When food blogger Carrie Vitt was suddenly diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease, she pursued a grain-free diet to cleanse her system—and it worked. In The Grain-Free Family Table, Vitt explains the benefits of grain-free eating, and how modifying and experimenting with the foods in our diets can vastly improve our health, without sacrificing satisfying taste.
While a gluten-free diet omits wheat, barley, and rye, and Paleo omits all processed foods, grains, legumes, dairy and is mostly lower in fat, a grain-free diet cuts out all grains and processed foods (including quinoa, corn, and rice) but still includes dairy and legumes.
Why go completely grain-free instead of just cutting out gluten? When grains enter the body, they cause the insulin levels in the blood to rise. When they're eaten in excess over time, the body becomes overtaxed, and eventually the excessive grains can cause inflammation, which is the root cause of many health issues, including diabetes, allergies, arthritis, heart disease, tendinitis, and autoimmune diseases. A grain-free diet rich in nourishing foods gives the body time to rest, heal, and reduce inflammation.
Here are 4 of Vitt's favorite grain-free recipes.
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie
Pot pie is comfort and warmth; it just feels like home. A simple filling of chicken, mushrooms, onions, and cream is topped with buttery biscuits. My grain-free version is less complicated than many grain-filled recipes I’ve made in the past, and every bit as pleasing.
PREP TIME: About 1 hour and 40 minutes / SERVINGS: 6
FILLING
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1½ tsp Celtic sea salt, plus more for the chicken
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
5 oz white mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 c heavy cream
BISCUITS
2½ cups almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp grain-free baking powder
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
¼ c coconut milk
1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set the chicken aside to cool for 10 minutes, then shred the meat (discard the skin and bones). Reduce the heat to 350°F.
2. HEAT the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and have released their juices, 10 to 12 minutes. Move the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the garlic and thyme in the center of the pan. Stir the garlic and thyme until they are strongly fragrant, about 1 minute, then stir them into the mushroom mixture. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cream, chicken, and 1½ teaspoons salt and pour the mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
3. PLACE the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor to make the biscuit topping. Pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add the butter and pulse for eight 1-second pulses. Pour in the coconut milk and ¼ cup cold water and pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a dough. (If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon or two of almond flour. If it’s too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water.) Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop out dough balls. Place them on the top of the chicken filling, lining up the balls in a symmetrical pattern. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown on top. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
PALEO/DAIRY-FREE ADAPTATION: Use 1 c cashew milk in place of the heavy cream for the filling. Use ¼ cup lard or tallow for the butter in the biscuits.
MORE: 10 Gluten-Free Portable Lunches
Doughnut Holes with Maple Glaze
My brother Erik has been eating a grain-free diet for some time now, and one weekend I asked him what he missed the most. “Doughnuts,” he replied.Later that day, my sister-in-law Hayle and I were cooking and the light bulb came on. We mixed, scooped, and fried up some doughnuts, crossing our fingers that it would work. It was quite a fun moment as we each bit into a hot, sweet glazed doughnut. None of us ever thought we’d be able to eat a grain-free doughnut that was just as good as the real thing.
PREPARATION TIME: 45 minutes / SERVINGS: Makes about 20 doughnuts
DOUGH
2 lb (about 4 c) lard or tallow
1 c canned coconut milk
2 c tapioca flour
¼ tsp Celtic sea salt
5 Tbsp coconut flour
3 Tbsp ghee, melted
2 lg eggs
GLAZE
1 c maple sugar
1 Tbsp arrowroot flour
2 to 3 Tbsp whole milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1. HEAT the lard or tallow in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Preheat the oven to 200°F and set a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
2. POUR the milk into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour in the tapioca flour and stir until the flour absorbs the milk, about 2 minutes. (At this point the mixture will be a big, sticky mass of flour and milk. Don’t worry!) Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the sea salt, coconut flour, and ghee, turn on the machine, and process until the mixture begins to smooth out, about 20 seconds. With the motor running, add the eggs and process 1 more minute, until smooth.
3. SPOON portions of dough into the hot oil using a 1½-inch cookie scoop. Fry the doughnuts until they are golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully turn the doughnuts over and fry until the other side is golden brown, another 1 or 2 minutes. Place the doughnuts on the prepared cooling rack and set the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat to make the rest of the doughnuts.
4. PLACE the maple sugar and arrowroot in a coffee or spice grinder and grind until the sugar is a fine powder, about 30 seconds. Pour the sugar mixture into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of the milk and the vanilla extract, mixing until the glaze is smooth. Add more milk if needed to achieve a thick, pourable glaze. Drizzle the maple glaze over the doughnuts and serve hot.
PALEO/DAIRY-FREE ADAPTATION: Use coconut oil in place of the ghee. For the glaze, use almond milk in place of the whole milk.
MORE: 10 Slimming Smoothie Recipes
Egg Salad in Bacon Cups
Strips of bacon baked in muffin cups are a grain-free vessel for a small portion of dip or salad to be served as an appetizer. These little cups also make a nice afternoon snack or addition to brunch.
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes / SERVINGS:Makes 16 appetizers
1 lb bacon, each strip cut into thirds
6 lg eggs, hard-boiled and chilled (see below)
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
¼ c chopped celery
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
2 Tbsp minced fresh chives (optional)
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack to the middle position.
2. TURN a mini muffin pan upside down and place 3 pieces of bacon on each muffin cup, in a criss-cross pattern. Place another inverted mini muffin pan on top and press firmly. Place both muffin pans on a large baking sheet (if it doesn’t fit flat, it’s okay). Bake for 35 minutes and set aside to cool completely. Remove the top muffin pan and gently remove the bacon cups.
3. CHOP the eggs and place them in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, Dijon, mayonnaise, celery, and salt and mix until blended. Spoon the egg salad into the bacon cups, garnish with chives if desired, and serve.
HARD-BOILED EGGS
Place 6 eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain and refrigerate until ready to use.
MORE: What's Healthier: Turkey Bacon vs. Pork Bacon
Grain-Free Stuffing
If you like stuffing, then this dish needs to make a showing at your Thanksgiving feast. This is one of the best-loved savory recipes on my blog. Many readers have written to tell me that their guests raved over the flavors and had no idea it was grain free. To make things easier, you can make the biscuits a few weeks ahead of time, freeze them, and then set them out to dry before putting the stuffing together.
PREP TIME: 1 hour / SERVINGS: 8
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
2 lg yellow onions, chopped
15 fresh sage leaves, chopped
12 stale Grain-Free Biscuits (see the Pot Pie recipe), broken into small pieces
1 lg egg
¼ c heavy cream
¼ c chicken stock
1 tsp coarse Celtic sea salt
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Butter an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
2. MELT the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and stir occasionally until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the sage and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the biscuit pieces to the onion mixture.
3. WHISK the egg, heavy cream, and chicken stock in a small bowl and pour it over the biscuit mixture. Season with the salt and pepper and stir until incorporated. Pour the stuffing into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
PALEO/DAIRY-FREE ADAPTATION: Use coconut oil in place of the butter. Use canned coconut milk in place of the heavy cream.
MORE: 10 Delicious Stuffing Recipes
