Wednesday, January 24, 2018

A Girl Needs a Biscuit Every Once in a While!

I was raised by Southerners.  Hillbillies, my daddy would say.  West Virginia hillbillies.  I never thought of that as anything but wonderful, so please understand that I am not trying to offend anyone with  that word that meant "coolest people in the world" to me!  My aunts and uncles from WV were SO MUCH FUN!  Completely different from anything I lived day-to-day.  We got muddy, we fished, we rode in vehicles that were rickety and "open air" and went off-road.  We fed things in the morning and at dusk.  We laughed loudly, they adored my Daddy (as I did), the told stories of poverty and struggle that were filled with love and pride in survival and family.  And the names!  Good heavens - the names!  Opal and Alma. Macel and Violet.  Clebert...my favorite!  And they called my Daddy "June" (for junior, I later learned).

And they ate giant plates of crazy-good breakfast!  Aunt Violet always had  biscuits.  She could make me get up and trudge around barn-like-things and fields and do chores early, early for the promise of one of those biscuits...with lots of butter and jam.

Thankfully, my Mom was quick to lose her domestic tendencies and pretty much all desire to cook, so those biscuits remained a treat worth trudging for when we went to visit.

And my entire life - when given the choice 'biscuits or toast' - there was no hesitation.  Biscuits, of course.  And yes, I rolled my eyes at all of you ordering whole-wheat toast!!!

But now, I don't eat biscuits - because they are not my body's friend.  My sinuses fill up and a headache ensues and I bloat up and my knees ache.  So, as much as I love biscuits - it's just not worth it!

BUT...a semi-Southern girl needs a biscuit every once in a while!

I have a recipe or two that I like - Paleo Biscuits made with almond flour and  honey for a touch of sweetness.  But today is Day 23 of my Squeaky Clean January.  No honey.  But my head and my heart are craving a biscuit...specifically a biscuit topped with Paleo bacon and a couple of perfectly poached eggs.

So, I decided to try one of the simpler Paleo Biscuit recipes in my binder of recipes and substitute smashed garlic for the honey.  Savory  for sweet.  Not exactly the same texture, but it seemed close enough to sub Tablespoon for Tablespoon.

I am pleased to say - they were just what my brain and my heart needed/wanted/craved!

Now, although I cook regularly for others - I will not bake for you.  I adore cooking.  Give me a saute pan or dutch oven or a grill or even a slow cooker and I am in my happy place.  Not a measuring tool in sight other than the palm of my  hand or my eyes.  Give me a recipe for a baked thing and a muffin tin or a sheet pan or any number of cake pans...and then the measuring cups and  spoons and the knife to level off those spoons and cups...AARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!  Nope, baking is just not my thing!

Sadly, there are currently no bakeries that I am aware of that bake the things I can and want to eat.  There are plenty of pre-packaged, sugar- and preservative-laden "gluten free" things.  They are nearly all made with grains of some sort...not as treacherous to my body as gluten - but close.  And the few true Paleo pre-packaged items are out of my financial reach.  Especially when I have an oven, the access to the ingredients and the evil measuring cups and spoons!  :-)

So, I bake - occasionally.  For special occasions, for fun, to keep me (kind of) in practice and when I have to have a biscuit!

You can do this -  you absolutely can make these.  If you are new to clean eating - they will not taste exactly like the biscuits from your favorite  restaurant or even the ones from the can at the supermarket.  But, the texture is light, the bite is satisfying, the garlic makes these anything but bland and they ARE the perfect bed for bacon and eggs!

These are a tweak on a recipe from Living Loving Paleo.  I did exactly as she suggested, except for subbing the smashed garlic for the honey.  I used softened ghee instead of the palm shortening - because biscuits should taste buttery!  And I baked mine for the full 20 minutes - turning my baking sheet once during the baking because my oven needs a little help cooking evenly!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of almond flourr
1 T coconut flour
1/4 cup softened ghee
1/2 t sea salt
2 eggs (at room temp)
1 T smashed garlic
1/2 t baking soda
1 t raw apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350.
Place everything in a food processor, pulse until combined - you will need to scrape down the sides to ensure all the flour gets absorbed.


Drop the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (this mixture makes 6 biscuits).

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!  Store extra biscuits in an airtight container in your fridge (let them cool COMPLETELY before placing them in the fridge!).

And if you can...poach a couple of eggs, fry up some paleo bacon (sugar-free, nitrate free) and sit down to one heck of a breakfast!



1 comment:

  1. My mamma used to make biscuits like this. She had a mama from the hills. And so I thoroughly enjoyed your post!

    ReplyDelete

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