I came up with this funky looking "Jamacian Juice" a few weeks ago. It makes for an excellent morning starter or a mid day energy booster. With its crazy colors of red, yellow, and green, you'll want to put it in a glass cup everytime to admire the bizarre concoction you've made, which takes less than 5 minutes to whip up.         

   INGREDIANTS:
 
-1 handful (about 8-10) frozen blueberries.
     Being frozen lets the berries "bleed" in the juice, which is what produces some of the coloration. Their tempature also keeps your drink chilled.
 
-A bottle of Green Goodness. This is sold in most big chain stores, and is a fruit/vegetable mixture. I've never met anyone who doesn't dig this stuff.
 
-Orange Juice

 IINGREDIENTS:


1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1 cup sunflower seeds


1-2 cups dried froot
2 cups coconut flakes
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/3 cup sunflower or olive oil (I used olive)
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
1 tablespoon of brown sugar or some cinamon 
1 dash of sea salt


     DIRECTIONS:


Prepare your cooling dish. Get a 9x13 glass baking dish and layer it with parchment paper. 


Combine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Mix. 


Take 1 cup of mixed nuts and add to a food processor. Pulse very briefly. This one coup will give the bar a chunckier texture with near whole pieces. The other two cups of nuts will be pulsed well. Transfer the 1 cup to another dish when done. 


Finely pulse the remaining two cups of assorted nuts in the food processor. 


Mix all the nuts back together. 


Now add your coconut flakes and dried fruits of your choosing, along with your chocolate chips (if you want them). Go eaasy on the chocolate. This is already a sweet snack with the honey and fruit.  Mix the ingrediants together. 


Now for the sauce. Add the coconut oil, sunflower/olive oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Turn on the stove to low-medium heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat. 


Pour the honey mixture into your dish containing the nut mixture. Stir together until well blended. 


Scoop the completed mixture into your 9x13 baking dish which should be layered with parchment . Use a spoon or a damp hand to evenly press the mixture into the dish. Let settle for two hours. I'm not sure why you have to do this for so long, but trust me, it makes the bars taste so much better, if only for psychological reasons. 


Place in the freezer for one hour to complete the hardening process. 


Take the dish out and use the bottom parchment paper to easily transfer the nut mixture onto a cutting board. Cut into whatever size you desire. I did palm sized squares and it resulted in 15 even bars. 

Store in freezer in a container. I layer mine with left over parchment paper. 


         I cannot overstate how incredible these things are. The cavemen didn't rock it like this back in the day, but us paleolithic eaters of the modern era can make this on a regular basis and still kick it like it's 2 million B.C. 

Yesterday, I was sitting around wondering what I could eat, as I often do, as I often eat, because eating is important to staying alive. 

(Stay tuned for my next lecture on breathing air)

No, but seriously, I was freakin' hungry. Needed meat but was craving some greens too. I have recently started buying some of those single serving packages of semi-dry tuna and got the idea for this super simple but delicious salad dish topped with red wine vinegar and Italian olive oil. Here's how I made mine. The crab meat I used was actually imitation, made from Pollock, but still good. Feel free to add extra ingredients of your choice based on your likes. 

Ingredients :

     -Handful of steamed kale 

     -Handful of spinach leaves 

     -1 pack of Garlic and Herb tuna fish (Sunkist is pretty good)

     -Red onion slices

     -Crab meat or pollock slices

     -Olive oil and red wine for dressing


       First steam the kale, let sit in a dish for a short time or wash with cool water so it isn't too warm. Add spinach in the same bowl as the kale. Mix tuna fish with crab meat together. Add the fish mixture onto the greens. Top with red onion slices. Add pepper and, if you want a sharper taste, some garlic powder over the salad. Carefully pour some red wine vinegar over everything and then drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy. 

Stefan 

     I will be playing a show Tuesday, Novermeber 19th at Toast: Ultra Lounge and Bistro @6pm. Come by and join in on the free wine tasting that will be taking place. coastalnoise.com/musicdates

     
        The last couple days I've been debating back and forth about what kind of article I'd like to put out. I've got a list of growing topics and I have let several days go by doing light research on different ones and pondering them over, waiting for one in particular to really spark my interest and get me to sit down to start writing. Of course, I know the burden largely falls on me, and I can't wait around for inspiration to strike much more. As of lately, I've been considering putting an emphasis back into eating vegetarian "based" diets. I say, "'based", in quotes because I believe some leaner meats are easier on the body in the long and short terms, so I will not omit them completely. Going off of my feelings at the time, I reserved a vegetarian cookbook from the library in the mix of some other reads I had selected for the next couple weeks.     

       Once I had spent some time looking through my new book, I started thinking about a diet that still implemented meat and turned my attention to the Paleo Diet, which has become popular in the last few years. This diet, suggests eating a diet that is similar to how our Paleolithic ancestors ate for tens of thousands of years before man began his agricultural endeavors, which, according to Paleo proponents, has totally screwed us. Evolutionarly speaking, our bodies are geared toward certain types of food (meats, nuts, seeds, vegetables, greens, and fruits) for optimal digestion and nutrient absorption. Foods such as breads, wheats, legumes, diary, and rice my go down easily for most, but the argument is that our body does not take as much from these foods because of counter active anti-nutrient properties that put our digestive system on the defense, among other reasons.     

     A picked up and read Robb Wolf's, "The Paleo Solution" and found the information interesting and compelling. I had begun planning my shift to the Paleo diet for a personal experiment of one month's time. However, I thought it might be best to do some additional research to see what others have written in regards to a vegetarian or vegan diet up against the caveman diet. So I dove in the internet to research and take notes on what was being studied and discussed. 

     That's when things started to get hairy. 

     I knew that the different camps greatly opposed one another and all sides argue different reasons and cases for why their way is the best optimal diet for humans, but the more I searched, the more I saw how complex the science could get. It's like listening to an atheist and a bible salesman having a spiritual debate when all you want is to have a nice Sunday picnic on the grassy knoll. Yes, there was random Kennedy reference in there. 

      My plan was to write about my findings and perhaps discuss my plan for a Paleo switch, but the rabbit hole seems to go so deep that I cannot possibly put my findings down and be satisfied with what my output would be. I would feel like I had left something out, missed important case studies for one side or the other, say something incorrect about a particular diet, or generally just not have all the facts together. Until I can get more information in a way that seems to make a better complete puzzle, I will hold off on my Paleo breakdown. In the meantime, I've already found my local Grass Feed Farm which I plan on ordering my grain free meat from, should I choose to make the commitment. 

     All of this still left me with another big problem. I didn't have anything to write about! So I reflected back to my vegetarian cookbook. I'm not gonna lie, I made two dishes from it and they were both bomb. The first, a mushroom soup, complete with leeks, onions, cream, and plenty of vegetable broth and thyme. Throw in the baked French bread and I had a solid meal on my hands. The second was even better, and this is what I've decided to put down for tonight. It's not Paleo, but it IS damn good and pretty easy to make. Just make sure the kidney beans you get don't have chili sauce in them because it will make the dish more liquidy. I make this warning because...well, I bought kidney beans with chili sauce in them. If I don't make one shopping mistake when I go to the grocery store, then I'm probably somebody else. 

Taken from: "Vegetarian: The Best-Ever Recipe Collection"  by Linda Fraser 


Sweet and Sour Mixed Bean Pot


Ingredients:

About 4 potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil 

3 tablespoons butter 

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/4 cups tomato sauce

2/3 cup unsweetened apple juice 

1/4 cup each light brown sugar, ketchup, dry sherry, 
          cider vinegar and light soy sauce 

14 ounce can lima beans

14 ounce can kidney beans

14 ounce can of chickpeas 

6 ounce green beans, chopped and blanched

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon each chopped fresh thyme and marjoram 

salt and freshly ground black peppers 

fresh herbs, to garnish


Directions:

     1. Thinly slice the potatoes and boil for 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly, toss them in the olive oil so they are lightly coated all over and set aside. 

     2. Place the butter, flour, tomato sauce, sherry, vinegar, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Heat gently, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring. 

     3. Rinse and drain the beans and chickpeas and add to the sauce with all the remaining ingredients except the herb garnish. Mix Well. 

     4. Preheat the oven for 400F.  

     5. Spoon the bean mixture into a casserole. 

     6. Arrange the potatoes slices over the top of the casserole, overlapping them slightly and completely covering the bean mixture. 

     7. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and tender. Remove the foil and cook another 20 minutes to lightly brown the potatoes. Serve garnished with fresh herb sprigs. 

     

       It's five o'clock in the morning and I get out of bed with no real plans besides making an incredible breakfast for myself. I've been sick the last couple of days and need to do something to take me out of the low energy state I've been dwelling in for hours. You know that monkey from 28 Days Later? The one who starts the whole thing off on a down note when that hippie girl tries to go in and play G.I. Jane Goodall? That's how I've been feeling this week. Like the monkey from 28 Days Later, except it's hung over, doesn't move much, and watches re-runs of bad, old sitcoms. 
Feeling considerably better this morning, I make a trip to the store to find something worth while to make. Somehow, I find myself back at home an hour later drinking orange juice and eating roasted garlic potatoes chips. 
This is what my breakfast has become...
     
        Feeling like I underachiever, I try to rationalize the situation. I've been too tired to do much of anything, but yet found myself awake before the sun came up and made a trip to the store to buy supplies and get some light exercise walking around, so that's a decent accomplishment. Although I didn't do anything extravagant for my first meal of the day, I figured I could write an article on one of my favorite dishes and that would make up for it. Its been two weeks since we've done a follow up podcast, and it may be another week and a half before I get around to it, since I will be in Denver soon (hopefully recording an episode). All of this is more the reason to write to you now. 
My friends and I spent a weekend up in Starkville this past week with our friend Jacob (check out CNP #13) for one of his school's biggest football events. We all made food to bring to the day of tailgating and it was quiet the spread I must say. There were boudin balls from  Louisiana,  two kinds of bean dip (one I made by taking a hummus recipe and modifying it with white beans), Oreo cake, chicken, and Jacob's contribution of two Shepherd's Pies baked in pie crusts and they were damn good. It's funny however, because despite having eaten this dish for my whole life, I still meet people (including one or two in Starkville)  who have never heard of it. It's crazy to me, especially given the fact that it is very simple and fairly easy to make. Here, I will outline one of my takes on this classic dish.
        
         I discovered this recipe a few months back on allrecpies.com when I was going through a six month vegetarian stage. It is actually a vegan dish but I will highlight the section where you can feel free to add or modify the meat (I recommend the latter). Here is what you need:
Original recipe makes 6 servings-

* Mashed potato layer:

* 5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise

* 1/2 cup soy or almond milk

* 1/4 cup olive oil

* 3 tablespoons  cream cheese 

* 2 teaspoons salt


* Bottom layer:

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* 1 large yellow onion, chopped

* 2 carrots, chopped

* 3 stalks celery, chopped

* 1/2 cup frozen peas

* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

* 1 clove garlic, minced, or more to taste

* 1 pinch ground black pepper to taste

* 1 (14 ounce) package vegetarian ground beef substitute (This is where you can modify if you wish but I recommend you take the high road for this. You may find it pleasantly surprising. There are many soy "meat"  products out there that taste great cooked into this dish. You could also keep it vegetarian by substituting black beans for a "western" style shepherd's pie. If you just have to have your meat though, I suggest a lean turkey sausage. Alternatively, you can go without this step all together and just load it down with vegetables. 

* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-style  cheese

Directions

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, and boil the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes; drain.
Stir the mayonnaise, soy milk, olive oil, cream cheese, and salt into the potatoes, and mash with a potato masher until smooth and fluffy. Set the potatoes aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion, carrots, celery, and frozen peas  until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Italian seasoning, garlic, and pepper.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and crumble the vegetarian ground beef substitute into the skillet with the vegetables. Cook and stir, breaking up the meat substitute, until the mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.

Spread the vegetarian meat substitute mixture into the bottom of the baking dish, and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing them into an even layer. Sprinkle the potatoes with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT
       Now you don't have to resort to an evening of potatoes chips and whatever falls into your glass. I've made shepherd's pie using this recipe several times (sometimes two or three times in one week it's so good) and I can assure you if your a fan of this traditional dish, this route will not disappoint. Give it a shot and I'll be back with other great finds in the future. Stay full my friends. 

Stefan

(Update: Just thought wanted to give an update in regards to my last post "The Weight Gainer Green Smoothie". I've remained dedicated to a steady diet involving two peanut butter protein shakes a day with olive oil added to the mix and have found great results. In the past 14 days, I am up by 5 lbs. and plan on continuing.)