You know it’s been a long time since you’ve posted on your blog when you have to reset the password! I knew it’s been a while but I’m rather shocked to see that more than a month has gone by.
Winter has truly settled in and this is a particularly cold one. We usually only see the first snow on the mountains in August, but this year we’ve had snow on the mountains twice already! This is our first Paleo winter and I must admit that I found myself harassed by cravings for cinnamon sweet pancakes, hearty pea and ham soup and crusty bread. I also felt the need to constantly fill my tummy with something warm and satisfying. It was time to act and act fast. I was not going to surrender to these grain-laden cravings and suffer from stomach cramps throughout this winter.
I had to find alternatives to my former winter favourites and I’m pretty pleased with the results. To satisfy my desire for cinnamon sweetness I treated myself to a bacon and fried banana breakfast. I first fry the bacon in a pan until nicely brown and crunchy crisp. The bacon is set aside and kept warm while I quickly fry the sliced banana in the remaining pan juices. I sprinkle them with a dusting of cinnamon, drizzle them with some honey and add a splash of lemon juice. It’s not the prettiest breakfast around, but for me this is breakfast heaven!
Another of our warm and wintery breakfast favourites is “banana porridge” (or “piesangpap” as we call it). The recipe for breakfast porridge is one of Paleo Spirit’s. Our son was not fond of this porridge until my husband made it one morning. It was delicious! My son asked for seconds and thirds. When I asked why his porridge tasted so much better than mine he answered that he followed the recipe – to the letter whereas I often use a recipe as a mere guide. Well, that was a lesson learned. And ever since whenever I make it our son pipes up: “Please follow the recipe mom.”
I still had to find an alternative to the pea and ham soup. My husband is not keen on soup and I managed to concoct a stew that satisfies both our needs for comfort food. It’s a beef stew made with soup ingredients! Ingenious right? Well, for me it was a first. I cut the parsnips, onion and leeks in big chunks (and I used loads of veggies). I cooked the beef in homemade chicken stock, added chopped peeled tomatoes and seasoned the stew with coriander seeds, garlic, and thyme.
And when my husband is away on business I get to enjoy a butternut, sweet potato and carrot soup seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Oh my, my mouth is watering.
Another dinner favourite is this one from Everyday Paleo. Chicken adobo. She serves it with roasted greens and beetroot, but in my search for comfort food I served it with cauliflower spinach mash. It was a sure hit, especially with our 5-year old who is not keen on anything green. I replace the coconut aminos with tamari sauce, but you could also use soy sauce.
To satisfy the need for something crispy and crunchy I simply sliced the Paleo sandwich bread thinly and popped it in the toaster. It’s delicious on its own, with scrambled egg or spread with almond butter (and for a sweet treat some honey).
Well, it’s time to get out of bed and start this day. I think I’ll toast some sandwich bread and quickly put together a salmon egg scramble while I enjoy my second mug of Rooibos tea ;-).
Banting in the Swartland 