy free, egg free, fall, GAPS, gluten free, grain free, meat & fish, nut free, paleo, vegetables, vegetarian, winter 7 Comments

Feb 21, 2014

Potatoes, Bacon, and Sauerkraut – Strapacky

Strapacky (strapachky) is a Slovak dish, traditionally made with halusky (halushky), potato dough gnocchi, baked with bacon and sauerkraut. Making strapacky with plain potatoes, however, is a lot less work, doesn’t require special equipment or tedious cutting, and is grain/gluten free. It’s not low carb or Paleo, but I’m sure it would taste amazing with sweet potatoes or cauliflower instead of white potatoes. Click to continue reading

Naomi Food, Savoury Food, Slovak Food, Slovakia & Travel AIP, dairy free, egg free, fall, fermented & cultured, gluten free, grain free, meat & fish, nut free, side dishes & starters, winter 31 Comments