Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas everyone!

I thought I'd do a quick post on my Christmas Eve dinner, since I like hearing what others are making and hopefully, you guys are interested in what I'm making. I've never actually had a real Christmas dinner in my adult life, so I'm really looking forward to it. Honestly, I look forward to any excuse to cook a nice dinner and have people over (it forces me to clean my house, heheh.)

I'm not having a big to-do; it's just me, the husband, his mom and my mom (the other PIP sister, Rose, is way up in the Great Frozen North a.k.a Northern Michigan). We're actually supposed to have a white Christmas here in Nashville for the first time in 17 years! Although I don't miss four-ish months of snow like I grew up with in Michigan, I do miss having SOME snow! I hope we get snowed in on Christmas day- it makes being lazy and watching movies and episodes of Mad Men all day seem more justifiable.


So, here's the dinner rundown- I've decided to go kind of traditional English with the main course and dessert.

Starter: pressed walnut-prune rounds (a new item that Trader Joe's just got in) with manchego cheese (my favorite:-) and freshly roasted chestnuts

Salad: mixed greens with walnuts, dried cranberries, sliced fennel bulb, goat chevre and citrus vinaigrette

Main course: roast beef with roasted root veggies (carrots, onions and fingerling potatoes) and Primal Yorkshire Pudding

Dessert: plum puddings with vanilla sauce



My English Christmas soundtrack will be the very English Cambridge Singers. You can't not be in a holiday mood when the Cambridge singers are singing. On Christmas morning, I'm going to make another cherry clafoutis. It smells amazing when it's baking. I think it might become a Christmas tradition for me:)

Hubby and I are going to do Christmas dinner with just us two and he's making a lamb roast and I splurged on a couple of quinces. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet, but I was inspired by some baked quinces with nuts and whipped cream that I recently had at a Turkish restaurant. Wow, were they good (and not too sweet- the perfect kind of dessert for my diminished sweet tooth!)
I'm not going to cheat and have any gluten free grain-based goodies like I did at Thanksgiving. My health always seems to take a dip if I do that, so it's just not worth it (and gluten is absolutely out of the question, as I'm intolerant). I'm more than content with using almond flour or making fruit desserts and keeping the sugars fairly minimal.

Once January comes, it's Whole30 time for me (which I'll be blogging about for the duration of the month). Who wants to join me??


I hope you all have a very happy (and a very yummy) Christmas! I'd love to hear what you're having;)
-Erin

Yorkshire Pudding (it's Primal, yo!)

I had a birthday brunch recently for my 33rd birthday and I made the Elana's Pantry clafoutis recipe, with traditional (morello) cherries instead of pears. It was fabulous and everyone devoured it, including my non-Primal, gluten loving friends:) It was almost a like a very eggy bread pudding and the texture lead to a stroke of genius inspiration: I thought "hey, I could totally adapt this recipe into yorkshire pudding!", and so I did!

Yorkshire pudding might not be familiar to a lot of you, but it was one one my favorite foods as a kid. My mom would make the classic British meal of roast beef with yorkshire pudding. Talk about comfort food. I usually requested it for my birthday dinner.

Yorkshire pudding is not sweet, nor is it "pudding", but rather an eggy batter baked (traditionally) in the drippings from roast beef. The batter is quite similar to popover batter, but it's baked in a pan and is a little more dense, but still fluffy, rich, eggy and a little crispy on top. I've aways had a hard time not stuffing my face with it. I have no control around it, it's THAT tasty. I'm not exaggerating.

This version is very close to the real deal; it's not one of those recipes that's a stretch, where you feel like you're "settling". Although it's not quite as tall as the regular version (I may work on that) the basic eggy texture and rich flavor is all there. I haven't tried doubling up the recipe, but that would be one way to make it taller.

It makes a great side dish for all kinds of food and it's perfect for when you want something bread-y and warm. It also happens to be an efficient way to up your healthy saturated fat consumption and uses ingredients that are probably already in most Primal cooks' kitchens, so it's convenient to make on a whim.




So, without further adieu, here is my ridiculously easy recipe for grain/gluten-free Primal Yorkshire Pudding:

Preheat the oven to 325º
Beat well together:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup almond flour
1 TB coconut flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Pour into a greased casserole or 8x8 pan (you could melt beef drippings in the bottom of the pan to make it really authentic)
Bake for 45 min. or until a knife comes out clean when pierced in the center.

Go ahead- stuff your face!! I won't tell (because my own mouth will probably be too full to say anything...)
-Erin

If It's Not Wheat Intolerance...

We sisters love British humor. How about some Primal British humor? This is brilliant:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

It's been about a year since I really got into "Primal" eating and living and I am endlessly thankful that I did! It was a long road getting here, through years of all kinds of diets and nutrition styles, from classic vegetarian, to mostly macrobiotic, to raw vegan to omnivore and then to Primal. It's been so nice to try something and finally get results. My health isn't perfect, but it's vastly closer to perfect than it's been in my adult life. That's such a big deal to me!

I'm thankful I found such a big piece of the puzzle and that the piece turned out to be something easy and even, dare I say, fun? I've regained my love of cooking (now that I actually have the energy to cook;)


Right now, I'm in the kitchen, listening to Luxuria Music (best music ever for cooking up a storm) and taking a procrastination break now that I've just finished my cranberry apricot sauce.
Next up, I'm going to make a hazelnut-pecan crusted Primal pumpkin pie. I'll be using the recipe from This Primal Life as my touchstone but I'm going for a hazelnut/pecan crust instead of almond flour. I may or may not be drooling, just thinking about it (take a guess which!)

Tomorrow, hubby is on turkey duty. It's nice eating turkey after 16 years of no meat. Bring on the bird and the gravy!

I'm so thankful to have a number of Primal and Primal-friendly friends and family members, so I'm especially looking forward to this meal, which will have all kinds of goodies that I can eat and not suffer from, with the exception of the inevitable carbohydrate coma I'll be in. But, hey, it's Thanksgiving. There's NO way I'm staying lower carb! Not even going to try! I'll go back to being a good girl after the holiday.

I hope everyone of you enjoys the holiday and all that you have to be thankful for, even if it's just one little thing. One little thing is better than nothing!

-Erin

Sweet Potato Fries

I am such a sucker for orange veggies (with the exception of carrots!). I have so much fun in the fall with sweet potatoes and winter squashes. Right now my carbohydrate intake is a little higher than normal because of these yummies, but I want to take advantage of seasonal food and I believe that there is wisdom in eating with the seasons.

I recently learned that what we call "yams" in our grocery stores, are actually sweet potato varieties and real yams are hard to come by unless you get them at an Asian or Caribbean market (you just KNOW I'm going to try to find some, now!)
Mark's Daily Apple recently posted on this difference, and though I was a little bummed to find out I've probably never had a real yam, I'm looking forward to trying to fine one. I like a food challenge.

I've been making a lot of sweet potato fries because they're so easy. I get the pre-cut fries from Trader Joe's, but you could also take a little time and chop up a bunch of fries to make throughout the week. It's way less work that way and you have them in the fridge, waiting to be baked.

There's quite a lot of variety to be had in baking fries and here are some ideas:
Cinnamon
Garlic granules (not garlic powder. Big difference!) Yes, garlic granules are really yummy on sweet potato fries; just use a light hand!
Garam Masala
Chinese Five Spice
For spicy fries, my special blend of garlic granules, paprika, and cayenne and salt. Not TOO much cayenne, now!

PS- they're really nice to eat with breakfast/brunch, too!


Sweet Potato Fries

Heat oven to 400º
Mix fries with melted coconut or palm oil (use only organic palm oil) and salt/spices
Bake for 12-15 minutes

These will not be really crispy, but more soft with crispy bits, just like the picture above. I love this texture.

See how easy it is? You're going to want to make them all the time;)
Eat up!
-Erin

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been on such a pumpkin kick lately. I've made pumpkin custard, pumpkin cookies (don't worry- I'll be providing recipes for those, too!) and, this morning, pumpkin pancakes. I'm surprised I haven't made pumpkin soup yet. Pumpkin is so nutritious; It really ups the nutrient density of whatever you add it to.

When I decided to make the pancakes, I decided to go more Paleo with the ingredients, so no dairy in this recipe. They turned out nicely! Knowing me, I'll probably keep tweaking, but i made myself write down the proportions (for once), so here is my recipe:

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

2 lg eggs
2 TB coconut flour
2-3 TBs pumpkin
1 TB coconut milk
pinch of salt
pinch of something sweet (I used stevia)
spices to taste: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, etc.

If the pancakes fall apart when you cook them, add an extra egg white to help bind them.

I cooked mine in coconut oil and I indulged and drizzled a tiny bit of grade B maple syrup. You could also top with cinnamon-coconut cream, apple butter, sauteed apples or whipped cream if you want to go more Primal;)

Enjoy!
-Erin

Creamy, Chunky, Cauliflower-Bacon Soup!

I have to admit that I'm something of a "soupmeister". I love soup and I make great soup! It's one of my absolute favorite things to make (and eat!) Although I've had to retire some of my old favorite recipes, such as provençal chickpea and fennel stew or white bean and kale soup, it gives me a great excuse to come up with new recipes!

Tonight, I came up with a particularly winning and easy one: Cauliflower-Bacon with Italian Parsley.

As per usual, I didn't do anything in an exacting manner (I like "free-form" measurements) but here is the basic outline so that you can enjoy a nice bowl of creamy, chunky soup on a chilly autumn evening.

-1 large cauliflower, steamed
-1 small onion, minced and sautéed
-2 or more strips of good quality bacon, cooked and chopped
-liquid to thin the soup- cream, chicken stock, water or even coconut milk will do. If you use water or stock, I suggest adding a bit of butter to add more fat.
-chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (as much as you like- I like a lot!)
- salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
-optional but awesome: smoked paprika, to taste

Put half of the cauliflower in the blender with the onions and add enough of your chosen liquids to reach desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. After the base is blended, add bacon, parsley and the other half of the cauliflower (chopped up) and season with the paprika to taste.

This soup is flexible. You could blend all the cauliflower to make it creamier. You could add a bit of sharp cheese like pecorino or parmigiano-reggiano. You could leave out the bacon and paprika and use caraway seeds. You could add broccoli and cheddar. Lots of fun possibilities, so pimp your soup!

Enjoy!
-Erin

U.P. North

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea-Water

I'm in the midst of an end-of-summer vacation to me and Rose's home state of Michigan. Rose and I both live in the South, but our hearts remain firmly planted in Northern Michigan.

My hubby and I try to take a trip up to Traverse City in the "little finger" of the Mitten State every summer to see friends and family and this little-known part of the country is a true paradise! Gorgeous beaches, lakes, woods, wine country, farmer's markets and locavore restaurants. It's also the "Cherry Capital of the World" and a great fruit growing region. Heck yeah.

This year we decided to take a trip up to the Upper Peninsula (or the "U.P." as we Michiganders call it) this time, as I had never really explored that far north. It's a sparsely populated wilderness and water wonderland. I have to say that eating Primally in the land of deep-fried whitefish and pasties was not so easy, so I did my best (and ended up with a much starchier diet than my usual- still strictly gluten-free, though!) but I'm glad to be back in civilization, where I can go to the farmer's market or the co-op and get "normal" food;-) They have great organic farms, meat markets and a local bison herd, so I feel right at home in Traverse City.

Some of the highlights of the U.P. trip were:

Taking a sunset cruise around the stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, on Lake Superior, in Munising. Although I grew up on Lake Michigan, I had never been to Lake Superior, the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes.

finally seeing the upper and lower Tahquemenon Falls, which are the second largest falls east of the Mississippi, and are featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem "The Song of Hiawatha": "by the rushing Tahquamenaw" Hiawatha built his canoe.

visiting the charming, historic town of Marquette and nearby Presque Isle Park. It was ridiculously windy on Lake Superior that day!

and floating on a little self guided platform on the otherworldly Kitch-iti-kipi Big Spring. It was out of our way but very much worth the trip! The water is jade green and super clear (not to mention freezing- only 45º! Brrr.)

It really feels like the end of summer and I can already feel the change of seasons beginning up here in N. MI, but it will still be summer in TN when I get back home.

-Erin

My Big Fat Diet!

So, it's been H-O-T lately!

I'm blaming the heat and my Medical Qigong course finals for my lack of attention to this blog (as of tomorrow, I will have obtained the credentials of Medical Qigong Practitioner and the right to use the initials M.Q.P. behind my name if I feel like it;)

Despite my busyness and laziness, I couldn't resist doing a quick post on something really cool that makes me very excited: the documentary "My Big Fat Diet"!

The Namgis First Nation, who live off the coast of Vancouver Island, BC decided that they were sick of being sick, so they did something about it and that something was returning to their original tribal diet, which includes no sugar or grains, for a year and they documented the whole ordeal.

Native Americans are 2.6 times more likely to have diabetes than Whites of the same age groups and have the highest diabetes rates among all ethnic groups in North America.

First Nations peoples are more likely to succumb to the metabolic effects (obesity, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease) of excess carbohydrates in their diets, especially in the form of refined sugar and grain, because many of these tribes did not have access to this food until fairly recently in their histories, so you can see why it's such a big deal for the Namgis Tribe to re-embrace their native diet.

I look forward to watching this documentary. Here is a snippet of the Chief's challenge to other First Nations communities:

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I think I'll go do one that most Primal of activities-which I feel is highly underrated- NAP! Ooh- maybe my next blog post will expound on the numerous and myriad benefits of naps...

Anyway, I'm off to nap for a bit so my brain can switch back into study mode. I have a test to finish!

-Erin

Primal Pasta?

When people ask me about my diet and they hear that I don't eat grains, that's when the slightly horrified (or not so slightly horrified) looks register on their faces and they exclaim "I could never give up grains/bread/pasta etc."

Well, I was just as into my grains as anyone, so it's doable, people! Further into this article, I am going to show you that it's not a spartan lifestyle of white-knuckled deprivation. I love food too much to live like that (but I also love my good health enough to make some adjustments!)

Why are grains worth cutting from your diet? As humans, we haven't been eating them for all that long and the mineral-depleting antinutrients, as well as starches and gluten they contain can function as troublemakers in our bodies.

Some things are obvious: Celiac disease, Crohn's Disease, IBS, etc. Some are less obvious: GERD, skin issues like eczema and acne, inflammation in joints and other parts of the body (I discovered that my excruciating monthly symptoms of cramps and IBS just up and disappeared
after cutting the grains from my diet) and even mental/emotional symptoms like anxiety can all be rooted in grain and gluten consumption. Here's a little more info on why grains aren't so awesome for us and here's a great article on how to quit them.

Now, on to the fun stuff: Pasta!

Are Primal and pasta mutually exclusive? No! Am I going to give you recipes for spiralized zucchini and tell you to pretend it's pasta (Rose likes zucchini "pasta" but I'm not a fan)? HECK NO! I'm going to give you a decent spaghetti alternative from a land far, far away: Japan! Meet the wonderful shirataki noodle!

Shiratake noodles are made from a tuber called konjac root (also called "yam" or "elephant yam"- not to be confused with regular yams. There is also a different version made with soy called "tofu shiratke". I don't use that form.) and they have nearly zero calories and carbohydrates. They also have no taste, so they can be used in a wide variety of dishes. I simply rinse off the sea-weedy smelling water they come packed in and boil them for a bit in generously salted water or broth to infuse them with a bit of flavor.

Shiratake can be found in the Japanese section of any Asian grocer and will be refrigerated. Some brands have a softer texture than others, which I prefer (shiratake can be a bit "springy" feeling when you eat it), so experiment with different brands to find your favorite.

While I don't have specific recipes to give you, I'll tell you about the two dishes pictured. The top pic is bison marinara- I used a low sugar organic marinara sauce (since I'm too lazy to make my own!) and added lots of ground bison and grated parmigiano reggiano (one of the world's great cheeses and not to be confused with parmesan!) Since the noodles themselves have almost no calories, it's important that the toppings are more calorically dense and nutrient rich.

The dish pictured below is pasta with an asiago cream sauce, sauteed morels and ramps, asparagus and baked salmon. It would also be wonderful with other veggies (summer squash, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, etc).

Shiratake is fantastic in Asian noodle soups (it was made for this purpose and can be found in sukiyaki in Japanese restaurants.) and in Asian noodle dishes. I also pulse it in a food processor to "rice" it and serve with Thai coconut milk-based curries. It's great like that and my husband was pretty impressed with it!

I hope this opens up a whole new world of pasta possibilities for everyone. Mangia, mangia!!

-Erin

Big Fat Lies

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat; his wife could eat no lean..." According to conventional dietary wisdom, Jack is doing things right and his wife is in for a WHOLE lot of trouble! But what if the reality of it was nearly opposite of what we've been told all these years?

Here is a little clip from the documentary "Fat Head" which is like the high-fat/low carb counterpart to "Super-Size Me". It takes to task the idea that dietary fat is the root of all evil (a.k.a the "Lipid Hypothesis"); that it causes obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, etc.
It's based upon the book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes and the ground-breaking work of physicians like Dr's Mike and Mary Dan Eades. Many researchers and doctors are finding out that it's the carbs, not the fats that are the real root of so many woes!

It's eye opening to see the flawed data upon which our fear of dietary fat (especially saturated fat) is based on:




For more info on fat, read this excellent article by Mary Enig, PhD. (one of the preeminent experts on the biochemisrty of fats) and Sally Fallon, of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Deep Thoughts

"Here's a thought... If you try to break the natural law of gravity by leaping off your roof will the outcome be a good one?.......if you continue to take medications that inhibit (or break) the natural laws of your body, while not feeding it what it needs,will the outcome be a good one?....You cannot break natural laws without them breaking you." -Dr. Tom McKay

Lazy Sunday Night

Last night I felt LAZY. I earned my laziness though with an ambitious morning that started at 4:30am (I didn't mean to wake up that early!). By early afternoon it was catching up with me and I decided to take a nap. Four hours later I woke up hungry realizing all I had eaten was a spoonful of pepita butter in the morning. I looked into my near empty fridge, some zucchini bread my brother had brought home smirking at me from on top of the fridge.
Just then I spotted some summer squash a friend had brought over from his garden. I opened the freezer and found the last part of a bag of shrimp. The laziest dinner ever was born! Here's what I did:
2 small summer squash sliced
1 small green onion diced
1 cup frozen cooked shrimp, thawed, tails removed
2 T coconut oil
2 T Jamaican jerk seasoning

Heat oil in pan and sautee squash and onion, add Jamaican jerk spice and toss, throw in shrimp and toss again, heating shrimp just for a minute. Voila! Laziest dinner ever! ~Rose

Pepita Butter

Yesterday was a busy wonderful day. I started a new batch of Kombucha (more posting on that later), some sprouts, and after seeing my jar of almond butter nearly empty, I decided to try my hand at making my own.
I hardly have any almonds in my pantry right now but there is an abundance of raw pepitas, or Mexican pumpkin seeds. For the first time in five years of owning it, I put the blank plate on my champion juicer and had at it! A handful of seeds, then a little olive oil, smoosh! Repeat. When I had put in about 3 cups or so, I added a little salt and stevia, then ran the pepita butter through the juicer once more for a smoother texture. I ate a spoonful of the warm pepita butter to make sure it was good and it certainly was!
Into the fridge it went and this morning I pulled some out to smear on an apple. It is even better now that it had a chance to sit. So much easier than I thought it would be-I am definitely going to start making my own nut and seed butters. You can't beat saving money, a trip to the grocery store and the freshness and quality of making your own.
All you need is a juicer with a blank plate insert (used instead of the usual screen) or food processor, 1-4 cups seeds or nuts of your choice, good quality cold pressed (or virgin) oil (I used evoo) and a container that seals. Alternating between 1/4-1/2 cup seeds or nuts and 1 teaspoon of oil at a time, grinding to your desired consistency. If needed, salt or sweeten to your liking and enjoy!
~Rose

Overwhelmed by food allergies? Don't know where to start?

I am fortunate to be able to eat most Primal and Paleo foods with no issues (I do have to watch it with the cow's milk dairy) but others are not so lucky.

Some have egg and/or dairy intolerances, some cannot eat any sugars other than simple saccharides without digestive and other issues. Some people are sensitive to nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, spinach, potatoes, eggplant, etc) or to nuts.

So, what do you do when your sensitivities are ganging up on you or you are clueless in the kitchen or can't find the time or inspiration to make interesting meals that work with your limited diet? No need to fear; the Heart of Cooking is here!

Sarah Schatz, a personal chef who specializes in special diets, has come up with an ingenious service: Heart of Cooking, which is a monthly menu subscription service.

You can choose from a wide variety of highly specialized menu plans including a GAPS/Paleo/Elimination diet plan (there is even an egg-free version of said plan!)

If you or anyone you know has serious digestive issues like Celiac, Crohn's Disease or Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or has children with Autism Spectrum issues, the GAPS diet is really worth checking out. If you're already on a gluten-free diet, it's worth checking out. It goes way beyond gluten-free and aims to heal the damage done to the gut. It's also great for people suffering from migraines, mood disorders and a whole plethora of symptoms.

You can get a free week of the meat/seafood menu planner here. I'm definitely going to take advantage of that! Heart of Cooking also has a blog full of great recipes and information, so make sure to check it out.

How lucky we are to live in the Information Age, where people are so easily able to reach out and help each other through technology and where the click of a computer key can make our lives vastly easier!

-Erin

Sorrel!

I'm kind of obsessed with sorrel, right now. I've always seen it listed in my herbal medicine books but I've never seen it in person- until I found some at the farmer's market last weekend. It was love at first bite!

Sorrel looks a bit like mature spinach but with a smoother texture and a completely different taste. It's tart and lemony. The only thing I've eaten that tastes like it are shamrock leaves and flowers (which are very tasty, by the way.)

I haven't experimented with it in recipes yet, as I love it simply chopped with a dollop of greek yogurt and some sea salt. Red peppers or tomatoes would be nice, too (maybe not for you nightshade- avoiding Paleo die-hards, though!) For lunch today, I had the aforementioned salad with some chicken sausage and a handful of raw hazelnuts. Very European of me!

Here is a yummy looking sorrel salad recipe.

-Erin

Woodland goodies

I thought I'd drop in to say "hello" for our little blog's inauguration. And I might as well mention this evening's food finds:

I had a little fun at Whole Foods tonight and splurged on some woodland goodies, namely morel mushrooms and ramps. What are ramps, you ask? They are tiny little wild leeks. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them, but I'll figure something out. I'm a sucker for anything found growing in the woods. Fiddleheads, mushrooms, onions, berries, greens (I'd probably eat lichen if it were edible/palatable!)

The morels, however, I have big plans for. Plans that involve butter, a cream sauce and asparagus. And possibly ramps...

I'll keep you posted.

-Erin

Prim and Primal

Hi! Rose here. I wasn't sure what to write for our 1st blog post. I've been on a creative cooking whirlwind all weekend and had envisioned posting some great primal recipes alongside mouth watering photos....but now it's Monday. Now I'm tired after cleaning the house all weekend for a visit from my Mother in law. I had a lazy dinner, leftover (crustless) quiche, a salad, and I whipped up a low carb low sugar dessert with some blueberries for my husband and I.
It got me thinking about a primal cheesecake....which I know by some standards isn't really primal to begin with, but come on-cheesecake! Let's bend the rules here a little bit ;) Using lemon juice, stevia, riccotta and blueberries tonight was a lot like a crustless blueberry cheesecake dessert. I started looking up primal cheesecake recipes and decided that I will just have to take on this adventure myself, create my own best dessert and mainly see what happens! Shooting for my next post to share this experiment-in the mean time, I will leave you with some nice recipes I found on my quest.

Cheesecake Bars
Primal Strawberry Cheesecake
Almond Butter No-Bake Cheesecake w/ Brazil Nut Crust
Berry Cheesecake