Gazpacho!

With all this Mediterranean weather we've been enjoying lately I decided to try something cooler for dinner today.

Cold soup can sound a bit meh, but trust me or rather, trust Keith Floyd (My all time favourite telly-chef) who showed this recipe years ago.

Lots of gazpacho recipes use breadcrumbs (most of them, in fact), but not Floydey's. This makes it the perfect paleo hot weather food.

Ingredients
1 cucumber
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 large onion
3 sticks of celery
2 cans tomatoes
A handful of basil
A handful of mint
A handful or two of ice

Method
Throw everything into a blender and whiz up until its a lovely smooth consistency. (Pulse it if you want it to be lumpier).
Add salt and pepper to taste, dribble a little extra virgin olive oil on top and you are good to go.

Serve with finely chopped parsley, basil, chilli, garlic and shallots.

Lunch in a Rush.

Fast food doesn't have to mean rubbish that'll make you fat and ill.
As long as you follow the paleo principles of high protein and good carbs and fat, you'll be fine.

This little bowl of curry took about 5 minutes to cook. It tastes great and will keep you going until tea time.

Ingredients
A handful of king prawns. (use turkey or chicken if you like, just cook longer).

1 onion coarsely diced.

Some mushrooms coarsely diced.

2 tomatoes coarsely diced.

1 Tbsp curry powder (Hot as you like).

Coconut oil for frying.

Method

Heat the oil in a really hot pan, add the onion and fry a minute.

Toss in the prawns, mushrooms and curry powder, fry another minute.

Add the tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes.

Throw it in a bowl and get stuck in.

For a Thai twist, add some lime and coconut milk.

For a bigger meal, add a bunch of spinach in the last minute.

Rhubarb Tart

Just a quick one today.
This rhubarb tart is gorgeous and totally paleo. You can serve it with a little cream or some Greek yogurt and fresh mint.

Ingredients

4 big sticks of rhubarb. (Washed and chopped into inch long chunks)
3 tbsp palm sugar
Knob of butter
1tsp ground ginger.
Juice of half a lemon.
1 pastry case (Use the one from the quiche recipe, add 1 tbsp honey).

Method

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the rhubarb and palm sugar, sweat it down for 5 minutes at a medium heat.
Add the ginger and lemon, continue sweating the rhubarb until it just starts to break down.

Pour into the blind baked pastry case and put in the oven on 120C for 20 minutes.

Job done! Serves 6 and tastes lovely cold the next day. (Not that you'll have any left)

Paleo Bellissimo

Being paleo doesn't always have to mean that dinner will be a big lump of meat and some salad. As nice as that is, there are times you want something lighter.
Putanesca sauce is a punchy, aromatic sauce that goes fantastically well with sweet potato spaghetti and (like all my recipes) its a breeze to cook.

Look at the Spaghetti Bolognese recipe for how to do the sweet potato spaghetti to go with it.

Ingredients

1 Can chopped tomatoes.
4 Cloves of garlic (smashed)
1/4 to 1 tsp chilli flakes (depending on how hot you like it).
1 Small can of anchoves. (Chopped).
A handful of black olives (Halved).
2 Tbsp capers.
A handful of basil(chopped). (Or 1tbsp of dried).
4 inch squirt of tomato puree.
Half a can of water.
A tsp balsamic vinegar.
Non virgin olive oil

Method
Heat the oil in a pan, add the basil, chilli, black pepper and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the olives, capers and anchovies, stir for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, stir a minute, then add the vinegar, tomatoes and half the tomato can of water.
Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Tip over the pasta (Its also nice on chicken breasts) and serve.

Another Busy day

I got off to a flyer this morning. After getting the usual stuff sorted, I whizzed up some grass fed bison in the food processor and cooked up a chilli, just like the one in the recipe section.

Rather than stand over the stove, I simply cooked it in the pan until I brought it to the boil, then poured it into the slow cooker and went to work. (I always add about a third more liquid when doing it like this, to save it drying out).

When I came home the kitchen smelled lovely and I'm just waiting for everyone else to turn up before I plate up.

Who said proper cooking had to involve effort?

I Can't Be Bothered!

Fast food

You know how it is, right? Even when we are paleo for a while, we have those times when we can't be bothered to cook something properly. Maybe you woke up late and didn't put the chilli in the slow cooker, you forgot to pack a lunch, so only had a banana and some hazelnuts since breakfast, or perhaps ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY has been ragging on you all day and you've had enough. There is no way that you're coming home to cook up a big meal now!

  I've certainly had days like that. plenty in fact, and the time was, dinner would come from the chip shop or we'd pay a million quid to have pizza delivered.

When you are paleo things change. You can't have that pizza (You can, but you have to make a paleo one, which takes time), you can't have fish and chips or a fast food burger. You have to eat something more natural, and it's often true that it takes more effort than throwing a plastic tub into the microwave.  

Thing is...you know, and I know, that we aren't going to fall down and eat rubbish like that, because it makes us feel bad, physically bad. I don't want to go back to being lethargic, achy and FAT and I'm absolutely sure you don't either.

  So what do we do? Or rather, what do we do when we don't want fruit, cold meat and nuts!! (Come on, we all do it, but it's ok, now and then).

  Have a go at this! Get yourself a nice steak. (The one above is grass fed, Hereford beef...the very best in all the world in my opinion, but I am from Hereford, so I'm a little biased).

Heat a skillet up, so it's smoking hot, rub a little butter on the meat (or coconut oil) grind some salt and pepper on each side and throw it in the pan. (2mins a side for rare, 3 mins a side for medium, 4 mins a side for well done) Let the steak sit, covered while you make up this long, involved salad.

This is simple. Throw together a simple salad of onions, leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and beetroot. Toss in a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and you are done!

Arrange it nicely round your steak (Go on, it's a little bit of fiddling, but if you put in this small effort you'll be REALLY glad you did when you sit down to eat).


Quick, easy and absolutely gorgeous. the perfect fast food to reward yourself with after a long day away from the cave.

Paleo Bolognese

Let's face it, when it comes to Italian comfort food, a big, silky bolognese and a huge heap of spaghetti all dusted with far too much parmesan...Well, that takes some beating.
Luckily for us, the basic sauce recipe is paleo and will need hardly any tweaking.  Though you'll have to get creative with the pasta substitute. Carrots and courgette, run through a juilienne peeler and stir fried are ok.
Sweet potato sliced micro thin on a mandolin and sauteed...That's even better. Thanks to http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/ for that and tons of other recipes. So far my favourite pasta substitute.
I'm going to try a twist on that and use the peeler to create a sort of linguine/spaghetti with the potato.
Anyway, on with the recipe for the sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 6)
400g of good quality mince. (I often buy braising steak and blitz it in the food processor).
4 Carrots. Diced as small as you like.
1 Medium white onion. Diced small.
4 Cloves Garlic. Smashed up and chopped.
1 Can tomatoes.
6 inch squirt of tomato puree.
A pinch of salt.
A good pinch of black pepper.
1/2 tsp ground chilli. (Hot as you like).
Big handful of chopped basil. Chopped.
Small bunch of thyme and parsley. Chopped.
Beef stock. (Use cubes if you like).
Some water. (400 ml ish).

Method
 Fry the onion and garlic in some butter (or ghee etc).
Add in the meat, keep stirring until its nicely browned and most of the liquid has bubbled away.

Throw in the carrots, give it a stir for a couple of minutes. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, chilli and tomato puree and stir in for a minute or so more, then tip in the tomatoes, stock and enough water to just cover the meat and veg.

 Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for about an hour.(If you're busy, this is when you throw it in a slow cooker and go to work, it'll be great when you come home).

The "Spaghetti"

Ingredients.

3 Large Sweet potatoes. (Choose the longer ones for the best "pasta"

Method. 

 Peel the sweet potatoes, then carefully run your julienne peeler down them to get lots and lots of spaghetti like strips. Take your time. It'll be worth it.

Heat up a wok or other large pan (Not crazy hot, more a medium flame) and add some butter, salt and pepper and the potato strips. I find it best to do them in batches, so divide your stack into three.

Stir fry them for roughly 5 minutes or so. Keep that sweet potato moving or it'll burn. Dump each batch in an oven dish to keep warm.

When you are done, just plate up, cover with the sauce and add a bit of your favourite cheese for a great meal.


If you haven't got a julienne peeler, click the link.
http://paleobiker.blogspot.co.uk/p/essential-kit.html

Lamb Mechoui

Lamb shoulder is one of the cheapest cuts you can get, and it makes a fantastic starting point for this recipe which is most often made with the more expensive leg cut.

Take my advice, go for the shoulder, it tastes gorgeous, cooks faster and will feed 5 or six people easily.

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp saffron (ground up)
5 tbsp butter

Method
Stab the lamb all over with a sharp knife. (All the way to the bone).

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and then rub the resulting paste into the lamb. Make sure to stuff it right into the cuts you made.

Throw into a roasting dish with 1/2 a cup of water and roast for 30 mins at 240 C.

Turn the oven down to 160, and cook for 2 - 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes.

When its cooked through, the meat will just fall away from the bone and its traditionally served whole for everyone to just pick at with their fingers.

It's beautiful served with some paleo flat bread, salt and cumin, tahini sauce and a salad of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Raita and Chopped Salad

This is a really quick and easy salad to go with tandoori chicken or just about any grilled meat or barbecue.

Get a red and green pepper, a red onion, some cucumber tomatoes, coriander and a lemon.

Chop them all up finely (The smaller the better) and tear up the coriander, sprinkle on top and squeeze over the lemon.

Job Done!

For the raita, a couple of spoons of greek yoghurt, chopped mint, coriander and cucumber. Mix it all up with a squeeze of lemon and you have a great, fresh tasting dip for your chicken or poppadoms!

 

Spicing it up?

Tandoori Chicken.

This definitely falls into the category of comfort food. Properly cooked, it's moist, tender and full of a whole bunch of delicate, complimentary flavours. It's also very easy and (apart from the time taken to marinade) it's quick!

This recipe is also great with Salmon. (Adjust the cooking time accordingly).

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken (Or use legs, breasts etc, but chicken on the bone is best).

4 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp of your favourite curry powder (You can buy Tandoori powder also, but dont worry, this tastes great with the generic "medium" curry powders most supermarkets sell).

Method

 

Skin the chicken and, (using a sharp knife very carefully) slash the meat right down to the bone all over. Legs included.

Mix up all the other ingredients in a bowl and spread the mixture all over the chicken. (Be especially careful to get it in the cuts and rub a little in the cavity).

Put it in the fridge for 1 hour (I leave mine overnight, but if you're in a rush, 1 hour is the minimum).

Pre-heat your oven to 220C and place the chicken in a dish in the centre.

A medium bird takes about 45 minutes, if you jab a knife into the meatiest parts and the juices run clear, then it's done. If not, give it another 10 minutes and check again until you're happy.

Thats it! Carve up and serve with a nice chopped salad and a raita! (Recipes coming up)!

Paleo mayonnaise

I love this stuff, especially for a 'slaw or mixed with curry powder, lemon juice and crab meat for an awesome salad.
Its quick, ridiculously easy and without any of the chemicals you find in the shop bought rubbish.

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
Grind of pepper
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp of white wine vinegar
Mild olive oil (Though most veggie oils will work).

Method

Combine everything but the oil in a bowl/food processor/mixer and start whisking.

Once its all combined, start adding the oil in a slow, thin stream. Keep whisking. (This is why I like to use a food processor as its tough on the arms).
Keep whisking, adding your oil (slowly) and tasting until its just how you like it.

That's it! Home made mayo. Stir in finely sliced red and white cabbage, sliced apple, sultanas, pecans or walnuts, carrots and red onion for a cracking coleslaw.

Spinach and Bacon Paleo Quiche.

I have a confession, I've never liked quiche...its always struck me as a waste of pastry, eggs and whatever else goes in.
One of the strange things about paleo is that your tastes can change. I don't know why, maybe its the lack of rubbish I've eaten since turning paleo.
Anyway, here's the recipe, you can use the base recipe for all sorts of pies and crusts, too. It's a universal pie crust I suppose!

Ingredients (makes 2 quiches).

Base
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
Pinch of salt

Filling
4 rashers smoky bacon,
1 and 1/2 cups chopped spinach
1 and 1/2 cups grated cheese
1 chopped onion
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
A glug of milk.

Method

Base

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until it forms a nice ball. It should resemble shortcrust pastry.

Line a tin with greaseproof paper and press the pastry in to form a tart. Poke a few holes in with a fork and bake at 160 C for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you make the filling.

Filling

Grill the bacon until crisp, then chop up, add to the other ingredients and whisk it up.

Pour into your cases and bake for 40 minutes at 180C. It's ready when you can poke a knife into the filling and it comes out clean.

That's it! Serve with a fresh salad and some hot sauce and you're done! It's also great cold the next day.

Om nom!

Spence.

Keep it running.

Depending on how many miles you cover, you may find you service your bike once, twice or 5 times a year.
 If you want to be a real biker, you'll be thinking about getting your spanners out and doing it yourself.

Here's a quick guide to doing the oil, filter, drive and primary chain on an Evo Sportster.

Don't mess about with the engine running, ok? I assume you know that's dangerous, but if you're the sort of idiot that's going to get your hands mangled, take the bike to a mechanic instead.

1. Take the oil cap out of the tank.

2. Stick something down under the oil filter to catch the oil.

3. Hammer a screwdriver through the filter and turn anti-clockwise. (Or use a special tool if you have one).

 4. Let the oil drain out and collect in the bowl/ jug whatever. Then wipe the threads and sealing faces clean with a rag.

5. Locate the drain hose under the oil tank, unclip it and let it drain fully into the oil catching thing you are using.

6. Secure the drain hose back in it's place.

7. Put a couple of ounces of fresh 20/50 into the new filter (to prevent an air lock) and smear a little oil round the gasket, then spin on, hand tight only! DO NOT use that special oil filter wrench to put it on!

8. Fill up the oil tank and put the stopper back in. Next, the primary case.

 1. Locate the cover, use a pin punch and tap it anti-clockwise until you can spin it out with hand pressure.

2. When you look inside, you'll see the primary chain, stick your finger in and push it up. If it goes more than half an inch you have to locate the adjuster screw and locknut under the crank cases, Loosen the lock nut and tighten the screw, then the locknut so you have about 1/4" of movement. Don't let it get really tight, slacken it off if it wont move!"

3 Undo the level plug on the crank case and, with the bike held level, undo the drain plug underneath and let it run dry, then, replace the plug underneath, pour in primary case lube through the inspection cover until some comes out of the hole for the level plug. Replace level plug, replace primary cover. You are done!


To service the chain...

 1. Undo the axle nut a turn or two.

2. Locate the chain tensioners on either side of the wheel. (That little nut that is on a threaded rod at the end of the swing arm) Turn each one in quarter turns until you have 1/2" to 1" movement in the chain. (Be sure to tighten both sides equally! You don't want a wonky wheel)!

3. Tighten the axle nut up again and lube the chain with spray lube.

Now, get out and ride!

Until next time!

Spence