Still the easiest, best grain-free chocolate chip cookie recipe in the game. Now vegan, too!

Cookies for dinner, anyone?

Other times I like to challenge myself — make something I’ve never made before — pick a recipe with lots of ingredients ’cause the playing and measuring and perfecting of the flavors is soothing. I find cooking to be truly therapeutic.

Making these lamb chops with greens and salsa verde was one of those times. It was the first time I ever made lamb at home and it definitely won’t be the last. I don’t know why we always gravitate towards chicken, steak, and bacon, because lamb is delicious, too. I guess because it’s easy. It’s familiar. It’s going the breakfast-for-dinner route.

It’s fitting, then, that this recipe is from Seamus Mullen, from April’s Bon Appetit, because he is someone who has never taken the easy route. Those close to me know that Seamus, the award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, is the reason why I went to see Dr. Lipman, who helped him get off all of his medicine and cure himself of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He’s the reason I believe that health begins in your gut and why I no longer eat grains or sugar, and instead focus on healthy fats. He’s also one of the reasons why I am sososoclose to getting off my arthritis medicines.

Last year at this time, when I first met Seamus, and later, first went to see Dr. L, I was taking 14mg of prednisone (steroids) a day; now I am taking 4.

Four is so close to zero. But I still have a ways to go. Good health (and more specifically for me right now, getting off my medicines) is a marathon, not a sprint.

Seamus recently spoke at Mind Body Green’s Revitalize 2015, and in his talk, he mentions hearing about Ari Meisel, who cured himself of Crohn’s disease through a combination of diet and exercise. He said he saw Ari’s story and said to himself that if he can do it, I can do it. That sentiment resonated with me because the same thing happened when I first read Seamus’ story; I said to myself that if he can do it, I can do it. And I am so close.

If you watch the video (he starts speaking at minute mark :23) — and I hope that you do — you’ll hear him talk about making a plan with Dr. L for how they were going to get him better. He says that for the first time, “I went from being a patient to an active participant in my well-being.”

I love that — an active participant. So many of us (wrongly, in my opinion) believe we can go to the doctor, get some medicine, sit back, and let it work its magic. Poof, you’re better. But it doesn’t happen that way — at least not in my or most peoples’ cases.

So, Seamus, this one’s for you. Thanks for the inspiration (and the delicious lamb).

I put together this little platter when B and I sat down to binge on House of Cards: slices of prosciutto wrapped around slices of pear (way better than the usual melon suspect), slices of hard salami with spicy mustard for dipping, and some cornichons.

This snack was so good it turned into lunch.

My kind of snack.

15 minutes in the oven and they’re all yours.

Here’s the grain-free, dairy-free version.

And here’s the egg-free vegan version, courtesy of Jessica Murnane.

What the heck is açaí?

Pronounced “ah-sigh-EE,” it’s a delicious deep purple berry that resembles a large blueberry found growing on tall, slender palm trees in the Amazon Region, where it has been consumed in the form of a pulp (purée) for centuries by natives and river dwellers. Many describe the taste as a vibrant blend of berries with chocolate. The açaí berry is often credited for giving the people in the Amazon their strength and energy and keeping them healthy. Described as a complete food, for it satisfies many daily requirements and makes for a balanced diet, açaí is probably one of the healthiest fruits on the planet. It may help your muscles, your heart, your digestion, and your energy levels.

Read even more of its benefits on amafruits’ website.

I got the organic acai pure and unsweetened which has zero grams of sugar. ZERO. I am of the belief that sugar is the devil, not only because it turns to fat but also because it causes inflammation. Lord knows my rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t need any more triggers than my body gives it naturally. So sugar and I are not friends. But that’s cool because this açaí bowl, like many other naturally-sweetened treats I’ve made, is still sweet. Really! Yesterday I topped it with some coconut flakes because that’s what I had at home, but this weekend I plan to have it with some grain-free granola. A little crunch is a great balance to its smooth coldness. You can also have it as a drink or smoothie; the iterations are endless!

Add to that how easy it is: frozen packets, delivered right to your home, that take minutes to turn into breakfast or a snack… and you’re sold, right? Let this be the end of paying astronomical prices for the restaurant/store-bought açaí bowl; it’s time to get down with açaí… made at home.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my Bubby and Zayda recently and sometimes when I do, I wear my Zayda’s shirt or my Bubby’s hand-knit sweater or necklace. Other times, I make food that reminds me of them. It makes me feel close to them, like they’re here or they know what’s going on in my life. Enter my Bubby’s roast beef / her signature dish. For years I had no idea that it was also called brisket or that roast beef could be served any other way besides in a big roaster with potatoes, carrots and a spicy tomato sauce gravy. Whenever she was serving it, or my mom would make it at home, we would all get so excited. The tenderness of the meat. The sweetness of the sauce. The comfort of potatoes. Best of all: how the house smelled… like love. That’s the power of grandparents. It’s magical, isn’t it?

Now that I’m eating some meat again for the first time in about 8 years, I decided to make Bubby’s roast beef for Rosh Hashanah. When it turned out even better than I had remembered, I invited friends over to break the fast after Yom Kippur and made it again. (No bagels for this girl; I don’t eat any grains.) Everyone loved it.

Not only is Bubby’s roast beef delicious and satisfying, it’s also crazy easy to make. Consider it for your next dinner party because once you throw everything into the roaster, you’re done! Imagine that, Host with the Most: not being stuck in the kitchen with your head in the oven while everyone else is enjoying cocktails. Bubby would never want you to miss a cocktail.

Bonus for when your guests arrive: the house will smell amazing… like love.

So I’ll definitely be making this dish again… only problem is that I’ve dog-eared about 20 other recipes in this book that I want to make first. “The Art of Eating Well” is the first cookbook I’ve come across that caters to a mostly Paleo diet (which I’ve been following for five months now) without calling itself that or more importantly, being overly preachy about what you eat. It focuses on eating well for your gut, a concept I’ve been learning a lot about lately as I attempt to keep my raging rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at bay. (Think less grains and sugar, more bone broth and probiotics.) I’ve become smitten with the London-based Hemsley sisters because of this approach that’s so… approachable. Helps that they’re totally adorable and have a fun instagram account and Vogue UK column to follow.

Now that I’m eating some meat (pasture-raised, grass fed only) I’ll be showing you some of the recipes that I’ve been experimenting with over the last few months. It’s the first time I’ve had some of it in almost 7, 8 years… so bear with me. It’s an exciting experiment; we’ll see where it takes us!

Meantime, here is the full recipe for the Hemsley Hemsley beef ragu and courgetti. Enjoy!

Make yourself these cookies tonight — start to finish it’ll take you less than 30 minutes — and you’ll actually have a treat (or two) each day for the next week. They stay surprisingly soft in an airtight container outside the fridge.

PS if the recipe looks familiar it’s because they’re the same cookies I used to make those glorious ice cream sandwiches. I just didn’t flatten ’em before baking.

What better way to start the weekend?

This right here is basically the adult version of that… minus the grain and the dairy. Lest you think it’s minus all the flavor, too, both my husband and best friend tried them — both of whom love their carby sweet treats — and loved ’em. What’s not to love about cookies and ice cream though, in any form?

So before summer’s over, get in on this recipe.

You’d be sold, of course, because you’re human. You have feelings. You have needs. And you have feelings about needing chocolate chip cookie dough. I get it.

So head to Taylor Made It Paleo for the ingredients and recipe, and get to rolling these bites up. (It takes minutes, literally.)

Just make sure you have plenty of room in the freezer, cause you’ll want to make lots more. Trust me. See the look on my husband’s face? He’s as happy as a clam. Should we tell him they’re Paleo?

Nah.