Dairy-free
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Product review: Naked Paleo bars
I saw this cacao almond paleo bar in Thr1ve the other day. The label listed dates, almonds, walnuts, shredded coconut, cacao and coconut oil. Pretty clean, so I gave it a go. I ate the bar straight after training. It tasted good (unlike other paleo bars that will remain unnamed) but was very crumbly. It was also too sweet for my taste; I had to sip water in between bites. I wouldn’t eat it on a regular basis but probably as a once-in-a-while dessert. Naked Paleo barsnakedpaleo.com.auOn Facebook
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Recipe: Speck, beef & mushrooms
No fancy story behind this dish. I was browsing Feather and Bone‘s weekly list to order meat and noticed they had speck ends for cooking. They are cheaper than bacon and ham, and come from the same top-quality piggies. Mega win.
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Meat breakfasts
If you are like me and prefer savoury breakfasts but are tired of eggs, meat-based breakfasts might be a good option for you. They are cost-effective, easy to prepare, can be made in advance and freeze well. It’s a great way to get quality protein and a good amount of veggies before heading to work. Here are a few ideas if you want to give them a go.
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Recipe: Carapulcra (Peruvian pork and potato stew)
This is very weird. I have hated this dish for most of my life. My mum and aunties are so nice that they actually cooked a different dish for me whenever they made carapulcra. When I went to cooking school my friends really trusted my palate and made me test their version before presenting them to the instructor for marking. I knew they were really well made but I still hated them. Last year Alvaro, Gladys, Vicky and I went to a Peruvian festival and I tried their carapulcra. I liked it. A lot. I liked it so much that I bought a bag of papa seca (dried potatoes, the…
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Product review: CocoLuscious organic coconut ice cream
On my very first visit to Paleo Cafe one of the many things that grabbed my eye was CocoLuscious organic coconut ice cream. The fact that Alvaro was not there was the perfect excuse to buy a tub to bring home. With many flavours to choose from it was very tempting to grab one of each but the price tag ($12+) helped with restricting the purchase. That first tub was the tropical (a.k.a. plain coconut) flavour. The ingredients are coconut milk, agave nectar, desiccated coconut and guar gum. I know… not perfect but much better than commercial ice cream. It was delicious, and while less sweet than sugar-loaded ice cream,…
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Recipe: Crustless smoked trout quiche
This recipe was inspired by a Facebook comment from my great friend Oriana. I used to spend most Sundays in her house. We played, laughed, and dreamed about starting a band. We played outside with her cousin. We went to the shops to buy bread, ham, and milk for afternoon tea. We wrote silly things. Dad picked me up when I was tired, well fed and happy. Oriana left school to move to Tacna (city in the South of Perú) with her family and one day she decided to move to Norway – and became a great writer and cook in the process. “Naturally”, the only way we can keep…
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Recipe: Lúcuma smoothie
Here’s a 2-ingredient recipe for a great tasting smoothie. We used lúcuma powder because we love it and get it cheap every time we go back home (you can buy it here but it’s freaking expensive). You can substitute cacao powder or fresh/frozen fruit. The possibilities are endless.
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Product review: Spiral Foods organic coconut paste
In a recent visit to Bondi Junction I realised this is the suburb I should be living in. Aside from awesome places to eat (a review coming soon), there are a few great health food shops. One of my purchases that day was a box of Spiral Foods organic coconut paste sachets. The package reads “coconut paste can be used in soups, casseroles, curries, sauces, stir-frys, ice-cream and desserts to add a creamy texture and a great coconut flavour”. I have used it to make dairy-free “ice cream” (try this amazing recipe) but I view it more as a portable snack. It’s essentially the same product as the creamed coconut…
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Product review: Artisana nut butters
I had been wanting to try these nut butters for a while since I saw them in my local health shop but I couldn’t justify paying $3+ for a small sachet. I finally found the perfect excuse to give them a shot: I’ll be travelling soon and need to bring some portable nutrition. Artisana sachet products include nut butters (almond, cashew, pecan, macadamia and walnut – the butters contain nothing but nuts), coconut butter, coconut oil, and cacao bliss, a chocolate spread made with coconut butter, coconut oil, agave syrup, cacao and cacao butter. All of the ingredients are organic. For some reason I messed up when grabbing the sachets…
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Product review: O’Brien gluten-free beer
Speaking about cheating… an Oktoberfest-themed dinner earlier this year was the perfect excuse to try a gluten-free beer. I asked the person in charge of getting the booze to buy a German GF beer from Dan Murphy’s but they were out. He bought some O’Brien lagers and pale ales instead. I tried the ale and it was great. Not the best beer I’ve ever had but not bad at all. It’s made with sorghum and millet and, while it didn’t give me any reflux or noticeable inflammation it did seem to make my digestion a bit slower. Not an ideal drink, but good for those once or twice a year…
