I didn’t take today’s Picture of the Day, but man, I worked for it. I did the NY/NJ Mudderella – and had a great time.
Author: cochrancj
I am an American expat who loves to explore the world through the plate and is always curious to learn more.
May 9, 2014
Goosebumps flashbacks.
Bunless Banh Mi
Y-U-M. This is a stellar dish, packed with tons of flavor and a good wallop of veggies – perfect for the (finally!) warmer days we’ve been having around here. This dinner (and later, lunch) didn’t bog me down and felt like exactly what I needed to be eating. I love it when that happens.
Gluten-free, paleo
Bunless Banh Mi
1 lb. ground pork
1 – 2 Tbsp. fat
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 tsp. honey
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions
1 inch ginger
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 medium cucumber
2 medium carrots
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1.2 tsp. honey
Black pepper
Kosher salt
Shredded brussels sprouts
Cilantro
Radish
Chili aioli
First, get your carrots & cukes marinating for a quick pickle. Julienne your carrots and cukes and place in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, 1.5 tsp. honey, a big pinch of salt and a few cracks black pepper. Bring to a boil and then quickly pour over the veggies. Add water to bring the liquid level up to just covering the veg. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour.
On to the pork. In a large pan, heat your fat over medium and add the pork. Break up with your spoon or spatula and let work while you prep the sauce. In a small bowl, add the fish sauce, coconut aminos, honey and lime juice – grate the garlic and ginger and add that, too. Pour over the pork and quickly stir to mix well. Let the pork cook until it reaches the crisp little nibblins stage.
While the pork is cooking, thinly slice the scallions, tossing the white and light green parts in with the pork and reserving the dark portion for garnish.
Thinly slice the radish and chop the cilantro. Put aside.
Prep the aioli (to make the ailoi, blitz 1 egg, the juice of half a lemon, 2 big pinches kosher salt and a sprinkle white pepper with an immersion blender – drizzle olive oil into the mix until you reach a nice thick consistency. Once your aioli is made, combine with your favorite hot sauce).
To serve, spoon the pork nibblins over a cup – cup and a half of brussels and top with the carrot & cuke pickles, radish, scallion tops, cilantro and chili aioli.
Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.
May 8, 2014
On a walk
May 7, 2014
I talk a lot about this guy’s number being almost up.
My old man is 13 going on 14 – he has arthritis and muscle wasting, and this long, hard winter has been less than pleasant for everyone involved. These days, his good days are more and more frequently overshadowed by those where I can tell he hurts despite the doggie painkillers; the days his pigheadded self decides to do something like pee on his bed or in the middle of the kitchen to let me know life sucks. Or he decides that since he’s old and we won’t likely yell at him overmuch, crapping in his kennel is perfectly appropriate retaliation for leaving him in dog jail while we are out for a few hours. Not only is the old guy in his dotage, he’s also (still) a world class ass. Those days, my frustration takes over and I tell myself I can’t wait for the end and a pee-free house.
Then there are the days I see him unable to pick himself up from falling for the 12th time – the ones he snaps at us when we give him help, where I can see the fear in his eyes over falling again warring with his desire to go outside to smell and pee – those are the heartbreak days. The days I talk about his looming demise in as lighthearted a manner as possible.
And then there are days like this – when I look over from my desk at this smiling old man face and fall in love all over again. These are the days I can’t fathom being without him.
Stick around a bit, big man, I’m not ready to let that face go.
May 6, 2014
Best clothing invention evar.
May 5, 2014
Ex-windows
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of May 5-9
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
Last Week (Week of April 28-May 2)
The Plan vs. Reality
Monday
- The Plan – A burger or sausages with
some sort of sidesweet potato fries - Reality – Bacon burgers with sweet potato fries
Tuesday
- The Plan – Spinach, parmesan & prosciutto stuffed pork loin with
some sort of sideroasted parsnips - Reality – Yum.
Wednesday
- The Plan – Leftover pork repurposed into a stir-fry with peppers, celery and broccoli
- Reality – I wasn’t feeling the saltiness required for a stir-fry, so I went with plain boiled and buttered broccoli. Yum.
Thursday
- The Plan – Marinated London broil with
some sort of sidebroccolini - Reality – Another win – and a super easy no cleanup 1 cookie sheet under the broil type of meal.
Friday
- The Plan – Carrot Ginger Lime Pasta with Crispy Ground Poultry (from last week)
- Reality – This didn’t happen again this week and I think I’m giving up for now. Went grocery shopping again this Friday.
Lunches
- The Plan – I gave up on the egg foo youngs ever happening
- Reality – I had the last of the leftover ham from Easter + whatever else I could cobble together for my lunches
Extras
- The Plan – Bacon Maple Sandwiches
- Reality – I forgot that Mudderella isn’t for another week – luckily, I bought really green bananas and they are still acceptably ripe going into this week. I need to make the pancake portion of the recipe soon, though, or they won’t be.
This Week: May 5-9
I had every intention of visiting my favorite butcher again this week, but they happened to not be open yet when we walked past, and we needed to go to Whole Foods anyways. Luckily Whole Foods had what we needed and we were doing well enough on budget to be able to get what we wanted to get.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Something Rogan Josh with cauliflower rice and paleo naan
- Tuesday: Chicken in coconut milk with lemongrass and some sort of side
- Wednesday: Leftovers from the chicken in green curry with broccoli and peppers
- Thursday: Larb spiced ground poultry with some sort of carroty something
- Friday: Sausages or burgers with sweet potato fries
- Lunch: Nothing planned – hoping for leftovers, though I really need to find some wiggle in the budget to grab some protein
- Extras: Bacon maple sandwiches for Saturday’s breakfast
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, WF = Whole Foods, O = Optional if budget allows
This week, I have $100 to spend for my weekly groceries, and I hope to stick to it.
Shopping List
Ghee – $5 est – ($3.29 @ TJs)
Eggs – $3 est – ($2.99 @ TJs)
4 cans coconut milk – $4 est – ($0.99 x 3 @ TJs)
Lemon – $3 est – (3 – $1.47 @ TJs)
Lemongrass – $2 est – ($2.80 @ WF)
Greens (2 c) – $2.50 est – did not get – using frozen spinach instead
Cauliflower – $3 est – ($2.49 @ TJs)
Parsnips or something else to serve with chicken – $3 set – (bok choy – $2.29 @ TJs)
Sweet potatoes – $2 est – ($0.98 @ TJs)
Green curry – $4 set – ($3.79 @ WF)
Broccoli – $3 est – ($1.99 @ TJs)
Pepper – $1 est – ($0.99 @ TJs)
Sriracha – $3 est – ($2.99 @ TJs)
Limes – $3 est – bought a few extra with the smoothies bunch
2 bags kale – $5 est – ($2.29 x 2 @ TJs)
1 bag spinach – $2 est – ($1.99 @ TJs)
3 avocados – $4 est – ($4.47 @ TJs)
5 apples – $5 est – ($3.45 @ TJs)
5 limes – $4 est – (1 lb bag – $2.79 @ TJs)
Cilantro – $2 est – ($1.79 @ TJs)
Ginger – $2 est – ($1.39 @ TJs)
Orange juice – $4 est – ($2.99 @ TJs)
Celery – $3 est – I thought we bought this, but it didn’t show up on the receipts…
Extras: roast chicken for my lunches – ($6.99 @ TJs), broccoli slaw for my lunches – ($1.99 @ TJs), scallions – ($1.29 @ TJs), impulse buy of a pint of cherry tomatoes because they were grown on the roof of the building and that is just freaking awesome – ($5.49 @ WF)
Butcher’s List
1 chicken (2 meals) – $15 est – ($7.27 @ WF)
1 lb. stew beef – $9 set – ($8.95 @ WF)
Ground pork – $6.50 — Use leftover poultry instead
Meat – $9.50 or less – beef & bacon burgers, or sausages – (Bacon cheddar burgers – $4.17 @ WF)
Total TJ: $56.17
Total WF: $34.48
Total For The Week: $90.65; $9.35 under budget. I thought for sure I’d be over this week, with all the little extras I bought.
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, Monday’s dinner.
May 4, 2014
Spring flowers
May 3, 2014
Diner
