As Joe mentioned, I am little over a week into the Lurong Living Paleo challenge. I've eliminated all processed sugar, grains and dairy. The focus has been on lean meats, veggies and nuts. All food is preferably organic, hormone free and meat sources should be free range and grass fed. Fats are an essential part of this diet, and specific types of saturated fats are encouraged. Recent research has shown that some types of saturated fats are beneficial in many ways without raising the risk of heart disease, coconut oil is one of these claimed fats. I use it sparingly until there is more definitive research on this. I still hold to my olive oil for most things. Cooking dinner has not been too challenging. I realize that I cooked this way pretty often before the challenge. I've come up with some tasty and interesting recipes that have been a hit in our house. I plan to share some of those here over the next 8 weeks. So no gourmet postings for a while, although I'm sure that with a little creativity, amazing guiltless dishes can be made. I started with simple soup recipes. This one for Cacuzza and bison soup is very simple. Getting the Cacuzza is the hard part. in Brooklyn, this gourd ( it's not really a squash) is abundant during the summer. Not only does every old Italian man grow it in his backyard, but the markets have them all summer long. My mother cooked with it all the time and made a stew out of it, with little meatballs. This recipe is a paleo spin on her dish.
1 Cacuzza diced
1lb ground bison
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 egg
1/4 cup almond flour
1 onion
3 cloves garlic ( crushed)
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 tspn ground cumin
4 cups home made chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
Heat oil in a pot, add chopped onion, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook until translucent. Add Cacuzza squash, cauliflower and sautéed for 7 min. Add garlic, bay leaves and chicken stock. Stir well and bring to a boil.
In the meanwhile, mix bison, almond flour, salt, pepper and 1beaten egg in a bowl. Mix well and form into little meatballs. They should be firm.
Add meatballs one at time and carefully to the low boiling soup. Add fresh thyme and parsley. Allow to cook for about one hour on simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I should mention that aside from sleeping better, having more energy and losing 5 lbs the first week of this challenge, I have seen some improvement in overall Crossfit performance and stamina. Joe who is also doing the challenge because he eats my cooking, has lost several lbs this week as well. Because everything is made from scratch, it does require a time commitment and some ingenuity. Making a few meals ahead of time really makes it easier. Can't wait to see the results at 8 weeks!
