Results for: “Cooking”

6

Many people turn to the Paleo diet because of the weight-loss benefits, but that’s not where the idea originated. If you remember, the diet was created by a gastroenterologist to help his patients with various disorders. Of course, weight loss is a wonderful side effect that has its own set of healthy benefits.

When you add in the myriad other perks, going caveman is almost a no-brainer. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the biggest health benefits of following a Paleo diet.

Because this is one of the primary reasons many people decide to switch to a Paleo diet, we’ll start here. Because you’re eliminating empty carbs and adding in lots of healthful plant fiber and lean protein, losing weight will be much easier. A few other factors that contribute to healthy weight loss include:

The bottom line is you will be consuming foods that help your body function the way that it’s supposed to, and one of the natural side effects of that is weight loss.

The theory behind the Paleo diet is that eating grains, dairy, and other foods on the excluded list can cause digestive upset, inflammation, and discomfort because our bodies aren’t adapted to eating them. Also, your digestive tract needs fiber to help it sweep food through your system, otherwise it builds up and causes problems. Some of the conditions that may be improved by going caveman include:

M

E

N

U

1

U

p

until

I

became

a

vegan,

stromboli

was

an

integral

part

of

my

life.

When

it

was

din-

nertime

in

my

house,

we

had

the

choice

of

pizza,

stromboli,

pizza,

or

pizza,

and

that

was

about

it.

A

stromboli

is

essentially

a

tube

of

pizza,

or

an

elongated

calzone,

and

serves

about

four

to

six

people

—

or

one

fat

twelve-year-old.

A

strom-

boli

is

usually

filled

with

ham,

salami,

pepperoni,

peppers,

onions,

and

cheese.

In

college

I

had

the

(un)fortunate

situation

of

living

right

next

door

to

a

pizza

place.

Lunch

usually

consisted

of

a

Rico

Boli

(a

mini

stromboli,

with

basically

one

of

every

animal

in

it),

garlic

cheese

bread,

and

an

order

of

dough

fritz

(fried

dough

topped

with

powdered

sugar).

In

fact,

my

nickname

became

Dough

Fritz

—

sometimes

shortened

to

Dough,

or

Fritz.

What

a

life

I

had

carved

out

for

myself!

How

I

made

it

out

of

there

alive,

I’ll

never

know.

So

you

may

know

the

glory

that

is

stromboli,

I

have

created

a

vegan

version.

L

I

B

A

T

I

O

N

R

E

C

O

M

M

E

N

D

A

T

I

O

N

To

accompany

this

delicacy,

just

grab

what-

ever

floaters

of

shitty

light

beer

are

left

on

your

coffee

table

from

the

night

before

—

and

make

sure

there

are

no

cigarette

butts

floating

in

the

cup.

If

you

didn’t

happen

to

throw

a

rager

in

your

living

Do-Ahead Party Planning

Mexican Fiesta Buffet

Guacamole

Roasted Cactus Salad

Jicama with Ancho Chile Powder

Meatballs in Chipotle Salsa

Shrimp with Green Pipián

Chicken Tinga

“Pot” Beans

Zucchini with Tomatoes, Corn, and Chipotle

Corn Tortillas

Hibiscus Water

Fruit Salad with Tequila

SUMMER BRUNCH

(3 courses)

Cucumber Mint Cooler

Lime and Cilantro Soup

Shrimp Salad-Stuffed Poblano Chiles

Brandied Mangoes

DINNER PARTY—MENU I

(4 courses)

Chayote and Chile Poblano Soup

Shrimp Ceviche Salad

Pork Loin with Mango-Chipotle Salsa

Green Beans a la Mexicana

Fruit Salad with Tequila

Dinner Party—Menu II

(3 courses)

Black Bean Soup

Steak with Roasted Poblano Chiles and Onion

Garlicky Mushrooms

Roasted Cactus Salad

Mango Mousse

66

The Sexy Vegan’s HAPPY HOUR AT HOME

Braised Scallion Papadillas

3 tablespoons vegan margarine, plus more for the casserole

12 scallions, trimmed

½ cup water

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 jalapeo peppers

½ cup unsweetened nondairy milk

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 burrito-size (12-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

1 large beefsteak tomato, cut into 12 thin slices

Preheat

the

oven

to

350F.

Lube

up

a

large

casserole

with

vegan

margarine,

and

spread

out

the

scallions

in

a

single

layer

in

the

cas-

serole.

If

you

need

to

use

two

casseroles,

so

be

it.

Drop

1

table-

spoon

of

the

margarine

on

top

of

the

scallions,

breaking

it

up

with

your

fingers

to

spread

it

around

a

bit.

Add

the

water,

cover

with

foil,

and

braise

in

the

oven

for

30

minutes.

Meanwhile,

in

a

medium

pot,

cover

the

potatoes

with

cold

water,

and

bring

to

a

boil.

Boil

for

8

to

10

minutes,

or

until

the

chunks

easily

fall

apart

when

you

put

a

fork

through

them.

Once

you

get

the

scallions

and

potatoes

started,

you

can

roast

the

jalapeos.

Place

them

directly

on

the

burner

of

your

gas

stove

or

under

a

broiler.

Roast

UMBRIA

Umbria is a marvellously verdant region of mountains, hills, woods, lakes and rivers. Umbrian wines were renowned as early as the Middle Ages, and continue to be today. There is a great variety of native varieties, including Grechetto, Verdello, Drupeggio, Procanico, Verdicchio and Malvasia Bianca, among the white grapes, and Sagrantino, Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo for the blacks. Of these the Sagrantino has garnered the most attention from experts and wine lovers as it produces remarkable wines that age well. To complement the native vines, several varieties have been imported, such as Tocai, Traminer, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Vines growing within sight of Orvieto

Gianni Fantauzzi/SHUTTERSTOCK

The terroir

Although Umbria can boast many interesting wines, the most representative are Torgiano Rosso, Sagrantino and Orvieto. The first, which falls within the appellations Torgiano Rosso DOC and Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG, is made from Sangiovese and Lanaiolo grapes grown on the hills of Torgiano municipality in the province of Perugia. It is a full-bodied wine with intense fragrances of ripe fruit, jam and spices.