MonkeyFood Ylimuulin apinanruokakeittiö ruokkii päätä ja häntää

18.5.2010

Dinner with Juhana

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Maidoton,paleo,Vegan,Vege — Meri @ 5.56

I had a dinner with Juhana the other week, Juhana being the blogger behind an interesting (and may I say sophisticated) nutrition/health blog Aamiainen ruohikolla. Among other things, mostly nutritional, we discussed some new meal inventions. We are both devoted fans of coconut milk and Juhana told about his reoccurring desire to mix coconut milk, champignons and fresh coriander. Sounds lovely! And is.

juhana

Juhana works his Magic

  • fresh champignons
  • (veggies such as eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage and/or bellpepper)
  • coconut milk
  • fresh coriander (aka cilantro)
  • turmeric, curry and possibly some sliced fresh ginger
  • salt

Heat a little coconut oil in a pan and chop mushrooms and veggies, let fry or almost roast for a good while. Add a generous amount of coconut milk and continue cooking until the liquid’s gone down a bit. Season with salt and chop a whole bunch of fresh coriander, mix. After adding coriander take off the heat and prepare to eat.

Goes well as it is but is also excellent with some “paleo rice” (not cauliflower this time) by which I mean just some chopped salad or thinly sliced cabbage. The taste combo works big time!

16.5.2010

Get them Paleo Patties

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,lammas,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo — Meri @ 19.50

Yeps, I know every one knows how to make burgers, but still: these were best I’ve ever made so am gonna share it with you. Just one word of advice. Alter all you want to, but DO NOT SKIP FRYING THE BURGERS ON A PAN IN BUTTER! It’s thee key to success.

The measurements are approximations since I just did it by heart as I always do… Forgive me. They just turned out so good I’m gonna try repeat it for you.

patties

[Golden burgers in the golden rays of the evening sunlight. Summer is crazy, a-la-la-la-laa!]

Golden Burgers

  •  600 gr minced lamb meat
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1 onion
  • fist size piece of a turnip or a small turnip (käytin kaskinauriin)
  • 1,5 Tblsp coconut flour
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • approx. 1 dl coconut milk
  • salt
  • pepper
  • BUTTER for frying

Grate onion and turnip, mix into a dough with other ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Form into patties and bake in a generous amount of butter until almost done. Leaves them juice and tasty and the texture is perfect!

I’m overwhelmed by my own skills 😀 Can you imagine: just seven years ago I hated cooking and didn’t know anything. Now I’ve got me precious patties.

I can has Mayo

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Maidoton,paleo,Soosit,Vege — Meri @ 19.32

I know, it’s not really something to cheer on when following a paleolithic diet, the vegetable oils with all their omega 6 fatty acids, but hey, one needs to have some mayo time to time. At least it’s not like it would contain gluten or dairy or carbs or any other sch*it 😉 It’s a decent form of fat! And beautiful. Have a look:

mayo

I tried multiple variations to make it more paleo (virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil et cetera) but no, they ruin the taste. So this is it. And the tuning possibilities are juicy!

Mayonese

  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 tsps organic raw apple vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0,5 tsp salt
  • 0,5 cups (1,2 dl) olive oil (light one! not the extra virgin stuff)
  • 0,5 cups (1,2 dl) canola oil

Break the egg in a blender, add vinegar, mustard and salt. Let whizz for awhile. Add a quarter of the oil, that is, 0,25 cups. Whizz again and repeat until you’ve added all the oil. And tadaa! The magic has happened. You can has mayo!

Tartar Sauce

  • mayo
  • chopped pickled cucumber

Enjoy with some smoked salmon, awwwh.

Ultimate Tuna Spread

  • a can of tuna in oil
  • mayo

Mix! Eat with a spoon or on a pale bread, lettuce, with veggies or… on a burger? What ever floats your paleo boat. Make some cole slaw! My favourite.

mayo2

[Mayo with cabbage. Mmm, mmmmmy boats floating!]

4.5.2010

Paleo Casserole (makaroonilaatikko)

Filed under: Alakarppi,Arkiruoka,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,Maidoton,meat,paleo,Sieniä,Uunista — Meri @ 18.02

In Finland we’ve got this hugely popular and loved dish called makaroonilaatikko. It’s something every kid eats and all adults take a ton when it’s served in the lunch restaurants. In English it would be something like macaroni (pasta) and minced meat casserole so yeah, it’s not quite paleo. Since there’s no brilliant equivalent for macaroni in paleo diet (such as cauliflower rice which isn’t that ricy either imo) I had to come up with a little different solution. The result is somewhat of an application of the paleo loaf and tastes… Yes, GOOD! May be altered with different meats, why not make it veggie sometime as well?

paleopie

Monkey Pie goes Paleo

  • couple of onions
  • 400 g canned meat (sikanauta! may also use minced meat)
  • mushrooms
  • approx. 3 dl coconut milk
  • 3 organic eggs
  • salt, pepper
  • coconut flour and nutritional yeast for crust

Cut onions into stripes and cook in butter on a pan. Add minced meat/canned meat and mushroom and cook until done (the meat cooked and the mushrooms lost a bit of their moisture). Pour into an oven casserole. Mix coconut milk with eggs in a separate bowl. Season with salt and pepper, pour into casserole. If you want a crisp, salty crust on the top such as is in the original makaroonilaatikko, put some two teaspoons or so coconut flour and nutritional yeast on the top. Bake about 40 minutes in 220 degrees. Enjoy food and childhood memories!

No-Cream Sour Cream

Filed under: Alakarppi,Elävä ravinto,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Maidoton,paleo,Soosit,Vegan — Meri @ 17.50

Again the applause go for Aletheia for figuring out this one: how to get some sour cream while following paleo to go with some veggie chips, cold-smoked salmon or taco wraps (in a lettuce, naturally). Well, it’s easy. The taste isn’t quite as the original but serves as a dip brilliantly! Tested with some… err… potato chips *withdraws to a corner to do some SHAME time*

sourcream

Sour Cream for Paleo People

  • two handfuls of cashew nuts (soaked)
  • one handful of organic sauerkraut
  • dash of lemon juice
  • salt, pepper
  • dried or fresh dill

Let cashews soak in water for at least a half an hour. Pour away the water and put the cashews and sauerkraut in a blender. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, mix. Add dill and check the taste. I had to add some water to make it mix well but didn’t ruin anything, made it a bit more moist.

If you’ll try this and come up with some awesome ideas to utilize it, please share!

Supergreen! Paleo Pesto.

Filed under: Alakarppi,Elävä ravinto,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Maidoton,Nuts!,paleo,raw food,Soosit — Meri @ 17.37

Pesto. That’s one thing you wouldn’t want to miss out because of a (healthy) diet. And luckily, you don’t have to! Just omit the pasta.

paleopestp

[Nigella would be poetic in her words about this gleaming green pesto.]

Paleo Pesto

  • a bunch of fresh basilicum (may as well use the thai version, hint of aniseed in the taste)
  • (at least) 3 Tbsps pine nuts
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast (for the cheesy taste!)
  • loads of good quality organic extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

Rip off the leaves from the poor basilicum like a decent gatherer and stuff them into blender. Add pine nuts, garlic, salt and olive oil. Let blend and add olive oil until the consistency is creamy and soluble enough. You may also want to add some pine nuts, trust your taste. Nutritional yeast isn’t gonna ruin your batch by it’s absence, but I sincerely recommend it: the nutty, cheesy, salty taste really makes up for parmiggiano in other foods as well.

Mix pesto with veggies, meat or just eat it with a spoon! Goes with nearly everything and suits the non-paleo friends as well.

17.4.2010

Paleolithic Chocolate Sauce

Filed under: Alakarppi,Elävä ravinto,Gluteeniton,laktoositon,Maidoton,paleo — Meri @ 14.35

…and this version is now without avocado, which also makes a PERFECT chocolate mousse! If you don’t know that yet, check out The Crocodile Mousse (in English later in this post). You might also call this more like a chocolate sauce or a pudding, but anyway: it’s chocolate and it’s ALMOST paleo. Only using the stevia (a root, natural sweetener) makes it a tad questionable.

musse

Smooth Criminal

  • 2 generous Tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter, you may also use raw almond butter, it’s taste it more neutral)
  • 1,5 dl coconut milk or cream
  • 1,5 Tbsp raw cocoa powder
  • 13 drops Vanilla Stevia
  • (optional: 1-2 Tbsp cashew flour (just grind it first in the blender))

Put everything in a blender and blend, adjust the sweetness by using stevia or some other form of sweetener. You may use raisins or dried fruit instead of stevia, but then you have to blend them first. If you want the mixture to be more like mousse, add tahini/almond butter. If you want it to be more like a sauce, you may add a little bit of coconut milk. Using some cashew nut flour adds a bit texture, but you may find it doesn’t need it.

And it’s ready. So easy. If you have the patience to let the sauce/mousse cool down in the fridge, it will settle a bit quickly. Eat as it is or use it in a raw cake or enjoy the sauce with some blueberries. Whatever works for you.

musse2

The Crocodile Mousse

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 0,6 dl warm water
  • 0,6 dl raw cocoa powder
  • 0,5 tsp natural vanilla extract
  • 0,5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0,5 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Vanilla stevia or other sweetener of your choice

Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and spoon the flesh into a blender. Add other ingredients and let it smooth out, then add the sweetener and adjust the taste according to your taste buds. You may add some flaxseed if you like to get some texture, but works beautifully without seeds as well. Velvety, delicious and just so very chocolaty.

16.4.2010

Meet the Muffin (Cave)Man

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,paleo — Meri @ 6.19

So what do you get when you pour your loaf dough into a muffin tin? Six quiches! I used the same base as in the Salty and Sublime paleo loaf, but this time I used some skinny chorizos (cut and baked on a pan to release the fatty goodness) instead of bacon. I also subbed the chili olives by some garlic ones, works as well.

This dough translated into six huge (Jamie Oliver’s silicone muffin mould for six pieces) muffins aka quiches. Nomnom. Nothing new under the Monkey sun but wanted to drop a word. WORD.

quiche

10.4.2010

Bend over, paleolithic diet!

Filed under: Alakarppi,Gluteeniton,mikroruokaa,paleo — Meri @ 7.41

Is it or isn’t it??! YES it is “bread“! Paleo bread but with sum cheez! Decided to try some to test my gut after my excellent Biosig results yesterday. The cheese is un-pastourized, naturally, and a rare treat. As rare is the bread itself, but it’s totally paleo if you’d like to make burgers or sandwiches some time. And it tastes good! Super easy, but you need a microwave. Microwave’s soooo paleo.

paleobread

[This one has flaxseed in it, hence the robust colouring.]

The One Minute Wonder (aka Paleo Bread)

  • 0,6 dl almond flour (or mix almond flour/nut flour/grounded flaxseeds)
  • 1 Tbl butter
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder (I’ve heard it may be omitted but never tried without)
  • some salt

Melt butter, mix all ingredients in a plastic container (not too big, so “the dough” forms maybe 1 cm layer in the bottom) and microwave it for one minute, full throttle. Bling! It’s ready.  Turn the box over and hit it lightly so as to get the “bun” fall from it. Let cool a little, cut into halves horizontally and treat like bread. Sure tastes like it.

In my opinion (self grounded) almond meal gives the most bread like end product: a fluffy light one, but if you want some seedy texture, try mixing some flaxseed in it, grounded as well. Works also with bran and different flours, but that’s up to you whether you want to touch the evil grains.

8.4.2010

Boeuf Tartare

Filed under: Alakarppi,Elävä ravinto,Gluteeniton,Lihaa,meat,paleo,raw food — Meri @ 20.01

The simplest paleo dish: a tartar steak. Calls for quality (and usually low fat) minced meat and is totally RAW. May be seasoned according to taste. Also pretty civilized, so if you wanna be a posh cave(wo)man, try this.

tartare

Steak Tartar

  • minced meat (preferably low in fat, this time)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • (optional: an egg yolk, worcestershire sauce, minced onion)

Season the meat and mix well by hand. Add egg yolk or other ingredients if you prefer, I just stuck with this very basic stuff. Form into a patty and eat away! Soooo sophisticated.

Some people suggest sides such as

  • pickles
  • raw onion
  • anchovy
  • olives
  • pickled onion
  • capers

Choose your weapons.

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