How I Cook Steaks

I enjoyed writing my last post on how I cook salmon, so I decided to follow up with how I cook steaks.  As usual, you want to start with good ingredients.  I prefer, but can't always afford grass fed beef.  This is just a nice sirloin from Whole Foods.  You will also need some frying oil, I generally use coconut, but olive works in a pinch.  Mushrooms and onions were what I had on hand, but you can go with just one or the other, or add pepper into the mix.

Turn the burner to medium high and put the coconut oil in

5 minutes to a side

If it starts to brown, not a problem at all. 

I started to take a couple of bites before snapping a pic.  The other steak is in the fridge, packed with some more frozen vegetables.  More kale and broccoli.  Lunch tomorrow!

Recipe: Garlic Shrimp

We love shrimp here at our house!  My wife is a huge shrimp fan, so we always buy in bulk when it goes on sale, and leave it in the freezer.  The particular 2lb bag we used today was only $12, from Stop and Shop.  If you are eating Paleo you probably shouldn't eat it with rice, but my wife is incredibly skinny and healthy, and she loves rice, so she usually makes some.  This dish is similar to scampi, but without a less heavy sauce and no pasta.

Ingredients:
A bunch of Garlic
2lb shrimps (peeled/deveined)
Olive Oil

1) Peel the garlic

2) Peel the shrimps, I usually save the bag and put the shells in it (RECYCLE!)

3) Crush the garlic and put it in a frying pan

4) Add the shrimp and some olive oil

5) Cook on medium for 10 minutes (make sure not to burn shrimp, theres nothing worse!)

6) Enjoy.  I like to eat a side of WFM Organic California Veggie mix.  Glass of wine is optional.

Yes, I am a Food Renegade!

Paleo Favorites

Anyone who has looked into the Paleo Diet is immediately put off by the high cost of doing business. There is a reason why most of the world eats grain/carbs with almost every meal, they are cheap. Pre-paleo (neolithic? just kidding), a high percentage of my grocery bill and food spending in general would be on carbs. I am not rich, and this class of foods gives you the best caloric bang for your buck. Although in the long run, it is much more costly, but that's a matter for another post.

Another cost of paleo dieting is that items are recommended to be organic, high quality, grass-fed, pastured, and all natural. All of these adjectives are synonyms with expensive. For those of us who can't afford 9$ bags of macademia nuts every grocery trip, we must learn to make do with cheaper alternatives.

Obviously, a Big Ass Salad , as Mark Sisson puts it, is always a good fall back option, especially with a well-stocked paleo kitchen. I buy steak whenever its on sale, as its my favorite meat, but I simply can't afford the high cost of quality steak on a regular basis. Although I try to eat diversely, I have a number of staples that make up >50% of my diet.

1) Whole Foods Organic California Frozen Veggies: this is a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots, all organic, and flash frozen. I have had other versions of this mix Big Y (local market) calls it the Florentine Mix ($1.50) and Stop and Shop has it too ($1.50) but both of these versions are conventional. Another thing I like about the WFM version compared to others is that its almost all crowns, unlike the Big Y version which had a lot of random pieces of the broc thrown in. A bargain at $2.29 a bag. I throw this in my lunch with a pad of grassfed butter or just use the sauce of whatever protein source I have in there.

2) Trader Joes Sausage/Bacon: Trader Joes is a great stop for cheaper all-natural items that still maintain the high quality we all love. They offer a ton of different chicken sausages at 3.99/5 pack Hofbrau Brats for 3.99/lb and Bacon for 3.99 lb. Thats a lot of bargains for pork/chicken products. They also have ground beef for 2.49/lb but it is unfortunately not grass-fed, but my wife uses it for various things!

3) WFM Eggs: 18 pack/$3.19 cage/antibiotic free, tasty, large, brown - when I can't get eggs from a local source, this is my fall back

4) conventional Boneless/Skinless Breast from wherever is on sale. I like to get this for 2.99/lb or less and then I buy it in bulk! Obviously, I would prefer all natural/free range etc but for chicken breast, which has very little fat, this is less important. This is my most common form of protein and I sometimes dress it up with sriracha or tamari sauce for stirfrys or just grill it and throw it on top of my big ass salad.


5) Big Ass Salad: This comes in many different forms for me, but the basis of it is always lettuce, tomato, bell peppers and some form of protein, plus whatever other vegetables I have on hand. My wife loves blanched almonds, so they are always stocked in the pantry, and frequently get added on. I will make a dressing if I have time, or use Newman's Own Organic Dressing if I am feeling extra lazy.

Snacks: Beef/Bison Jerky is $5/bag at TJs and I usually have a selection of nuts, primarily almonds and pecans. Occasionally fresh fruit, especially if it is on sale or in season.

Treats: Red wine from Trader Joes, usually buy for under $6/bottle because I am poor, remember, Craft Beer: Usually buy a 22oz bomber of something very nice, I just love beer too much to give it up although it is full of grains (carbs/gluten).

Shrimp is often in the rotation as well as tilapia or another type of seafood, but not often enough to be considered a staple!

Winter Beers: Samuel Adams and Smuttynose

I love craft beer. I love New England. One of the features of both of these things is that they have distinct seasons. Although traditions and similarities prevail year round, I look forward to the unique characteristics of each season.


Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Bock 5.80% ABV

I have been working on a 12 pack of this for the past week or so

Dark pour, decent lacing, small quickly dispersing head
Nice “winter spices” in the aroma
Taste is very malty, cinnamon and other spices as well, not much hop presence
Not as drinkable as the Smuttynose, won’t buy much more of it this season, it is just that in my region, which is Sam Adam’s home base, 12 packs can be had for the reasonable price of 11.99+deposit.

B-


Smuttynose Winter Ale

Dubbel 4.80% ABV

Pours very dark, not much head that disperses quickly, little lacing
Malty smell and taste, dry finish, some spices in there, sweet with some very light fruit notes
Light and drinkable, subtle, but complex flavor that I think is well executed

B+


Whole Foods Buffalo Chicken Bites
$2.50

Great deal for the price. I added some Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce for good measure. The package included a “fresh ranch dressing” which I made use of. Plenty of chicken for under $3.00, good company to winter beers.