SCD Recipes from Autism Help At Home

These are recipes courtesy of AutismHelpAtHome who led a Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) cooking class for members of our Naavigator program.

Seared lamb chops
Grass fed rib lamb chops if possible, coat with olive oil, coconut oil, or both, season well with sea salt and ground pepper, sear on medium heat till browned (about 3 minutes depending on thickness), turn over to finish off the other side. Remove from pan and allow to rest, then pour juices and meat back in to pan, to coat in remaining juices.

Turkey cranberry meatballs
Organic turkey meat (about half a pound), ground up in food processor with a few precooked baby carrots, a small handful of roughly chopped Italian or curly parsley, half a cup of organic raw cranberries which have simmered in water for an hour or so, a teaspoonful of sage or poultry seasoning, two roughly chopped scallions, sea salt to taste, ground pepper, two cloves fresh garlic and a bit of olive oil or other fat of choice. Roll into balls and place in medium hot cast iron skillet with a little fat in it, turn when golden brown, reduce heat to finish off, cooking all sides evenly.

Savory zucchini sauté
Can be done with or without meat, but today I chose meat. Brown half a pound of ground meat of your choice (we are using grass-fed beef) with a drizzle of olive oil, a handful of chopped organic peppers, chopped red or yellow onion, and one large thin sliced zucchini. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, two or three tablespoonfuls of SCD tomato sauce, two teaspoonfuls of oregano, sea salt to taste, ground black pepper and a handful of chopped parsley. Then pour about two cups of organic chicken broth over, stir and simmer with lid on till most liquid is absorbed. Adjust salt.

Chicken apple pancakes with honey cider syrup
Largely chop one raw boneless skinless chicken breast and simmer in water or broth till just cooked (not pink) then drain and put into food processor with a few pre-cooked carrots, one large peeled deseeded chopped apple, teaspoonful of sea salt, dash of honey, dash of cinnamon and 3 whole eggs. Process till smooth, should be a pasty consistency. Spoon batter onto greased medium hot skillet which has heated for at least ten minutes to avoid sticking. Turn when bottom side is browned, being careful to not break.
Syrup: Pour two cups apple cider into sauce pan with half a cup of honey and one cinnamon stick if you have one, and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer and reduce by about half. Adjust honey for sweetness. You can add SCD vanilla at the end.

Roasted butternut fries in duck fat
Peel butternut squash, halve it, scrape out seeds and slice into spears. Toss them in duck fat and some coconut oil, season with sea salt and place on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if non-stick metal) in the oven at 400 for 25 minutes or until browned, carefully turning and cooking till done.

Warm cinnamon pears with gorgonzola and roasted figs
Peel, core, and quarter 4 ripe Bartlett pears. Place in saucepan with water half way up. Add two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, _ cup of honey, pinch of sea salt and simmer covered till tender (about 7 minutes). While pears are simmering, slice unpeeled figs in skillet with a little clarified butter to brown. Stir pears gently to coat, then remove from heat and let cool. Remove from pan to cut into large chunks while reducing left over juices in the pan. Return chunks to pan to toss gently then plate with roasted fig halves and chunks of chilled gorgonzola.

Spaghetti squash with parmesan
Cut large spaghetti squash in half and scrape out seeds, season with sea salt, ground pepper and olive oil, then place open sides down onto baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes at 375. Use fork to twist flesh around inside and drizzle with olive oil or coconut oil, or clarified butter if allowed. Grate fresh parmesan cheese (parm regianno is preferred), over top, and serve.

Spiced butternut squash pudding
Slice a butternut squash in half and scrape insides, then place open face down onto baking sheet for 50 minutes at 400. Let cool then scrape into bowl, and mix with 2 tablespoonfuls of honey, heavy dash of cinnamon, heavy dash of nutmeg, small dash of ground cloves, sea salt and ground pepper. Add a little olive or safflower oil and whip up till smooth. Serve warm or chilled in custard cups. Can top with a little toasted unsweetened coconut flakes.

Organic ginger tea
Grate about 4 tablespoonfuls of unpeeled organic ginger root and place in the basket of a teapot filled _ full of hot boiled water. Steep for five or six minutes. Add 3 tablespoonfuls of honey and juice of half a lemon, then stir and strain into mugs.

To make ghee:
Very slowly melt one pound of unsalted organic butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. As the butter melts it will begin to boil and separate (white froth on top with sediment settling to the bottom of the pan). Keep the butter simmering slowly and steadily. Do not stir or agitate the pan. Allow the butter to continue to cook until the bubbling noise quiets down, the sediment at the bottom of the pan starts to turn golden brown (you can check the color of the sediment by gently tilting the pan), and the liquid under the froth begins to turn an amber color (it usually takes about 20 minutes). The smell also changes to that of freshly baked croissants. All these signs indicate that all the water has evaporated. Leave the cooked ghee to cool for half an hour, then carefully spoon off the whey solids on top and discard. Line a strainer with either some cheese cloth or unbleached paper towel, and strain the ghee into sterilized jars. The ghee will turn hard when cooled and look yellow in color - it melts quickly when exposed to heat. If it is properly made, ghee will keep for over a year, even outside the fridge.

Click here for a youtube demonstration of making ghee.