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Posts in category Food For Thought

Paleo Flours 101 for Beginners

Jan11
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

I think many people who are moving towards a primal diet originally start out by removing gluten from their diet. For any of you who have tired gluten-free (but still grain-based) flour, you probably know as I do that it is terrible! At that point in my life I had decided that I would rather give up bread than have to eat bread made from rice and tapioca flour. So, I have good news. Nut flours, the most paleo-friendly flour, is your knight in shining armor. Cooking with nut flour can be a little bit of an adjustment, but the moisture content and texture is awesome, and sometimes better than real bread/baked products. The two most common flours used are Almond and Coconut. They both have very different cooking properties and bring different flavors to the recipe, so it can make a difference which one you use. I wouldn’t suggest using them interchangeably. Coconut flour tends to absorb more of the moisture of the baking recipe and will thicken quickly while you’re preparing to bake. That said, coconut flour has a wonderful coconut essence that it brings to the party and a much finer texture. Coconut flour is wonderful to make tortillas with, among other things (did I mention the kids love coconut flour pancakes???). Almond flour doesn’t bring any specific almond flavor to anything, but it does bring a delightfully thick and satisfying texture to anything you bake it in. I even put it in my meatloaf and meatballs. I love banana bread muffins for breakfast, but they have to be made with almond flour.In fact my family prefers almond flour banana bread to the regular stuff!

Almond Flour (left)Coconut Flour (right)

Almond Flour (left)
Coconut Flour (right)

I am not going to attempt to convince you that I’m an expert on this stuff, although I do have a few recipes of my own. I will give you a link for the Queen of almond flour and the Queen of Coconut flour (at least, that’s what they are in my book!) at the end of my post.

One of the primary problems with these flours is the price and availability. Most places, if they have either, will carry Bob’s Red Mill brand. There’s nothing wrong with it, other than heaven forbid you need to make more than one thing with it… it only comes in very small amounts meaning you have to buy up a lot packages if you plan on cooking with it everyday. This is not budget friendly. Another thing is that sometimes Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour will not bake up the same (it’s more of a meal than flour).

While I have found coconut flour to be easier to find here in Colorado, I tend to get both online. I have had good luck on Amazon, but also through Honeyville and Tropical Traditions. The biggest thing is experimenting with the two most common flours to see what you like and don’t like about them before venturing further. I myself tend to prefer almond flour, but like I said before, sometimes it just doesn’t work and coconut flour does.

Keep checking back here as I continually add new recipes… my favorite kind of cooking happens to be baking, so I assure you that I will be adding many paleo flour recipes. ;)

Oh, and if you’re interested in some great almond flour recipes, check out Elana’s Pantry. And if you’re the coconut type, check out The Spunky Coconut. They both rock, and I credit them with just about every great recipe idea/modification I’ve had.

Posted in Paleo Baking, Primal Living

Primal BBQ Sauce

Jan09
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

So, I’ve found a lot of paleo bbq sauce recipes, but they always leave me with that “so-so” feeling. I took some time, messed around with the different recipes I had found, and created one that I truly love! The best thing is the idea of using applesauce to sweeten it up (which I got from one of the many bbq recipes I tried previously). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 14-oz can of tomato sauce (organic preferred)
  • 1 tbsp of yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp of Bragg’s liquid aminos
  • 2 tbsp of hot pepper sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
  • 1/3 Cup of unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tbsp grass fed butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pinch of all spice

Instructions:

  1. Combine the first six ingredients in a medium size bowl and let sit.
  2. Melt butter in a sauce pan, add garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add in dry seasonings (chile powder, paprika, salt, pepper, all spice) and stir to combine with butter/garlic mixture.
  4. Immediately add in remaining ingredients that you put into bowl, stir well and let simmer on med-low heat for about 20 minutes.

I would stir every 5 minutes or so, and maybe use a lid, unless you want a bunch of bbq splatters everywhere! ;)

I’ve used this on pork, chicken, and primal meatloaf and it’s been fantastic every time!

Posted in Dinner, Lunch - Tagged

Bacon Meatloaf… Yum!

Jan08
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

Okay, so I originally got this recipe from Civilized Caveman Cooking (Thank You!), and made a few changes of my own. This recipe below is adapted from the one that can be found at the the site mentioned above.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb grass fed ground beef
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 8-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 red onion, minced
  • 1 green bell pepper, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 C almond flour
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • pepper to taste (I usually go with a teaspoon or so)

Instructions:

  1. Place back on a baking sheet and place in oven. Turn oven on and set to 450°. Allow bacon to cook for approximately 7 min (your oven may not even make it to full temp, and that’s not important. We’re just trying to cook it a little bit to make it easier to mince and to remove some of the excess fat to assist in the meatloaf consistency).
  2. Turn oven down to 400°
  3. Place partially cooked bacon in a food processor and grind up into small minced-size bits.
  4. Combine bacon and beef in a bowl and mix well.
  5. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until everything is uniformly combined.
  6. Form into a loaf and place into a loaf pan.
  7. Bake at 400° for about an hour.

This thing tastes even more amazing when I spread some of my primal bbq sauce on top. ;)

Posted in Dinner, Lunch - Tagged , ,

My Primal Food Staples

Feb08
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

I think that when it comes to eating there are two different types of people. On one hand, there are people who can easily mix things up, experiment with lots of different ways to cook foods as well as add new foods to their repertoire. Then there are people who can and do experiment, however, they have their “favorites” and they utilize them the majority of the time. I am the latter. I am a creature of habit and I need a certain amount of consistency and routine in my foods. I still experiment, don’t get me wrong! As my recipe database grows, my experimentation will be more obvious, but I still have my favorites.

Meats and Proteins:

  • Steaks (I get lots of different cuts, depending on what’s on sale)
  • Ground Beef and Bison
  • Chicken breasts
  • Sausage and bacon
  • Pork chops
  • Tilapia
  • Eggs
  • Protein Powder (the Costco kind from Muscle Milk has only 3g carbs)

Veggies:

  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Asparagus
  • Mixed spring greens
  • Spinach
  • Bell Peppers
  • Onions

Fruits:

  • Apples
  • Cantaloupe
  • Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Watermelon
  • Pears
  • Grapefruit

 

Fats/Oils:

  • Regular butter (yes, I know)
  • Olive Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Grapeseed Oil
  • Oil blend (canola/olive for certain cooking recipes)

“Extras” and/or Cheat items (see my article on cheats):

  • Low-carb or plain yogurt
  • Heavy Whipping Cream (to add to my coffee on occasion)
  • Almond and Coconut flour (for baking)
  • Almond butter
  • raw almonds
  • Other “cheat items”, used but very rarely: whole milk, beans, and cheese

That’s pretty much it. As long as I have my safety net of food here, I’m pretty much always good to go. It’s nice to mix things up a bit, but keeping a routine helps me to stay focused and in a proper direction with food. The more often I spice things up with different things, the harder it gets for me to stay on track… this may have a lot to  do with my family situation (they aren’t Primal eaters).

What are your Primal Staples?

Posted in Primal Living - Tagged , , , , ,

Cooking with Primal-Friendly Flours

Feb07
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

Image credit to: methodsofhealing.com

I love to bake. Especially when I’m stressed out or upset, the first thing I want to do is go crazy in the kitchen and bake cupcakes. When I realized the damage that wheat was doing to me, this became quite a problem. I still had to bake, but now I couldn’t eat it! I experimented with some various gluten-free flour mixes prior to my primal days, and they were… YUCKY. I would rather not eat than eat the breads and cakes made with rice, tapioca and various other gluten-free grains.

For a while I satisfied my need to bake by just making fun things to feed the rest of my family. Watching them eat what I made was almost as satisfying as eating it myself and I still got to bake.

Then I found some blogs which specialized in baking with other flours, almond and coconut primarily (not only gluten free but paleo-friendly as well with some slight modification), and after my first “alternative” flour baking experience, I realized the texture was as close as I had found to cooking with regular wheat flour. I was saved!

I use primarily two flours: coconut and almond. I throw in some flax-seed meal from time to time as well. There are other flour types that I have yet to experiment with, but from my experience, both almond and coconut flours are almost as versatile as wheat flour and the texture lends itself well to most recipes I have converted.

Here are some of the benefits to cooking with these “alternative” flours:

  • Relatively carb-free
  • Superb texture
  • All the healthy goodness of nuts and/or coconut
  • Opens some doors for Paleo/Primal eating that would otherwise be closed

The main drawback (at least in my mind) is cost. You have to really want that muffin to justify the cost! I have found some great online places to buy my flours, around my neighborhood, only Whole Foods carries almond flour in bulk, so in the event I am out and in an emotional-baking-emergency I have to buy it there. In case you’re looking for a place to buy some primal flour, check out HoneyVille and Tropical Traditions.

I don’t need grain replacement foods all the time. That said, it’s nice to be able to have a pancake once in a while on Sunday mornings with my family (who has them every week). It’s also nice once in a while to have a tortilla or a slice of bread. I am currently experimenting with tortillas because I am sure that if I can master them I will be able to enjoy some things that I’ve been missing, fajitas and something to dip in our green chile for starters!

Posted in Nutrition, Primal Living - Tagged , , , ,

4-ingredient Quick and Spicy Chile Lime Beef

Feb06
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

I’m a griller. Even in January or February, I’m using the grill. Tonight, unfortunately, my grill is buried in over a foot of white powder, so it seemed like a good night to do something different. ;)

This recipe is something that literally takes 15 minutes or less and requires no more than four ingredients! I can’t tell you how often I look at the clock, realize it’s 6:00 pm and I’ve done nothing to prep for dinner. It’s one of the easiest things I make, and it’s great for last-minute dinners and batch cooking. It’s versatile and super yummy, too. One warning if you’ve never used Thai Chile Garlic Sauce; it’s not for the faint of heart. It is spicy, so be prepared!

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. of steak or bison (your preferred cut)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of Thai Chile Garlic Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of Lime Juice
  • 1 tablespoon of Oil for cooking (coconut is best for cooking, but again, use your preference here)

Directions:

  • Cut steaks into 1/2″ strips
  • Heat oil in pan (salt and pepper the strips if you feel so inclined)
  • Sear the steak strips on all sides (3 -4 minutes)
  • While the steak is cooking up, combine lime juice and chile garlic sauce in a small bowl (FYI- I know that usually you see something like “fresh squeezed if possible” here, but I’m a realist, and a busy Mom and I just don’t have time for stuff like that. I used lime juice from the little green plastic lime bottle and it comes out just fine; that said, if you are a super-recipe cooker, feel free to use the fresh stuff!)
  • After steak is seared to your liking, add the chile lime sauce to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for about  7 – 10 minutes (or until steak is done). The flavor of this sauce is very powerful. It will seem like you spent hours marinating your meat in the stuff. I love that, because I never have time to think that far ahead and marinate meat. You’ll give yourself an “Atta Girl” (or Boy) for whipping up something so flavorful in so little time. ;)

I used bison steaks this time around… that’s usually my preference, but regular beef does just as well. This is full of flavor! Split up the beef into whatever size meals you typically eat (6oz portions, or 3 or 4 oz portions). I usually make two 6 oz portions with this. If I know I’m sharing with my S.O. (Significant Other), than I double the batch so I can still freeze some for later meals.

So what do you ask, do I typically pair with this? Obviously the lead picture is my most common pairing (steamed, buttered broccoli and some lower carb fruit). I also have paired it with asparagus (coated in small amount of lemon juice and olive oil after cooking). I also will say that if you like wine, a glass of red (Malbec’s my favorite) goes fantastic with it. If I happen to use this for a lunch meal, then I pair with a fresh spinach salad with pecans and vinaigrette dressing.

Posted in Dinner - Tagged ,

Dipping Bread for Primal Enthusiasts

Jan30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

There isn’t a whole lot of grains that I miss, but the two most difficult foods that I gave up have to be Mexican food and Pizza. Sometimes I miss the texture of corn tortillas to dip or top layer with meat or veggies, and pizza is out of the question because even the gluten-free crusts are still made with grains. Most of the grain-free pizza crusts I’ve seen have been made of mostly cheeses, which  I didn’t want to do. I’m okay with some cheese, but I don’t really want or need to be putting cheese on top of my cheese crust, ya know?

Over the weekend, we had taco night- a favorite for everyone here. Rather than go for my grilled meat with steamed veggies as I usually do when they have something I can’t, I decided to experiment and see if I could come up with some kind of “crust” that could be used to make a taco-style pizza. If it didn’t work out, I figured I could use it to dip in salsa and guac. It turned out to work well for both! FYI- this is one of those recipes where I utilize my Paleo Cheats. While the majority of the crust is made with almond flour, I did put some cheese in for flavor and texture. You may want to experiment with some modifications if you’re a 100% dairy-free Paleo eater.

One other note: this recipe is pretty versatile. You could easily add some seasonings to the dough and use as a Oil-dipping bread, or for tapas dish. I plan on playing around with this quite a bit!

Primal Dipping Bread

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups Almond Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon blended oil (like a canola/olive oil blend), or Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Herbamare (regular sea salt will do if you don’t have any)
  • 3/4 Cup grated, hard or semi-soft cheese of your choice

 

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • Combine all ingredients in medium bowl
  • Divide mixture into any size that you want (I chose to split my batch up into one round piece for a “pizza” type crust, and another to try for dipping)
  • On either a pizza stone, or a baking pan lined with parchment paper, use your fingers to flatten dough out until it is between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes, although, this time is variable depending on how crispy you want it and how thick your pieces are.

I took the small round one and put salsa and seasoned ground beef and then reheated for about 10 minutes. I topped it off with some guac. For people who are devoted to eating primal, this is a nice way to stick to your values, but at the same time enjoy a dinner without the temptation of grains… whether it’s family taco night, or a dinner party.

 

Posted in Dinner, Paleo Baking - Tagged , , ,

Spicy Primal Banana Cake

Jan27
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

This turned out so good that my non-Primal significant other wanted to eat the entire thing. I love banana bread, and traditional recipes tend to have added sweetener such as sugar or honey. I never understand that, since bananas are so sweet! So, this is sweetened with only bananas and a tiny bit of applesauce.

This recipe is made with almond flour, and since almond flour tends to be quite moist from the oils in the flour, I chose to use a little bit apple sauce instead of oil. You could also play around with this by substituting coconut flour or a combination of both flours, although I haven’t tried that yet. I added the spices to mimic a spice cake, since I loooooove spice cake and thought it would pair nicely with the bananas. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground clove

Directions:

  • In one bowl, mash 3 bananas until of desired consistency. Add eggs, applesauce and vanilla and mix well.
  • In another bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
  • Blend dry ingredients into wet.
  • Pour batter into a loaf pan or square pan (depending on how thick you like it) lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

 

Posted in Breakfast, Paleo Baking, Sweet Tooth

Blueberry Lavender Ice Cream

Jan23
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

Even in the midst of winter, we like to have ice cream once in a while. Figuring out how to make up some homemade ice cream that is as healthy as it is tasty, isn’t that hard once you know how to substitute. So, this recipe is taken from Delish, but converted into a primal-friendly dessert.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of coconut milk (a 13.5 oz can, not the drinking coconut milk)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp of dried lavender flowers
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

  • Heat coconut milk and lavender flowers in a saucepan until just before boiling. Cover and allow the lavender to seep into the coconut milk.
  • In a small bowl, combine honey and eggs and whisk until smooth.
  • Strain coconut milk to remove lavender flowers, and place on stove under medium heat again just to boil.
  • In a medium bowl, combine lavender-infused coconut milk, vanilla, and egg/honey mixture.
  • Blend blueberries in a blender or mixer until desired consistency (this is to your own preferred taste and texture). Fold into ice cream base.
  • Place into ice cream machine and process according to the instructions.

In my quest to continually bring as many primal foods into my families daily diet as possible, making ice cream is one of the easiest, and yummiest ways to do it. ;)

Enjoy!

Posted in Sweet Tooth

Primal Chicken Nuggets

Jan16
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Angeleen

It’s typically pretty easy these days to find gluten-free recipes, but finding ones that are totally grain-free is much harder!  One of the things I’m going to try to do here at The Primal Experiment is convert traditional and gluten-free recipes into a Primal/Paleo friendly version. I made this for my kids last week and they loved it. The original recipe comes from About.com’s gluten-free cooking pages.I swapped out the gluten-free flour for coconut flour, and shredded coconut flakes for the Parmesan cheese and Chex. I would note though, that for many people cheese is an acceptable item for their Paleo diet, so taking it out is optional. I took it out this time, but usually don’t.

This is a very kid-friendly recipe, if you happy to be raising little cave boys and girls. The nuggets are usually gone pretty fast, and unfortunately for me, there are never any leftovers. So fast were they eaten, I didn’t have time to take a picture for the post! ;) Oh, and in case anyone’s interested, I could see this being fantastic on shrimp!

Primal Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

  • 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning (we like Slap Ya Mama, but Italian seasoning, or lemon pepper are good too)
  • 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon olive oil, whisked together
  • 1 cup shredded coconut flakes

Preparation:

  • Use a sharp knife to cut breasts in into 2×2-inch nuggets.
  • Have ready 3 8-inch shallow baking dishes. Place the coconut flour in the first dish.
  • In second dish, combine egg and olive oil. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
  • In third dish, place the coconut, salt, pepper and seasonings.
  • Coat each chicken strip in flour, then dip in egg olive oil mixture and last, evenly coat with seasoned coconut.
  • Place the nuggets on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before frying.
  • In a large heavy skillet, heat an oil of your choice (could use coconut oil or a blend) over medium high heat.
  • Add coated chicken nuggets and cook until golden, about 4 minutes, then turn each piece and cook second side.

Posted in Dinner, Lunch - Tagged , , , ,
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The Primal Experiment is about learning to live a Primal lifestyle one day at a time. Where people can stay motivated, find new ideas for meals, and new ways of staying fit.