Squash cake

This is a variation of zucchini bread that I decided to make because we bought some organic yellow squash at a farm stand. I had a hard time choosing between this recipe and a more traditional spiced zucchini bread. It was the fennel that caught my interest. The original recipe came from the Martha Stewart site where they have around 75 different ways to use zucchini.

Ingredients
1/2 cup lard, butter or coconut oil (or combination)
2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (grain-free)
2 medium organic yellow squashes
2 medium organic green zucchini
1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cups xylitol

1/4 tsp stevia extract
3 large organic pastured eggs
1 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp organic ground fennel

Directions

Melt your oil, lard or butter in the baking dish with the oven preheating at 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients except for the xylitol in a mixing bowl. Then take the xylitol, eggs, vanilla, and your melted oil and blend those in a blender or bullet. Mix the liquids with the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl to which you will add the squash once you have grated it with a box grater or shredded it in a food processor. Lastly, you will add the pistachios and pour into your dish to bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until the top is golden brown. If you have two loaf pans, it might be better to make 2 shallow loaves instead of one big casserole loaf, as I have done.

By the way, it is amazing! Considering that it is 75% veggie and egg, how can you go wrong eating a ton of this? The fennel flavor reminds me of the traditional italian pitzelles which use anise. I think next time I bake this I will add a hint of lemon in there too.

Sweet Mashed Potatoes

Here is a great Thanksgiving recipe that will help your whole family eat a little healthier. My sister and I consulted each other on this one in attempts to get our family away from good ol' green bean casserole. Everything in that recipe is canned... it's just so wrong... and yet somehow it became family tradition. Hopefully this week I can post enough recipes to break all of the unhealthy traditions going around.
This is a much healthier potato dish than your standard mashed potatoes. Tried and documented by Kelly Sharon (my sister).

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

3 organic sweet potatoes

½ of an organic sweet yellow onion

1 head of roasted organic garlic

Organic or homemade Chicken broth (set aside 1 1/4 cups)

Butter or lard (for dairy-free)

1 package of bacon 
1/2 tsp sea salt

sea salt & pepper to taste

organic rosemary

Directions 

Put the garlic in the oven to roast. Boil the sweet potatoes in half water, half chicken broth with about 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Boil until fork tender, then drain the water. Mash the potatoes with the roasted garlic, about 6 tbsp of butter and approx 1-1 ¼ cups of chicken broth. Add in the chopped onion and about 5 pieces of chopped bacon.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Put in a greased baking dish with the rest of the crumbled bacon on top and a little more butter.  Baked on 400 deg for about 20 minutes.

Cauliflower Pilaf

Using cauliflower as an alternative to rice is nothing new to some people but perhaps I can offer what I think is the best way to prepare it.  I have never liked cauliflower cooked or raw and have heard the same from many others, so why not mask the taste as much as possible?  This is a recipe inspired by my sister, who proved to be quite a primal chef while putting me up for the last couple weeks at her place in Encinitas, CA.  (Sidenote: Jimbo's is a great place to shop for most of your primal needs if you live in that area.)

Cauliflower Pilaf
1 head organic cauliflower
10 or more cloves of roasted garlic (I roast my own)
handful organic fresh parsley
4 tbs. bacon grease (or organic butter)
4 organic green onions
1 cup organic broth (doesn't matter what kind - I make my own stock)
sea salt and pepper to taste
organic no-salt seasoning

Directions
Grate the head of cauliflower or put it into a food-processor until it has the same consistency or size of rice.  Chop your green onions, roasted garlic and parsley and throw them into a skillet with the bacon grease.  Add the cauliflower rice and seasoning.  *I used a grill seasoning mix and a couple dashes of hot sauce for an extra kick.
After the pilaf is getting a little color (it won't turn yellow- this happens to be the color of the cauliflower we used) pour the broth in the pan and let it soak into the mix.  That's it!

You really can use any kind of veggies or seasoning you want.  The key to the recipe is really the butter or bacon grease giving it that meaty flavor.
The bar-b-que chicken thighs are a recipe passed down from my fiance's family, so I will let him post that one.