Necessity is the mother of invention. When you have a bunch of beautiful, long-stemmed, slender asparagus waiting impatiently in your refrigerator to be the star or a lovely new recipe just as soon as you invent said recipe, well, there’s little time to waste. This week was also a rare one in which I had a surplus of eggs, after 1) buying a carton and forgetfully leaving it in the office…
This Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein is just my latest tribute to a long-time love: the versatile, delicious, easy-going spaghetti squash. Once I tried cooking spaghetti squash in the microwave, it opened up a whole new world and I’ve never looked back. If you’re looking for more spaghetti squash goodness, see my Spicy Spaghetti Squash Beef Bowl, One-Pan Spaghetti Squash Chicken Chorizo Skillet, or even my Simple Spiced Spaghetti Squash for…
I made this Blueberry Baked N’Oatmeal on a Monday, and shamelessly ate it for several meals in a row after perfecting the recipe (not to mention straight from the pan)! I named it Blueberry Baked “N’Oatmeal” because it’s NOT OATMEAL. See what I did there? It makes a wonderfully filling make-ahead breakfast that keeps well for days and is delicious hot or cold. Sometimes I really crave something else in…
Here they are: BROWN BUTTER chocolate pecan bars (or BBCPB, according to my affectionate abbreviation for them). Brown butter and I are having quite the moment… I can’t get enough of creamy pastured butter from happy, healthy cows toasted to nutty perfection and finished with a dash of nutmeg to pull the flavor deeper into rich caramel. This depth of flavor is tempered but the sweetness of the pecans and by the bite of…
I created this Quick Apple Pie recipe in honor of Pi Day. This year’s Pi Day was an extra-special occurrence… a once in a lifetime one, actually. March 14 (or 3/14) celebrates the mathematical constant of pi. Pi represents the ratio of circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. While it is often abbreviated as 3.14, pi has an infinite number of digits beyond the decimal point, starting with 3.14159. Last…
Pastured bone broth: I finally found a shelf-stable brand that is made from grass-fed cows! If you don’t have time to spend hours making your own bone broth, Kettle & Fire makes a game-changing broth from organic bones, slow-cooked to draw out the nutrients and collagen hidden deep inside. Get it here. The recipe for this Slow Cooker Short Rib Chili has been on my mind for a long time, since…
This sweet potato frittata creation rose from the ashes of a recipe failure. Several days ago I came across a gorgeous recipe series titled For the Love of Pie, in particular a beautiful entry by Mimi Thorisson. Potatoes, bacon, onions and herbs… it’s all very French countryside, rustic and wholesome. I immediately began plotting a Paleo recreation to be produced in, well, my urban apartment in San Francisco. Not quite…
No recipe today, dear reader. But sometimes “un-recipes” are even better. So stick around, because on a whim I decided to put together some cheeky Whole30 guides. Not just any cheeky Whole30 guides, but the survival kind. This series will address the challenges of the Whole30 with “real talk” and take into account some considerable constraints/pressures/limitations/complications of modern life that form an all-powerful vortex that sucks your time, energy and motivation completely away…
I have been playing a LOT with cranberries this holiday season, in many different ways, and have completely fallen in love with them as an ingredient. Such little bursts of color and flavor! This Cranberry Chicken Stuffed Squash is my favorite cranberry creation to date: there are many layers to the flavor, such as the warmly savory shredded chicken, the subtle sweetness of onions and parsnips, richness of garlic, plenty…
I consider myself “team pie” when I think about it. . . but I never seem to bake pies. 😛 Is there a single pie on this site? I don’t think so. Cake, though. I’ve made some cakes: Pineapple Dreams Coconut Cake, Easy Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Chocolate Gingerbread Cake, Vegan Heartache Cake and even a Meat Cake! But this cake is very different from all the rest, because it has dairy in…
Sometimes I have a Grinch moment, and I think “healthy seasonal food in the winter is ugly, and boring, and difficult, and time-consuming to prepare.” But I know that’s not the truth. Many traditional favorites do rely on truckloads of sugar in various forms to liven them up (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes loaded with marshmallows) but there’s beauty and ease and nourishment to be found in real seasonal…
Maybe you’ve heard of cakes that you make in a microwave? Can’t lie, the first time I saw a recipe for a mug cake I dismissed it immediately. How can you make anything with the taste and consistency of cake in just a few minutes? But I have quite the culinary curiosity, so I set out to test the theory. Results? You can make a grain-free cake in a mug in minutes in the…
It’s 7:40pm in San Francisco, CA. It’s been dark for hours, and the wind has picked up in the South of Market district, where I’m racking my bar and weights after a CrossFit session—deadlifts tonight, plus my 20-rep back squat extra credit—and dreading 1) the solitary walk to the grocery store, 2) the effort of selecting ingredients, and 3) the time spent prepping and cooking before I’ll finally have a warm, healthy…
Fact: cereal is my favorite unhealthy temptation. Do you remember the hullabaloo last month over the news that a surprising number of drunk vegetarians eat meat? Well, if I’m going to indulge after a night of fun… it’ll be cereal. So when I saw Recipes to Nourish’s Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal, I couldn’t wait to give it a happy holidays, grain-free spin. My pumpkin cinnamon roll n’oatmeal is a very pared-down version, and…
Attention friends and pumpkin enthusiasts: few times have I been more excited to share a recipe with you than I am today. If you’re looking to make a flock of festive little treats that tip their caps to the season while pleasing touchy tummies, these babies are for you. These wee beauties begin with a real food crust that’s just fruit, nuts, coconut oil and some spice to liven it up!…
Before we get to the lusciousness that is the Green Pork Sliders, may I say that earlier this month I competed in my first CrossFit competition ever! What an utter blast. Hosted by Alameda Crossfit just across the water from San Francisco, the day dawned crisp and sunny and I got there bright and early to warm up and get situated before the competition began. Shout-out to the pureWOD guys,…
One of the most difficult aspects of a healthy lifestyle is the cost of nutritious ingredients, and the hassle of cooking. However, there are plenty of “hacks” that help when time and funds are both nowhere to be found. One of my favorite strategies that’s an utter no-brainer (although it does take a conscious effort) is buying meat–one of the priciest parts of a real food diet–on sale. I know, you would…
Welcome to Women x Wellness, a series of interviews here on Grok Grub with female entrepreneurs who are changing the wellness industry for the better, and innovating to benefit our health. Lisa Curtis– founder of Kuli Kuli, a mission-driven startup that is creating a market for the superfood moringa–sat down with me for my inaugural interview. Lisa and her startup Kuli Kuli came to mind when I developed the concept for this series of blog posts because…
To be honest, this Spaghetti Squash Chicken Chorizo Skillet is a riff on grain-free paella. But… I forgot the shrimp, so it has no rice, no seafood, and no right to be called any type of paella. But! It does have golden chunks of chicken and savory slices of chorizo on a bed of smoky paprika-spiked vegetables, so I think it still has a lot of tastiness to offer. I made…
According to Wikipedia, a galette is a round and crusty cake. I’m more inclined to think of it as a pie that is not cooked in a pie dish, but instead, the pastry is folded up and around the filling, leaving a hole at the top. I wrote about forgiving grain-free baking projects in my post of a sun-dried tomato ripe olive focaccia a few weeks ago, and I consider this the…
I made a healthy snack today. I’m constantly experimenting with things to grab and chew between the office and the gym, so consider this another recipe in the pre-workout category, although these are delicious any time, with or without a workout. I love a good homemade energy bar in terms of concept, because store-bought ones so frequently disappoint. Loaded with sugar and “gluten-free” trickery, hard-ass dried fruit, chocolate that just doesn’t taste quite right if…
Since going grain-free, I miss bread. But probably not in the way you’re thinking, and it’s more accurate to say that I miss bread-making: those deeply meditative, repetitive motions of kneading to sink your awareness into, the precise measuring of ingredients, exercising patience while the dough rises, that universally comforting, wholesome warm smell… You see? Bread-making is an exercise of the senses, the intellect, and your body (if given its due). Working…
I’ll bake you a cake, yes. But you should know that it will likely be a recipe I invented the same day, and its debut for you will be its raison d’être. That’s certainly the case with this Pineapple Dreams Coconut Cake. I invented it for a birthday, and named it the way I did because it totally the stuff of dreams if you’re a tropical pineapple lover. Nibbling the last…
I know. I know! But trust me when I say that this is a cake that you can throw together on short notice. A cake that goes with coffee, and friends coming over, children and dogs underfoot. It might be breakfast. It is fruit-sweetened, nut-free, grain-free, and dairy-free, sure. It’s not the healthiest thing you can make, it’s a cake. But a cake that understands. Quick and casual, with a tender crumb but enough structural integrity to…