Roux (pronounced “roo”) is a thickening agent that chefs add to sauces, soups, and stews to give them a more pleasing texture. It is a staple of French cooking, though in the U.S. we typically associate it more with Cajun or Creole staples like gumbo.
Roux is made by cooking one part fat and one part flour together to form something resembling smooth gravy. White flour is a no-go when eating Primally, but never fear, you aren’t doomed to a lifetime of thin, runny étouffée, moussaka, and scalloped potatoes!
Today, I’ll show you how to make a traditional roux and how to swap in Primal-friendly ingredients for a gluten-free option.
Read MoreYou probably already cook with coconut oil. Maybe you enjoy big flakes of toasted coconut in your trail mix or shredded coconut in your grain-free Primal “oatmeal.” But have you tried the richest, most decadent coconut product of them all: coconut butter?
What is coconut butter, you ask? It’s simply dried coconut blended until it forms a smooth, creamy paste. Since the only ingredient is coconut, it’s naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
Our favorite way to enjoy it is making the world’s easiest two-ingredient keto treat: dark chocolate with a schmear of coconut butter. Or just eat it with a spoon. We’ll never tell.
How to Make Coconut Butter
Savory, smokey, and dripping with creamy cheese, the Philly cheesesteak is an iconic loaded sandwich made traditionally with beefsteak, a hoagie roll, and oodles of melted cheese. We skipped the roll and redid the cheese sauce recipe for a Primal take on this Pennsylvania local favorite! Not totally authentic, granted, but delicious nonetheless.
You really can’t go wrong with thinly sliced steak topped with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and peppers. Sear the thinly sliced steak for only a minute, sauté the mushrooms and peppers until tender, and cook the onions until brown and sweet.
Pile it all high on plate—Philly cheesesteak isn’t about dainty serving sizes—and enjoy!
Read MoreThe star of this lemon caper chicken recipe is a simple sauce with bold, memorable flavor. Three easy ingredients – capers, parsley, and butter, plus one secret ingredient (the brine from the caper jar) come together into a rich and piquant sauce that will have you licking the plate.
The versatile sauce pairs well with chicken breast, but if you have a little more time on your hands the sauce can certainly be served with thicker skin-on chicken breasts or thighs, a pork chop or tenderloin, a pan-seared fillet of fish or roasted vegetables.
Here’s how to make it.
Read MoreCranberry sauce adds a pop of color and tangy zing to any Thanksgiving spread. With so many savory and hearty flavors on the table, this old-school side adds balance to your plate. Unfortunately, cranberries are naturally pretty sour on their own, and the familiar sweetness you taste in most recipes usually comes from more sugar than a can of soda.
If you’re going to indulge in sweets, save it for dessert. This no sugar added cranberry sauce recipe is sweetened with applesauce. You can use maple syrup, honey, or your favorite natural sweetener if you want to tone down the natural tartness. A fresh, homemade no added sugar cranberry sauce is the perfect side dish to your turkey and green bean casserole for the holiday feast.
No sugar-added cranberry sauce is easy to make, and will likely be the quickest recipe you’ll make for your whole Thanksgiving celebration. Here’s how to make a whole berry cranberry sauce from scratch, right at home.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce With No Added Sugar
Time in the kitchen: 15 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
18 oz. fresh cranberries (we love Honestly Cranberry)
1 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. honey
Zest from ½ orange
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
Directions
Place the cranberries and water in a pot and heat over medium heat.
Mix in the applesauce, orange juice, honey, and orange zest.
When the pot comes to a boil, reduce it to a simmer and stir in the ground cloves and ginger and the cinnamon.
Allow the sauce to simmer for around 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches the consistency of your liking. Taste the sauce occasionally and adjust the sweetener to taste.
Serve this cranberry sauce alongside your favorite meat or holiday meal. It’s also delicious as a lower sugar sweet option when paired with a bit of coconut cream, dark chocolate or fresh whipped cream.
Tips:
– If the cranberry sauce is too tart for you as written, feel free to add additional honey. You could also use maple syrup.
– Depending on the strength of your stove top burner and the size of your cranberries, you may need a little more or less time for the sauce to finish cooking.
Nutrition Facts (1/8 of recipe):
Calories: 60
Fat: 0g
Total Carbs: 13g
Net Carbs: 10g
Protein: 0g
Mark’s said it before: He advocates for collagen to become the fourth macronutrient. Collagen supports collagen-based structures in the body, such as fascia, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, skin, nails, and hair, and most of us just don’t get enough of it from meat, dairy, eggs, or plant proteins. Learn more about the important role glycine, the primary amino acid found in collagen protein, and check out our creative culinary ways to include more collagen in your diet.
Reasons to Include Collagen in Your Diet
Most people regard amino acids in one of two ways: essential, meaning our bodies can’t synthesize them, or inessential, meaning our bodies can. There’s also a third category of amino acids: conditionally essential, which become essential in times of illness and heightened stress. One such conditionally essential amino acid is glycine.
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