This is a simple and satisfying side order to go with some smoked salmon or maybe organic chicken. In my mind (and in my mouth to be exact) this tastes like pizza so it does makes me happy… In a way that no pizza would do. Anyway, I’m too coward to promise you a definate pizza experience but even as what it is - veggies seasoned with oregano - it’s delicious. Nothing too fancy but oh so satiating. Eggplant works the best sucking all the flavours in!

Pizza Vegetariana

• half of an large eggplant
• half of an large zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 2 dl pureed tomato (or crushed tomato) in a can
• 2-3 Tbs nutritional yeast
• dried oregano
• butter, salt, water

Chop the veggies into generous bites, carrots more thinly. Fry the veggies in a heavy amount of butter on a large skillet. Add the canned tomato and a little water. Season with oregano, salt and nutritional yest. Let it cook up until it’s more like a stew than a sauce and so that the tomato loses its bitterness. There you go. Uno Pizza Vegetariana, por favor.

Love at first sight! That’s what it was when I laid my eyes on this recipe just a few brief days ago in Thee Finnish Food Blog, Pastanjauhantaa. The recipe originated from a Finnish glossy food magazine Glorian Ruoka and included a whole HALF a decilitre of sugar. A genuine paleo monkey such as myself of course arrogantly sweeps away even the thought of adding sugar in food and so I just skipped that one ingredient, whistling like Piglet. Still, the result blew me away. As well as the rest of the eaters. Oh yes, this one’s a keeper.

Indeed it’s not the best quality paleo salad there is since it includes a whole lotta mayo but you gotta get your omega 6s somewhere to balance the omega 3s from all the grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon  (or the lemon tasting bottle, to tell the truth). You are welcome to prepare your own mayo (I can has mayo!) but I just went with a store-bought this time.

Mayo Monster (aka broccoli salad)

• 1 kg broccoli
• 4 shallots or a generous bunch of spring onion/a junk of red onion/whatever onion you like
• 2 dl (0,8 cups) cashews
• 300 g bacon

Tear the broccoli florets in a bowl and chop the onion(s) along them. Roast cashews on a hot pan, set aside. Leave the bacon until later. Prepare the sauce.

Sauce

• 2,5 dl (1 cup) mayonese
• 2 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix the sauce and blend it among broccoli and onion. Let the salad sit in the fridge for about two hours. When it’s time to serve the course, bake bacon until crispy and cut it in pieces. Spread cashews and bacon bits over the salad and dig in! …it’ll be gone before you have time to say HOLY CATS!

And again I’m blogging in Finnish since this is about a new Finnish gluten-free dairy-free product and not sold elsewhere. So hang in there, my English readers, this is not turning into a Finnish written but I’ll just make some occasional visits to mother tongue.

[Kuva Biofermen sivuilta, omat purkkimme olivat syödyt ennen kuin pääsin kameraan kiinni!]

Eli suomeksi mennään! Sain kesän alussa kotimaiselta pieneltä yritykseltä Biofermeltä postia ja sitten lähetyksen: katsokaa mallia Pastanjauhajilta, sain samanlaisen, käsittämättömän anteliaan setin! Kyseessä on siis kaupassa myytävistä kaurapohjaisista hapatetuista “jogurtinomaisista” tuotteista vastuussa oleva firma, joka lähestyi uuden tuotteensa esittelyasioissa. Yosa-valmisteet ovat kaurasta hapattamalla valmistettuja eivätkö siis sisällä gluteenia tai maitotuotteita lainkaan.

Makeampia jogurtteja tai muita en kaipaakaan, mutta uusin tuotteensa Ruoka&Dippi tuli ihan tarpeeseen. Kyseessä on ruokacrémen tapaan käytettävä tuote, jolla saa kastikkeisiin jne. kermaista tuntua. Ja maukasta sellaista! Pelkästään maisteltuna Ruoka&Dippi maistuu lähinnä maustamattomalta soijajogurtilta emmekä innostuneet sen dippi-ulottuvuudesta, mutta ruoanlaitossa se toimi erinomaisesti.

Sain tuotetta niin monta purkkia että sitä tuli testatuksi monessa. Parhaimpina kuitenkin vuosien takaa itselleni tuttu savulohikastike, jota en ole syönyt sen jälkeen kun jätin pastan (siitä on enemmän vuosia kuin osaan laskea). Pannulle siis sipulia ja vaikka porkkanakiekkoja, ehkä sieniä, ja Yosa Ruoka&Dippiä. Kylmäsavulohta suikaleina sekaan ja keitellään hiukan kasaan. Autenttinen maku! Todella hyvää.

Toinen kokeiluni joka sai käsittämätöntä ylistystä Lihansyöjän taholta oli lihasuikalekastike, joka syntyi suunnilleen samalla tavalla. Palaute kuului häikäisevästi “melkein yhtä hyvää kuin isän lihakastike lapsena”. Toisin sanoen varmaan juuri yhtä hyvää, aika kun kultaa muistot ja maut… Siis helkkarin maukasta ja Yosa tuo hyvän rakenteen, pitää raaka-aineet kasassa.

Ruoka&Dipin lisäksi saimme läjän erilaisia smoothieita ja “jogurtteja“, joista kaikista Lihansyöjä piti valtavasti samoin kuin kollegani töissä, jossa tarjoilin muutamia makuraadille. Ja mm. punaiset marjat -niminen tuotos sai vakiystävän puheterapeutistamme. Vanilja-Yosa olisi myös hyödyllinen jälkiruokatyyppisissä ratkaisuissa, vaikka juustokakuissa, jos sellaisia haluaa tehdä.

Oma vatsani on niin herkkis, ettei Yosa valitettavasti sovi ruokavaliooni kuin kovin harvoin, mutta suositan kyllä erityisesti Ruoka&Dippiä arjen ja juhlan pelastajana, kun täytyy saada täyteläistä maidotonta ja gluteenitonta ruokaa. Veikkaan, että Yosa lähtee vielä maailmalle! Ja huom. Yosa Ruoka&Dippihän on myös täysin kasvipohjainen eli hellii myös vegaaneja.

It’s not EXACTLY paleo to even try preparing ice cream but since I’m not following EXACTLY paleo diet but more eating based on all the knowledge on what’s best for humans for their health (and longevity and performance, thanks Robb!) such as butter and some dark chocolate and red wine combined with the ancestral diet I just gave it a go. And it turned out delish! I haven’t had real ice cream in so long that I say: this is JUST like ice cream! Go nuts on the sugar festival!

Chunky Monkey goes paleo

• 1 ripe fair trade banana
• 4 dl of coconut cream
• 1 pod of vanilla bean
• 2 organic eggs
• (cinnamon)

Peel the banana and put in in the blender together with coconut cream and eggs. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the mixture. Add some cinnamon if you like; I thought it made all the difference. Blend until thoroughly  mixed. Move into a large dish and set it it the freezer. After an hour or more start visiting your ice cream every now and then to mix it up: scrape the icy bits and mix them with the still softer mass. This will make the consistency more airy and icecreamy. Eat when the level of stickiness suits you. Garnish with nuts or seeds or fresh pineapple fried in butter! Or just eat plain.

Sweeter Shade of Pale (this one was too sweet for me but it may suit you)

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 dl coconut cream
• 1 organic egg
• 1 vanilla pod

Prepare as above. Eat away!

Awwwhh, this was good! Continuing on the raw side of life this also turned to be not just paleo and low carb but vegan as well. So it really suits everyone doesn’t it? Here’s just the basic idea, you may vary the vegetables and season it with chili or garlic or peppers or oregano. Still, it’s a perfect dish for the hottest day of the summer that’ll also please you delicate tummy being easy to digest.

Monkey Mush

• generous amount of chinese cabbage
• some broccoli florets
• a tomato
• a junk of courgette (aka zucchini)
• 2 stalks of celery
• coconut milk
• quality salt

Chop the veggies a bit and mush them in a blender. Pour in some nice coconut milk to make it more like a stew or even a soup if you like. Spice it up with salt and whateva! Tasty as hell and filling, thanks to the coconut.

I just had a wonderful weekend at my friend’s mom and dad’s summer house. As you may guess we also ate some brilliant food: self grown courgettes, freshly smoked salmon, strawberries, Asian fish stew and my friends also ate Maija’s freshly baked bread that at least smelled awfully good and cosy. And besides all this we also had some cauliflower salad that’s my friend’s family’s innovation. Yep, I think it’s an innovation; sort of a marinated and sort of a salad but better than each alone.

I made this already on Sunday to try it out myself and it turned out as good as it should. Also Meat Eater liked it tho he preferred onion over cauliflower.

The Kiikala Cauliflower

• a cauliflower or two
• onion (preferably spring onion but red onion and other will do)
• balsamico
• good quality olive or other oil

Tear the florets from the cauliflower into a big bowl. Chop the onion/onions and add. Splash some generous amount of oil and add balsamico. Use maybe a third compered to the amount of oil. Mix well and let sit in the fridge as long as you can hold it. Works after couple of hours but is ultimate after one night. A brilliant side for fish, meat or to season a salad. And you can prepare a bigger amount and eat it several days in a row… If it’ll keep.

And once again, a billion thanks to all the girls! It was priceless. <3 Wanna do it AGAIN!

This is goood. Very sour, acidic, tasty, gets your juices flowing! And totally (awesome!) raw. Suits a paleo person well indeed. Easy to prepare, inspiration from Okriina in Vegaanikahvila. Cheers, mate!

Raw Rhubarb Mess

• 0,5 litres or 7 or so stacks of rhubarb
• cinnamon, cardamom
• a pinch of salt
• a splur of coconut milk
• a little water
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• vanilla stevia

Remove the “bad” ends from the rhubarb stalks, you may also peel them if you like, I didn’t. Chop them up in the blender, blend until rough. Add a little water and some more coconut milk, season. Mix again and move into a bowl. Add the chia seeds and mix again, let it in the fridge until a gelé has formed (not too much, unless you prefer it: you may also need to add some more chia). Serve with coconut milk or organic whole fat cream. Can’t be bad?

A year ago thee green smoothie was a steady friend of mine as a breakfast. I wouldn’t have skipped it for anything! But since, things have changed and I rarely blend anything. I’m not a big fan of liquid food; not because I wouldn’t like it but because I believe most of the time whole food should be kept whole. Anyway, I dug up my blender and did some SOUP today! And a dessert as well. Tasted as good as ever and filled me nicely together with the nori rolls and offered some needed variation.

Raw Tomato Soup (or “stew” - not so liquidy)

•  2 ripe tomatoes
• a piece of cucumber
• 2 celery stalks (with the leaves!)
• 1 glove of garlic
• salt, pepper
• herb mixture

Cut everything up and put them in the blender, let the blender do what it does best! Garnish with some sprouted beans.

Nori Rolls

• nori sheets
• kale
• sauerkraut
• carrots

Place the kale leaves (remove the thickest stems) on the nori as shown on the picture, add sauerkraut and sliced carrot. Roll baby! Eat away.

Just some quick ones, two different side orders and “Mc Feast” paleo burgers. Burgers made by the same killer recipe as before, mayo tuned with lemon. Deeeeelish!

Chantarelles and bacon

• chantarelles
• bacon
• -doh?

Chop them, bake them in the pan! You’d never had guessed?

Spring onion and cherry tomatoes

• spring onions
• cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half, chop the onions. Put them on a baking tray and add a splash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Let bake in a hot oven until… done? A little char in the onions makes them taste sooo much better But any way you like!

I really like nori, the seaweed used in maki rolls. Since rice is a no-no and I don’t have the money (or energy) to always use smoked salmon to make these and since variation is a nice thing, we came up with these two bunnies. The latter was inspired by some nnnice mayo and cheese filled ham rolls tasted in Tallinn… Might as well be made with mayo.

Tuna rolls (no rice)

• nori sheets
• tuna in oil
• mayo (self made or a quality one from a jar/tube)
• lettuce, cucumber, carrot
• pepper, salt

Drain the tune a bit (not all the oil out! That’s where the flavour is.) and mix with some generous amount of mayo, lemon mayo went well with these. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Cut the carrot and cucumber thinly lengthwise. Put a nori sheet in front of you and place two leaves of lettuce in the other end. Add tunamayo and veggie strips and roll. Eat like a HOTDOG! Adding some sauerkraut worked for me as well. Not for the Meat Eater tho.

Ham rolls

• quality ham (preferrably smoked)
• hard boiled eggs
• butter
• salt
• (chives)

Smash boiled eggs with a fork and mix some butter in the egg crumble. Season with salt and possibly chopped chives. Roll into a ham slice. Easy peasy.