Call Me Crazy



Primal Pizza

Well you can count me among the truly crazy ones now.  I made a pizza with a cauliflower crust!  Yep, that's right.  Pizza with cauliflower crust. But guess what?  It's good!  And the crust even holds up reasonably well so you can eat it with your fingers like regular pizza.  Now before I share the recipe, I should point out that this is not a low-calorie recipe.  The primal/paleo label is not a license to stuff yourself on pizza (I'm talking to myself here).  So if weight loss is a goal, be cognizant of the calories consumed.  While not low-calorie, this recipe is a tasty, low-carb alternative to the real thing.  And it's easy to make.

Note:  there are lots of variations on cauliflower pizza crust.  I relied mostly on a recipe from Primal Girl's blog.

Primal Pizza

Ingredients for the Crust:
coconut oil or other fat to grease the pan**
1 head of cauliflower, approx. 2 cups when steamed and mashed.
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup almond flour
Seasonings to taste

**I read online that you can use parchment paper instead, and that would save about 200 calories.  The crust will stick if you don't grease the pan or use parchment.  Note that I haven't tried using parchment, but I read that it works.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Grease a large baking pan.  I used a 19x12" jelly roll pan as pictured above.  (I haven't made cookies or a jelly roll in ages, so this pan was happy to get out of the cupboard.)
3. Clean and rough chop the head of cauliflower. Steam it until tender - about 10-11 minutes once the water comes to a boil.
4. Process steamed cauliflower in food processor to create a mash.  I suggest leaving it with a little texture to it - about the consistency of rice.  You should have about 2 cups of cauliflower once processed.
5. Transfer 2 cups of cauliflower to a mixing bowl.  Mix in the 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, the almond flour, eggs, and any seasonings you want to add to the crust.  I added cracked black pepper and garlic salt to mine. 
6. Spread it out on the baking pan.  I used my hands to spread it to cover the entire pan.  It will be thin, but it will cover the pan.
7. Bake at 425 for 17 minutes or so. 
8. While the crust is in the oven, you can prepare the toppings for your pizza.  I used 6 oz tomato paste mixed with Italian seasoning, 6 oz ground pork that was leftover from the stuffed acorn squash I made last night, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and 2 oz more of shredded part-skim mozzarella.
9. Remove the crust from the oven when done. Reduce oven temperature to 350.  Top the crust with toppings of your choice and return to the oven. I cooked mine for about 10-15 minutes more. 
10. Let it set for a few minutes before serving.  The crust will hold up better once it has cooled a bit.

For the calorie conscious:  I calculated the calories in my pizza using Fit-Day.  For the full pizza, I calculated 1946 calories.  I sliced it into 16 small pieces, and I ate 4 of them (486 calories) for dinner (about the equivalent of 2 regular slices of traditional pizza).  So like I said, it's not low-calorie, but it is low-carb, and it is good.    You can shave a few calories by using parchment instead of oil to grease the pan.  Also, you could save calories by making it vegetarian and/or omitting the cheese on top.  I used 2 oz cheese on top, and I will omit that next time; I think it will still be very good without the added cheese.  But you can't omit the cheese in the crust.  That's what holds it together.

How is it leftover? I had two leftover slices the next morning for breakfast.  I can't remember the last time I had cold pizza for breakfast so this was a treat!  It was very good eaten this way as well; it felt like I was cheating, but I wasn't.  This recipe is a wonderful addition to my collection of primal/paleo recipes.  You might want to give it a try.

This is what the crust looks like once baked.

Celebration Lasagna

Celebration Lasagna

To celebrate the end of the eight week nutrition challenge, I decided to prepare a special meal. I wanted to make something delicious and satisfying but still within the bounds of primal, low-carb, paleo-ish nutrition. Lately, I have dreamed [literally] of oatmeal and english muffins so I toyed with treating myself to some grains! I even briefly considered having a real dessert made with lots of refined sugar, but quickly decided that was not what I wanted. Recently, while reviewing the Everyday Paleo blog, I stumbled across a recipe for lasagna. That was it! Lasagna! Even without the pasta, it is a rich, luxurious meal.
Here's the link to the Everyday Paleo Lasagna recipe if you want to check it out. I opted not to go with this version since it is strict paleo, without any dairy, and I wanted cheese in my Celebration Lasagna.

Celebration Lasagna
Ingredients:
2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
1 jar of organic, gluten-free, sugar-free pasta sauce
4 medium zucchini
fresh baby spinach
small package of sliced mushrooms
olive oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Slice the zucchini length-wise, using a mandoline, to about an 1/8" thick. Place the sliced zucchini in a zip-loc bag with a little olive oil, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Toss, shake, and smush the zucchini around in the bag until all pieces are coated. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini starts to turn a little brown.

While the zucchini is roasting, brown the ground beef. Add the pasta sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until heated through and most of the liquid has reduced.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of cottage cheese with 1 egg, salt and pepper.

Reduce the oven to 375 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with the roasted zucchini. Next layer with fresh spinach leaves. Top this layer with 1/2 of the ground beef mixture. (If the ground beef mixture is "soupy" don't add the liquid to the lasagna or you will have soupy lasagna). Dot the ground beef with 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat these layers and finish with the 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Consistency, Thou Art a Jewel

A sensible indulgence:
Strawberries dipped in dark, bittersweet chocolate (72% cacao).

"Consistency, thou art a jewel." I heard this quote for the first time recently, and it struck a cord with me. The person I heard use the quote is a UGA football player - he's a kicker or snaps for the kicker or something like that. I can't remember exactly. But the point he was making was important, and I do remember that. As a youth, his father encouraged him to practice, practice, practice. "Consistency, thou art a jewel," his father would say. And now that young man is doing his thing, whatever it is, at a major university. The practice and consistency paid off. When he arrived at UGA he discovered the quote his father had said to him over and over again painted on the walls of the training facility.

I liked that story and how it came full circle when the young man achieved his goal, arrived on campus, and found the wise words often used by his father inscribed there. We become what we routinely do. Sometimes the progress is slower than we would like. It takes time to develop new skills or change old habits. But change does come when we are consistent and patient. Consistency, thou art a jewel.

On a mundane note, I wanted to share the picture of the chocolate dipped strawberries. I just melted some high quality, bittersweet chocolate, dipped the strawberries and then put them in the fridge for a little while for the chocolate to set. Guess what? When you don't eat sugar all the time, bittersweet chocolate actually tastes sweet. This is an easy, pretty, sensible indulgence for those holiday parties . . . or just for you when you need it.

Here Come the Parties

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Party season is just around the corner. Thanksgiving through New Years brings one celebration after the next. Family gatherings, office parties, cocktails with friends, a party at Sheryl's house I hope, New Year's Eve at Byron's, and more in between. I love this time of year, but it can be challenging to eat well. So I've started a list of paleo-friendly, low-carb appetizers. I helped host a baby shower on Saturday which gave me an opportunity to get creative and try a few things. I made four dishes for the shower. Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon, Cheese Crisps, Deviled Eggs, and Spicy Nut Clusters. Based on what was left over from the shower I can call all four a success; the only one slightly in question is the Cheese Crisps -- Victor the dog got into these so I'm not sure if they were a hit with the humans or not, but canines appear to enjoy them.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon with Creamy Mustard Sauce
from Southern Living Magazine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Microwave 10 slices of bacon, in batches, between paper towels on high for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Cut the slices in half.
Wash and trim the brussels sprouts. Cut in half. Wrap 1 bacon half around each sprout and secure with a wooden pick. Place sprouts, cut side down, on a lightly greased wire rack on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and brussels sprouts are tender. Serve with Creamy Mustard Sauce.

Creamy Mustard SauceStir together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, salt and pepper. The original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of brown sugar which I omitted.

Lacy Cheddar Crisps

Lacy Cheddar Crispsfrom Perfect Recipes for Having People Over by Pam Anderson
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) packaged shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Because pre-shredded cheddar cheese available in packages is less moist and oily than freshly grated, it is preferable for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon 1 tablespoon cheese onto parchment paper then spread into a round with your fingertips so that cheese is more or less in a single layer. Space about 1 inch between each crisp. Bake until crisps stop bubbling, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cooled, you can just peel the parchment away from the cheese crisps.

Deviled Eggs

I don't think anyone needs a recipe for deviled eggs. We've all made this standby before, but don't forget this tasty, satisfying hors d'oeuvre.

 Spicy Nut Clusters

I reported on these a few weeks ago. I made a double batch for the shower, and they were a hit.

What's for Breakfast?

Blueberry Pancake made from Almond Meal

I received a request for some paleo breakfast ideas. Seems that I'm not the only one who grew tired of having eggs everyday. First, let me say that I don't follow a strict paleo diet. "Strict" and "diet" are two words that I hate. Put them together, and you'll find me rebelling in a big way. At this point in my life, I cannot, will not, go on another strict diet. So I just focus on keeping the carbs low by eliminating sugar and grains. I eat some dairy, and I do my best to choose high quality, minimally processed foods most of the time. With that caveat, here are some breakfast alternatives to eggs:

1. Cottage cheese with a little fruit and sliced almonds. Try to buy organic cottage cheese and don't get fat free. Fat free dairy is much higher in carbohydrates.
2. Protein shake (made from whey protein powder). I've tried the Whole Foods Whey Protein Powder (Vanilla), and find that it is pretty good. I add a 1/2 cup of frozen berries and a 1/4 cup of coconut milk for flavor. BUT I just tried the protein powder from Primal Nutrition (Mark's Daily Apple). I ordered the vanilla and the chocolate. Both are good with just water and ice. The carbs are a little higher, but certainly not too high, and it's so good that I don't feel the need to add fruit or other ingredients to make it tasty.
3. Pancakes made from Almond Meal. There are lots of paleo pancake recipes out there that you can try. I reported a few weeks back on one that I tried. Click here for that post. That same recipe is what I used to make the blueberry pancake you see pictured above. I think this one from Mark's Daily Apple sounds good, but I have not tried it: Primal Coconut Pancakes.
4. Applegate Farms Nitrate Free, Uncured Turkey Bacon (available at Publix and Whole Foods): I mention this product because it is good, and one slice has 6 grams of protein. I've made bacon, tomato, and avocado lettuce wraps for breakfast. I've also been known to grab a few slices with 1/2 an apple when I'm in a rush. I often go ahead and cook up the entire package so that I have it ready when I need it.

And don't forget that there are lots of ways to serve eggs. You can mix it up with different vegetables, spices, and a little cheese to keep it interesting. You don't have to eat them fried, scrambled, or boiled all the time. Don't forget omelets and frittatas. And the Primal Breakfast Muffins I made a few weeks ago were also good.

Those are a few suggestions from me. Maybe some of you reading this will comment with your own low-carb breakfast ideas.

Primal Breakfast Muffins

Primal Breakfast "Muffins"

Today's Primal Breakfast "Muffins" are inspired by recipes I've used in the past and one that I saw recently on Mark's Daily Apple. You can make up a batch of these on Sunday, and then have them for breakfast all week. Two of these with a little fruit makes a great breakfast. I will just pop two in the microwave for a few seconds, add some berries or orange slices, and I've got breakfast. Following is my recipe.


Primal Breakfast "Muffins"

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin pan. Be sure to grease well. Or you could use disposable muffin cups I suppose. I placed a spinach leaf in the bottom of each muffin cup...just for fun and because I thought it would be pretty. Pretty is important to me. ;-)

3/4 pound ground pork (or whatever meat you choose)
fennel seed crushed (couple of teaspoons)
salt & pepper
Combine the above ingredients in a non-stick skillet. Cook until meat is browned. Set aside.

a little olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
2 hands full of fresh baby spinach, chopped
salt & pepper to taste (optional)
1/3 cup grated cheese (I used a sharp cheddar)

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the onion and red bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add the mushrooms when the onion and pepper are almost ready. Add the spinach at the very end for just a minute or two. Combine the vegetable mixture with the prepared meat. Add the cheese and mix well. Divide among 12 muffin cups.

6 eggs
a little milk, cream, or half & half
salt and pepper

Combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Divide among the 12 muffin cups, pouring over-top the meat & vegetable mixture. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.

I ate one before I remembered to take the picture. Two make a meal (for me). One is good for a snack or mini-meal.