Pretty Much Primal

More for me...

2010-07-18T08:01:00.007-04:00

When it comes to eating things I put on the table, my family is usually quite amenable. Not so with zucchini and squash. Try as I might I cannot get these people to eat squash, or zucchini unless it's hidden away in a yummy, fan-carbo-tastic, bread. Wait a minute - my lovely girl just pointed out that she eats zucchini in a soup. Also, once I tricked them and put thinly sliced, raw baby squash and zucchini in a green salad.

In any event, I got some lovely young zucchini and summer squash from my farmer friends at the Monroe Farm Market. I grilled them and put them into a salad, which in my humble, and apparently uninfluential, opinion was fantastic. I hope you'll try it.

Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash Salad with Basil-Parmesan Dressing
4 medium-large zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
4 medium-large summer squash, trimmed and halved lengthwise
extra virgin olive
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C chiffonade of basil leaves
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
2T good quality balsamic vinegar

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Placed the zucchini and squash on a baking sheet, cut side up, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill vegetables until tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables to plate to cool to room temperature.

Cut vegetables diagonally into one-inch pieces. Place pieces into a large bowl. Add basil, Parmesan cheese, vinegar and about 2T olive oil. Toss to blend. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Serves up to 6 people who like squash. Will serve one person for sevvvvveral days.

Recipe from epicurious.com

I used a bunch of little zucchinis and bunch of little yellow summer squash(es?). It was perfect.

Future Top Chef

2010-07-17T13:50:00.010-04:00

Last week my girl was very bored so she decided to invent a soup. Her brother deemed it, "Some of the best soup I've ever eaten." I helped her a wee little bit, but this is her soup, for sure!

Clara's Jalapeno and Chorizo Soup

3 links chorizo, removed from casing and cooked

1T olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 jalapeno, with seeds and membranes removed, diced

1.5C diced zucchini

1, 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

4 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 8 cups water

2t cumin

2t oregano

1t chile powder

1/2t ground coriander

1t kosher salt

1/2 freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1T olive oil in a dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent, about 10 min. Add carrots, celery, and jalapeno. Saute another 5 minutes. Add zucchini and saute another 5 minutes.

Next add cumin, oregano, chile powder, coriander, salt and pepper and stir for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and bouillon/water. Bring up to a simmer and add chorizo. Simmer for about one hour.

Easy + Elegant + Enticing

2010-07-12T08:42:00.008-04:00

Ina this, Ina that, Ina, Ina, Ina! I do love me some Ina Garten recipes, and this one from my old standby, my rock, my fave o'faves, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is no exception. It's super easy to put together and really perfect for entertaining friends on a hot, summer night. You can make it ahead of time, and serve it whenever you're ready. Your friends will think you're so organized and fabulous as you casually (yet gracefully) pull a beautiful bowl of goodness from the fridge while sipping your adult legal beverage of choice. Plus, my fish-eating kids like this so I really can't lose when I put this on the table.

Grilled Salmon Salad
2lbs fresh salmon fillets, skin on
olive oil for grilling
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1C, small-diced celery (about 3 stalks)
1/2C small-diced red onion
2T minced fresh dill (or 1T dried)
2T capers, drained
2T raspberry vinegar (substitute white wine vinegar)
2T olive oil
1/2t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the grill.

Cut salmon fillets crosswise into 4 inch wide slices. Rub salmon pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush cooking surface with oil to prevent fish from sticking. Cook fish on grill for 5-7 min on each side, until they are rare. Remove to a plate; wrap with plastic; and chill in fridge until cold and very firm.

When the fillets are cold, remove any skin that hasn't come off during grilling. Break fish into very large flakes and place in a bowl. Add any juice that has collected on bottom of plate.

Add celery, red onions, dill, capers, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Summertime and the fish are jumping...

2010-07-06T11:46:00.004-04:00

In our little family, fish and summertime go together. When we go to the beach, Cliff reads "Fish" by Mark Bittman like it's a trashy novel. Almost every day, he goes to the market and buys the freshest fish. He cooks like crazy, and I get a week off. It's heaven, I tell you.

It's 95 degrees outside, and I'm thinking about fish. Here in Charleston, we like to make this recipe because we can always get salmon.

Marinated Grilled Salmon
1/3C soy sauce
1t grated lemon rind
1/4C fresh lemon juice
2T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2t Dijon mustard
2t sesame oil
1T minced fresh herbs (parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme - whatever you have)
2# salmon fillets, skin on
Assorted veggies for grilling, such as bell peppers, red onion, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms

Whisk together first 7 ingredients.

Cut salmon into 1.5 to 2 inch cubes. Marinate for about 1 hour in fridge. Cut up the vegetables, marinate with the fish for as long as possible.

You can skewer the fish and veggies or use a grill basket. It's easier to use a grill basket. Grill the veggies first and set aside. Then grill the salmon for about 10 minutes for salmon that is rare inside. Grill longer if you like your fish well done.

Serves 4-6.

Alternative Fish: mako shark, monkfish, swordfish or tuna.

Recipe from "Fish" by Mark Bittman.

Better Living Through Bacon

2010-06-27T12:49:00.007-04:00

Last week, my kids were at camp. I just didn't feel much like cooking without them around. I got them back yesterday, and so last night, I actually made dinner again. We tried this recipe from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook. The old adage is true: Everything really IS better with bacon!

Bacon ... and Broccoli Salad

1C mayonnaise (homemade or otherwise)
2-3 T honey, Grade B maple syrup or coconut/palm sugar
1-3 T apple cider vinegar
10 slices cooked bacon
2 lbs fresh broccoli, florets cut into bite-sized pieces
1C nuts, chopped coarsely
1/2C dried or fresh fruit, e.g., raisins, grapes, cherries, diced apples, blueberries

Combine mayo and sweetener of choice in a bowl and mix well. Use cider vinegar to cut sweetness as desired.

Add bacon, broccoli, nuts and fruit and mix until everything is evenly distributed and coated with dressing. If you have time, let it marinate in fridge for while to marry flavors.

We used honey for our dressing and added walnuts, golden raisins and apples. I made 1/2 batch. I didn't make my own mayo, but I can if I want to because that's the kind of girl I am.

Serves 4-6

bright lights, not-so-big city

2010-06-25T10:26:00.007-04:00

My friends at that Monroe Farm Market have a beautiful thing right now - bright lights chard. The leaves are a rich, deep green with yellow or fuchsia stems running through them. It's so pretty and oh yeah, full of nutrients and such. I've now made the Swiss Chard Frittata from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook two times. It's delish. The kids gobbled it up one night at dinner after swim practice.

swiss chard frittata

1T olive oil
2T finely chopped onion
1 bunch chard finely chopped
6 beaten eggs
1-2T fresh or dried herbs
optional additions: grated cheese, diced peppers, cooked sausage

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Warm oil in an oven proof saute pan and saute onions. Add chard and cook until it wilts. Add herbs and optional ingredients. Pour in beaten eggs and stir quickly. Let cook just until they barely begin to set. Finish by putting pan in oven for about 5 minutes, depending on the size of our pan.

We used bell peppers and chorizo as our optional additions as well as some fresh herbs from our garden.

serves 4

Tahini in the Cupboard

2010-06-10T20:36:00.005-04:00

Hello there. It is I, the chick who makes her own mayonnaise. Today, we discuss hummus. I do not like store bought hummus. I will not eat it in a house. I will not eat it with a mouse. I will not eat it in the rain. I will not eat on a plane … you get the picture. In contrast, I do like/love Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame, and she has THE BEST HUMMUS RECIPE EVER!

Hummus ingredients are pantry staples, no? Recently, I made my fave hummus with frozen shelled edamame. It was fab. Translation: the boy and the girl liked it as well as 5 dinner guests and my beloved.

Edamame Hummus

4 cloves garlic, minced

1, 12oz. package frozen shelled edamame

2T water

6T fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1.5 to 2 lemons)

1/3C tahini paste

8 dashes Tabasco

1t kosher salt

Lazy girls like me put their garlic cloves in the food processor first and mince them with a few pulses. (Try it. You’ll like it.) Next add all remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Transfer your hummus to a serving bowl and serve with assorted raw veggies. I like to drizzle the hummus with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with some paprika to make it look pretty. This hummus will be greenish so a sprinkle of dried oregano might work better than the paprika.

Makes 2 cups

Succulent Lamb

2010-06-09T21:05:00.003-04:00

Here one of our favorite lamb recipes. Not only delicious, lamb is also very high in protein, with 1 ounce offering 9 grams, so eat up!

spicy lamb kebaaaabs

1C plain yogurt
1T grated lemon rind
2T fresh lemon juice
1.5T grated peeled fresh ginger
2t paprika
1.5t salt
1t ground coriander
1t ground cumin
1/2t freshly ground black pepper
1/4t cayenne pepper (I usually use half this amount)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cubed
2T chopped fresh mint
lemon wedges

Combine yogurt through cayenne pepper and mix well to create marinade. Put lamb in a zip loc bag and pour marinade over lamb and make sure the meat is well coated. Seal bag and marinate in fridge for about 3 hours.

Oil grill rack and heat your grill to medium heat.

Remove lamb from bag and discard marinade. Thread lamb onto 10-inch skewers. (If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes first). Place kebabs on oiled grill rack. Grill 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove to a platter. Sprinkle with chopped mint. Serve with lemon wedges.

When I made this last Sunday, I walked out on my deck and snipped some mint. Because our yard is mostly shady, we have to grow our herbs in containers on our deck. Some herbs are hardy and will come back every year, even in a pot. These include parsley, mint, oregano and rosemary. Last summer I had a huge pot with four different varieties of basil in it. It was dreamy. So go on! Get our there and plant you an herb garden. You’ll be glad you did.

2010-06-09T20:49:00.009-04:00

grilled mahi-mahi (or similar) with pineapple salsa

the fish
Get thee to the fishmonger and procure some fish that will hold up on the grill, in whatever amount you want. We have been digging mahi-mahi around here lately. Ask the fishmonger to skin the fish and cut it into reasonably sized portions, say 8 ounces. Massage your fish lovingly with a little olive oil then sprinkle with kosher salt and (you know it) FRESH GROUND pepper.Grill the fish for about 5 minutes per side or until it reaches your desired degree of done-ness. Let it rest a few minutes before serving. (Your fish will be tired after all that.)

the salsa
2 cups minced fresh pineapple
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2-3 T minced fresh mint
2T fresh lime juice
1/4t kosher salt
1/4t cumin
cayenne to taste

Mix it all up in bowl. Salsa keeps a long time in the fridge.

Spoon some salsa over the fish and eat.

Note: A normal-sized portion of fish is about 6 ounces. When deciding on how big to portion your fish remember that you are a CrossFitter, and you won't be eating any grains with your meal. Hence, my recommendation of 8 ounces fish per person.

2010-06-09T20:45:00.003-04:00

Over the next few weeks, I'll be importing some of the recipes I posted on www.eatpood.com, but only my faves. 3, 2, 1 - Go!

Think, Think, Think

2010-06-09T19:12:00.006-04:00

When I get to thinking, I'm usually thinking about food. Until yesterday, I'd been day dreaming about fish tacos. Will a fish taco with a lettuce leaf shell satisfy me? Really? As I type this, I just thought it would be great in a pretty purple cabbage leaf. Cabbage is a traditional topping for fish tacos anyway. An epiphany - a fish taco epiphany! Not religious or spiritual, but I'll take any epiphanies I can get.

Yesterday, I started thinking about snacks. My friend Steph G told me about a yummy little bite she makes involving Genoa salami, alouette cheese, and little tomatoes. Then, this morning my friend/GYN, Dara, described her new fave - ham wrapped around smoked gouda cheese. Then, this afternoon, I visited The Pioneer Woman's site and saw a very intriguing recipe using rosemary stems as skewers for bits of salami, olives, and fresh mozzarella. How much more of this can I take? I don't have time right now to make all of these tidbits. My brain is going to explode.

I want to try all of these things, and I'm also thinking about my own version. I always hard salami and chevre and heavy cream. Plus, now I have cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. When I get time, I'm going to put all these ingredients together. I'll let you know how it turns out - Errr - if it turns out.

Queen for a Day

2010-06-08T14:46:00.008-04:00

I finally received the Primal Blueprint Cook Book. On Sunday, I tested a recipe – Turkey Kebabs. Now, I didn’t happen to have any turkey around, so I used boneless, skinless chicken breast. I think it worked out pretty well. The problems we had related more to operator error than anything else. For instance, I didn’t oil the grill rack, and I just plain neglected to soak my bamboo skewers. Learn from my mistakes, friends, and take these extra steps! If it weren’t my miserable blunders, where would you be? That’s a rhetorical question, and the answer probably is, “Much better off.”

Turkey Kebabs
1.5 lbs turkey breast, deboned, trimmed of most of the skin and cut into thin strips
1T olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 egg
1/2t cumin
1/2t paprika
1/2t salt
1/4t cinnamon
1/4t (or less) cayenne
2T finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1T finely chopped mint leaves

Blend meat in a food processor until ground. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse until well-blended.

Lightly grease your hands, and then form meat into 6 to 8 longish, oval meatballs. Really, grease your hands with olive oil or something. Otherwise, you will be sorry! Drizzle formed meatballs with oil and slide skewer through them.

Oil your grill rack and then preheat your grill. Gently lift onto a hot grill and grill for 6-8 minutes per side.
Now that all is said and done, I really don’t know why these little buggers have to be on skewers. If I were Queen of the World, I’d demand that you form the turkey mixture into patties and cook them on the grill like burgers. Alas, I’m not Queen of the World so you just go ahead and cook them any way you please.

One final note, as we were eating these, my beloved said he wished there was some kind of sauce to go with them. Tzatziki would be nice. Also, perhaps try a mixture of plain Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon and garlic. I’ll serve one of those sauces next time when I’m eating this stuff burger style.

better than it looks

2010-06-02T13:39:00.005-04:00

I am aware that I lack skill as a food photographer, but last week I took things to a new low when photographing this dish. Trust me; it tastes much better than it looks. I won’t say what it I think it looks like. You can discuss that with your friends and loved ones in the privacy of your own home.

Also, off the subject - thank goodness - here's a helpful hint from moi. (I love talking like Miss Piggy.) I don’t buy buttermilk. I make a substitute at home and so can can you in a snap. Place 1T white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Then pour in milk until you reach the 1 cup line and stir. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes and you have buttermilk!

Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken
1/4C buttermilk
2T Dijon mustard
4, 6 oz. chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/3C golden flax meal
1/3C finely chopped walnuts
2T grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
3/4t mined fresh rosemary
¼t kosher salt
¼ t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat to 425 degrees. Combine flax meal, nuts, cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Set aside. Next, combine buttermilk and Dijon in a shallow dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Then, dredge chicken in dry mixture and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

This picture shows the chicken looking a little bit more palatable.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

How Fancy!

2010-06-02T13:23:00.004-04:00

So I was cleaning out my girl's back pack. I found a little sterling silver seafood fork therein. What the heck?!

Fire up the grill

2010-05-28T16:27:00.005-04:00

I have something on my mind. It’s called Steak with Horseradish Guacamole. So I dug out the little cook book I received a hundred years ago when the Southern Living Cooking School passed through town. The recipe calls for strip steaks marinated in steak sauce. Hmmmmmmm – no recollection of that part. Well, I guess I just assimilated the guacamole recipe into my personal Borg/repertoire. This stuff is dreamy, my friends. Oh my word! A bite of juicy steak with some of the guac on top is almost more yumminess than I can bear. I serve it with London broil, flank steak or skirt steak, and I never use something called “steak sauce.”

Here’s the story:

Meat
Some Steak (see above for cut), in the amount you need to feed your crowd
equal parts soy sauce and balsamic vinegar
a splash of olive oil

Sprinkle your steak with salt and pepper. Put in a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the meat and the marinade that you’re about to prepare. Pour about 1/2C balsamic vinegar, 1/2C soy sauce and a splash of olive in a liquid measuring cup. If you need more, make it. Okay? Mix it up a bit to combine ingredients and pour over steak. Turn steaks over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Bring meat to room temperature before cooking. Then, grill steak the way you like it. I like it very bloody. Doesn’t that sound appetizing?

Horseradish Guacamole
4 avocados, peeled and seeded
1/4C lemon juice
½ sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
3T prepared horseradish
1 garlic clove, minced
1T minced fresh dill (it’s okay to omit)
1t Worcestershire sauce

Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice and remaining ingredients.
Makes 2 ½ C.

Let's Go Europe

2010-05-25T17:18:00.006-04:00

When I was 23, I took out a student loan for a “summer law program” and hit the road. In my travels, I stopped in Venice to visit Mimi, one of my roommates from college. She was living it up in a palazzo and working at the Guggenheim. Here I am with Mimi (left) and some chick I can’t remember. I’m the dorky looking one on the right.

With Mimi and her artsy, sophisticated, Italian friends, I drank a lot red wine and feasted on delicious Northern Italian cuisine. This photo might even depict the very day I first tasted the salty/sweet flavor explosion of prosciutto and cantaloupe together. Here’s my version:

Prosciutto e Melone
cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces

prosciutto, cut into 2 or 3 strips per slice

feta cheese crumbles, about 1/4 - 1/3 cup

a few basil leaves, cut chiffonade style

extra virgin olive oil

kosher or sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Stack the basil leaves one on top of another. Roll them all up and slice the tube of basil leaves across the narrow end in to strips. Set aside.

Wrap the strips of proscuitto around the cantaloupe pieces and arrange on a plate or platter. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with desired amount of feta. Sprinkle with sliced basil and if you want, salt and pepper.

This dish received my kids' stamp of approval. The girl declared the combination “delectable.” The boy didn’t say much, but it might be because he had about 4 chunks stuffed in his mouth at one time.

I had a really gorgeous picture of the plate I made over the weekend, but I accidentally deleted it. My cantaloupe was cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Salad Days

2010-05-25T05:55:00.009-04:00

I’ve been fancifying my salads lately. The boy and the girl eat salad (always have), and I’m talking mixed baby greens and spinach too. But, for a long time, I felt that I needed to serve a bland, boring, basic salad for them. You know - just greens and chopped veggies with a bottle or ranch dressing on the side. No more, people!!! I don’t buy salad dressing anymore. Instead, I make dressing 2 or 3 times a week. Plus, I now add some kind of cheese and nut/seed to every salad I make. I haven’t heard a peep out of my peeps regarding this development. It’s a salad utopia over here.

This salad is one we all love. Maybe bacon triggers a pheromone release? Add a grilled chicken breast, some shrimp or whatever protein tickles your fancy, and there’s your meal, baby.

Salad Fixings
Romaine lettuce (or whatever you like)
chopped cilantro, about ½ cup
diced avocado
tomatoes
chives, green onions, or red onions
bacon
chopped red, yellow or orange pepper
parmesan cheese shavings – use your veggie peeler

Topolo Caesar Dressing
1C olive oil
1 ½ T sherry vinegar (or white wine)
4 t Worcestershire sauce
1 fresh serrano chile, stemmed and halved
zest of 1 lime
1 egg
½ t salt

Put ½ C olive oil and all other ingredients into bowl of food processor and process for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl and slowly whisk in remaining ½ C olive oil. Adjust salt if necessary. Substitute jalapeno for serrano if you can’t find serrano peppers.

This salad is also quite scrumptious with:

Very Garlicky Vinaigrette
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 T Dijon mustard
1/3C red wine vinegar
1C extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the garlic, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk well. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil whisking constantly until the dressing is quite thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: Topolo dressing recipe is from Rick Bayless. Vinaigrette recipe is from New Basics Cookbook.