Persimmon cranberry sauce/jelly

When you are in the midst of making many dishes for Thanksgiving it’s tempting to buy cranberry sauce or jelly from a can. It’s not the healthiest option. Canned cranberry sauce is made with refined sugar and thickened with commercial thickeners. The big secret is that cranberry sauce can be made in about 15 minutes. […]

Eggplant caviar & Russian babaganoush

Don’t WORRY Eggplant caviar IS fish eggs FREE I assume this eggplant dish gets it’s name from the tiny eggplant seeds that look caviar. It’s a very popular Russian/Ukrainian appetizer served on special occasions. It was one my favorite things about attending family gatherings as a kid. I didn’t make this dish because there was […]

Shishito pepper salsa

A mild Shishito pepper condiment FOR tonS of flavor & mild spice. This salsa started with the intention to make sriracha, a spicy tangy Vietnamese condiment I put on everything. Most sriracha is made chemicals in the ingredients list. No thank you.  I found an organic brand I like, but it still has sugar in […]

Sriracha cole slaw with homemade mayo

Spicy Napa cabbage coleslaw: a new SPIN on A CLASSIC SALAD Mayonnaise was the last non-Paleo food I gave up when transitioning back to Paleo. Before that I ate Vegenaise made with grapeseed oil because I thought it was healthy. Then I discovered that even grapeseed oil was inflammatory. This blew my mind. I knew […]

Sweet potato “fries”

These are baked, not fried so maybe we should call them sweet potato “bakes” I love french fries and I wouldn’t feel so guilty eating them if they weren’t deep fried in inflammatory oil. Whenever I’m craving fries I satiate the urge with my healthy version. I make this with organic white potatoes or  sweet […]

Spicy egg and seaweed wrap

Egg and seaweed wrap I used my dehydrator to make this unique wrap. Dehydrators are super handy for making Paleo snacks like fruit leather, meat jerky or fish jerky. And this crazy invention too. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can make this on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet (with a rim) and cooking […]

Ukranian beet salad

How to HOST A PROBIOTIC PARTY (in your mouth)! You might have heard how good sauerkraut is for you. It’s quite popular in Ukrainian cuisine. I was born in Ukraine (the former Soviet Union at the time) and moved here when I was 5 years old. I grew up eating a mixture of Ukrainian and […]

Kale marinara (grain-free and guilt -free)

“What the Kale?” Swapping kale for pasta It’s that good. The secret is using baby kale leaves, they are tender and you don’t have to remove the stems. I bought mine bagged at my favorite supermarket Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley, California. Pasta is the first thing to go on a grain-free diet. Paleo peeps pine […]