Book Review - "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf

If you've been in a bookstore lately, you might have seen a new book, "The Paleo Solution", by Robb Wolf (published by Victory Belt publishing in 2010). I was curious, so I picked up a copy. I don't always know when to shut up, so here's my review.

It's a moderately-sized book, under 300 pages (plus 30 pages of references) in thirteen chapters. Much of the information therein is probably old news to most paleo / primal adherents, although the comparison/contrast between the viewpoints of anthropologists and nutritional scientists was rather amusing to read. He goes through a lot of the underlying biology, explaining how and why our bodies work (or don't work, when we eat the wrong things), but in a fairly easy-to-read format. A minor quibble for me is that he spends a couple of chapters explaining why grains are super-bad, but then hand-waves to dismiss dairy and legumes in a couple of paragraphs (although he does provide references for follow-up). To be honest, this probably bugs me as much because we haven't cut dairy out of our diets as anything else. Cheese makes things good, that's all I'm saying.

He also includes both sample work-outs (with pictures) and sample menus. As such, I consider this book to be a relatively complete source for the paleo newbie, although I would encourage them to do follow-up reading after finishing this one. An additional plus is the inclusion of a section on dietary supplements, listed in order from "must-take" to "optional" (my words, not his).

For being an easy-to-read book with specific menus, good examples, and exercise instructions, but with no index at the back for easy browsing, and for the hand-waving I mentioned above, I'd give this book a solid "A-" if I was assigning letter grades to books. Buy this one for someone you want to nudge in the paleo direction.

(In other news, Fathead is now available in Canada via Chapters/Indigo - I'll be ordering a copy this week, and when I've had a chance to watch it I'll post a review up here.)

Pat's Christmas Cake Muffins

This recipe (including the name) is from "Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook" (www.lucyskitchenshop.com). It really tastes like Christmas fruitcake, if you're into that sort of thing (which I am). However, the honey and dried fruit that comprise much of this recipe means that it really should be a "once a year" treat.

UPDATE - Hmm, this might be a repeat. You know what, it's so good, I'm gonna let both copies stay. You really have to try these.

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, juice drained
• 1-1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups raisins
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 3/4 cup dates or prunes, pitted and chopped
• 1-1/2 cups slivered almonds
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275F. No, that's not a misprint - lower temperatures for this one!
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring until it's well-mixed.
3. Line muffin cups with paper cupcake "liners", and fill each one with batter until it's almost full. NOTE - this recipe usually makes more than a dozen, probably closer to a dozen and a half!
4. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before removing the paper liners.

About the only thing that could make these even better would be if I could figure out how to make a paleo version of marzipan icing!

Edit - how about a picture?

Parmesan Cheese Bread

In my noodle post, I said you were on your own when it came to the garlic bread. Here's a good start on getting there, a nice cheesy bread. Just slice it thick, brush with melted butter and garlic, toast lightly in the oven (maybe with some mozzarella or cheddar on top?) and enjoy. This is based on a recipe from Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass ((c) 2005-2006 Whitecap books), but I've changed it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour (yep, that's a lot)
• 1.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (not baking powder, there's a difference!)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
2. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.
4. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (water, eggs, yogurt, butter).
5. Add the dry to the wet, and mix well. The "dough" will be quite thick, like bread dough.
6. Put the dough in the pan, and smoosh it down. Smoosh is a highly technical cooking term, FYI.
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
8. Let cool, as much as possible.

Now that I think about it, a couple of ideas for further customization enter my mind. You could mix some minced garlic (2 cloves, say, or use a bit of garlic powder if you must) into the dough before baking, or you could mix in or put on top a bit of shredded cheddar cheese to make it cheesier. But I haven't tried these adaptations yet. Or, (ooh!) what about jalapeño?

Chili for a chilly day

The old cave is quite chilly these days, and the days are getting shorter. It's times like this that a caveman thinks about chili. At least, this caveman does. Actually, I think about chili a lot, regardless of the weather. It's not an obsession or anything, but still. Anyway, here's my recipe, which is an example of a "straight" chili (no beans, obviously).

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stewing beef, diced into bite-sized pieces (or use lean ground beef)
• 2-3 small cooking onions, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2-3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp chili powder (or more, if you like it hotter)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine (or just use a tsp of garlic powder)
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in your slow-cooker (AKA "crockpot"). I usually put the meat in first.
2. Cook on low heat 8 hours or until done. It's not precise, sorry. Season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce just before you serve.
3. Serve over cauliflower rice or on its own. Put cheese on it if you want. Or sour cream. Whatever floats your boat.

Yeah, it's that easy. It's chili, it's not supposed to be complicated!

How about some noodles?

So it turns out that, over in Japan, there are these things called Shirataki noodles, which are a very-low-carb noodle made mainly from water and plant fiber. Available now in other places, in Canada they can be found in Asian supermarkets, as well as at the Low Carb Grocery, which has a store in Markham (if you live in the Toronto area). And no, I haven't received any money or other consideration for mentioning them.

Anyway, the noodles are pretty tasteless on their own, but go well in a pasta sauce because they really tend to absorb the flavour of the sauce. While not strictly paleo, they are very-low-carb and thus worth a consideration for those nights when you just can't face another spaghetti squash. I've seen them in fettuccine and "spaghetti" styles, but supposedly the Miracle Noodle company also makes a rice style, even if it's only available in Australia for now. EDIT - I have had the rice version via the Low-Carb Grocery. I can't really recommend it, it's basically little gummy balls of not-starch.

You're on your own when it comes to garlic bread, though.

Lasagna, of sorts

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 zucchinis, sliced thin (use a mandolin for even, thin slices)
• 1 pound hamburger
• 1-2 onions, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 can plain tomato sauce (read the label, some have sugar in them)
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 cup (or thereabouts) shredded cheese such as mozzarella

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Fry up the hamburger with the onions and garlic, adding the green pepper, sauce, and tomatoes when the meat is browned. Yes, this is making a simple pasta sauce.
3. Put a layer of zucchini in a casserole dish (grease it or not, your choice), then a layer of sauce.
4. Repeat twice more, so you have 3 zucchini layers and 2 meat layers.
5. Top with the cheese.
6. Bake in the oven 45 minutes or so.

NOTE - a LOT of liquid will come out of the zucchini during cooking. This is normal.

Edit: A picture!

Some light reading

Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, has a new blog. Only a couple of posts up so far, but it looks good. Just stay out of the comments - this is the Internet, after all.

And, not sure if I've posted this one before, but Tom McNaughton (maker of the movie Fat Head, which still doesn't have an international distributor) also has a blog where he posts some interesting articles and such.