And, I went on the most amazing cross country trip from Austin, Texas to Anacortes, WA with my best friend, Olivia. And, that trip was the inspiration for this yummy recipe I am sharing today.

Because Olivia and I both are gluten free and pretty dang particular about what food we put in our bodies, the only thing that we really had planned going into the trip was what we were going to be eating. One of the things that I thought would be great road trip food was Baba Ganoush with Crudite. You know, instead of the typical Funyun and SlimJim fare. As it turns out, Olivia had never had Baba Ganoush before, but after just one savory bite, the entire 8 oz. tub was annihilated before we even got out of central Texas. So much for that lasting until we got to LA…

So, in homage to our once in a lifetime trip through the desert of New Mexico, hiking the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona, up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, through the Redwoods, Oregon and finally to Olivia’s new home – the stellar state of Washington – I bring you our most favorite snack in the world.

This one’s for you, Liv! I miss you.

Olivia (L) and Rachel (R) viewing a gorgeous sunset over the pacific

And, to all you Washingtonians out there reading this, you just got the coolest new resident, and I’m totally jealous of you.

ROASTED GARLIC BABA GANOUSH
makes about one cup

1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise
3 large whole garlic cloves, skins removed
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. grapeseed oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbs. tahini
lots of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the eggplant slices and garlic inside. Rub 2 Tbs. of oil on the eggplant and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and roast until the garlic is browned and the eggplant is very soft, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Peel the skin off the eggplant. Place the garlic and eggplant flesh in the food processor along with the lemon juice, tahini, and about a 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Turn on the machine and let it run until the mixture starts to get pretty smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the machine back on, and, while it is running, add 1/4 cup grapeseed oil though the feed tube.

3. Continue to process the mixture until it is nice and smooth, tasting periodically for more salt or pepper. Enjoy this super yummy treat at room temperature or chilled with crudite, gluten free crackers, or pita bread.

This evening for dinner I had planned to eat the leftover Dal Curry with Spinach and Brown Rice that I had made a few nights ago. But, for lunch today, I attended the Annual Vegan Chili Cookoff and couldn’t seem to muster the strength for another meal consisting almost exclusively of legumes. I needed veggies. STAT.

So, I started rummaging. Somehow, through some amazing intervention of the Leftover Food Gods, this was literally all that I had left in my produce bin. Well, okay, I also had some tomatoes, a russet potato, and a pear. But, other than that, this was what I had left. Actually, now that I think about it, I should have thrown the pear into this salad as well. It would have been amazing. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

And, yes, there will be a next time.

This salad was a beautiful, perfect combination of crunch from the veggies and soft suppleness of young coconut flesh. The flavors melded smoothly with the sweetness of the ginger and maple and the tang of the vinegars. The umeboshi plum vinegar provided a lovely splash of saltiness, and there with a subtle kick with the last minute addition of chili garlic sauce.

In order to make this dish raw, (obviously) leave out the chicken, use untoasted sesame oil, and replace the caramelized ginger with 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger. If you would like a little extra protein, throw in some slivered almonds. Also, you can use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar in place of the other vinegars. Unfortunately, you will have to leave out the chili garlic sauce altogether, but if you throw half of a minced jalapeno in with the veggies, I’m sure you won’t even miss it.

If you are new to the magic that is the young coconut, here is a tutorial on how to open it and get to the meat. And, don’t forget to save the coconut water inside. That stuff is the nectar of the gods. Seriously.

CABBAGE SALAD WITH YOUNG COCONUT NOODLES AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER
serves four

For the Salad:
3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded cooked chicken, optional
meat from 1 young coconut, sliced thinly into “noodles”
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced or shredded
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs. each black and white sesame seeds

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt, or 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the fixins for the salad.

2. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake it up until it emulsifies. Or, just whisk it all together in a small bowl. You may need to tweek the amount of each ingredient to find the balance that is just right for you.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix it up, and dig in.

OTHER CABBAGE SALAD RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad at 101 Cookbooks
Red Cabbage Salad with Braeburn Apples and Spiced Pecans at Serious Eats
Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken at Eat This.
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Broccoli Stems and Cottage Cheese
Red Cabbage and Dried Figs Salad at Chocolate and Zucchini

Short ribs are a perfect option, not only because they are a super inexpensive cut of meat, but also because they require some serious slow and low cooking. Putting them in the Crockpot allows you to cook these guys as long as they need to without having to be in the house to do it.

Believe me, this is an awesome meal to come home to after a long day at work. And, it would make a really great dish to serve for guests. It’s impressive, super flavorful, and the best part is, you hardly have to do anything to make a great dinner. Just whip up some Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, saute baby bok choy with some sesame oil, salt and pepper, and voila! You’ve got an awesome dinner!

And, for those of you who are considering bringing a new addition home to your kitchen appliance family, here is a little more incentive.

ASIAN SLOW COOKER SHORT RIBS
serves one

1# grass fed beef short ribs

Marinade:
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup GF tamari
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced on a microplane
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced on a microplane

Garnish:
sliced scallion
white and black sesame seeds
cilantro leaves

1. Place the short ribs in the Crockpot
2. Whisk together the marinade and pour it over the top of the ribs.
3. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
4. When the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, transfer the sauce from the bottom of the Crockpot to a small saucepan. Simmer the sauce over medium high heat until reduced almost to a glaze, about 8 minutes.
5. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and garnish with scallion, sesame seeds, and/or cilantro.

MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Chicken Makhani in the Crockpot
Agave Hoisin Chicken
Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage and Carrots at Kalyn’s Kitchen
White Bean Chili at Fat Free Vegan
Apple Brown Betty at Slow Cooker Collection

This evening, I was standing in that old familiar position: head in the fridge, just staring, wondering what the heck I was going to make with all these random bits and pieces. I knew that anything requiring more than a few minutes of cooking was out of the question. I’ve been cooking a ton the last few days, and just didn’t have the energy to whip up something fancy for myself. Eventually, I spotted the sweet potato on the counter, the sprouts at the bottom of the veggie bin and a lone egg staring back at me, begging to be released from its shell.

This meal makes such a great weeknight vegetarian dinner. In fact, ever since I found Vital Farms Eggs I’ve been topping lots of things with fried eggs – steamed spinach, pumpkin cornbread, even roasted asparagus – to make simple, nutritious, and fast meals. They are the only eggs that I have found that I can eat with very little to no allergic reaction. I don’t know why I seem to be okay with these eggs and not any others, but I sure am glad I found them.

BLACKENED SWEET POTATO AND BRUSSELS SPROUT HASH WITH A FRIED EGG
makes two to four servings
Feel free to prepare these eggs however you like. I prefer sunny side up, but you can make them over easy or poach them. Part of the joy of this meal is eating the veggies covered in runny, gooey yolk, so I would recommend that however you prepare the egg, the yolk remains soft.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
about 15 to 20 Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. blackening spice
salt, to taste
1 fried or poached egg per serving

1. Place a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, let it heat up a bit, and add the sweet potatoes. Add the blackening spice and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Stir the potatoes occasionally, but not too often so that they can brown.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the shredded Brussels Sprouts. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sprouts are softened and browned.
3. Season the hash with salt and/or more blackening spice. Divide the hash evenly on serving plates and top each serving with an egg.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Look who I got to meet this weekend:

He’s so cool.

Anyhoo….Here are a few more…

EGG-TOPPED FOODS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Poached Eggs Over Rice at 101 Cookbooks
North African Pepper and Tomato Stew at Field to Feast
Frisee Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and a Poached Egg at Gluten Free Girl
Breakfast Pizza at The Kitchn
Corn Pancakes with Broccoli, Carrots and Basil at What Did You Eat?

Unlike the cornbread that most folks are used to – soft, cakey, and decidedly too sweet – this one is rustic and savory. With the addition of pumpkin in place of buttermilk or oil, you not only remove a potentially gross and/or unhealthy ingredient, you also get a whole host of nutrients added to the mix. Pumpkin contains craaazy amounts of vitamin A, vitamin E, iron and fiber. In addition, it is strongly anti-inflammatory, so it balances the highly-inflammatory effects of the corn. This is good news for folks with arthritis, asthma, colitis, or autoimmune diseases who still want to chow down on some good ol’ fashioned cornbread every now and again.

Try it. You’ll like it.

PUMPKIN CORNBREAD
heavily adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe
makes one eight-inch skillet of bread

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. EarthBalance or butter
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar, or 1 packet of Truvia
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ tsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten or Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon the EarthBalance into an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet in the oven while it is preheating.
2. Mix 2/3 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in a small bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal to the boiling water and stir to make a mush. Add the pumpkin, vinegar, and egg and stir until smooth.
4. When the oven is preheated, combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Pour the melted EarthBalance into the batter and stir to incorporate. Quickly add the batter to the hot skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
5. Remove from the oven and turn cornbread out onto a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Gluten Free Pasta with Pumpkin-Coconut Sauce and Kale
Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze at Baking and Books
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, Pumpkin Bars, Stuffed Mini Pumpkins, and Homemade Pumpkin Seeds at SF Gate
Pumpkin Casserole at Closet Cooking
Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake at Elana’s Pantry

But, I’ve recently come up with a few tricks that keep my time spent in the kitchen and food sent to the compost bin to a minimum. Here are a few ideas:

* Make large batches of rice and freeze them in portion sized containers. Pull them out later for almost instant rice pudding or, in this case, to serve with some tasty curry.
* Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain them and put them in the Crockpot with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add a few pinches of salt, turn on low and let them cook while you are at work. When you come home, use some of the beans to make, say, a curry perhaps, and freeze the remaining beans (with enough cooking liquid to cover the top of the beans) in portion sized containers for later use.
* Make four servings of your favorite dish and package them each in individual containers. Find 3 single friends to do the same and trade. Voila! Four different meals for the price of one.
* Buy tomato paste in a tube instead of a can. It might cost a bit extra, but you can easily use a tablespoon at a time without trying to figure out how to use the rest of the can in a hurry.
* When you make a pot of soup or stew, freeze at least one portion. If you do this once a week for 2 months, you will have 8 single serving meal options stocked up. This is a great way to ensure that you always have variety.

CHICKPEA AND CHARD CURRY FOR ONE

2 tsp. coconut oil
3 Tbs. finely diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced on a Microplane
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced on a Microplane
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
5 cherry tomatoes, diced, or about 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup Swiss chard, chopped
few pinches salt
1 Tbs. cilantro, minced

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat until melted. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until onions are just soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the spices and stir to thoroughly coat the onion mixture. Immediately add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any spices or ginger that may be sticking. Add the coconut milk and lower the heat so that the mixture is just at a simmer.

3. Add the chickpeas, chard and salt. Stir, lower heat even more, cover and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour curry into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown Basmati rice on the side.

Tips and Thoughts About Dining Alone from Around the Blogosphere:
Cooking for One, a Pleasure or a Trial? at Tea & Cookies
Going Solo in the Kitchen: A Cookbook
Living Alone Recipes from Katie Lee Joel
Thai Red Curry Recipe at Whole Foods Market
Pumpkin Gnocchi at Closet Cooking

Now that the weather is changing, I have been in the mood for a warmer breakfast. I did smoothies for a while, but I got over that after having them everyday for almost a year. Then, I switched to turkey bacon, brown rice, and spinach. That lasted all of a month before I was ready for some actual breakfast-y food again. So, for the last few months I have been eating brown rice cakes with almond butter and jelly and a piece of fruit almost every morning. It’s delicious, but it too has become tiresome and isn’t really sufficient now that fall is upon us.

I think the hardest part about breakfast with dietary restrictions is finding something that is not only filling but nutritious. Getting plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals is just as important (if not more) at breakfast time as it is in any other meal, so why is it that breakfast has become a sort of throw away meal where people feel that toaster pastries and frozen waffles are quality options?

Sure, I could eat cereal for breakfast but pulverized grains smooshed into a flake shape and doused in sugar isn’t really my idea of a healthy balanced meal. Besides, something warm is really what I want right now.

I tried oatmeal, but it just makes me want to fall asleep, and its just a bowl of carbohydrates anyway. So, I started to consider some other grains that I could use in a porridge-y fashion like oatmeal and that would provide me with a decent amount to protein as well. Because I am allergic to quinoa, I decided to give amaranth a shot.

Amaranth is technically the seed of the plant not a grain, so very few people have allergic reactions to it. It is also a complete protein source like quinoa and contains tons of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

It cooks up very similarly to oatmeal and you can decorate it in much the same way. I personally just dolled it up with some raisins, walnuts, coconut milk, ground flax, and a touch of agave nectar. But here are a few other ideas:

*Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup for a pumpkin pie pudding.
*Stir in a few tablespoons each of almond butter and jelly.
*Saute some sliced apples with butter and cinnamon and stir them into the cooked amaranth along with a spoonful of good honey.
*For a savory twist, cook the amaranth in chicken stock or vegetable broth and stir in some spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese towards the end of cooking.
*Toss in some hemp seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, raw cacao nibs, coconut butter, or any of your other favorite nutrient dense foods

AMARANTH BREAKFAST PUDDING
makes one serving
You can usually find amaranth in the bulk foods section of most well stocked grocery stores

1 cup water
1/2 cup amaranth
coconut, rice, or hemp milk, as needed

1. Bring water to a boil on the stove. Add the amaranth and turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. When the water has been absorbed, stir in enough milk to make it creamy and add all the fixins you’d like.

One thing that I forgot to mention in my last post is that one of the participants in the raw foods class that I taught was a pediatrician who specializes in alternative therapies for kids with Autism. She and I talked at length about our theories on health, wellness, and diet and we were both so happy to find that we had the exact same opinions.

Throughout my years of researching illnesses and disorders and how they can be treated with diet, one disorder that I somehow had managed to overlook is Autism. And, it is so strange that I did because upon receiving the results of my food allergy test, my doctor recommended that I go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is one of the most commonly recommended diets for kids with Autism.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and a Gluten Free, Casein Free Diet (GFCF) are similar in that they both eliminate gluten, but they differ greatly in some other areas. In addition to eliminating gluten, SCD takes it one step further by eliminating all grains (rice, corn, millet, etc.), high starch foods (potatoes, yams, tapioca, arrowroot, etc.), and all sweeteners, except honey. SCD does allow some dairy products (if they can be tolerated), meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. You can learn all about the science behind this diet, which was created by a team of doctors and refined by a biochemist, here.

In a nutshell, the theory is that by excluding complex carbohydrates and only eating foods that early man was eating before the agricultural revolution, our digestive systems can work properly and entire body can function optimally – especially our brain!

Because I was allergic to so many different grains, dairy, yeast, and legumes, it seemed that my digestive system would most likely benefit from SCD. I’ve avoided really diving in because it feels like such a restricted diet. But, after meeting my pediatrician friend and realizing that there is a huge Autistic population out there who really HAVE TO adopt this diet, I thought I should at least take a closer look and try to develop more recipes to make the transition easier for them – and maybe even myself.

Banana-Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about sixty bite sized cookies
inspired by this recipe at 101cookbooks.com

Otherwise if you eat them just as is, you can enjoy all of the healthy benefits of chocolate and chia seeds in one delicious vegan, gluten free, grain free, casein free, egg free, soy free, peanut free bite!

3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. chia seeds
3 Tbs. water
2 cups almond flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
about 1 cup carob or chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a liquid measuring cup combine the bananas, coconut oil, and vanilla and stir them all together. In a separate small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Allow these to sit for about 10 minutes or until it forms a gel-like consistency and stir them into the banana mixture.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and baking powder. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the carob or chocolate chips.

3. Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper and spoon scoops of dough, about 1 1/2-2 tsp. in size, onto the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes on a rack located in the upper part of the oven. Bake the cookies as long as possible without burning the bottoms. Gently remove the cookies from the sheet pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.

First, I made several mini pies for a raw foods class that I taught in San Antonio last weekend. In that version, I pressed the crust into the bottom of several ramekins. And, I left the coconut oil out of the filling so that it maintained a consistency that was similar to a pudding. Then I could easily spoon the filling over the top of the crust and eat it immediately. The purpose of adding the melted coconut oil to the filling is so that once it is chilled, it will set up almost like a regular key lime pie. Without it, you can’t really slice a large pie into pieces, but it does make a nice custardy filling for individual pies.

After teaching the class I had some crust left over and several avocados. Being allergic to avocados, the only hope these little guys had of being consumed was for me to make another pie for other folks to eat.

And, I knew just the group to feed it to.

For the last several weeks I have been volunteering for the Sustainable Food Center, and I’m telling you, no one loves or appreciates good, fresh, organic, healthy food like these folks. Seriously. Last week, I was sitting in the SFC office eating my lunch and a crowd gathered around to admire the fresh candy cane beets in my salad, more than one person asking which farmer from Saturday’s Farmers Market I had purchased them from.

When has that ever happened in your office?

These folks are more passionate about fresh produce than my cats are about naps and bowls full of kibble- and that is saying a lot. They do so many amazing things for our community and are a huge reason that the local, organic food movement has such a huge following in Austin.

I thought the least I could do is make them a pie.

Raw Vegan Key Lime Pie
makes one nine inch pie

To melt the coconut oil without heating it above 110 degrees, let it sit in a 110 degree dehydrator for about an hour before making the pie. Or, you may melt it in a saucepan over very low heat, removing it immediately from the heat once it is almost completely melted.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts or cashews
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 cups pitted dates
pinch Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt

Filling:
4 huge Hass avocados
juice of 11 juicy limes
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1. For the Crust: In a food processor, combine nuts, coconut, dates, and salt. Process the mixture until it is well combined, a little bit chunky, and sticky. The food processor may shake around a lot, so be sure to hold it in place while it is running. When it is done, press the crust mixture evenly into a 9 inch pie pan.

2. For the Filling: Using either a blender or the food processor, combine the avocadoes, limes, agave nectar, and coconut oil. Blend until smooth (this may take up to 5 minutes in a food processor) and pour the filling over the crust. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pie and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to one day before serving.

Buffalo meat has 70-90% less fat, 50% less cholesterol and yet 30% more protein than beef. It’s also much higher in iron, which is great for women, and has a great ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 acids. In fact, the amount of Omega fatty acids is comparable to that found in Salmon. To top it off, there are no known allergies to bison meat!

And, the taste! OMG! To.Die.For.

This recipe is a fantastic introduction to the world of bison if you’ve never tried it before. And, if you have, it’ll be another go to recipe in the arsonal for sure. I found the original version while hunting around on one of my favorite blogs. I whipped up this altered version for dinner, and between Luke and I, the entire loaf was gone by the next evening.

BBQ Bison Meatloaf
adapted from this recipe by Ree Drummond
makes one loaf that feeds four to six people

2 small bell peppers, any color you would like, diced small
1 onion, diced small
3 ribs celery, diced small
5 garlic cloves, minced
Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent to 2 eggs, or 2 cage-free eggs
3 Tbs. butter or EarthBalance
about 1 cup Almond Flour or breadcrumbs
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or to taste depending on how spicy you like your food
1/4 cup milk of your choice (I used almond milk)
1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (This has gluten, so only include it if you do not have a sensitivity.)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ Sauce, or 1 batch of The Best Sugar Free BBQ Sauce EVER!, recipe follows
1 1/2 pounds ground bison

1. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. When it melts and gets foamy, add the bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic. Add some salt, pepper and cayenne and let cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to get soft. You don’t really want them to brown, just soften.

2. Add about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce. Cook down for a few more minutes and add the Worcestershire sauce and milk. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in about a half cup of almond flour or breadcrumbs with a rubber, heat-resistant spatula. Keep adding more almond flour or breadcrumbs until you get a consistency like a thick paste. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine your ground bison and “eggs” in a large mixing bowl, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. When your oven is hot and the vegetable mixture has cooled a bit, add it to the bison mixture and mix it up. If you try mixing this with a spoon, I promise, you will immediately abandon it and opt for digging in with your hands or as I like to call them, “Nature’s Perfect Utensils”. So I say save yourself from dirtying another dish and just dive in.

4. Form the meatloaf mixture into a meatloaf shape (about 1 1/2 inches tall and 7 inches wide) on a lightly oiled sheet tray. Slather the remaining BBQ Sauce all over the tops and sides of the meatloaf. Pop it in the oven and cook it for about 30 minutes or until the drippings around the meatloaf are blackened and bubbling, like in the above photo.

I served this with Mock Mashed Potatoes (Mashed Cauliflower) and my ever faithful side dish – Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes.

The Best Sugar Free BBQ Sauce EVER!
makes 1 1/2 cups
adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe

2 Tbs. butter or EarthBalance
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. stoneground or Dijon mustard
3 packets of Truvia or 2 Tbs. molasses or agave nectar, or to taste
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and stir. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, sweetener, liquid smoke, and salt. Bring this mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce down to about 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Add more sweetener, liquid smoke, salt and pepper as needed.