Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Mushrooms

When we met with our friends at the state park yesterday, one girlfriend turned to me with a big grin and two even bigger bags full of kale, gifted to us fresh from their (no pesticide) square foot garden. My eyes popped - "That's like, $6-$10 worth of kale!" I made note that I must milk this girl for her gardening tips; yesterday we talked a bit about how I can get a compost pile started.

I've always wanted to grow some vegetables of my own, but the dying plants by my kitchen sink testify to the remoteness of that possibility. I'm still thinking of giving it a good go next planting season, though, so clearly this friend's wisdom could come heavily into play.

Anywhoo, wanting to get out of my fresh kale salad rut, I decided to saute a bunch today when we had company for lunch - my first go at sauteeing kale. It turned out really well - I'll definitely make again.

Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Mushrooms
Serves 6-8, as a side

Ingredients
6 cups fresh curly kale, cut into ~1"x2" sections (I use kitchen shears for a shortcut)
1/2 stick butter (or 4 tablespoons sauteeing oil of choice)
2 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
1 tub sliced mushrooms
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1" pieces
2 handfuls bacon pieces, or 6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Splash of balsamic vinegar

Directions
In a large pan, melt butter at medium-high heat. Sautee mushrooms, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and browning. Add molasses and bacon pieces to the pan and stir to combine with onions and mushrooms, sauteeing an additional 1-2 minutes. Add fresh kale and chicken broth, and cook until kale is fully wilted, about 4 minutes. (Kale is a little tougher than most greens and may take just a bit longer to wilt before it's tender.) Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, stir briefly, and serve hot.

Primal Day Out

Made a fun outing today to a state park! We got a bit of sun, definitely some playtime that is so often prescribed by Mark Sisson.

On the menu for me:

Grilled Nature's Promise chicken brats (no bun, bien sur)
Spinach/tomato/feta salad brought by friends
Watermelon
Trail mix (nuts and dried fruit)

Good eats, good times with friends. :)

Quick 'n' Dirty Sweet Potato Fries

Quick 'n' Dirty Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2"x3" fries
Very generous drizzling oil of choice (I used macadamia oil)
1 tablespoon garam masala spice (or more or less, to taste)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F. Toss all ingredients into a gallon zip bag, and shake to coat. Bake fries in foil-lined dish for 30 minutes. If desired, broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to brown fries.

Parsnippin'

Today: My first parsnip experience.

I was a little apprehensive - but soon my worries vanished. As I peeled the first parsnip, the sweet smell of carrots emerged, followed by a pleasant peppery note. Because you have to peel them and then remove a large, stringy inner core, four parsnips (the amount per package sold by Giant) amounted to just barely enough to cover the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. I kind of panicked here because I thought that I would be getting a sizeable bowl, whereas the amount I was roasting was just barely enough to make a standard American-sized serving of mashed potatoes (read: about a third of a dinner plate).

But, after pureeing them in my mini food processor, I was delighted to taste them - slightly sweet, velvety, a little peppery, perfectly complemented with a hit of nutmeg. Would totally consume this aside some Thanksgiving turkey. This is a sampling of Irish pub food at its finest - and would make a terrific base for a primal shepherd's pie, which I will definitely be making the next time I can hit up Trader Joe's for some organic grass fed ground beef (the only retail source I know of around me).

And the dish was so very rich, so filling, that the amount made from four parsnips would easily satisfy two people. I could also easily see myself pureeing it with expressed breast milk for a perfect baby's first food.

After reading through a couple of parsnip recipes, I adapted this for my own purposes.

Mashed Parsnips
Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 parsnips, washed, peeled, stringy core removed, and cubed in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 stick butter (or 4 tablespoons roasting oil of choice)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
~1 c. half'n'half (could possibly substitute coconut milk if you do not do dairy)

Directions:
Spread cubed parsnips in the bottom of a 9"x13" dish. Melt butter and nutmeg in microwave, then drizzle over parsnip cubs and stir to combine. Roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until just golden brown. Use slotted spoon to remove parsnips from dish, place in mini food processor or food processor, and puree, adding half'n'half bit by bit until desired texture is achieved.

Stoked About Primal Blueprint Fitness and September Primal Blueprint Challenge

Did you hear? Mark Sisson released a free PDF as an intro to an ongoing project with his readership to encourage Primal Blueprint Fitness. While this blog is primarily a blog about my adventures in cooking primally, I'm really stoked to see that PBF has made its debut because I'd been reading a lot on MDA about ways to lift heavy things, run fast, etc., but it hadn't been all in one place until now. And there's a community element to it, so even if I don't know anybody locally who's doing it, with the new Workout of the Week, I can at least give it a go and see how others are faring with it online.

Before I discovered MDA, I'd been slugging it out, doing 60 minute+ sessions on the elliptical at the gym (of course, while also still eating lots of sugar and flour, which of course negated the effort and probably combined with the cardio to inflame my system). Those were 60 minutes I just didn't have, either, frankly! With a nursing baby who was teething, more often than not I was getting called home from the gym early. SO, needless to say, the prospect of Mark and his Apples offering a lot of tips on short, intense workouts seems like it could be a lot more doable. For the last couple of months, I've been doing some light weight work (and of course carrying around a 25 lb. baby also probably constitutes something additional ;-p), but I'm ready to see what PBF has to offer now in terms of some anaerobic activity.

Also, the 2010 Primal Blueprint Challenge is coming...in September!! I am excited and planning on participating.

Menu Plan

Up this week for a new taste: Parsnips!

Monday:
Breakfast - Strawberries and cream dusted with cocoa powder
Lunch - Salads with chicken, walnuts, papaya, raspberry vinaigrette
Dinner - Scrambled eggs, sauteed squash and scallions

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Nutmeg ginger banana pudding, almond butter smoothies
Lunch - Spinach gorgonzola omelets, sauteed mushrooms and onions
Dinner - Baked chicken, brussels sprouts, salads

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese, fresh berries
Lunch - Nectarine slices broiled with cheddar cheese
Dinner - Roast beef with carrots, mashed parsnips

Thursday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs
Lunch - Pork and vegetable soup
Dinner - Broiled fish, sweet potato fries

Friday:
Breakfast - Papaya coconut smoothies
Lunch - Scrambled eggs, guacamole
Dinner - Grilled brats, salad, watermelon

Microwave Nutmeg Ginger Banana Pudding

Quick primal meals are harder to come by. But I serendipitously discovered this one this weekend! Yay for a microwavable breakfast. Ideally this would be paired with a couple of eggs or a smoothie featuring protein to slow the impact of the banana on the blood sugar.

Microwave Nutmeg Ginger Banana Pudding
Serves 1

Ingredients
1 banana, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Kerrygold butter
1 shake ground ginger (or more to taste)
1 shake ground nutmeg (or more to taste)
1/4 c. heavy cream
Handful walnuts, to top (if desired)

Directions
Add all ingredients except cream and walnuts to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute. Remove bowl from microwave, add cream, and stir vigorously to combine (this will further break down the bananas, too). Within a minute, it will take on a pudding-y consistency. Serve warm, and if desired, topped with walnuts.

I can tell that I will be making this a lot this winter!

Salad with Carnitas, Mango Salsa, and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Man, oh, man. We had company planned for Friday night. Out-of-town relatives who might be moving to our area soon - and the lady was just ordered by her doctor to give up grains and carbs in general. I was excited to share some primal cuisine with them and my parents, brother, and sister-in-law.

I rolled up my sleeves and got a menu going. Boy, was this going to be good.

Primal Carnitas
Serves 8

Ingredients
10 lb. pork roast, presliced (I bought two ~5 lb.'ers, conventional, as Kanye would say: #ITSAPROCESS)
2 c. schmaltz, for browning (I use mine rendered at home after roasting chickens)
1 large yellow onion
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried chipotle pepper flakes
1/3 bottle white wine
4 large tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 c. chicken broth

Directions
Put the white wine, the tomatoes, and the garlic into a blender or food processor and puree. Cut onion into 1" by 1/2" pieces and spread the pieces over the bottom of the crock pot.

Melt a couple of tablespoonfuls of the schmaltz on high heat in a large pan, and sear slices of the roast on both sides until browned. Layer slices of the pork with drizzles of the tomato puree and shakes of the cumin up to the top. (As you transfer the pork slices to the crock pot, you'll need to add a couple of tablespoonfuls of schmaltz to the frying pan with each new round of to-be-browned pork slices.) Add chicken broth and chipotle pepper flakes and cook on low 7-8 hours, occasionally moving slices from top to bottom with tongs, until falling-apart tender.

Salad with Mango Salsa and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Serves 8

Ingredients

3 heads romaine, washed and chopped into bite size pieces

2 lbs. strawberries, quartered

3 nectarines, cubed

1 tub (~1 lb.) mango salsa (Mine is from Giant, and has all primal ingredients - woo! Or you overachievers out there can make your own...)

Olive oil and raspberry blush vinegar, to dress

Directions

Put romaine in bowls, and top with a generous spoonful of each of mango salsa, followed by a generous spoonful each of strawberries and nectarines. Dress with olive oil and raspberry vinegar. Top with fresh shredded hot pork carnitas.

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And would you believe it? Poor Mr. Grok came home sick for the first time in ages and we had to cancel on our company. So now I have a clean house, 10 lbs. of carnitas in my crock pot, and enough salad to feed 8. Guess that I won't need to cook the rest of the weekend!

Banamandeln Smoothies

This smoothie is sweet and mild. A nice kick of proteins, fats, and a bit of carbs. The cinnamon flavor and almond butter makes it a bit reminiscent of the gebrannte Mandeln (toasted candied almonds) sold at a German Chriskindlmarkt (Christmas market). It is also an excellent medium for whey powder, as its flavor/texture is not affected at all.

Banamandeln Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk
2 bananas, a bit overripe and peeled, frozen or fresh (depends on your preference)
4 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 scoop whey powder, if desired
Whipped cream to top, if desired

Directions
Blend coconut milk and bananas first to ensure that bananas get fully blended in and no chunks remain. Then add almond butter and cinnamon. Blend in whey powder last. If desired, chill and add whipped cream on top before serving.

Ghee Whiz

After reading the MDA post Are All Butters Created Equal?, I became convicted that I need to work on my butter sourcing. I'd been using my grocery store's Nature's Promise Organic Butter, at $4.39/lb. However, it's likely grain-fed butter, so as far as I can tell I'm not exactly doing us favors by consuming it (though it's still better than conventional butter). My mom picked up some Kerrygold butter (which is grass-fed, and much lauded by Mark and MDA commenters) at Trader Joe's for us a couple of weeks back, so I'm excited to have that as a stock in our fridge. Then I was reading the MDA comments on the butters post, and I realized that there is organic grass-fed ghee out there - in glass (not plastic) jars, no less! The conjugated linoleic acid! The Vitamin K2! I immediately felt the, "Want!" urge after reading all of those reviews about the incomparable taste and texture.

But...I'm still working on the idea of a $400 grocery bill for August. This is where my budget reality and my nutritional fantasy life collide. So I cut myself a deal: At the end of August, if I am still under budget, I will probably order some of this ghee. Though judging by the reviews, it looks as though I might as well be ordering butter laced with crack cocaine. ;o)

Lime Basil Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Some people like sauteed mushrooms and onions as an accompaniment to a larger item - like a steak, or some eggs.

I could eat a bowl of them as a meal unto itself. This variation on the classic adds a couple of bright notes, between the citrus punch of the lime, and the fresh herbal kick of the basil, that complement the rich umami of the veggies and the oil.

Lime Basil Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

As a side dish for 4. Or a lunch for me. :)

Ingredients
1 8-oz. box mushrooms, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced into 1/2" by 1" pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves lightly packed, then sliced thinly (I use kitchen shears to shortcut this)
1/4 c. coconut oil (you could easily substitute butter here)
Juice of one fresh lime

Directions
Melt coconut oil in pan on low heat, and add lime juice. Turn heat up to high. Add mushrooms and sliced onions, and stir frequently for 5-10 minutes, until mushrooms and onions start to brown. Add sliced fresh basil leaves to this (their flavor peaks after just a couple of minutes of cooking, so add them at the very last moments just before serving), and stir to combine.

Make Like a Drum

*Ahem* : Beets aren't that much to look at. I tried to do a couple of artsy shots, one of me holding them, another still life in my prettiest blue bowl, and they still looked like earthy lumps. But, this was my day to overcome my childhood-acquired revulsion to beets, so I was going to sally forth. I wrapped them in foil and baked them in a pan next to the chicken cooking for dinner.

*

Then, according to the instructions of the very highly rated AllRecipes.com recipe, I whipped up what turned out to be a fabulous vinaigrette (I will definitely be copying in the future just for salads or avocado!) to dress, and sprinkled liberally with feta.

And what do you know? Beets aren't bad at all. They're definitely still an acquired taste, but this time the tangy dressing and tart feta were good chaperones onto my tastebuds. And such pretty ruby tones:

My husband and daughter, sadly, were not impressed with the flavor itself, and since beets are not exactly a commonly-served company dish (and sold in bunches of three at my grocery store), I have no idea when I'll make these for myself or anybody else again. But at least I know that I can make them! And I did get an exceptional vinaigrette dressing out of the deal which will be put to future use.

Reading List/Menu Plan

Due to a combination of books bought by me and bought for me by my parents, these are part of my current reading list:

• The Omnivore's Dilemma - by Michael Pollan (He of the "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." credo.)
• The Primal Blueprint - by Mark Sisson
• Good Calories, Bad Calories - by Gary Taubes
• Food, Inc. - by Karl Weber

You'd think with all this planned reading that I were still in grad school, but no, those days are over. I'm researching for my own edification, sneaking in a few paragraphs here and there whenever I can. I'm learning a lot about insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and carbs; about organic v. conventional foods; about human hormonal and neural response to exercise and food; about how the American government subsidizes agriculture.

In short: I'm trying to best understand how our bodies respond to diet and exercise and all of the associated inputs to that dynamic, and bit by bit implementing changes accordingly.

I'll take the output of the last few weeks, too! More energy, and steadier energy levels. Minimized mood swings. And a loss of eleven pounds and counting, finally, after a long postpartum weight loss plateau.

Mr. Grok isn't even doing the same thing officially. But the beauty of it is: since I'm the house "cook" 90% of the time, he's eating mostly like I'm eating, with the exception of the occasional bought sandwich at work. Entirely of his own initiative, he almost completely gave up his caffeinated Barq's root beers (which he used to drink almost daily) - a big change for him. He's losing weight, too.

So I'm inspired. I'm learning a whole lot about new ways to prepare foods, particularly vegetables and seafood. I got over my childhood-associated Brussels sprouts phobia with terrific results - now we eat them about once weekly, we like them so much (even the baby and three-year-old).

I think this week I will try to breach another, bigger childhood-associated veggie phobia - beets. (*Shudder*) I think that perhaps the one and only time I tried beets as a child, they were pickled. Either way I have a bit of a mental gag reflex when beets are even mentioned. So they're the perfect item to tackle next, right? ;-p But this time the ones in my fridge are fresh, and I'm going to slow bake them with some seasoning. Give them one more chance.

Monday:

Breakfast: Banana custards with cacao nibs
Lunch: Bacon cheese miniquiches, salad with cherry tomatoes
Dinner: Baked chicken, roasted beets with feta

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, watermelon
Lunch: Banana almond butter smoothie
Dinner: Fried lemon tilapia, avocado, salad

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cottage cheese, watermelon
Lunch: Eggplant French-toast style, sliced cheese
Dinner: Sliced steak over kale salad

Thursday:
Breakfast: Trail mix
Lunch: With a friend - crock pot chicken and veggies, watermelon
Dinner: Leftover chicken, cobb salads

Friday:
Breakfast: Banana coconut smoothies
Lunch: Mushroom onion omelettes
Dinner: BLT salads

Launch of Lunchbox Adventures

This spring, I bought this Laptop Lunches Bento-Style Lunchbox for my daughter for preschool, which she starts in the fall.

I'll admit, I'm getting excited in a little bit of a geeky way about preparing her lunches. I think of it as a creative challenge. (Maybe you seasoned moms out there will think to yourselves, That will get old fast.) The lunchbox is sized just right and has three lidded containers (small, medium large) and two non-lidded containers, and you can buy supplemental sets of containers to make the hustle to clean for the next day them not so urgent. (I have not contacted by Laptop Lunches to write about their lunchbox; I just so happen to like their BPA-free, phthalate-free, lead-free American-made lunchbox with water bottle and utensils, which comes in a nice kid-friendly insulated carrying case withstrap.)

For those wondering, the lidless containers still come up flush against the roof of the box, so as long as you're not putting something liquidy, puddingy, or floury, it should not spill into the rest of the lunchbox. Stuff that I would put in the lidless containers includes raw veggies (and dip in the little blue container), sliced apples, or quiches.

Oh, yea. That's right. I acquired these cuuuute little mini silicone muffin cups and plan to make miniquiches in them, and then put them in the large purple lidless container. Miniquiches are a great way to get your younger kids to work in the kitchen with you because of the tactile and uncomplicated action of putting ingredients in each (ideally pregreased) cup before pouring in the egg base. I put bowls with bits of bacon and crumbled Kerrygold Dubliner by my three-year-old, and instructed her to put them in the bottom of the muffin cups while I mixed up the egg base (1 c. organic half & half, 6 omega-3 eggs, plus seasonings to taste). After the egg base was poured in, she sprinkled dried parsley on top of each cup.

They baked up in just over 20 minutes at 375. Next time I may get wild and crazy and make crust out of crushed nuts and butter for the bottom of the cups.

See the rest of my lunchbox adventures posts here.

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