Roasted Cashew-Covered Broccoli

Occasionally, I'll take the time to cook something really involved and complicated (wait til you see my chicken mole recipe) but most of the time, I'm looking for quick and easy (oh, and delicious, of course) recipes that require little to no expertise in the kitchen.  I found this recipe on The Paleo Project.  I made it twice this past week alone.

Equipment you'll need:

bowl of ice water (big enough to fit all broccoli)

colander

fine grater (I can't wait until my mom ships me my microplane!)

small pot of water (big enough to fit all broccoli)

small mixing bowl

Ingredients:

3 stalks broccoli, cut into florets (I've started using 4 because I find the flavors in this dish can carry more than 3 stalks)

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tbs grated ginger root (probably the hardest part of the whole recipe)

garlic salt*

pepper and sea salt*

*since no measurement was given for either of these ingredients, I assume that you're supposed to add less than a 1/2 tsp of each

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Bring a small pot of water (unsalted) to a boil; add broccoli and set a timer for 4 minutes (make sure all broccoli is submerged - stir it around if you have to)

3. Drain broccoli and put directly into bowl of ice water (I put the colander on top of the broccoli to make sure all of it gets submerged).  Set aside.

4. Chop or process cashews (love my mini food processor!); cover baking sheet in aluminum foil.

5. Mix coconut oil, ginger, garlic salt, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl.

6. Drain broccoli and spread onto baking sheet; drizzle oil mixture onto broccoli and toss to coat.

7. Sprinkle cashews over broccoli*; toss to coat again (if necessary)

8. Bake until cashews turn golden brown (start with 20 minutes and go from there)

*there will be a lot of cashews piled up in between the pieces of broccoli; I simply spread these out or pick them up and sprinkle them on the broccoli directly

This recipe is deceptively simple for the flavor punch it packs.  It's like the paleo version of Lays potato chips: it's impossible to eat just one!  And just to prove to you how foolproof this recipes is, I have a story for you.  The other night I made this broccoli in the oven.  As soon as it was finished, I turned off the oven, but left the broccoli in there while I finished pan-frying some pork (more on that later).  Once that was done, I turned on the oven to 390 to bake some strawberry muffins.  As you may have guessed, I started hearing a lot of sizzling coming from the oven while it was preheating.  I rushed over and took the broccoli out.  The tips of the broccoli were certainly browner, as were the cashews.  I was worried that it would taste dried out, but the crunchiness of the broccoli was amazing!  And the cashews were more deep-roasted than burnt.  Yum!

The Truth About "Natural" Foods

 

Since starting the diet, I've become much more interested in the scientific basis for the diet and the importance of knowing where your food is sourced from.  My mom sent me an article via Eat This, Not That about a petition to get genetically-modified foods labeled in the US.

Some highlights:

Ingredients made from genetically modified crops, or GMOs, such as corn, soy, canola, and even cotton exist in approximately 70 percent of the processed foods on store shelves, including nearly all foods advertised as "natural".

But there is evidence that genetically modified crops are not as benign as biotech firms would like you to believe. The best-documented problem they pose to people is the potential for food allergies. When plants are crossbred with entirely new species, new proteins are introduced into the crop, and food allergies can develop if your immune system attacks those new proteins and treats them like foreign invaders.

While most genetically modified crops are bred to withstand heavy dousings of pesticides, others are bred to create their own pesticides, and a recent study showed that those pesticides can survive in our digestive systems and even wind up in unborn babies.

Yet another reason I think it's worth it to pay a little more for certified organic produce and grass-fed/pasture-raised meat.  I'd rather not live in fear of the food I eat.  To read the full article, go here.

Mark Sisson has some interesting posts on the subject as well, such as this one.

UPDATE: The initiative made it onto the ballot for November 2012 in California!  Fingers crossed that enough Californians care about their nutrition to vote 'yes' on this issue.

Apple, Banana and Blueberry Muffins

My best friend Adrienne sent me a text last night, declaring that she and her husband are 'going paleo' for two weeks.  Adrienne is an avid baker (her pies are to die for) and I realize that the idea of giving up gluten (even for a few weeks) is not going to be easy for her.  To help ease her into the diet, I'm making my first recipe post a delicious baked good: Apple, Banana and Blueberry Muffins.

 om nom nom

I found this recipe on fastpaleo.com and it's pretty full-proof.  No fancy cooking tools.  No regimented adding of dry to wet etcetera.  Just ingredients, a muffin tin and an oven.  Prep and cooking time takes about half an hour total.  Oh, and your kitchen will smell AMAZING.

2 1/4 cup almond flour (I've been buying mine at Sprouts for months but now I've finally caught wise and just buy bulk almonds and make my own in a food processor)

4 free-range/omega-3 eggs

1 organic apple (I use Granny Smith), peeled and chopped

1 super-ripe banana

1/3 cup blueberries

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mash banana with fork in large mixing bowl; add finely chopped apple

3. Add all other ingredients (I usually do the coconut oil last for fear of it re-solidifying at room temperature) and mix by hand (fun!)

4. Grease muffin cups with coconut oil (I usually dab a paper towel in the oil to avoid clumps of coconut oil in the cups); fill muffin cups about 3/4 full (I use a stand-alone 1/4 cup measuring cup to help me portion everything evenly); bake for 15-17 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

5.  Allow to cool slightly, then remove muffins from tin (I usually cover the tin in a clean dish towel, hold the towel at both ends, and flip the muffin tin over); continue to cool on cooling rack and enjoy with some grass-fed butter (if you do dairy) or clarified butter (if you don't).

I got fancy with my muffins

Official Ribbon Cutting

Welcome, welcome, welcome.  I'm Mel.  I am super stoked about the lifestyle advocated by the Primal Blueprint and invite you to peruse my ever-growing collection of recipes, research and photos that make up my quest to get in touch with my inner caveman.

BACKSTORY: I'm originally from Houston, Texas.  I grew up eating whatever I wanted (and ONLY whatever I wanted - I was a stubborn only child).  I never ate vegetables, other than corn (which I now know isn't even a vegetable) and potatoes.  My favorite meals consisted of pasta, anything covered in cheese, and barbecue.  From a relatively early age (I first remember seeing a doctor about this issue at age 8), I had undiagnosed intestinal/digestion issues.  My abdomen would hurt multiple times a day, especially after I finished a meal.  I never ate breakfast because my morning stomach ache would not subside until around noon.  Most trips to the bathroom were an emergency and often painful.  I lived with this chronic pain through adolescence, high school, college and my first few years in the working world.  While I never saw a gastroenterologist or other specialist about the issue, I did ask my general practitioners for their opinion on what the cause of the issues might be.  I never got a definitive answer, only vague suggestions that I "eat better".  The only label ever given to my particular problem was by nurses at the Health Services of the University of Texas in Austin (during my attendance at the university).  After standard blood, urine and stool tests, the nurse stated that I had IBS, and then immediately added that this was the diagnosis they give when they cannot find anything physically wrong.  They said it must be stress-related.  I considered the whole endeavor a bust and went along living life as usual until recently, when a routine trip to the doctor became a wake up call.

THE CHANGE: I went to my new general practitioner (assigned to me by my new health insurance's HMO) with a long list of minor aches and pains.  I complained of a burning in my chest that had lasted for 3 days straight, not affected by what or when I ate.  I was having pain in the tops of my feet.  My lower back had been aching for over a week.  The doctor handed me a stack of free samples of Prilosec OTC, told me to wear shoes with a thicker sole, and showed me the door.  I was disappointed to say the least.  A few days later, while scrolling through Google Reader, I came across an article detailing how to stay in shape when traveling.  In it, he mentioned something called the Paleo Diet and that's when I found marksdailyapple.com.  I began reading about Mark Sisson's unique scientific approach to diet and exercise.  I read success stories featuring everything from drastic weight loss, to the rapid disappearance of ailments such as OCD, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and many more.  I became utterly fascinated in the scientific studies he posted to back up his claims.  I went Primal in August of 2011.  Now, I am not a large person by anyone's standards.  I am 5' 3" and spent all of my high school years and the first half of college at around 100 lbs.

Picture provided for scale (I'm the tiny person that isn't a 6-year old boy)

When I started the diet, I was 26 and weighed 127 lbs.  Not a lot by anyone's standards, but certainly more than I've ever weighed previously in my life.  As of this post, I am 27 and weigh approx. 105 lbs. (give or take a few pounds depending on the week/time of year).  But the weight loss was merely a pleasant side effect to the real drive behind my decision to go Primal.  Only two meals into the diet, I noticed a significant lack of pain in my abdomen.  The next morning I woke up hungry for the first time I can remember (possibly the first time ever).  After two weeks, I began getting compliments at work and from friends about how great I looked.  One month into the diet, I noticed my energy level was much higher and remained high throughout the day (no more after-lunch lethargy).  I slept better and rarely woke up tired.  I took Mark's suggestion and bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (shoes that mimic the feeling of being barefoot).  The pain in my arches went away immediately.  I am now 6 months into my Primal journey and I am still finding plenty of things to implement.  Just this morning, I did my first Grok Workout.  I didn't last more than 10 minutes, but it was still pretty intense and my heart rate remained elevated for quite awhile after I was done (definitely longer than when I used to use a treadmill and machines at the gym).

About a month before I started eating Paleo

Celebrating my birthday 5 months after going Paleo

DISCLAIMER:  I will tell you right now that this is not a scientific or academic blog.  You will get lots of opinions, ideas, musings, and ramblings.  I appreciate all spirited and respectful debate but will not make it the priority of this blog.  I simply wish to take advantage of this platform as an outlet for my newfound passion.  At the most, I hope someone benefits from the information I post and that it helps them towards a healthier, happier life.  So enjoy, and, as Mark would say, Grok on!