Honey Nut Granola Cereal

mmmm.... cereal

1 Cup whole almonds

1 Cup sunflower seeds

1 Cup pumpkin seeds

1 Cup sliced almonds

1 Cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raisins (or cranberries or dried blueberries)

1/4 cup ghee*

1/4 cup honey

1 egg white

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1) pulse the first three ingredients in the food processor

2) combine the food processor ingredients with the sliced almonds, coconut, and raisins. Then stir it up (little darling).

3) Melt the ghee and honey together and drizzle over the mixture

4) pour in the egg white and mix until well coated

5) sprinkle on the cinnamon

6) Pour evenly onto a large cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 min at 400 F, stopping frequently to stir

Enjoy with almond milk or coconut milk and you'll never miss regular cereal again!

*Ghee is just clarified butter, usually available with the Indian food in the international section of the grocery store. If you cant find it, just use butter.

OMG Pancakes!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 Cup Nut butter (almond or cashew are great)

30g Scoop of Protein Powder (I used Cookies and Cream flavor)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup blueberries (optional)

Cinnamon

Butter

Instructions

Combine the eggs, mashed banana, and nut butter until smooth. Mix in the protein powder and baking powder. Add blueberries if you like.

Grease a hot skillet or large frying pan with butter and pour pancake batter in by about 1/3 cup scoops. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles rise to the top and pop.

These were delicious all on their own, but would be good topped with applesauce, cooked berries, more nut butter or honey/maple syrup if you're going for that sugary treat.

(Makes about 10 pancakes)

Fabulous Onion Bread

You may have heard me talk about this one before and anyone who's tried it raves about its awesome deliciousness. Seriously, this recipe is not a lame substitution for bread, but a gourmet variety, worlds above in terms of heartiness and flavor. BUT... and there is a but... it is really finicky and labor intensive to make, which is why I've been putting off posting the recipe. The original inspiration for this came from a raw food vegan cookbook (yes, I own one of those!) and was meant to be entirely dehydrated, taking upwards of 24 hours. I'm not opposed to cooking my food, plus my dehydrator doesn't have the nifty trays you would need to make items like this, or fruit leathers, or other paste-like treats. So I've been experimenting with different methods every time David talks me into dedicating an afternoon and sacrificing my eyeballs to make this. Here's the best I've come up with thus far, but I'm sure there will be updates to this one over time.

Ingredients
4 large sweet onions
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup organic tamari soya sauce
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions
1) Grind the sunflower seeds in a food processor. Buy pre-ground flax seeds if possible, but if not blend those babies up too!

2) Get read to weep! Peel and roughly chop the onions. Puree them in the food processor then transfer to a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Squish out as much of the liquid as possible. It burns! It burns! Perhaps I need these?

3) Combine the ground seeds with the onion mush and add the tamari and the olive oil. Mix well!

4) Spread the mixture onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Aim for a thin layer, about 1/4" thick. Bake at 350 for 60 min or until the top is browned. This picture was for a double batch.

5) Allow the bread to cool, then slice into squares and gently transfer to a food dehydrator. Dehydrate on low to medium heat for 6-ish hours.

Now you're ready to enjoy the best sandwich you'll ever have in your life.

Inside Laura's Fridge

Kaiser the dog approves.

Laura (one of CrossFit BRIO's cavegirl athletes) prepares for the week of paleo food that lies ahead with a fridge full of ready-to-eat options. The elk jerky is marinating, the veggies are sliced, the eggs are waiting, and the fresh roasted chicken is ready! The non-primal food, she says, all belongs to her fiance!

Garlic Mayo Veggie Dip

The veggie and dip tray is a staple of summer BBQs everywhere, but usually the delicious creamy delight in the center is either sour cream or cream cheese based. Here's a tasty recipe for a paleo approved version:

Ingredients:
1 cup real Mayonnaise
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Mustard seed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh Dill
1 tsp Chili powder
Sprinkles of Louisiana hot sauce (to taste)
Fresh group black pepper

Instructions
Mix. Chill. Eat. Mmmmmm....

Soy Sauce

Okay, so you may have noticed several of my recipes involve soy sauce in the marinades and sauces. Technically, made from soy beans (a legume) and usually containing wheat (eek!) soy sauce is a no-no on a paleo plan.

1. Small amounts - first off, the amount of soy sauce that I use is generally 1 or maybe 2 TB, spread into a recipe yielding several servings. I try not to get to worked up about the teeny tiny amounts of the substances that make their way into my food. I would spend time stressing about whether every pieces of meat I ate was pastured/grass finished before I would hyperventilate about whether that 1 TB of soy sauce had trace amount of wheat in it.

2. Fermentation - Soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans and it is this process that neutralizes many of the bad stuff in soy beans. A couple thousand years ago in asia people figured out that if they fermented their beans and grains first, everybody seemed to get less sick from eating them.

3. Wheat Free Options - If you are seriously gluten intolerant, there are wheat free options such as this one from VH sauces.

4. Get the good stuff - Cheaper options are usually made from hydrolyzed soy protein instead of brewing and fermenting naturally. The resultant product is not the same dark color as real soy sauce and so this liquid is then colored with caramel coloring. Check the ingredient label and look for simple, pronounceable, non-chemical ingredients.

Cavegirl at Costco: What's in the Cart

Costco is mostly known for 12lb bags of doritos and giant boxes of more microwaveable burritos than any person should consume in a life time. But hidden between the tubs of jumbo M&M cookies and the frozen pizza aisle is this little oasis of paleo heaven: the meat section and the fresh produce section. From a foraging expedition this afternoon, here's a peek in my cart:

• 2 bags of spinach
• 3-pack of cucumbers
• 1 bag of broccoli
• tub of blueberries
• head of cauliflower
• 6-pac bag of red and yellow peppers
• 3-pac bag of celery hearts
• 5lb bag of sweet onions
• 1kg of pecans
• 1kg of almonds
• Alder smoked bacon
• Pack of fresh figs (not sure what I'm going to do with those yet...)
• 2 eye round beef roasts
• 4 pork tenderloins
• 1 large tray boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large tray bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 large tray chicken drumsticks
• 2 racks pork back ribs

Spiced Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops

2 TB honey

2 TB dijon mustard

1 TB olive oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cinnamon

1/2 tsp whole allspice kernels

Brown the pork chops in a skillet for a few minutes on each side. Transfer to a slow cooker and drizzle with the sauce. Be sure to layer the glaze if you have to layer the chops (depends on the size of your crock pot). Simmer on low for 5-6 hours. This will make your house smell like pumpkin pie!

Grilled Pineapple Tenderloin Skewers

Ingredients:
1 LB Beef tenderloin chunks (you could use a lesser cut...)
1/2 a pineapple, cut into chunks

Marinate the meat in a mixture of the following:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 TB soya sauce
1 TB sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1" chunk fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Be sure to soak the skewers first. Alternate chunks of pineapple and steak. Grill over direct medium heat and enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Chicken Thighs

(Szechuan Vegetable recipe in the post below)

Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB Sesame oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 TB water

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Sesame seeds

Take a large tray of approximately 24 boneless skinless chicken thighs and trim of any obvious connective tissue or remaining bits of bone. Dip each piece of meat into the sauce and roll it up. Line up the rolls tightly in a deep pan, smooth side up. Drizzle any remaining sauce on top and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 400F for aprx 30 mins.

Szechuan Vegetables

Ingredients

2 TB olive oil

1 TB grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

Any assortment of fresh vegetables

3 TB oyster sauce

1 TB water
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Saute the ginger and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for just a couple of minutes in a large pan or wok. Add all the veggies and stirfry until softened. Mix the oyster sauce, water, and red pepper flakes and pour this sauce into the pan with the veggies. Stir to coat and serve!

Dad's Brandy Mushroom Sauce

1 TB olive oil

2 slices alder smoked bacon

1/2 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup beef broth

1 cup red wine

3 sprigs fresh tarragon

salt and pepper

Slice the bacon into small strips and fry in the olive oil until cripsy. Add the onion and garlic to sautee in the bacon drippings. Throw in the mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes until softened. Pour in the liquids, add the tarragon, and salt & pepper to taste. Allow to reduce by half.

We had this over cajun spiced grilled pork tenderloin, but it would also be fabulous with beef or bison. Shout out to my dad and his mad culinary caveman skills!

Matt's Almond Milk

Our good friend Matt is in town visiting from Hawaii. He's a nutritional ninja in his own right, employing the same whole food, caveman style of eating that we love. He brought with him some great ideas, including how to make your own almond milk! It's a delicious addition to coffee or tea and we're pretty sure it would make a tasty egg nog-like drink. We'll keep that in mind to experiment in the winter...

Ingredients
3 Cups of almonds
Water
1/2 tsp salt

Step One: Soak the almonds in water for at least one hour or overnight if you've got time.

Step Two: Drain off the water

Step 3: The 3 cups of almonds will now have swelled to 4 cups. Take half the almonds (about 2 cups) with 3 cups of water and blend thoroughly, for about 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: Pour the milky mixture into a tight mesh strainer. We used a paint strainer bag, available at a hardware or paint store for less than $1.


Step 5: Squish the living bejeezes out of that bag to get every last drop of liquid out. Repeat the blend, strain, and squish steps one more time with the other half of the almonds.

Step 6: Add the salt to the final liquid (about 2L) and shake-shake-shake. Once you place it in the fridge to cool, it will separate into 3 layers. You'll only have to mix it to reincorporate once, Matt says, and it won't separate again.

You can save the remaining almond meal and use it as filler in burgers or meat balls, as a thickener for a sauce, or in place of flour for a crust or dough! Any other ideas what to do with the remains?? Post suggestions to comments

Sobeys vs The Drive Thru

Some days I haven`t planned ahead very well and I know this because lunch times rolls around, I`m starving, and there`s no lunch anywhere to be seen. When this happens I like to play a little game I call Sobeys vs the Drive Thru. The grocery store closest to the gym shares a parking lot with a Burger King restaurant. During the busy lunch rush I like to take note of the car at the end of the drive thru line up as I dash into Sobeys to forage myself something to eat. If I can get in and out of the store before that car makes it through the drive thru line up, I win!

On one of the more recent showdowns, here`s what I managed to come up with: sliced in-store roasted turkey in a lettuce `boat` with olive oil mayo (which we had in the fridge here), cherries, a kiwi, an apple, and some almond butter. Yum!

Make Your Own Jerky

Drying was the original technique used to preserve meat for storage and transport in pre-agricultural times. In our modern world it still makes one of the best cavegirl snacks. Commercial jerky might help you survive an emergency hunger situation that lands you in a 7-11 hunting for something to eat, but it usually contains nitrites and other preservatives that make it not the best choice for everyday food. Made in your own kitchen with beautiful grass fed meat though, jerky is a delicious delight.

There are two tricks to making good jerky:

1) Choose lean cuts. The texture of fat is weird when dehydrated and it goes rancid quickly, defeating the "shelf stable" purpose of dried meat.

2) The marinade must contain both salt and some form of acid. This cures the meat before dehydrating and kills any bacteria.

The meat slicer in action!

My favorite for jerky is a bison eye round roast. There is a great bison farmer at the Farmer's Market that raises their animals on pasture. Their meat is also available at the Clarence Ave Market on Clarence and 12th Street. I use my meat slicer to get a uniform thickness, although this works best if the roast is still slightly frozen.

Original Jerky Recipe
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 TB raw honey
1 TB liquid smoke
1 TB onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Make sure each piece is coated in the marinade and then let it sit for 12-24 hours.

If you have a dehydrator, spread the meat on the racks and dry for 4-8 hours. Bison seems to dry much faster than beef so be sure to check on it every couple of hours. The meat should turn quite dark when finished but remain somewhat pliable. You don't want to dry it totally into dust!

Although I have never tried it, I've read you can use your oven to dehydrate jerky as well. Spread the meat out directly on the oven racks, set it to the lowest possible temperature (usually 160F), and leave the door slightly cracked.

Questions? Post them to comments!

Spicy Mango BBQ Sauce

Oh my god delicious, is all I have to say about this sauce. We brushed it on our Baby Back Rubbed ribs (the previous recipe) and it was amazing. I suspect it would also go well with grilled chicken or salmon.

Ingredients

1 TB extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, minced

1 red pepper, minced

0-3 fresh Habanero peppers*, minced

2 mangoes, peeled & cubed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tamari soya sauce
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1" piece ginger root, peeled
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 TB honey
1 cup organic chicken stock

Directions
Heat the oil in a pan on med-high. Add the onion, red pepper, and habaneros and saute to soften (3 to 4 mins). Next add the mango and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire, the chunk of ginger, a little of the citrus zest, the honey, and the chicken stock. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes, then add the orange and lime juice, and simmer for 2 minutes more, to thicken. Remove the ginger chunk.

Allow the sauce to cool slightly before transferring to the blender or food processor to puree.

*I used 2 fresh habaneros which made a rather spicy, but tolerable sauce. Add more if you dare. If fresh hot peppers are unavailable, substitute 1-2 TBs of habanero hot sauce.

Baby Back Rub

Not that kind of back rub...

What could be more primal than tearing meat off a bone with your teeth? Ribs are a delicious part of the summer BBQ season, but are too often slathered with super sugary sauces. Here's my recipe for a gorgeous, flavorful dry rub.

2 TB Dark Brown Sugar

1 TB Paprika

2 tsp kosher or sea salt

2 tsp rosemary, crushed

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper*

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

*adjust up or down based on your tolerance for spiciness

A little sugar goes a long way in this recipe, yielding enough to cover at least 2 and up to 4 racks of ribs. It works out to only a few grams of sugar per serving. The dry rub creates a flavorful crust and keeps you from messing up your shirt with sloppy sauces!

Coming up next: Spicy Mango BBQ Sauce

Paleo Pizza

Pizza... a cacophony of wheat flour and cheese. It could never be paleo and you must therefore live without it forever, right? No way! Cavegirl in the kitchen to the rescue. This pizza recipe is decidedly grain free, and should be dairy free as well although caveman wasn't quite sold on that idea...


The Crust:

Per person..
1 Cup Almond Meal*
1 Whole Egg
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt


Beat the egg first then mush it all together to form a dough. Press it into a pan and bake first at 400 deg for 15-ish minutes or until it starts to brown. This was for two so I doubled the dough recipe.

UPDATE: Click here for the updated crust technique.

The Sauce:
1 small can tomato paste (preferably organic)
An equivalent amount of water
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
drops of hot sauce if you like a bit of kick

Toppings:
Anything you can imagine from the world of meats and veggies, nuts and seeds. Think chicken, bacon, avocados, artichokes, spinach, garlic, pesto, pineapple, peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, and on and on.

* Almond meal is available in bags at Dad's Organic Market, but you could also make it yourself by pulsing almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder. Be careful not to grind too much or you will end up with almond butter. Although that would be a delicious mistake....

The Case For Real Mayonnaise

Lets do a little ingredient comparo here:

Real Mayonnaise: olive oil, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, salt, dry mustard powder, water

Miracle Whip Light: water, vinegar, soybean oil, modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, salt, contains less than 2% of egg yolks, cellulose gel, mustard flour, artificial color, potassium sorbate as a preservative, xantham gum, cellulose gum, spice, paprika, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (sweeteners), natural flavor, dried garlic

So we have one option consisting of a small selection of perfectly recognizable cavegirl ingredients. In the other corner, we have a frankenfood emulsification of industrial oil and modified food starch (whatever that is, I'm pretty sure it's not food). Oh and lets not forget the HFCS, the sugar, and not one, but two types of artificial sweeteners. Then there's the pile of preservatives and "natural" (???) flavor... oh my...

I will give you one guess which one is the better choice... [insert Jeopardy Music Here}

Julia Child's Mayonnaise Recipe

Ingredients
Round-bottomed, 2½ to 3-quart glazed pottery, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Set it in a heavy casserole or saucepan to keep it from slipping.
3 egg yolks
Large wire whisk
1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (more drops as needed)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard
1½ to 2¼ cups of olive oil. If the oil is cold, heat it to tepid; and if you are a novice, use the minimum amount
2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions
1) Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.

2) Add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.

3) The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil. While it goes in, drop by drop, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. A speed of 2 strokes per second is fast enough. You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you beat constantly.

4) Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce. Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.

5) After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over. The beating arm may rest a moment. Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.

6) When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of vinegar or lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil.

7) Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste.

8) If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

Easy Guacamole

Don't be afraid of its green lumpy appearance, guacamole is a creamy delicious addition to your nutrition plan and avocados are cavegirl approved!

• 1 avocado
• 1 TB real mayonnaise
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic power
• chopped jalapenos (to taste)

Instructions: mush and eat.

Avocados were first redeemed from the "all fats are bad" trash bin when a study in 1996 demonstrated that a diet high in these creamy delights lowered total cholesterol by 17%, lowered the bad cholesterol (LDL) by 22%, lowered triglycerides (the more important indicator) by 22%, and increase the good cholesterol (HDL) by 11% - and all in just SEVEN DAYS! One easy week! That's it!

Yet another point in the mountain of evidence that real food is far more effective than any pill in creating long term health.