Archive for June 2009
Another Crustless Quiche
This one was way better than my last crustless quiche. What I did differently was first, to use 1/2 cup of potato flour instead of coconut flour. This resulted in a wonderfully crusty skin. Carbs? Well, 1/2 cup of the flour is about 60 grams or so, discounting the fiber (about 5 grams). This gets cut into 12 portions, so you'll get 5-6 grams per slice. No big. The other thing is that I used Swiss cheese instead of cheddar. The traditional French recipe calls for Gruyere, but that's about four times the price and it's not four times as good. On the next go I'm going to try to make an actual crust with the potato flour, eggs, leaf lard, etc. I might try tapioca, and that's only about two-thirds of the carbs in the potato flour. ...Well, I'm off to catch a cruise ship in downtown San Diego.
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Grilled Carne Asada
My father-in-law, Sam, grilled this up last night. The veggies were grilled too. It was a great dinner, after having spent very nearly the entire day by the pool.
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LDL Cholesterol Nonsense
Well, I was all prepped for a link and quick hits roundup, but first up was a bit about LDL cholesterol, as in the calculated one...as in the one most of you get when you have your blood work done. After a bt of poking around, the link roundup can wait. But back up a bit, all the way to here, where I posted my first lipid panel about a year ago. At a calculated LDL of 104, I got a warning of "elevated" from the doc. Then, as some of you may recall from last February, those lipid numbers caused one naturopath to email me with some concerns. The solution? Well, in a nutshel, the solution would be to dramatically increase my triglycerides (fat in your blood) from a low of 47 to somewhere perhaps in the 150ish range, thus letting the Friedewald equation do its thing. How's that, you ask? Well, I laid it all out in this post: What Do You Think You Know About LDL Cholesterol? This post has been picked up in links a couple of times in the last few days. The first was by Tom Naughton, maker of Fat Head, a film I...
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Real Chicharrónes
Picked up this morning by my father-in-law from a local Mexican market, Los Reyes, in Vista, CA. So good. Crunchy, but chewy all at the same time.
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I Get So Much Help
As per usual, today, being a traveling day, I fasted from last night's meal (damn me that I didn't get a picture of the main course; it's quite special that Robert actually ground the curry himself, and I've been a bit obsessed thinking of it) until tonight. So, bygones, and a mistake I'll not repeat; here's tonight's break-fast after a long drive. Upon arrival, there was a roast beef with some onion having spent a lot of hours n the crock pot. In addition, squash cut into great big chunks as you see ( me likey) , carrots and cauliflower. They had organic, unsalted butter on hand, which I made substantial use of. I had a second plate just like this. A couple more scotches/rocks, and I'm done.
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Deviled Eggs & Salmon Roe
Just about to head out and hit the road, but not before this. Friends down the hall were kind enough to prepare dinner for us last night and served up a wonderful witefish in a curry sauce featuring home ground curry spices. Nice, and I wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a photo. I didn't come empty handed and presented this bit of an appetizer. Really super easy to make. I followed this recipe from Cheeseslave, and yep, this is a great way to get vitamin K2, MK-4, the form of K2 made by animals for other animals. What I did differently from the recipe was that I included about a rounded tblsp of finely chopped shallot, and instead of mustard, I chopped about a rounded tbsp of nori (dried seaweed, such as you see as garnish) that's included in the egg. This one is definitely a keeper, for me.
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Admin Notes
I have commissioned an expert team to convert this TypePad blog over to Wordpress in its entirety. I can't wait to deliver my parting shot to TypePad over that. For the last two years or so, every single enhancement has come with 2-3 bugs that take months to fix, if ever, and general downgrades. Whereas, years ago I was able to compose a post wholly in the rich text editor, for the last two years I have yet to compose a post where I didn't have to hand edit html to get things to display right. Next, the wife & are are leaving San Jose tomorrow AM for Vista, CA to drop off the dogs at her parents'. Then, Sunday, we head down to San Diego to catch a cruise ship for my parent's 50th anniversary, along with all three of my brothers and their wives / SOs. Should be fun. I'll endeavor to snap some photos of real food assembled from cruise ship fare. No idea what connectivity will be, but I'll do what I can. We'll be back in full swing immediately after the 7/4 weekend.
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Eating Out and Away
Mark Sisson has up a decent guide to eating out. He's right about the Mexican. While I might could go for the carnitas, or even the home made chicharrónes, I usually go for the fajitas, in the same style Mark suggests: ditch the tortiallas, rice, & beans. Gor for the grilled meat, veggies, guac & sour cream. This is precisely what I did last Friday evening at a very old and popular Mexican restaurant. Sunday we went to visit my dad & mom for fathers day. Got there about noon and I hadn't eaten since those fajitas right above. A bit hungry, and as it turned out, mom had made ground beef stuffed cabbage the night before, no rice. Perfectly primal. I think I'll be giving this one a go. Ideas for variations include trying it with ground lamb, veal, or a combo. I also have one pack of ground venison left over from my brother's kill some months back, so this dish is a definite candidate. Fast forward a few hours, mom set out some snacks. Artisan salami, pickled herring, a camembert, smoked oysters, assorted veggies & cheese, and chicharrónes. I'm very fortunate to have parents and other family...
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There’s Usually An Unconsidered Variable
The single biggest problem with what are called "observational studies" is that you generally can't be certain about which variable or combination of variables is responsible for the positive or negative effects you're observing. This was recently illustrated by a couple of dumb studies. The second of those links is especially egregious, implicating red meat, a staple of humans and their ancestors going back 2.5 million years while the modern grains, sugars and vegetable oils that have been in the diet only recently are given a pass. Stephan at Whole Health Source came up with a keen observation the other day in this regard. In other words, the reason observational studies in affluent nations haven't been able to get to the bottom of dental/orthodontic problems and chronic disease is that everyone in their study population is doing the same thing! There isn't enough variability in the diets and lifestyles of modern populations to be able to determine what's causing the problem. So we study the genetics of problems that are not genetic in origin, and overestimate genetic contributions because we're studying populations whose diet and lifestyle are homogeneous. It's a wild goose chase. Here's another way to look at it,...
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Saturday Dinner – Grilled Tri-Tip & Celery Root Purée
I finally got a grill that allows me very good temperature control, such that I can do the low & slow to achieve rare & medium rare roasts from edge to edge and not just the very center. It's a Char-Broil Infrared Gas Grill. Highly recommended. Essentially, I was able to easily create an indirect heating environment of only about 250 degrees. I used a temperature probe as well to know internal temperature. Then, once the meat was at 115 I used direct heat on high and turned the meat until 125. Then let rest. If you have juice draining after a couple of minutes, you know it's enough to make the fat juicy. Of course, the juice was reintroduced to the sauce. To accompany the roast was a celery root purée which I've been dying to make correctly for about a dozen years (click the image for the full size). Tried a couple of times with bad results. You must have a full-fledged food processor. I'll not even go into the various ways I've tried. You must have a food processor to do it right. Here's the recipe that I used. The changes I made were that I used...
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Links and Quick Hits
~ Yet another hearthealthywholegrains vegetarian athlete disaster at Mark's daily Apple. Ultimately, it's a success story, but that's only because she stopped listening to all those trying to "help" her (like her doctors), did her own research, learned, applied, and transformed. ~ Keith Norris of Theory to Practice has created a fabulous resource in the form of a growing collection of very brief but butt-kicking exercise demonstrations on YouTube, now standing at 14 videos. I don't know that a lot of this would be appropriate for someone just starting out with resistance training (unless you do so under proper instruction), and frankly, I never thought this sort of thing would be of interest to me. But we change as we progress, and now things like free squats, deadlifts...and most recently, power cleans and barbell snatches are my favorites. The reason is because I spent a couple of years doing the standard isolation type stuff and have gained tremendous strength. It was time to move forward, so these compound (multiple joint) exercises are just the ticket. What makes it more interesting, particularly for something like a free squat, for example, is that form and technique are so important. I would say...
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My Transformation in Photos
Wow. It's been just over two years since this greatest journey of my life began (unnecessary; wish I'd never let myself go so far astray). Nevertheless, here I am, and I wish to first acknowledge the growing number of enthusiastic readers who, I believe, have a major role in this. I really doubt I would have seen it through without your enthusiastic words of encouragement, excitement, and motivation every single step of the way. Not one single time, either in comments, email, or in person have I received a single negative word. Not once. Thank you for your tireless encouragement. It means a lot to me. In return, my sincere hope is that these photos, more than anything else, encourage and motivate all of you on similar paths. Don't give up. Never quit. Achieving leanness and renewed vitality is within virtually everyone's grasp. Alright, this is the third official photo update. The first was in February, 2008, and the second, September, 2008. As always, let's begin with how bad it got. Pretty bad, eh? Here we are nowadays, and you can click these for the full-size versions. Here's a montage of pics Bea took yesterday afternoon while I was getting...
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Triglycerides: 93.5% Reduction in Three Weeks – 3,100 to 202
So there you have it: the punchline, right there in the title. But who did it, and how? That would be none other than Dr. William Davis, cardiologist. So then, what sort of medical procedure did he perform? What sorts of pharmaceuticals did he prescribe? To what level did he admonish his patient, Daniel, to cut the arterycloggingsaturatedfat and to eat lots more servings of hearthealthywholegrians? Of course, anyone who actually reads and thinks for themselves -- rather than swallowing the cloistered expert-&-authority-protectionism of conventional "wisdom" -- should know, he did none of those things; which, given the other successes he's blogged about -- some of which I've highlighted here -- exposes most if not all of the "lipid establishment" (i.e., cloistered expert-&-authority-protection racket) as con men: most physicians in that role, all the drug companies, and our beloved (not!) FDA. Got it? Good, so let's move on. Since most of you who should know, know, what then, dear supplicant to cloistered expert-&-authority-protection rackets, did Dr. Davis do? I'm glad you asked! It's actually simple: step one is that he "prescribed" 3,600 mg of over-the-counter omega-3 fatty acids per day, i.e., plain ol' fish oil caps. Depending on concentration, that...
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Things Keeping Me From Blogging More
Walks with doggies in my Vibram Five Fingers. Sunshine. Even More Doggies. The Lovely Wife Unit.
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Admin Note – For Frequent Commenters
[This entry is probably only of interest to frequent commenters.] I just found a few days back that my blog host, TypePad, has the commenting engine so screwed up it's beyond belief, at least on God's computer platform, by which I mean, the Mac (see here for my initial post on switching). Safari or Firefox, doesn't matter. Some time back they went to a new platform where, not only do I get an email for each comment, but I can reply right in email and it gets posted. This keeps me real nimble and able to reply to lots of comments -- even on my iPhone, as a quick email reply is far easier than using the web form. So, other commenters also get email notification, they can reply in email as well, and, so, you get the picture. But several days ago, I discovered that my email replies had not been getting posted. This, after more than a dozen replies to your comments. OK, so I alert TypePad and set about to find which ones had not made it onto the blog -- a chore in itself -- then set about to post them via the web form. Problem...
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Almost Paleo Country “Biscuits” & Gravy
This is one I came up with concurrently while thinking of last night's meal. I was actually a late comer to the love of country buttermilk biscuits & gravy, but fall hard I did. "Twas a time when, all the local cafes I frequented existed in a mental hierarchy based exclusively on my judgment of the quality of their country gravy. But since going toward paleo two years ago, getting closer 18 months ago, and finding my stride and expertise now, it has been a rare cheat treat that I've maybe fixed only 3-4 times, all right up here in...the open country. Well, I'm here to say that the gravy problem was easily solved, so, no more need of flour and starches and other nefarious ingredients. Seriously: coconut milk, country sausage, and whatever spices you like. Simmer and reduce gently. I used just a couple dashes each of chives, rosemary, parsley, and savory. I also added a quarter cup of heavy cream and 1/4 tsp of Kitchen Bouquet, just for color. Regular readers know that I do a lot of coconut milk curries (just use search to find them). In this case, fortunately, there is not a hint of coconut...
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Skillet Fried Pork Chops and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This was perhaps my favorite preparation in quite a while. I really devoured it, even to the point of gnawing at every little bit of flesh on the bones of those chops. Fist, though, let's talk about the roasted Brussels sprouts -- roasted with whole garlic and onions and tossed in a shallot & balsamic vinegar reduction -- a preparation I can't take credit for. This one was linked to at Mark's Daily Apple quite some time ago and I fixed it once. However, I blended a couple of recipes I found and ended up cutting the sprouts in half and also blanching them prior to roasting. That was okay, but I decided to do it pretty much exactly by the recipe this time out, only I didn't have red onion or fresh rosemary. I used yellow onion and dried rosemary. Still, it came out fabulous and, if you don't like Brussels sprouts, I very much encourage you to give this recipe a shot. So, now for the pork chops. Standard, bone in. I fried them in the skillet with mostly quite a lot of coconut oil and a bit of bacon drippings. I cooked them on low until pink...
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Interview With Healthy Cooking Coach Rachel Matesz
A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to receive a comment to one of my posts and, as I often do, I visited the commenter’s website; when they have one. And what a find it was. After about three minutes of browsing, I immediately emailed Rachel to ask if she had time for an email interview to be conducted at our leisure. I think we’re really fortunate that she did. Before we get to my questions and answers, let’s meet the chef. “I teach people how to cook up healthier, more productive lives. From cooking classes to cooking parties and through cookbooks, one-on-one coaching, magazine articles, and speaking engagements, I teach people how to improve the way they shop, cook, eat, and look at food –– so they have more energy for life! “I am particularly skilled at helping people with special needs follow special diets, such as wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-and/or casein-free, corn-free, grain-free, peanut-free, egg-free, or preservative-free diets. Do you have a child on the autism spectrum, with ADD or ADHD, or frequent respiratory infections? Do you have Celiac Disease, food allergies or intolerances, an autoimmune disorder, migraines, PMS, acid reflux, excess weight, or other health challenges you…
Read MoreA Sunday Brunch
Earlier today, I did a twitpic of the brunch Bea, I and friends down the hall prepared. Now, here's the plated version. The quiche was crustless. Seven eggs, a cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup water, sea salt & fresh ground pepper. Separately, about 10 slices of fairly thin sliced bacon, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 1/2 small package of baby spinach. I cut up the bacon, got it frying, added the onion, and at the very end added the spinach. Set it out on a paper towel, then all on the chopping block to chop finely. Melted leaf lard in my fry pan, poured in the egg mixture, dropped in the bacon mixture, then a cup of grated New Zealand grass fed sharp cheddar, and then I gently stirred it all into the mixture. About 30 minutes at 350 and a 5-minute finish at 400 to get a decent crust on top. Let rest for 10 minutes or so.
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Was It Worth It?
Those who follow along on Facebook and Twitter got to see a cheat meal in real time last night. Big cheat Indian. NOT #paleo #primal. Nonetheless, delicous. I hesitate to call it a "cheat," as we were actually attending the HS graduation party for some longtime friends of ours, originally from India. My wife had their son in her 5th grade class. So, it was all about the event and since I love the taste of Indian food, and, I just hit my target of 180, time to ease up. But man, did I ever get nuclear heartburn. Once home and ready for bed at 11:30, I had to resort to the teaspoon of baking soda. Then, around 2am, I wake to the damn heartburn again. Awful. So, another teaspoon of baking soda... Then, around 5:30... let's just say "lower intestines," and leave it at that. 7:30; I wake up viciously, nauseatingly hungry. The kind of hunger that makes you almost vomit. Now, here I sit at 12:30pm, still having eaten nothing and finally feeling normal again, with normal hunger. Just took some of that leftover tri-tip outta the fridge. ...Maybe with some scrambled eggs. About an hour later: There,...
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