Posts tagged olive oil

I could add a fourth “P” to that alliterative title; Parsnip!  I’m pretty sure of all the foods I’ve substituted pasta with, parsnip is my favorite.  It’s doesn’t get as soggy as zucchini, and it looks more like pasta than carrots.  But I bet this dish would go great with spaghetti squash too!

Simple to make (all ingredients, all organic, all the time):

parsnip (peeled into strips)
garlic
olive oil
roma tomatoes
fresh basil
fresh parsley (optional)

Just sauté the parsnip strips in olive oil until soft like pasta, then add some chopped garlic, some chopped roma tomatoes until warm, and finish with the fresh herbs.  It was Ugga-Bugga delicious!  It didn’t need any more seasoning, but feel free to add what you like.  

Perfect for vegans, vegetarians, and cavemen of all ages!  I prepared it exactly the way I would a steak, a sprinkling of Holy Trinity (black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder), and then pan fried with olive oil in a cast iron skillet, only flipping once and letting each side caramelize.  I cut it thick too, like a ribeye!  This was an Italian eggplant, much larger than the Japanese variety.  When I saw a round one the size of a volleyball at the farmers market, I had this idea.  All ingredients, all organic, all the time!

I served it with a dollop of chunky style marinara sauce, but in retrospect, I should have put the sauce on the bottom, and then served the eggplant steak on top, for a bolder presentation, but I’m a caveman, not a photographer, so go Ugga-Bugga yourself!

The marinara has fresh basil in it too, as you can see!  I think I’ll make another eggplant steak tonight topped with guacamole!

1. 
   mypaleofood replied to your post: Broccoli Limone

   Why do you cook with olive oil? Is sauté temp lower than OO smoke point? I don’t know a lot about it. Hoping you can shed some light.

From what I’ve learned (especially from fellow tumblr Your Healthista) it’s nearly impossible to turn olive oil into trans fat on an average stove top, but some (like me) still feel more comfortable cooking it at very low temps.  For higher temps I like to use organic animal fat (rendered from healthy animals), avocado oil, or coconut oil.  I love the taste of olive oil, and use it a lot, especially raw (like in my paleo mayo).  But on occasion I cook with it for high temps too, like when cooking shrimp, or browning meatballs.

Saute some broccoli, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and lemon juice.  Nice little summer side dish or appetizer when served cold.  All organic, and of course 100% paleo.

Whole Foods is having a sale for California residents until mid-July: 20% off on a case of ANYTHING!  I just saved $16 on a case of organic olive oil (6 bottles).  Ask your local Whole Foods if they have something similar.  You don’t have to break the bank to eat paleo.  Buying in bulk is a great way to save!

My education never ends.  Just when I think I know all about the Caveman Diet, I realize just one piece of wrong information and I can wind up eating the wrong thing for a year!

I don’t remember where I got my original research, but for some reason I thought sunflower oil was paleo.  Well, it is, but it isn’t.  The thing is, the sunflower seed is, but the amount of oil one would use in a single meal is like eating a thousand seeds, and the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio is way out of balance.  Too bad, because I used sunflower oil a lot because of it’s high smoke point, and neutral flavor.  I did all my high heat frying in it, and used it for my paleo mayo!

BUT, it’s not all bad news for me.  Turns out, cooking with olive oil isn’t as bad as I once thought.  I’ve been scared off by olive oil’s low smoking point, and warned to death that if you cook it on high heat, it turns to trans fat (that’s the bad fat, folks), and defeats the whole purpose of eating a healthy oil.  Well, it does turn to trans fat… eventually.  Like if it’s cooked for a long time, on high heat.  But the average cook, cooking the average meal, even on high heat, would be hard pressed to cook olive oil long enough to turn it into trans fat.  Good news, because I love the flavor of olive oil.  And I will return to browning my meatballs in olive oil, the way my imaginary Italian Grandmother used to!

Unfortunately, paleo mayo made with olive oil doesn’t taste as good as the sunflower version (although my little modern cavegirl tells me she uses plain olive oil, which has a milder flavor than EVOO), but maybe I’ll try avocado oil, which is a wonder oil, and has a very high smoke point, so even if you’re still skeptical about olive oil, you can safely fry with it.  The downside, it’s as expensive as shit (where’d that expression come from?  Shit’s not expensive at all, dogs are practically giving it away).  But I think I’ll invest in a bottle next time I make mayo.

Actually, the best fat of all to cook with is animal fat from a healthy animal, like pasture raised cows, chickens, and especially pigs!  That’s right, organic lard is one of the healthiest things around!  Go figure.  And what’s even better than that is if you can get your hands on some wild duck fat!  Healthy animals produce healthy fat, perfect for caveman consumption.  If you’re more primal than paleo, organic ghee (clarified butter) is recommended, but I’d still like to stay away from dairy, even if all the lactose is removed.

I have to unlearn everything I learned in my life B.C. (Before Caveman).  I have to get over the thought that too much animal fat is bad for me.  Yes, if I’m buying factory farmed meat from the average supermarket, it is bad for me, but if the animal is raised like nature intended, it’s GREAT for me!

Thanks to Leah from Your Nutritionista for opening my eyes.  She’s got a great website and blog, so please check her out.  Not completely paleo, but still, she preaches healthy, local, non-processed, REAL food.  And I’m all for that!  Ugga-Bugga!