Blog Archives

Recovery Pancakes

2/17/2014

I feel like I'm all over the place these days, literally. I post things to this blog, to my facebook page Project Paleo - Stl, and to the CrossFit St. Louis blog. Sometimes, when I find something really good, I have to post it to all three places. This is what happened when I found Plantain Pancakes, aka Perfect Paleo Pancakes, aka Recovery Pancakes. I came across a blog called The Paleo Mom, which I love because she posts great recipes and good sciency stuff to go along with. The post that caught my eye was the picture of a pancake that looked like, well, a real pancake! As you know, when you are enjoying a paleo lifestyle, you typically have stopped eating real pancakes made with flour and buttermilk. (I know...that sounds really yummy!). The thought of that is good, but knowing how my joints will feel afterward is enough to keep me away. So looking for an alternative is always on my radar. I've tried pumpkin pancakes and banana pancakes made with almond or coconut flour which were pretty tasty, but nothing prepared me for how delicious these green plantain pancakes were. And they are grain, nut, and dairy free! I call them "Recovery Pancakes" because they are great for a post workout snack. The starch in the green plantain helps replace muscle glycogen used up after a tough wod.

To see the post that inspired me, visit the Paleo Mom's blog on Perfect Paleo Pancakes. Also, be sure to watch her video on choosing the right plantains for your recipe.

Recovery Pancakes
1 large green plantain (about 200g cut up without skin)
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla (I like Mexican vanilla)
1 1/2 T melted coconut oil
pinch salt
1/4 t. baking soda

Peel plantain and cut into cubes. Place in food processor or blender and puree. Add eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, salt and baking soda and continue to process until it looks like pancake batter. In a small skillet, heat up 1/2 teaspoon more of coconut oil on med to low. Add pancake batter and cook about 3-4 min on that side, until it is bubbly and starting to dry. Flip over and cook about 1 more minute on the other side. Enjoy with almond butter, pure maple syrup or honey. Makes about three 7-inch pancakes.
Nutrition facts per pancake (3 per batch) Calories- 188; fat- 10.3 g; protein- 5.2 g; carb- 21 g

3 Comments

Marinated Beets

2/16/2014

1 Comment

You either love 'em or hate 'em. I happen to love them. I like the texture, color, and intensity of a marinated beet. My heart BEETS for them!! I'm all about the pun when I am preparing my beets, so you better believe I'm singing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" over and over again. That's when my daughter Margaret walks in and usually says, "You're making beets again." I'm so passionate about this vegetable that I contributed a blog post on beets for my friend Kate's activewear company called Dimvaloo. You can find it here. I wanted to include the recipe on my own blog as well so nobody misses a beat with beets.

Marinated Beets

Ingredients

1 bunch beets (about 5-6 medium sized beets)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t dijon mustard
5 T. olive oil

Take leaves off beets and save. These are great for sauteing in olive oil and are highly nutritious as well. Peel beets and cover with water in a saucepan. (Or, you can boil beets unpeeled and when done, gently rub skins off under cold water. Either way works fine.) Boil gently for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove beets from water and slice into quarters or the size you desire. In a bowl, stir together balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Slowly add olive oil and blend using a whisk or immersion blender. Pour over beets and toss. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy them on their own or added to your favorite mixed greens along with roasted pecans and fresh goat's cheese.

If you choose to boil beets with skins on, you can simply peel skin from cooked beet once cooled. It's a little messy, but just as easy as peeling.

Beets are loaded with vitamins like folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. Beets are also high in minerals like manganese, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium. That's quite a nutritional bang for your buck.

BEWARE: T.M.I.
I also want to give everyone the head's up that once you eat this delicious vegetable, it's beautiful red color may play out in your potty. After enjoying beets several nights in a row, I woke up with what I thought was blood in my urine. Gasp!!! The potty was reddish pink! I gave myself 3 days to live while I looked up my doctor's phone number. Then I racked my brain and tried to figure out what I was doing different because I had no symptoms. I know that many vegetables can affect urine (think asparagus!). Sure enough, I searched online and beets were the culprit. So I don't have a kidney tumor after all. Just those silly beets playing a trick on me. Read about it here and save yourself a trip to the doctor!!

1 Comment

Cauliflower Soup

2/16/2014

0 Comments

I love cauliflower. It is like the "empty canvas" vegetable that you can turn into anything you want. Roasted, steamed, pureed, or made to be "rice", it s usually on the menu at my house. The winter has been brutal this year, so soup is welcome in any pot on my stove. This cauliflower soup is easy and tasty, especially if you have homemade chicken broth to use as a base.

Ingredients

3 T. Kerrygold butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 T. chopped parsley
1 cauliflower head, cored and roughly chopped
8 cups chicken stock
2 t. Magic Mushroom Powder* (or 1-2 t. salt)
Ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and then stir and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the parsley, cauliflower and chicken stock and cook covered on med heat for about 15 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you need one! But, you can still puree in a blender or food processor and then return soup back to pot.) Season with Magic Mushroom powder if you have it, or salt and pepper to taste.

*The Magic Mushroom powder comes from a cookbook by Michelle Tam called "Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans". She shared the recipe online here. Take the time to make this indispensable spice. It adds a depth of flavor to meats, roasted veggies and soups and you will find yourself reaching for it every day!! The magic is in the ground porcini mushrooms. So dang good.

0 Comments

Recovery Pancakes

Marinated Beets

Marinated Beets

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

Author

Archives

Categories