Molten Lava Chocolate Cake

January 2, 2012 in Cakes and Cupcakes, Decadent Desserts

Many people who commit to paleolithic nutrition work very hard to rid their diets of any foods that mimic the unhealthy foods they used to eat.  But other people need the occasional treat of an old favorite to keep that sense of self-deprivation at bay.  This is why recipes for “paleofied” neolithic foods are so popular.  You get to indulge in a decadent dessert or other favorite food without derailing your efforts to be healthy by consuming foods that will irritate your gut or cause rampant inflammation.  For those of you who need your decadent dessert fix, here it is (serves 4):

 Ingredients:

1.     Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease four 6oz ramekins with coconut oil.  If you wish to serve these cakes on a plate, you will need to flour as well (use coconut flour, blanched almond flour, or cocoa powder).
2.    In a 4 cup measuring cup or medium microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave on low power.  Stir until smooth and let cool.
3.    In a small bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar with a hand mixer until light and frothy, about five minutes (this can seem like an eternity with a hand mixer, but hang in there because it’s worth it!).
4.    Pour egg mixture over chocolate.  Sift cocoa and coconut flour over the top.  Then gently fold all the ingredients together.
5.    Pour batter into prepared ramekins (they should be filled to within ½” of the top).  Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven (you can chill the ramekins for a few hours if you want to make them ahead of time, just make sure you bring them back to room temperature before baking).  Bake for 11-12 minutes.
6.    Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Do you need help finding any ingredients?  Check out  Important Pantry Items for the Paleo Baker.

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Going Back to Cast-Iron

December 31, 2011 in Kitchen Tools

When I was a kid, the two most common cooking vessels used in our home were our cast iron frying pan and our wok. But then the low-fat diet revolution came.  And suddenly the amount of cooking fat typically used when cooking with cast-iron or stainless-steel was considered a major health risk.  So we, like so many families, switched to non-stick pans.  Teflon.  

Now remember the controversial statements made a few years ago by the EPA regarding the safety of one of the components of Teflon, perfluorooctanoic acid?  It is still unclear whether cooking with Teflon-coated cookware will increase your risk of cancer.  It seems as though non-stick cookware is safe as long as the cooking temperature is kept fairly low (below 260F) and the coating is intact (throw it out as soon as it starts to scratch or flake).  But, other than a few applications where that non-stick coating is magical, why not go back to those old tried-and-true cast-iron and stainless-steel pots and pans?  Especially now that we know that fat is not bad for you!  

Cooking with cast-iron is great.  A well-seasoned pan is just as slippery as its non-stick counterpart.  It heats evenly, can go in the oven, can be used at high temperatures, increases the iron content of our food, and has a very, very long lifetime.  And while high-end cast-iron cookware costs a pretty penny, a basic cast-iron frying pan is very inexpensive. (see for example, Lodge Logic L10SK3 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet)

Are you daunted by this whole “seasoning” business?  Yes, cast-iron cookware needs to be seasoned.  But, this isn’t a hard thing to do.  It basically means putting some fat in the pan and heating it in some way.  When you do this, the fat polymerizes on the surface of the pan and creates a non-stick coating.  You can season your pan with a variety of fats in a variety of ways, and of course, some work better than others.  I found a great blog posting on the science of seasoning cast-iron here.  While many people use saturated fat to season their pans, Sheryl Canter’s recommendation is to use flax oil (or another ALA-rich oil).  Place the pan in your oven and preheat to 200F.  Remove the pan from your oven (turn the oven off for now) and coat entirely with oil, inside and out.  Then, remove all excess oil with paper towel.  Put the pan back in the oven upside down and turn the oven on to 500F.  Once the oven has preheated, let the pan “bake” for 1 hour.   Turn the oven off and let the pan sit in there until the oven is cool (about 2 hours).  Don’t open the door before that point unless you want to fill your kitchen with toxic smoke.  With a new pan, repeat this process about six times before your first use.  After that, season as needed, anytime the surface starts to look dull or rusty.   

Washing your cast-iron pan is easy too as long as you do it while it’s still warm.  It’s best to use a gentle scrubber (think a brush or scouring pads instead of steel wool) and hot water.  Don’t use dish soap (if some special mess requires dish soap, you will have to season your pan again afterward).  If the pan is hard to wash, it probably needs to be seasoned again.

Truly, there are few things in a kitchen as beautiful as the shiny black color of a well-seasoned cast-iron pan.  And while, I still use my non-stick pan for some purposes (cooking anything salty, like bacon or sausage, can be pretty rough on a cast-iron frying pan), I feel as though I have discovered a new love:  a love of cooking with my cast-iron frying pan.

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Swedish Meatballs

December 30, 2011 in Ground Meat, Proteins

I have to make a special thank you here to one of my twitter followers, @paleoanton, who sent me his recipe for making Swedish meatballs a few weeks ago.  For the Swedish-speaking among you, check out his blog:  www.paleowithdessert.blogspot.com

Meatballs are a kid (and grown-up) favorite but often recipes require filler and binders that are typically grains.  Swedish meatballs are a minimally spiced version (my husband calls them boring, but I vehemently disagree), so you really get to just enjoy the flavor of good meat.   They are typically served in gravy, often with something like plain noodles on the side.  I like them with some braised cabbage and sautéed mushrooms.  I made these with grass-fed beef and they were delicious!  Makes: 16 meatballs

A note about arrowroot powder:  Arrowroot powder is a great thickener (made from a tuber).  It doesn’t lump and doesn’t alter the flavor.  When you first add it, it will seem cloudy, but it will turn translucent as it cooks.   The resulting gravy is clearer than what you’re used to, but still thick and tastes great. 

Ingredients (meatballs):

1 lb lean ground beef (grass-fed is preferred for this recipe)

1 medium yellow onion, very finely diced

1 Tbsp tallow or coconut oil

2 eggs

1/8 tsp salt, to taste

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp allspice

 

1.    Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and onion and

sauté until completely cooked, approximately 10 minutes.
2.    Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3.    Mix all ingredients in a bowl (I find it easiest to use my hands).  Form 1 ½” meatballs by hand and place on prepared baking sheet (you should get approximately 16 meatballs).
4.    Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

 

Ingredients (gravy):

 

  1. 1.    Place broth and butter in the skillet that the onions were cooked in.  Stir in the arrowroot powder.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  2. 2.    Stir frequently until thick, approximately 3-4 minutes.

 

Toss meatballs in gravy (including any juices from the baking sheet) and enjoy!

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Female Hormones, Weight and Auto-Immunity

December 29, 2011 in FAQ, Hormone Regulation, Sarah's Personal AI Struggles, Weight Loss/Gain

I write this post in the midst of a huge hormone adjustment.  My youngest weaned just a couple of weeks ago and my body is still trying to figure it out.  I was pregnant or lactating for over 5½ years (I got pregnant with my second daughter only few weeks after my oldest weaned), so I don’t expect this adjustment to be easy for my body.  I feel more tired and emotional and find myself craving sugar (not good during the holidays when sugar is so easily found).  

The hormones that regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation have a complicated interplay, some going up while others go down in a way that is specific to what is happening in your body.  It is truly amazing to think of how many different jobs these hormones do.  But there are also “side effects”, the most familiar of which is either weight gain or a resistance to weight loss.  Women experience this while pregnant (and their bodies take over with hunger and food cravings so that they will gain weight), but also while lactating and while taking hormonal birth control.  Many women experience increased hunger and food cravings slightly before and during menstruation, also attributable to these hormones.  But, this frustrating hormone “side effect” is really an artifact of society and our own desires (for example, wanting to be thin instantly after having a baby).  It makes prefect sense from a physiological and evolutionary perspective that our bodies should prioritize maintaining higher fat levels when pregnant or lactating (or when your body thinks it’s pregnant because you are taking hormonal birth control).  

If you are a woman who is struggling to lose weight, hormones may be to blame.  But be patient.  If you are breastfeeding your child, you are giving them an amazing gift, so be patient.  Your child will eventually wean and your hormones will stop making it so difficult to lose those last ten pregnancy pounds.  If you take hormonal birth control or hormone replacement therapy, again, be patient.  You have already weighed the benefits of this choice (like not getting pregnant before you are ready) and struggling with those last ten pounds is okay.  There’s an important piece of information buried here:  most women only struggle with the last 10-15 pounds.  These hormones don’t really kick in to inhibit weight loss until that point.  Many overweight women successfully lose most of their weight even while taking hormonal birth control or lactating.  (If you need help, see my posts on paleolithic nutrition, paleolithic lifestyle and diet vs. lifestyle as a place to start.)

These hormones have another very important job while you are pregnant.  They reduce your auto-immunity so that your body does not attack the baby growing inside of it.  Auto-immunity is also reduced to a lesser extent while you are lactating or on hormonal birth control.  Women with auto-immune conditions often find that their symptoms decrease while pregnant or even go into full remission.  But too often, the payback is not fun.  For many, the symptoms return with a vengeance after the hormones return to normal.  This is something that I am struggling with right now.  I suffered a form of psoriasis (called lichen planus) prior to getting pregnant with my first daughter.  When my second daughter night weaned last summer, I started seeing a few patches again.  This was actually the driving force for me to switch to paleolithic nutrition.  Now that my daughter has completely weaned, I am experiencing a huge increase is psoriasis.  This is the driving force behind my NewYear’s Resolutions, which are all focused on decreasing inflammation in my body. 

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