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We finally figured out the best pancakes recipe that is grain-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free (unless you fry them in and top with butter), lectin-free, low-carb, Keto, and Paleo! I don’t know how many more “-free” adjectives I can add 😉 These are so delicious and guilt-free that I would make them more often if I had the time on weekdays. For us, it’s typically a weekend or a holiday breakfast.

These pancakes are more like regular pancakes than the recipes I’ve tried before. I really have to credit Joel for playing around with this pancakes recipe to get just the right consistency. In the past, our pancakes would turn out thin, more like French crêpes or Russian pancakes, but this recipe makes them thicker like your traditional American pancakes. That’s probably because Joel wants his pancakes like what he’s used to 🙂

Keto Pancakes

Whether the pancakes are thin or thick, they remind me of growing up in Russia. When I was little, I often stayed at my grandparents’ house on weekends. I would wake up to the smell of my grandmother making pancakes. There would be a tall stack of thin, buttered pancakes. The house smelled amazing.

She served them with hot cocoa. My grandfather liked his pancakes with melted butter. I liked mine with my grandmother’s homemade raspberry jam. Talk about sugar, gluten, and more sugar! Luckily, our pancakes recipe has no sugar, no gluten, and no worries, only the amazing smell and taste that reminds both of us of our childhood.

We serve them with grass-fed butter (or goat butter as pictured in the photos) and Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup, which is monk-fruit-sweetened and sugar-free. You could use coconut oil instead of butter if you are dairy-sensitive.

Paleo Pancakes

This makes my weekend. Now I can go to my Yoga Burn class and burn those few net carbs 😂

Makes about 2 servings

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, preferably pastured (I use pastured eggs from Vital Farms, which are available at most grocery stores in our area)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon natural, sugar-free sweetener (I use Lakanto® Monk Fruit Sweetener, which is 100% as sweet as regular table sugar. Adjust your sweetener accordingly.)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use Simply Organic® no-sugar-added Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract)
2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk, preferably no-guar-gum-added
1/4 cup of water or less depending on the consistency of the pancake batter
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt (I use Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
Grass-fed butter, goat butter, French butter, or coconut oil for frying
Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup to taste for serving (or another sugar-free maple syrup of choice)

Directions:

  1. Mix eggs, coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla extract, and coconut milk until well combined.
  2. Add coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together without over mixing, especially if you want thicker pancakes.
  3. Check the batter consistency. If it’s too thick, add water, up to 1/4 cup, or until the batter resembles regular pancake batter.
  4. Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a spoonful of butter or coconut oil. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan to make a large pancake.
  5. Cook like traditional pancakes until bubbles appear and the edges look a bit browned.
  6. Flip to the other side and cook about 1 minute or until browned.

Let me know how you like our grain-free, sugar-free pancakes recipe in the comments below. Enjoy!

Low Carb Pancakes
Joel enjoying our low-carb pancakes!

If you like low-carb breakfasts, check out my Cinnamon Muffin In A Bowl recipe and Strawberry Muffin In A Bowl recipe.

This is the best homemade chicken broth / soup recipe from my grandma, which I adjusted slightly after living in St. Maarten. Chicken soups I had in the Caribbean were by far the most delicious and hearty. This recipe is the low-carb, gluten-free version.

My grandma’s and Caribbean-style special tricks make this a staple in our house. Whenever it’s cold outside, or I’m feeling sick, or I want something heart-warming, I make this recipe. I’ve also made it and brought it over to friends and family to help them get better 🙂

Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe

This homemade chicken broth recipe is super easy to make. If you need broth for any other recipes, strain when done and voila! The beauty of making the broth this way is you can serve it over whatever veggies you want, or not. Pour over spinach or baby greens and canned artichoke hearts to add wilted greens and veggies to your soup. Top with avocado, if you’d like, and/or fresh herbs such as cilantro or flat-leaf Italian parsley.

If I only have baby carrots and red onions on hand, that works, too, as you can see in my photo. Enjoy and let me know how you like it!

Chicken Broth Ingredients

Ingredients

4 whole skin-on chicken legs (or an equivalent amount of chicken drumsticks and/or thighs)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-3 pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-3 pieces each
1 yellow onion, peeled and ends trimmed
6 fresh thyme sprigs (or more to taste)
Sea salt to taste (I use Himalayan pink salt)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients into a large soup pot. Don’t cut the onion; leave it whole, peeled, and uncut.
  2. Pour enough filtered water into the pot to cover all ingredients.
  3. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
  4. Simmer for 40 minutes.
  5. Adjust seasonings, if needed.

This homemade chicken broth recipe is featured on Connie Bennett’s blog. Connie, the Cravings NinjaTM and 1 New Thing a DayTM Founder, is the bestselling author of Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock.

I also developed my homemade bone broth recipe from grass-fed beef marrow bones that is based on my grandma’s chicken broth recipe. Check it out!

Have you heard of liquid gold? That’s what they call bone broth! Some claim that it is a nutritional powerhouse with many health benefits:

  • Rich in protein
  • Rich in gelatin
  • A source of minerals

Apparently, bone broth helps with joint, skin, and digestive health; helps to mitigate the side effects of colds and flu; and supports your body’s detoxification process.

So, bone broth is delicious, nutrient-rich, super good for you, and can be served in a variety of ways. What’s not to like?

I’ve tried a few varieties of store-bought bone broth, and frankly, I’m not impressed. My homemade bone broth from grass-fed beef marrow bones is way better, but then again, I’m biased.

Not only that, but it’s so easy to throw together — 5 ingredients plus water and seasonings — that I make it all the time.

Bone Broth from Grass-fed Beef Marrow Bones

This bone broth recipe is based on my grandma’s chicken soup recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

About 3 lbs. of grass-fed beef bones (preferably with marrow in them)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-3 pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-3 pieces each
1 yellow onion, peeled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg® Organic, Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste (I use Himalayan pink salt)

Directions

  1. Place bones, carrot, celery, and onion into a large soup pot. Don’t cut the onion; leave it whole, peeled, and uncut.
  2. Pour enough filtered water into the pot to cover all ingredients.
  3. Pour apple cider vinegar into the pot.
  4. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
  6. Simmer for 24 hours (walk away and leave it alone, seriously!)

Yep, that’s how quick and easy it is to make your own bone broth. It takes a while to cook, but the end result is rich, satisfying, and oh, so worth it. Enjoy!

I was born and raised in the former Soviet Union. We ate foods like homemade liver pâté, meat aspic made from pigs feet (called kholodets in Russian), caviar, and others uncommon foods as far as American palates go.

When you grow up with these foods, they are delicious and normal to you. Everyone in my family loves liver. My 20-months-old niece loves our homemade liver pâté!

Liver is also one of nature’s most potent superfoods, so we try to eat it every other week. Typically, I make it as a pâté, but one day I thought of adding liver instead of day-old bread soaked in milk to a traditional Russian cutlet recipe. It turned out so well (and so easy to make!) that we started making this dish quite often. It is now one of my signature recipes 🙂

I realize, however, that not everyone loves liver. So, if you’re not a big fan of beef liver, but would like to add organ meats into your diet, you might want to give this recipe a try. The beef masks the taste of liver to some degree.

These Russian-style beef cutlets with liver are tender, moist, and delicious. Be adventurous and let me know how you like them!

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef, preferably 80% or 85% grass-fed (or elk, or bison)
1 lb. beef liver, preferably grass-fed
1 yellow onion
1 egg, preferably pastured (I use pastured eggs from Vital Farms, which are available at most grocery stores in our area)
Cooking fat of choice (beef tallow, butter, or coconut oil)
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste (I use Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
Garlic powder to taste (optional)

Directions

  1. Chop the onion by hand or in a food processor. Place in a bowl.
  2. Place the liver and egg into a food processor. Mix for about 10 seconds, or until well combined, and the mixture is smooth without any chucks.
  3. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, if desired, to the liver and egg mixture, and mix in the food processor for about 10 seconds, or until well combined.
  4. Transfer the beef and liver mixture to the bowl with the onions and mix until combined.
  5. Heat a frying pan on medium-high. When the pan is hot, add cooking fat of choice (I use EPIC or Fatworks grass-fed beef tallow).
  6. Cook in batches — brown on one side for about 3 minutes, then flip over and brown on the other side for about 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Enjoy!

My husband loves cinnamon, so naturally, I had to create a lectin-free, grain-free cinnamon muffin-in-a-bowl recipe that is Keto-friendly.

If you love cinnamon, you’ll love this quick and easy recipe. In fact, it’s so fast and easy that we often make variations of this basic muffin-in-a-bowl recipe on weekdays, at least once a week.

This muffin goes particularly well with coffee, in our opinion, if you’re a coffee drinker. I’m an occasional coffee drinker 🙂

Have a cappuccino with your cinnamon muffin

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 large egg, preferably pastured (I use pastured eggs from Vital Farms, which are available at most grocery stores in our area)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
2 teaspoons low-carb sweetener (I use Lakanto® Classic White or Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener, which is available on Amazon.com)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Spicely® Organics True Cinnamon)
Pinch of salt (I use Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)

Directions

  1. Whisk the egg, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sweetener, and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl or ramekin until well combined.
  2. Pour melted coconut oil into the bowl or ramekin and mix well.
  3. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
  4. Remove the bowl using oven mittens (it will be hot!)
  5. Top with grass-fed butter, extra cinnamon, and extra sweetener, if desired.
  6. Let cool for a minute and enjoy!

TIP:
If this gluten-free muffin is a bit too dry for your taste, add a tablespoon of water to the ingredients in step 1.

VARIATIONS:
Substitute strawberries for cinnamon to make a Strawberry Muffin In A Bowl version of this recipe.

I love chicken! I like it roasted, fried, baked, steamed, simmered in a homemade soup — you name it. Because I grew up in Russia, I always preferred the juicy dark meat (chicken legs and chicken thighs). I also love crispy chicken skin.

The key to achieving a super crispy chicken without frying it is the cooking fat that you use. I think that the pork fat is the best cooking fat for baking your chicken.

This crispiest baked chicken recipe is so good that you’ll never miss the deep-fried stuff. It’s super easy to make, too.

Crispy Baked Chicken Legs Recipe

Ingredients

8 whole chicken legs
1/4 cup pork fat (I like EPIC pastured pork fat)
1 tablespoon garlic powder, or to taste
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pe-heat oven to 415° F.
  2. Generously slather chicken legs with pork fat.
  3. Sprinkle chicken legs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  4. Arrange on a broiler pan to allow for some of the fat to drip when cooking. Ensure there’s plenty of space between chicken legs, so they get really crispy.
  5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the skin is really crispy.

TIP:
Fry some garlic in grass-fed butter and pour over the chicken legs once they were done baking, as featured in my photo above.

Enjoy!

Berries are in season, so I tried adding a few sliced strawberries to my grain-free, and thus gluten-free, muffin-in-a-bowl recipe. It turned out so delicious (and so quick and easy to make) that I have to share the recipe.

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 large egg, preferably pastured (I use pastured eggs from Vital Farms, which are available at most grocery stores in our area)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
2 teaspoons low-carb sweetener (I use Lakanto® Classic White or Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener, which is available on Amazon.com)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt (I use Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
2 medium-sized strawberries, sliced

Directions

  1. Whisk the egg, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, sweetener, and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl or ramekin until well combined.
  2. Pour melted coconut oil into the bowl or ramekin and mix well.
  3. Add sliced strawberries by mixing them in (make sure they’re covered with the rest of the mixture).
  4. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
  5. Remove the bowl using oven mittens (it will be hot!)
  6. Add grass-fed butter on top, if desired, let cool for a minute, and enjoy!

Grain Free Strawberry Muffin In A Bowl Recipe

This grain-free muffin almost tastes like a sponge cake. You can fry it in a pan like a pancake. You can add some whipped cream on top, and it’s dessert!

VARIATIONS:
Substitute cinnamon for strawberries to make a Cinnamon Muffin In A Bowl version of this recipe.

The days are hot right now, which makes me want to eat light side dishes with my steaks, burgers, chicken, fish, or whatever protein I’m eating that day. One of the easiest side dishes to throw together is my tangy broccoli slaw.

Typically I’d add mayo to it, but not on a hot summer day. My love Joel, The Grillmaster, cooked up succulent grass-fed rib eyes to go with the slaw.

grilled rib eyes

This tangy, light, and crunchy broccoli slaw is super easy to make. It’s a perfect side dish for summer days.

Watch how I make it. The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

4 cups store-bought, pre-washed, pre-cut broccoli slaw
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar)
Salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place broccoli slaw into a salad bowl.
  2. Add extra-virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss together.
  5. Enjoy!

TIP
Feel free to add fresh herbs to your liking, such as parsley, cilantro, or any other.

I haven’t been drinking alcohol lately because I’m a light-weight and don’t like waking up groggy the next day, so I’ve been getting creative with non-alcoholic drinks.

Christine, a friend of mine, got me into drinking raw apple cider vinegar. She swears it’s a cure for everything. I’m not sure if it is or not, but the drink I created is perfect for warm summer days, or any time of the year, for that matter.

It’s tangy and super refreshing. Give it a try!

Watch how I make this drink. The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 cup SodaStream fizzy water or any sparkling water
1 lime wedge for garnish, if desired

Directions

  1. Pour 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass.
  2. Pour sparkling water into the glass.
  3. Add a lime wedge for garnish.
  4. Enjoy!

I love asparagus, but I don’t like how it’s typically cooked. It’s steamed, oven-roasted, or sautéed…blah. I say there is a better way.

One day I was volunteering as a chef’s assistant in a cooking class. I clearly remember Chef Dan Witherspoon, of The Gourmet Spoon in Denver, Colorado, say that the best way to cook asparagus is to grill it. If you can’t grill it, broil it. It’s the next best thing to grilling.

Then once, during an annual ski weekend with my former college buddies, I was cooking batches of asparagus for dinner. People kept coming up to me and asking what I put in it because it tasted so good. I said, “Nothing special. It’s just quality oil and salt, and I broiled it.” People couldn’t believe how simple and delicious it was.

So, here is my “special,” super easy, and quick recipe for the best asparagus you can cook at home.

Watch how to prep asparagus for cooking, how to broil it, and enjoy! The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed by hand (see tip below or watch the video)
3 tablespoons avocado oil (or any high-heat cooking fat)
Sea salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan pink sea for the minerals in it)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired

Directions

  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Place asparagus into a mixing bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Use your hands to coat the spears with oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  3. Arrange asparagus onto a broiler pan or baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure there is a bit of space between each spear.
  4. Broil for about 5 minutes. Flip over and broil for about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plater immediately. Arrange asparagus in a single layer, otherwise, it will steam and become soggy.
  6. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste if you’d like.
  7. Enjoy!

For thicker spears increase cooking time by a few minutes depending on the thickness. You may keep checking while the asparagus is cooking to ensure it doesn’t get charred. It should be slightly crispy, but not too brown.

TIP

Use your hands instead of a knife to trim your spears. Simply hold a spear with both hands on each side and bend it. The spear will naturally snap. Discard the tough end and use the tender portion of the spear.

You can tell by this recipe that I like to use my hands when working with food. They are the original kitchen tool!