Wrapping up Day 3 of the “Mostly 30 Day Paleo Challenge”

I blogged a couple of days ago that I was going to undertake some food regimen changes by going "Paleo" with some fellow members at my local Crossfit for a 30-day period. When I did South Beach a few years ago, which was completely sugar free, including fruit, wine, and carbs, the 1^st week was absolutely brutal. While the 2^nd week was tough in terms of meal variety, particularly at breakfast, I'll say that my energy levels far exceeded any level that they had been at for a long time (think years). So I was expecting this week to be a struggle given that the sweets consumption is basically limited to fruits and veggies, and no dairy/grains. On the group page that the Crossfit coaches set up, we have folks who are definitely struggling with their energy. For the time being, things seem to be ok for me but I am kind of jones'ing for a Diet Coke.

What's been good is that folks are posting either pics and/or recipes of what they have cooked, and I'm definitely impressed with the creativity of my comrades. It's also been helpful to have the coaches and some Paleo veterans help us evaluate if something is as good for you as advertised on the packaging (READ: Whole Foods – a store we shop at regularly in this household). We're even fortunate enough to have one of the vets be a former employee of WF, so he has been offering info on where to find things we have never heard of (i.e., coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, which has gluten – a no-no). But it hasn't been all fun. One poor guy had to skip lunch at a conference he was at because he couldn't eat anything being served, which had to royally suck.

The reaction from some folks over the past 3 days has been mostly supportive with a bit of skeptic thrown in. My response has been to tell them to not knock it until they try it. Paleo isn't for everyone for a variety of reasons, but I agree with the basic premise of what it espouses. And much of that belief comes from that experience with South Beach. As I said the other day, I have no intention of being Paleo 100% of the time. My goal is to hit 85% in the 30-day period, and 75-80% after that. I think it is doable since we do cook at home a fair amount but it will require slightly more discipline on my part.

I promised my partners-in-crime in this adventure that I would post some of the recipes from the dishes I made to go along with the posted pics, so here goes:

Roasted Cauliflower Soup – the original recipe can be found here. Below is the version I did to make it Paleo-friendly.
adapted from: Tyler's Ultimate (Tyler Florence)

1 quart chicken stock
Kosher salt
1 head of cauliflower, cored and broken into florets
1/2 onion, sliced
2 T. chopped garlic

1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Topping

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, cut ¼" thick
1/4 cup pine nuts

2 T. chives

1. Pour chicken stock into a large saucepan, add a large pinch of salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reserve 1/2 cup of cauliflower for topping and place the rest into the pot with the stock.
   
2. Add onion, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until cauliflower is tender.
   
3. Discard bay leaf and puree the soup in a blender. Pour the soup back into the pot and season with olive oil, salt and pepper.
   
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice the reserved cauliflower and combine with pine nuts in a bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat.
   
5. Spread topping on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes.
   
6. Pour soup into serving bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with chopped chives, scallions and pine nuts topping.
   

Beef, Shitake and Broccoli Stir-Fry – I haven't been able to find the original recipe online, but below is the version I did to make it Paleo-friendly.

adapted from: Simply Ming One-Pot Meals (Ming Tsai)

1 lb. flank steak, halved lengthwise and cut across the grain into ¼" slices

1 T. minced ginger

2 T. minced garlic

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, cut ¼" thick

1 large head of broccoli (you can use frozen broccoli florets as well)

3 T. coconut aminos (find this where you find soy sauce at Whole Foods)

5 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ¼-inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup fresh chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock (check ingredients)

1 T. arrowroot mixed with 2 T. water

1. In a large reusable plastic bag, combine the steak, ginger, garlic, coconut aminos and scallions. Seal the bag and use your hands to distribute the ingredients. Marinate in the fridge for 1 to 5 hours.
   
2. If using frozen broccoli, skip to step 5. If using fresh broccoli, separate broccoli into florets. Stack florets in bunches and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch strips.
   
3. Fill a large bowl with water and add ice cubes. Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and leave in the pot for 30 seconds (aka blanch). Drain the broccoli and transfer to the bowl with ice cubes. Once broccoli is cold, drain and set aside.
   
4. Heat wok over high heat. Add 2 T. of the extra virgin olive oil, and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and stir-fry until soft, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
   
5. Add 3 more T. of extra virgin olive oil, and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the beef and stir-fry until medium rare, about 5 to 6 minutes.
   
6. Add in stock, mushrooms and broccoli and heat through. Note that this timing will depend on if you have frozen vs. fresh broccoli. For fresh broccoli, it will probably be about 2 to 3 minutes. For frozen broccoli, it will be about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
   
7. Transfer stir-fry mixture to a plate and let sauce come to a simmer. Add in arrowroot mixture into sauce and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.
   
8. Pour over stir-fry mixture.
   

Pan-Seared Pacific Cod with Shiitakes, Scallions & Proscuitto

adapted from: Picking up cod at the market for a test run for a dish I am cooking on Friday night and using some leftovers.

1 lb. fresh Pacific cod

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. chopped garlic

1. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Heat up pan with extra virgin olive oil. Preheat oven to 375.
   
2. Once hot, place cod in the oil and saute until lightly golden brown.
   
3. Turn the fish over and place in the oven and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until just cooked through. Transfer to plate.
   
4. Shittakes & scallions were leftovers from stir-fry dish above and then I just added a slice of chopped prosciutto to the mixture for some smokiness.
   

OK, folks. That's all she wrote. You can find pictures of these recipes at the end of this album on Facebook. I'm off to bed…. Early workout tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is leftovers day, but I'm hoping my cod test run experiment tonight bodes well for the dish I am making on Friday evening for Marc and some good friends!!