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Grain-free Apple Berry Crumb Pie (Paleo with Vegan and AIP options)
While this fall has been one of the busiest I can recall, I have also been fortunate to be traveling a ton, living life to it’s fullest and doing my best to enjoy each and every moment. While visiting San Diego county a few weeks ago, in the adorable town of Julian, my husband, Mark, and I were walking the Main Street of this quaint old gold mining town. Julian is an enigma of Southern California, experiencing all 4 seasons, even including snow in the winter. It’s unlike any other place I have been out here. It was an instant love-connection for this east coast girl.
We went at the start of the fall season and autumn was already in the air. Crisp cool breezes, chilly nights, the leaves of many of the trees already changing color and the sweet scent of apple pie in the air. This town doesn’t mess around when it comes to apples. After the gold rush was over, the pioneers remained in Julian, as they began farming the rich land. While many crops were planted and animals raised, apples seemed to be their new “gold”. To this day, during apple season, you will find fruit stands filled with fresh organic apples, locally pressed real apple cider and pies galore. Oh the pies! Quite literally, Main Street in Julian is filled with the aroma of this spiced comfort food.
As we strolled the tiny Main Street, Mark was seeking out what he deemed to be “the perfect slice”. I am pretty sure we walked into every single bakery and he looked on as if he was making a major investment purchase. Only a few city blocks long, Main Street had near 10 bakeries, all specializing in their version of this American classic. I was convinced, being gluten-free, I would only be experiencing this as an observer, enjoying the smells and the smile on my husband’s pie-loving face. But alas, I found one amazing bakery, tucked away a bit off the beaten path, Apple Alley Bakery. The only bakery in ALL of Julian offering gluten-free pies. I opted for the Apple Boysenberry Crumb Pie and as soon as my slice was gone, I wanted more.
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Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Mango Cucumber Salsa
Sometimes in life we can’t have things just as we want them. Concessions have to be made or we have to just miss out. We have an opportunity even in these littlest of moments to make a decision, we can either wallow and whine, feeling sorry for ourselves, or we can suck it up, make a new plan of action and be inspired to create something that works for us, in the here and now.
Back when I was doing the Autoimmune Protocol last month, I was feeling quite sad as Cinco de Mayo was approaching and every single other human (at least all the ones in my various social media feeds), were posting about tacos and margaritas, chips and salsa, burritos and the like. When you can’t have nightshades (so that’s no peppers of any kind or tomatoes, so basically salsa), any grains or corn, cheese, alcohol plus no meat for me at that time, either, all this stacks up making tacos or really any Mexican food at all, seem quite impossible.
It was time to get crafty and creative and put my brain to work! Honestly, I could have lived without tacos that day, but then I got to thinking about all of you that live with these dietary challenges and restrictions outside of just 30 days, maybe it’s part of every single day for you. That was the perfect motivation to come up with a taco recipe that could easily be adapted to whatever you need it to be.
Enter these amazing Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Mango Cucumber Salsa. Here’s the deal, I am sharing this recipe as I made them, to be totally Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Friendly. This also makes them gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, night-shade free, nut-free, seed-free and they also are meat-free (DUH). These tacos are the real deal, so much flavor, so many great textures and gorgeous colors. You won’t miss a thing.
