Buffalo Pumpkin Chili

Can't post this without talking about evil nightshades - pretty interesting stuff actually, but first, I'd like to thank Front Range Crossfit in Denver for putting on the FRCF Master's Championships last month. Well run, 2 day event that reminds me of the original Games at the Ranch. No need to buy a spectator ticket (for a change) but still quality work-outs, equipment, food, planning, etc. If you're 35+ and want to prove yourself, keep an eye out for this one next year. But don't think it's cake walk! There were some tough muthas there. I landed in 2nd place behind a Games podium finisher - so was pretty happy with that :)
Now, nightshades - pretty intimidating title for a tomato! Nightshades, which include the likes of tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers of ever sort, and even tobacco, contain alkaloids which vary from mildly irritating to fatal - eff!. Seriously, i didn't know salsa had such a DARK side. Hmmm... doesn't SOUND very paleo but maybe we need to think about this. If you google around a little, you'll find the experts tend to bash them pretty hard then back pedal and say that unless you suffer from autoimmune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis, they're not so bad due to beneficial vitamins/nutrients. Apparently, there's only anecdotal evidence of the detrimental effects of nightshades on your health - I could not find one single formal study that condemns them - surprising. Here's a good article by L. Cordain on toxicity in tomatoes and here's one on peppers and here's one on potatoes. Here's my take-away: There is a HUGE range of toxicity depending on the ripeness or type of pepper. Ripe tomatoes and green peppers have almost zilch of the toxins representative of this family. SO, you can shun all nightshades or be a little objective and consider the "safer" ones - meaning try them and see if you grow big knuckles. There's no auto-immune buggers in my family - instead they all die of heart disease, so given the low carb nature of this recipe, i'm GOIN' FOR IT!

Buffalo Pumpkin Chili - just in time for Thanksgiving...

2 lbs ground bison
1 Qt Tomato Juice
28 oz Can of peeled/diced tomatoes
1 large onion - chopped
1 large portobello mushroom - chopped
1 large green pepper - chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
2.25 oz canned sliced olives
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1 TBS hot sauce
1 TBS chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Brown the bison in a large pot then add onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add everything else, bring to a boil then back off and simmer for 1 hour. DONE. Makes, ummm... A LOT. Enjoy.. and don't eff-up this Thanksgiving. If you've been on the paleo wagon for awhile, you might just start on the couch because you'll end up comatose there anyway - been there!!
Eat Well! Steve Paleo

Bison Ribs w/Egyptian Walking Onions & Sorrel

I have a ribs obsession, which i'll talk about more in a bit, but first a little on the Crossfit Open. I tip my hat to them - that format was bold and they took a lot of heat for it. I still would like to bitch. Crossfit HQ bowed to the general populous. Their goal was CLEARLY to not discourage people from crossfit, and show any ninny could do it. That bummed me out a little, but this IS a business after all. Geez i was hoping to feel just a little "F^cking Elite" but there really was none of that in the Open programming. In the end, i think they indeed rounded up the best athletes. Those that barely made it, or barely missed it (me), can argue but realistically their chance of winning THE GAMES are probably on the order of getting raptured to heaven. Looking at the Regional workouts, it seems more in line with what I consider crossfit and i'm happy to see that kind of programming. I'll keep paying my membership dues ;-)

OK, bison ribs. HOLY $HIT THEY SELL THEM AT COSTCO! Good call whoever is buying the meats there. Bison is expensive, after all, they can walk thru fences that keep lesser animals (beef) at bay, so sure, charge a little more. But seriously, the nice cuts are kind of ridiculous. Not ribs though - $20 for a HUGE rack. I have no idea if Costco outside of Boulder sells this stuff. If not, you can go on-line but they won't be nearly as reasonable.
Now about those egyptian walking huh? We have a great Farmer's Market here in Boulder and they caught my eye. Basically HUGE scallions that form a bublet on top. As it gets heavy and falls over, it lands in the dirt and "plants" itself - so essentially "walking" across your garden. I also grabbed some mixed mushrooms while i was there and sorrel - very lemony and tart. To be eaten in small quantities because it contains oxalic acid. As a garnish though, it really adds a unique taste (if you can't find it - just give the dish a squeeze of lemon towards the end). One more note about ribs. I'll say it again, i'm LAZY. I know some people parboil them and do a little dance, blah blah. Heck i'm so lazy I literally threw away ALL my socks and bought just woolie boolies three years ago. Hiking, biking, work, crossfit - whatever - SAME socks. Best thing i ever did. So, I really don't care if the meat falls off the bone, that's what teeth are for and this is WAY less work. Don't get me wrong - they're still pretty tender. Here's the recipe:

Bison Ribs with Egyptian Walking Onions & Sorrel

1 rack of ribs - dry rub with spices. Smoked Paprika is a "must have" spice. Besides that, i use garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, etc. Put on the barbecue - took mine about 1/2 hour or so.

1 plate of mixed mushrooms, garlic, pecans, and "egyptian walking onions" or equivalent (leeks) - chopped.

Get 2 slices of bacon and cook it up. Put bacon to the side and saute ingredients above in the bacon fat. Start with the pecans - then add the rest. Salt and pepper to taste. It doesn't need much more - pretty rich. Just before it's done, add sorrel (just a few leaves chopped) and bacon pieces.
Enjoy! Steve "Paleo"

Paleo Chocolate Pudding

Paleo Chocolate Pudding?(!) - you betcha! Whoever thought of this (wasn't me..) should get the Nobel Food Prize - it's THAT good. But first, since this is really a crossfit blog wrapped in bacon, i need to vent a bit. Did Crossfit HQ hire programmers based on their Fran time, or perhaps power to weight ratio? Geezus that Games site has been PAINFUL. Don't know what frustrates me more - my inability to instantly just post my scores, or my inability to focus on LIFE not knowing where I stand (21st in Masters after round 2 in case anyone is counting ;-) Oh and just one more thing! Is some Reebok chik programming this stuff? Is there a world-wide bumper plate shortage? Crossfit HQ - please make me regret those statements and program some big weights for crying out loud. OK - on with the recipe...

Paleo Chocolate Pudding - I first saw it at freecoconutrecipes.com and i feel quite brave for trying it ;-) Seriously, you have to trust me, this came straight from heaven - it's the best chocolate pudding you'll ever have - BAR NONE. It only takes 10 minutes to make.

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip it all up in a food processor, spoon into some small bowls (it's very thick - like it should be..), and top with a little coconut whipped cream, berries, and some d-chok shavings. Really, it's fantastic.

Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

.. and good luck to all my crossfit brethren!!!!!

Ribs, Sweet Potato Fries, and Rhubarb Surprise!

This is just good comfort food and if you're a rhubarb fan, you're in for a guiltless paleo feast. First a word about spices - don't be cheap. Find a spice shop, virtual or brick 'n mortar, and get the good stuff. I did recently, and man it makes a difference. You'll see I included shallot salt - awesome stuff but you may not find it at your local haunt. Smoked paprika is another one - get it. You might spend a little more but remember, it cost less than open heart surgery so splurge a little - money well spent. This meal is close to 5 blocks (ignore the wine - more about that later). I can't figure exactly how much fat and meat in on a rib - i don't have a calorimeter dang it.







Ribs, Fries, and Rhubarb Surprise

About 6 pork ribs - i buy the stuff from Costco. Get higher quality if you can.
Dry rub them with shallot salt, lemon pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and celery salt. Get the barbecue going.
Now slice 8 oz of sweet potato ( I like the garnet ones). Melt a about a tablespoon or so of coconut oil and coat them with it. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with shallot salt, cayenne pepper (not too much), and sea salt. Get that oven pre-heated to 425F. The ribs and sweet potatoes took about 30 minutes for me - so i would start them at the same time. When they're nearly done, get about 3 oz of snowpeas, spice 'em up, and saute in a little coconut oil. Now about that wine! I don't normally plug wine. It's debatable (but arguable) paleo food. However, health-wise, few debate that a little red wine is good for you. I paired a 2006 Beauregard Cabernet Sauvignon with this dish - FANTASTIC. I know Ryan Beauregard - he's out in California, not paleo but he LOOKS at bit paleo ;-) Either way, he makes great wine and he ships it Beauregard Vineyards
I know you've been patiently waiting for desert - here it is...

Hot Rhubarb with Coconut Ice Cream!
6 oz chopped rhubarb
1/2 teaspoon orange peel zest
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut ice cream
Don't eat any rhubarb leaves, cuz, ummm, it'll kill ya and someone will have to right a book and postulate where you stubbed your toe on this paleo gig.. So, get a small skillet - add water and rubarb and heat to boiling. Once rhubarb starts to soften and water is nearly gone, add maple syrup, orange zest, and cinnamon.
Keep heating/stirring for another 5 minutes. Place in two small bowls and add 2 tablespoons each coconut ice cream (coconut bliss and purely decadent are good brands - sells at Whole Paycheck here in Boulder). Or you can top with coconut whipped cream per previous post..) It's tart and yummy - enjoy! Steve "Paleo"
PrimitiveFoods.com

Whipped Coconut Cream!

Wow have i been a posting slacker!! Well, don't want to bore you with variations of the same old $hit but this is pretty good and i'll post a rib recipe shortly that's worthy. I think with the competitive crossfit season just around the corner, i'm regaining a little more inspiration :)

Every once in awhile, something comes along that changes your eating habits - this tip from Alistair Boyd of Singapore, and a GF addicted to whipped cream in her coffee, set me in motion. He told me he was making his own whipped cream from coconut cream using a whip-it! dispenser, so i experimented forwards and backwards with it (like a good little engineer) and settled on a recipe that i've been enjoying daily. Seriously, give this a try and you'll never look back.

Here's what you do:
Get one of these bad boys from Amazon - they're about $45. Comes with NO2 cartridges but buy some extra ones. I bought a "Whip-it!" brand - Swiss made - wohoo. They come in different sizes. I think 1/2L is the best. The 1 Litre is a monster that barely fits in the fridge and takes two NO2 cartridges. Coconut cream is not very easy to find so I would just recommend to buy canned coconut milk - I like Thai Kitchen brand. Also get some vanilla extract and real maple syrup.

Mix all this in a bowl with a whisker.

12-16 oz coconut milk or coconut cream
1 - 1.5 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Put this mixture in your dispenser, gas it up, shake it, and put it in the fridge. Coconut milk gets really thick in the fridge but the maple syrup helps a bit (don't try honey - way too thick). It dispenses a little better if you take it out of the fridge for a bit. This is GREAT with coffee, berries, on key lime pie - geez, let your imagination go wild.
Oh ya, one more thing, if you're wondering how heavy whipping cream might work in the whip-it!, ummm, ya that's what i have in the 1 Liter monster ( 1 quart heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vanilla). I'm ashamed to say I get busted on a regular basis squeezing the trigger on that one...

Enjoy!
Steve "Paleo"
PrimitiveFoods