tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17636650904708468492024-03-05T05:22:43.710-08:00Cooking in our CaveCave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-50700130133277205992009-10-11T16:04:00.000-07:002009-10-11T16:27:20.351-07:00My Primal BenefitsA commenter asked me what I found to be the greatest benefits as a woman doing Primal eating. I started to post a long answer in the comments and then I decided I'd also like to do a post. Not all of these benefits are exclusive to females, of course. <br /><br />Benefit 1: I keep my curves. The first time I consciously tried to lose weight I went on a no fat whatsoever diet. Yes, I was young and stupid. Moving on. I got skinny, but I also had NO breasts/ass. Not fun. For some reason, eating Primal, I stay lean but I keep my curves=happy Cavewoman :)<br /><br />Benefit 2: Fabulous hair/nails/skin. Oh yes, I have a nice sleek coat, nails I can open soda cans with, and a healthy glow. I never wear make up. Now granted, that's partly because I don't like make up. But I like having the option instead of feeling like I need to have something on my face to be presentable.<br /><br />Benefit 3: I get to eat yummy food. No, I really don't miss Snickers, baguettes, and fries. I get to eat cheese, bacon, omelettes, chicken skin, ribs, burgers, etc. I have REAL cream in my coffee. I have dark chocolate for dessert, or strawberries, or a green tea protein smoothie (raw milk, matcha powder, stevia, whey protein, dash of vanilla, ice.)<br /><br />Benefit 4: I don't stress about food. I was definitely one of those Type A calorie counting wonders. I can still tell you how many calories are in most food items. Now I just eat what is nourishing, eat until I am full, and leave it at that. Sure, I do have the urge to stress eat sometimes (see post below) but the moments are easily controlled because my blood sugar is always nice and level. As many Primal followers have noted, they can fast effortlessly, and I find that I can easily skip dinner or lunch some days no problem. <br /><br />Benefit 5: Less severe PMS/cramps. Sorry boys, this may be TMI for you. My moods are much more even, I don't break out, and my cramps are much better. Not gone, mind you, but better. <br /><br />I'm not perfect. I drink a fair bit, and I sometimes make less than optimal choices. I would encourage all of us not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I am very happy just getting right MOST of the time, and I would wager that most other would be too.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-35116813849163280222009-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:002009-10-09T11:57:21.250-07:00Maintaining Primalness When StressedOf course as soon as I decide to re up my blog, work goes batshit :) But whatevs, I shall plow through. It's amazing how eating Primal has changed my ability to cope with stress. I really believe food has a huge effect on mood.<br /><br />I start my day with protein, I have protein at lunch, and more protein at dinner. With fat and non starchy carbs. And I don't ever have those lows anymore before mealtimes. You know, those shakey headachey (and for me, downright bitchy) moments where you desperately need to get something in you or something bad will happen?<br /><br />Nope. I work placidly until I feel belly hunger. Mostly. I do occasionally get stress cravings, but I've found that tea helps quite nicely with those. Now, for those of you who are rolling your eyes and thinking tea would never do it for you, let me just say, I was in your camp. Really, I was.<br /><br />Now, I'm not getting paid to endorse this particular brand, but I'm addicted to Good Earth Cocoa Spice Chai and Decaf Vanilla Chai. Honestly, sometimes I just brew it and sniff it, because it smells SO yummy. But I find that the warm liquid, and doing something with my mouth, psychologically soothes me.<br /><br />And having a crutch like that that won't otherwise fuck up my Primal eating goes a long way in times when work is going like gangbusters or something else stressful comes up in my life. My other crutch is taking a walk, but I know that's not always an option in other parts of the (freezing cold) country :) Tea works everywhere :)<br /><br />How do you cope with stress while maintaining a Primal lifestyle? Do you have crutches? Mabe crutch isn't the right word, maybe it's "trick."Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-57212230602807863212009-10-05T15:30:00.001-07:002009-10-05T15:58:28.207-07:00Sunlight makes me happySo, off the topic of food, but generally Primal, let's talk a little about the Sun. When I lived in the Northeast, or Midwest, I spent at least three months out of the year miserable and cranky. The cold got to me, but it was really the lack of sunlight.<br /><br />Since I have moved to California, I've been a much happier person, and I would venture to say, it's the sunlight. I know there are a lot of people who don't buy the whole SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) thing. And frankly, I was one of them. I figured it was more the cold than the lack of sun.<br /><br />But SF is not all that warm. It's basically coldish cold or warmish cold the vast majority of the time. And yet, I'm so perky my friends back East ask me if I'm on uppers on a regular basis. The thing is, SF may be chilly, but it's sunny.<br /><br />Even today--perfectly blue skies, but I couldn't go out without a sweater. And yet, here I am, writing about my good mood :) It's not even that I get to go out in the sun very much (again, office drone) but even just walking to work in the sun and seeing it shining outside my window puts me in a happy frame of mind. <br /><br />It's amazing to me how much my mood affects my appetite, even eating Primal. Now, it's more the kind of Primal food I eat rather than whether I eat Primal or not. But I notice when it's nice and bright and sunny and I'm in a good mood, I do tend to eat less.<br /><br />And when it's darker and grayer, even if it's the same air temp? I'm definitely more snacky. I think it's just a basic human instinct: what's more primal that perking up in the sun? And as a side note, what could be more necessary to our ancestors when they were looking to get some vitamin D? <br /><br />So am I crazy? Am I just making up the effects of sunlight? Or do you all experience it too?Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-48202618084419163992009-10-03T19:33:00.000-07:002009-10-03T19:44:06.450-07:00Anecdotal observationsFor a patient population of 1. I don't know about you, but I love experimenting with my diet and seeing how changes pan out. Of course, I do it in a totally unscientific way, altering multiple things at a time so that it's hard for me to isolate what single thing was the factor in a particular change, but whatever. I don't have the patience for the whole one thing at a time bit. <br /><br />So, for example, I take fish oil, D3, and K2 on a daily basis and have for about a month. Why? I am D deficient (office drone) I do sometimes eat non free range meat (hello Omega 6s) and I also don't eat foie gras regularly (oh, how I would love to, but my budget will not tolerate it) and I've noticed a major change in my skin. I have mild acne (usually a few small pimples here and there, annoying but not a big deal) and lately, my skin has been totally calm. Love that. Now, is it the fish oil, the D, or the K? Or some combination thereof? <br /><br />Or when I drink diet soda, my stomach gets extremely sensitive to anything else. I've been diet soda free for a week (YAY me) but I've also cut out all other artificial sweeteners (used to be a Splenda addict, now use liquid stevia on occasion, but far, far less frequently than I used the evil yellow packet) so I can't tell if the carbonation or the sweeteners (or again, some combination) that set my stomach off.<br /><br />I just find it fun to play around with how my body reacts...Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-84684905165744642362009-10-02T18:48:00.001-07:002009-10-02T19:26:00.098-07:00She returns!Wow, I seriously doubt anyone is even checking here anymore :). But I was googling something today and a link to my poor little defunct blog popped up and it felt oddly like running into a friend you haven't seen in a long time. Slightly awkward, but nice too. <br />Besides, I couldn't let that slightly self pitying last post be my final statement. Not my style :)<br /><br />I've fully settled into San Francisco, and I love the Bay area more than ever. I have gotten back into dairy. I know, not Paleo. But I am of Northern European ancestry, and you know what? I like my dairy. It tastes goooooood. You know what tastes really good? Raw milk. Oh my goodness. The beauty of California and legally permitted marketing of unpasteurized dairy in all its glorious forms to the public.<br /><br />Oh, by the way, raw cream, raw butter, and raw cheese--also awesome. Almost as good as the look I get when I tell other people I eat raw milk products. You'd think I'd told them I lick it off the sidewalk. Honestly, it's hilarious. Never mind that everyone else in the office has caught the last version of whatever rhinovirus is floating around and I'm totally unstuffed. No, I'm the crazy one :)<br /><br />Actually, I am the crazy one. But I'm ok with that. And gosh darn it, I'm back to blogging, even if I'm just blogging about what I eat so that I can keep track. And if anyone DOES start reading, hi :)<br /><br />So let's talk chinese veggies. I grew up in Toronto, which means that even though I'm the whitest white girl you'll ever see, Asian food of all stripes is comfort food to me. Soon I'll discuss how fabulous Japanese flavours are for Paleo/Primal/whatever the hell you want to call my diet now. For now, let me just tell you about chinese broccoli, or gai lan. Gai lan is a delicious leafy green veggie that come in long stalks with long narrow leaves and stems about a centimeter (~.5 inch for you Americans who don't feel like doing the metric thing) in diameter. You will often see small yellow flowers midway up the stalk as well.<br /><br />Gai lan is delicious steamed or stirfried. The one thing to remember is to cook the stems first, and the leaves at the end. When cooked, gai lan does taste a lot like broccoli, but is harder to overcook and doesn't get the same slightly sulfurous flavour that broccoli can get. I like to steam it in the microwave (3 minutes on medium heat for the stems, throw the leaves in at the last minute) and toss it with roasted garlic and butter. Or, stirfry it with coconut oil and shallots and throw in some hot pepper flakes at the last minute.<br /><br />In any case, the gai lan is ready when the stalks are bright green (they start out a much duller grayish green) and the leaves are wilted. Gai lan can be found in Asian grocery store and in the Asian veggie section of some larger supermarkets. Oh, and if anyone out there has other gai lan recipes, please post them in the comments!Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-30204990064934135142009-04-15T14:46:00.000-07:002009-04-15T15:03:32.586-07:00Primal and Dating?Not that I'm anywhere near being ready to date again yet, but I freely admit that with a break up comes some old fears. My former SO was really, really supportive of the way I chose to eat. But not every former SO has been that way.<br /><br />I've been called controlling, anal, unable to relax. After all, why can't I just chill and have a couple slices of pizza? Why do I have to insist on ordering a salad with chicken? Why can't I just not record what I've eaten for a few days? Don't I realize I look disorderd? etc. etc.<br /><br />To be clear: if I was really lusting for a slice of pizza, I would have it and move on. I'm talking about the situations where I really don't want to eat something I see as lower quality or as otherwise unappealing.<br /><br />And while I have no problem being open with my friends, in a more intimate context I feel very sensitive about being judged. I'm not sure why. I know the feeling is irrational, and that someone who likes me will like me for all of me. But I can't help it. <br /><br />When I cook for people I date, I NEVER weigh my food in front of them. I don't discuss my eating philosophies or talk about how I use my CRON-O-Meter. I joke with my friends that I am saving the "crazy" for later. <br /><br />There seems to be sliding scale of socially acceptable eating habits. For example, being a vegetarian is fine, but vegans are nuts. Weight Watchers is a-Ok, but raw foodists are total weirdos. Hell, everyone is on South Beach, but breathe a word of Atkins and you're a bacon snarfing freak.<br /><br />And rightly or wrongly, I feel like CR and Primal eating are both solidly in the unacceptable category. I would really love to find a way to screen for guys who were into Primal eating. Sadly, in my personal experience, most guys in good shape either 1) don't care what the hell they eat because they've never had to, or 2) are solidly in a nutritional camp I don't identify with, like the school of carrying tupperware protein everywhere for feedings every three hours. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. <br /><br />Hmmm. All of the sudden I appreciate the companionship of my cat so much more. He never cares what I eat so long as I feed him too.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-59970123055869726162009-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:002009-04-14T08:45:41.700-07:00Low and SlowThe credit for the cooking technique I am going to discuss today goes entirely to Richard at Free the Animal. I love his blog, and I highly recommend checking it out if you're at all interested in Primal eating. He and I have gotten into it a bit over CR, but he is a very reasonable, rational, and generous blogger. <br /><br />I recently discovered a cut of beef I ADORE. Now, I generally adore red meat. My grandparents were cattle farmers, so it's in the blood. And I credit their, and my mother's, good health in part to the grassfed beef they ate frequently throughout their lives. And I have never even come close to being anemic ;)<br /><br />As a side note, I should mention I have never gone through a vegetarian phase. Dyed in the wool carnivore here, folks. To each their own.<br /><br />Anyways, back to the beef. So I was flipping through one of my many, many (seriously, I have a problem) cookbooks and it mentioned butcher's cut steak. Some of you may know it as hanger steak. This is a piece of meat that hangs down near the diaphragm of the cow. It's not too lean or too fatty, and it makes a delicious steak. Not only that, because it's generally a less familiar cut, it's usually cheap (and y'all know by now how much I like that :) ). <br /><br />Which brings me to the title of the post. The best way to cook this steak, IMHO, is Richard's way. Which means roast the steak in a 250 degree oven until internal doneness is reached (depends on personal taste). A digital remote thermometer (one that has a lead cord so you can stick it in the meat but the temp monitor sits outside the oven) is a HUGE help here. Get one. They are the best. <br /><br />Once internal doneness is reached, take the steak out. Don't worry that it doesn't have that yummy sear/crust you love so much. I'm getting to that. Now, turn on the broiler, rub the steak down with butter, and broil both sides until it looks the way it should.<br /><br />Serve with some nice spinach pureed with olive oil. Or grilled asparagus. Or steamed broccoli with parm on top. Or anything else that looks appealing. I promise you this will be the most melt in your mouth steak you've had in ages, and you did it all by yourself.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-13651754795059098042009-04-13T08:24:00.000-07:002009-04-13T08:36:18.300-07:00Carb belly?I have many slim Asian friends who refer to their 'rice bellies'--the phenomenon of being slim all over, except for a little roundness in the tummy area. Now, to my eye, they have no rice bellies to speak of, but they did get me thinking about an anecdotal observation of mine.<br /><br />I definitely do get carb belly. Generally, I see it when I eat over 120g of carbs a day, which can happen, since I set my upper limit as 150 (not counting fiber). My daily carb count can vary between 50-150g on any given day.<br /><br />There is more leeway for carbs in my diet because I'm not trying to lose weight. Also, 150g of carbs generally means I ate more fruit, including dried fruit, than usual, or I had more chocolate than usual--not that I went nose down into a baguette. <br /><br />In any case, I do notice a little belly when I hit my upper carb limit. Generally when I see the carb belly, I know it's time to take it down for a few days, and I'll usually go right back down to about 50g. 3 days of 50g usually puts my belly to rights again.<br /><br />The other thing I notice with carb belly is that, per my trusty (and I say that with sarcasm, because I have no idea how accurate it is) Tanita bodyfat scale, my body fat jumps ~3 percentage points along with the carb belly. My theory, since the scale judges body fat with electrical impulses, is that extra carbs somehow screw with water retention, which in turn screws with the readings.<br /><br />It's observations like this that reinforce how important what you eat is to how you look and how you feel about yourself. Oh, and that remind me to watch my carb intake ;)Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-75965947876724703162009-04-11T10:17:00.000-07:002009-04-11T10:35:57.769-07:00Primal PassoverOh, the joys of being a Jew. Most of our holidays revolve around eating and celebrating the fact that we escaped massacre. Good times :) For Hannukah (look, those who are about to bitch, there IS no right spelling, it's a transliteration, so if you don't like it, spell it the way you want to on your own blog :) ) it's food cooked in oil, for Purim it's hamantaschen, and Passover, well, Passover is the mack daddy of them all.<br /><br />The first night of Passover there are specific foods you must eat. And yes, I break with Primal eating to have a bit of matzoh and charoset (a dried fruit paste bound with sweet wine) at the Seder because the ritual is very important to me. But even beyond the Seder, I keep kosher over Passover, something I don't do at any other time of the year. This year, I am actually trying to eat kosher and Primal. Adventures have and will continue to ensue, I'm sure, but I'm happy to report, it hasn't been that bad.<br /><br />At the Seder itself, which was a meat (as opposed to dairy) there were the usual suspects, like brisket braised in red wine, veggies, and a few choice Jewish treats I will never be able to get into, like gefilte fish. Let me pause for a second--seriously, sweet fish? Who ever thought that would be a good idea? Anyways, there were also fabulous pickled veggies of all incarnations. Let me just say pickled asparagus, YUM. <br /><br />As to the rest of the time, turns out keeping kosher and Primal is relatively easy, with the big caveat that I am lucky enough to have access to a steady supply of kosher meat. My plan for the week, at least for right now, is to avoid dairy completely, since I am far more reliant on meat than milk in my day to day consumption, and I hate the whole waiting period between eating milk and meat. <br /><br />I have roasted off a nice kosher chicken, which is feeding me quite nicely right now, and then I have some hanger steak (post on that soon!) waiting in the freezer once that's eaten. Since I don't eat grains and legumes anyway, chometz and kitniyot, both trayf for the Passover period, aren't an issue. There are some cuts of meat I have to avoid during Passover, like beef tenderloin, and pork is obviously out :( And I cook with schmaltz or olive oil, and yes, I do miss butter. A lot. <br /><br />But at least I have eggs, and lots and lots of yummy fruits and veggies. I've been having fresh strawberries as my sweet of choice lately, or baked apples doused in cinnamon. Dates are back on the dessert rotation too. I like the parallel, I can imagine the Jews fleeing Egypt eating dates in the desert on their way out.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-69239906841587708802009-04-09T08:48:00.000-07:002009-04-09T08:56:18.668-07:00CaffeineCaffeine is one of those gray areas for me. Coffee, I can't handle straight (and I know I'm not the only one) but good coffee is palatable with just cream, so it isn't paleo-horrible. And CR wise, it does have B vitamins and few calories, even with a little cream.<br /><br />Tea, eh, I go through phases. Genmai-cha is one of the very few I drink consistently, and as April once pointed out on her fabulous blog, in a way it satisfies any residual or random grain craving you might have, since it tastes like what it is green tea + roasted rice. <br /><br />Other sources of caffeine? I've come a looooooooooong way, baby. I have mostly cut out diet soda, and that would be my only other source. No, wait, I'm lying. I do eat chocolate. Diet soda would be my only other <em>concentrated</em> source. <br /><br />The thing is, I don't think there's anything wrong with caffeine. It perks me up in the morning, but it doesn't give me a hardcore buzz, and it never has. It may be a genetic thing--my mom can drink a cup of coffee and fall asleep half an hour later, so can I. And I love, love, love a shot of espresso after a nice dinner. <br /><br />But then I hear these tropes about how caffeine increases appetite, etc. So I go through caffeine fasts. I guess I'm just wondering if it's necessary? Some of the healthiest people I know, including bloggers like Mark Sisson and the aforementioned April, consume caffeine relatively regularly. <br /><br />Hmmmm, on the fence about this once (while clutching my morning coffee in one hand...)Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-89453515797465485362009-04-08T10:14:00.000-07:002009-04-08T10:38:43.106-07:00The incredible, edible, well... you knowI think the egg is one of the most amazing foods in existence. Incredibly versatile, incredibly tasty, and absolutely brimming with nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere (choline, anyone?), they can also be an excellent convenience food.<br /><br />Allow me to pimp a product for a minute, because it has improved my already good relationship with the egg http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007M2BN0. This little gizmo, which cooks eggs in the microwave, is a LIFESAVER in the morning.<br /><br />I'm a huge fan of soft boiled eggs for breakfast. I also love hardboiled eggs minced up on salad, and a frittata is a great way to deal with leftovers. <br /><br />I look back on my egg white eating days with some amusement. I never really liked egg whites on their own, but I made myself eat them for the protein. Not that they were all bad, especially topped with a slice of cheese. <br /><br />But the lovely, luscious soft yolk is definitely the best part. I will never forget my first salade Lyonnaise--frisee, bacon, and poached egg perched on top, pierced so that it would run down the leaves of the frisee and mix with the bacon grease, forming a totally delicious dressing.<br /><br />I even eat eggs raw (gasp! scandal! salmonella!) mixed into steak tartare or in homemade caesar salad dressing. Each cooking method, or lack thereof, brings out something different in the egg.<br /><br />The only thing you HAVE to do with the egg is handle it gently. The proteins in the egg do not react well to high, dry, heat--they seize and get tough and become, in the words of one great french chef "elephant skin." And anyone who's had an overcooked hardboiled egg can attest to the tongue desiccating nature of overcooked yolk. But treat the egg with love and patience, and it will repay you handsomely.<br /><br />I'll finish with a cooking recommendation, rather than a recipe, because this is more technique than anything. For a truly indulgent, glorious example of what the egg can do, I recommend scrambling two or three gently in some clarified butter, over low heat. Stir the eggs gently and slowly in a figure of eight motion until just barely cooked through. It feels like eating rich, creamy, yellow clouds and it is possibly my favourite meal on a Sunday morning.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-26112928145880793552009-04-07T08:31:00.000-07:002009-04-07T08:44:41.224-07:00What to eat when you don't much feel like eatingPaleo survival mode. I'm not an emotional eater. If anything, I'm an emotional faster. When I'm upset, food tastes different to me, and I avoid things I otherwise love and consider treats. <br /><br />Have you ever stood in front of an open fridge door, wondering why there's nothing in there that appeals to you? I've been doing that a lot lately. So I've defaulted to things that are very easy, and don't require much chewing.<br /><br />For example, the green smoothie. Whey powder, frozen spinach, and coconut milk. I use Jay Robb Vanilla whey powder, which is delicious. Sometimes, when I've been low on carbs for the day, I throw in a little (~35g) frozen banana. It's not necessary though. Between the whey and the coconut milk, you don't taste the spinach, and you get a nice dose of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. Plus, the smoothie is a very attractive shade of green, pale and appealing and springlike.<br /><br />Another dish involving spinach is where I get some chicken sausage(check the nutritional label and make sure there is 1g carb or less per serving) slice it up, and nuke it with frozen spinach. At the end, throw in a little herbed goat cheese for creaminess, mix it all together, and enjoy.<br /><br />Another good one is soft boiled eggs, all on their own or with some salami. I like dipping salami pieces in the nice soft yolks. <br /><br />A few weeks ago, the New York Times published a recipe for hot chocolate made with coconut milk, and let me tell you, it's delicious even without added sweeteners, because the coconut milk has a certain natural sweetness itself.<br /><br />I know that particularly at a low point, it is important for me to care for and nourish myself, and cooking for myself is a key component of that self care. Of course, I'm always open to more Paleo comfort food suggestions :)...Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-1784662677789731982009-04-06T09:32:00.001-07:002009-04-06T09:34:44.900-07:00Cooking in my caveI will be back to normal postings tomorrow. I rarely talk about my personal life on the blog, but I wanted to explain this absence. The SO and I are no longer together. I'm not changing the blog name (maybe 'our' can now just be a universal term for all Paleo/CRON bloggers :) ).<br /><br />The upside is I'm learning all about Paleo comfort food. More on that tomorrow...Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-13283059358686246332009-04-01T10:47:00.000-07:002009-04-01T11:08:01.992-07:00Brussel sproutsNot surprisingly, given my cabbage obsession, I am magnetically attracted to brussel sprouts. Now, maybe it's because there's a 5 year old girl inside me who squeals "awwwww look at the little baby cabbages." I blame many things on my inner 5 year old.<br /><br />There isn't much love for the b. sprout in the general populace. In spite of their obvious cuteness (at least to me) people tend to avoid them in favour of more pedestrian, accessible veggies. Or maybe they can't bring themselves to eat them BECAUSE of their cuteness, the way some people won't eat lamb but have no problem chowing down on prime rib. <br /><br />Those who do choose to cook them often seem to prepare them as if the b. sprouts have offended them in some way, such that they must be punished by boiling until they've reached a grayish dark green tint and smell of sulfur. <br /><br />I like to treat my sprouts with a little more love. I peel off the nasty outermost leaves, slice them in half. Then I melt some bacon grease in a frying pan, saute some onion, throw in some hot pepper flakes, turn the heat up and lay the sprouts in the pan, cut side down, for 2-3 minutes. Then I flip them over, douse them with some white wine (or stock, or water, or whatever else you think might be good as a braising liquid), throw on the lid, and let them steam for a few minutes. Then I poke them with a fork, to see if they're soft, throw on some salt and pepper, and there you go, Lightly charred, bright green sprout deliciousness.<br /><br />Or you can slice them up (for this endeavour, as well as an other veggie cutting project, let me HEARTILY endorse a ceramic knife. Mine is a Kyocera and one of my favourite things) thinly and saute them--that's even faster. <br /><br />One word of advice: overcooking is the kiss of death of b. sprouts. Remember: bright green=good, dark grayish green=bad.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-58563842996196790652009-03-30T12:06:00.000-07:002009-03-30T12:18:43.039-07:00Of breasts and thighsAren't I naughty ;)?<br /><br />I'm talking poultry today, because I had a revelation over the weekend. <br /><br />The chicken breast: much maligned by foodies, the dieter's cut when boneless and skinless, the safe order in restaurants, etc. <br />The chicken thigh: much praised by foodies, the dieter's nightmare no matter what, the rarely seen option in restaurants unless you just see 'chicken' listed at your local cheap places.<br /><br />I love chicken. But I always thought I loved the breasts way more than the thighs. Sure, they were slightly dry plain, but they were also predictably acceptable tasting steady protein sources whether you were at a Chinese, Indian, French, or Aghani restaurant. And when one is trying to CRON and have some semblance of a social life, being familiar with a good protein source/relatively low calorie item is a real plus.<br /><br />And chicken breasts are not bad. Roast chicken breast will never be derided from this corner. But I fear my affections have indeed shifted to the dark side. <br /><br />Now, to be fair to the thigh, I never did give it a chance before. The few times I cooked it when I was younger, I tried to cook it like a chicken breast and it just seemed too fatty and weirdly gristly. And while I love pork fat on a nice pork chop, I've never warmed to chicken fat on the bone.<br /><br />But lately, I've come to appreciate the thigh. It's always cheaper than the breast, and has a deeper, more nuanced flavour. It is more reliably juicy. And calorie wise, the difference is not that significant at all (1.7 cal/g vs. 1.8 cal/g). <br /><br />The trick with cooking a thigh at home, to my mind, is to realize you can be a little rougher with it. Breasts require attention so that they don't dry out. Thighs need less TLC and can still be delicious. I really like to braise skinless or skin on chicken thighs (depending on my audience) with canned tomatoes and big hunks of onion on the stove in a Dutch oven for 45 min-1 hour.<br /><br />I keep trying to convince my friends to give the thigh a chance, but I think the bias against dark meat runs deep. On the other hand, why should I encourage them when their rejection just means there'll be more for me :)?Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-31177187059118379392009-03-27T11:27:00.001-07:002009-03-27T11:41:21.232-07:00Pondering dairyI am not anti-dairy. I know many Paleo eaters who are. Although I was never a milk drinker, I am deeply attached to cheese and cream, and I consume them in relatively small amounts (an ounce of cheese a day, for example) so I figure they're not a big deal. <br /><br />Previously, I was a fiend for yogurt, particularly greek yogurt (Fage loyalist here) and goat milk yogurt. Now, I have a tendency to play tastes out. I will get obsessive about something for a while, eat it far too often, and not want to see it again for many moons. Many innocent foodstuffs have fallen victim to my unfortunate habit (pickles, canned pumpkin in everything, shrimp cocktail) but I never thought my beloved yogurt would be one.<br /><br />And yet I notice for the past two weeks, other than cheese, I have not been eating it, nor have I been craving it. This is kind of shocking for me because I thought I could NEVER give up yogurt. It was my dessert/breakfast go to protein filled comfort food. Smooth, thick, creamy, it lasted far long than many of my obsessions did.<br /><br />But, to my shock, I find I can live without it. My tastes have been swinging more savoury than sweet of late, and I've been making a concerted, and I'm proud to say, successful, effort to give up artifical sweeteners--when I would have greek yogurt, I would always put in a little Splenda. Lately, my dessert of choice has been dates and almonds, or salami, cheese, and other nuts like pistachios and cashews. <br /><br />In the absence of major dairy intake for the first time in a long time, I have also been able to make some observations. For me personally, dairy is not a negative feature in my diet. Without it I have not lost weight, my skin as not become any clearer, I have not felt any better (of course, I typically feel pretty good). <br /><br />So I wonder whether I will reintroduce it or not at some point. I know from a Paleo perspective, yogurt is not a great choice, and should be a once in a while thing. And now that I've broken my addiction, perhaps it's better to avoid it. I don't know. But it's something to think about.<br /><br />And now I think I'll go have some Gouda.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-55607980983217222272009-03-26T12:44:00.001-07:002009-03-26T12:57:29.846-07:00I'm keeping my saltThis morning at the doctor's office (annual physical, nothing exciting going on) we had this conversation:<br /><br />Dr: Does low blood pressure run in your family?<br />Me: Yes, why?<br />Dr: Because yours is LOW. (95/60 for those who are curious)<br /><br />I take this as a sign from some higher deity that I can just keep on sprinkling my sea salt on things. 'Cause I love me my salt. I even like salt in sweet things. I find it heightens the sweetness. I'm a HUGE fan of salt chocolate. Lake Champlain Co. makes this AMAZING chocolate bar with sea salt and almonds. SO has been sent to the store more than once to fetch me one of those little buggers (they only seem to carry them in 35g portions, which I guess is good. Sigh.) when I've been struck by a craving. My salt cravings are SO well known that my stepfather, fabulous guy that he is, got me a salt sampler of all these different fancy salts for Christmas. One of my favourite snacks, discovered when I lived in France, is raw radishes with a smear of butter and a sprinkling of salt. Try them, they're the fastest tastiest appetizer.<br /><br />I know there are divided opinions on salt, and to each his/her own. For me, it's just an essential element of my cooking and eating. I have tried to eliminate it, and the elimination makes me so unhappy it's just not worth it. It's all about balance, right :)?Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-6641658984785238862009-03-25T17:36:00.000-07:002009-03-25T17:43:19.841-07:00Ode to Pork ButtLovely, lovely pork butt<br />at $3.89 a pound<br />All marbled and sexy in that glass case<br /><br />How can I resist you?<br />Cheap, porky fatty goodness<br />I had to take you home with me<br /><br />But what to do with you, all raw and tough and full of cartilage...<br />I contemplated the best way to bring out <br />the tenderness I know you have in you<br /><br />I gently coated you in Worchestershire<br />Left you to sit for 30 minutes<br />And then I covered you and set you in the oven at 200F to keep you warm<br /><br />And I'll bet you thought I forgot about you<br />Because I left you in there<br />For 7 hours while I ran errands on a Sunday<br /><br />You should have known I would never do that to you!<br />You had a long time to soften up in that nice warm oven<br />And hot fat bath that pooled around you<br /><br />I gently lifted you out, freed you from that bone<br />Shredded you and tossed some Sriracha on you, just to wake you up a bit<br />And you, you were delicious.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-957809755279533632009-03-24T11:03:00.000-07:002009-03-24T11:10:19.470-07:00Blog? What blog? Oh, THAT blogSo, moving to CA and settling in is in fact more intense than I thought. But I think we're through the worst of it, and on that note I will bring you my latest favourite recipe, along with my hope that all has been well with all of you :) <br /><br />Slow Roasted Sirloin Tip <br />Now, I have discussed my fondness for buying big honking slabs of meat and cooking them off. It's cheaper, easy (yay leftovers), and less time consuming than preparing little bits every night. Sirloin tip roast is relatively inexpensive, mainly because it's relatively lean--which means you can throw a crazy rich sauce on to get your fat--and can dry out easily if you don't know what you're doing. Here's what you need/do:<br />1) One 3-4lb sirloin tip roast (or eye of round, or any other lean roast)<br />2) Something yummy to rub on it, I did butter and oregano, but you can do what ever you want<br /><br />Directions:<br />1) Preheat the oven to 500F. This is very important, give your oven a good 20 minutes to get there.<br />2) Put the roast in a roasting pan, give it a good rub down with your seasonings.<br />3) Throw it in the oven and let it roast 7min/lb. So for a three pound roast, 21 min. <br />4) Turn off the oven. Let the roast sit in the oven for 2.5 hours.<br />That's it. Take the roast out and you are good to go. I let it rest, carve it into slices, and eat it over the course of a few days. To heat up the slices, get a frying pan nice and hot and sear the outsides. Yummy, I tell you.<br /><br />As for sauces, go wild :) Bearnaise, gravy from the roast drippings, slather it with butter...Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-34395189109928544142009-03-11T11:11:00.000-07:002009-03-11T11:21:51.593-07:00Change upMy wonderful foodie has been a bit preoccupied, so I thought I would take a moment to brief you on our happenings. We have been going out to eat at least twice a week, but have made quite a run of the grocery scene here in SF. Our key local favorite is the <a href="http://www.berkeleybowl.com/">Berkeley Bowl</a>, suplimented by our staple place for random items, <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joes</a>.<br /><br />The highlight of eating over the last three weeks has been Pork Butt. With this, I will leave it to my love to tell you more about receipes and variations there of . . .Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-27792641225002061292009-02-20T13:37:00.000-08:002009-02-20T13:55:36.058-08:00And another recipe!Yes, I freely admit I am trying to use up the head of cabbage I bought. I love cabbage. I love it raw, I love it boiled, I love it braised. I really really love it braised, actually, because cabbage gets all lovely and silky and tender but still has just enough chew and it takes on this delicate sweetness that is just amazing. So I had some leftover ground turkey, and ground beef, and cabbage. And I had about an hour before the SO would start whining for food.<br /><br />So, I Googled around for recipes and came up with one for unstuffed cabbage, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/maindishes/r/unstuffcabbage.htm which of course I screwed around with because that's how I roll. This meal comes together very easily and requires little supervision, and since the SO loved this, I thought it was worthy of a post. <br /><br />For this recipe, which will serve one small female and one larger, very hungry male with some leftovers, you will need<br /> 1) 7 g/1.5 tsp butter<br />2) 454 g/1 lb of cabbage of cabbage<br />3) 120 g onion, thinly sliced.<br />4) 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced<br />5) 200 g jarred tomato sauce+1/2 cup water OR 1 16 oz can tomatoes<br />6) 454 g ground beef/turkey<br />7) Malt vinegar (or any other you have lying around)<br />8) Red pepper flakes<br />9) Salt and pepper to taste<br /><br />Directions:<br />1) Preheat oven to 350F.<br />2) Use butter to grease bottom of large dutch oven. <br />3) Slice cabbage into 1.5" wedges and lay on the bottom of the oven.<br />4) Lay onion slices and garlic slices on top of cabbage.<br />5) Pour tomatoes or tomato sauce+water over cabbage+onions+garlic.<br />6) Roll the meat into 1.5" diameter balls. Wedge meatballs between cabbage slices. When doing so, make sure you give them a good roll in the tomatoes. <br />7) Douse the pot with a nice shake of vinegar, salt and pepper, and hot pepper flakes to taste.<br />8) Throw the lid on the pot and stick the whole shebang in the oven for an hour. Halfway through cooking, remove the lid.<br />9. Serve in bowls in order to savour properly with the lovely meaty tomatoey broth that will form on the bottom of the pan.<br /><br />In the last 20 minutes or so of cooking, carefully monitor the meat. My turkey meatballs we slightly overcooked, although the beef was dandy. This recipe would work nicely with ground lamb or chicken as well. And it's an economical dish, owing to the cheap ingredients. <br /><br />I hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-35947873306329366332009-02-19T09:34:00.000-08:002009-02-19T10:10:53.317-08:00Kind Bar hacksSo a while ago, starving at an airport, I grabbed a Kind Bar in my mad dash to make my flight. For those not familiar with them, these bars are actually pretty good, in my opinion. They're made of fruits and nuts, and while some have icing, and all are bonded together with glucose syrup, some of them are still pretty good re: fat (lots of it) and carbs (not too too high). What I really loved were the flavors of the dried fruit and the nuts together. <br /><br />Let me say I don't recommend dried fruits if you're trying to lose weight. They are sugar bullets. But for an occasional dessert, I really like them. <br /><br />My two favorite bars are the date walnut and the apricot almond. So here's what I do: I buy dates and I split them open and stuff them with walnuts and eat them like a sandwich. Three big dates and my sweet tooth is MORE than satisfied. With the apricots and almonds I slice three dried almonds into strips and eat them with ten almonds, a strip of apricot on top of each almond. So I control the portion of dried fruit and pair it with some good nutritive fat. And I get my dessert fix AND I save money and avoid the glucose syrup in the Kind Bar. <br /><br />I know this hack thing sounds basic. But Kind Bars sell pretty well, so I assume people either haven't thought about doing this or just can't be bothered to buy the raw ingredients (of which there are two each) and make these snacks themselves. That fact in and of itself kind of blows my mind. Or maybe I'm just that cheap ;)Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-66961872176063812052009-02-18T15:22:00.000-08:002009-02-18T09:10:59.772-08:00Hunting for suppliesOne of my favorite things to do is to go searching for various supplies requested. This is always fun, as these random assortments are not things that I would purchase myself (but then, I am no cook like her) . . .<br /><br />Salami, various meats, different foods of precise nutritional composition. It is fun because it is always somewhat challenging and always educational. I have made mistakes from time to time, therefore the charge now is to give me explicit instructions when making purchases.<br /><br />I have always been into the culture of eating; my largest discretionary expenses have always been food and eating out . . . I enjoy the atmosphere of great meals, though since we met this has transitioned more to home, than out. I have various interests and hobbies and developing skills in cooking is one for 2009. I am still trying to make a mental picture of where to start and since I have been fetching random bits and pieces for a while, I am starting to get an idea on what to look for.<br /><br />More on how I figure out how to cook things beyond my chicken taco recipe later.Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-58005294658749909852009-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:002009-02-18T12:22:18.933-08:00If you're afraid of cooking fish...I have the technique for you! It's fast, easy, delicious, and as a bonus, there is little clean up after. Interested?<br /><br />If so, here's what you need to make 4 servings:<br />1) 4 firm fleshed fish fillets (salmon, cod, mahimahi) about an inch thick and 4-6 oz (112 to 168 g)<br />2) 2 cloves of garlic, slivered or finely chopped, however you prefer<br />3) 1 lemon<br />4) butter<br />5) Salt<br />6) Four large sheets of foil<br /><br />Directions:<br />1) Preheat oven to 450F. <br />2) Place one fillet in the center of each piece of foil. Top with some of the garlic, lemon, a couple pats of butter (I used 6g per packet, but you can use more if you'd like) and good sprinkle of salt. You can also had herbs like dill if you have them lying around. Yell at cat who is trying to sample bit of raw fillet.*<br />3) Lock cat in bathroom until finished with step 4.<br />4) Bring two of the opposite sides together and crimp them so they're sealed shut. Now crimp the other two ends until they're sealed shut. Make sure everything is nice and tightly closed.<br />5) Place packets on cookie sheet and slide into the over for 12-15 minutes (adjust time accordingly for thinner or fatter fillets).<br />6) Remove packets from oven, place on plate and slit open packets VERY CAREFULLY as there has been steam build up and nobody likes 2nd degree burns before dinner.<br />7) Enjoy your moist, perfectly cooked, no pan to clean up fish. Taunt cat, then take pity and slip a bit into his food bowl.<br /><br />*Please note, some instructions apply only to cat owners. <br /><br />This dish is what we had for dinner last night, along with sauteed cabbage as I completely forgot about my mushrooms (which will be on the menu tonight!) until after dinner ;)Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763665090470846849.post-82927999114509897472009-02-17T14:17:00.001-08:002009-02-17T14:28:55.024-08:00Getting back on the blog wagon :)I was going to title this post "Falling off the blog wagon" but I decided I was going to be glass half full for once in my otherwise Nelly Naysayer life ;) Busy busy busy at work and moving in, but things are starting to settle. Boxes have been emptied, my kitchen has been resurrected in a new and improved form (my mom generously stocked me with Le Creuset from the Le Creuset outlet store, and it's already been put to good use) and I am off and running with the meal preparation.<br /><br />So what have I been up to the last week or so? Well, aside from all the boring stuff, I've discovered an AWESOME new way to exercise. For a once a week high stress bit of training, right near my new apartment are the Filbert Steps. These are a very long set of stairs up the side of Telegraph Hill, and let me tell you, running up those is a serious workout. And, it's free! Love, love, love. And my legs, although sore as the dickens, secretly love it too. Or at least, my brain will take them to a bar, get them drunk, and eventually convince them of that, I'm sure. <br /><br />And I went to my first San Francisco Farmers Market at the Ferry building. Among my amazing purchases were gorgeous organic dried pork sausage from the Fatted Calf, purple heart lettuce that is so beautiful I almost wanted to decorate with it instead of eat it, perfect mandarin oranges, some deliciously oozy goat camembert, and black trumpet mushrooms, which are kind of earthy and spicy. Needless to say, I've been cooking up a storm.<br /><br />The lettuce was tossed with lemon juice and walnut oil and a little bit of salt and pepper, and decorated with hunks of avocado and grilled portabella mushrooms, served alongside a meatloaf with lots of chopped fresh parsley, onion, and a few good shakes of worchestershire sauce. The mandarins are munched out of hand with the camembert for dessert.<br /><br />Tonight I am doing pan roasted mahimahi with lemon, butter, and garlic served with the sauteed black trumpt mushrooms. With so much delicious fresh stuff out here, Paleo seems easier than ever. Ironically, there are also a million more temptations out here. Real french pastry (as opposed to the easily avoidable nasty americanized cotton ball versions), San Francisco sourdough with that fabulous golden crust on every corner. Although the SO bought a bag of Ghirardelli chocolates and how sad was I to see they use HFCS in their chocolates? Thankfully, it's only in the filled ones, but still. <br /><br />In any case, please forgive my absence!Cave Cookinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09908010407837751832noreply@blogger.com3