Dave's Special Diet Recipes
Over the years I have had to tweak typical recipes in order to fit Dave’s ever changing special diets. My Auntie Shelly, who is an amazing chef, spent countless hours making up or adjusting recipes for me. I also have met people along the way who have passed on their recipes. People are always asking me for the recipes so I decided to create a page for them here. These recipes are all gluten and casein free and the newest are also AIP (Auto Immune Protocol) Paleo; meaning they are grain and nightshade free as well. I have tasted all of the foods and they are all really good and taste similar to the originals. Dave truly loves each of these dishes so I hope you, or your child, will enjoy them too!
Carrot Chips
These are one of Dave's all time favorites. I have him on a 3 day rotation diet so he can only have these every 3rd day. And boy, is he excited on carrot chip days! These take a while to make so they are definitely a labor of love!
Ingredients
- Bag of organic carrots
- Organic Grapeseed, Avocado or Coconut oil (any with a high smoke point is good. I usually use Coconut or Grapeseed)
- Himalayan sea salt
- Paper towels (Plain)
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the carrots in water
- Peel each carrot
- Slice the top and bottom ends off each carrot
- THINLY slice carrots (I use a food processor so they are fairly thin slices)
- Place a batch of prepped carrots into a frying pan
- Generously cover with oil (you want enough in the pan to really fry them well but you don't want too much as you will soak the oil out after)
- It takes a bit for the chips to start turning color. It will be at least 20 minutes frying before you start to see the change. It usually takes between 30-40 minutes per batch. You don't want to leave the stove for too long after that as they will go from done to burnt VERY quickly
- Toss occasionally and once the edges start to brown and they start to crisp, remove from heat
- Place the chips on a plate, lined wth paper towels (I usually double or triple fold enough to cover the plate)
- Sprinkle generously with sea salt
- Cover with another paper towl and set out on the counter OVERNIGHT
- In the morning you can shake the chips off the towels into a storage containter and keep in the fridge
Notes
When I make my chips, I peel 3 Costco size bags of carrots. It takes me almost all day to do that many BUT they do last a good few weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
In order to speed up the process, I bought a food processor (the medium size Cuisinart is the one I use). BOY did that save time on slicing!
Years later, I ended up buying a fryer. To cook these in a fryer is GREAT because you can do larger batches AND you skip the overnight drying time. (If you use a fryer, instead of placing chips on a plate after they cook, I place each batch in a bowl lined with paper towels and soak up a bit of the oil. After a few minutes you can salt and they are done!)
I love my fryer, it's a self cleaning one. If your child loves these and you know you are going to end up making them frequently, I highly suggest investing in a food processor as well as a fryer as they will save you a TON of time! Happy Cooking!
Nightshade free Ketchup
This ketchup has been a Godsend. Dave LOVED ketchup. When we started his diet I didn't know how I would do without ketchup. Thankfully, my Aunt Shelly is an amazing chef. She has been able to adjust many recipes for me (or come up with her own like this one). It is actually a really tasty condiment!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of fresh (or dried) organic Cranberries
- 1 large organic Pear (peeled and cored)
- 2 medium Carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Ascorbic Acid
- 1/4 cup Sugar (I use Coconut Sugar)
- 1 tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon organic Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Allspice
- 1/8 teaspooon Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Cook all ingredients together on medium low heat, covered, in a pot, for about 20-30 minutes
- Once pear and carrots are WELL softened, remove from heat
- Use an immersion blender, food processor or good blender to blend all ingredients together. Process until very smooth
- Store in fridge and freeze any unused portion
Notes
I make this recipe x4 and end up with about 6 mason jars full. I freeze all jars (except 1). This freezes very well and thaws perfectly (just as good as fresh).
At first I had to slowly introduce this by using 1/4 this ketchup to 3/4 real ketchup. Slowly but surely I started to increase the amount of this ketchup until it was 100% solely this ketchup. So if your kiddo LOVES his ketchup, don't try to "cold turkey" make him switch. Do the slow intro and you should have no issues.
Meat Loaf
This is a great Meat Loaf (Dave just calls it Loaf) and it's one of Dave's all time favorites. He has it every 3rd day in his lunch.
Ingredients
- One pound of GROUND organic Turkey, Chicken, Lamb (or other protein of your choice)
- One jar of organic baby food Squash or Sweet Potatoes
- A little bit of nightshade free ketchup (see recipe above)
- Organic Coconut Flour
- Himalayan Sea Salt
- Organic Black pepper
- Organic Onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly grease a glass loaf pan (I use organic olive oil or organic coconut oil)
- Put all ingredients in a bowl (this recipe is a little tricky as I just add a dab here and a dab there). Just add a dash of the ketchup, and a shake or two of the coconut flour, you can always add more of each once you see the consistency
- Mix all together thoroughly, with your hands
- Add more ketchup or flour if needed for consistency
- Place into baking dish and form into a loaf
- Bake for 1 hour
Notes
I usually make three of these at a time. You can bake all in the oven at once, just be sure they are evenly lined up on the top rack of the oven. After they have cooked and cooled, I spread nightshade free ketchup over the top. I freeze two and keep one in the fridge. These also freeze well.
Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is one of my all-time favorite dishes. The original recipe calls for flour, eggs, and wine, so I knew Dave would never get to enjoy it. I tweaked the ingredients and figured out how to make it AIP Paleo friendly. And the sauce tasted so good, I had a couple spoonfuls myself! Now this is one of Dave's favorite dishes!
Ingredients
- 2 Organic Chicken Breasts
- Organic Olive Oil
- Organic Arrowroot powder
- Organic Chicken Broth (if you want to go AIP Paleo be sure the kind you get does not have paprika in it)
- Organic Lemon Juice (or fresh organic lemons)
- Organic Capers
- Organic Black Pepper
- Himalayan Sea Salt
Instructions
- Pound Chicken breasts
- Sprinkle both sides with Salt and Pepper
- Lightly dust each side with Arrowroot powder
- Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan (enough to cover th bottom of the entire pan and heat
- Place chicken breasts in pan and cook until browned on each side (about 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink). Remove chicken from pan but leave the juice/oil in the pan
- Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- Sprinkle a dash more of arrowroot powder (if needed based on consistency)
- Use a whisk to stir up the sauce (if you put in too much powder it will get really thick so watch how much arrowroot powder you use)
- Let chicken simmer in sauce, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes (sauce will begin to thicken)
- Add capers and stir for another minute
Notes
The only bad thing about this recipe is the sauce is a 'one-time only use.' It just doesn't come back together if you try to freeze or refrigerate so only make what you plan to eat in one meal. Buon Appetito!
Cashew Cream "Cheese"
The cashew cream "cheese" is shown in the picture as three dabs over some chicken in a grain free tortilla. Although it isn't a "pretty" color, it's actually a pretty good substitute for cheese.
This recipe came from a dear friend, Carol, who heard about Dave's 'need' for Mexican food and came running with some great recipes for us.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic Cashews (Soaked and Drained)
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Coconut oil, melted
- Chives, to taste
- Parsley, to taste
- Dill, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh Garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- Juice from 1/2 organic Lemon
Instructions
- Add Cashews to a bowl and cover with water. Cover with lid or towel and set on counter to soak for 4 hours
- Drain Cashews after soaking
- Add soaked cashews to food processor (or in mixing bowl) along with 1/4 cup water and blend until creamy
- Add all other ingredients and mix well
- Refrigerate until 'set
Notes
Dave loves this cashew cream. We use it as a topping for tacos or enchiladas. You could use it with anything! This also freezes well so I usually double the batch and freeze any unused portion.
Enchilada Sauce
This enchilada sauce is REALLY good. You can make it thicker or thinner depending how long you simmer it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Nomato Sauce
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Medium white onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tbsp Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Coriander
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp horseradish, or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients except salt and horseradish into a medium pot
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes
- Taste and add horseradish (optional) 1 tsp at a time until you reach a heat/flavor level you like
- Simmer uncovered until it thickens a bit. You can use it right away if you like it saucier, but I like my sauce with more body. Salt to taste
Enchiladas
I usually make the sauce in several batches and freeze (see sauce recipe). And then whenever Dave wants enchiladas, it's easy to throw this together.
Ingredients
- 4 Grain Free tortillas (I use Siete tortillas - the blue wrapping)
- 1/2 pound boiled and shredded chicken
- 1 - 1.5 cups of Cashew 'Cream' Cheese
- Enchilada Sauce
- Avocados
Instructions
- Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a glass casserole dish
- Smear some enchilada sauce at the bottom of the dish
- Fill 4 tortillas with shredded chicken, some cashew cheese dollups and then place in dish
- Pour a bit of enchilada sauce over the tortillas
- Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven
- Place sliced avocados over enchiladas, pour more warm enchilada sauce over top
Coconut Cereal with Berries
This is more of just an idea rather than a recipe. I didn't 'make' any of this myself. Just found a great product!
Ingredients
- Organic, fresh berries
- Organic Banana
- Pro Granola Vegan Vanilla Cereal (I get from Julian's Bakery)
- Organic Coconut Milk (I get from Costco)
Instructions
- Pour the granola into a bowl
- Cut up fruit and add to granola
- Pour cold Coconut milk and Enjoy!