EatPood

Live it up!

Last Friday I got to see and be seen with my CrossFit BFFs for happy hour at the Bistro. We demanded Paleo Margaritas. Well, actually, we asked for them in a most polite manner. The bartender was happy to oblige.

 
Here's what you want:

Paleo Margarita
2 shots Tequila (it should be clear - we had Patron Silver)
juice of one lime
club soda
ice

You don't end up drinking very many because of the potency and because they are a little dear - $14 a pop!

Serve these at your Labor Day picnic. Even though you didn't invite me (yet?).

Thanks to Robb Wolf for the recipe!

French Connection

Do you like coffee? Do you lie down in bed at night while visions of your morning coffee dance in your head? Is there a carton of half and half dancing alongside your coffee? If you answer these questions, “Yes!” then we are soul mates. The thought of coffee absent half and half posed the biggest obstacle on my road to living dairy free. I tried coconut milk from a can. I tried almond milk. I tried that coconut milk creamer with guar gum in it. None of these things tasted good. I feared I might have to foreswear coffee altogether. Then, I learned how to brew me a really good cup of black coffee.

French Press Coffee
We have a traditional Bodum French Press with a 32 oz. beaker. It comes with a little scoop, and the instructions say to use one scoop of ground coffee per every 4 oz. of water. Use a coarse grind in a French Press.

If you don’t use a coarse grind, you will have coffee grounds sneaking through the filter. I know it’s not ideal, but we grind up a bunch of beans in our burr grinder and keep it in a sealed container in our freezer.

To begin, heat some water to almost-but-not-quite boiling. We use our tea kettle. While the water heats, put 8 scoops of your coarse-ground coffee into the beaker of your French Press.

 
When the water reaches the proper temperature, pour it into the beaker.

 
Stir the coffee into the water with a plastic spoon so as not to scratch your pretty beaker.

 
Place the filter on top in the closed position, and allow the coffee to steep for 4 minutes.

 
Then, while holding onto the handle of the cage, slowly press the filter down to the bottom of the beaker.

 
Pour the coffee into a cute espresso cup or whatever vessel you choose.

 
This is the crème de le crème (sans le crème)! 

 
You can get your very own French Press at the Kanawha City Kroger. Can you believe that?!

the weather outside is FRIGHTFUL

 
But EatPood is soooooooooooooooooooooo delightful.
And since you’ve no place to go
Make cocoa
Make cocoa
Make cocoa

Hot Cocoa

Go find a smallish mug. Listen to me.  Don’t use a huge, honking one because your cocoa will taste watery. Do you have your smallish mug? Good, then we shall proceed.

 
1 rounded teaspoon Dutch process cocoa
2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream (really let’s just go with 4)
Hot water, not quite boiling
Grade B maple syrup, 1-2 teaspoons

Put the cocoa powder in your mug and break up any little lumps with a spoon. Stir in a little bit of the water to dissolve the powder. Then, stir in the cream and syrup. Now fill you smallish mug with some more of the hottish water.  Voila!  Hot cocoa for the crossfitter.

 

This is primal cocoa from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook. Mark says you can use heavy cream or full fat coconut milk.  I went with the heavy cream option.  Heavy cream...mmmmmmmm.

P.S.  EatPood is going on holiday and will return in January.  See you next year!

Farewell to Summer...

Tomorrow marks the end of summer. Capital Market still has fresh, local tomatoes, green beans, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, etc. Get you some of these beauties before the Market is overrun with pumpkins and foddershock. You can pair your local veggies with a not-so-local piece of fish to make a stunning Grilled Tuna Nicoise Platter. I’m also throwing in a bonus – Blackberry Ginger Mocktail – because I’m nice like that.

Grilled Tuna Nicoise Platter
8, 1-inch thick fresh tuna steaks (about 4 lbs)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
¾ lb haricots verts (or stringless green beans such as Blue Lake), stems removed and blanched
2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
½ lb good black olives, pitted
1 bunch arugula or whatever greens you like
1 can anchovies (optional, I opted not)

Vinaigrette
3 T champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
½ t Dijon mustard
½ t kosher salt
¼ t freshly ground pepper
10 T olive oil (this = 5 fl. oz.)

Preheat your grill. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill each side for only 1.5 to 2 minutes. The center should be raw like sushi or the tuna will be tough and dry. Arrange the tuna, beans, tomatoes eggs, olives, greens and anchovies on a large flat platter.

 
For vinaigrette, combine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Drizzle over some of the fish and veggies and serve the rest in a cruet on the side.
Serves 8. You may want to bump up the fish portion size. This recipe originally had a yummy French potato salad as part of the platter, but we don’t eat that. Do we?

 

Blackberry Ginger Mocktail
1 T minced fresh ginger root
1-2 T fresh lime juice
½ C blackberries
Sparkling water

For 1 drink: In a cocktail shaker, muddle ginger, lime juice and blackberries until blackberries are completely broken up. If you aren’t a professional bartender and don’t have a muddler, pound the berries with the handle of a wooden spoon.

 

Add ice and shake. Strain into a glass. Top with sparkling water.  Enjoy mocktail with cute husband and beautiful friend!  (Hey - people dine at Maison Kinney at their own risk!)

 

I don’t have any of the bartending supplies so I did my muddling in a large measuring cup; strained the mixture into a glass with ice with a regular old strainer; and topped it all off with sparkling water. This is a bit laborious, especially if you're making several drinks, but it tastes good.