To be totally honest, we've always been a bit hesitant about the paleo diet. Maybe it's because we're in New York City, hotbed of doing everything to the extreme, so when The New York Times first covered the paleo diet, it was presented in the form of "urban cave men" who dine on raw, grass-fed beef they kept in their home meat lockers, and then fast between meals for as long as 36 hours (in one extreme case) to approximate the length of time it would take our paleolithic ancestors to locate another meal. So yeah, somewhere between the raw beef and excessive fasting, they lost us.
The paleo diet's picked up steam lately, and — as with any trendy diet — it has both supporters and naysayers. Scientific America recently called the paleo diet half-baked, and articles like the one in The Times made it seem hypermasculine.
When Elana Amsterdam's new book, Paleo Cooking From Elana's Pantry came across our desk, though, it suddenly seemed like a manageable eating plan that's worth a try. Amsterdam went paleo because of celiac disease, book approaches paleo from the perspective of a female who wants to eat healthy, have energy, and feel fit. After drooling a bit over her recipes — the bacon tart below has particularly piqued our interest — we talked to Amsterdam about why "eating the way of our ancestors is not a fad," as she says in the intro to to her new book.
What does eating a "paleo diet" mean to you? How did you arrive at this definition?
"I found through trial and error quite some time ago that I can't digest grains, so I've been eating grain-free for more than a decade. This is a key piece of the dietary puzzle for me: I think people need to eat the foods that make them feel good. That's more important than the name of any 'diet.'"
What's the difference between paleo and gluten-free?
"Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, which are all grains. The gluten-free diet is the elimination of the grains that contain gluten. Paleo excludes not just the grains that contain gluten, but all grains and grain-like substances – including rice, corn, quinoa, etc. To put it simply: Paleo is gluten-free, but gluten-free is not paleo."
What are your dietary staples?
"Kale and so many other healthy green vegetables, chicken stock, coconut flour, coconut oil and almond flour."
Intrigued? Give paleo eating a try with these three delicious recipes from Elana Amsterdam's new cookbook.
Bacon Tart
Ingredients
1 pound organic bacon
8 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
8 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 pre-baked Shallot Tart Crust (recipe below)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and, when cool enough to handle, mince. Pour off and discard the fat from the skillet. Return the minced bacon to the skillet, add the scallions, and sauté for 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pepper, and salt. Stir in the bacon and scallions, then pour the mixture into the prepared crust.
Bake the tart for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned around the edges and cooked through. Let cool for 20 minutes, then serve.
Serves 6
Shallot Tart Crust
Ingredients
11/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup Spectrum all-vegetable shortening
1 shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a food processor, pulse together the almond flour and salt. Pulse in the egg and shortening, then pulse in the shallots until the dough forms a ball. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch metal tart pan with a removable bottom.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
Makes one 9-inch crust
Upside-Down Apple Tartlets
Crust Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla crème stevia
Filling Ingredients
6 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place eight 1-cup wide-mouth Mason jars on a large baking sheet.
To make the crust, pulse together the almond flour and salt in a food processor. Add the coconut oil and stevia and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
To make the filling, place the apples, apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Transfer the apples to the Mason jars so that each one is overfull. Divide the remaining juice from the bottom of the bowl between the jars.
Remove the dough from the freezer, place between 2 pieces of parchment paper generously dusted with almond flour, and roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Using the top of a wide-mouth Mason jar, cut out 8 circles of dough and place one on top of each apple-filled Mason jar. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve the tartlets hot out of the oven.
Serves 8
Coconut Whipped Cream
This dairy-free whipped cream recipe, which tastes delicious over the apple tartlets, calls for full-fat canned coconut milk. The fat is what makes the recipe creamy and luscious; light coconut milk won't work and results in a watery mess.
Ingredients
1 (13-ounce) can Thai Kitchen
coconut milk
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 drops vanilla crème stevia
Pinch of sea salt
Preparation
Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before making the whipped cream, so it is well chilled. Chill a metal bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Take the coconut milk out of the refrigerator and remove the lid. Gently scoop out the coconut fat, placing it in the chilled bowl. Pour the remaining liquid into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator, saving it for another use.
Using a handheld blender, whip the coconut milk fat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Whip in the honey, vanilla extract, stevia, and salt.
Use right away or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Makes 1 cup
Paleo Bread
Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup golden flax meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted over very low heat
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 7 by 3-inch loaf pan with coconut oil.
In a food processor, pulse together the almond flour, flax meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vinegar and pulse until thoroughly combined.
Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve.
Makes 1 loaf (about 12 slices)
Reprinted with permission from Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes by Elana Amsterdam (Ten Speed Press, 2013). Photo Credit: Leigh Beisch.
