Simple Pulled Pork

I've been continuing to experiment with different cuts of meat. I've regularly been buying pork tenderloin as well as pork chops. But those are fairly expensive cuts of meat, especially since I only buy pastured pork.

One of the cuts of pork available is the pork roast, which is a similar size to the beef chuck roast, but significantly less expensive. So one week I decided to just pick one up and see if I could cook it.

I searched the web for sous vide pork roast recipes and I found one for which had a complicated set of instructions. I'm a bit impatient so I decided to drastically simplify the recipe, but it still takes 24 hours to cook.

Jackfruit Smoothie

I lived in Thailand for almost 2 years. One of the things I miss most is the exotic fruits such as lychees, mangosteen, and guava.

Another favorite fruit of mine is jackfruit. The husk is similar in appearance to durian, but tastes a ton better. While wandering the local grocer, I noticed that they had some jackfruit available as pods that I would need to cut up myself. So I picked up a single 17 pound pod (the smaller of the two available).

Cutting it up turned out to be a bit of a challenge. I watched a video and then spent an hour or more carving up the pod. But the results were worth it (though, if you can get a partially-carved pod, that will definitely be easier).

Goat Milk

On this Paleo AIP diet, dairy is out. But from time to time I find myself craving something creamy. Sorbets have too much sugar (which is a no-no on this diet) and cause me to crash, and most coconut ice cream alternatives use guar gum or some other bean-based gum as a stabilizer, and beans and their derivatives are also forbidden.

But, ever on the prowl to see what I can actually eat based on how my body responds to food, I decided to give goat milk a try. I definitely cannot have cow milk because my body has an inflammatory response any time I consume it; my throat produces phlegm as a defense mechanism. But I saw the goat milk kefir and picked it up thinking that maybe the proteins in it are different enough from cow milk that I may be fine.

And fine I was! No response that I could tell; no phlegm and no rashes on my skin.

Leeks and Cabbage

I am continually trying to expand my repertoire of foods I consume. I first have to find foods and then find or create recipes for those foods. Since finding/creating recipes is so time consuming, I don't do it very often and I typically stick to my tried-and-true favorites. But once in a while Pineapple and I concoct a hit.

One week I bought a bundle of 3 large leeks. They sat in the fridge all week, and rather than letting them go to waste, I decided to just chop them up and saute them, just to see how they would turn out. I brought the final creation to Pineapple for her stamp of approval and she said, "They're okay...But they would be awesome with cabbage...And amazing with bacon!"

Hard cooked eggs

On my anti-inflammatory diet, I am not supposed to eat eggs. But periodically Pineapple gets a craving for them.

Before I started this diet, I loved cooking eggs. Alton Brown has a good recipe which produces consistent awesome results. Unfortunately, his approach also leaves little marks on the whites of the hard-cooked eggs wherever the egg touched the baking pan.

Now that I have some skills with a sous vide, I wondered if there was a way I could cook eggs instead of boiling them. That way I don't need to use precise timing to get the quality of egg that I want.

Histamine Intolerance and MTHFR

A few months ago while browsing around through books, I discovered a book titled Could it be Histamine Intolerance? I read the summary and thought "Maybe" so I bought the book and devoured it. The book is a quick read, but afterward I found that the same data can be found on the web for free. Oh well.

Basically, Histamine Intolerance (HIT) occurs when a body is slow to break down histamines. It manifests as chronic inflammation (mucus, cough, persistent seasonal allergies) which I can notice from whether or not my ring slips easily off of my ring finger and onto my index or middle finger; If I can get it onto my middle finger, then I consider it a low-inflammation day, while if I can barely get it off of my ring finger I can tell that I am dealing with a lot of inflammation.

Green Beans

I recently learned that green beans and snap peas are allowed on the Paleo AIP diet. I've been so grateful that I can now eat snap peas. I love to buy bags of snap peas and eat them with breakfast or lunch.

Green beans are also a great addition to my diet and now that I can eat them I am more likely to prepare them with dinner. However, for Pineapple's palate, I must make sure to get them just right; if they don't have the right texture, or are slimy, she absolutely will not eat them. And to be honest, now that I know what good green beans are like, I don't enjoy them any other way.

Watermelon Smoothie

This is late in the season, but during the summer I would make this smoothie periodically.

Tools

• Fine-weave strainer (fine enough to catch small seeds)
• Professional blender with jar
• Second blender jar or a bowl
• Rubber scraper

Ingredients

• Lime juice from 2 medium limes
• A watermelon (I usually employ a small seedless watermelon)
• 1/2 to 1 fully ripe avocado
• Approximately 3 to 5 heaping tablespoons cane sugar (or more or less to taste)
• Ice
• Water
• Optional: desired amount of unflavored protein/collagen powder

Grilled Pineapple

When I first embarked on this diet, I would eat pineapple quite frequently. I put it in nearly all of the smoothies I concocted. Once in a while, when I ran out of fresh pineapple, I would use canned pineapple, but I found that my stomach got a little upset whenever I did that.

When I had my hernia surgery during my recovery period I stopped making smoothies. When I started up again I found that my stomach got upset whenever I used pineapple. 🙁 Dang! Another food eliminated...

...Or is it?

Black Currant Smoothie

I love this time of year. All sorts of exotic fruits start to show up in the store (although, only at my special market which is more like an upscale farmer's market...regular stores don't tend to carry these seasonal items).

One of Pineapple's favorites is black currant. The store also carries red and golden currants, but we prefer the flavor of the black currants.

Perfect Broccoli

Growing up and through my 30s I've always eaten what I've been given. Consequently, my pallet has a wide tolerance for strange flavors and I've never really cared about texture (other than chips which must have crunch). Pineapple, however, is very sensitive to texture and flavor. If a vegetable doesn't have the right texture, or is slimy, she absolutely will not eat it.

Thankfully for the first several years of our marriage I rarely cooked. I didn't have the sense or the skills so I regularly ruined vegetables. Frozen veggies steamed in the microwave tended to come out okay, but often mushy.

More on Soap

Last time I talked about soap, I documented why I moved off of bar soap to liquid soap because bar soap is made with palm kernelate; i.e. palm kernel oil which causes my psoriasis to flare up.

Well, this time I've reversed directions...sort of. I moved off of most liquid soaps and back to bar soap, but very specific kinds of bar soaps which do not use palm kernel oil.

I had been using standard liquid soap on my hands for months and then I bought a set of bottles of liquid soap for use in the shower. I used soap from one bottle once and had an instant flare-up. So I double-checked the ingredients and found that they were basically the same as my hand soap, which I only use on my hands. In the shower, I had been using (and continue to use) Alevia Ensymatic Body Cleanse, which is liquid but has a simple list of Paleo-AIP-compatible ingredients.

Taco Salad sans Taco

A couple months ago, Pineapple brought up the fact that she had been craving an old childhood favorite of hers: taco salad. She asked if I could make it for her--adjusted for my diet of course.

So I decided to give it a try. Historically her taco salad calls for corn chips, sour cream, and ketchup but since I cannot have any of those, I leave them out and use olive oil as a dressing instead. Pineapple, on the other hand, will sometimes add sour cream initially and later she may add ketchup.

My initial stab at making the taco salad was a hit, and so I have been making it 4 times each week since.

Limeade

When I cook dinner, I'm not afraid of larger quantities of fats or proteins than most people are accustomed to. However, that means that Pineapple and I often want something acidic to help cut through the fat and protein.

I typically get my acid via the vinegar I drizzle on my salads and by eating citrus such as Red Grapefruit. However, Pineapple asked if I could make a limeade so I figured I'd give it a shot.

The limeade we get at the store is typically pretty sweet. The manufacturer--like most drink manufacturers--is trying to hit the sweetness bliss point; That's basically the amount of sweetness which maximizes pleasure when drinking. Most sodas use high fructose corn syrup because it's inexpensive, gives a strong sugar high, has a lower glycemic index, and in the right quantity it will hit the bliss point.

However, I don't like to eat sugary foods anymore (I often can only taste the sugar and all the other flavors disappear), I don't like the 2-by-4-to-the-head smack of the bliss point (it temporarily makes the drink the center of the meal drowning out the food or company), and high concentrations of fructose cause me digestive trouble (I have fructose malabsorption). Because Pineapple and I make our own limeades now, we can control the sugar content and we like it much more.

Here's our recipe, and it typically takes about 5 minutes start-to-finish.

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 limes, depending on tartness (we prefer 1)
• 2.5 or more tablespoons of cane sugar, depending on desired sweetness (I stay low)
• A hand-full of ice to keep the drink cool
• Water

Directions

1. Slice the lime(s) into chunks you can squeeze
2. Squeeze the lime(s) into the blender
3. Add the sugar
4. Add the ice (too much ice will give you more of a slush which doesn't pour evenly)
5. Add water up to the 1 liter mark
6. Blend (I hold down "pulse" for 10-15 seconds)
7. Serve and enjoy!

Limes

When cutting the lime(s) (or lemons in recipes which require them), I do the following:

1. slice the lime off-center from top to bottom
   
2. set aside the smaller portion
3. slice the remaining portion off-center from the top to the bottom
   
4. set aside the smaller portion
5. slice the final chunk off-center
   

At this point I have 4 chunks, one looks like half a lime, one looks like half a sliver taken from the center of the lime, and the last two pieces mirror each other and came from either side of the half-sliver.

When juicing, I hand-squeeze a chunk of lime over the blender, and then--using my thumbnail--scrape the pulp out of the lime skin into the blender.

Worst. Winter. Ever.

I just had my worst winter ever.

It was filled with lots of depression and long gloomy days even though the sun goes down pretty early. On several occasions, Pineapple expressed concern about my state of mind. Mentally I figured I should be fine since I didn't have anything specific to point to as the cause, but I definitely didn't feel right. Although I was eating the same diet I've been eating all year--and I felt great all the other months--for some reason this winter was abysmal.

Ever since I was a kid I've had trouble getting through the winter. Each winter I get depressed and can never pinpoint why. I've never been professionally diagnosed but I suspect that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (a.k.a. SAD ...not to be confused with SAD [the Standard American Diet]). Basically, with the sun not coming up as high in the sky, my body never quite feels alive; It feels like I am living in a cave. Living in the Seattle area compounds this feeling because the sky is typically cloudy for most of the winter which means I get even less exposure to the sun.

To compensate for this lack of sunlight, I could move much further south, but other than the "winter blues" I like it around here. Portland, Oregon has a similar climate, but it is not located far enough south to get me the sunlight I need.

One way I attempt to wake up my brain is to use a "happy light"; A specially-tuned bright light I position in my periphery for at least 30 minutes. I use it every day, and it has worked fairly well for the last five to six winters, but this year my depression still persisted.

One day in March I watched a documentary titled Living Proof about a guy with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who brought it under control via diet and exercise. Apparently MS is a huge problem in Canada where they get less sunshine during the winter months, and consuming Vitamin D is an essential part of bringing it under control. Also, MS appears to be an auto-immune disease. Hmmmm...

So I started taking Vitamin D every morning and after a few days my depression finally abated. (Technically I take Vitamin D3 because it is easier to absorb and use. I also make sure that all the ingredients are compatible with my diet.) Although we are now well into summer, and I no longer feel like I am living in a cave, I still take this supplement nearly every morning.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient; It's used by our bodies to absorb calcium. However, Vitamin D is not something we normally consume in food because out bodies can produce it in our skin when exposed to sunlight.

The reason the lack of sunlight seems to contribute to my depressed winters is that my body is trying to tell me that it is missing Vitamin D. In other words the source-less depression is a sign that my body is struggling to do the work it needs to do.

A second reason I think I got more depressed than normal this last winter is that I felt so much better since starting this diet. Similarly to how my body now overreacts to foods it is sensitive to because it is no longer constantly fighting, this winter I got a much stronger reaction to my lack of Vitamin D because my body no longer constantly struggles. When it is no longer generating Vitamin D its reaction is more prominent.

A huge reason I think my depression was compounded is stress. Over the Christmas break I lost more weight (most people gain weight) and then immediately afterward I gained back 20-30 pounds. I attribute all of that weight to stress and most of it to work-related stress.

Another contributing factor is that my sleep quality tanked back in November. I'm not sure what caused it to fall off. I'm using my CPAP every night, but for some reason I do not feel as rested each morning as I used to. My mask still fits fine, there doesn't seem to be a big leak, the machine is still pumping at the same pressure, and I still wake up less-than-rested.

Thankfully, since getting the vitamin D I need, I have lost much of my regained weight. I am on my way to getting even slimmer and more muscular (Pineapple comments from time to time 😁). To get these results I have been exercising more (I'm following a new program), doing yoga--daily if possible--and changing my relationship with work (I'm trying to do quality work without making my value as a person dependent on how other people perceive my efforts; this last one is the hardest to get right but is essential).

Now that winter's over, and I have a solid idea of what is probably going on, I now have a battle-plan for next winter. Hopefully next time I can be more in-tune with my body and can respond appropriately so that I can be happier and more productive.

Beef Chuck Roast

Although I love the tri-tip cuts of beef because of its excellent cost/flavor ratio, I also experiment with other cuts from time to time. One of my current favorites is to get a chuck roast. It's a tough cut of meat, but it has a lot of great flavor. Because the chuck roast is a tough cut, cooking it to the right texture takes a lot more time.

The chuck roast is often a much less expensive cut of meat. in the Seattle area I can get it for $10-$11 a pound, and it usually comes in a 3-4 pound chunk. In Utah, I saw it for $7.50 per pound for the same size. That's generally a 20-30% savings on the tri-tip.

The chuck roast also has a large seam of fat in it. Although I believe in eating the fat directly, sometimes I can't quite handle the amount of fat I get when cutting off a portion of the beef. Pineapple, on the other hand, doesn't like the fat so I try and make sure to give her leaner portions.

Tools

• Sous vide cooker: this is essential, my cooker looks like a crock pot, but any kind will work
• Zip-top bags: name-brand will be better; off-brand may leak which results in less-flavorful meat
• Meat tongs
• Skillet or Pan: A thick one (e.g. cast iron) will work more effectively
• Spatter Guard: This is optional, but helps reduce the mess

Note: I do not measure the temperature in this recipe. The cook time is such that I am certain the meat will be at the correct temperature when done.

Ingredients

• Grass-fed chuck roast
• Salt: Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is easy to apply via pinching
• Mild-flavored oil: I use a refined coconut oil which is liquid at room temperature
• Butter or cooking oil: for my steak I employ virgin coconut oil (solid at room temperature) and for Pineapple's I use butter from grass-fed cows (which you can probably pick up at Costco)

Directions

When I cook this steak I follow a basic process. The process comes from more-detailed instructions.

Quick Reference

1. Cook the meat sous vide to 133 degrees
2. Pan-sear the meat for 30 seconds per side at about 60% heat
3. Salt the meat generously

Full instructions

1. Start heating the sous vide to 135 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place each piece of meat in its own zip-top bag. You will need a large bag for this. You might even cut the meat in half so it will fit better, or so you can cook the remainder later.
3. Add a couple of tablespoons of the mild-flavored oil to the bag.
4. Submerge most of the zip-top bag in water to drive out the air.
1. The oil is there to fill in the gaps instead of leaving bubbles next to the meat.
5. Zip seal the zip-top bag.
6. Place the bag in the sous vide (you can put the meat in before the device is at temperature)
7. After the sous vide is at the correct temperature, let it cook for 72 hours.
1. You read that right: 3 days. This amount of time allows the meat to relax and start breaking down so that it isn't tough anymore.
8. After the 3-day waiting period, start heating the skillet/pan on the stove stop with 2 tablespoons of either cooking oil or butter
1. For a gas range, I recommend a smaller heating element to avoid potential flames
2. I recommend setting the temperature to about 60% of maximum; where butter will bubble quite a bit when initially put in the pan but won't cook away for a few minutes
3. You may want to use the spatter guard to reduce the mess and subsequent cleanup
9. Remove the beef from the zip-top bag
10. Slice the meat into portions
11. Sear the beef in the skillet for 30 seconds per side
1. You should get nice caramelization on each side. Butter or olive oil will give you a darker color than coconut oil, so if you use coconut oil you might cook it for 45 seconds per side.
2. Make sure that there is plenty of oil/butter between the pan and the beef and that you cook over the center of the heat. You will get uneven cooking if the meat is toward the side of the pan or the pan is significantly larger than the heating element.
12. Place the steak on a serving plate
13. Salt the steak generously on the top, flip the steak and salt the bottom (which is now the top)
1. Grab a large pinch of salt
1. As much as you can reasonably grab between your thumb and forefinger
2. Sprinkle the salt from about 6-10 inches above the steak
1. Sprinkle by moving your thumb and finger back and forth in opposite directions
2. But also move your arm up and down the steak to get an even coating everywhere
3. I usually salt enough that the salt is still white for about a half second before it turns translucent
4. If you seared using salted butter you should use about half as much salt
5. Adjust the salt to your taste
14. Serve/Enjoy immediately

Because Pineapple and I are the only people in our house, such a slab will last us several days. This particular roast also works well for large gatherings. Just get it cooking several days early and you will have an awesome, flavorful, tender cut of meat everyone will be raving about.

Juices

After cooking, the zip-top bag will have a lot of juices left in it. You could discard them, but I prefer to eat it like a soup. The juices are flavorful, which indicates good nutrition, so as long as you enjoy the flavor you won't be wasting that portion of the beef.

In a single sitting I:

1. take a portion of the juice proportionate to the amount of meat I will be consuming
2. generously salt it (a couple of pinches of salt)
3. stir
4. eat it like a soup

You could also use the juices to make a beef stew (add some good veggies), or a stock (reduce it for days on a low burner), or even au ju for dipping some sort of bread (which I, of course, won't eat). However, I do not have any specific recipes for those options because I love eating straight juices.

Lingonberry Lemonade Smoothie

I, Pickles, am always on the lookout for new flavors. While browsing through our local supermarket, I discovered that they had lingonberries available in their freezer section, so I picked up a bag. These berries are tart, but have a nice flavor when sweetened a bit in a smoothie

Tools

• Fine-weave strainer (fine enough to catch small seeds)
• Professional blender with jar
• Second blender jar or a bowl
• Rubber scraper

Ingredients

• Lemon juice from 1-2 medium lemons (depending on desired tartness level)
• 2-3 tablespoons lingonberries
• 1/2 to 1 fully ripe avocado
• Approximately 3 to 5 heaping tablespoons cane sugar (or more or less to taste)
• Ice
• Water
• Optional: desired amount of unflavored protein/collagen powder

Directions

1. Add 1-2 inches of water to the blender jar
2. Add the lingonberries in the blender jar
1. There will probably be enough to create a single layer of berries on top of the water
3. Blend for a few seconds; long enough to break up the berries.
4. Set the blended berries aside
1. If you are using a second jar, just set it aside for later
2. If not, pour the blended berries into the bowl then rinse out the blender jar (to remove any remaining seeds)
5. Add the cane sugar to the blender jar. Historically, I would pour until the pile of sugar covers the top of the central post that holds the blade in the Blendtec. Lately I have been using less sugar. Lingonberries are tart, though, so a little extra sugar can help compensate. Adjust this to your own preferred sweetness level.
6. Add/Prepare the protein/collagen powder
1. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that doesn't clump in cold water, add the protein/collagen powder to the mixture in the blender. (I prefer to use 4 scoops from this brand.)
2. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that clumps in water, mix the protein/collagen powder with about 16 oz. of (preferably cool or cold) water following the directions on the container and set the mixture aside. (I use 3 scoops from this powder.)
7. Add the avocado.
8. Optional: if you find this smoothie to be too tart, add the honey.
9. Add the lemon juice
10. Strain the blended lingonberries into the blender
1. Place the strainer over the mouth of the blender jar
2. Pour the blended lingonberries into the strainer
3. Using the rubber scraper, push down on the berries to help move the juices through the strainer
1. You don't need to exert much force
2. I find scraping across the bottom of the strainer (i.e. through the pureed berries) is pretty effective
3. You will end up with a thick paste of mostly seeds when you are done
4. Rinse the rubber scraper
5. Scrape the exterior bottom of the strainer with the scraper to get the last of the juices into the blender
11. Add about 250-500 milliliters of ice. Add less ice if you want more potent flavor.
12. Add water (or the mixture from step 6.2) until the fluid level is about an inch below the top of the ice.
13. Set aside an additional glass/cup with cold water.
14. Blend until smooth. (The Blendtec has a "smoothie" button for this.)
1. Warning: If the blender starts to struggle or spin freely--meaning the blender is running but the smoothie mixture is not moving or is sluggish--immediately start adding water from step 12 until the smoothie mixture starts to flow again.
15. Pour, serve, and enjoy!

Additional Notes

Blender

I use a Blendtec blender, but a similar professional blender like a Vitamix will work. 

Lemon Juice

When preparing the lemon juice, I try to use the lemon pulp as well. I slice the lemons off-center 3 times so that I get 4 lemon chunks which I squeeze by hand through a strainer into the blender. I will also use my fingernails to scrape the insides of the lemons to dislodge more pulp. I then pick out some of the pulp from the strainer (avoiding the seeds) and toss it into the blender.

Washing Hands

Before I work with food I wash my hands with soap and dry them using a paper towel. Any time I do something which might contaminate my hands--such as interacting with non-food-related items--I rewash my hands. I use paper towels because they are inexpensive and more sanitary than hand towels.

Ice and Water

The ideal ice-to-water ratio will result in a smoothie which has the consistency of yogurt or soft-serve ice cream. If you find the smoothie is too watery then either add more ice next time or cut back on the water added. When there is not enough water then the blender will start to spin freely as mentioned in step 14.1.

Avocado

1/2 of an avocado will get you a smooth texture, but you may find the smoothie is not very satisfying. Using an entire avocado will make the smoothie far more satisfying.

The ripeness of the avocado matters. If the avocado is not ripe, then the smoothie will be clumpy, will start to separate, and the flavor will be unsatisfying. If the avocado is ripe, then the smoothie will be satisfyingly creamy and will stay uniform for a long time--at least a half-hour.

I've attempted to use avocado oil in place of the avocado, but that particular smoothie doesn't have the right texture and starts to separate immediately. I've also tried to substitute coconut oil, but that also separates immediately and tends to be clumpy.