Eat to Live. Live to Eat.

The Art of the Deglaze

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:30:41 -0800

Best cooking lesson learned in a while!!

Step 1: Buy some cooking wine. Sweet marsala is good, I found mine at BevMo. The taste of the marsala adds a lot to the sauce, but really any wine will work.

Step 2: Cook your meat. I brown a pound of ground meat a week, so that presents a perfect opportunity for sauces. However, this sauce has even coaxed me and my burgers and steaks away from my grill and back onto the stove just so I can make sauces! Any red or organ meat will do…though I haven’t tried any white meat or pork products like bacon or sausage…. Make sure you use plenty of fat while cooking (I use lard) because your sauce depends on the drippings left over when the meat is finished. I found out the hard way that if you try to add more butter or lard in after the meat is gone, it just separates into an oily mess.

Pictured is 1 pound grass-fed ground beef with 3 spoonfuls lard, 1/2 medium onion, a few shakes each salt, pepper, and garlic. Cooked over medium heat.

Step 3: Deglaze!

Once your meat is cooked through, transfer it to another container using a slotted spoon so you don’t take too much of the fat away. Add equal parts wine and homemade chicken or beef stock or broth and stir constantly. You can turn the heat up to high at this point. Stainless steel pans and wooden utensils are best for this.

Step 4: Flavor

Once the sauce has reduced to your desired volume and consistency (it won’t take long!) I like to mix in rosemary and spicy mustard, trust me, it’s delicious!! Pictured above is the reduced sauce that I added mushrooms to and am about to add the rosemary and mustard. The mushrooms aren’t necessary, I was just experimenting.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Here I boiled peas, and then sauteed more mushrooms and onions in butter. I added some of the ground beef I just cooked and about a spoonful or two of sauce. Once its all warm and the peas are done,put it all together with another pat of butter and you’re in for a real treat :)

Restaurant Review

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:30:48 -0800

This is not the point of my blog, and I probably won’t make a habit of this, but Plan Check Burgers (mentioned in an earlier post) deserves mentioning! If you let your paleo self splurge on sweet potatoes or yams, you need to try this place! They actually fry their fries in beef tallow!! Hooray for new school old fashioned establishments doing it right. Beef tallow, as an animal fat, is completely saturated and thus sturdy enough to withstand the heat of a deep fryer without oxidizing and becoming toxic. Last time I was there they even had raw amish cheddar cheese! I have not followed up on the source of their meats, but I am very encouraged by their use of tallow. Check them out at http://www.plancheckbar.com/menu.html

Home Sweet Home

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:30:32 -0800

Speaking of Burns Kitchens…the original one is down south in San Diego and is always showing me up with Dave’s famous margaritas and epic Seaside Market sashimi. (PS thats coconut aminos with wasabi and ginger, no soy for me!)

Thanks mom and dad!

Better Burgers

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:30:44 -0800

Where can you find a a grilled grass fed burger with nitrate free bacon and a pastured egg (cooked in pastured butter) with raw amish cheddar on top? Not Umami burger, the Counter or Plan Check my friends. The Burns kitchen is where it’s at!

hmm…i do think i need to step up the photography though…

Gotta love the farmer’s market!! You can find me on...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:30:51 -0800

Gotta love the farmer’s market!! You can find me on Arizona between 2nd and 4th most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Organic Pastures is at the Santa Monica farmers market on Wednesdays with truly raw milk, cream, cheese and butter, and lately they’ve even been selling grass-fed ground beef for less than $6 a pound! Saturdays I get my cage-free, soy-free, organic, free range pastured and whatever other adjective you like eggs for $5 a dozen from…shoot, Happy Farms? Happy valley Chickens? I don’t remember the exact name but the chickens, my stomach, and my wallet are all very happy about it. I’ll update the post when I visit him this weekend :)

“Where are the buns?” Ooops… hosting a BBQ for...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:30:43 -0800

“Where are the buns?”

Ooops… hosting a BBQ for non-paleo people. The spread looked complete to me!

Happy New Year!

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:40:02 -0800

Surviving my first semester of grad school and the mayan apocalypse didn’t leave me with much time for blogging. I was still cooking though, so here begins my new years resolution to catch up and keep up on my blog! Here’s to a deliciously healthy 2013!

Excuse my Rant

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:32:40 -0700

I just drafted this little ditty to include in a piece on savy farmers market consumerism but I went a little over the top. Still, I feel like it needed to be shared.

Something to keep in mind: Our farming politics are VERY messed up. (Why does a local, organic apple that I should just be able to pick off of a tree down the street cost more than a Big Mac?) We have been producing a surplus of corn for decades, and now we genetically modify the corn to produce even more. Soy is also being genetically modified and over produced. We can’t eat the corn, and we haven’t put enough of it into bio-fuels yet, so the only place left for the surplus to go is to our confinement-raised slaughter animals. Enter corn fed cows, chicken, and yes, fish.

Ask before you eat:

· What were the animals fed? Cows should be grass-fed, but cattle are always grass-fed until the last 3 months of life, when they are usually transported to a grain-based feedlot. Grass-fed and grass-finished often mean very different things to different farmers, so make sure you ask the qualifying question: For their whole life? Chickens should also be pasture-fed. Avoid falling for the popular claim “vegetarian fed.” This just means the chickens never got a chance to roam around outside and eat bugs, and were instead fed corn and soy. Organic does mean non-GMO, but you can still feed a cow organic corn and call it organic, even though it is miles away from its natural state.

· Where were they raised? Were they actually running around outside? Or did they just have “access” to a field. Animals should be out on a field grazing. If they are doing right by the animals, farmers are usually very proud of this piece!

Asking these thoughtful questions will set you apart as a savy consumer and help spread the message to your farmers and grocers that we value real food!

Eggplant?

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:25:40 -0700

I recently signed up to get fresh, seasonal, organic produce delivered once a week through Farm Fresh to You. Its awesome! I just opened my door and there was a box of amazing food!! However, there was an eggplant… and I have never eaten an eggplant before. After spending about 30 minutes looking up recipes and another 30 getting a pep talk from my mom, I pulled that bad boy out and sliced it up. I decided that if all things are better when grilled, an eggplant would be no exception.

Some of the box contents, including the dreaded eggplant

My beloved BBQ!!

Not too shabby! They’re coated with olive oil, garlic and salt, but I still don’t think i’d eat them plain…

Okay, I haven’t eaten one of these yet, but it looks good! Grilled eggplant layered with cheese, ground italian pork sausage cooked with onion and mushrooms, eggplant, cheese, and a quick homemade marinara sauce:

1/2 can organic tomato paste

olive oil

water

garlic

italian seasonings (oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, fennel, etc)

On low heat saute garlic in oilve oil, add seasonings, stir until you can smell them all. Add the tomato paste and however much more oilve oil and water you want to make it the right consistency.

I made 3 of these little casserole cups and plan on throwing them in the oven to order. Hopefully i like eggplant!

Tutti Frutti

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:28:51 -0700

I still can’t believe that I only started eating fruit this year. Now raw honey, raw greek yogurt, and some epic organic farmers market goodness makes for such a refreshing summer dessert!

To kick that chocolate craving the paleo way:

4oz unsweetened organic fair trade baking chocolate

4T butter

2 1/2 T Raw honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

Melt the chocolate with the butter and add the rest of the ingredients. Dip the strawberries and try to resist eating them until they’ve been in the fridge for a while.

**This chocolate recipe is not good on its own due to the vanilla. I am still working on a different ratio of chocolate to butter to honey, so stay tuned…

I need to make these more often…

Buffalo for breakfast!! I bought free range (not sure how...

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:26:12 -0700

Buffalo for breakfast!!

I bought free range (not sure how successful farmers are in caging buffalo…) organic grass fed good ole’ american bison from the farmers market last week, and I love it! It’s sweeter than beef, and about as rich as lamb, and i’ve been using it just like I would any other meat. My favorite way to eat it has been for breakfast with some eggs and raw cheese! Thanks to my catalina-raised parents for my buffalo taste buds!

Paleo Pesto

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:30:24 -0700

Basil makes so many great foods so much better, why not concentrate that summer taste into a paste? This recipe is one of many favorites from the Paleo CookbookWell Fed. I’ve made two batches so far and have started buying and making food just so I have something to put it on!

Unfortunately I only have a blender, not a food processor. The blender takes a little more time because the basil leaves just want to fly around in there instead of being blended, but it still works. Pine nuts and parmesan are part of the classic recipe, but this one is cheese-less, so soaked, creamy walnuts are used instead of pine nuts.

1 package Trader joe’s organic basil (I really don’t know what else you would do with such a huge amount, thanks TJ’s)

1 package Trader Joe’s organic parsley

3 cloves garlic. Rule of thumb as per my italian cooking teacher: when you think you have enough garlic, add one more clove

1/3 Cup EVOO

1/3 Cup Raw Walnuts, soaked in water with celtic sea salt for about an hour, ideally overnight (Do a big batch and put the rest in a dehydrator for snacking)

Salt and Pepper

Throw it in a blender or food processor and buon appetito!

I know the mozz isn’t raw, but it just tastes so fresh! Scrambled eggs with a grilled chicken thigh, organic sugar plum tomatoes, organic spinach, and pesto is a midsummer’s morning dream!

Jalepeno Disaster

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:28:24 -0700

NEVER

CUT or

DESEED

JALEPENOS

BY HAND.

That is all. 1 hour after de-seeding and de-ribbing 5 jalepenos with my bare fingers, they actually felt like they were on fire. Dipping them in yogurt helped for a second. Lime juice felt wonderful. Aloe vera cooled the burn while it was wet. I thank the kitchen gods that I my nose or eyes didnt itch while I was chopping!!! Also, even when the burning stopped (5 hours later) any heat around my fingers instantly re-lit the fire. Showering, cooking, and especially blow drying my hair was all very painful, even the next day.USE A KNIFE OR GLOVES PEOPLE!!!! I really don’t want anyone to experience that pain!!

First off, don’t judge me eating off the ground, we don’t have a dining room table yet! Second, please note the bowl of yogurt. That was for chasing my asian stir fry because I decided that the jalepenos that burnt my fingers would somehow spare my mouth. False.

Peaches and Cream. Indulgence in a cup. Organic Pastures raw...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 15:29:56 -0700

Peaches and Cream. Indulgence in a cup. Organic Pastures raw heavy cream is my new best friend. I probably didn’t even need the peaches…

Prime Dinner

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:21:36 -0700

Its dinners like these that make me wonder if they will ever be reproduced in my own kitchen!! I have been SO spoiled by such amazing home cooked meals!!

Prime Rib Roast

Buy from the meat counter per rib. Estimate 1 rib feeds two people. Ask to have it tied so they cut the ribs off and tie them back on-you want them for the juices!

Season with salt and pepper

Put in a roasting pan-the deep one that should come with a rack on it, something you’ve probably seen in your oven with a turkey on it.

Cook about 20 mins per pound (the package it came in from the meat counter should say how many pounds it is). Cook the first 20 mins at 450 and the rest at 350.

Cut your veggies and boil until almost done. Yes, red potatoes walk the line of paleo cheats, but they are SO good every once in a while. And cooked carrots really don’t get enough love. Add to the bottom of the roasting pan for the last half hour.

You can grill the meat over indirect heat, but its harder to catch the drippings for the veggies

Just one more thing I’ll miss about meals at home!!

So much fresh, organic fruit with raw greek yogurt and raw...

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:24:59 -0700

So much fresh, organic fruit with raw greek yogurt and raw honey. Might as well be pancakes drenched in syrup for how indulgent it tastes!!

Meatloaf

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:22:13 -0700

I need to go buy a loaf pan so I can make this in my new kitchen!

***Thank you so much to Alex @ http://livegreenandeatclean.com/ for this wonderful Paleo recipe!!

2 lbs of grassfed beef
2 eggs (pastured, of course)
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup of raw milk (since you are baking it, you can use regular milk, but its all I ever have on hand anyways)
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (annie’s brand makes the best ive found so far with the least amount of added ingredients)

2 T Paprika
2 T celtic sea salt
1 T black pepper
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard seed
1 T of onion powder

**I would use 1 T salt and 2 tsp pepper, you can always add more later and the first batch was a little salty, even for me

Throw it all into a bowl and have at it. By that I mean the most effective stirring utensil for meatloaf is your hands, so don’t be afraid to feel it all squish between your fingers, its worth it!! ***Make sure the ground beef is at room temperature, otherwise your hands will have ice cream headaches and your meatloaf will not be mixed** You may also choose to top with some organic tomato sauce, that’s how my mom always made it.

Bake @ 375 for 1-1.5 hours in a non-greased glass loaf pan

One of the two loaves this recipe made

Best part? Leftovers!! Next morning a slab of this stuff fried in butter with an egg cooked on top after a long crossfit WOD was heavenly.

Moving Day!

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:00:32 -0700

I am an official resident of Santa Monica, California!! Now complete with internet! I am so sad to leave my family behind, but am thrilled to be out on my own and starting school soon! I have definitely taken cooking in a fully stocked kitchen and knowing where my next raw greek yogurt, nitrate free bacon and grass free ground beef patties were coming from for granted, so there might be some upcoming posts about kitchen things and shopping for food. Can’t wait!!

Look at that HUGE jar of raw honey. And I’m moving out? By the way, a frozen one of those bananas with the raw cream, sunbutter and honey was an awesome dessert, enjoy!

Crossfit Paleo Talk

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 01:03:29 -0700

Thanks to all the members of US Crossfit that came out in support of my paleo talk today!! I was so thrilled with the attendance and all the awesome questions you guys asked!

The main question I got was actually how to make the dip, so here goes. The ranch starts with a homemade mayo recipe that you can find in my blog, it was one of my 1st posts. Don’t be afraid, it literally takes 5 mins. I usually make this in small batches when I crave it, so I’m not very good at the numbers, but you add parsley, chives, dill weed, lemon juice, salt, paprika and garlic, in order of amount. You need way more green stuff, especially parsley and chives, a little more paprika, and way less garlic than you think, but play around with the amounts until you find what works for you. (I will edit this post later when I find the sheet of paper where I wrote down my measurements from this batch).

For anyone who missed the talk, the following is a rough outline of what I covered, and was what I handed out to members in attendance.

We are genetically, hormonally, and physiologically the same as our Paleolithic ancestors. In order to fuel our body appropriately, we need to eat the same foods that were available to those ancestors.

Carbohydrates

Low carb diets are usually misled and misinformed
We need vegetables and fruit, but ridding your life of the refined carbohydrates is always strongly encouraged
Healthy carbohydrates are local, organic and in-season fruits and vegetables

Fats

Low fat diets usually leave the dieters hungry and binge eating refined carbohydrates
Healthy fats include fat from grass-fed meats, free-range fowl, and wild fish, eggs, raw dairy, nuts, olive oil, coconut milk, and avocados. See my brochure on fats!

Benefits of high healthy fat, low refined carbohydrate diet

Hormonal: healthy fats make healthy hormones
Stress: keeping refined carbs out of your diet keeps your adrenals healthy and able to handle everyday stress
Immune: Refined carbs inhibit the immune response

Calories

Low calorie diets send the body into starvation mode and instead of losing weight, will cause you to hold onto every calorie you eat

If you feed your body real food, it knows what to do with it! If your body doesn’t recognize a food it will respond to it as a poison.

If man made it, don’t eat it!

The Big Sweet Potato Fry Lie

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:14:55 -0700

Sweet potato fries are a lie. What you are actually eating in all their guilt free salty goodness are YAMS. Yep. These are two different veggies. Restaurants everywhere and recipe bloggers alike are LYING to you!! Sweet potatoes are actually light yellow when cut open like below.

These real sweet potato fries are actually quite delicious. They are a little more sturdy and contrary to popular belief, less sweet than yams. However, they will never be the color of the ones you get in a restaurant. That rich orange color comes only from yams, pictured below.

I am not sure if we changed the cooking conditions on the yams, but they did turn out much more mushy than the sweet potatoes. They were still really good though, even cold!

To Bake Sweet Potato/Yam Fries:

Cut your raw veggie of choice into fry size pieces

Toss with a fat of choice: Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, lard, etc. This was still during my paleo challenge so we didn’t use butter. We mixed coconut oil and olive oil (which holds up fine in the oven), but I think I would use butter next time. Make sure not to coat the fries too much because it has a potential to make them soggy.

Season fries with paprika, garlic, and salt. Feel free to get creative here!

Spread out on a cookie sheet like below. Make sure you spread them out enough so they don’t end up steaming each other-you want them to bake, not steam.

Notice how orange they are? These are the yams! This was the batch that turned out a little soggy, so I would suggest giving them a little more space than in the picture.

Bake at 450 for 15 mins, then flip them all and bake for 10 more minutes or until crispy.

Enjoy with some homemade mayo (see earlier post) mixed with hot sauce and cayenne, or maybe some lemon juice and garlic.

Shout to my mom who took on this project, thanks for always being such an inspiration (in the kitchen and out) and letting me blog about it!!

mmmm, not telling how much of this bowl I ate by myself…