new combinations ...

As Cornell is busy preparing his new batch of delicious looking pictures (I don't know if he is busy doing that, but maybe this post will instill in him a sense of obligation, not that feeling obliged is good or making others feel obliged is very moral, so I probably shouldn't manipulate Cornell in this way. On the other hand I know Cornell is an INTP, so not easily manipulated, and I think he will take this remark the way it was intended, that is, as a joke, which by now has been thoroughly spoiled by this unnecessary explanation, which has become too lengthy by far too, though not by any fault on my part as I am only doing what a blogger is supposed to do on the world wide web, that is: describing every part of his life in detail on his little spot on the net, but because that is not what this blog is about (that is: not all details of our lives. It is about food) I will terminate this ongoing string of words before you all lose your attention and go on to the main attraction of today: the description of some new combinations of paleolithically approved meals) I will describe some combinations I tried out the past weeks.

- White cabbage
- mushrooms
- onion
- cubes of ham
(very good, I had this twice (three meals each time) and will have this again...)

- red cabbage
- mushrooms
- onion
- lean minced meat
spiced with sambal
(not very original (compared to the above one) but good none the less. Goes well with some apple compote).

- the dutch vegetable 'koolraap', which took some time to clean and cut up due to its very tough exterior.
Stir fried with some onion and some cubes of smoked bacon.
Good! The 'koolraap' gets softer and tastes quite sweet after stir frying.

These meals are cost efficient as all these vegetables are cheap in winter.
I can eat for approximately 5 euro's a day (if I don't count the luxuries I sometimes afford myself for later in the evening, like a bit of port or bailies with some cheese or somethign). 5 euro's a day. That's quite cheap to me.

Another winter dish ...

Ah ... A new year, and new resolutions: to keep this blog up and running ...
And when Cornell posts fifteen new posts filled with pictures of delicious, inventive and tasty cave-person approved dishes, I cannot shirk my duty ...

The month december was a hard time for me to keep to the paleolithic diet. First because I was on vacation in Australia for two weeks, then the christmas and years' end festivities ... And to be honest, last weak I had bread at lunch at work... But instead of feeling guilty about all that, I will just enjoy life and eat what I like, and that is this paleolithic thing.
Also nice to find I didn't gain much weight over the festive season. That is, I didn't weigh, but my pants (size 34!) still fit, and even seem a bit wide. So that's progress ...

I've bought a digital camera a month ago, so in theory I should be able to add pictures to my posts. But I have to change the batteries, so not tonight.
But even without pictures to accompany my posts, I will inform you of the winter dish I made this evening:

I took two chopped onions and stir fried those in oil, added lean minced meat, and mushrooms, and then a package of 'zuurkool' (german: sauerkraut), a kind of fermented cabbage, and I stir fried it all. Then I added sambal to spice it up. I had half of this with half a can of apple-compote. Stir fried 'sauerkraut' tasted rather good, especially with the sambal. And the sweet apple went well with the rather salty cabbage.

Johan

Spicy cabbage...

In my quest to find new tastes and new culinary inspiration, to go where no paleolithic eater has gone before, I returned to the red cabbage I had with mango and sweet gingerjuice before but from a different angle: what if the cabbage weren't sweet but spicy?
So I spent half an hour cutting my vegetables (note to self: buy a kitchen machine that cuts your vegatables for you). I had one red cabbage, cut up, two leeks, cut in rings, 150 grams of small mushrooms, cut in half, two red paprika's, cut in pieces, and approximately 250 grams of chicken in little slices. So I stir fried the chicken, added the mushrooms, added the cabbage until it got softer and added the leeks and the paprika's. Finally I added approximately two and a half teaspoon of sambal (grind red peppers) and some sweet chilisauce, and a drip of japanese soy sauce.
This was enough for three meals, but I had already bought dinner for wednesday, so I had two large portions and kept the rest for today.
The hot, spicy sambal went well with the red cabbage, I thought.

Sweet delight...

My meal yesterday evening was one of the best meals I've made for myself in some time.
It was a variation on something I made before, but this meal was even better, in my humble opinion.
I took pieces of chicken (300 grams), a pointy cabbage (spitskool), 250 grams of chestnut mushrooms, a yellow bellpepper (paprika) and two banana's. All cut to pieces of course.
I first stir fried the chicken and seasoned it with paprica powder, curry powder en some pepper, then added the mushrooms, follewed by the cabbage and the bellpepper. When the cabbage had shrunk in a bit I added some soy sauce and ginger extract to the sauce, then for the last two minutes or so I added the two banana's in slices.
I had half of this for my dinner, and it was excellent: nice, tasty, sweet. It warmed me inside, which is good as it is getting colder outside. Tonight I will have the other half.

I've decided to add some fish to my breakfasts more often. So this morning I had some smoked salmon with carrots, a kiwi and a peach (and a handfull of nuts). And for tomorrow and the day after I have canned tunafish with vegetables to go with the vegs and fruits.

Another combination I made some time ago, was with extra lean minced meat (extra mager rundergehakt), mushrooms, broccoli, sweet pointed bellpeppers and a can of green beans (sperziebonen) (as this is mostly the pods and not just the beans I think this is allowed for a paleolithic diet). This combination was allright, but not as outstanding as the sweet delight I had yesterday. But don't worry, we'll keep on experimenting with new tasts and new combinations. To boldly go where no one has gone before...

Creative with cabbage...

Last week I made two delicious dishes with cabbage.

For the first one I took one red cabbage (cut it in half and marvel at the beautifull pattern of bright white and dark red. Just like brains... hmmm... brains). I cut it up. Then I stir fried approximately 300 grams of extra lean minced meat, with two sweet pointed paprika's (bellpeppers) and here's the clincher: 400 grams of mango in pieces. (For red cabbage is sometimes eaten with apples, so I figured a combination with fruit would go well). I seasoned it with some gingerjuice and some soysauce. I must say this was a success in my opinion, though it took relatively long to stir fry enough.
I ate two times from this huge amount of food. A cabbage is really economically packaged vegetable. No air left between the leaves...

In between I made ratatouille for my brother and I to honor the new movie. It's great by the way. And it's about cooking...

Then last friday I had three guests, and I offered them the paleolithic dinner.
I took a green cabbage and sliced it up. I stir fried this with extra lean minced meat again (again approx. 300 grams), 250 grams of mushrooms (in quarts), two yellow bellpeppers (paprika's) and two banana's (in slices). Again I added some ginger juice and some soysauce. This was really, really good. The banana went well with the cabbage, added a nice sweet touch. One of my favorites. I think I have to make a book with recipe's (well, that's what this blog is all about, isn't it).
I also made a sallad with mixed salad, cherry tomatoes, some maize (yes, not paleolithic, I know), and some 'huttenkäse', really young cheese, not even hardened out, but also very low in calories. I also added some pineconeseeds and dressing. This salad was really good too!
We had some fruit for desert.

This weekend I also enjoyed the taste of different kinds of melon.
And I added egg to my breakfasts. It's good too, and gives more of a full feeling than just fruit and nuts. mmmm...
This morning my breakfast existed from half a melon, lots of strawberries, and a baked egg with some bacon. Yummie...