December 7th, 2010

Asian pork spareribs



I needed a rub fix this week and did not want to roll out the smoker so I used the braise method and a quick spice paste. These turned out fantastic.

Ingredients:
1 slab of St Louis cut ribs
1 onion
1″ piece of ground ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 shallot
1/4c soy sauce or salt
1/4c rice wine vinegar
1T sesame oil
1T roasted white sesame seeds
Some water.

Cut off excess fat and cut into 2 bone pieces. Sear in a hot cast iron skillet. Set aside. Add all other ingredients except seeds in a blender to make a paste. Add water as needed. Place paste in skillet and heat for 2 min. Add ribs, some water and cover pan. Place in 300 deg oven for about 2 hours. Eat. Top with sesame seeds.

POSTED BY Daniel Merk | 02:21am 7th-Dec, 2010

November 2nd, 2010

Primal/Paleo Gratin

I love gratins. I used to make them with a bechemel sauce and lots of cheese and cream. Not this time (yes this is vegan). The use of cooked coconut milk and saffron makes this really creamy and flavorful. I can’t describe it other than “interesting.” I bought a bunch of parsley roots and sweet potatoes and had no idea what to make with them. I also love chestnuts so they were added as a topping here instead of the potato chip deal where my mother used to make. This was another experiment that went well. Give it a try!

Ingredients
3 medium sized parsley roots with leaves and stems removed, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato
1/2 can coconut milk
1 T gahram masala or curry powder
pinch of cayenne
pinch of saffron threads
salt/pepper
1tsp honey
1T coconut oil
5 chestnuts roasted and shelled and chopped

Heat coconut oil. Add cayenne and garaham masala or curry powder and saute for a few seconds. Add coconut milk. Add saffron and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place all potato and roots in pot and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash 1/4 of the roots and potatoes. The rest chop into either a dice or slices. Place in baking pan. The mashed add to the coconut milk on the stove. Cook for 5 min or so. I used a blender, but puree the sauce to make a thick cream. Add to baking pan and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Chop chestnuts and add over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking. Serve warm.

POSTED BY Daniel Merk | 07:52pm 2nd-Nov, 2010

November 2nd, 2010

Day 8

Monique’s Accountability

I haven’t worked out since last week. Emil caught a bug on Friday and we, his proud parents, managed to pick this annoyance also. Nursing yourself back to wellness is one thing, but when you have your sick little one to care for, it’s a whole different story. This reminds me of why I never drink too much now as a parent:) Back on the fitness trail tomorrow. The important thing is not to beat myself up for not getting in those essential workouts, but to get well and focus on the present.

Monique’s Nutrition
B:1 egg, 2 sausage patties (Dan ground these from Pork and added herbs), 1/2 cup raspberries w/ 1/4 pecans and 1 T coconut milk
S: Hard boiled egg
L: 1.5 cups of homemade chicken soup, no noodles or rice, or course, 1 chocolate Lara Bar
D: 1.5 cup Texas Chili, compliments of Dan
S: 4 cups of tea today with locally grown honey and lemon (excessive on the sugar but was so helpful on my throat)

Dan’s Accountability

This weekend was pretty lousy. Eating was ok, mostly protein, but I fasted most of Saturday and the evening was not great. I think I ate too much! Sunday was worthless because we made pizza from some bread and cheese. I’m really not sure why we did that, but in my past life Halloween meant to eat pizza and then pass out candy. The candy part was hard too. Had way too much. Monique tossed it in the trash. Thank goodness. My breakfast and lunch were on point. I can’t remember what they were, but I remember not eating any sugar, etc. We don’t keep bread in the house or grains so it may have been alot of fruit. I started to get sick on Sunday so I made some chili. I started feeling lousy so I did not get a workout in. Monday was going to be a new day.

Dan’s Nutrition
B:1 egg, 2 sausage patties, Green tea
S: Hard boiled egg
L: Shakeology + scoop whey
D: 2c cup Oxtail Chili
S: 4 cups of tea today with locally grown honey and lemon (excessive on the sugar but was so helpful on my throat)

WOD: Rest (sick)

POSTED BY Monique Merk | 07:40pm 2nd-Nov, 2010

November 1st, 2010

How to make guacamole

Ok, so I am pretty sure that everyone here knows how easy it is to make guacamole, but his is a few simple steps you can follow to make it in a few east steps. In my video I missed a few tomatoes, but who cares! Have fun with it!

Ingredients
1 avocado
1 lime
1/8c cilantro
pinch of salt/pepper
pinch of chilie powder
1 clove garlic

POSTED BY Daniel Merk | 10:17pm 1st-Nov, 2010

November 1st, 2010

Primal Oxtail Chili

Sorry to all you paleo brethren out there, this one is nightshade city. However if you indulge, this chili has no beans! It’s perfect for a meaty Sunday meal. Perfect for November! Recently I’ve been hitting a local butcher who’s been getting some grass fed meat from a local farmer. I’ve been trying some of the cuts and they are pretty good. Last week I bought a heart and some other less expensive cuts and I saw a tail and immediately thought of chili. He sectioned the tail for me although I bet it wouldn’t be that difficult to separate myself. One piece of advice if you are going to make this, you need a long slow low cook and you’ll need to fish the bones out when you are ready to serve.

Ingredients
1 Oxtail cut into sections (your butcher can do this for you)
1 28ox can diced tomatoes, I used organic here
2T tomato paste
1 large onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/8c cilli powder
4 cloves garlic
1 chipolte
4c stock
2 slices bacon
1tsp oregano
1T paprika smoked
1 jalapeno

Sweat bacon in a stock pot. Remove bacon and leave fat. Heat high and brown the ox tails. Remove from the pan after a few minutes of browning. Add spices except oregano. Cook for 1 minute. Add onions and garlic. Add tomato paste and keep sauteing. Add diced tomatoes. Add stock and bacon to pot. Add the ox tails. Add the chipolte and oregano. Continue to heat until boiling. Once bubbling, place on lowest setting and leave lid off. Simmer for at least 4 hours. You will lose some of the sauce, but that makes for a great meaty chili.

When ready to eat, remove all the oxtails and you will need to shred the meat off the bones. They are small and sharp so be careful. Return to the pan and serve with guacamole. Enjoy.

POSTED BY Daniel Merk | 10:16pm 1st-Nov, 2010

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