PRIMALOCITY

My Just Desserts! Chocolate Cupcakes.

Primal Chocolate Cupcake

You probably have already figured out that I have a wicked sweet tooth. Consequently I find myself constantly trying to satiate my cravings by creating primal, or mostly primal desserts.  I say mostly primal because sometimes I use an ingredient that some primal folk may not even consider eating.  For instance, in the last week I made Chocolate Cupcakes and a Chocolate Cheesecake.  The cupcakes are mostly primal, I only used stevia to sweeten them and a very small amount of melted chocolate chips with cream to frost them.  On the other hand, the cheesecake is certainly less primal because I used considerably more of the Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips (62%) which, of course, contain sugar.  While one slice of the cheesecake is fairly low on the carb count, not everyone will indulge.  I don’t feel so bad indulging once in awhile, especially since my carb count, even when I do, is usually well below 100 grams a day.  In addition, the sugar effect is less impactful due to the generous amount of healthy fat in the other cheesecake ingredients.  If you are just not that comfortable with the sugar, then go with the cupcake.  If you won’t eat any sugar at all, then skip the cheesecake and the icing on the cupcake.  Even without it, the cupcakes will be moist, decadent and rich, and especially good with a good cup of coffee. Alternatively, you could whip up some heavy whipping cream and cinnamon to top the cupcakes.  Here’s the cupcake recipe.  Later this week I’ll be posting the cheesecake recipe.

Primal Chocolate Cupcake

To make the cupcakes, you will need:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 heaping tbls. cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup cup of softened butter or melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6-8 packets purevia (stevia) or 1/4-1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbls. heavy whipping cream
• coconut flakes or chopped nuts for topping (optional)

To prepare the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl beat eggs, vanilla, and butter or coconut oil (and honey if you choose to use it as a sweetener) until creamy.  Combine wet and dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until smooth and all ingredients are completely incorporated.  The batter will probably be on the thick side.  Scoop batter into pre-greased muffin tin (I used an ice scream scoop).  You should get 6-8 cupcakes..  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Check the muffins after about 20 minutes by sticking a toothpick in the center.  If it comes out clean they are done.  If not continue to bake and check every 5 minutes.  You don’t want to overcook these cupcakes.  When the cupcakes are done, remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, in a double boiler combine the chocolate chips and cream and stir until combined a melted.  When the cupcakes are cool, spread a thin layer of the chocolate on top of the cupcake with a small spatula and then dip in coconut or nuts.

Enjoy!

Tags: chocolate cupcakes, dessert, Recipes

Loving My New Dehydrator: Shrimp Scampi over Zucchini Noodles

We recently purchased a Nesco Snackmaster Food Dehydrator – what fun.  The very first use was for beef jerky.  It turned out pretty good, but with a little tweaking it will turn out better next time.  Commercial jerky is so salty and my partner, who loves to snack on it, really watches his sodium intake like a hawk.  Making our own jerky leaves us in control and is more economical.  The cost is about 1/3, so the dehydrator will pay for itself in no time.  Plus, we will get so many more uses out of it.  Yesterday for lunch we enjoyed Shrimp Scampi, one of those timeless dishes that I like to revisit every once in a while.  It seems decadently rich, and is both mildly spicy and mildly sweet (not from sugar but from good quality Kerrygold Butter and delicious pink Argentinian shrimp).  Instead of serving it on pasta as is typical, I made a batch of zucchini noodles.  This is where the dehydrator comes in.  Previously, when making zucchini pasta I found that when you saute the zucchini noodles, they release alot of water and this will dilute the sauce you use with it.  so I decided to put the zucchini in the dehydrator.   It would have been a shame to ruin the delicious scamp sauce with watery zucchini noodles.  It worked like a charm.  The only drawbacks of putting the zucchini noodles in the dehydrator I can think of is the additional time it takes and the volume of the noodles decreases quite a bit.  next time I’ll dehydrate more zucchini.

Here’s how I made it:

Shrimp Scampi over Zucchini Noodles

To Make the zucchini noodles, you will need:

• 3-4 medium to large zucchini
• 1 tbls. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the zucchini noodles:

Slice the zucchini, lengthwise in thin pieces, about 1/4″.  Stack the slices and then slice again into noodles, again aboout 1/4″.  If you have a dehydrator, place the zucchini noodles in the dehydrator at the highest temperature for about 1 hour.  If you don’t have a dehydrator, don’t worry, you can still saute them and then drain any excess liquid before serving.  Here’s how mine looked after coming out of the dehydrator.  If you use a dehydrator, check on the zucchini noodles periodically to ensure they don’t dry out too much.  This probably won’t be a problem if they are not in the dehydrator more than an hour.

To prepare the Shrimp Scampi, you will need:

• 1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp with the tail off (I found cleaned, tail off Argentinian Pink Shrimp in the freezer case at Trader Joes – they are sweeter than typical shrimp and have a flavor close to lobster – I highly recommend them)
• 1/4 C. Olive Oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 5 tbls. good quality butter
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (or substitute with chicken broth)
• 3-4 tbls. fresh or dried parsley

To prepare the Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles:

Heat I tbls. olive oil in a saute pan.  When the oil is hot, add the zucchini noodles and season with salt and pepper.  Saute the zucchini noodles until cooked through.  If you are using the dehydrated zucchini noodles, this will only take a minute or two.  If you are not using the dehydrated zucchini noodles, when they are cooked through and if there is excess moisture in the pan drain the zucchini noodles and set aside.

Now heat 1/4 cup olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat.  Pat dry the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.  Place the shrimp in the hot oil in one even layer being careful to not overcrowd the pan.  Saute the shrimp for about a minute or so, and then turn the shrimp and saute for another minute or so, depending on the shrimp size, until cooked through but not overdone.  With a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan and place in a bowl.  Add the garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and white wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the parsley and butter.  When the butter is melted and incorporated into the sauce add the shrimp back to the pan and toss to coat.  Turn off the heat.

Now, divide the zucchini noodles between two plates and then top each with half of the Shrimp Scampi mixture.  You can garnish with additional chopped parsley, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese if you like.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tags: Recipes. shrimp scampi

The Never-Ending Search for Primal Substitutes: The Rutabaga

In my never ending search for the perfect primal substitutes I recently came across the rutabaga, something to date I’ve seen in the grocery store but never used or eaten. It seems to be a perfect potato substitute. To date, I’ve only used the rutabaga in one preparation, as Potatoes O’Brien  this past Sunday for brunch.  Yummy!

Rutabagas are often thought of as yellow turnips and  belong to the highly prized family of cruciferous vegetables. The rutabaga, a relatively newcomer in the world of vegetables, is thought to have evolved from a cross between a wild cabbage and a turnip. The earliest records of rutabaga’s existence are from the seventeenth century in Southern Europe where they were first eaten as well as used for animal feed. It’s funny that throughout history animals were often fed the healthiest foods, foods thought to be inappropriate for human consumption.  They are relatively low in carbs and check out these nutritional specs.

Rutabaga Nutrition
100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces

So despite never seeing anything or reading anything about the rutabaga (other than a preliminary check on carbs to see it it met primal muster – it did) I decided to try and make hash browns or what I grew up calling Potatoes O’Brien.   It was delicious.  I peeled the rutabaga (they are pretty big – a nice size one was enough to serve 2) and started to slice it.  It seemed to be some what hard and “woody” and therefore I figured I would probably have to boil it before frying it. I cut it into a relatively small dice 1/4 – 1/3 inch dice, and this worked out perfectly.

Primal Potatoes O’Brien

Here’s what I did.  You will need (for 2 servings):

• 1 large rutabaga
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbls. butter
• 1 tbls. olive oil or coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the Potato’s O’Brien:

Place a medium pot filled with water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, peel the Rutabaga with a vegetable peeler or knife and cut into 1/4″ – 1/3″ dice.  When the water comes to a boil place the diced Rutabaga in the water and boil for 10-15 minutes until the Rutabaga is softened.  Drain the Rutabaga well.   Now, place 2-3 tbls of butter and 1 tbls. olive oil in a good non- stick skillet over medium heat.  When the butter/oil mixture starts to bubble, add the diced onion, green pepper and garlic and saute for a few minutes until soft.  Now add the well drained rutabagas.

Saute the rutabaga mixture until well browned.  I found that it took a little longer to brown the rutabaga as compared to potatoes, so be patient (it might be because they have higher water content that needs to steam off).  Don’t disturb the mixture very much and it will brown very nicely.  Just check on it every few minutes.  When the rutabaga is browned to your liking, serve with breakfast or your favorite entree.

I will be trying other methods of preparation, including roasted and mashed.  I might even try grating it raw for a cole-slaw.  I’ll keep you posted and hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did.

Tags: Potatoes O'Briwn, Recipes, rutabaga

All is not Lost: Primal Lasagna.

There are certain things that I thought I would likely never eat again. One of those things was Lasagna.  This is something that I have always loved, but didn’t eat too much prior to going primal anyway, mostly due to the fact that my previous health conscience told me it was too decadent, too high in fat and simply not that healthy.  Well my thoughts in that regard have clearly changed, and sans the pasta, lasagna seems like a good primal fit.  I decided to revisit this lost favorite and ingenuity won out.  You may recall my previous post regarding making enchiladas where I sued an egg crepe as the substitute for the tortilla.  I figured I could use the same egg crepe as the lasagna noodle in this dish.  It worked very well and the lasagna turned out delicious and virtually undetectable from the high carb pasta version.  While somewhat labor intensive, it was well worth it.  It took about an hour to prepare and another45 minutes to bake and then 10-15 to rest. Give it a try when you have some time to devote to this delicious dish.

Primal Lasagna

First prepare your favorite meat sauce.  I start by simply sauteing a medium onion and about 3 cloves of garlic in olive oil.  I then add 1/2 lb. of bulk italian sausage and 1 lb. of hamburger to the same pan.  I add salt and pepper to taste along with a generous sprinkling of crushed red pepper (I like it spicy).  When the meat is browned I add a 24 oz. can of Trader Joe”s Marinara Sauce (perfectly primal with no sugar) or you can use your favorite homemade tomato sauce or jarred suace.  I then add about a tbls. of italian seasoning and more red pepper flakes.  I let this simmer while I prepare the remaining components. You want the sauce to be meaty and on the thick side so the lasagna doesn’t turn out runny.

Next make the egg crepes.  You will need:

• 6 eggs
• 2-3 tbls. water
• 2-3 tbls. grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the egg crepes combine all ingredients and whisk together thoroughly.  You want to add the water to the eggs so that the egg batter is thinner and will result in a thinner crepe.  Heat a 12″ good non stick skillet over medium heat and spray with olive oil.  Add about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture to the pan and swirl to evenly coat the whole pan.  Cook the egg crepe until fully cooked through (you can flip it if you want when it is cooked through but this is not necessary). Set aside and continue making crepes until all of the egg mixture is gone.  You should end up with 5 crepes.

Next make the filling.  You will need:

• 1 container of whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tbls. fresh parsely (or an equal amount of dried parsley)
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbls. parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

Now you can assemble the lasagna.  In addition to the ricotta filling, meat suace and egg crepes you will simply need 2 cups of finely shredded mozzarella cheese. As you can see from the picture above, I used a 12″ round stainless steel skillet because of the shape of the crepes. Spray the lasagna pan with olive oil. Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan and then place one egg crepe on top.  Spread this layer with a layer of the ricotta filling and then top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Place another egg crepe on top and spread with a generous amount of meat sauce.  Put on a layer of the shredded mozzarella cheese and then top with another egg crepe. Spread this layer with more ricotta filling, top with shredded mozzarella and then place another egg crepe over this.  Place a generous layer of meat sauce and cheese and top with the last egg crepe. Now spread the remaining ricotta filling and top with the remaining meat sauce.  Cover with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan.  Place the lasagna in a preheated 350º oven for about 45 minutes.  It should be bubbling hot by this point.  If the cheese is not browned, turn on the broiler and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is browned to your liking.  Remove the lasagna from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes so that it will set.  Serve with your favorite green salad and enjoy.  This should make4-6 good servings.

Enjoy

Tags: lasagna, Recipes

Let Them Eat Cake

Okay, sometimes a guy just needs some cake, chocolaty rich cake!  As a big sweet fan I miss cakes and cookies almost as much as I miss bread, rice, pasta and potatoes.  The other day I was thinking about the “Oopsie Rolls” I have been making and wondered whether I could make a cake using the same method.  I think I was successful, but will be trying out some tweaks in the future.  However, this cake was pretty darn good and so I thought I would share the recipe with you right away (I don’t want to deprive my Primal buddies for a minute longer than necessary).  I also made a quick strawberry ice cream that I layered between two pieces of the cake.  Oh my! The ice cream only took about 5 minutes to make and was really good, especially paired with the rich dark chocolaty cake.  After baked, the cake turns out a little on the thin side, so layering it with ice cream was the perfect solution.  (The next time I make it I will add additional egg whites to see if I can increase the volume). A word of warning, however.  I used stevia (purevia) as the sweetener and therefore some of you may shy away from this recipe.  But I only used 6 packets for both the cake and ice cream and felt it was well worth the splurge. Give it a try and I hope you like it as much as we did.

Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Ice Cream

For the cake you will need:

• 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 4 packets of purevia (stevia) sweetener
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• water for thinning the batter
• coconut oil to grease the cake pan
• coconut powder as a garnish

For the strawberry ice cream you will need:

• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup frozen strawberries diced
• 2 packets of purevia

You will also need a hand mixer and a stand blender or food processor.

To prepare the Chocolate Cake:

Separate the egg yolks and whites in two metal mixing bowls.  Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and blend until you obtain stiff peaks.  Now, in the separate bowl, add the cocoa powder and vanilla to the egg yolks and beat until smooth.  If the mixture seems to thick, add water a tablespoon or two at a time until you get a thinner batter that will be easy to incorporate into the stiff egg whites. Now slowly fold the chocolate batter into the egg whites trying to not lose the volume of the egg whites.  Pour the batter into a 8 inch square greased cake tin and bake in the oven at 325º for 20 minutes.  You can check the cake after about 15 minutes to see if it is done by placing a tooth pick in the center.  If it comes out clean it will be done.  Be careful not to overcook the cake as it may dry out.  when done, remove the cake and let cool before serving.

To prepare the Strawberry Ice Cream filling:

Pour heavywhipping cream into blender and add purevia sweetener.  Blend for about a minute at high speed until it starts to turn into whip cream.  Add the frozen diced strawberries and blend until incorporated.  don’t over process as you want to maintain the cold ice cream consistency.

Slice the cake into 4 even size pieces.  Place 1/2 the strawberry ice cream on two pieces of the cake and top each with another piece of cake.  Sprinkle with  coconut powder and serve immediately.

Variations:  You could also fill the cake with any flavored whipped cream and/or your favorite fresh berries.  You could also top with whip cream and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

I hope you like this and let me know what you think.

Tags: cake, chocolate cake, ice cream, Recipes