Pasta Sans Pasta

Nothing beats a heaping bowl of spaghetti when you want something filling, simple, and comforting.  I have the perfect substitution for pasta that is BETTER than pasta.

Here are just a few of the problems with wheat pasta (Disclaimer: this is MY take on the information out there I have gathered through my CrossFit Nutrition Certification by Robb Wolf, my biology and physical anthropology degrees, books on diet and health, and my internet searches.  I am NOT a biochemist, but I want to try to explain things as I understand them hopefully in a way YOU understand and can benefit from):

1.  It contains wheat, which is a grain, which has lectins and gluten that screw up your digestive system making it difficult to digest and absorb nutrients.  Grains put your digestive system in a state of battle with the food you are ingesting.  Gluten is sticky and lines your gut, promoting harmful bacteria growth and decreasing your ability to absorb useful vitamins, minerals, and nutrients into your bloodstream.  Plus, now your immune system has to fight that bacteria.  Lectins are mild toxins found in grains that inhibit the repair processes in your gut and leave the door open for particles from your gut to leak into the bloodstream.  These foreign particles illicit an immune response from your body to search out and destroy them.  Autoimmune disorders can result from an overtaxed immune system.  It is no wonder most of us are gluten sensitive to some degree and even if you think you are "fine," try going without them for two weeks and then reintroducing them.  They will likely make you sick in a not so pleasant way.

2.  Grains have a very high glycemic load.  They are sugar in disguise and release a ton of glucose (a simple sugar that all carbohydrate is broken down into) into your bloodstream, which forces your body to release insulin, a hormone whose job it is to get glucose out of your blood and into your muscle and liver cells as an energy source.  Once they are full, the overflow of sugar going to those cells must be stored  instead.  So excess carbohydrate becomes FAT.  Your body tries desperately to get glucose out of your bloodstream and into cells because it is toxic there--it binds to proteins and clogs arteries.  The cycle of fat storage is made worse by the fact that insult inhibits a fat-burning enzyme, lipase, so you can't use your fat for energy as efficiently.

A constant overflow of sugar also makes you insulin resistant, which means it takes more and more insulin to get the same response as if you had a lower glycemic diet.  This is because your body is trying to squish more glucose into cells that say "no vacancy," so more insulin is released to find other places to stick it, which are fat cells.  Your body learns that to get the glucose out of your blood it takes more and more insulin, so it releases more each time.  The production of insulin by your pancreas isn't cheap and high levels of it in your bloodstream are toxic, leading to more problems such as arterial clogging plague and cancer cell proliferation.   The disastrous cascade goes on and on...

Thus, by ingesting foods with high glycemic loads like grains, you are essentially breaking your digestive system and making its use of nutrients for energy less efficient.  And guess what happens when you crash after eating too much sugar--you get tired and hungry again.

3.  It isn't very nutritious.  The nutrients are bound up inside it and isn't a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to going to the source: veggies.  Even meat has more available vitamins and far outweighs grains as a protein source.

4.  It is more processed.  We are trying to mimic a more natural diet of our ancestors.  Think outside the box.

5.  Finally, does it actually have a taste?  Is it something people can eat alone (without fat)?  Not really.  It is mostly just cheap, bulking filler to satiate you.

Vegetable pastas have taste, are grown and not processed, are nutritious, are low glycemic foods, and are natural back-to-the-earth foods.  You can support your local farmers by buying them fresh and local.

Here are two vegetable pasta varieties that will blow your mind and forever change your pasta perceptions.  Both are superb served with a meat sauce, but I encourage you to experiment with them and other sauce varieties.

Basic Meat Sauce
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes 

1 lb ground beef (preferably grassfed)
1 16oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 T each of oregano, basil, onion powder/dehydrated onions, garlic, kosher salt
1/2-1 tsp each of red pepper flakes and black pepper
(NOTE: You can get fancier, but this sauce is quick and easy for a weekday meal)

Brown beef over medium high heat in a skillet.  Once browned, add sauce and spices and simmer to mix flavors and reduce sauce to desired consistency (minimum of 10min).  Combine with pasta choice and enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini has a neutral, fresh veggie taste with a lovely crunch
Cooking Time: prep time is 5 minutes, cooking is ZERO (just warm)

1 med-large zucchini per diner
specialty equipment: serrated veggie peeler to make noodles when instead of peels (between $5-20 at a cookware store, looks just like a regular peeler just with teeth along the blade)

Wash the zucchini.  Cut off the ends.  Peel into noodles with the peeler.  NOTE: gets tricky at the end with the nubs that don't want to peel.  You can chop those and add them to the sauce.  Warm noodles in the sauce before serving.  They have a delightful crunch!


Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Spaghetti squash pasta has a nutty, buttery taste with a pleasing crunch
Cooking Time: less than 30 minutes

1 med-large spaghetti squash (oval, bright yellow squash)
(NOTE: one large one can easily feed the whole family!)

Punch holes in the squash with a fork or chef's knife (the skin is thick!).  Place in microwave with moistened paper towels circling it (one layer).   Microwave on high for 2-5 minutes, flip, and repeat for as long as it takes to be able to compress the top of the squash easily--about 20 minutes for really large ones.  Remove and place on cutting board.  Rest 5 minutes.  Then, using a chef's knife, carefully cut in half lengthwise being careful not to burn yourself on the steam.  Use a large spoon to remove the seeds and stringy seed casing.  Then use a fork or spoon to scrape the sides of the squash into noodles and separate them into another bowl, separating the noodles into strands once there.  Continue until you remove all of the noodles you can and add them to the meat sauce, coating them evenly.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash
Zucchini Noodles

Bread Worth Craving

As a paleo dieter, bread is out.  Grains are the enemy, and "eat meat, not wheat" is our battle cry.  However, I have found a bread to fill the void.  It is one that I actually prefer over all but the most crusty and homemade of breads.  Rival to naan in its simplicity, versatility, and delectability.  I give you Flaxbread!

Italian Flaxbread

inspired by Paleo Focaccia, Sandwiches and Cakes by Nikki Young.   
Cooking Time: less than 30 minutes

2 cups ground flaxseeds (store these in the freezer since they go rancid easily)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (see NOTE)
4 eggs (room temperature is best, so put out early or warm in a warm water bath)
1/2 C water or chicken broth
1/3 C olive oil with Italian Seasoning Mix mixture leftover from Roasted Turkey Breast


Italian Seasoning Mix:

3 sun dried tomatoes (chopped), 1T each of rosemary (crushed), oregano, basil, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder/chopped dried onion, 1tsp each of pepper, red pepper flakes
(NOTE: make more of this seasoning than you need, add olive oil, and store in the refrigerator for other uses like salad dressing and Roasted Turkey Breast seasoning)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in the other.  Mix each well.  Add the wet to the dry and mix to evenly incorporate the ingredients.  Using a baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat, scoop out the batter and distribute over the sheet.  Using a spatula, try to make a nice even layer without holes.  This is difficult since the batter is sticky!  Wack it in the oven for about 20 minutes and see where it is around 15 minutes in.  You are looking for browning on the bottom of the edges and a more golden look to the surface of the bread.  Once finished, cut into slices, cool on a rack, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Uses:

Sandwich bread--this flavorful bread beats wheat bread hands down

Bread to accompany spaghetti night or curry night (try using an Indian spice mix instead of Italian)

Snacking

Open-faced sandwiches


Since this is nearly ALL fat, try to use it with meals that don't have any other fat or when you are splurging paleo style.  Making your meat without using fat such as on the grill or searing in a pan will allow you more leeway with fats in other parts of the meal, such as this bread.  This is definitely worth the indulgence!

NOTE: The original recipe from the paleo cookbook called for baking powder.  Baking powder is not technically paleo since it is made from corn.  Another alternative to using baking soda and cream of tartar is to whip the eggs into stiff peaks and fold them into the batter, or add baking soda and an acid to make it work, perhaps a honey bread, cocoa bread, or lemon bread.  The first picture is from an experiment in that realm using coconut milk.  I think this would make a great sweet application, so more experimentation is needed.

Lunch Time!

Now that school is back in session, parents and students alike need nutritious lunch ideas.  Here are some tips to keep you and your kids eating healthy lunches while not making you slave in the kitchen for their preparation.  The key is making sure each meal has healthy carb, protein, and fat.  The balance will create longer lasting satiety and won't leave you with highs and lows in energy.

Healthy carb choices: carrots, berries, apples, grapes, kiwis, salad greens, virtually any fruit and veggie you can think of except for beans/legumes of any kind, starchy potatoes (save those for an occasional dinner or post workout dish), and use high glycemic fruits rarely like bananas, melons, mangos, and the like.  High glycemic fruits will just leave you hungry a couple of hours later anyway, so keep them to a rare treat.

Healthy meat choices: fish, lean meats (including eggs, beef, poultry, game, pork, etc.), shellfish, sausages that don't have sugar (note: evaporated cane juice is still sugar), grains, or dairy in their ingredients.  Use fatty meats rarely rather than regularly (ex. bacon).  Soy products are out since they are soybean derived and highly processed.  Avoid deli meats for excessive salt and processing.

Healthy fat choices: nuts, seeds, olive oil, olives, avocado.  Avoid overly processed oils like canola or vegetable oil or oils from foods we avoid like soybean or peanut oil (peanuts are legumes).

Another key to eating paleo-style is eating minimally processed, whole foods.  If you buy a processed item in a bag, can, or jar--check the ingredients closely!  Don't allow soy products, grains, or sugar to creep into your diet.  Try to buy products with short ingredient lists and ingredients you can understand.  You and your family's health and performance will benefit from the effort you take to eat right.  

Here is a quick, easy lunch recipe that will give you meals for the week:

Roasted Turkey Breast

Great cold or warm and less than an hour to make start to finish!

ingredients:

1 split turkey breast, bone in, skin on (the bigger, the better) (NOTE: the picture shows two smaller ones I made for a double batch)

1-2 part olive oil

1 part seasoning mix (see choices or create your own!)

Potluck Seasoning Mix:

1T each of garlic powder, oregano, rosemary (crushed), thyme, basil, paprika, kosher salt

1tsp each pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

Italian Seasoning Mix:

3 sun dried tomatoes (chopped), 1T each of rosemary (crushed), oregano, basil, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, 1tsp each of pepper, red pepper flakes

(NOTE: make more of this seasoning than you need, add olive oil, and store in the refrigerator for other uses like salad dressing and flaxbread seasoning 


UPDATE 4/13/2010
Spicy Garlic Mix: 
(for one huge turkey breast or 2 small)
1T garlic powder (be generous)
20 grinds of black pepper (who really measures ground black pepper easily?)
1/2T kosher salt
1/2tsp or more of red pepper flakes/crushed red pepper
2-4T extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 or 450 degrees (depends on how accurate your oven is and trial and error results).  Mix seasoning with olive oil to create a paste.  Start with 1 to 1 ratio of seasoning to oil and increase oil if necessary to make it wet enough to spread.  To avoid contamination, if you are keeping any of the seasoning for another use, set aside in another container; don't keep any extra from turkey application!  Loosen the skin of the turkey by gently pulling it up and running your hand underneath to create a pocket.  Try not to tear more holes in it than the hand opening.  Also, open the cavity between the breast and tender with your hand to expose more surface area for the rub.  Get underneath or cut that layer of skin/connective tissue? on top of the tender.  For large breasts, I like to cut another layer in the thickest parts so that more seasoning can be distributed.  Rub oil mixture on turkey under skin, over skin, and in cavity between breast and tender--all over.  Roast uncovered in a baking dish for 45min (start checking at 35min for 150 degree internal temp or sooner if turkey is small) at 425/450 degrees.  I pull  mine at 150 degrees to allow for carry-over and juiciness, but most references say 165 minimum for safety.  For me that is dry as toast, but I strongly caution you to follow my lead only at your own risk.  I assume no responsibility.  I am pretty confident my turkey comes from a good source; I don't buy mine at Costco or Safeway.  Let the turkey rest before slicing/serving.  Refrigerate once cooled in an airtight container and it will last a week.

Uses:

Turkey Breast Salad--heap a ton of greens into a bowl/container, measure turkey and add to salad, add dressing (olive oil and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice is simple and delicious), and any other veggies, berries, or fruit or serve on the side.

Turkey Breast Sandwich--serve between flaxbread with some veggies and/or fruit on the side.

Turkey Breast a la carte--serve with cut up veggies and/or fruit and nuts/seeds/avocado to create a balanced meal

Turkey Breast omelet or frittatta--add as another protein source to an omelet or frittatta

Enjoy!