Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
Entrée · The Plant Paradox By Dr. Gundry

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

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Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

My family loves lasagna, but I needed to find something similar that I can eat. I bought a copy of Dr. Gundry, MD’s The Plant Paradox Cookbook published in 2018. So while my son made a traditional lasagna with the pasta, tomato sauce, and different cheeses, I made the lectin free recipe. This recipe, Spinach Artichoke Lasagna, is on page 181 of the cookbook. This recipe also calls for the Classic Basil Pesto on page 258 of the cookbook. It was very delicious and my vegetarian daughter enjoyed it as much as I did. While I don’t want to violate the copywrite laws, I can tell you what it has in it.

First, the sauce is made out of artichoke hearts, baby spinach, cremini mushrooms, oregano and coconut cream. It is a very rich sauce!

Spinach Artichoke Sauce

Second, the ricotta mixture is made coconut yogurt, pastured eggs, and the Classic Basil Pesto, garlic powder, paprika and nutritional yeast.

Classic Basil Pesto
Ricotta Mixture

Third, it is made with sweet potatoes instead of the pasta. Yum!

Thinly Sliced Sweet Potatoes

You layer it the same way as a regular lasagna. Bake it and then wait at least 10 minutes so the flavors all combine, Once it cools for a bit, dive into it like we did!

I would highly recommend buying Dr. Gundry’s cookbook.

Condiments

Macadamia Nut Sour Cream

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Macadamia Not Sour Cream
Macadamia Nut Sour Cream

Macadamia Nut Sour Cream is an awesome replacement for dairy sour cream.  I am sharing a recipe I really liked when I was vegan for one year. During that year, I experimented with many cashew recipes including a cashew sour cream. When I found out that cashews have too many lectins, I changed the cashews for macadamia nuts and created this recipe. Now my family and I use this sour cream wherever sour cream is called for, like on tacos, burritos, stroganoff, even on Instant Pot Pinto Beans.

Ingredients for Macadamia Nut Sour Cream

  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1/2 + 1/3 cup water (divided)
  • 2 TBLS fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions for Macadamia Nut Sour Cream

  1. Cover macadamia nuts with water and soak for 4 – 6 hours. Then drain and rinse the nuts with fresh water.

    Soaking Macadamia Nuts
    Soaking Macadamia Nuts
  2. Transfer the nuts into a high speed blender with 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt. Using the puree or liquefy setting on your blender, blend until you get your desired smoothness. I had to add an addition 1/3 cup water to get the sour cream as creamy and smooth as dairy sour cream. Next use in your favorite recipe!
Dessert

Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

These beautiful Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies taste as good as they look! I had a lot of fun making them. I love to bake and being Danish, it’s important to me that they taste good but they also need to be sugar free with no lectins! Chocolate chip cookies are my family’s favorite cookies so I modified a recipe from www.kitchentreaty.com to be lectin free! I used Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup instead of pure maple syrup and I used Lily’s Dark Chocolate Stevia Sweetened Premium Baking Chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ingredients for Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 4 Tbls solid coconut oil
  • 6 Tbls Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
  • 2 large pastured raised eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups Bob’s Red Mill almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
  • 1 cup Lily’s Dark Chocolate Stevia Sweetened Premium Baking Chips + more for topping if desired

Instructions for Sugar Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper so it’s an easy cleanup.
  2. Add the coconut oil and the Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup to a large bowl. Whisk it briskly until combined. Then add the egg and vanilla. Continue to whisk until blended!
  3. In another bowl, mix the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend together. Next add in the Lily’s dark chocolate chips.
  4. With a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheets, about two inches apart. Then press each cookie down gently with your finger tips.
  5. Next bake until the cookies are set and the edges are lightly browned, 8-9 minutes. Then cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and finally transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Salad

Avocado, Tuna & Celery Salad

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Tuna, Avocado & Celery Salad
Tuna, Avocado & Celery Salad

This Avocado, Tuna & Celery salad was a huge hit with my family. In the dog days of summer, I needed a recipe that wouldn’t heat up the house. On the Plant Paradox program, I also wanted a recipe that didn’t contain any lectins. I adapted this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen, Avocado Tuna Salad Recipe at natashaskitchen.com.

Since we do not eat cucumbers, I made my salad with celery which gave it the crunchiness of the cucumbers. Also, I didn’t have any cilantro, so I just left out the herb.

Ingredients for Avocado, Tuna & Celery Salad

  • 30 oz tuna in water, not drained and flaked (Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna with Sea Salt) 6 small cans

    Wild Caught Albacore Tuna
    Wild Planet Wild Caught Albacore Tuna
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced thin
  • 4 large ripe avocados peeled, pitted and cubed
  • 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 4 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tsp sea salt or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions for Avocado, Tuna & Celery Salad

  1. In a large bowl, combine sliced celery, cubed avocados, sliced red onion and the tuna.

    Avocado, Tuna & Celery without dressing
    Avocado, Tuna & Celery without dressing
  2. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, avocado oil, sea and pepper. Whisk to incorporate all of the ingredients.

    Ther Dressing
    The Dressing
  3. Drizzle the dressing over the rest of the ingredients and toss.

    Avocado, Tuna & Celery Salad
    Avocado, Tuna & Celery Salad

We enjoyed over a salad of romaine lettuce with grated carrots. Delicious!

Entrée · Recipes

Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

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Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast
Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast was a huge hit with my family including my Dad and my brother. The chicken was tender and the asparagus cooked perfectly. We all enjoyed this very much. The original recipe is from Tiffany at www.lecremedelacrumb.com/asparagus-stuffed-chicken. I also modified the recipe a bit and made Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus stuffed portobello mushrooms for my vegan son. He ate 3 portobello mushrooms, he liked it so much! That recipe will be coming soon.

Ingredients for Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbls. olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp. dried Italian blend seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 cup macadamia nut mozzarella cheese
  • 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
  • 2/3 cup macadamia nut Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbls. olive oil or ghee
  • 1 dropper of SweetLeaf Stevia drops
  • 1/2 lemon, sliced thinly

Instructions for Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese & Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up!
  2. Next, using a sharp knife, slice each chicken breast horizontally to form a pocket. Be sure not to slice all the way through, but leave a 1/2 inch for the fold.

    Pocket cut in chicken breast
    Pocket cut in chicken breast
  3. Then rub the olive oil on both sides of each breast and sprinkle each side with the seasonings, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and the Italian seasoning. Next, using your fingertips, rub the seasonings into the breast.

    Seasoned Chicken Breast
    Seasoned Chicken Breast
  4. Then open the pocket and add two slices of the Macadamia nut mozzarella cheese. Next place 3-4 asparagus stalks on top of the cheese, then sprinkle with the Macadamia nut Parmesan cheese. Finally use toothpicks to close the pocket.

    Macadamia nut mozzarella cheese
    Macadamia nut mozzarella cheese
  5.  Using a cast iron skillet or oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil or melt the ghee. Once heated stir in the Stevia drops. Immediately add chicken to the pan and sear for about 2 minutes, then flip each breast over and sear. This process seals the flavors into the chicken.
  6. Next top each breast with the lemon slices.

    Chicken ready to bake
    Chicken ready to bake
  7. Finally bake the breast in the preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through, the cheese has melted and the asparagus is tender. If desired, spoon the extra sauce from the pan over the chicken. Then remove the toothpicks.
Non-Dairy Cheese

Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese

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Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese
Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese

This Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese is great where ever you would use Parmesan cheese. This recipe was adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese but I changed the nuts from cashews to macadamia nuts and added onion powder. My family and I really like it in asparagus & cheese stuffed chicken breasts and in scrambled eggs with chopped broccoli florets. You can use it anytime you would normally use Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients for Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese

  • 3/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
  • 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 3/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder

Instructions for Macadamia Nut Parmesan Cheese

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender or a food processor. Puree until a fine meal is achieved. To store, keep in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. It will last for several weeks.

Non-Dairy Cheese · Recipes

Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese

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Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese
Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese

Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese has been my solution to milk allergies. These allergies  have caused me to have asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain. So I gave up milk while eating vegan and my symptoms went away. Because a lot of the recipes I use require cheese, I have been making nut cheeses for awhile now. I used cashews as the primary nut. I recently found out that cashews are not nuts but actually legumes. On the Plant Paradox eating plan, legumes need to be cooked in a pressure cooker. So I decided to use macadamia nuts rather than cashews as my nut of choice for cheese. Because I wanted to make a chicken dish that required mozzarella cheese I created this recipe for macadamia nut mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients For Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese

  • 3/4 cup macadamia nuts
  • 3/4 cup plain almond milk (not vanilla) or vegetable broth
  • 3 tbls lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbls nutritional yeast
  • 1 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 tbls onion powder
  • 1 3/4 cups water – divided
  • 2 TBLS + 1 1/4 tsp. agar powder

Instructions For Macadamia Nut Mozzarella Cheese

  1. Boil macadamia nuts for 10 minutes in a cup of water then strain away the excess.
  2. Put the nuts in the blender with the remaining ingredients, except 1 1/4 cups water and agar powder.
  3. Blend until it is completely smooth and creamy.
  4. Place remaining 1 1/4 cup water into saucepan and heat the water. Add the agar and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.
  5. Transfer the agar mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth.
  6. Pour mixture into an oiled container. Then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Sauces

Medium Homemade Salsa, Plant Paradox Friendly

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Homemade Medium Salsa
Medium Homemade Salsa

This medium homemade salsa is excellent on a taco salad, on top of pressure cooked pinto beans, or wrapped in a cassava flour tortilla. Delicious!

Ingredients for Medium Homemade Salsa

  • 12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 4 jalapeno peppers
  • 24 oz. Italian tomato puree
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. peppers
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 bunch cilantro

Instructions for Medium Homemade Salsa

  • On an ungreased heavy skillet set over medium heat, roast the garlic cloves, turning occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Cool and peel.
  • While the garlic is roasting slice the onions into 1/4 inch slices. Lay onto a foil lined baking sheet. Rinse the jalapeno peppers and place on the foil also. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Then flip the peppers over and roast on the other side.
  • Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. After the time, the peppers will be easy to peel and seed.

Roasted Onion and Jalapenos
Roasted Onions and Jalapenos

  • Combine all of the roasted vegetables, tomato puree, pepper, cloves, salt, garlic powder, lime juice and rinsed cilantro in a blender of food processor. Process until medium smooth.
  • Finally add the olive oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the sauce all at once and stir for several minutes as the sauce sears and darkens. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until very thick, about 5 minutes.

Medium Homemade Salsa in the skillet
Medium Homemade Salsa in the skillet

My family really enjoyed this medium homemade salsa, although my kids called it “Sissy Salsa” because it wasn’t as hot as they like it. It was hot enough for me and my husband! If you want it hotter, add more jalapenos.

Side Dish

Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad

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Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad
Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad

With Barbecue season upon us, you have to have some kind of a potato-ey mayonnaise-y salad. So I made a Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad which was a huge hit for our last barbecue. It’s made with sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes and Garlic Mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise. The Garlic Mayonnaise is homemade and lectin free! I made it the way I usually make potato salad in the past, with eggs and black olives. Instead of sweet pickles, I roasted red bell peppers, skinned them and took the seeds out of them so they were also lectin free. This replaced the sweetness of the pickles.

Ingredients for Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad

  • 3 pounds white sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 large red onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 cup Garlic Mayonnaise
  • 6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and diced**
  • 1 can black olives, diced
  • 2 roasted red bell peppers, with skin and seeds removed, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • paprika

** To boil the eggs, place in cold water and bring them to a boil. Time the boil for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat, cover them and let them sit in the water for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water, and cover them again with cold water. This makes perfect boiled eggs that peel easily!

Instructions for Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad

  • The first step is to peel and finely dice the sweet potatoes. Add them to a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. It takes about 9 minutes to get them tender, but not mushy.

LRG_DSC01760

  • While the potatoes are cooking, roast the red peppers that have been seeded and cut in half in a 400 degree oven until the skins blacken.

LRG_DSC01763

  • Gently peel the skins off of the red bell peppers. Then dice them.
  • Drain the sweet potatoes and rinse with cool water.
  • While the sweet potatoes are cooling, cut up the boiled eggs, red onions, celery and the black olives.

LRG_DSC01765

  • Add the cooled sweet potatoes and mix together.

LRG_DSC01767

  • Once that is combined, add the Garlic Mayonnaise, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well until everything is coated with the Garlic Mayonnaise.
  • Sprinkle with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad
Garlic Mayonnaise Sweet Potato Salad

We really enjoyed this salad and it has become our go to for barbecues!

Condiments

Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise

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Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise
Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise

Since I am on a condiment kick right now, my son, Paul and I created a Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise using avocado oil and olive oil. I used the garlic mayonnaise in a Sweet Potato Salad and it was a big hit with my family. It was also awesome on the Barbecued Hamburgers with the Sugar-Free Barbecue Sauce we had on the 4th of July! The recipe for the Sweet Potato Salad will be coming soon!

Ingredients for Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup avocado oil

Instructions for Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise

  1. Whip the eggs yolks with a whisk.
  2. Add the Champagne Vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper. Whisk together.
  3. Slowing drizzle the oils while whisking briskly. This takes a long time because you do not want it to separate and whisking briskly makes the Lectin Free Mayonnaise really thick. If you pour too much oil in at a time, the mayonnaise will not thicken. If you do not whisk it enough it will not thicken. So be prepared for your arm to get tired!

Creating your own condiments is fun and making sure they are lectin free is important to me. I am continuing to lose weight by following this plan and walking my dog. The walk is good for both of us!

 

Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise
Recipe Type: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Author: No Lectin Nana
Lectin Free Garlic Mayonnaise using avocado oil and olive oil.
Ingredients
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup avocado oil
Instructions
  1. Whip the eggs yolks with a whisk.
  2. Add the Champagne Vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper. Whisk together.
  3. Slowing drizzle the oils while whisking briskly. This takes a long time because you do not want it to separate and whisking briskly makes the Lectin Free Mayonnaise really thick. If you pour too much oil in at a time, the mayonnaise will not thicken. If you do not whisk it enough it will not thicken. So be prepared for your arm to get tired.