Late Fall Salad

I spent the last week experimenting a bit with what I ate. Driven by curiosity, I spent a week eating all of the traditional breads and grains. Months ago, I had wanted to see how my body reacted to eating wheat bread because, having chosen a more "paleo" diet out of lifestyle choice rather than because of any allergic reaction, I didn't really know what my body would do with it. 

So, I made fresh focaccia and smothered it with avocado, just to see what would happen. A headache ensued, and I figured the two were related. Still, results didn't seem conclusive, since a few weeks later when I tried again, seeking some sort of pattern in reaction, I got no headache at all. Which of course begged the question: was it the bread that caused the headache in the first place? 

I had to know. This last week I wrote down everything I ate, adding in some bread here and there. To be honest, I'm in such a habit of not eating grains that I had to make a real effort to buy bread rolls. I wrote down exactly how I felt afterwards, and tried to just generally listen to my body.

Have any of you done this before? A week-long experiment to see how you feel? It was harder than I thought it would be: Hard to change the way I eat, for one, but also hard to feel sure of yourself as you write anything down. I found myself doubting what I was feeling and what I wasn't. 

Honestly the swirls of doubt muddied my conclusions. My journal would go like this: 

• 1 piece of bakery bread toasted with goat cheese, steamed asparagus. Reaction: sharp headache. But I also think I drank too much coffee. 

• 8 crackers, Cauliflower Parsnip Soup, Grass-Fed Sausage. Reaction: none. I did only eat 5 crackers though. 

• Ciabatta roll with goat cheese, tomatoes with basil, balsamic reduction. An apple and a square of chocolate. Reaction: Pounding headache and brain fog. Am I just stressed?

• And on. Every bullet clouded with a line of doubt. 

How is anyone supposed to draw any conclusions when they are filled with this much conflicting information! So instead I am going to focus on what I know: 

1. Eating a couple of crackers here and there (or, ehem, crust on pumpkin pie) will likely not make me feel horrible

2. Eating a full piece of bread for breakfast might give me a headache, shorten my patience, and just generally cause inflammation. But since I'm not positive, I should continue listening to my body and feeling out what works and what doesn't. 

3. My body knows best. I should listen to my body and try not to doubt it. I should also be open to what it's telling me, and maybe do something about all of that stress I noted, because that can't be good. 

4. Sometimes you just need a big old bowl of veggies. And when that's what you need, you should make this salad. 

Late Fall Salad

Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

So many of fall’s favorite flavors in one bowl!

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 bunch dinosaur kale
• 10 ounces arugula
• Perils of 1 pomegranate
• 1/4 pound brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the cubed butternut squash in the avocado oil and spread out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until squash is tender through and crispy on the edges. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.
2. Remove stems from the kale and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in the bottom of your salad bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, rug the oil into the kale to begin to soften the leaves.
3. Add the arugula to the bowl and toss with the kale. Top mix of greens with crumbles of goat cheese, pomegranate perils, pepitas, and cooked butternut squash.
4. Slice brussels sprouts into think slices, as if to shred them. Add to the salad.
5. When ready to eat, drizzle salad with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette and toss.

Artichoke & Provolone Soup

This soup is California to me. It is first and foremost, a reminder of the road trips my mom and I would take down the Californian coast when I was a kid, and the soup she always told me has her favorite: Artichoke Provolone. Of course, almost all of artichokes sold commercially in the US are grown in California... it's climate is just sublimely artichoke-y. 

There is a part of California that has always been subtly homey to me; My grandparents owned a small farm in the northern part of the state for most of my life, and I would visit over the summer to chase the chickens around. There were always plenty of hugs. My grandmother and I would play solitaire in the dated kitchen. Sometimes we would walk to the grocery store or go to the swimming pool. The days were bright and our kitchen was full of warmth.

When you take canned artichoke hearts and you blend them into a creamy soup the result is surprisingly bright. There are notes of acidic lemon, the nuttiness of the artichoke and the full, creamy body of the soup itself, thanks to a healthy heaping of cheese and potatoes. It is bright, and full of warmth. 

My last trip to California started as a business trip but ended very personal with a visit to my grandmother in the hospital. As luck would have it, I was waiting for inspiration to write and share this recipe on that very day: a bowl of artichoke provolone soup was exactly what was needed. 

Artichoke & Provolone Soup

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

If you love artichokes, this creamy soup is a must-try.

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 33 ounce jar of artichoke hearts (I get this by the 2-pack at Costco)
• 1 pound white potatoes (3 medium sized)
• 4 cups broth
• 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Salt & pepper
• 1 cup shredded provolone (3/4 for soup, 1/4 for garnish)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Optional: More artichokes for garnish
• Optional: More cream for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter over medium heat on the stove. Dice onion, and add to the pot. Mince the garlic, and add that as well. Stir. Cook until onions are translucent.
2. Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes. Add diced potatoes to the pot, then add artichokes, and a few cracks of salt & pepper. Pour broth into pot, and cover. Bring to gentle boil. Cook until potatoes are tender all the way through: about 10-15 minutes (test them with a fork occasionally).
3. Working in batches, transfer soup to a high-speed blender and puree until smooth (I use a BlendTec , which is really good at getting all of the artichoke pureed. I’ve also tried with an immersion blender, and it works but the artichoke does not get blended as well).
4. Return soup to pot. Stir in cheese and creamy, allowing the cheese to melt as you do. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, topped with additional cheese, a drizzle of cream, artichokes, and a crack of fresh pepper.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

When there is Tortilla Soup on the menu, I'm the first person to notice and there's a pretty high chance I will order it, no matter the weather. I've been in love with Tortilla Soup for as long as I can remember. 

Despite my appreciation for what is a really simple soup, I've never mastered making it at home — I always over think it, adding something extra or missing some key ingredient.

But I’ve done lots to try to learn the magic sauce, and each experiment gets closer and closer. What I’ve learned: simple poblano chilis, sautéed with the onions and garlic, and freshly made chicken broth. Oh, and not over thinking it. Tortilla Soup should be simple, like a tortilla.

It’s comfort in a bowl for me — this cozy bowl of broth-y goodness and full of Mexican flavor.

And the best part of any tortilla soup? The toppings! Cheese, avocado, crispy tortilla strips (or tortilla chips, which is much faster and less labor intensive), cilantro, and on and on.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Published September 24, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 poblano chili pepper, diced and seeds removed

1 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound boneless chicken breasts

1 28-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced cilantro, plus more for garnish

6 cups bone broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Optional: 1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Optional, for serving: avocado, cheddar cheese, corn toasted tortilla strips or chips, lime wedges

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of an Instant Pot on Sauté setting. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and poblano pepper.
2. Add chicken, tomatoes, broth, cumin, lime juice, cilantro and optional black beans to pot and stir. Place lid on Instant Pot and turn to slow cooker setting (to use soup setting instead, see step 4). Set timer for 10 hours with vent turned to the sealed position.
3. When soup is done, open Instant Pot. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove chicken from soup and place in a bowl. Use a fork to shred chicken, and then return to soup and stir. Season with additionl salt to taste, and serve hot with toppings of choice.
4. To make this soup more quickly, use the soup setting instead of the slow cooker setting: In step 2, set Instant Pot to “soup” setting and set timer to 10 minutes with the vent in the sealed position. When timer goes off, release pressure, and the move on to step 3.