Soup is good food. Especially healthy soup made with a mere five ingredients.

This quick and easy Roasted Cauliflower soup recipe is one that I found in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. Except their recipe had butter and heavy cream; I've de-Paula Deened this recipe so that it is the pure delicious essence of a vegetable without all kinds of unnecessary other ingredients and flavors.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite foods. A cruciferous vegetable, it is full of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and healthy fiber.

Here are some other healthy cauliflower recipes:

• Cauliflower Rice
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Mexican Chicken and Rice
• No Potato Salad
• Paleo Dirty Rice

Do like cauliflower? If so what are your favorite cauliflower recipes?

These rich and moist coconut bars are made of not one, but three different forms of scrumptiously healthy coconut, including shredded coconut, coconut oil and coconut milk in their ingredients list.

I have Shirley at Gluten Free Easily to thank for this recipe as it is based upon her famous gluten free Crustless Coconut Pie. I'm a big fan of Shirley's crustless pie recipes. They're perfect when I'm looking for a quick and easy, yet simply tasty, gluten free dessert.

I find that this this coconut bar recipe tastes a bit like a macaroon bar. If you want to jazz up your coconut bars and get really decadent, try drizzling them with dark chocolate.

Here are some of the health benefits of coconut:

• Naturally gluten free
• Full of heart healthy fats that lower LDL cholesterol
• Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic
• Reduces inflammation and promotes healthy absorption of nutrients
• High in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc

It is also thought that eating coconut products speeds up the body's metabolism, helping to prevent obesity.

Finally, Dr. Mary Newport has written an article on the remarkable results she believes she has achieved using coconut oil to remediate her husband's early onset Alzheimer's disease.

In this video Dr. Newport shares intriguing anecdotal evidence on the impact of coconut oil on neurobiological function. Her findings will be of particular interest to those of us who are working on our brain health in dealing with diseases and disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimers, Parkinsons, autism, ADD, etc.

So grab yourself a coconut bar and a cup of delicious dandelion coffee (that's what I'm drinking right now) and settle in to watch the video of Dr. Newport. And be sure to let us know your thoughts in a comment below.

This Paleo Plan is for my friend Leslie Dietrich. Our children play baseball together and Leslie and I had the pleasure of thrift shopping our way through Waco, Texas last summer when their team was in the Regional Little League World Series Playoffs.

Like me, Leslie has a host of auto-immune disorders. Unlike me, she still eats gluten and grains. Leslie asked me for an eating plan that she could try for one week to see if the symptoms in her hands and other parts of her body would change. One week is probably not long enough (30 days is optimal) for seeing results from a change in diet. So if you want, just repeat this meal plan 4 times, or make your own, using the recipes from this site and Paleo sites such as Everyday Paleo or Paleo Parents.

Please note, this eating plan is not designed for someone who is trying to lose weight, this is not a diet plan. This is an anti-inflammatory eating plan that can be used by some people to improve overall health and wellness. If you do need to lose weight, feel free to refer to Loren Cordain's book The Paleo Diet or Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution, those 2 books have very specific weight loss plans that utilize the grain free diet as a base for weight reduction.

This post is for people that want to incorporate more nutrient dense foods into their diet by eliminating the grains that are toxic to a large percentage of us. So, eat your veggies. They're far more nutrient dense than grains. Or as my dear Dad has been saying for the past 40 years, "Eat the rainbow!"

1. Sunday

   Breakfast

   Silver Dollar Pancakes

   Turkey or Pork Bacon

   Fresh Berries

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Sesame Salmon Burgers

   Garlic Ginger Bok Choy or Steamed Broccoli

2. Monday

   Breakfast

   2 slices Paleo Bread

   3 Scrambled Eggs

   1 Grapefruit

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Cod Piccata

   Roasted Broccoli

   Cabbage Orange Salad

3. Tuesday

   Breakfast

   Almond Butter Protein Shake

   Toasted Almonds

   Lunch

   Turkey Roll Ups

   Fresh Blueberries

   Dinner

   Cobb Salad

   Mushroom Soup

4. Wednesday

   Breakfast

   3 Fried Eggs

   Turkey or Pork Bacon

   ½ Avocado

   Lunch

   Leftover Mushroom Soup

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes

   Roasted Butternut Squash

   Steamed Broccoli

5. Thursday

   Breakfast

   Greena Colada (add 1 scoop protein powder)

   Handful of Dehydrated Almonds

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Veggie Sticks

   Dinner

   Chicken Soup

   Green Salad

   Roasted Acorn Squash

6. Friday

   Breakfast

   3 Scrambled Eggs

   2 slices Paleo Toast

   Fresh Raspberries

   Lunch

   Leftover Chicken Soup

   Green Salad

   Dinner

   Chili Chicken

   Cauliflower Rice

   Green Salad

7. Saturday

   Breakfast

   Almond Butter Protein Shake

   Lunch

   Leftover Chili Chicken

   Leftover Cauliflower Rice

   Dinner

   Stuffed Peppers

   Grilled Broccoli

8. Snacks

   Fruit

   Green Apples

   Blueberries

   Raspberries

   Strawberries

   Other Fruit

   Veggies

   Veggie Sticks

   Protein

   Turkey Jerky

   Bacon

   Protein/Carbs

   Dehydrated Nuts

   Crackers

Some of the recipes above might not be super strict Paleo, however if you make quick and easy substitutions they can be. All are grain free and primal; they are Paleo friendly as well.

For the snack section of this plan, I have listed the lower glycemic fruits that work best for me. If you like to eat sweeter fruits, feel free to add those in to your plan. However, if you have trouble with sugar, it may be best to stick with less fruit and low glycemic at that.

What is your favorite Paleo dish and what are your health goals for 2012?

I really enjoy using almond flour --almonds are a superfood and highly nutritious. However, every now and then, someone requests a nut free dessert recipe for some type of gluten free baked good. At other times, folks are looking for an egg free recipe.

There are as many allergies out there as there are colors in the rainbow. This brownie recipe is for all the nut free, egg free, refined sugar free, gluten free, primal vegans in my life. You keep me on my toes! And I love it.

This recipe uses sunflower seed butter, which is actually similar to a nut butter (though nut free). Sunflower seed butter is gluten free, high protein and made from highly nutritious sunflower seeds --you didn't think I was going to use rice flour, did you?! I'm still as grain free as I've ever been since I gave up grains 11 years ago. All of the recipes on this website are gluten and grain free recipes.

These brownies are based on a gluten free brownie recipe that Amy Jelley posted on my facebook page a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Amy! Her recipe used a ½ cup of honey which is a little much for where my blood sugar is at these days; so I decreased the amount of honey and added in some xylitol and stevia. I also increased the fat and made a couple of other minor changes to the recipe along the way.

This is a very fudgey brownie --it won't seem totally cooked through when you pull it from the oven. I took mine out when the edges were just about to burn, that was how I determined it was done.

Now, a word of caution. Do not feed this dessert to your pets. Chocolate and xylitol are highly toxic to animals. Have any of you been feeding my other desserts to your pets? If so, why are you doing this? Please leave a comment and let us know!

If you're in a pinch for time, I have something just for you. Here's a quick and easy gluten free cookie recipe that requires no baking. I really like making no bake (think no hassle) cookies during the hectic holidays. This one works equally well for Christmas and Hanukkah parties --and is a wonderfully healthy snack throughout the year.

For those of you who aren't entirely in the mood for Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls and are looking for a chocolate covered peanut butter ball, be sure to see Nut Butter Cups recipe --it's a delicious no bake, healthier candy recipe that is quite the crowd-pleaser. My husband and children devour them.

This little dessert is my peanut-y version of the raw foods classic Fudge Babies, a recipe created by the wonderful Katie over at Chocolate Covered Katie.

If you like these peanut butter balls you will love my recent list of 10 Healthy Christmas Cookie Recipes!

During the holidays I'm always looking for yummy treats to eat that won't leave me with a high-carb hangover. This paleo dessert recipe for a moist, gluten free fruitcake fits the bill. Sweetened with one tablespoon of coconut sugar, along with dates, raisins and dried cherries, my Paleo version of this classic treat is great with a cup of tea, Dandelion Root Coffee, or makes a beautifully simple gift to give to friends and neighbors during the holidays.

According to Wikipedia, fruitcake is:

A cake made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and (optionally) soaked in spirits. A cake that simply has fruit in it as an ingredient can also be colloquially called a fruitcake. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are often served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.

Along with visions of wacky people, the word "fruitcake" can also conjure thoughts of dry, icky cake. I think you'll be pleased to find that this easy Paleo recipe is rich and moist --a Christmas Cake recipe that is versatile enough to use all year round.

I think this might be my first Paleo cake recipe. I could be wrong though. What Paleo grain-free, dairy-free desserts will you be serving this holiday season?

Looking for delicious and healthy dessert ideas to tide you over during the holiday season? What about apple crisp --one of the easiest desserts to make; perfect for both beginner and advanced chefs.

I developed this gluten free Gingerbread Apple Crisp recipe for Shirley Braden's blogging event, Home for the Holidays Gluten-Free Style. Every day, from Monday, November 28 through Friday, December 23, a different blogger will share a gluten-free recipe that means both home and the holidays to them. Here's more from Shirley:

Our Home for the Holidays Gluten-Free Style blogging event offers the comfort, joy, excitement, and fun of the holidays with wonderful recipes from your favorite bloggers.

A special thanks to Shirley for including me in the event. If you are in the Fredericksburg, VA area, be sure to check out the gluten intolerance/celiac support group that she runs where they discuss topics such as celiac disease, the gluten free diet and how to survive the holidays.

This time of year can be a challenging and filled with dietary dilemmas. How do we stay connected to, and feel a part of, the festivities yet remain true to what our bodies need when our visual and olfactory senses are inundated by foods that might not be part of our regular program?

If you are on a special diet, this gluten free, grain free Paleo friendly dessert recipe will likely work for you. Further, I like this Gingerbread Apple Crisp because it's festive enough to bring to a party (or serve to guests in your own home) and also healthy enough for those needing to stay away from certain foods (sugar, gluten and dairy come to mind).

For extra holiday flare, serve this apple crisp with the Vegan Coconut Whip recipe in my latest book, Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour.

Stay tuned. At noon today, the numerous giveaways for Home for the Holidays will begin in a brand new post here at Elana's Pantry, including details on how you can win!

Healthy yet tasty gingersnaps are a deliciously addictive traditional holiday cookie. My gluten free, grain free version contain a good dose of anti-inflammatory ginger. I'm passionate about creating desserts that please the palate and contain super foods as well --a win-win situation for myself, my family and my readers.

These cookies are one of those rare vegan, yet primal friendly treats. These nutritious cookies are the perfect primal friendly treat. I won't call them Paleo as I believe many peeps will take the opportunity to point out that this is not a perfectly Paleo cookie recipe --pretty close though.

My children and I have been baking quite a lot of gluten free, grain free cookies lately. I find this ginger cookie recipe especially easy to make and so do the boys. That's why I will be preparing these cookies live on Colorado's "Everyday" Show. The program will broadcast on our local FOX affiliate KDVR, tomorrow, Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 at 10:45am (MST).

I went on Twitter last night asking folks a few questions about the holidays. You see, I'm Jewish and was having trouble deciding which cookies are appropriate for Christmas. The verdict was that my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are indeed a Christmas treat. I want to thank everyone who responded to my religious-culinary inquiry.

In the next couple of weeks I'll be tweeting a lot about what I'm making for the holidays this year --feel free to join the conversation.

Update: here's the video for aforementioned above!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate is easy to make, and far better than the instant hot chocolate that comes in a package, which is loaded with sugar and definitely not dairy free. Additionally, I find this soothing and healthy beverage to be a great substitute for all of the peppermint candy floating around this time of year.

I make this dairy free hot chocolate with coconut milk, and thankfully, it does not contain a coconut-ish flavor; it is a rich and chocolatey hot beverage. Use a high quality organic chocolate for a healthier and tastier result.

This Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipe is easy to make and full of nutritious ingredients --just don't tell your children!

Dark chocolate is a great treat during the holidays when we are inundated with sugary, unhealthy desserts.

Chocolate is a functional food that is both low on the glycemic index and full of powerful antioxidants.  The heart healthy flavonoids in dark chocolate lower blood pressure and decrease blood clotting.  It is also thought that dark chocolate fights cardiovascular disease, as well as premature aging and cancer.

Go ahead and get yourself some chocolate, and let us know what your favorite dark chocolate recipe is.

Tis the season for all things squash and pumpkin. On the menu tonight? Butternut squash apple soup spiced with sweet, warming cinnamon. If you're looking for an easy soup recipe this one is great for beginners.

My younger son loves this soup and I do too --sometimes I even eat it with a little protein (such as eggs or turkey) for breakfast.

Here are some notes on this recipe:

• Feel free to make this soup with other types of winter squash such as pumpkin, acorn, delicata, etc.
• I used a 2 ½ pound butternut squash for this recipe (weight is prior to peeling and de-seeding)
• Experiment with other warming spices such as ginger and nutmeg
• I used Braeburn apples in this soup; feel free to experiment with other types of apples

Squash is a very healthy, hearty, nutrient dense vegetable, full of carotenoids and other beneficial antioxidants. Further, it is thought that squash is both anti-inflammatory and helpful in regulating blood sugar.

In my house we love eating squash because of its delicious, sweet flavor, and are happy to reap the secondary (health) benefits. What is your favorite winter squash recipe?

For more ideas on how to cook squash, check out these healthy recipes:
-Squash Pie
-Squash Fries
-Squash Latkes