Experimenting with a small batch chai tea spice mix recipe for my morning black tea. No special ingredients—a simple mix with things already in my kitchen. To make the mix: 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon 2 Tbsp ground ginger 1 Tbsp ground turmeric a few dashes of ground black pepper (I think it’s 8:1 turmeric to black […]
Oil Free Salad Dressing with Avocado
I’ve never been a fan of oil and vinegar dressings (read: every dressing ever made). I’ve been known to use hummus or salsa as dressings. It never really occurred to me that there might be oil free salad dressings. Angelo Coppola—best known for his awesome Latest in Paleo podcast—posted an oil free Caesar salad dressing […]
Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Recipe (paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
I’m quite new to this whole baking thing. I feel lucky in that I don’t have the standard knowledge of baking to have to unlearn. I wouldn’t know what to do if you dropped white flour, white sugar, and Crisco in front of me, but give me some almond flour, eggs, and coconut palm sugar, […]
Banana Carob Cake Recipe (paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
I’m not much of a baker. I do most of my cooking on the stovetop. But I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with paleo baking recipes. I have a pretty perpetual sweet tooth. But, being prone to low blood sugar and digestive ills, I try to lay off the desserts. And I like them […]
A Paleo Dinner: Stir-Fried Cod, Roasted Asparagus, and Sweet Potato Fries
Both my mom and I grew up eating dinners that were considered balanced: one part meat, one part vegetable, and one part grain. Since laying off the grains, and lately trying to incorporate more vegetables into my day, we’ve come up with a new ratio in my house: one part meat/protein, two parts vegetable. That […]
Cold-Brewed Fruit Tea with Honey Recipe (Better Than Juice!)
Throughout the summer, my fridge is a science lab of cold-brewing, with usually between 3 and 5 glass jars of various things brewin’: the obligatory black tea, lavender flowers, mint tea or leaves, and my newest love, dried-fruit herbal tea. (I’ve never liked hot-brewed fruit teas, but cold-brewed they are completely different and really, really […]
Tips for Cooking Steak
A friend of mine, Rachael McCaskill (from Rachael Bakes, the Providence Alternative Market, and the Providence chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation), posed this question in the Primally RI Facebook group: “Going to make my first steak tonight. A sirloin from Windmist Farm. I feel nourished when I eat grass-fed beef and have only […]
Cold-Brewed Lavender Lemonade with Raw Honey Recipe
I’ve been experimenting with making lavender lemonade since I heard about it pretty recently. It’s such a yummy combination, and perfect for what will no doubt be a stiflingly humid New England summer. In addition to being delicious, the health benefits of this drink are pretty sweet (NPI): Lavender is a great soother; it helps […]
Cold-Brewed Coffee Recipe and Cold-Brewed Tea Recipe
We recently had our first cookout* of the season. It was a good turnout. Lots of families and kids and friends. Many more to come! *I was asked, by a West Coast transplant, if “cookout” was an East Coast term. I assume it is. Maybe even just a northeast term, since I think of “barbecue” […]
Homemade Dried Cajun Spice Mix Recipe
Cajun food is comfort food for me; I’ve been eating it since I was a kid. There’s nothing like a good crawfish boil, a bowl of jambalaya, and some fried gator-on-a-stick. Several years ago, I tried my hand at Cajun-style cooking. I’m no pro, and not really authentic—not actually being Cajun, and not learning from […]
Irish Colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage) Recipe
I originally learned how to make colcannon from Irish movies. “Learned” is a strong word. Basically, I found out there was an Irish dish that consisted of mashed potatoes and cabbage. When I made it, people would say, “Why is this so good?? What’s in this?” I would tell them the ingredients, which they hardly […]
Yay Eggs! Part 3: All About Eggs
Many of my real-food-blogging comrades have written more about eggs than could fit in a crowded factory chicken farm (from which we do not recommend buying eggs). Here’s a lot of information on, recipes for, and pretty pictures of eggs. Egg-ucation (sorry, I couldn’t help it) All About Good Healthy Eggs – getting all the good nutrients […]
Yay Eggs! Part 1: My Favorite Recipes
I have shared my love for eggs through a few recipes in this blog: herbed eggs and greens and my quick-scramble technique; egg, avocado, and tomato salad (posted on Mark’s Daily Apple with the addition of, oddly enough, bacon); my discovery of an Irish technique for perfect scrambled eggs; open-faced omelet sandwich. I get these beautiful […]
Stir-Fried Squid Recipe
On a whim I got some squid from The Local Catch at the South Kingstown, RI winter farmers market. A small amount, because I’d never cooked it before. I have several go-to web sites for my paleo-leaning predilections, Mark’s Daily Apple being a main one. There, I found a recipe for Salt and Pepper Squid. […]
Grain-Free Sweets: Get This Book (with Recipe)
I really, really love sweets. But starches and sugars don’t love me. So I’ve had grain- and refined-sugar-free goodies, and I find that not only do they agree with my body and brain better, they are frequently tastier, richer, and more satisfying than their mainstream counterparts. Carol from Ditch the Wheat has created an e-cookbook […]
Perfect Scrambled Eggs Recipe
I like eggs. A lot. So I’m always working to improve my egg-making. A while back I blogged about my herbed eggs and greens, where I showed you my high-heat, quick-scramble technique. Since then, I have changed how I scramble eggs, thanks to Malachi McCormick’s Irish Country Cooking, a wonderful cookbook with traditional and modern Irish […]
Jambalaya Is Not Cooked, It Is Built
I grew up eating Cajun food, and eventually tried to cook it on my own. This is my own version of jambalaya. First, I sautéed in olive oil the Cajun holy trinity (mirepoix/base): onions, green bell peppers, and celery: Once they started to get soft, I added brown rice to toast: Then I added red […]
Kelp Noodles
Remember the kelp noodles I’ve mentioned in a few recipes (this one, this one, and this one)? I found an amazing deal for them on Amazon. They are very inspiring! It makes me want to rewrite the Beatles’ song “Help”… kelp! I need some food now kelp! not just any food now kelp! you know I need some food […]
How to Steam Littleneck Clams
Steaming littleneck clams might be easy in that there aren’t many steps involved, but there’s a real science to it, that requires focus. You can’t just toss them in a pot with some water and leave them. Anything less than your undivided attention would be not only an insult to these beautiful creatures that are giving their lives to feed […]
Egg, Avocado, and Tomato Salad Recipe
Ingredients: one ripe avocado, chopped into chunks two boiled eggs, chopped into chunks one medium-sized tomato, chopped into chunks juice from one lemon wedge salt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients together, stirring not too much, but just enough to make some of the avocado and egg into mush. Serves 1 to 1-1/2 for […]