Green Bean Casserole

I love casseroles. Crisp toppings covering hot veggies smothered in creamy goodness. Oh yeah.

But unfortunately, the GAPS diet is not casserole friendly. Until now.

I have discovered and made a crisply topped green bean casserole that is smothered in a creamy sauce. Sugar free, dairy free, grain free. Lightbulb!

Green Bean Casserole

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Ingredients:

Onion topping:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

Toasted topping:

1/2 cup ground nut flour (I used almonds, but you could use just about any nut)

Sauce:

2 cups water

2/3 cup pre-soaked cashews

pinch grated nutmeg

Green Bean Filling:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 lb mushrooms, trimmed and slice
1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

16 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half

To make the onion topping, heat oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until very tender and golden, 20-30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread nut meal on a baking sheet and toast, stirring once, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Set aside

To make the sauce, pour the nuts and water into a blender and blend until very smooth. Stir in a pinch of grated nutmeg. Pour into a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When it reaches a boil, immediately reduce heat to low and keep stirring until thick, like a roux. Remove from heat.

In the meantime, heat oil for filling in a large cast - iron skillet over medium heat. Add the small chopped onion and cook until golden, 8 - 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute until tender, another 5 minutes. Pour the onion and mushroom mixture into the saucepan with the cream sauce, put in salt and pepper, then stir. Lay the beans in the bottom of the now empty cast-iron skillet, and pour the creamy mushroom sauce over top. Spread the cooked onions over top, and cover the entire casserole with the toasted nuts. Bake uncovered in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the beans are tender. Enjoy!

Blueberry Strawberry Popsicles

Its hard to find tasty treats that are healthy. There is nothing better than a cone of icecream, a large freezie or popsicle on a hot summer day. But, if you look at the ingredients of these toothsome treats, you will find that they are loaded with sugar, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.

But does that mean that cool treats are out? Definitely not!

These blueberry strawberry popsicles are a cinch to make, and you can mix it up using whatever kind of fruit you have on hand!

Blueberry - Strawberry Popsicles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries

3 tbsp honey

coconut water

Thaw the fruit just until they are softened. In a blender blend the blueberries. Add enough coconut water to make the blueberry puree a slushy consistency. Add 1 tbsp honey and mix. Empty the blueberry puree into a separate bowl, rinse out the blender, and blend the strawberries. I found that I did not need to add coconut water to the strawberries: they were moist enough with their own juice. Add 2 tbsp honey and mix. In popsicle molds ( I used flower shaped silicone baking molds for this batch, but you could use just about anything) fill half with the strawberry, then with blueberry purees. Put into the freezer for about 4 hours. I did not have any pospicle sticks, so I cut up skewers. Add them when the popsicles are firm enough to hold the sticks upright. Makes about 8 popsicles, depending on the size of your molds. Enjoy your very own cool and healthy summer treat!