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Ive only gone into detail slightly here about what the "Paleo" diet entails because I figure if you dont know, youll find out somewhere else with far more accurate and serious information. I mean, shit, have you SEEN my "About" section?? Anyway, put very simply, the "Paleo" diet adheres to the way our Paleolithic ancestors ate. A lot of people believe dairy (i.e., cheese, milk, yogurt, etc.) is not a "paleo" approved food. A lot of people are also uninformed and willing to believe whatever theyre told at face value, so ya know, theres that. I dont mean to suggest dairy was part of a Paleolithic diet, but there is evidence that suggests dairy (in its raw, full-fat, grass-fed form) can 100% be incorporated into ones "Paleo" diet, assuming it sits well with that person, because it doesnt with everyone. Im sure even some of you can attest to some form of lactose intolerance. After all, we really dont need the help of milk in our diet after age four. But this isnt a discussion of science (you can find plenty of it elsewhere). Its a discussion of what I choose to eat. And I choose to eat cheese sometimes, because its fucking delicious and sometimes you want some goddamn cheese!
So, some people recently have been giving me shit about including dairy in foods labeled "paleo" or "Whole30," but the truth is the dairy subject is very grey territory in the broader discussion, which is why it pisses me off to no end that these "Paleo" elitists get all pedantic and self-righteous about people who do choose to include it in their diet. These people who are supposed to be more enlightened about what they eat and where it comes from, who, in the end, are no different than an oppressive group of bullies and judgers who would rather eradicate someone elses way of doing things than to simply live beside it in acceptance (hence where I got the "Paleo" Nazi thing from).

EDIT: Theres actually a name for the disordered eating of people who have a beyond healthy obsession with consuming what they perceive to be healthy foods. Its called Orthorexia, and I wouldnt be surprised if many "Paleo" Nazi types suffered from it. Its a good way to kill 20  minutes if youve never heard of it before.

And that, my friends, is why Im no longer associating myself or my recipes with the word "Paleo/Whole30." I dont have a lot of tolerance for people who dont have a lot of tolerance, and I really dont give two shits what anyone else chooses to eat. Unless, of course, its babies, and then I would feel obligated to have an opinion/intervene.

Dont be mistaken--Ill continue to eat the way Ive been eating for the past two or so years (long before any of these elitists probably even heard of the Paleo diet, Im sureeee, said the hipster), but Im removing the words "Paleo" and "Whole30" from my vocabulary. Id like to do something grandiose here and start a movement where you all commit to do the same, but Im not that influential. Yet.
I wish I had a great word to replace it with, like Dragnificent, or something, but Im still marinating on it. If youve got some Dragnificent suggestions, though, leave em in the comments! Until them, Im either going to refer to it as "clean," "gluten free," or simply whatever it is. Not entirely helpful, but you get the idea.
To that end, I made these, er...um..., CLEAN, GLUTEN FREE cookies! And just like the ravioli from Monday, I am super excited to share these with you for the following reasons:

1. They actually taste like real cookies.
2. They literally have no flour. Like, none...not even almond or coconut flour!
3. There are only a handful of ingredients, many of which you probably have lying around. Therefore, you should make them tonight.

Served alongside a nice cold glass of Almond Milk (see, I actually DO have limits when it comes to dairy--not that I care if you dont!), these are all the cookie and judgment you need.

For the last month I have found myself wanting chocolate cake. So, eventually, I broke down and made one. Also for the last month I have been looking at some beets in the fridge and trying to decide what to do with them. Id been hearing about this cake for  years, so I decided now was the time.

I also tried an unusual icing Ive been hearing about for years too, which I will post tomorrow. Together, they were great. This was a nice cake but I do think the better for some frosting. It was very moist and kept well.  The beets added colour and kept it moist but if you did not know they were there, you probably would not guess.Neither the cake nor the icing were intensely sweet, but dense, moist and richly flavoured.

12 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 30 minutes prep time, not including cooking the beets or icing


2/3 cup mild vegetable oil
100 grams (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups very finely grated or mashed cooked beets
2 cups soft unbleached flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the oil and chocolate into a mixing bowl that can be heated over a double boiler, and do so, stirring regularly, until the chocolate is melted. Alternatively, it can be heated and melted in the microwave, if you are sure to check and stir it regularly. In either case, dont let it overheat or scorch.

When the chocolate is fully melted, mix in the sugar. Beat in the eggs once you are sure that the mixture is cool enough that it wont cause them to set (cook). Mix in the vanilla and the peeled and grated or puréed beets.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottom of 2 9" round springform pans with parchment paper, and butter the sides and the paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and mix it into the wet ingredients in 2 passes. Divide the batter (it will be quite thick) between the 2 prepared pans. Spread the batter evenly to the edges of the pans and be sure it is level.

Bake the cakes for 40 to 45 minutes, until just firm. Let cool before icing.




Last year at this time I made Lamb Cabbage Rolls.

Zucchini adds moisture to these fudgy gluten-free brownies.

In the thick of joy and the slow drain of heartache, I bake. I've mentioned this before. Baking is my way. I tie on my apron and rustle up my inner domestic goddess and cope with the world. Because joy tastes sweeter shared with those you love, gathered around a clatter of plates and clinking glasses and spoons licked clean. And heartache...

Well, heartache may not be soothed or tamed by a cookie or slice of cake.

But it doesn't hurt to try.

As for me, I've been reading several (new to me) books this summer. And I suppose, if you were to analyze the connecting themes, you might discern a search not only for meaning in a sticky, complicated post 9/11 world, but also for release. Release from the grip of societal expectations, collective assumptions, and the yoke of consumerism (I am, after all, post estrogen dependence; priorities do not include miracle-push-up bras, nail polish decals, waxed nether regions or upper lip injections).

I am more interested in keeping my mind agile than my thighs firm.

Hence the books I'm reading. Newest (to me) is Buddha's Brain. I'm learning about the amazing plasticity of the mind, and the neuro-scientific practice of creating new "wiring" (especially as we age) by gently training our mind to release ancient, habitual (so often, negative and critical) thought patterns (what the PhDs call neural pathways but what I like to refer to as my teeth-grinding mental squirrel in a cage wearing my grandmother's wig) and cultivate more self compassion. Which in turn makes everyone happier, apparently.

I guess if you're feeling at peace with the energy ebb and sometimes tumultuous flow of your days and nights, and baking brownies with those surplus zucchinis, and watching the magical late afternoon sunlight dappling the backs of a pair of wild turkeys guiding their brood of nine into the blackberries below the kitchen window, you can feel pretty blissed out.

Or maybe it's the chocolate talking.


Read more + get the recipe >>

I piled up a selection of my baking books, praying that the macaron book would not be the one picked, anyway I neednt have worried because the random number picker chose #1 which is The Best of Cadbury Chocolate Cooking.

Opening the book it fell open at a page 77 with a choice of four delicious recipes.  I chose to make Bournville and Amaretti Slice but as I didnt use Bournville chocolate but a generic brand which is why I have called it  

Chocolate and Amaretti Slice

50g caster sugar


This is totally indulgent, rich and needs to be served in very small slices.  If I made it again, I think I would simply mix the biscuits into the chocolate, because it does tend to crumble a bit when you cut it.  The liqueur comes through strongly so its a grown up slice, but you could use orange juice and if you dont like almond flavours at all, then other crunchy biscuits like gingersnaps would probably work just as well.