Cinnamon Carrot Soup (Paleo + AIP + Low-FODMAP + Whole30)

I eat a lot of carrots. It helps that I can get a 5lb organic bag at the store for 6 bucks. Plus, now that I am trying out being strict low-FODMAP AND low carb, my list of veggies has shrunk significantly. Carrots are a good compromise. They feel like a starchy vegetable, and are very versatile, as you may have noticed if you came to me from Instagram or TwoGrand and see carrots on my plate in some fashion many days. So, it makes sense that it was the ingredient I turned to when I was craving comfort food that met my current restrictions.

Don't forget your floor cleaner!

Browsing through some of my cookbooks, which I often do when needing inspiration (or gratuitous food porn), I saw a lot of soups made from starchy orange veggies. See where I'm going with this? 

Tada, carrot soup! I threw this together on a whim one night, knowing that cinnamon and carrots were a winning flavor combination.  Fortunately, with just a few, simple ingredients, it was easy to reproduce.  Cinnamon makes this soup extra warming and comforting, but so many flavors work with the sweetness of carrot. Try it with ginger or curry for something a little different. 

Cinnamon Carrot Soup (Paleo + AIP + Low-FODMAP + Whole30)

4 cups chopped carrots (or about 10 small-medium carrots... remember guys, I never deal in absolutes, so don't worry about this too much)
4 cups bone broth (I used beef, so if that works, anything will!)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or ghee
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Chop your carrots, don't worry about peeling them, especially if they are organic, and cover with the broth in a pot on the stove.

Bring to a boil, then walk away to watch tv and forget what you're doing until the carrots are almost mush (or, well, not really, just boil them until soft).

Using either an immersion blender if your carrots are really soft or a food processor, puree the carrots and broth until smooth.

Add olive oil, cinnamon and salt and blend well.

Adjust thickness by adding more broth if you wish a thinner soup and adjust seasonings to taste.  The cinnamon flavor will be light, but I like to leave it so and then garnish with extra cinnamon, so you still get the full flavor, without losing the vibrant orange color!

Serve hot or cold, with lots of cinnamon!

Happy eats!

Chocolate Covered Orange (Paleo + Low-FODMAP)

I'm alive, I swear!  I've been sort of subsistence living lately, due to lack of energy, motivation and passion.  I've cooked either basic/boring food, cooked recipes by other people or just plain made the fiancé cook for me while I adjusted to a new work schedule and dealt with the fact that my body was not cooperating with me.

But, I've embarked on a new journey and with it came new passion and energy!  AIP was a great stepping off point in my healing journey, but through it all, I realized that there were other things wrong with me that AIP wasn't fixing.  I've been having indigestion issues and my acne breakouts have travelled up towards my forehead (my chin and jawline are practically clear though, which means my hormones are in a MUCH better place than they've been the last few years!), and my depression has worsened, despite the fact that I spent my winter somewhere relatively warm with lots of sun.  I decided to take on a low-FODMAP plan a couple weeks ago, and then I finally matched up my symptoms, thanks to some help, to potentially simply low stomach acid.  So now I am working on reducing my carbs, increasing my acid intake, plus I will soon start supplementing with HCL.

Sounds fun, right?  Well, it gets better.  I've taken on strict low-FOPMAP paleo, plus no eggs or dairy and NOW I'm dropping my carbs.  So I have to get really creative with comfort food.  Because, I assure you, I need comfort food.

So, this was a really fun discovery.  It is NOT extremely low carb (I said working on, not perfect, ok?), but it is free from added sugars, low-FODMAP and extremely easy and delicious!  I wanted chocolate.  Badly.  But without maple syrup, honey, or any sort of sugar, how could that be?  Well, it turns out that bitter chocolate encasing something sweet taste like sweet, delicious chocolate!

Magic

Chocolate Covered Orange (Paleo + Low-FODMAP, small batch)

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 navel orange, peeled and broken into segments


Simply melt your coconut oil and mix thoroughly with the cocoa powder.  It will be thick but pourable and only mildly coconutty.  More cocoa powder will make it less coconut flavored, but thicker.  Dealer's choice!

Peel your orange and pull into segments (try not to butcher the peeling and be "forced" to eat most of the orange because it's now to ugly to show off).

Two choices here:  either add the orange segments to a bowl or plate and drizzle the chocolate over, or dip the segments in chocolate and place on a wax paper lined dish to harden.
If you store your orange in the fridge like I often do, the chocolate will harden almost immediately. If not, and you want hardened chocolate, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to solidify.

Yes, I did butcher my orange and only got 5 pieces.  Don't judge me.  

Store in the fridge for hard chocolate (if you don't eat it all right away).

Change it up!  This would work with any tasty, sweeter fruit like bananas or strawberries.  Try it with carob powder to make it AIP!