Chorizoes with Steamed Vegetables

Chorizoes with Steamed Vegetables

Sataran   4:56 PM

Since I'm on a fairly restrictive diet, I avoid gluten grains, dairy, nightshade vegetables, legumes, soy, and nuts. But processed meats have been my one weakness. In particular, I haven't been able to rid myself of chorizoes -- especially Premio's chorizoes available at ShopRite, a supermarket chain in the Northeast. These chorizoes have corn syrup, maltodextrin, red pepper, and paprika. In other words, artificial ingredients (horreurs) and nightshade spices.

However, I don't seem to react badly to these. Perhaps the small dose is hormetic. So I've been making these Spanish sausages a treat once a week. They're incredibly tasty when cooked just right in an electric oven.

I usually cook at 350F for 10 minutes. Then I split them open, spread them out and cook for 15 minutes more at 350F. Flip them over and cook another 15 minutes. I like my pork well-done (and they should be well-done, a la PHD). So I don't mind the overcooked texture and slight burntmarks from broiling in my electric oven for 40 minutes. Spray some thyme, ginger and garlic powder and eat with your steamed vegetables. Goes well with steamed broccoli, French green beans and yuca.

Or, try with boiled red cabbage and collard greens. Always served with herbs as seasoning and a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar.

Wash it all down with a cup of Dragon Well green tea.

My First Grass-Fed T-Bone Steak

My First Grass-Fed T-Bone Steak

Sataran   4:48 PM

This T-bone steak I ordered from Slanker's has been sitting in my freezer for a while. I bought it as part of a bulk shipment 3 months ago. By weight, most of the shipment was beef marrow bones and knuckles. These I consumed rather quickly, within a month, since I make my bone broth soup every week (to make a week's worth of bone broth, I go through 3 lbs. of marrow bones). I also went through other cuts quickly, since they were smaller, boneless steaks. The T-bone I left to savor for later.

Slanker's recommends no more than "medium rare" for the bone-in "Supersteak." Supposedly, the bone conducts heat, so it shouldn't take as long as the boneless. Well, I prefer my steak "well done". So I set my electric oven to 275F on one side for 15 minutes, then flipped over and broiled for another 15-20 minutes at 250F, having sprayed herbs and spices. This is the doneness I prefer, although I'm beginning to like "medium rare" for the boneless portions. For exmaple, these Australian free-range cuts I buy from ShopRite, I cook to medium rare without exception.

Here it is, "well done" with garlic powder, ginger and Rosemary. I know, looks charred but this is my first T-bone. "Medium rare" shall become an acquired taste soon enough.

Pretty good. At $14 bux per pound, the T-bone seems much too expensive. It's probably more expensive than the ribeye or porterhouse (or even tenderloin filets), since the bone is included. 15 minutes later.

And then pure, decadent bliss: coffee with unsweetened cocoa and coconut milk. Some cinnamon and Truvia (erythritol) added. Honestly, can't tell which I like more: the coffee or the T-bone.

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of Champions

Sataran   4:39 PM

I've been thinking, "Maybe it's not so bad to bring eggs back to my diet." I've been consuming them on and off for a while, wary of the egg whites' allergenic effects: my eyes and throat would dry out occasionally. I was convinced that was due to the egg whites releasing histamine. Well, while I was vacationing, I could not help but eat eggs. And during that time, my eyes and throat were fine. So back to square one. Here come the eggs and my breakfast of champions.

I'm taking to heart Terry Wahls' suggestion to eat 9 servings of vegetables daily. Steamed green beans, along with kale and collard greens, are my staple green vegetables. I also eat lots of raw onions, boiled cabbage, and lately, oven-roasted plantains. Here're 5 servings of vegetables, highlighted by peeled cucumber slices, sprinkled with cinnamon, thyme, ginger and apple cider vinegar. That's a lot: before this, I never consumed a plate full of veggies for breakfast.



Cucumber slices dipped in vinegar with plantains and green beans.

Which is not to say the entrée is entirely vegetables. Here're 2 thick slices of restaurant-style bacon, 4 Canadian bacon (had 2 before snapping the picture), and 2 eggs fried in bacon grease with thyme and cinnamon as seasoning.

So what's the damage? Using caloriecounter, I had my spreadsheet spit this out:

Under 500 calories. Net carbs = 24 grams, counting 10g of fiber. The sugar is a bit high because of the plantains and PUFA is a tad high at 6%. As for sodium, what would you expect eating 6 slices of bacon (not so much concerned with sodium nor nitrates). That's 25% carbs, 30% protein and 45% fat: macronutrient ratios I can live with -- the protein will go down when total daily calories are calculated, as would PUFA. I don't usually check my daily intake but I was curious ever since introducing 9 cups of vegetables and plantains (as well as eggs) to my diet.

Conclusion: Those 9+ cups of vegetables add negligibly to total calories; it will barely move the needle. The difference is in increased fiber intake, depending on whether your veggies have fiber. With plantains, you need to watch out for sugar which will caramelize while being roasted. This breakfast of champions did a lot less damage than I thought: I usually don't eat until late into the afternoon after eating like this. So the net effect is less calories consumed.