Kombucha

Kombucha is the thing that makes me not miss Coca Cola. It is slightly sweet with a natural effervescence, and more subtle than soda (i.e. not as sweet), so it can take a bit of getting used to... but it's well worth the adjustment. It is fermented black or green tea, and has been around in the East for 2,000 years. The Chinese call it an "Immortal Health Elixir", and it is believed to have cancer-fighting abilities. It is fantastic for detoxing your body, is good for your joints, aids digestion by increasing the good bacterial flora in your gut, and boosts your immune system! So not only is it "not as bad" as soda, it is actually super good for you!

The one problem is that a 16-ounce bottle of kombucha from the store can cost as much as $4.00. FOUR DOLLARS! Of course one can't put a price on the fact that you're not consuming high-fructose corn syrup (or, god forbid in the case of diet soda - aspartame. That stuff is speculated to cause cancer, neurological problems [including brain tumors, yikes], and kidney decline, no thanks!) and all of the other terrible stuff in soda, not to mention the phosphate that depletes our magnesium levels. But $4.00 every time you want a tasty, refreshing beverage can get pretty pricey. Drinking 1 a day, which I could do easily, would cost $120 a month! A lot of times, also, the stuff that is made commercially is carbonated artificially and probiotics are added, which is fine, but I would rather be amazed by the effervescence and probiotics that occur naturally!

The one thing you'll need to get in advance (in addition to tea bags and some sugar) is a "SCOBY" (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast), which is the "mother" you may have heard referenced when you hear of raw vinegar. They have kombucha starter kits at certain health food stores, which I'm sure are fine, but they tend to be on the expensive side. Honestly, just order a scoby online (or see if someone you know makes kombucha and has an extra one - every time you make some, you get a new scoby!). Local Bellingham friends: the scoby can be purchased here. Now, all you have to do is get some green or black (organic!) tea bags and organic cane sugar from the store, and a 1-gallon jar from Goodwill, and you're good to go. The Scoby and the jar are investments that will last your entire kombucha-making career, and will pay for themselves in no time!

One thing worth noting: Sugar, for the most part is bad. Sugar is hidden in every processed food and is something that most people are addicted to without even knowing. Excessive sugar is responsible for all kinds of health problems: It feeds cancer cells, is toxic to the liver, and causes your body to store excess fat, among other things. However, in this instance of using it for the fermentation of kombucha, the sugar is not for you (the consumer)! The sugar is for the bacteria and yeast! The sugar feeds them so the good bacteria can proliferate and the yeast can create the effervescence we love, and by the time we are ready to drink the kombucha, there is hardly any sugar left in it at all!

So let's make some, shall we?

Gather the following:

A SCOBY + 2 cups of the liquid (old kombucha) that it is stored in.
1 1-gallon glass jar
Teapot or saucepan for heating water
Strainer
1 gallon filtered water (you can also leave a gallon of tap water sitting out for 12 hours to let the chlorine evaporate)
4 tea bags each of black tea or green tea, or 1 Tbsp each of loose leaf tea
1 cup organic cane sugar *Remember, this is food for the yeast and we will not be consuming much, if any of it.
4 1-quart mason jars (or old (clean) kombucha bottles, or any bottle with a tight-fitting lid).

Directions:

1. Place your tea and the sugar in the glass jar.
2. Bring a small amount of your twater to a boil and pour in just enough to cover the tea bags and dissolve the sugar.
3. Steep for 5-7 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure sugar is dissolved.
4. Pull out the tea bags using tongs.
5. Fill the jar the rest of the way (leaving room for the scoby and the 2 cups of old kombucha) with cold, filtered water.
6. Cover the jar with a coffee filter, and label it with the date. Place it in the cupboard for 10 days.
7. After 10 days (you could check it as soon as 7 depending on the heat), taste the kombucha. If it is still very sweet, let it sit for a few more days in the cupboard.
8. When it is starting to taste less sweet, it is ready for its secondary fermentation: Pull out your scoby and put it in a jar with approximately 2 cups of the liquid for use in the future. Strain the kombucha into a large pitcher or bowl.
9. Using a funnel, distribute the liquid to the jars or bottles you're using*, and put these back into the cabinet for another few days. Again, the warmer it is, the more quickly it will be done. You don't want the bottles to explode, so check one for gas pressure after 2 days and go from there. *This is the step where you would add any fruit juices you'd like to use for flavor. I usually just make plain kombucha, so if you're interested in experimenting with flavors, read this first.

DRINK IT! There's no kombucha more delicious than your own when you've gone through such a labor of love. You'll be delighted at the natural effervescence (I've said it before - I'm not a scientist and I don't know how it happens, but it does and it's miraculous). Let me know how things work out! I'm here if you have questions!

Mmmmmexican food

One of the ways I have found to keep things interesting when trying to follow a certain set of eating rules (i.e. paleo), is to look to some of the other wonderful cultures around the world and see how they build their meals and season their food. So many cultures have herbs and spices that they are known for, or dishes that exist that are easily adapted to being paleo. Curries inspired by Indian food, say. Coconut milk, some yellow curry powder, some delicious vegetables, and there you have a delicious paleo dinner. Persian ground beef is seasoned with onion and garlic and traditionally served with saffron rice and a nice cucumber and tomato salad on the side. Rice? Make it cauliflower and you have a paleo Persian feast!

I think the most difficult thing sometimes with regard to consulting the internet for recipes is that it's usually just for one thing. I love how many resources there are for learning how to cook my meat, or my veggies, or my sauces, but sometimes it's hard to know how to assemble an entire MEAL. So that's what I'm going to do here!

Some traditional Mexican spices include cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Throw in some cilantro and lime and now we're cooking with gas. I was craving rice and beans and naturally my first thought was cauliflower (it's basically naked without the word "rice" after it); I'll tell you how I used Mexican cuisine to inspire its interesting flavor. I had a butternut squash sitting there begging to be eaten, so I cut it up bean-size, and there you go. I quickly sauteed a green bell pepper and half a sliced onion for fajita veggies. The meat was braised in a flavorful broth of chicken stock, cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, and onions. I threw together some guacamole, and the meal was ready to be assembled and eaten! Three times, no less.

The thing about eating this way is that it takes TIME...and it takes the same amount of time to make enough food for 3 meals as it takes for one, so why not stretch yourself now and save the energy later (when you've had a long day at work or school or binging that cool new show). I talk to so many people who perceive cooking as a chore (which I don't understand; it's ART!), but doing laundry is a chore and (I assume) we still do that, and those socks only go on our feet! ;) Anything that is the raw materials for our synthesizing of dna and hormones and energy and anti-oxidants aka anti-cancer (and hopefully of not too much gas) is way more important to invest in, if you ask me. One of my favorite sayings by chef Thomas Keller is that "it's not difficult; you just have to decide to do it."

Chore, puh-lease! Look at this beautiful plate of food (I'm a chef, not a photographer). I popped an audiobook in my ears and it was done in no time! Plus most of it is inactive cooking time!

p.s. TECHNICALLY butter has a small amount of milk solids and if you're truly paleo, you should use clarified butter (or some other non-dairy fat like lard, tallow, or coconut oil). But I'm making a conscious choice to allow butter in its entirety to remain a part of my life during this time. I just love it too much and I'm way too lazy to clarify it, and absolutely refuse to pay for ghee at the store because it's obscenely expensive. Do whatever you want.

[Paleo] Carne asada with "Spanish" cauliflower rice, lemony butternut squash, fajita veggies, and fresh guacamole

For the meat:

2 Tbsp butter
1 1.5-pound piece pastured beef chuck
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 a jalapeno, de-seeded and chopped very small (de-seed and chop the entire thing; you'll use the other half for the guacamole)
3-4 cloves garlic, whole
1 tsp each ground cumin, dried oregano, chili powder
Chicken or beef stock or water to cover
salt and pepper

Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides. In a stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until translucent. In the same pot and without removing the onions, add the beef and brown on both sides. Add stock or water, all spices, and whole garlic cloves. Bring heat to where the liquid is steaming (not boiling) and then cover. Reduce heat to low and cook until meat is falling off the bone, approximately 3 hours. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes at a low simmer to reduce the liquid into a thick jus. Do not season until the end. While it's cooking, you can prep everything else!

For the cauliflower rice:

butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped small
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 bag Trader Joe's frozen cauliflower rice (even chefs "cheat" sometimes, don't be ashamed)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add onions. Cook until translucent, and add the garlic to the pot. Cook this for one minute, then add the frozen cauliflower rice and tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the fajita veggies:

butter
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat up the butter. Put the veggies in and saute until soft. Season with just a touch of salt and pepper.

For the lemony butternut squash:

1 small butternut squash (1 #), peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into bite-size (or bean-size if you want that beany feeling) pieces
3 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil (generally I don't cook with olive oil because it's not good to heat it, but I had no more space to melt butter on the stove, haha)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Place the chopped squash on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pour the butter over it, season with salt and pepper, and mix with your fingers to coat all pieces evenly. Place in a 400-degree oven and check after 10 minutes: cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pieces and the level of desired softness. When they are to your liking, squeeze lemon juice all over them and sprinkle with zest.

For the guacamole:

2 ripe avocados
other half of the jalapeno from the meat braise
1/4 of a red onion OR 1 small shallot, diced very small
1 roma tomato, de-seeded and chopped
juice of the other half of the lime
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl and blend with a fork. That's it!

Phew! I swear it was more work writing the blog post than it was actually cooking the meal. Give it a shot! I would love your feedback :)

Paleoh, why not + a delicious pork belly recipe

Well, I guess I'm that guy that's going to start talking about a diet in the first week of the new year. Wow, how original! Original, perhaps not. Valuable? I think so.

The paleo diet is meant to resemble how people ate before we all got bombarded by the SAD [Standard American Diet]. How did cavemen get their cans of coconut milk open? I'm not a scientist, so please don't ask me questions like that.

Now, everyone has their opinions on everything, and I know not everyone will agree that cutting certain things out of your diet is a sure-fire way to heal/lose weight/balance out brain chemistry. All I know is that forgoing grains, sugar, dairy, alcohol, and legumes for the past week has already lent itself, in my own personal experience, to a newfound feeling of physical svelte-ness, decreased anxiety and depression, and mysterious energy for long-lost hobbies. Can I promise these pleasant side effects to everyone who tries this diet? Absolutely not. Everyone's body is different. But the idea is that for many of us, grains, legumes, added sugar, and dairy create an inflammatory response in our guts. Inflammation in our guts creates inflammation elsewhere. Inflammation causes pain [amongst other things]. Pain is bad. That is about the extent of my argument.

Is sugar as addictive as cocaine, causing the cycle of sugar addiction which contributes to chronic blood sugar fluctuations and liver stress that affect our endocrine and nervous systems and eventually lead to type 2 diabetes and alzheimer's disease (sometimes referred to as type 3 diabetes!)? Maybe! Is the lactose in dairy products just one molecule off from straight glucose, and treated as glucose when it enters our digestive system? Perhaps. Are our immune systems rendered useless for hours after we consume sugar? I think I read that somewhere. Are modern grains so genetically different from what our ancestors ate that our bodies couldn't digest them even if they weren't enveloped in phytic acid? Possibly.

Another question worth considering is that is it the absence of these foods that is creating all of the good feelings I'm noticing? Or is it all of the nutrient-dense, enzyme-rich, alive, green, full-of-vitamins, un-processed foods (and WATER) I have started eating to replace them? See how impossible it is to identify a single variable that will explain/fix everything?

Lastly, do grains and sugar and dairy make up some of the things that bring me pure, unadulterated joy and things without which I might find life empty and meaningless? Absolutely. In no way do I plan never to eat them again, I just can't keep living on pizza and pasta and cookies.

The point here is that there is SO much information in the world about what we should and should not be eating, that it's really up to us to do our own research; and it's two-fold. Seek information from trusted sources, and try things, paying attention to what works for you. Read about the Whole 30 Diet, which is a great place to start.

Interested in making a change but don't want to commit to something so drastic? Instead of jumping in to something that the sound of makes you cringe (what do you mean, no ice cream??), why not just gradually start subbing in some healthy things here and there? Have a salad as a snack between your regular meals. Have a kombucha instead of that can of soda pop. Try some full-fat coconut milk in your morning smoothie instead of cow's milk yogurt. Now I am in no way a licensed practitioner of any kind, but unless you have some sort of allergy I don't know about, none of the things I just mentioned could hurt to try, right?

And now, say these words aloud: "Glazed pan-seared pork belly with Asian-inspired mixed green salad dressed with sesame-ginger vinaigrette." Did your mouth water? Yes? Did you think "oh ew" or "I'd rather have top ramen"? No? I didn't think so. And it was easy as pie to make.

Here's the recipe! It was so delicious and fulfilling (mmmm FAT).

[Paleo] Glazed pan-seared pork belly with Asian-inspired mixed green salad dressed with sesame-ginger vinaigrette

1 1.5# piece of pastured pork belly, salted on both sides the night before
Small amount of maple syrup
Few dashes coconut aminos

Sear the pork belly in a cast iron skillet with the skin side down until it is caramelized. Turn it over so the fat is on top, and place, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 90 minutes. Allow to cool completely in its own fat.

When ready to eat, cut the cooled pork belly into 1/2-inch wide strips (or cubes work too). Place any you are eating right now (save the rest for later) in a hot cast iron skillet or saute pan and sear on one side until golden brown. Turn over to sear the other side. When it is almost done, add a dash of maple syrup and a dash of coconut aminos to the pan, which will glaze the pork as it finishes cooking.

For the vinaigrette:

1 3-inch knob of ginger, peeled
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
10 shakes coconut aminos (soy sauce isn't paleo)
2 Tbsp maple syrup (on Whole 30, no sugar of any kind is allowed, but for just paleo, you're really just avoiding processed sugar)
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Place the ginger in a food processor and grind. Add vinegar, coconut aminos, maple syrup, and sesame oil, and blend. With machine running, slowing drizzle in olive oil. This will make enough for leftovers if you'd like to have this salad again.

For the salad:

Mixed baby greens
Shredded beet, carrot, and cucumber
Avocado
Toasted cashews
Whole cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced scallion
Sesame seeds

The beautiful thing about this is that you can eat as much or as little as you like. I shredded one small beet, one single carrot, and a 3-inch portion of cucumber, and that was enough for two giant salads. I just ripped off a handful of cilantro leaves from the bunch I had in the fridge, sliced a scallion thinly, tossed in a half of a chopped avocado, grabbed a handful of toasted cashews, dressed it with my ginger vinaigrette, put it on the plate, and sprinkled it with sesame seeds. When eating delicious, healthy, green things, I never bother with amounts. I just eat as much as I want knowing that it's good for me.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? I invite them all and would love nothing more than to discuss this recipe or anything food related with anyone who's interested.

New Year, New...bowels?

Well, hello there! Thanks for your tact in not mentioning that I haven't written anything in over two years. Sometimes one needs a short hiatus to eat things such as calzones, pies, cakes, samosas fried in beef fat, croissants, beef wellington, sticky toffee pudding, keugel, lasagna, everything at their friend's Olive Garden-catered birthday party, god-only-knows-how-many pizzas, lots and lots of bread, and basically whatever one wants... Yes, sometimes someone needs a short hiatus eating those things to hear their poor body begging (BEGGING) for some of the healthy things that said person used to write about in her blog.

Oh my poor, poor guts. How long it has been since I put something fermented in my body? How long since I said no to that bag of chocolate chips in the pantry (it's been less than 15 minutes). And I know better! Geez Louise. Well, what better than starting a new year to get my eating in check. I'm tired of being tired, I'm tired of my bowels working VERY hard for not a lot of payoff (let's just leave it at that), I'm tired of feeling sad and gassy and having headaches. Hey, hypochondria -- You don't have a brain tumor, you just didn't eat or drink anything until 1 pm when you were so famished you inhaled a cupcake!

I know well enough that in order to eat healthy, you have to have the intention to eat healthy. You have to put time and effort into coming up with recipe ideas, making time to shop for the right things, and staying ahead of your hunger so you're not tempted. I know these things, and still, sometimes my laziness gets the better of me! Or sometimes I tell myself that this is my last pizza for awhile, that I'm too tired to cook "tonight", or that it's really not that bad (didn't the government say that pizza counts as a vegetable??). I'm only human, and sometimes I really am too tired to cook! Which is why when that happens, if there is a past version of me that has prepared for that moment of weakness, I have nothing to worry about! So here's to waking up that version of myself that cares about my energy level, self-image (listen, I know I'm beautiful, but something about the extra 10 pounds just makes me not look like me), my lifespan, the possibility of being disease-free when I am old, and the possibility of passing on good, healthy genes to my future offspring. It's going to be a great year!

So, here we go. I'll share some of my recipes with you, I'll be honest about my weaknesses and missteps and times that I give in, and we will do our best to honor ourselves by honoring our bodies. Happy New Year!

Pumpkin puree!

I've been a professional cook for many years. And for some reason, the idea of making a real live pumpkin into puree for a pie was always sooooo daunting. "Why not just buy the canned stuff?" my laziness would say to me, and I'd say, "You're right." My laziness and I get along REAL well. Anyway, I finally did it, and the pumpkin pie it created is well, truly a work of art. We will concentrate on the puree, since there are a million pumpkin pie recipes available (this is the one I made).

First, go pick a cute little pumpkin out of a cute little pumpkin patch.

Next, cut that baby in half, scoop out the seeds (roast them and feed them to the birds!) and grease it with some coconut oil. Put them cutside down on a parchment-lined pan and roast at 375 for 45 minutes, til it's easily pierced with a fork.

Take it out and let it cool slightly. One half at a time, peel off the skin and put the flesh in the food processor. Process til smooth, repeat with other side, and voila!

(Not Your Everyday) Tuna Casserole! Grain and Dairy Free!

Newsflash: Pasta isn't really that good for you. Sure, it nourishes your soul (and your soul is important), but as a general rule of healthy eating, grains should be eaten sparsely and sprouted first. Should. Am I going to completely stop eating pasta for the rest of my life? No. But, if there is a way to cut back on my grain intake while eating stuff that is absolutely delicious, I say why not! I'll save up my pasta-eating for my trip to Italy, which will take place when I have enough money. Which will be in say, 10 years.

THIS is a great way to get some extra veggies in your belly without even realizing it. I'm not crazy (and you're not an idiot), so I won't tell you that you "won't notice the difference" or some nonsense along those lines. This will never take the place of that egg noodle-based, canned cream of mushroom, Ruffles potato chip-topped tuna casserole from my childhood, no way. But it does taste absolutely delicious, has no processed ingredients (I cheated and bought mayo instead of making me own, so sue me!), and doesn't have that dairy that causes me to spend a lot of time in the bathroom after eating it. Sounds pretty good to me!

May I present to you: Tuna (Spaghetti Squash) Noodle Casserole! Grain and dairy free!

Ingredients:
1 small (2-ish pounds) spaghetti squash
Coconut oil, for roasting

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 cup frozen green beans (or peas, or both!)
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup homemade or paleo-approved mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten with the mayo
2 cans sustainable, pole-caught tuna, drained
1-2 tsp coconut flour
1/4 cup almond meal
salt, pepper, red chili flake, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (save those and roast them if you want!) and rub coconut oil on the exposed insides. Season with salt and pepper, and roast cut-side down for 35-45 minutes until tender.
2. While squash is roasting, saute the onions in coconut oil until translucent. Add beans and/or peas and sage to the pan and turn off the heat.
3. When squash is finished roasting, cool until the halves can be handled enough (use an oven mitt if you have to) to scoop the insides into a bowl. Turn the oven down to 350.
4. Add the onion/veg mixture to the bowl along with the mayonnaise/egg mixture, tuna, and coconut flour. Season to taste.
5. Transfer mixture to an appropriately-sized casserole dish (a 2-quart works perfectly) and top with the almond meal. Season top with salt and pepper.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cooked through. Place under broiler for 1-2 minutes, if desired, to crisp up the almond topping.
7. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes, and serve!

The SMELLS in the kitchen alone are worth making this. A fantastic meal for a cozy night, and one your body will thank you for!

Water. Agua. H2O. Take the GALLON CHALLENGE!

Water. Who would think that something so obvious could be something that is so important? We've all heard it before, but the truth is that most of us are dehydrated without even knowing it! I say most of us, because I assume that everyone is in the same boat as I am. My bff and I embarked on the "gallon challenge" 5 days ago, and even in that short period of time, I have noticed huge changes. I share them here because I am so pleasantly surprised that implementing something has made such a noticeable difference in such a short period of time, and also because if I can drink a gallon of water per day (I survive on tea, kombucha, smoothies, and chicken stock - all great, but they're not water) then anyone can!

I made myself a little jar with my goal and places for tally marks. It's fun to keep track of your progress! Notice my 1 tally mark after chugging one jar right after waking up. Add some lemon to help make your body more alkaline, which is a really good thing. Drinking water first thing will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.

In 5 days I have noticed:
- Decreased appetite
- Improved bowel function (like, 3 times a day, y'all)
- Clear, glowing skin
- SIGNIFICANT reduction of menstrual cramps
- Noticing thirst (why is that good? Because I am now tuned into all the times I thought I was hungry and was actually craving water. I was mixing up my body's signals - she must have been feeling really misunderstood)

So here is some scientific stuff about the importance of hydration. It's good to know that when you feel thirsty, you are already pretty dehydrated, so it's a good idea to keep a bottle or jar (please, no plastics) on you at all times to sip on throughout the day. Sufficient hydration will assist your cells in healing themselves and functioning properly, leading to better sleep and better energy levels through the day. Fully hydrated blood (blood is 92% water) flows more easily through your body, aiding in cardiovascular function. When the body is dehydrated, it creates more histamines (compounds that can create allergy symptoms). Proper hydration helps our skin rid itself of toxins - dehydration leads skin to become irritated, inflamed, itchy, red, and prone to breakouts. A well-hydrated body purges toxins and metabolic wastes more efficiently, and allows matter to pass more quickly through the digestive tract. Staying hydrated keeps our cells more balanced, and we will feel hungry less often. Not to mention, drinking as much water as it takes to stay hydrated will, in all likelihood, decrease the amount of sugary, caffeinated beverages that we consume. Win, win (win, win, win)!

Who's up for the Gallon Challenge?! Join me, it will be worth it!