Double Wahls

Both of these recipes are from The Wahls' Protocol:  Liver and Onions and Algerian Chicken (in this case Algerian Vegetarian, which is an option in the book).  Since dairy is not a part of the Wahls Protocol, anything in her book she deems "vegetarian" is actually also vegan.

I've made Dr. Wahls' liver recipe many, many times, and often I'm the only one eating it, which is fine with me.  As such, I've found I love it cold from the 'fridge as well as I do hot out of the pan -- for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  This was the last little bit of the liver which overlapped with my next foray into the Protocol:  Algerian Vegetarian.  The flavors of this dish are lovely and deep, and I was surprised I liked the mixture of these two strongly flavored dishes together, but I did.  You may not, so if you make these, consider serving them one at a time, maybe with some Quinoa and Red Peppers, also from The Wahls' Protocol.  I will say that whatever I've made from the book, I've loved.

Fat Bombs!

Have you heard of the fat bomb trend? Since implementing elements of the Wahls Protocol, in paleo circles, I've seen a lot about this ketosis-spurring vehicle. I'm still learning about all this, but without gluten, our bodies arrive at a state of ketosis where we burn our stores of fat instead of the blood sugar in our systems from the carbs we used to eat. A fat bomb -- a gluten-free portion of healthy fat -- is said to spur the process. I'm more interested in the health benefits to my central nervous system and the energy jolt these will provide, but I'll take the ketosis too. A word to the wise:  ketosis will not happen if you are still eating bread and pasta. In that case these are just really delicious, mostly-organic raw, vegan truffles:  still worth making!

I can't believe how deliciously decadent these turned out to be! I have a wonderful, creative job working with dear friends. I can work at home, but I also work collaboratively at the studio. On studio days I find myself so "in the zone" that I have no interest in sustenance until I find my energy flagging. I normally bring a couple of dates or a square of dark chocolate for these times so the productivity can proceed uninterrupted, but one of these will be so much better for me! I used what I had on hand, so you could obviously tweak this recipe to your convenience and liking.

Chocolate Truffle Fat Bombs

12 oz. coconut almond butter (the whole jar)
1 c. almond meal flour (Bob's Red Mill has a good one)
1/3 c. hemp protein powder (Bob's Red Mill)
1/3 c. raw organic cacao
1/2 c. date sugar (really 100% crushed dates - that's all)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 c. raw, unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp. salt
a few shakes of chipotle chili powder (if you like)

1/4 c. cacao nibs
1/4 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. raw cashews

In a food processor, combine and process the first group of ingredients until smooth, periodically scraping down the sides. Add the last three ingredients and pulse, roughly chopping and incorporating them, retaining a bit of texture. Taste the mixture and add more salt, chili powder or sweetener if desired (I only added a pinch more salt). The mixture will have softened from the heat of the mixing, so refrigerate for an 1/2-1 hour to firm it up enough to roll into balls. I left mine in the fridge a little longer than that and it was quite firm and hard to scoop at first:

But at room temperature it softened pretty quickly. Roll the mixture into golf ball sized pieces and roll in shredded coconut or cacao to seal in the moisture. arrange on parchment-lined pans and freeze for an hour.

Once frozen, the fat bombs can be stored in a Ziploc freezer bag in the freezer or fridge.
Makes 22 fat bombs.

These are delicious and completely satiating! I had only one after making them and found myself completely full and energized and, dare I say it, focused for the rest of the afternoon! I could see myself chowing on a couple of them, though, if 'm really hungry. These natural fats are unstable in a warm room (they melt) so plan to store them refrigerated until munching.  Experiment with your own combination of ingredients and textures. If you don't like 'em crunchy, process until smooth. Share what you come up with!

Restaurant Meals

Of course eating at home and knowing the source of your organic food is the best option for those of us being very careful about our diets, but sometimes a girl wants to  go out. I do it quite a bit, actually, since that is the chapter in which I find myself with friends and family, including a husband, teenage daughter and a son in college, none of whom have much interest in eating the kind of food I'm choosing. I do have one wonderful friend who is walking a similar dietary path to mine. Liat is vegan and gluten free, but she has previously tried a paleo diet and has always been conscious of maintaining health through natural means.

It was Liat who brought me to The Loving Hut last week. I didn't even know we had one in the Atlanta area! Though I have added meats to my vegan diet and have subtracted gluten, I found plenty of fabulous, delicious food there. Liat and I split a Basil Spring Roll appetizer with peanut sauce -- so delicious and fresh! We were starving, so I forgot to take a photo before wolfing down my portion. Next, at Liat's suggestion, I had this eggplant dish, gluten-free. It was so rich and fabulous, and I loved the fresh cucumber and tomato with the tamari-based sauce. I needed a doggy bag for most of the rice here. Liat chose a ginger baby bok choy saute. We each shared a little of our entree. I loved her food too, for totally different reasons. The ginger was strong -- just the way I like it. I can never have too much of that pungent root. Thanks, Liat!

Forgive the awful photo on this one. I'm not so great with my phone-as-camera after dark. In my defense, it is one of the older phones, though it did take the lunchtime Loving Hut photo above, so it's most likely user error here. I'm old fashioned. I'd rather use a camera as a camera, and a phone as a phone. But I digresse . . . My husband and I love a little restaurant in Roswell called Bistro VG. On my other blog, A Midlife Vegan+, I have blogged about many fabulous meals I've eaten there over the years. With my new diet I had to pull out my reading glasses once again to select the most appropriate food. I started with my all-time favorite salad -- Simple Arugula -- without cheese, and then dove into this yummy pile: broiled wild salmon (rare) atop an amazing quinoa and veggie concoction. I cannot say enough good things about this plateful. It was strange yet familiar. It tasted like health and decadence all rolled into one. It was sublime. They are putting my food on menus now! :)

Finally, I want to share some pretty darn good drive-thru my husband picked up for me. This is from Panera: The Chicken Cobb Salad With Avocado. I asked for it with NO CHEESE, and with the dressing on the side. The chicken is hormone-free, tender and flavorful and the rest of the ingredients, egg, bacon, tomato, romaine and avocado, hardly needed a dressing at all. I only put a little on the tines of my fork. Next time, I think I will opt for lemon and olive oil instead. Though the ingredients in the dressing had none of the "forbidden items" there were a couple of chemicals I didn't recognize. Why not choose cleaner next time? This salad was amazing. I really like that you can get menu, nutrition and ingredient details on Panera's website while your husband is sitting in line at the drive-thru. Another great option for the health-based diner!