Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (6 page)

If you're treating yourself to a sweet treat on a special occasion, try to stick with those that are sweetened with a bit of maple syrup or raw honey—and not agave nectar, which (despite its “all-natural” reputation) is actually a highly processed, high-fructose product.

The most sustainable, healthful, and flavorful animal protein comes from healthy beasts that chow on whatever nature intended them to eat. So prioritize grass-fed (and grass-finished) beef, lamb, and goat, as well as wild game. (Eat the odd bits, too!) These animals offer meat that's full of anti-inflammatory omega-
3
polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

By the way, you won't find any grass-fed pigs because they're omnivores. Instead, look for fully pastured pork. It's your best bet if you love swine. Choose pastured chicken and eggs, too—not just for health reasons, but also for ethical and environmental ones.

Wild-caught sustainable seafood is another excellent source of protein packed with vitamins, minerals, and beneficial long-chain omega-
3
fatty acids. Consult the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
for the latest recommendations, and then go get some.

Everything your mom told you about the health benefits of vegetables is true (except the stuff about how spinach instantly quadruples the size of your biceps so you can pummel your bearded romantic rival). Buy in-season, pesticide-free produce at your local farmer's market, and supplement with frozen organic veggies.

Don't make the mistake of demonizing all dietary fats simply because some aren't good for you. Instead, head over
here
to read my top picks for cooking fats.

One of the best things you can do for your health is to eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and coconut kefir. There's a reason why most traditional diets include probiotics: fermentation increases the good bacteria, vitamins, and enzymes in foods, and makes nutrients more available for absorption by our bodies. Plus, they're tasty.

Spices make life worth living. That is all.

Paleo eating can seem daunting and mysterious, but my goal is to help translate the “rules of the road” into delicious, easy-to-prepare meals for you and your family. In this book, you'll find recipes that reflect the way I eat on an everyday basis—and I'm the queen of lazy, so if I can do this, you can, too.

Overall, my diet is fairly “clean.” I cook entirely gluten- and soy-free, and steer clear of legumes and processed seed and vegetable oils. I rarely make “Paleo-fied” treats like pancakes or cookies, but I'm not “Paleo perfect.” Sometimes, a bit of sugar will creep into my diet (in the form of super-dark chocolate), and I've been known to cook with butter. But that's me. Your approach to Paleo doesn't have to mirror mine—it just needs to work for
you
.

Certainly, if you're on a weight-loss journey, suffering from an immunological disorder, or committing to a month-long dietary reset, a strict approach to Paleo may be the ticket. But remember: this is not about slavishly and mindlessly mimicking the diets of our Paleolithic ancestors. This template simply gives us a starting point from which to decide how to feed ourselves in the modern world. I make my own choices by considering the health risks and consequences of the foods I eat—and I also weigh the gustatory experience, too. Here's my approach:

Stick to the Paleo roadmap.

Yes, there may be an occasional detour, and every now and then, some gastronomic off-roading can be fun and well worth the indulgence. But we need to keep picking ourselves up and moving in the right direction, which means avoiding dietary potholes like gluten, soy, added sugar, processed junk, and other inflammatory foods as much as possible.

Simple and quick does the trick.

Cooking becomes an overwhelming chore when we get too wrapped up in frustratingly complicated, time-consuming recipes. To be practical and sustainable, ancestral eating has to be easy. I have my hands full as a night shift worker and a busy mom, so I'm always on the lookout for shortcuts in the kitchen. But despite my emphasis on convenience
...

It better be crazy delicious.

I've heard it before: “I could never go Paleo—there's nothing to eat.”

What these skeptics mean is that they can't conceive of Paleo fare being anywhere near as scrumptious as their meals at the diner down the street, or as satisfying as the crinkly bag of half-eaten fluorescent cheese poofs next to them on the couch. To get people to maintain a Paleo lifestyle, it's important to show how food can be healthy
and
insanely good.

The recipes in this book were created with these three guiding principles in mind. Sure, you might quibble with a couple of my strategies and ingredients; I'll concede right now that cavemen didn't use pressure cookers or make ghee. But everything was designed with an eye toward practicality, sustainability, and deliciousness. My recipes feature a depth and complexity of flavor that will keep you coming back for seconds and thirds. 

1. Read the recipe first.

Have you ever realized halfway through cooking a new recipe that you’re missing a key ingredient? It’s a gut punch, so take a minute or two to read—and understand—all the instructions from start to finish before you dive in. And if you’re planning a multi-dish meal, be sure to pick recipes that can be prepared at the same time. It’s kind of impossible to simultaneously oven-roast three dishes at three different temperatures if you have only one oven.

2. Set your mise en place.

In French,
mise en place
means “set in place,” and refers to a key kitchen practice: preparing ingredients in advance. Before you start cooking, measure out your dry and wet ingredients, take out your kitchen gadgets and equipment, and do your chopping, mincing, slicing, and dicing. Setting your
mise en place
will enable you to cook without distraction.