Paleo Comfort Foods Interviews Us

M and I were recently interviewed by Julie & Charles Mayfield of Paleo Comfort Foods -- you can check out the Q&A here.

We were flattered to be called a "Paleo Power Couple" by a real Paleo Power Couple. Their new cookbook is all kinds of awesome, and has been an object of much attention in our house since it arrived last week; the kids have picked out the recipes they want to try, and M's been busily cranking out meals from the book, from fried chicken to creamed spinach to poached pears.

M and I were lucky enough to break bread eat meat and hang out with Jules and Charles when we were in L.A. last month for the Ancestral Health Symposium. They're not only super-accomplished (they hold down full-time day jobs while also running a CrossFit gym AND writing a cookbook and maintaining a kick-ass Paleo food blog), but also incredibly smart, fun and funny. Eating the food out of their cookbook is the next best thing to chilling with this super-cool couple.

(What? You haven't pre-ordered it a copy of Paleo Comfort Foods yet? DO IT ALREADY!)

A Day of Bacon-y Remembrance

It's International Bacon Day!



To celebrate, let's take a look back at my favorite super-quick bacon-y snack: Bacon and avocado "sandwiches." You just need a few minutes and a handful of ingredients:

• 4 strips of good-quality (preferably pastured) thick-cut bacon
• 1 medium-sized Haas avocado
• 1 lime
• Kosher salt to taste

Step One: Fry up some bacon (or just nuke it.)

Step Two: Whip up a simple guacamole. Mash up the flesh of half an avocado, and cut up the other half into half-inch cubes. Then mix both halves together in a bowl to get a nice blend of chunky 'n creamy. Flavor it with a squirt or two of lime juice and a generous pinch of Kosher salt. (Or use this recipe.)



Step Three: Stack 'em up and shovel everything into your mouth.

Ron Swanson's Turkey Burger

More proof that Ron Swanson is awesome:

"Have you ever had a turkey burger?"

"Is that a fried turkey leg inside a grilled hamburger? If so, yes. DELICIOUS."



Eater has made this meat-tastic fever dream a reality.

But watch out for the bone.

Look! I Can Cook!

I love grilling in the backyard, but I'm inept in the kitchen. Give me a recipe, and I can follow it like a science project (that's why baking suits me fine). But ask me to improvise, and you're likely to end up with something burned and inedible. Yes, I know it's kind of pathetic, especially given that my wife is a food blogger and a whiz in the kitchen. It's a good thing one of us can actually cook.

Burgers are an exception -- probably because they're so straightforward to prepare. Inspired by a meal I had at Roam Artisan Burgers on Saturday, I made some super-Paleo grass-fed lamb burgers last night for dinner -- they're even Whole30-compliant! -- and they were actually not gross. Really.

Details over at Nom Nom Paleo.

Paleo Crack: No-Grain "Cereal"

Somebody stop me. Just because my Paleo "cereal" (a.k.a. my homemade trail mix in unsweetened almond milk) is grain/dairy/legume-free doesn't mean I can afford to keep scarfing down bowl after bowl.

I'm seriously contemplating asking my five-year-old to hide it from me.

A Very Paleo Bedtime Story

While cleaning the house, I found this book that my parents brought back from a trip to Asia as a gift for my kids. Either something's lost in translation, or children's stories in Hong Kong are just straight-up hardcore:

"In a hot summer day, there was a little thirsty lamb drinking water in the river."

"A wolf was passing by the river, too. He felt so happy when he saw the lamb."

"The wolf said to the lamb: 'I can't drink clean water because you make the river dirty. So I must kill you!'"

"The frightened lamb explained: 'Can't you drink clean water as you stay at the upper stream?'"

"The wolf replied angrily: 'I know you always spoke ill of me last year. So I must kill you!'"

"The little lamb argued: 'Mr. Wolf, I was not yet born last year!'"

"The wolf said impatiently: 'Your master and friends all want to kill me. Isn't it true?'"

"The little lamb still wanted to argue. But the fierce wolf had already pounced upon and ate him."

THE END.

The moral of the story: Lamb is super-tasty. (Though raw lamb's not my cup of tea. I prefer lamb kofta kebabs.)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Holy crap, these were good.

M made 'em last night, and says they couldn't be simpler to make -- the Brussels sprouts and bacon are roasted together in the same pan in the oven. Recipe here.

Momofuku's 5:10 Eggs

Don't speak to me about the dangers of runny eggs. I love them. In fact, for the past few weeks, I've been itching to boil up a batch of soft-cooked eggs. After watching the chefs at Momofuku Ko plate and cut open perfectly soft-cooked hen eggs (served with hackleback caviar, onion soubise and fingerling potato chips), I've wanted to give it a shot, too.

But while some brave souls have recreated David Chang's entire dish at home, I ain't nearly that intrepid. Nor, frankly, do I have two hours to devote to stirring a pot of onion soubise. And potato chips aren't Paleo.

The Momofuku cookbook's recipe for just the soft-cooked eggs, however, is fast and simple, and the eggs can be added to just about any dish.

5:10 Eggs

• Boil a big pot of water.
• Gently lower a bunch of large eggs into the boiling water.
• Exactly 5 minutes and 10 seconds later, carefully transfer the eggs to an ice bath (a.k.a. a big bowl of ice water).
• Gently crack each egg and peel 'em in the bowl, under the water.
• Handle the eggs carefully -- they should feel like little water balloons encased in jelly.
• Keep them in the fridge until you're ready to eat (up to 8 hours). Right before serving, warm the eggs under hot running tap water for a minute. (Optional: Smoke the eggs! Add a few drops of liquid smoke to a large container of water, place the peeled eggs in the container, and refrigerate for a few hours.)
• When ready to serve, split each egg open with a small knife, allowing the gooey yolk to ooze onto the other food on your plate, thereby rendering everything super-awesomely delicious.

Tonight, M whipped up a quick dinner using a mishmash of stuff we had on hand in our fridge and pantry: Bratwurst, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, broccoli. It was tasty -- and also a perfect opportunity for me to throw in a soft-cooked egg.

Here's how the eggs looked post-peeling:

And on my dinner plate, after being sliced open:

Going into this, I was a bit skeptical that 5:10 was the precise cooking time needed to set the egg white while keeping the yellow center liquid. But I'll be damned: This recipe works perfectly.

I couldn't be in Philly to watch the Giants clinch the National League pennant tonight, but I did polish off a celebratory bratwurst in their honor. Coating the sausage with the gooey yolk of a 5:10 egg made it taste even better.

Frozen Pizza X 3

Ever felt like sandwiching Totino's Pizza Rolls inside a couple of flayed-open pepperoni Hot Pockets, and then wrapping it all up in a DiGiorno pepperoni pizza like a big-ass taco?

Me neither. But thankfully, this guy has:



(Source: Freezer Burns)

Cupcakes from Hell

Because who hasn't wanted to deep-fry a cupcake?

As you know, I think cupcakes are a special kind of evil. Plus, not a single ingredient in deep-fried cupcakes qualifies as paleo-friendly.

But part of me still wants a bite of this.

The Conan Sandwich

I counted exactly zero paleo-friendly ingredients.

How to Jerk Your Meat

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Step 1: Buy some flank steak or London broil -- the leaner the better. (Trader Joe's flank steak: $6.99/pound.) I didn't this time, but go grassfed if you can.

Step 2: Lay out each steak on a flat surface and encase it in plastic wrap. Freeze the steaks, making sure they stay flat.

Step 3: Before slicing 'em up, let the steaks defrost just a little. Using a sharp knife or a deli slicer, cut the steaks in 1/8-inch thick strips. Slice along (not against) the grain.

Also: Trim off the fat.

More after the jump...

Fun with Pop-Tarts

Don't try this at home.



Previously: Pop Tarts store in Times Square

(Source: Slate)

Pineapple / Coconut Trail Mix

We've been snarfing this up like crazy:

• 16 oz. roasted, unsalted sunflower seed kernels
• 16 oz. raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 8 oz. walnut pieces
• 8 oz. roasted, unsalted almond slivers
• 6 oz. dried pineapple
• 6 oz. raisins
• 4 oz. dried flake coconut

I also like to eat it like cereal, with almond milk.

One-Ingredient Ice Cream: It's Paleo, But High-Carb

Just stick some frozen bananas in a food processor. Really.

(Source: The Kitchn)

Summer Salad

I just ate this. It's super-easy to throw together -- and it's healthy and tasty to boot.

• Toss some diced watermelon, avocado, tomato and cucumber in a bowl. 
• Drizzle some nice, aged balsamic vinegar on it.
• Eat.

Lamb Kofta Kebabs

I love ground lamb kebabs.

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 1/4 tablespoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• Ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Sprinkle 1/4 tablespoon of the salt on the garlic cloves, and mash/smear 'em into a paste. Mix it with the ground lamb, onion, cilantro, mint, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and remaining salt. Divide the mixture into 8 long, oval-shaped portions of roughly 2 ounces each, and skewer them lengthwise.

Fire up the grill or heat a grill pan to medium, and brush the grill or pan with the oil. Grill the kebabs for about 6 minutes or until they're just cooked through, turning occasionally. Serve with Greek style yogurt or tzatziki.

Makes 4 servings.

Egg + Avocado

I always keep a bunch of hardboiled eggs in the fridge, and we always have a ton of avocados on hand. I love both, and I love 'em together (usually as part of my breakfast, but there's no reason you can't eat this any other time of day as a snack or side).

• 1 hardboiled egg, peeled & cubed
• 1/4 medium Haas avocado, cubed
• Salt & pepper to taste

Put the egg and avocado in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper (or a squirt of Sriracha chili sauce). It's fast, easy, tasty, filling, and good for you (yes, even the egg yolk). Plus, the clean-up's a breeze.

Makes 1 serving.

145 cal. | 11g fat | 5g carbs | 7g protein

Going Nuts

I can't stop eating nuts.

I know they're good for me -- in small doses. Nuts lower total cholesterol, and they're chock-full of protein and good-for-you fats.

But for the life of me: I. CAN'T. STOP. EATING. NUTS.

Especially my latest favorite trail mix, which consists of equal portions of raisins,  cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower kernels (all the nuts and seeds should preferably be roasted and unsalted), all mixed together. I'm wolfing this shit down like crazy.

Crab Cakes

M's made these crab cakes a couple of times, and they're pretty awesome:

• 1 pound crab meat (we buy one-pound cans of crab claw meat from Trader Joe's)
• 1 egg
• 2 finely chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

In a big bowl, mix together the crab meat, egg, scallions, panko breadcrumbs, Sriracha, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, onion powder, pepper and salt. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to divide the mixture into 8 patties, and flatten them a little.

Stick the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter stops foaming, and then cook the patties for about 4 minutes per side or until they're golden brown. (Don't move 'em around too much while cooking -- they're fragile until they set!) Makes 4 servings.