Quick snack suggestion

So this is completely unseasonal and I stole the idea from a GAPS blog I came across a while ago, but it's a really tasty snack and satisfies the winter-time need for melted cheese!

It's worth mentioning that cheese (preferably raw and from pastured cows/goats/sheep) should generally be eaten in an uncooked state so as to preserve the nutritional benefits. However, every human person needs some melty cheese now and then, and if you're going to have it (and are avoiding starchy foods or wheat/bread) this is a pretty good way to do it.

Simply top sliced tomato with slices of raw milk cheese (I use Colby or Monterey Jack), sprinkle on a little grated Parmesan and some dried oregano, and broil for a few minutes, until cheese is warm and melty. I use our toaster oven which works great!

Gourmet chicken liver pâté

This easy recipe for delicious chicken liver pâté is adapted slightly from Mark Bittman's recipe, 12/30/09 New York Times. It should be puréed very smooth and refrigerated for a few hours to achieve the right consistency; however, babies and toddlers will enjoy eating some warm from a spoon directly after puréeing. For a snack or light lunch rich in nourishing fat-soluble vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, folic acid, and much more, serve on buttered whole grain sourdough bread (I recommend toasted!) along with fermented grape juice or my lacto-fermented ginger ale.

* 15 peppercorns
* 4 allspice berries
* 2 cloves
* 8 coriander seeds
* 2 tbsp. butter + 6 tbsp. butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 pound chicken livers (from free-range, pastured, organically-raised chickens -- livers may be soaked in lemon juice for several hours to draw out toxins, but honestly I have never done this yet)
* 2-3 tablespoons brandy (any inexpensive brand will do)
* unrefined sea salt to taste
* 1/3 cup cream (heavy/light/or cultured, such as sour cream or creme fraiche)

1. In a spice grinder or using a knife (heavy handle for crushing, then the blade for mincing), crush the peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves and coriander seeds; grind until fine and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add livers to pan along with any blood that is in the package (don't worry about separating out the connective tissue -- just dump everything in) and sprinkle thoroughly with salt; cook livers on one side until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes, then flip them and cook the other side (sprinkle with salt again). Be sure to keep heat relatively high so that the outside of the livers sear and the inside stays pink. Add brandy while cooking so the alcohol will evaporate.

3. Put onion, livers and the pan juices into a food processor or blender with the remaining butter (6 tbsp.), the cream, and spices. Purée mixture until it is completely smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Put pâté in a crock or heavy glass dish with lid, smooth the top and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until fully set. Serve with fresh or toasted whole-grain sourdough bread.

LIVER: What's not to love? Quite simply, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. In summary, liver provides:
• An excellent source of high-quality protein
• Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A
• All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
• One of our best sources of folic acid
• A highly usable form of iron
• Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
• An unidentified anti-fatigue factor
• CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
• A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA.

Salmon roe gems

I recently discovered that Whole Foods sells wild salmon roe in small jars for $11. When we consider how important fish eggs were in traditional cultures for children and pregnant/lactating women, I feel the expense is justified though it's hard to swallow the environmental implications of eating anything from as far away as Alaska. A small jar can last a few weeks, and we will not be eating this regularly, though I hope in the next few weeks to find some good sources of wild roe from local anglers/fishmongers, and save it in some way to last throughout the year. (Traditionally, it was dried for preservation. It can also be frozen or canned.)

I enjoy mine on crackers with raw milk sour cream, while Oliver eats his mixed with sour cream, from a small bowl using his very own little spoon. He eats this with great gusto!

The saturated fat in the cream works synergistically with the mono-unsaturated fats in the fish eggs to allow for optimal absorption of all the available nutrients (we see this instinctive wisdom in traditional dishes, like the Greek spread taramosalata, which uses cream and roe). Just the color alone is a feast for the eyes -- in more ways than one!

Easiest-ever chicken liver paté

Liver is not something many of us eat on a regular basis, and most of us have some bad memories of being force-fed it as children (I had a particularly fraught relationship with liverwurst). Like it or not, though, liver is hands-down the most nutritious commonly-known food we have here in the U.S., practically dirt-cheap, and, as demonstrated by the sumptuous creaminess of French patés, it is definitely something that can please the gourmet as well as the nutritionista! This recipe is easy to make, requires very few ingredients, and can be enjoyed by you and your little one for a snack any time. When sourcing your livers, keep in mind that the liver stores toxins as well as nutrients, so be sure to get organic! Or buy from your local farmers' market or through another reputable vendor (farmer with pastured chickens). Small-scale local farmers are happy to do custom organ meat orders as well, but they may need to be placed a little in advance. Chicken liver has the flavor most of us are accustomed to, but you can also try other varieties.

You will need:

-1 lb. thawed chicken livers
-1 medium chopped onion
-1/2 cup red cooking wine (or a red wine of your choice)
-several tablespoons butter
-fresh or dry herbs to taste (such as dry mustard, dry dill, rosemary, and thyme)
-unrefined sea salt & black pepper


First, melt a large pat of butter in a hot pan and sauté the chopped onions until glossy (you may use shallots instead, and add chopped garlic if you like). While they are cooking, remove any connective tissue attached to the livers (try to be delicate while separating - liver tears easily). Add the wine and the livers, then simmer til most of the liquid is evaporated. The livers should still be quite pink inside -- the longer they cook the more "liver-y" they taste! If they are cooking too fast don't worry if all the liquid hasn't evaporated, but go ahead and remove from heat (if you're concerned, you can taste the liquid at this point to ensure that the alcohol has boiled away). Add generous dashes of dry mustard, dill, and rosemary, a large pinch of sea salt, and plenty of fresh pepper. Then pour everything into a food processor or blender (if lots of liquid is left, leave most of it out until you are sure about the consistency). Blend until smooth, then add several more tablespoons of butter, blend, and season to taste. The mixture will be fairly liquidy, but it will firm up in the fridge.


Refrigerate in a tightly sealed glass container (such as Pyrex). Paté is still good until it smells off or grows mold -- so about 2 weeks. You can also freeze half for later in a glass dish. Enjoy on toasted whole wheat sourdough, but be sure to butter the bread first. Since we use unsalted butter, my ritual is: toast bread, spread thickly with butter, add a sprinkle of sea salt, and spread thickly with paté, then slice in half. This makes a fabulous lunch with some fresh or fermented veggies and a glass of raw milk kefir. Babies enjoy eating it warm from a spoon. Bon appetit!

Scrumptious Nut Butter

This recipe will make a nut-lover out of anyone. Better yet, it's also very healthy! This is a delayed gratification recipe, but the results are outstanding and the nutritional value of this nut butter is higher than anything on the market.

The first way to make nuts completely nutritious (and delicious!) is to soak them overnight in water and a little sea salt. This neutralizes the phytic acid and breaks down enzyme inhibitors that are naturally present in all forms of seeds (including whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans/legumes). This is a very important first step, whether you are making a butter from the nuts, or just plan to enjoy them whole as a snack or a salad topping.

I used about 2 cups of shelled, skinless peanut halves, and 2 cups of pecan halves but you could use any type of nut (such as cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, or walnuts). [Keep in mind that this makes quite a lot of nut butter, so you may want to halve the recipe the first time you make it if you're not sure you will like the results. I think you will, though!]

First, place the nuts in a bowl and cover with water; add 1 tbsp. sea salt to each bowl (use one soaking bowl for each type of nut to keep them separate) and cover with plastic wrap. Leave the bowls in a warm place for about 12-24 hours.

Next, drain the nuts, spread them on a baking sheet (again keeping the different kinds on separate sheets), and slowly dry them out in a warm oven set no higher than 150 degrees. You can turn them occasionally, but otherwise you don't need to supervise them much. There is no possibility of burning so you can pretty much leave them on their own, just checking every few hours. You will need to bake them in this way for about 7-15 hours until they are completely dry and crisp. I left mine in the oven overnight which was very convenient. You really don't have to worry about them too much as the temperature is set so low; they just need a good amount of time to dry out completely. This picture is of the "crispy" pecans - the soaking and drying really brings out the buttery flavor.

The last step is creating the nut butter! Pour the nuts into a food processor with a pinch of salt and blend into a thick powder. Then add 1/3 cup (5 tbsp.) unrefined coconut oil and raw honey to taste (I used about 3-4 tbsp.). You may also add a little more sea salt to taste. This recipe, adapted slightly from Nourishing Traditions, says to store the nut butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but I found it got too hard that way. I suggest refrigerating it at first if it's too liquidy, but then letting it warm up before serving. I leave mine in the pantry in a glass Pyrex container and just mix it a little before serving as the oil separates somewhat. The final product will be fluffy and slightly granulated, and delicious enough for dessert! Try it spread on Carr's whole wheat crackers (which are slightly sweet), or as a gourmet sandwich on thin slices of toasted whole wheat sourdough with sliced apple and a little cinnamon.

Pita chips

I will be making more pita chips today as we seem to have gone through an entire batch in just 3 days. We are lucky enough to live in an area with lots of Middle Eastern shops that carry great packaged pita bread. I try to look for a brand called Kings Pita; they make large Lebanese-style pitas that contain only bran, whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water (unlike a lot of store-bought pitas that are filled with additives and preservatives). This time I picked up 2 bags (12 large pocket pitas in all), and froze half of them. They defrost very nicely and this way we avoid the whole mold problem.

Here is what I do (using about 4-5 large pocket pitas):
-cut each pita pocket entirely open to make 2 round flat sheets
-cut each sheet into narrow wedges as if it is a pie and you are a dieter :)
-using a large tupperware or bread bag, shake the pita pieces with plenty of olive oil, sea salt, and any desired herbs/spices (I always use dried rosemary as it tastes great on pita chips)
-spread pieces in a thin layer on cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees just until slightly brown and crisp (about 10-15 min); stir them around a little during baking
-allow to dry COMPLETELY before storing tightly covered -- you don't want any heat left as they will get soggy!

I like to serve them with an eggplant dip like baba ghanoush, or with hummus or other bean dips. You will be amazed at how thin, crispy, and delicious they are! They make a surprisingly substantial snack and are great for holding hungry husbands at bay while dinner is being prepared. Of course, strictly speaking, these are not a true traditional food as the flour is not properly soaked to render it completely nutritious, but these are a great compromise snack food.