The only Navy Bean Soup I ever had growing up came out of a can and I didn’t like it very much, so I wasn’t inclined to make my own – until I had clients needing a version that was delicious and easy to digest for myriad special diets. This Navy Bean Soup version is legal for Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Navy beans are one of few beans and legumes allowed on this diet. That means it has no grains and no starches in it that are tough for a compromised gut to digest. Kids with Crohns, inflammatory bowel conditions, irritable bowel, or multiple food allergies may be able to enjoy this satisfying soup. The key to this recipe working well for tender tummies is soaking the beans overnight before preparing the soup.
As I poked around for versions to launch from for this recipe, I found old standards like Senate Bean Soup – a thick and smoky soup that, in some versions, leans on mashed white potato to thicken it so it has a rich chowder-y texture. Potatoes are a no-go for SCD folks, so those are omitted here – but add them if you like! For the broth, I often use my own homemade chicken broth which is SCD legal in its preparation. If this isn’t an option, look for unsweetened plain organic chicken broth in quart boxes such as  Imagine brand Organic Chicken Bone Broth.
Make this for a hearty cold weather meal. I love it with a favorite bread like Kim and Jakes Peasant Loaf (not SCD legal, but gluten free and full of other nutrients and fiber). For kids avoiding grains, try it with Chebe rolls baked from a mix.
Navy Bean Soup - Simple and SCD Legal
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Easy to prepare, and easy to expand with more ingredients if you like. Consider adding chopped carrots, onion, or finely cubed white potato if those foods work in your household.
Easy to prepare, and easy to expand with more ingredients if you like. Consider adding chopped carrots, onion, or finely cubed white potato if those foods work in your household.
Rinse the dried beans in a colander with running water until foamy bubbles diminish or disappear.
Place the rinsed beans in a large pot and cover with filtered water. Add ~ 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and let soak overnight, or for 8 hours.
After soaking, drain the beans and rinse thoroughly, then set aside.
Wipe the large pot dry. Add bacon fat, ghee and olive oil and melt over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, celery, parsley, and scallions. If desired, add other vegetables here also.
Cook these til nearly soft, about five minutes. Add thyme and bay leaves, and stir vegetables to blend herbs throughout.
Add rinsed beans and stir with vegetables and herbs to evenly combine everything. Then cover with 8 cups (2 quart boxes) of chicken broth. Stir again to distribute everything evenly throughout the broth.
Bring to a low boil. Add honey, optional maple syrup, tamari, and lemon juice. Cover to simmer at low boil for 2-3 hours, or until beans are very soft.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sprinkling of fresh parsley leaves and enjoy!
Maybe your kids will eat Brussels sprouts after all. Try this slaw instead of the traditional cabbage version. As long as you have a food processor with a grater or shredder blade, this is easy and fast. If not, you can grate the vegetables by hand but it will take more time. You can also adjust the honey or lemon in it to your preference for sweet or tangy. Even tastier if it gets an overnight in the fridge.
Brussels Slaw
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Crunchy, tasty alternate to the usual cabbage slaw.
Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Trim the Brussels sprouts stumps to remove ragged or dirty edges. Peel carrots and trim ends.
Using a grater attachment on a food processor, shred/grate the carrots and Brussels sprouts. Place the grated vegetables in a large bowl, and add raisins and hemp seeds. Stir to evenly mix.
Whisk the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, and honey to an even consistency in a small bowl, or place in a pint glass jar, seal with lid and shake til smooth.
Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly. For best flavor, let the slaw rest covered in refrigerator for an hour at least and overnight if possible.
This old-timey dessert is one I modified from my dog-eared 1979 edition of Joy of Cooking, given to me when I was an undergraduate in nutrition at the University of Vermont. There were no cookbooks then specific to particular diets – except Diet For A Small Planet, and a few other vegetarian titles (yep, had those too). But this encyclopedic tome has served me across the decades to dig up amazing and obscure recipes, some to modify, and others fabulous just as they were back then.
When my son had wisdom teeth removed, I had to find ways to give a high calorie, high nourishment, pureed or soft diet. No sucking on straws allowed, no chewing, nothing too hot or cold. And nothing with gluten, casein, whey, tree nuts (except almond), peanut, soy, legumes (except lentils), cane sugar, coconut sugar, or maple sugar – all foods that trigger reactions in his case. Here is one that became a home run.
Paleo Lemon Sponge Custard
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Happy balance of bright lemon and sweet honey. Use oven proof glass or ceramic ramekins for baking the custard. Use 1.5 cup capacity ramekins for four servings or 1 cup capacity for six servings. You can also use a single 7" oven proof dish and fill to ~2" depth. Grease these with butter, ghee or coconut oil ahead of time and place in refrigerator, so they are chilled when you fill them for baking.
Happy balance of bright lemon and sweet honey. Use oven proof glass or ceramic ramekins for baking the custard. Use 1.5 cup capacity ramekins for four servings or 1 cup capacity for six servings. You can also use a single 7" oven proof dish and fill to ~2" depth. Grease these with butter, ghee or coconut oil ahead of time and place in refrigerator, so they are chilled when you fill them for baking.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease ramekins on bottoms and sides. Place in refrigerator until ready to fill.
Cream honey, butter (or ghee or coconut oil) and lemon rind to smooth consistency.
Separate the eggs, and set whites aside in small mixing bowl with tall sides. Add yolks and stevia to the honey mixture and beat well.
Stir in GF flour, and blend well; then stir in lemon juice, blend again; then add coconut milk and stir to evenly mixed.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks in the bowl you've set aside. Fold them gently into the honey mixture until blended but still puffy.
Pour the custard mixture into ramekins, to 2/3 full. Place all in a large baking pan or dish. Add ~1/2 to 1" hot tap water to the baking pan (not in the custard ramekins) and bake x 40-45 minutes.
When done, custards will be browned slightly more at edges than centers. Enjoy warm or cold. Delicious with cherry-raspberry sauce, link below.
