Category: Primal/Paleo Recipes

Pain relief from Kratom Tea – and I how I prepare it

Kratom is a plant that grows wild in Southeast Asia. It’s been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years, for pain relief and boosting energy. It’s ingested in capsules full of the loose leaf or the powdered whole leaf is brewed in a tea and consumed. I’ve been helped greatly by using Kratom in both capsule and tea form to help manage my chronic pain in the last six months.

How I make my Kratom Tea

(You can watch my video on how I prepare my tea each morning)

I’ve been sick for over 30 years and have taken opioid medication pretty much non stop since I had my first surgery at the age of 12. I’ve had a bunch of abdominal surgeries due to Ulerative Colitis. My pain is gallbladder, adhesions and possibly Crohns. I’ve been told by my surgeon that I have a history belly – and this hostile belly is constantly at war with me.

This year I was cut off from getting pain meds from my primary care doctor and all I can say is, thank god I found Kratom.

Kratom not only helps to manage my pain but it also made getting off of pain pills a breeze. I’m not physically or psychological addicted to prescription opioids but my body was habituated to taking the narcotics. Normally when I’d stop taking pain pills I’d be absolutely miserable. It would be a week or two of misery. Being sick and in pain and going through withdrawal on top of that was pure torture.

(This is where I buy my Kratom from:

http://www.naturalorganix.com )

Thanks to Kratom, when I stopped talking my Tramadol I had none of the body aches, or horrible restlessness or sleepless nights. It was incredible.

I’ve been experimenting with using Kratom for over six months now. I take it two to four times a day as a tea. My current supplier is Natural Ice Organics. I picked them because of their testing. I’ve stepped up to buying it bulk to save money as well.

If you have only been taking capsules and are curious about drinking Kratom as a tea, I say go for it. But be warned the taste is extremely bitter. It took me weeks to get over the taste. Some people add sugar, honey, or lemon to make it taste better. Personally I’ve found adding peppermint flavored CBD oil (which has helped my inflammation issues) almost masks the taste 100%.

When I first started taking Kratom I took it in capsule form and I even began making my own. The downsides of taking capsules is that it costs more – a lot more than loose leaf – and it can be a mess if you choose to make your own.

To make Kratom Tea I alternate between Green or Red Thai (I find Red has better pain killing qualities for me) and I use a digital scale to weigh out anywhere from six to ten grams, depending on my pain level for that day. That’s what is great about being able to buy Kratom without someone’s “permission”, you can adjust your doseage to your current level of pain.

My pain level can fluctuate greatly in the course of day let alone a month. When I was on chronic pain medicine management it didn’t matter if one day I hurt more than another. I had the exact same number of pills to take. While on the pain management protocol (they force you to sign a contract and submit to drug testing) you’re strictly limited to how many pills you have for the month.

If your pain is bad and you take more on one day then have to cut back on another day, or go without for how ever many days are until you could refill your prescription. The whole system is insane. I’m so glad to be outside of the chronic pain management bureaucracy. It was very demeaning to be drug tested, harassed by pharmacies, and insurance companies over my pain medicine. It is an inhumane system.

Without Kratom I’d be forced back into it and it’s even worse now. If I have to go and get prescription pain meds I’ll have to go through the pain clinic system. What cost me $40 a month and the price of four doctor visits last year, would now cost me around $2500 for just the monthly doctor visits and drug testing. Chronic pain patients are treated like parolees who’ve been convicted of a crime. My only crime is that I have chronic pain and my life depends on me finding a way to manage it.

In the morning I weigh out my Kratom and pour boiling water over it. Then I let it steep for 15 minutes at least. After that I either add ice (I find it more palatable if it’s cold) or I’ll just sip on it for an hour as it cools. When it gets down to the powdered sludge at the bottom of my cup, I add more water and then drink it over the course of another 30min to an hour. I repeat the process until I’ve consumed all the powder sludge is gone.

Within minutes I’m feeling better after taking my first sip. In thirty minutes or so I start feeling some pain relief. I find Kratom helps me with mild to moderate pain. But I find it doesn’t touch the pain when it gets really bad. I wish that we lived in a free society in which people who are suffering could get the relief they needed without being treated like a criminal.

I find that the effects last four to six hours. And unlike with prescription pain killers, I don’t have the intense short spike of pain relief followed by a steep crash. Kratom delivers a much more pleasant subtle experience without the intense mood altering effects that can occur with pain pills.

Depending on my day I’ll drink two to four cups per day. Kratom tea has given me back some of a life that’s been destroyed by not having pain meds. But from that destruction I’ve found hope and freedom. The hope that I can live a life with less pain due to drinking Kratom tea each day and the freedom to treat my pain as I see fit without kowtowing to the increasingly regimented and callous medical system and without being a pawn in the politically driven opioid crisis hysteria.

If you use Kratom please share your experiences in the comments. The more we talk about it the harder it will be for the DEA to make Kratom a schedule One Drug along with LSD, Heroin and Cannabis.

The reason they want to ban it is because, like Cannabis, it is so effective at helping millions of people. It’s estimated up to five million Americans use it everyday. People have used Kratom for anxiety, pain relief, sleep, and for energy. It along with Cannabis has helped tremendously.

If you have been helped by Kratom you might want to check out The American Kratom Association. They are fighting the good fight and helped to get the DEA’s ban reversed back in 2016 and they are working hard to keep Kratom legal today.

American Kratom Association

Wishing you health and wellness,

Brad Miller

Help, I’m being tortured by the U.S. Federal Government- my perspective on how the war on chronic pain patients violates the U.S. Constitution

I’m being tortured by the U.S. Federal Government. I’ve been convicted of a crime without trial and with zero evidence presented. I’m being held in isolation against my will for the rest of my natural life.

What could I’ve done that was so horrible to garner the wrath of the most powerful government on the planet? What could possibly have been my crime that caused them to torture me and condemn me to a lifetime of isolation? I must have done something horrible for them to violate the 4th, 8th, 9th and 10th amendments of the document that The United States Federal Government was founded upon. I must be one of the worst most dangerous terrorists to ever live, right?

What was my crime that I’ve been treated so criminally by the government?

My crime simply that I am in chronic pain and I’ve sought relief for it.

Yep that’s it. Because I was on chronic pain narcotics I’ve been branded as a criminal, sentenced to a lifetime of torture and isolation for the rest of my life.

For those who aren’t in chronic pain or have never experienced severe physical pain this might appear to be overly dramatic. Trust me it’s not. I’ve been ill and in chronic pain for over thirty years. I’ve taken pain medicine up until five months ago for it. Nothing has changed as far as my pain goes, only my conviction by the FDA and DEA has.

Now, no one from the Federal Government has come out directly and said that I shouldn’t have pain medicine. Bureaucracies are too clever for that. They have later after layer of people that filter down their directives so that when I’m finally face with my doctor (for about 5 minutes) and he says he doesn’t care about my pain, I have absolutely no recourse.

No one in the enormous Federal Government who make the rules ever have to deal face to face with the people whose lives they affect.

Doctors no longer work for the patient. They are effectively government employees who view insurance companies as their main customers.

In all fairness my doctor did refer me to a pain clinic. He followed the sentencing (I mean prescribing) guidelines. But that pain clinic couldn’t help me because they don’t take self pay patients or patients with GI related pain. I called nine others and only two would say they’d see me.

But they couldn’t guarantee me that they could help me even after I paid the exorbitant initial assessment fee. I don’t believe I should be coerced into this system of chronic pain contracts and mandatory drug testing and pill counting, which in reality is just a disturbing hybrid of the prison and the medical industrial complex.

I don’t need cortisol shots or more surgery. Nearly all pain clinics deal with back pain and bone related issues. My issues are caused by scar tissue and a gallstone that no surgeon wants to remove. The pain clinics aren’t set up to help someone like me.

By forcing me into a system designed to make sure parolees aren’t using illegal drugs violates, the government is violating at least four of the Constitutional amendments as well as the very fundamental principles it was based upon.

It’s ironic that I’m being treated like a criminal by those who are illegally violated the Constitution.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Eighth Amendment

I think that forcing me to pay for a service I don’t want that is based upon the prison system parolee model, clearly violates the 8th amendment of excessive fines. Even if it’s called a “fee” I’m being fined for being in chronic pain and being punished for trying to find relief from the state mandated supplier of the remedy.

I’ve been convicted of being a chronic pain patient and in order to receive the $40 pain medicine I need each month, I now have to go see a pain clinic doctor who charges $400-$600 for his initial visit, plus if he does deem me worthy of pain medicine, (which if he doesn’t I have zero recourse and I’ll be labeled as a drug seeker in the state database) then I’ll have to go back ever 28 days and pay another $125 for urine testing and blood testing. Only then can I pay for my $40 medication.

This is crony Capitalism at its worst. This is a perfect example of an industry (the pain clinic folks, addiction specialists, drug makers who are pushing their expensive alternatives to cheap and effective pain medicine along with the drug testing companies), using state power to enrich the few at the expense of the many who are suffering and without any power in Washington.

Denying me pain medicine which my doctors have done and forcing me into an arbitrary and expensive system which I don’t need is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment. Since I’ve not had pain medicine I’ve been in excruciating pain. If you deny someone the ability to buy a proven and safe medicine which they’ve taken in the past, and which helps relieve or at least take the edge of their pain, it’s the same as inflicting the pain they are suffering yourself.

This is an example of why individual rights are so vital. Once economically interested parties can have regulations written that violate your rights this is what can occur. You can be stuck in horrible pain with no one to help you.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment is meant to keep the government out of your business. Just because I’m in pain and seek relief from it , I don’t forfeit my Right to Privacy.

As a Chronic Pain Patient I’m not secure in my own body because by law pain doctors are required to see me every 28 days (if I’m forced into their parolee pain clinic racket) and forced to give up my blood and urninr which they will analyze to see if I’m taking the medicine as prescribed and not taking anything else. Since the doctor is acting as an extension of government by doing this I believe that warrant should be necessary for this violation of privacy.

The information being gathered is being taken by a government licensed person acting according to law (mostly to regulations – this is a way for governments to steal your rights without anyone ever voting on them) and being recorded in a government database. A warrant should needed to do this and it should only be issued if there is probable cause.

If I don’t sign the contract I’ll be denied what I argue is life saving medication. What is the probable cause? Just because I have chronic pain I am a criminal? Am I not innocent before proven guilty? And what am I being accused of being anyway? I’ve done nothing wrong except be in excruciating pain and asking to purchase $40 worth of medicine so I don’t hurt so much. That’s it.

I’m not an addict or have I ever overdosed and I never would. There’s no reason a doctor should be piss testing me every 28 days because I’m taking a medication that is extremely safe and effective, and which I’ve been taking in one form or another for 30 years.

If I don’t sign the pain contract and submit to the monthly testing and give up my right to privacy I’ll be denied pain medicine. And if you are signing a contract under duress it’s not legally binding. A pain contract is a form of blackmail. If you don’t sign it you’ll suffer. The government is complicit along with doctors effectively torturing those who refuse to submit to their violations of the Constitution and basic human compassion.

Let’s say I do go to a pain clinic and by some miracle they do accept me as a chronic pain patient, and I submit to the monthly testing, what happens if my pain doesn’t stay on schedule? I’ll have to just suffer. That again is a form of torture. If you can cheaply and easily relieve someone’s pain and they are willing to pay for the product and you deny them, you are discriminating in the worst possibly way

It’s not the government’s fault if you suffer more pain than what they allotted to relieve. The whole system epitomizes what’s wrong with centralized bureaucracies that don’t respect individuals rights. When the government gets involved out goes compassion and common sense and they are replaced by rigid regimentation and diffused responsibility.

I’ve committed no crimes yet I’m treated like a criminal. My rights have been violated and they just don’t cause me to suffer more physical pain then I should but they also caused massive emotional pain as well. Do to my inability to get relief for my physical pain I’ve become more and more isolated – those who engineered and benefit from this criminal system have basically sentenced me to solitary confinement.

They’ve sentenced me to be alone. When you are sick and in pain you don’t want to be around other people and people don’t want to be around you. After a while people stop inviting you out for things because you cancel so much, they stop calling you because you have nothing to say, except how much you hurt and how miserable you are and then the texting stops, because they know your life has become your pain and you are effectively in solitary confinement.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Ninth Amendment

This is an amendment to be honest I had totally forgotten about. It doesn’t get brought up a lot but it does apply here. The entire spirit of the Bill of Rights is that the individual is sovereign over their own mind and body. This is demonstrated by the first and second amendment. The first amendment guarantees freedom of speech and religion – this is sovereignty over one’s mind. The second amendment guarantees the right to defend one’s person and property by guaranteeing that no laws are passed that restrict the ownership of firearms.

Just because the Constitution doesn’t say explicitly that I have the right to take what medicines I choose and to bear the responsibility for that choice doesn’t mean the government can brand me a chronic pain criminal and deny me the right to purchase a safe and effective medication. If you are sovereign over your thoughts and your body then you have the understood right to ingest what substances you choose.

The revolutionary idea that sparked the greatest increase of human flourishing that ever occurred in the history of mankind, the idea that the Constitution of The United States of America was founded upon is this:

Every individual’s rights comes from their humanity and not from the state. So it’s assumed individuals have a right to do what they want to with their body and mind without interference from the state, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the right of others to do the same.

If they real

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Tenth Amendment

The tenth amendment has also been violated by the FDA’s guidelines and the entire DEA, prescription racket system. This further erosion of my rights is symptomatic of corrupt system that artificially raises the cost of healthcare while denying individuals the right to make their own choices about what do to live a better life.

Anything not specified by the Constitution should be handled at the state level which also has to be inline with the Bill of Rights. The Federal Government has no right according to the Constitution to regulate drugs of any kind. And the states do not either if the original intent of the Constitution is respected and the ninth amendment is adhered to.

I have zero faith that anyone in power cares about the Constitution. The same type of people who allow millions of pain patients to suffer, like me, are the same ones who allow wars to be fought around the world without Congressional approval. They are the same ones who keep cannabis illegal, who want to ban Kratom and who make it almost impossible to bring back psychedelics as an adjunct to psychotherapy. The same people in the FDA are in the pockets of big pharma and the DEA is in bed the prison industrial system.

I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong except that I had an autoimmune disease when I was 12, that was so bad that it required a major surgery and that surgery didn’t go right. Since them I’ve been stuck with chronic unending pain. And now the very medical establishment who failed me in the past now doesn’t want to help me in the present with the one thing it can do to help me.

I’ve been effectively branded by the FDA and DEA as a chronic pain criminal. I have no advocate in the healthcare system, the doctors are so scared of these government agencies they’ve abandoned their oath to help the sick and suffering. The ones who might be able to help me charge an insane amount of money and require me to submit to be treated like a criminal.

I’m thankful that my jailers haven’t banned Kratom yet. I know they are working on that. If it wasn’t for Kratom I’d been forced into their pain parolee clinic system. To be honest if things don’t improve I’ll have to find a pain clinic, pay their exorbitant fines and be treated like a parolee, whose only crime is that I am in pain, and I live in a country that has lost its way and now views suffering patients as criminals, politicians and bureaucrats as doctors and doctors as law enforcement agents.

I can’t end my sentence of chronic pain. My pain will be with me until the day I die. The only question is how much unnecessary torture will I have to endure because I’ve been branded a chronic pain criminal by the suits in Washington – my only crime: Having chronic pain.

I you too have suffered because of the hysteria over the opioid crisis please leave a comment. The politicians and economically interested parties are exploited the most vulnerable members of society for money. Let’s join together and tell Washington DC we’ve had enough. Seeking to relieve your Pain isn’t a crime and just because someone is suffering doesn’t mean the Constitution no longer applies.

Brad Miller

Mom’s Simple Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Shiitake mushrooms are amazing. They are not only vastly superior to portobellos in taste but they have more health benefits as well.

My mom had breast cancer last year and I help out preparing healthy meals for her as much as I can. One meal that she has really enjoyed lately and which packs a ton of healthy cancer fighting goodness is a simple Japanese inspired Shiitake Mushroom soup.

Shiitake mushrooms have many beneficial compounds that have been shown to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and reduce the size of cancer tumors. It also has anti-viral and anti-bacterial compounds as well.

The soup takes less than an hour from start to finish and served about six.

Mom’s Shiitake Soup

  1. One medium cleaned unpeeled sweet potato – diced in half inch pieces
  2. 1/2 box organic chicken stock
  3. 1/4 small red onion – finely diced
  4. 4 cloves of garlic finely diced
  5. 4-6 ounces Shiitake Mushrooms sliced in 1/4 inch slices
  6. 1 bunch of organic green onions cut up in small rounds
  7. 1 bunch of organic cilantro chopped
  8. 1 lemon – cut in wedges
  9. 1 tablespoon of Ghee, olive oil, avocado oil
  10. Two cups water

Sauté mushrooms on medium heat in fat of your choice (no veggie oil) in a medium sauce pain for 6-7 minutes. Add onions and sauté till they are translucent. Then add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Next add the chicken stock, diced sweet potatoes, and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least thirty minutes to up to two hours.

To serve simply ladle the soup into a bowl and add a big handful of green onion and cilantro. Then squeeze a wedge of lemon into it and enjoy!

**I was cooking a lot of button mushrooms for my mom but I recently stopped after Paul Stamets on the Joe Rogan Podcast, warmed against eating them.

I highly recommend it. Paul Stamets is the most knowledgeable guy on the planet when it comes to mushrooms.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mPqWstVnRjQ

Button mushrooms, crimini and portobellos are all the same mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. He hesitated during the Podcast to reveal why to avoid them but I did a little digging and it turns out that Agaricus bisporus contain chemicals called agarotines that when digested can be carcinogenic.

I found a video of him explaining this in more detail. He said it’s analogous to smoking a cigarette when you eat one, except instead of just causing tumors in the lungs like cigarettes these compounds can create tumors all over your body.

So needless to say we avoid all button, portobello, and crimins until further scientific testing is done. Thankfully delicious Shiitake mushrooms don’t contain these carcinogenic chemicals.

In this video he explains to Daryl Hannah (yes the actress) starting at 6:30 why he thinks people shouldn’t eat button mushrooms and portobellos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-QlPb3J74

I hope you will consider trying the soup. It’s something we have really enjoyed.

Brad Miller

Fellow Human

Read Nestle’s Boost label before you buy

I’m laid up in bed with pneumonia along with  some indertiminet GI issue. I haven’t eaten much lately. 

Yesterday after not eating for two days I decided to  drink a Nestle Boost Compact drink to  to get some vitamins and minerals in me.  I’m a habitual label reader and when I read the label I knew that Nestle had a huge opportunity on their hands.

I’ve been eating a primarily paleo diet for the last 9 years and it still amazes me how much of the big three foods that I recommend avoiding are still in mass consumption products including those which purport to be healthy. 

Nestle’s Healthcare division produces the Boost line.

 It’s tag line is: 

“Nestlé Enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future”

With their Boost product I think they have ways to improve the product and make it live up to their goal of “creating a healthier future”. 

The First five ingredients are filled with red flags for those who adhere to the Anscetral Eating hypothesis. The second ingredient is Corn Syrup Solids, the fourth is sugar and the fifth is vegetable oil (canola, high oleic sunflower and corn). 

These are three ingredients I avoid because our genetic makeup has yet to evolve to thrive on them. I believe there are anecdotal and some studies that are showing that these ingredients may not be the best choice for people to eat for optimal health. 

I believe that’s especially true for people who are reaching for a Boost.  Drinking one is not something you normally do if you are feeling well. 

Nestle’s is a huge corporation who is making an enormous investment in developing scientific nutritional products for everything from alzheimers to Inflammatory Bowel disease. If they begin to use less vegetable seed oils, sugar and and high fructose corn syrup and solids in their products  they could change the entire food industry and help bring down the cost of Paleo compliant ingredients.  That would inspire other companies to do the same or they would miss out on the sales that Nestle will be raking in. 

I believe that simple changes could be made to their Boost product to make it more Paleo compliant. A better option maybe for them to come out with a Paleo friendly version. That would be a huge seller. Primal and Paleo products do sell at a premium and people are willing to pay for it. 

Boost Compact is a product that provides a ton of vitamins and minerals and protein and calories that people who are sick need. Having a Primal /Paleo  approved Boost Product would open up a huge market for them. . 

The Paleo Diet was the number onesearched Diet for weight loss last year. Awareness and adoption rates of the Ancestral Diet movement is growing rapidly. People have turned to the Pelo diet to also help ease the symptoms of autoimmune diseases and other chronic modern day maladies.

Nestle is aware of niche food markets because they do offer a Boost that is FODMAP compliant. That’s a great start. The next step for Nestle is to bring out a Boost product that is organic,has olive oil or coconut oil instead of Industrial Seed oils, and uses a natural sugar like honey or maple syrup or even stevia. 

Organic foods typically sell for 47% higher price. I firmly believe that  the margins and markets are there for an Organic Paleo compliant Boost product. 

I would drink it way more often than o do the traditional Boost drink and o would do so even if o wasn’t laid up in bed.  

If you want to contact Nestle HealtheCare Nutrition and let them know you would be a buyer of a Paleo compliant Organic Boost product call 1-800-247-7893. 
Brad Miller 

Make your own salad dressing in less than five minutes 

3 ingredient vinaigrette 

Making your own salad dressing is so easy and it’s a 1000 times better for you than the store bought version. Store bought dressings are filled with highly processed and chemically deodorized vegetable or seed oil and sugar. Both of these ingredients are believed to increase inflammation in your body. And that’s not a good thing. 

This is the simple 3 ingredient vineigrette shopping list. 

Oil – Avocado oil or light olive oil

Vinegar – Bragg’s Apple Cider, Red or White 

Dijion mustard 

Most vinaigrette recipes call for the classic 3-1 oil to vinegar ration. I like mine sour and I use an almost 1 to 1 ratio. Start with the classic ratio  then adjust the amount of vinegar to taste. As far as the mustard goes I add about 1 tablespoon when making it in a 6oz mason jar. I just eyeball it.

All the equipment you need is a small mason jar or other tightly sealing container. If you use a mason jar you don’t have to use a measuring cup. Just use the measurements on the jar itself for the oil and vinegar. It couldn’t be simpler.

1.  Add oil, vinegar, mustard. 

2. Put the lid on and shake vigorously. 

3. Pour on salad and enjoy. 
It will take you less time to make this dressing than it will take for you to read this post. 

* If I want to fancy it up I add lemon juice and fresh chopped herbs from my garden (thyme, parsley, and marjoram). Another crowd pleasing option is to add  red chili peppers and chopped roasted garlic.

* Experiment with combinations of different types oils, vinegars, mustards. 

* This is also delicious on grilled chicken and grilled zucchini 

I like to make mine it in small batches which will store in the fridge and keep tasty for a few days.  

Eating fats with your salads is vitally important. If you don’t eat some fat with your veggies you are missing out on a lot of their benefits. The olive oil and avocado oil in the dressing enables your body to absorb the powerful vitamins and other compounds in the vegetables that are fat soluble. 

Stay away from store bought dressings because most of them contain industrially processed oils  and sugar. Next time you are in the grocery store read the labels. The number one ingredient will be one of the following oils, soybean, canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, or sunflower. All of these oils are highly processed and prone to turning rancid. And sugar has been labeled a poison by some researchers because of its devastating effect on the body. 

You are eating a salad for the health benefits. If you are using a dressing from the store you are dousing your nutrition packed health promoting salad with a factory created inflammatory causing concoction. 

Inflammation is no bueno. 

Keep your kitchen stocked with these vinaigrette ingredients and you’ll never have to buy a bottle of salad dressing ever again. Your body and brain will thank you. 

I have to thank my big brother for teaching me how to make this and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 

Brad 

Cassava Flour Tortillas

One of the things I missed most when first transitioning to a more ancestral diet is the elimination of taco night. Now I don’t have to.

I eat Cassava Flour Tortillas at least twice a week. They are delicious. Below is a recipe that I’ve been perfecting over the last few months. It’s based on the recipe that is printed on the of Otto’s Cassava Flour bag. IMG_2655 This is the only brand I have tried so far. For me its tasty, easy to work with and is a great substitute for white flour when making breaking and tortillas.

 

This the only brand I use and I highly recommend it.

Cassava Flour is Paleo, Primal and AIP approved. I’ve also used it as a breading for wild boar schnitzel, bream, and chicken cutlets. They all turned out great as well. I need carbs in my diet because of my ileostomy. Otherwise my output is too watery which causes dehydration and a horrible burning pain on the skin around my stoma. I know its gross to talk about “output” on a recipe post, but let’s be honest, everything we eat comes out in the end.

I’ve included some pictures as well.

Cassava Tortillas 8 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time less than 20

Equipment needed:
Parchment paper, Mixing Bowl, Fork, Measuring cups, tortilla press (not necessary but I highly recommend it), non-stick skillet (I’ll try cast iron soon and leave a review)

IMG_2656

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Cassava Flour – I use Otto’s

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 Tablespoon Fat – I like melted Ghee or Avocado Oil

1/3 cup H2o plus 1 teaspoon

1 Tablespoon Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Tablespoon Locally Sourced Honey

Place dry ingredients in the bowl, add the liquids 2 tablespoons of fat and the water and stir. The dough will start to combine into one inch balls with some of the flour on the bottom and sides of the bowel not incorporated. Next I add the extra fat and water if the dough seems too dry. Normally I’ll add the extra fat. If its still dry after that I’ll add the water.

Stir again to incorporate the extra fat and or water. Next use your hands to mould the dough into a ball. It should feel soft and dry, not sticky. If it is sticky all you have to do is add a little bit more Cassava Flour at a time until the dough loses it’s stickiness.

Now you just divide the dough into eight equal portions. Place the balls onto the large sheet of parchment paper. Next get your smaller sheet of parchment paper and fold it in half. Put one of the dough balls into the center of one half of the folded parchment paper. Cover the dough with the other half.If you don’t have a tortilla press get a rolling pin and gently press out the dough into a circle about four inches to five inches in diameter.

I like to get the tortillas as thin as possible. That’s why I use a tortilla press. If you have a press simply place the folded parchment on the press. Place one ball on the bottom half then cover the ball with the top half of the parchment paper. Then press. My tortilla press doesn’t quite get it as thin as I’d like. So I add a spacer of one or two small plastic cutting boards that I place on top of the parchment paper and then press for a second time.

I place each flattened tortilla on the large piece of parchment paper. Next heat up a dry non-stick skillet on high. You want it hot. When up to temp place in the tortillas. It will take approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side depending on how done you like yours. You’ll know its time to turn them when you see bubbles forming on the surface. Flip and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.

Stack them up on the plate. I enjoy mine as a great substitute for a flour tortilla. I like to make grass fed beef tacos with mushrooms and homemade taco seasoning. They are delicious.

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The tortillas heat up great in the microwave. You can also grill them once you cook them on the stove. That’s my favorite way to eat them. We had grilled steak tacos with fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro on these bad boys. One of my all time favorite meals.

Cassava flour is awesome but it does have about 14 grams of carbs per tortilla. It is reported to be a good source of resistant starch and only .15 grams of sugar per serving. If you are diabetic or have other issues with carbs I would do your due diligence before trying

I hope you try the recipe out. I honestly don’t measure the honey and the apple cider vinegar any longer. Its just by sight. Play around with that and what types of fat to use. In the future I want to try lard, beef tallow or duck fat too. If you have any comments or suggestions please comment below.

Brad Miller

Healthier2day.com