The Nourishing Gourmet

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Snacks

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds (AIP-Friendly)

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Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds - These only take fifteen minutes to make, and are a delicious way to enjoy sweet potatoes (look at the variety of sweet potatoes you can choose from! They are beautiful!) -- The NourishingGourmet .comI know this is a very simple recipe, yet it’s one that I use almost every single day right now. Sweet potatoes are thinly sliced, gently salted, and then covered with a light layer of fat. Roasting them for about fifteen minutes makes them crunchy on the edge and tender in the middle. I love them! Roasting mellows them, gives them a great texture, and I think brings out the nutty flavor in specific sweet potato varieties.

You can use them as a chip substitute and serve with my Paleo 7 Layer Mexican Dip, pile them high with braised meat and toppings, or enjoy as a simple snack. I like these because I can easily tire of the very moist and mushy texture that some sweet potatoes have when cooked. I am ALL about texture, and roasting the slices instead of the whole potato gives a better texture in my opinion.

But have you ever noticed the wide variety of sweet potatoes? I’ve enjoyed several of them in the past, but now that I am on the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet, where sweet potatoes are one of the few higher carbohydrates on the diet, I’ve learned to enjoy the range of sweet potatoes available. So far, my favorites have been purple sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes – both of which are lightly sweet, with a more nutty flavor.

You can use all of one variety, but I love mixing different types. For this batch, I took one sweet potato of every single variety available at my local store. Isn’t it pretty?

The following recipe is so simple, it’s really just a “method” or easy technique, so I’ve not included very specific amounts.

You can also add minced garlic, herbs, or spices too!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds - These only take fifteen minutes to make, and are a delicious way to enjoy sweet potatoes (look at the variety of sweet potatoes you can choose from! They are beautiful!) -- The NourishingGourmet .com

Roasted Sweet Potato Circles

Ingredients:

  • Sweet Potatoes (any variety), scrubbed clean
  • Fat of choice (melted coconut oil, bacon grease, avocado oil, etc.)
  • Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2, Cut off the very end of the sweet potatoes, and then thinly slice. For a more chip like texture, go very thin. I enjoy about ¼ inch thick.

3. Drizzle the fat of choice over the slices of sweet potatoes, and lightly sprinkle with salt. Turn the slices over, and gently mix so that the fat evenly coats both sides of the sweet potato slices.

4. Place in the oven, and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the middle of the sweet potato slices are tender, and the edges are just starting to brown (how it takes to cook depends on how thinly you sliced your sweet potato).Remove from oven, and remove with spatula from pan. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
 
 
Ingredients
  • Sweet Potatoes (any variety), scrubbed clean
  • Fat of choice (melted coconut oil, bacon grease, avocado oil, etc.)
  • Salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. , Cut off the very end of the sweet potatoes, and then thinly slice. For a more chip like texture, go very thin. I enjoy about ¼ inch thick.
  3. Drizzle the fat of choice over the slices of sweet potatoes, and lightly sprinkle with salt. Turn the slices over, and gently mix so that the fat evenly coats both sides of the sweet potato slices.
  4. Place in the oven, and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the middle of the sweet potato slices are tender, and the edges are just starting to brown (how it takes to cook depends on how thinly you sliced your sweet potato).Remove from oven, and remove with spatula from pan. Enjoy!

 

Gluten-free Dough Cakes (Inspired by The Secret Garden)

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This family-pleasing flat bread will bring the smell of a Victorian cottage to your kitchen!

By Andrea Fabry of It Takes Time

You, like Dickon, will love these Dough Cakes. A gluten-free dough is gently patted into discs and enriched with butter and sweetener. Fifteen minutes later these lovely lightly sweetened cakes emerge from the oven ready for tea time.

These Victorian-era Dough Cakes are based on the book The Secret Garden, by Francis Hodgson Burnett. Dough cakes are made from old fashioned cottage loaves, a favorite of English “cottagers”.

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite children’s book. It’s filled with references to natural health, extolling the benefits of fresh air, clean water, and wholesome food.

In Chapter eight, Martha, Mary Lennox’s  good-natured maid, and companion, offers a glimpse into the life of a poor, loving family.

Martha recounts her recent visit to her home and tells Mary about the delicious Dough Cakes she and her mother prepared for each of the 12 children.

“I had’em all pipin’ hot when they came in from playin’ on the’ moor. An’ th’ cottage all smelt o’nice, clean hot bakin’ an’ there was a good fire, an’ they just shouted for joy. Our Dickon he said our cottage was good enough for a king.”

Text from The Secret Garden

What is a Dough Cake?

Dough Cakes rely on bread dough taken from cottage loaf dough, a rustic Victorian bread made in the bottom of a brick oven.

Amy Cotler, the author of The Secret Garden Cookbook, describes Dough Cakes this way:

“Stotty cake or oven bottom cakes were often made for a quick meal. Pieces were pulled off the bread dough; they were flattened and baked quickly at the bottom of the oven for 20 minutes, then split and buttered for served with bacon. As there was plenty of bread dough on hand, cottagers baked small pieces and filled them with brown sugar for a special treat. ”

This recipe can be adapted to suit any preference. Add some sweetener and cinnamon to the dough for even more flavor!

Resources:

(Amazon links affiliate)

Other Recipes Inspired by Books

 Dough-Cakes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups of your favorite bread dough. (Since we’re grain-free I rely on my Gluten-free Sourdough Quinoa Bread which uses kombucha as a starter. Find the recipe here.)
  • 2 teaspoons butter or ghee.
  • 4 teaspoons sweetener of choice. (We use Monk Fruit sweetener)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Divide dough into four portions.

3. With your hands, pat each portion into a flat disk and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Use a spoon or your thumb to make a slight indentation in the center of each.

5. Drop 1 teaspoon sweetener into each indentation and top with 1/2 teaspoon of butter.

6. Let rest for 15 minutes

7. Bake the cakes on the lowest oven rack until dough is browned and cooked through. (Approximately 15 minutes.)

Serve warm.

Makes four medium Dough Cakes.

Gluten-free Dough Cakes (Inspired by The Secret Garden)
 
Author:
Serves: 4 medium Dough Cakes
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Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups of your favorite gluten-free bread dough
  • 2 teaspoons butter or ghee
  • 4 teaspoons sweetener or sweetener alternative
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Divide dough into four sections.
  3. With your hands, pat each portion into a flat disk and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. Use a spoon or your thumb to make a slight indentation in the center of each.
  5. Drop 1 teaspoon sweetener into each indentation and top with ½ teaspoon of butter.
  6. Let rest for 15 minutes.
  7. Bake the cakes on the lowest oven rack until dough is browned and cooked through.
  8. Serve warm.

 

Garam Masala No Cook Pickled Onions

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Easy Garam Masala Quick Pickled Onions (No cook and lovely for DIY gift giving!) - These can be eaten plain, served on sandwiches, or served as part of a liver pate combination platter. -- The Nourishing Gourmet
This five-minute project produces the tangy pickled onions flavored with the warmth of garam masala – a spice mix that uses cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and a variety of other spices. It’s delightful, and it makes a great DIY gift!

I like to eat them plain, put them on sandwiches (try it with my homemade chicken lunchmeat!), or served with this favorite liver pate recipe. In fact, I first made this recipe to go with this liver pate. This last Thanksgiving, we served it with these onions and fig jam. Sublime. It was gobbled down quickly by all. This is a variation of the pickled onion recipe I have in my cookbook, Ladled: Nourishing Soups for all Seasons.

Now I am making up some to give as gifts! Not all appreciate and adore the Christmas sweet treats generally given – this recipe is a great option for the savory loving friend. Give it with a list of ways to use it, and the recipe, if you please. For gift giving, you could use (affiliate links)  a cute canning jar  or a flip lid jar .

For other Christmas worthy ideas, check out the 12 Days of Christmas series we have going on! So far we have Chai Eggnog, DIY Mint Chocolate Lip Balm, and Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts.

Garam Masala No Cook Pickled Onions

Ingredients: 

  • 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup water (filtered)
  • ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 15 cloves, optional (but they look beautiful)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala *
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon unrefined salt

Directions:

1. Place the onions in a jar. Mix the rest of the ingredients together until dissolved. Pour over onions. Seal and place in the refrigerator.

2. Serve at earliest three hours later. Will keep several hours, but are best consumed within the first week.

Notes on Recipe: If I am serving these within the first couple of hours of making them, I will up the garam masala a bit. It will get really strong, though, after 24 hours, so the longer you plan on keeping them, the scanter you should be on the garam masala. I tested this with a plain yellow onion, but sweet or red onions would be delicious.

Garam Masala No Cook Pickled Onions
 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup water (filtered)
  • ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 15 cloves, optional (but they look beautiful)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala *
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon unrefined salt
Instructions
  1. Place the onions in a jar. Mix the rest of the ingredients together until dissolved. Pour over onions. Seal and place in the refrigerator.
  2. Serve at earliest three hours later. Will keep several hours, but are best consumed within the first week.
Notes
If I am serving these within the first couple of hours of making them, I will up the garam masala a bit. It will get really strong, though, after 24 hours, so the longer you plan on keeping them, the scanter you should be on the garam masala. I tested this with a plain yellow onion, but sweet or red onions would be delicious.

 

Sweet & Spicy Candied Walnuts & Pecans

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Sweet and Spicy Candied Walnuts and Pecans - A delicious DIY gift! They are great for snacking on, or for serving on green salads. Yum! --- The Nourishing Gourmet

Walnuts and pecans are coated with an unrefined sweetener (such as coconut sugar), spice, and salt, for a delicious combo of sweetness, saltiness, and spice.  They make a perfect gift!

Every December for the last few years I try to come up with a new holiday nut mixture to give as hostess gifts where ever we are visiting. It is one of the easiest things to do and a thoughtful gesture to parents, friends, and neighbors. They can be made up way ahead of time which I love too.

Speaking of DIY gifts, see other lovely and healthy DIY Christmas gifts here (Everything from Dairy-free Hot Cocoa Mix to Homemade Candies to a Healthy Ice Cream Basket), and see the other two posts for the 2015 12 Days of Christmas Series, Mint Chocolate Lip Balm, and Chai Eggnog.

I always end up going back to giving my candied nuts a bit of a spicy kick to them though! There is just something about that flavorful heat that goes so well with the sweet candied coating.

I actually do not have much of a palate for super spicy food but I do appreciate a flavorful heat from a smokey chipotle or a cayenne type of heat and these nuts have just the perfect amount of heat to me. If you prefer things really spicy you could definitely get away with almost doubling the heat in the recipe.

Soaking the nuts before they are prepared will help with digestion – it only takes a little bit of extra time and very little hands on time. (See also how I used this method to make salted soaked and dehydrated almonds).  If you are sensitive to eggs you can leave the egg white out. It does give the nuts a pretty candy like coating but they still come out really good without the whites and I do this with one of my batches every year for a family that we visit that has egg allergies.

By the way! Don’t throw that egg yolk out! Put it in a smoothie or use it for this delicious Caesar dressing! They are very nutrient-rich. (Katie shares great safety information on consuming raw eggs here. As always, consume at your own risk – as small as that risk may be.)

The nuts wrap up great in those little holiday party bags or look gorgeous in a little mason jar with ribbon.

If you don’t have one yet already, here is a (affiliate link) good dehydrator that is high quality and long lasting.

Sweet and Spicy Candied Walnuts

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • 2 cups raw pecans
  • 1 tablespoons sea salt for soaking
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup organic pure cane sugar or coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper if you like a smoky heat (more if you like more heat – you can do a combo of these to pepper powders too if you wish)

Directions: 

  1. Put the walnuts, pecans, and 1 TB of sea salt in a medium mixing bowl and add water to cover by a couple inches. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen 8 hours – this soaking process breaks down the phytic acid in the nuts making them easier to digest as well as making their nutrients more available to absorb.
  2. After the nuts soak, place the nuts in a strainer to drain the water while you put the egg white, sugar, sea salt, and cayenne pepper in the bowl and beat to combine.
  3. Return the drained nuts to the bowl of seasoned egg white and combine with a big spoon to coat the nuts in the seasoned mixture.
  4. Spread the coated nuts onto your dehydrator trays and dehydrate overnight at 150 degrees until crispy and dried out. If you are using an oven you can bake them around 300 degrees for a half hour stirring occasionally.

Sweet & Spicy Candied Walnuts & Pecans
 
Author:
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • 2 cups raw pecans
  • 1 TB sea salt for soaking
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup organic pure cane sugar or coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper if you like a smoky heat (more if you like more heat - you can do a combo of these to pepper powders too if you wish)
Instructions
  1. Put the walnuts, pecans, and 1 TB of sea salt in a medium mixing bowl and add water to cover by a couple inches. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen 8 hours - this soaking process breaks down the phytic acid in the nuts making them easier to digest as well as making their nutrients more available to absorb.
  2. After the nuts soak, place the nuts in a strainer to drain the water while you put the egg white, sugar, sea salt, and cayenne pepper in the bowl and beat to combine.
  3. Return the drained nuts to the bowl of seasoned egg white and combine with a big spoon to coat the nuts in the seasoned mixture.
  4. Spread the coated nuts onto your dehydrator trays and dehydrate overnight at 150 degrees until crispy and dried out. If you are using an oven you can bake them around 300 degrees for a half hour stirring occasionally.