I recorded a quick video yesterday on making chicken stock. I just need to get to know a little more about Corel Video Studio so I can post it in all its wonderness!

Bear with me folks, it is coming up. For now, I will get back to some serious work:

A play on words that is simple to prepare - and even the vegans will be cheering!

From the almighty Wikipedia:

Carpaccio (pronounced /k?r?p??t?i.o?/ or /k?r?p??t?o?/; Italian pronunciation: [kar?patt?o]) is a dish of raw meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna) generally thinly sliced or pounded thin and served as an appetizer.

Why would I use a VEGETABLE for this dish when I could use beef or bison? Have the VEGANS finally corrupted me?

Far from it. Unlike some banana eating prothlesizers, I can actually have fun playing with my food. Hence, a dish like this – a play on words. A Raw Sweet Potato Dish.

The point of this dish is to give you the sensation of rawness, while still being palatable to eat. If you have ever tried to eat a sweet potato raw, you know it ain’t all that nice.

The trick is to pickle the sweet potatoes, and serve them with a nice, refreshing salad on the top. It is straight-forward to prepare. All you need are a few ingredients, a bit of patience, and you will be the talk of your party.

You would even be able to serve this dish to a vegan, if you felt so inclined. It just happens to follow the 80/10/10 philosphy. How about that?

Let’s get started:

Sweet Potato Carpaccio

8 servings

Ingredients:

Brine

• 3 pods star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 15 peppercorns
• 1 medium fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
• 4 shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 large oranges, zested, segmented, (juice kept separate)
• 3 cups white wine vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 1 bunch tarragon

The Potato

• 1 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch wide

The Salad:

• a few leaves of spring mix lettuce
• your favorite vinaigrette
• orange segments from above
• to taste sun-dried cranberries

Method:

1. Put a pot over medium heat. Drop in the star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns and toast them, (shaking them lightly,) until you can begin to smell the spices.
2. Add in fennel, shallots, and orange zest. Cook for a couple more minutes so the fennel and shallots start breaking down, and the oils of the orange peels coat the fennel. This will take about 2 minutes.
3. Add the orange juice, white wine vinegar, water, and maple syrup. Bring the works to a boil, then lower the heat to below a simmer. (The lowest setting your burner will go!) You want just a HINT of a bubble to to break the surface. You don’t want to reduce this mixture too much. Let this mixture steep like a tea for 45 minutes.
4. Turn up the heat to a simmer. (You will see a bit of bubbles breaking the surface, that’s it. You want to turn the heat to a little higher than your low setting.) Add the sweet potatoes and cook 4 to 5 minutes until cooked but still firm.
5. While you are waiting for the potatoes to cook, grab a large bowl and fill it with ice water. (The bowl needs to be big enough and deep enough for your pot.) Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the pot from the stove and place it into the ice bath and cool the mixture rapidly. The idea is to stop the cooking process so your sweet potatoes don’t overcook.
6. You can serve the works right away, or place them in a non-reactive container and store in the fridge. They will keep in the brine for up to 1 month, if kept properly cold.
7. When ready to serve, remove the pickled sweet potatoes from the brine and place on the plate in concentric circles. Toss the spring greens in your vinaigrette, and place in the center. Garnish with the orange segments, and sun-dried cranberries.

Hello all. For those of you following Primal Food’s Experiment, please know that I have not given up on it. I have been hospitalized, and recently fighting a bad bug that the plague monkey gave me. So, in the shits as they say.

The Last 2 Weeks

I have not had 100% compliance with the diet, because I have had to give myself glucose for an emergency. (That included drinking a Sprite to combat an oncoming hypo.)

I have also discovered that I need to cover the basal insulin I give myself with carbs despite being sick, and not able to eat. That is one place where the Paleo diet doesn’t have it covered unfortunately.

For a diabetic, the concern is hypoglycemia. It is a real condition that could put you into a coma, or worse. Sometimes you just can’t fuck around with higher carb vegetables, fruit or whatnot. You need to be sure that your blood sugar will rise when it needs to, in a consistent fashion.

Fucking around by eating an apple is not a good way. When was the apple picked? Is it ripe? Was it gassed? How much sugar/fructose/glucose is actually in there?

Our ancestors did not have to worry about these things, because fact was – if they did, they died out in short order. Well, that ain’t happening to me.

Now, you are probably thinking I am prefacing this update like this because I want to make an excuse for weight gain, or something like that.

Nope.

I actually lost weight this week. I am sure that it is mostly water weight, but there it is. Since the last post on this experiment, where I was 201.5 lbs.

My weight went up last week to 203 lbs, but I didn’t sweat it.

This morning I weighed myself, (well, I weighed myself a LOT over the last couple of days, having the sickness to determine the amount of fluids lost.)

I weighed in at 196 lbs. That’s a 5 pound loss.

Here are some pictures:

A bit of a difference....

Slightly thinner

a bit smaller

So there you have it – a couple of weeks have passed, a bit of weight loss. So far, so good!

How about your results?

Strain gently - one of the secret laws of stocks and broths.

In anticipation of the video I am slavi- err – making, I bring you this short theory post on general stock making. Enjoy!

How do you make a great stock or broth? Our goal – a liquid that has great flavor, rich, vibrant color, excellent body with a high gelatin content. You will have all my secrets by the end of this post!

Why don’t people make their own stocks and broths?

Here are some things I have heard:

• Stocks are steeped in tradition, and can be very difficult to the “commoner” to make. I mean, if things go wrong, and you’ve fucked up all your work, and everything is ruined, right?
• It comes out like bathwater, it is not even good enough to feed my dog? I mean, the professionals are the only ones who can make this shit, right?
• It takes too much fucking time! I have to feed my kids/go to soccer/ballet/piano lessons/manicure/psychiatrist after chowing down on a dinner that I have exactly 15 minutes to prepare!

Yah, that’s what I thought, you think that’s bullshit as well, huh? People reach for the powders, because stock making seems like such a pain in the ass.

In following posts, I will prove to you how effortless it can be to make stocks, but we need to get some theory out of the way.

Today I am going to give you the Secret Chef Laws to making awesome stocks and broths. It comes to us in a sort of poem.

Quick now, go memorize it!

The Secret Chef Poem

I can’t remember where I first read it, but paraphrased:

Start in cold water
Simmer gently
Skim frequently
Simmer patiently
Strain carefully
Cool quickly
Store properly
Degrease before using

The Secret Chef Laws in Practice:

Start in cold water is essential. The cold water dissolves the blood and crap in the bones. When the stock is slowly brought to a simmer, the crappy bits cook up and rise to the top and form scum, and you can easily skim them off.

Let’s say you started your stock in hot water. The blood and crap will solidify and stick to the bones. Worse, if the stock is boiled, they discolor the water and make it cloudy and shitty tasting. No one wants that, right?

One other thing I do differently – I add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of cold water. This allows for the extraction of calcium and minerals from the bones. For some reason, I just get better body from the stock as well. Some people might shy away, afraid of a vinegary taste.

Relax – I can’t taste it, and neither would you!

Simmer gently! You don’t want any bubbles to break the surface of the stock. Your liquid will stay clear if you gently simmer it. If you let it boil for any period of time, relax. Your stock will be cloudy, but it’s not the end of the world.

Add the vegetables and aromatics (spices – bay leaf, peppercorn, thyme) to the stock AFTER the stock is brought to a simmer, and skimmed. This way there is less chance of impurities messing up your hard work.

Skim the fat and scum. Now, if you are working for me, I am going to make you skim it all the time. Otherwise, relax – as long as your vegetables make a “raft” on the top, your oil and impurities will rise above it and keep the stock less cloudy.

Simmer patiently. Let time do the work. I like to let a beef stock go at least 8 hours, if not 24. I know, sounds crazy, right? The longer you go, the more depth your flavor will have, the more gelatin you extract, and the more accolades you will get. Keep it under 30 hours though, unless you want your other half giving you dirty looks all the time!

Strain gently. This is pretty self explanatory, but I guess it bears repeating here; if you just go and dump everything from the pot through your strainer, you have just wasted 24+ hours of your life. Respect what you have done, and you won’t be sorry!

Cool quickly. Don’t let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours to cool off. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to get the steam off, then put it into portioned containers. (For home use, 2 cup containers.) Put it into the fridge or freezer to rapidly cool.

Store properly. Make sure that it is covered, labeled as to what it is, when you made it. Nothing would be worse than finding that mystery container in the freezer and having NO idea what it was.

I like to leave a little bit of the grease on the top. It will make a cap that will protect from freezer burn in the freezer. Back in the old days they used to put a layer of butter on the top to save their hard work.

Degrease before using. Simply remove the fat with a spoon when the fat is congealed.

There you have it, a nice little poem for you to remember, and a chunk of theory for the upcoming video. I hope I broke it down into bite-size pieces for all of you.

What do you think? Are you ready for the video yet?

I just wanted to let you all know that I am taking a break with the family to get some much needed connection time! We plan to have a blast, and I will tell you all about it when we get back!

Unfortunately, this photo does not do it justice. Put down that plastic bottle and reach for this one!

Psst… Can I tell you a secret?

This “jam” is made with a canned item.

I know. I know! You are shaking your head. What the “Aitch-Eee-Double-Hockeysticks” is he talking about here?

Thing is, I don’t have anything against canned goods, as long as the goods are canned in their peak. In the case of the tomatoes for this recipe, you could go ahead and use the ones I guest posted here. (Shameless self plug. Har Har) or you could reach for the beautiful canned San Marzano tomatoes, and be sure to get a great product.

In the end, if you can stand it, you will still have something very special. Now that the cat is out of the bag, here is a recipe to use instead of that disgusting sugary-tomato condiment everyone reaches for:

Roasted Tomato Jam

Serves: 20
calories: 34.5
carbohydrates: 2.5 g
1 condiment

Ingredients

• 1 28 ounce can tomatoes (San Marzano if you can), juices reserved, cut roughly with your scissors.
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup reserved liquid from tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 sprig rosemary

Method:

1. Toss tomatoes, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper together in an oven-proof dish and roast at 350°F for about an hour, taking care to stir the mixture occasionally so it does not dry out. When the tomatoes are almost dry, pull them out of the oven.
2. Meanwhile, bring brown sugar, tomato juice and white wine vinegar to a boil; reduce heat and reduce the mixture by 1/2. (You will end up with a 1/4 cup, and a concentrated flavored syrup.) Gently fold the syrup into the cooled tomatoes until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.
3. Finally, fold in the chopped rosemary leaves to taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary with kosher salt and pepper.

Now that you have it, what can you see putting it on?

This is beautiful. A great workout!

Well, I gone and done it!

I have a slight pain while sitting in my right abdomen/groin area. I need to visit the doctor today for a follow-up to see whether it is just a strained back muscle or something more serious.

Fear not though, my workout does not end here! I am going up north today to look at the fall colors. I plan to make a hike out of it, and take some lovely pictures. I can’t wait! Chest and Back continues on Monday!

Image courtesy of Don Hankins of Flickr under Creative Commons by Attribution 2.0

This is what would feed a family for our ancestors

Crouching down on his haunches, he breathed through his nose to calm the hammering in his chest. Ahead lay his quarry, happily nibbling on a fresh sweet leaf fern shoot. When was the last time he had eaten? His stomach rumbled, and to his surprise, the rabbit did not bolt away How could it not hear that? It was loud enough to warn the dead. He thought his stomach was eating his way through his belly. He stepped forward hefting his spear.

The telltale crack of a twig underfoot sent the rabbit scurrying into the bush, the only clue it had been there was the freshly chewed fern shoot.

Sighing, the hunter rose to follow, absently plucking some wild red berries and popping them into his mouth. Supper would have to wait a while longer.

Eat More Often and Lose Weight

Take it from someone who loves to eat; do it often! I am going to share my “secret” diet with you – eat every 3 hours. Stop when I am 80% satisfied.

I know, it is nothing new. You might have heard about it from every person under the sun. I don’t know about the science behind it, but I am thinking the idea is to make your meals smaller so after every 3 hours or so you feel like eating.

I know some of you out there are already thinking that the lifestyle is too mg a pain in the ass. I understand where you are coming from; who has the time to prepare 6 meals, let along stop and eat them.

Well, I am going to call bull on you right now. Shake that thought from your mind for a second, and follow me while I explain my twisted logic:

Our ancestors ate small meals at every opportunity

They probably did not want to gorge themselves so they could not move, because it would interfere with their escape? The world was a dangerous place back then, so mobility was key. They exception to that would have been when a group of hunters took down a mammoth or something that was too hard to carry around. This brings us to the next point.

Our ancestors went long times between each gorging, Living off what they could find

Protein was an important fuel for our ancestors, but taking it down would have been tough. If you look at Native American culture, they would take down a buffalo, have a feast, then preserve everything else. They also did not waste anything.

What does all this mean for our diets today?

Here is how you can key your diet to be like those of our lean ancestors:

Instead of eating 3 “square meals”, eat 6 “round” meals.

1. Cut back the size of protein. Do you really need 16 ounces of beef at your next meal? Probably not. The ideal size is about the size of a deck of cards, or 4 to 6 ounces, Meat is easy to come by these days, but that does not mean we have to constantly gorge ourselves on it.
2. Cut carbohydrates drastically. Take a look at the portion sizes of your carbohydrates. An example is pasta. A portion size is 1 cup cooked. I used to eat 5 times that amount. No wonder I got fat.
3. Add more veggies and fruit for filler. Make the meat the “centerpiece” of your plate, but the vegetables and fruit are the supporting cast. There is only one star, but a lot of people to fill that supporting role. My rule is that of 5′s: 1 part meat, 1 part carbohydrates, 3 parts veggies and fruits.
4. Eat smaller amounts, until you are just feeling satisfied. Have you ever wondered why you felt hungry an hour after eating at a Chinese buffet? It is because you are supposed to. Protein plays a smaller role in Chinese cuisine, vegetables and fruit fill the supporting roles I was talking of earlier. Your body works through them faster, making you ready for the next bit later.
5. Supplement with snack of substance in between meals, small but calorie dense. You need something to tide you over till the “next take-down”, so snack on something that will sustain you until then. An example would be a small handful of nuts.

Use the portion approach, based on your diet level: I use level 2, so here is what my diet looks like:

• 7 protein
• 3 dairy
• 1 fruit
• 1 fat
• 1 carbohydrates
• 4 vegetables
• 3 snacks (1 double, Protein bar, “Drink”)
• 2 condiments

Here is what a day of eating looks like for me:

Finally, a last tip: go to bed hungry. This is important! If you are diabetic like me, you may need a very small amount of protein to counter the dawn phenomena. Otherwise, go to bed hungry so your body will burn through the calories while you sleep. Get your body ready for “break fast” by actually fasting.

How could you break your meals into the same pattern as your ancestors ate? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

Image courtesy of peet-astn of Flickr under Creative Commons by Attribution 2.0

I did not do my Shoulders and Arms today. I spent over 1 1/2 hours walking with a 40 lb backpack yesterday, so when the time came for the workout, I was just out of gas. I think I had already brought it, if my shoulders and legs are any indication!

I will be doing the workout tomorrow.

The Kenpo X workout did not happen tonight. I was so exhausted, I fell asleep when I put my son to bed. I woke up, and it was 3h30 in the morning. I guess my body was trying to tell me something. No sense being stupid and overdoing it. Then you won’t be able to train.

The workout will happen tomorrow instead.