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It’s Christmas eve day here and I’m writing this post in my pyjamas. Yep, not rushing around prepping food like crazy, as the Christmas eve party we were to host got cancelled. After being struck with sudden extreme fatigue on Monday evening, along with chills and a low-grade fever, I ended up staying in bed all of Tuesday, only to wake up at sunset.
And felt like I’d just given birth. Ow.
As my husband said to his mother: you know she’s the kind of gal who sleeps like 2 hours a day, right? And now she’s sleeping 12 hours during the day, that goes to show how bad it is.
I’m not certain if I’ve got the flu or gastroenteritis, as I’m not coughing or sneezing and I’m not running to the bathroom all day long, but the rest of my symptoms pretty much match these two nasties.
So it’s loads of bed rest, water, and bone broth for me as I support my body’s immune system and let it win the fight. Time for some much needed R&R, I guess. At least I feel well enough to stand and type, despite the ache in the abdominal area. Not to mention have some fun with my little guy, though he’s pretty contented tearing up exploring the house in the absence of his elder brother (who spent Christmas eve morning and afternoon hanging out at his aunt’s), especially since the little guy gained his new found independence (aka walking on his own).
And because the household still needs to eat, I pulled together this breakfast casserole for Christmas morning – Maple-Banana Baked Breakfast Casserole. I came up with this recipe as feedback from Australian AIP-ers made me realise that my other Baked Breakfast Casserole with Apples and Raisins featured spaghetti squash and plantains – two ingredients seemingly difficult to find in Australia.
This one features easily found ingredients, notably cabbages and bananas; before you think “eww what a combo!” and close your browser window in disgust or think that I’m expecting and having weird food cravings (both of which I’m not!), it’s not as offensively bizarre as it sounds, really! The important thing is to not overcook the cabbage to prevent that stinky cabbage smell from forming. The cabbage should be cooked just soft enough to be pureed by your blender. If you have a high performance blender or food processor, you could try lowering the cooking time for the cabbage. I only have my little Braun handheld immersion blender so I cook the cabbage a little longer to make it easier to puree. Adding something acidic like lemon juice while cooking would help cut down on the stinkiness as well.
The natural sweetness of the cabbage pairs really well with the fruitiness of the bananas and spices. If you’re tolerating nuts well (nuts are not strict AIP, FYI), I think that coarsely chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would make a nice alternative to the sliced coconut chips or tiger nuts. The casserole dish is more porridge/ pudding-like when served hot from the oven and firms up upon refrigeration and is great eaten cold too. You can assemble it ahead of time and put it together and bake it in the morning while getting ready for the day, or bake it the day before, refrigerate it, and reheat it in the oven (preheated at 350°F/177°C) for about 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
As one of my Instagram followers suggested, baked breakfast casseroles like this would be great served with savoury sausages (thanks for the suggestion, @rebelhomemaker). Keeping with the Christmassy theme, this Turkey Breakfast Sausage would do the trick. But if you’re having a big roast turkey for Christmas dinner, perhaps a pork-based breakfast sausage to accompany instead. This casserole has become one of our breakfast staples, and makes a great teatime treat. So here’s my Christmas gift from my family to you, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
Happy Holidays!
- 4 cups cooked cabbage
- ½ cup small tapioca pearls
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ¼ tsp ground clove
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground mace
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp gelatin powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 ripe bananas, sliced thinly
- ½ cup sliced coconut chips/ tiger nuts (Entirely optional, though preferred)
- The night before: Prepare the cabbage and soak the tapioca pearls
- Mix the spices and other dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside (keep covered on the countertop if prepping the night before)
- In the morning: Preheat the oven to 350F/177C
- In a medium saucepan, bring the soaked tapioca pearls and 2 cups of water to a simmer, stirring constantly, until they just begin to turn translucent, then remove from heat and strain
- Grease a 2.2qt/ 2L glass casserole lightly
- Combine the cooked cabbage with the tapioca pearls, mashed banana, maple syrup and avocado oil
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine
- Scoop into the greased casserole, layering with sliced bananas and sliced coconut chips or tiger nuts
- Place a sheet of foil beneath the casserole dish
- Bake for 1 hour or until slightly browned and bubbly around the edges
- Serve hot or cold, drizzled with extra maple syrup if preferred
Core and roughly chop ½ a medium-sized cabbage to obtain approximately 6 cups.
Place in a large pot with 6 - 7 cups of water and juice from half a lemon, enough to just cover the cabbage and bring to boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 10 - 20 minutes or until fork-tender (The lemon juice cuts down the classic sulfurous odour of cooked cabbage but try to avoid overcooking nonetheless). Strain (you can keep the cabbage-infused water for cooking or making bone broth) and puree the cooked cabbage until a textured puree is formed, yielding 4 cups. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Preparing the tapioca pearls:
Soak ½ cup of small tapioca pearls in 1 cup of water for at least an hour or overnight.
Just reading your post while killing time at the airport and hey! That’s me! Ha! I could sure go for a bite of this new version. Glad you’re on the mend and hopefully you kick this cold quickly! Merry Christmas!
Thanks and Merry Christmas to you too, Shelley!