Kara's Green Eggs and Ham

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Green Eggs and Ham
Serves 2
Slow-cooking in a non-stick pan with a rubber spatula is key.

1 pad butter
Dash salt
7 medium eggs
2 T. finely chopped chives
1 T. dried onion flakes
3-4 slices deli ham, diced 
fresh ground pepper

Whisk the eggs in small bowl. On low temperature, melt butter with dash salt. Add eggs.
Add chives, onion flakes, ham and fresh ground pepper to taste and stir to combine.
Slowly cook mixture, stirring constantly for about 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate-Banana Cupcake Recipe from the PCF Birthday Party

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 bananas, mashed

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat eggs in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in melted coconut oil, honey, and mashed bananas.  Add in almond meal a  third a time into the wet mixture. Add cocoa powder, mix until smooth. 

Spray cupcake liners with olive oil spray. Pour the batter 3/4 of the way up the side of the cupcake pan. Bake 25-30 mins. Test doneness by sticking toothpick in the center, it should come out clean. 

You can bake this into a cake....
Line a 8" cake tin with baking paper and spray with olive oil.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

What are PCF'ers eating?

Patrick's Paleo Bacon Pancakes. If you haven't had these you better get the recipe NOW!

Eddy V. shows off his skills with baked tofu, steamed kale with cashews and almond milk.  The brown rice pilaf seasoned with lime juice, ginger, jalapenos and dry spices. 

Martina shows that simplicity can be delicious: Acorn squash with butter, honey and a pinch of salt. 

Martina stuffed the poblanos from last week's Puhlayo Market order with ground lamb and spinach. Yum!

I NEED MORE PHOTOS OF YOUR COOKING ADVENTURES AT HOME. Do not be intimidated, simple preparations are highly encouraged to be shared. 

Lauren@sweetassassin.com

What are PCFer's eating?

The Diso's Ground Bison Casserole

The Diso's Goat Stew with Sauteed Greens

Martina, is that pork tenderloin? Smothered in the amazing fig sauce. Everyone ask Martina for this recipe!!

I NEED MORE PHOTOS OF YOUR COOKING ADVENTURES AT HOME. Do not be intimidated, simple preparations are highly encouraged to be shared. 

~Assassin 

Approved by Kara- Meatballs with Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For meatballs:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound ground pork shoulder
• 2 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon red chile flakes
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

For sauce:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 head garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes and their juices, crushed by hand
• 1/2 bunch Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, pork, bread crumbs, milk, garlic, eggs, rosemary, chile flakes and salt and pepper and mix with hands until just combined. Form into 5-ounce balls and place in a shallow casserole. Roast in the oven until dark golden brown. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until well browned. Add the chili flakes and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the rosemary and red wine and stir until the wine is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the meatballs, transferring to a large container if necessary, and cook in the oven 2 1/2 hours. Serve in shallow bowls with the sauce, topped with the parsley leaves.

After many tweaks, I've found a few substutions that work really well for me:

- ROSEMARY: substitute with herbs de provence 

  (rosemary is way too pungent, overpowers the flavors and smells too much like thanksgiving)

- BREAD CRUMBS: Without bread crumbs, you still end up with meatballs. They're just

  a little harder to form. I usually double the recipe but go with about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

  just to hold them together a bit.

- COOKING: I've tried the cooking these in a oven-proof skillet. Since I make so many at a time, the quality doesn't

  seem to change if you simply leave them in a shallow casserole, top with the sauce, and cover with foil.

Fennel Salad

4-5 medium- large heads fennel

1/3 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. olive oil (a high-quality, virgin option tastes best)

salt

Using a mandoline, slice up the fennel heads. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Fresh ground pepper optional.

Making this one day ahead of time allows the flavors to marinate beautifully.

Puhlayo Market Order 090810

Red Plums
Mint
Endive Chicory
Yellow Squash
Oranges
Red Beets
Avocados
Organic Eggs
Pasilla Chiles aka Poblano Pepper (Great for stuffing!!!)
Baby Red Orach Spinach
Ginger

What are PCF'ers eating?

A new feature will be photos of what members of our gym are making for dinner. If you'd like to share a picture of what you made for dinner for all to see, forward your pics to Lauren@sweetassassin.com.

This lovely meal was prepared by the Paradiso's. You wish they invited you over... I know I do :)

This is what the 2nd place finisher of the SoCal Sectionals eats. Thanks, Hopper!

Smidty's Brussel Sprouts with BACON!!!

This is what Ninja's eat: Curried Chicken w/ apples and baked acorn squash. 

Vegetable Prep

Here is a really great article on basic preparation of vegetables you may find in your produce box week to week.

Puhlayo Market Order 090110

Peaches
Eggs
Avocado
Broccoli
Baby Spring mix
Portobello Mushrooms
Kale
Brussel Sprouts
Braising Mix (My favorite!)
Strawberries
Cauliflower (for the Olivers!)
Wild Rocket Arugula
Cilantro
Mangos

Avocado Dressing

1 large avocado, halved, pitted

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce aka Sambaal

3 tablespoons olive oil

Blend until smooth... or just use a back of a spoon for a more chunky texture.

Puhlayo Market Order 082510

Nectarines
Watercress
Cherry Tomatoes
Spinach
Bartlett Pears
Kohlrabi
Cantaloup
Cucumbers
Turnips
Fennel
Eggs

Watercress: nutritional powerhouse

Per Average Portion of Fruit or Vegetables (per 80g of edible produce)

(Figures in brackets are the % of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for that nutrient - no figures, means there is no RDA for that nutrient)

	Watercress (raw)	Broccoli (raw)	Broccoli (boiled)	Tomato (raw)	Apple (raw)
Nutrient
Calories (kcal)	18	26	19	14	38
Protein (g)	2.4	3.5	2.5	0.6	0.3
Fat (g)	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.1
Fibre (g)	1.2	2.1	1.8	0.8	1.4
Beta-carotene (mcg)	2016	460	380	451	14
Vitamin A equivalent (mcg)	336 (42%)	77 (10%)	63 (8%)	75 (9%)	2 (0.3%)
Vitamin B1 (mg)	0.13 (9%)	0.08 (6%)	0.04 (3%)	0.07 (5%)	0.02 (2%)
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.18 (9%)	0.11 (6%)	0.09 (5%)	0.11 (6%)	0.05 (3%)
Vitamin C (mg)	50 (83%)	70 (117%)	35 (58%)	14 (23%)	5 (8%)
Vitamin E (mg)	1.17 (12%)	1.04 (10%)	0.88 (9%)	0.98 (10%)	0.47 (5%)
Folate (mcg)	36 (18%)	72 (36%)	51 (26%)	18 (9%)	1 (0.5%)
Vitamin K (mcg)*	200	81	113	6	2
Calcium (mg)	136 (17%)	45 (6%)	32 (4%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)
Iodine (mcg)	12 (8%)**	1.6 (1%)	1.6 (1%)	1.6 (1%)	Not known
Iron (mg)	1.8 (13%)	1.4 (10%)	0.8 (6%)	0.4 (3%)	0.1 (0.7%)
Magnesium (mg)	12 (4%)	18 (6%)	10 (3%)	6 (2%)	4 (1%)
Manganese (mg)	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
Phosphorus (mg)	42 (5%)	70 (9%)	46 (6%)	19 (2%)	9 (1%)
Potassium (mg)	184	296	136	200	96
Zinc (mg)	0.6 (4%)	0.5 (3%)	0.3 (2%)	0.1 (0.7%)	0.1 (0.7%)
Lutein and Zeaxanthin (mcg)*	4614	1353	1214	98	23
Selenium (mcg)	1.6**	Trace	Trace	Trace	Trace
Quercetin (mcg)***	6000	2000	168	472	3416

Sauteed Kale with Kohlrabi

1 1/4 pound kohlrabi, bulbs peeled

1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 pounds kale (2 bunches), stems and center ribs discarded

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped

Very thinly slice kohlrabi with slicer.

Whisk together lime zest and juice, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more kale as volume in skillet reduces. When all of kale is wilted, sauté with 1/2 teaspoon salt until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. 3Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios.

Puhlayo Market Order 081810

Kolrabi
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Peaches (yay!)
Strawberries
Broccoli
Organic Baby Mix
Chard
Kale
Red Onion
Parsnips
Asparagus
Escarole

Braised Beef in a Crock Pot

IMG_3693
Originally uploaded by SweetAssassin

3 Beef Shanks
1# Short Ribs on the bone
1 onion, rough chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. black peppercorns
3 small sweet potatoes
2 carrots
1 head bok choy


Stick the first 5 ingredients in the crock pot. Set to low for 5-6 hours. The add the rest of the veggies and cook on high for 1.5 hours.

Enjoy the beefy goodness.

Puhlayo Market Order 081210

Avocado
Asparagus
Broccoli
Red Bell Peppers
Mango
Organic Baby Mix
Cantaloupe
White Mushrooms
Organic Eggs


Please post recipes or questions in comments.

~Assassin

Reform the USDA Food Pyramid

Sign the petition for CHANGE!!

We all know that the Pyramid is designed to support large commodity grain growers. It currently is designed to appease big business. It's a slap in the face millions of people who are suffering from type 2 diabetes, and all those afflicted with Syndrome X diseases.

As you can see, we need more to create more awareness for this to even get this reform bill to legislature, so please pass the link onto all of your family and friends.


~Sweet Assassin

PCF 30 Day Paleo Challenge **April 19th-May19th

For those who have been on the fence about committing or for those who are still having challenges with little "cheats" here and there, we are asking for a 30 day commitment to eat WHOLE FOODS, and an opportunity to JUMPSTART your nutrition!

From Paleodiet.com, Paleo lifestyle is defined as "a simple dietary lifestyle that is based on foods being either in or out. In are the Paleolithic Era foods that we ate prior to agriculture and animal husbandry (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, mushrooms, etc.). Out are Neolithic Era foods that result from agriculture or animal husbandry (grains, dairy, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar and fake foods)."

The 30 Day Challenge will begin on Monday, April 19th and end Wednesday, May 19th. 

Borrowed from Melissa Byer's blog, we should follow the guidelines below:

1. Eat real food – meat*, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, oils (like EVOO or coconut). Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.
2. Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese (hard and soft), yogurt (even Greek) and milk (including cream in your coffee**).
3. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, corn (I count corn as a grain), oatmeal, and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains. That’s not real food, right?
4. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds, lentils, and peanuts. (No peanut butter, kids.)
5. Do not eat sugars*** of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc.
6. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, processed bars (like Zone bars), dairy-free creamers, etc.
7. Do not drink alcohol, in any form.
8. If you have serious inflammation issues like arthritis, you may want to consider avoiding nightshades for 30 days as well.

• It is recommended that you keep a daily log of what you are eating. There are many online food logs that free, like Livestrong.com has an easy to navigate online food diary. 
• Also, it is a good idea to weigh yourself on April 19th and compute your body fat percentage so that you may be able to track the changes in your body composition through the end of the challenge.
• Optional: If you'd like, you can have photos taken of your body prior to start of the challenge- I'm sure Diso would be able to snap them for you. 
• I will set up a "tracking" sheet on the white board for those who want to participate in the challenge for all to see, so we can be a true community by supporting each other and keeping each other accountable. 

If you have any questions on what you can and can't eat please feel free to ask any one of the trainers or myself, Assassin!

Coconut Flour Orange Cake Recipe

Coconut Flour Orange Cake (gfcf)

Recipe notes: I give you a method for melting the coconut oil while greasing the pan, saving you a dish. You can certainly melt the coconut oil in one pan and grease the pan separately. Also, I add the coconut oil last just in case it is still pretty warm. Having the eggs already mixed with the other ingredients provides a bit of a buffer in case the oil is still too warm. Scrambled egg cake is not what we’re after here.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 6 Tablespoons raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• juice of 1/2 medium orange

Directions

1. Take your eggs out of your refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure out coconut oil and place in an 8"x8" pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the coconut oil.
2. While the coconut oil is melting, whisk the eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla and orange zest together. Once the coconut oil is melted (probably around five minutes or less), remove the pan from the oven and let it cool while you mix in the rest of your ingredients.
3. Combine coconut flour, baking powder and sea salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Once your pan is cooled enough to handle, carefully swirl your coconut oil around your pan in order to grease all sides. Then pour the coconut oil into the batter and mix until all lumps are gone.
4. Pour the batter into your greased pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.Place the cake on a cooling rack. After the cake has cooled a bit, but is still warm, poke holes all over the top with a fork. Juice the orange half right over the whole cake, making sure to evenly distribute the juice

Yes, you can cook with Coconut Oil

Dr. Joseph Mercola, Board Certified Physician and Surgeon, is the founder of Mercola.com which is recognized as the top 10 leading online resources for Health and Wellness. In this video Dr. Mercola explains the benefits of the use of coconut oil as a supplement, for cooking and a beauty remedy.



Experience the benefits of Coconut Oil

Composition of Coconut Oil: Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats (Don’t panic! First read to the last word. Your opinion may change), with traces of few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Virgin Coconut Oil is no different from this. Let us have a bit detailed study of this.

• The Saturated Fatty Acids: Most of them are Medium Chain Triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well. Lauric Acid is the chief contributor, with more than forty percent of the share, followed by Capric Acid, Caprylic Acid, Myristic Acid and Palmitic.
• The Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Linoleic Acid.
• The Monounsaturated Fatty Acids: Oleic Acid.
• The Poly-phenols: Gallic Acid, which is phenolic acid. These poly-phenols are supposed to be responsible for the fragrance and the taste of Coconut Oil and Virgin Coconut Oilis rich in these poly-phenols.
• Certain derivatives of fatty acid like Betaines, Ethanolamide, Ethoxylates, Fatty Esters, Fatty Polysorbates, Monoglycerides and Polyol Esters.
• Fatty Chlorides, Fatty Alcohol Sulphate and Fatty Alcohol Ether Sulphate, all of which are derivatives of Fatty Alcohols.
• Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron.

Please see Assassin or Martina for the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil $8/500mL Jar

Food Inc. Potluck April 21st.

Food Inc. is being broadcast on PBS April 21st (check your local listings). I thought PCF could take this opportunity to come together, have a potluck and learn about the hidden agendas of "Agri-business."


The topic addressed in this documentary has become a passion of mine. I can never read and absorb enough information on the hidden agendas of the grocery lobby; it has almost become an obsession. I'd like to share that obsession with 
A PCF group viewing of Food Inc with potluck is a great opportunity to again highlight the importance of nutrition and how it fuels our bodies for fitness.

• Who is willing to host the potluck?
• Everyone must bring a dish to the potluck. It does not have to be homemade but it MUST be prepared with locally and ethically sourced products. 
• Please use this forum to express any ideas about the potluck

For those who have not heard of Food Inc, here is a little synopsis on the documentary:

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Recipe for Ground -Turkey (which was used for the lettuce wraps on Friday night)

Recipe for Ground -Turkey (which was used for the lettuce wraps on Friday night)
This is for 2-3 people (I say 2):
Ingridients:
1 lb of ground turkey
One medium size onion- chopped
3 table spoons of olive oil
One cup of celery sticks- chopped
One cup of carrots- chopped
2/3 cup of walnuts, small pieces
4-5 cloves of garlic- chopped
1 tea spoon of cumin
1 table spoon of red pepper (not spicy. I would be happy to get this for you, from a mediterrenian market)
1 table spoon of tomatoe paste
1 table spoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of warm water
Lets cook it:
Chop the medium size onion and fry it with the 3 table spoons of olive oil until the onions start turning brown, on medium heat
Add black pepper to the onion
Then immediately after, add the 1 lb of ground turkey
Add the garlic
Make sure the turkey, black pepper, garlic and onions are well mixed (2 minutes)- At this point, you can increase the heat to high-medium.
Add the tomatoe paste, cumin, red pepper, warm water and mix well (again, for another 2 minutes)- this is where I start making sure that the ground turkey mixes very well with all these ingridients and form into small pieces.
When the dish starts boiling, or very hot, then lower the heat to medium.
Cover, and let it cook for 6-8 minutes.
Once the meat is 60% cooked (which should be after 8 minutes), then add the celery and carrots. You add the celery and carrots towards the end, so that they stay crunchy. They don't need to be cooked all the way.
Cover it, lover the heat to medium-low (not very low, tough). Continue cooking until you feel like the turkey is done. I say, for another 8-10 minutes.
Once the meat is coooked throughly, turn the heat off, add the walnuts and mix well. Cover, take it off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Enjoy, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.


Watch this video symposium Here