102 posts
This recipe was originally published in June 2011. It was updated in March 2022. Here is my go-to recipe when I want something sweet. It is Almond Butter Cookies made without any grains or dairy....
Read more →This is a guest recipe from Ann who was commenting on the post Natto 2: Fermentation Boogaloo. !natto Natto What You Need - Natto culture (see picture of Raffy showing packet) - 250 g of ORGANIC...
Read more →I came up with a low food reward idea. Mix a can of tuna with a can of tomato paste and rice. This is a true appetite crusher. !tuna-paste Looks more like cat food than people's food. This would be...
Read more →When I haven't planned for a meal or don't know what to make, I know I can always quickly make a few bowls of delicious Korean soup. All you need are some basic ingredients and then follow this...
Read more →The dish I have been most obsessed with in the past few months has been Vietnamese Chicken Congee (Cháo Gà). The combination of black pepper and fresh herbs over a rice porridge is simple yet has...
Read more →Shortly after arriving in Seattle in 2007, I broke down and bought a good coffee grinder. After years of thinking my old grinder was good enough to grind fine and consistent for espresso, I spent the...
Read more →I wanted to do a quick follow up to my Faster Pho recipe. If I have an extra hour, I alter the recipe to provide a richer and more flavorful dish. In the prior recipe I explained how using Chinese 5...
Read more →Recently I went to a local Mexican place and instead of getting my normal tacos, I tried the posole soup. I never had it before. It was great, so I went home and made my own. I figured it would be...
Read more →Ready for a super easy Korean soup recipe. Here it is. 1. Heat water. 2. Add chopped kimchi. 3. Add sliced or cubed SPAM. 4. Serve when warm. I heated mine for 10 minutes. You can also throw in...
Read more →For the second edition of making natto, I traded my homemade incubator (Styrofoam cooler with a light bulb) for a slow cooker. You can read about that in the post How to Ferment Natto. This one...
Read more →I want to thank Stephan at Biohacks.net for sending me an email about natto. I was well aware of how healthy the Japanese ferment was, especially its very high vitamin K2 levels. What I didn't know...
Read more →Every so often I'll get inspired to make a dish that requires stock before I have time to pull one out of the freezer. When this happens, I create a little warm water bath for the jar inside the...
Read more →It has been almost two years since I last made pemmican. Today I made another batch, only this time I used some Cajun spices. It was a last minutes decision to throw in the Cajun spices. I knew that...
Read more →Last year I posted my gyro meatloaf recipe. It mimics the flavor profile of gyro meat in convenient meatloaf format. Unlike commercial gyro meat, my recipe is 100% gluten free. I discovered you don't...
Read more →A year ago, I made pho for the first time. Since then I have been making it regularly and hacking away at the recipe to make it faster and better tasting. Fewer steps and minimal ingredients. I've...
Read more →I've been making Shepherd's Pie a lot lately. It is a nice break from my normal gyro meatloaf staple. Using my larger Pyrex, I double this recipe. It is a perfect leftover food. Just warm and serve....
Read more →In the comments of the post Celery Resurrection, I got an idea from Mark to ferment celery. I sliced a bunch of celery and placed it into a jar. Then I added a tablespoon of sea salt, covered it with...
Read more →Call this super fusion. Korea meets Mexico meets El Salvador. I took the recipe I posted for Gluten Free Korean Bulgogi Tacos and made one change. Instead of topping with kimchi, I used my Cortido...
Read more →Sunday morning a friend of mine posted a photo of Kimchi Chips now being sold at Trader Joe's. Instead of strolling over the one mile to the store to try them out, I pulled out my food dehydrator and...
Read more →I've now been making kinchi for three years. During that time I have made it different almost every single time. Also during this period, I have shared my kimchi with many people. The feedback has...
Read more →I started making dairy kefir again in December and I'm loving it. Not only do I like the taste, but I'm no longer buying containers of yogurt, which means I'm saving money. And unlike the crap kefir...
Read more →Two years ago I posted a recipe for Beef Heart Stew. Although it was better than my beef heart curry attempt, it was just “offal good“, not “awfully good“. So I revisited this recipe and came up with...
Read more →I was reading the book The Knockoff Economy: How Imitation Sparks Innovation, which had the history of Korean tacos in the Los Angeles area. My mind started to wander. I didn't care about the...
Read more →For my latest batch of ghee or clarified butter, depending upon where you draw the line, I put away the saucepan and plugged in the slow cooker. I loaded up the slow cooker with 2 pounds of unsalted...
Read more →I've been loosely following the series of posts over on Free the Animal on how potatoes might useful hack in accelerating fat loss. Now that I've porked out from my month without coffee, I decided to...
Read more →One of the most impressive sections of Korean grocery stores is the seafood section. Lots of care and attention is placed on the seafood options. Up until recently, I hadn't purchased any fish and...
Read more →Back in August I had my first attempt cooking octopus. The result was a little on the chewy side. > I followed this advice for the first few octopus and 3 minutes was too much. Way too chewy. The...
Read more →It was just 2 months ago that I posted Kimchi 2.0. It was my "major release" of all the tricks and ingredients that had been working for me since my original kimchi recipe. It is probably too soon...
Read more →Recently I started teaching myself Korean cooking and I noticed that one of the core ingredients - Gochujnag - has gluten in it. Gochujang is the Korean chili paste used in several dishes including...
Read more →When I go to the Farmers Market, I walk past all the produce and head for the meat vendors. When I get to the meat vendors, I go straight to the cooler with the nasty bits. Nasty bits is a term used...
Read more →Back in January I posted Pig Uterus Recipe: An Offal Idea. > When I went to Ranch 99, I knew wanted a new kitchen challenge. Something that I never had before. Something exotic. When I saw the...
Read more →Making beef stock is something I've been doing regularly for a few years now. As wonderful as that magic elixir is, I have been meaning to make a fish based stock for a long time. My motivation came...
Read more →I few weeks ago I kicked off three new food projects. From left to right: 1. Beet Kvass - Basically ferment some beets for a couple of days and then drink the juice. It tasted fine, but since I have...
Read more →Back in June, I posted An Asian Alternative to Slow Cooked Pork. A few days ago I forgot about that recipe and made Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder from Real Simple, which is a little...
Read more →I finally got around to cooking up some bone marrow. Instead of putting the gooey center on toast, I cooked up some cauliflower and onions. Butter was also added. The bones were cooked for 15 minutes...
Read more →One of my favorite hobbies these days is looking for interesting food at Asian grocery stores. Recently I was looking through the frozen seafood section at a Viet Wah grocery store when one item...
Read more →I love celery, but it annoys me how quickly it loses it crunch and goes limp. The trick to bringing celery back from the dead is to soak the stalks in cold water. For a while I was doing 30 minute...
Read more →I've been making kimchi on a frequent basis now for almost three years. Each time I make kimchi, I tweak the recipe. I'll add something new or take something out. Then I'll increase or reduce...
Read more →Each time I visit an Asian grocery store I make it a point to buy something foreign to me. I want the challenge of taking home a food item that puzzles or scares me. On a recent adventure, I bought a...
Read more →I did a twist on my Bacon Egg Cupcakes by adding some chopped spinach and Mexican ricotta cheese. Yummy! !bacon-cupcake-tray !bacon-cupcake-egg !bacon-egg-cupcakes !bacon-cupcake-egg-cooked ---...
Read more →One of the easiest things to ferment is carrots. Earlier this year I posted Fermented Carrots and Ginger as a kid-friendly sweet-tasting ferment. I make this frequently, especially when I buy too...
Read more →This summer, I've made some of my best ferments to date; however, this week I had two failures. It happens from time to time, especially when you are trying something new. I want to share what I...
Read more →I've made pickles a few times this summer. They tasted great, but they weren't crunchy. Then I read on a forum how one can use a tea bag in the ferment to preserve the crunchy. I tested it out this...
Read more →I've never made lasagna before, but I love the dish. When I gave up the gluten a few years ago, I also gave up the lasagna. Well, I got to chatting with a local gluten-free chef that mentioned using...
Read more →The Perfect Pantry posted a slow cooker recipe for nihari, which is a curry from Pakistan. It also has the nickname "old clothes", which is what the beef brisket looks like when you pull the meat...
Read more →When I first starting making kimchi I thought I would never make a soup or stew using that prized ingredient. The reasons were it takes a decent amount of effort to make kimchi and that the heat from...
Read more →My Indian cooking project is still going strong. Yesterday I decided to make my own ghee. It was even easier to make than paneer. I can't believe I used to buy $7 jars of this stuff. Never again....
Read more →When I first read the recipes for paneer, my initial thought was "it can't be that easy". So I checked a few other recipes and confirmed that it was really a ridiculously easy thing to make. QFC had...
Read more →I just had to try this recipe. I never could find the masubi maker locally, so I rolled the sushi together by hand. I also left out the furikake, as every type I located at the Asian market had...
Read more →My latest food project moves to Vietnam. !pho3 !pho2 !pho1 !pho4 !pho5 I used the average of a few pho recipes online. It turned out to be very tasty. The funny thing is that I never actually had pho...
Read more →There a few schools of thought when it comes to making vegetable ferments. One is to create an anaerobic environment using stronger seals or airlocks. Someday I plan to experiment with those, but for...
Read more →Recently, I was gifted a large amount of sweet potatoes. They were getting old and had already started to grow little vines. I needed to make use of them quick, but I didn't have the appetite to...
Read more →I was poking around on Kayotic Kitchen and I found a recipe for Slow-Cooked Bombay Potatoes. It was a great idea, but I didn't have any potatoes. What I did have was a lot of cauliflower. Instead of...
Read more →A month ago I outlined all the food restrictions involved in a low histamine diet. One of the no-no foods is vinegar, which is a sneaky food ingredient. I was just getting ready to load up the slow...
Read more →I wonder if anyone has ever combined Cajun spices with Icelandic sheep testicles before? :) Besides the fact they taste great, why would anyone eat animal testicles? They are loaded with protein and...
Read more →Probably the most asked question to me about making kimchi or sauerkraut is about salt levels. How much salt should one add to their ferment? My experience tells me that there isn't a single perfect...
Read more →I'm continuing my journey into Indian cooking. My most recent challenge was the lentil dal. I've always loved this soup when I've gone to Indian restaurants, but I had not tried to make it at home...
Read more →Some people go to the Farmers Market to buy colorful and overpriced produce. I used to play that game, but not anymore. My primary interest is to get the highest nutritional density per dollar....
Read more →Years ago I attempted to make risotto and it didn't turn out that well. I don't recall what I did wrong, but after seeing the Creamy Vegetable Risotto recipe on dishes and dishes, I decided to try...
Read more →Recently I made my first-ever cucumber kimchi. I'm still dialing in the recipe, so I have nothing to post at this time. This is a shorter fermentation than regular kimchi, because there is no...
Read more →Did you know that Seattle is just a 7-hour direct flight from Iceland? That means I was able to score some Icelandic sheep liver at my local Farmers Market. Thank you, little buddy! I've had pastured...
Read more →My quest to tackle Indian food continues. Since my 5 Spices, 50 Dishes review, I've made two vindaloo dishes in my slow cooker. I read several recipes online and used the spice guidelines in the 5...
Read more →This week I made the recipe Unbelievable Crockpot Apple/Onion Pork Butt. The only thing I changed in the recipe was I added fennel. It was cheap and tasty. Let me run the numbers. - 2.76 pounds of...
Read more →After my success in creating a meatloaf recipe with gyro meat flavor, I decided to continue my research in advanced meatloaf studies. This week I give you The Taco Meatloaf. A super simple recipe...
Read more →Trader Joe's sells packages of organic chicken drumsticks for about $3.30. That yields two meals. This week I made the absolutely best chicken drumsticks I've ever had using a Cajun Seasoning spice...
Read more →Last month I created a meatball recipe that mimicked the taste of gyro meat in the post My Gyro Obsession and The Meatball Solution. Well, I have taken the same principles and applied them to...
Read more →I've long since given up regular spaghetti. These days I use the spaghetti squash. I detailed my pasta journey in the post Spaghetti Evolution The Road to Paleolithic Pasta. This week I was inspired...
Read more →Green beans with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and bacon with a side of baked sweet potato. !green-bean-bacon --- Comments Chris February 28 at 2012 at 11:22 PM Just about everything is better...
Read more →This week my plan was to cook up beef liver with a side of asparagus, but I realized I was short on pans. So I decided to cook everything together. It totally worked and I had one less dish to wash....
Read more →In the past few years, I have taken up the hobby of cooking. Not only has it increased the quality of my health and saved me money, but I honestly love reverse-engineering recipes. The one dish over...
Read more →I decided to take a break from the spicy ferments and focus on making something sweet. Something kid friendly! This ferment is super easy to do. You can adjust the salt and ginger level up or down...
Read more →I just cooked beef kidney for the first time and it came out great. I decided not to look at other recipes and instead take my best ideas from cooking beef liver and apply them to the kidney. My plan...
Read more →It was not my intention to make a vegan friendly recipe, but this turned out so good that I had to share it. I've made this Thai curry twice now and I love it. And as good as it tastes, the best part...
Read more →On my recent trip to Los Angeles, I met up with a friend that grew up on Oahu. She taught me about the traditional Hawaiian dish of Lau Lau. It is very simple to make provided you don't mind waiting...
Read more →When I went to Ranch 99, I knew wanted a new kitchen challenge. Something that I never had before. Something exotic. When I saw the package of pork uterus, I hesitated for a moment and then threw it...
Read more →I've been making kimchi now for over two years. I'd say that about 90% of the people who have tasted my kimchi have found the heat level to be perfect. But I have yet to win over that last 10%, who...
Read more →They all can't be winners. After successfully reverse engineering Firefly's Cortido Sauerkraut on the first try and my amazing Ghost Pepper Sauerkraut invention, I was on a fermentation hot streak....
Read more →Are you ready for a sauerkraut with some heat? If you fear spicy, you can stop reading now. The Bhut Jolokia chili pepper is also called Ghost Pepper. How hot is it? According to the Wikipedia, it is...
Read more →My latest kitchen project came from an idea I read in the comments the Beef Stock post over at brilliantly named blog CheeseSlave. I'd had already been making beef stock for a while now, when I read...
Read more →My latest vegetable ferment is a dill and caraway seed sauerkraut. Even though the standard advice is to use fresh dill, I used a spice jar of dill to see what would happen. Dill is known to be...
Read more →Earlier this week I saw a video showing how to make bacon-wrapped egg cupcakes. I was so inspired that I made the recipe twice. The first time I did a scrambled egg version, The second time, I took...
Read more →My latest kitchen project was rendering lard using my Crock Pot. Using the slow cooker allowed me to leave the house and even go to sleep while it did its magic. Note that I had hoped to be finished...
Read more →If you find kimchi is too spicy or have a food intolerance to nightshade vegetables, you will want to make your kimchi without red pepper flakes. The first time I made White Kimchi, I was unimpressed...
Read more →I just sampled my best fermentation to date. It took 3.5 weeks, but it was worth it. Inspired by Firefly Kitchens, I decided to make my own Cortido Sauerkraut. This is Latin American style...
Read more →Update: This is technically a beef stock, as it uses roasted bones. I've recently discovered a magical elixir. It helps me recovery from workouts faster, protects me from incoming radiation, keeps my...
Read more →Yesterday I cooked up some ground pork and cabbage. This is a low carb twist on a classic Irish dish that uses potatoes. If you just got back from lifting weights at the gym, add the potatoes back...
Read more →UPDATE Feb 2013: This recipe has been updated. See Beef Heart Stew Rebooted (Slow Cooker Recipe) I recently bought my first beef heart at the farmers market. !beef-heart-stew !beef-heart Then I...
Read more →Several people have asked that I post an updated kimchi recipe. I've learned a lot since my original Bok Choy kimchi recipe was posted. One of the things I learned is there are infinite ways to make...
Read more →A traditional Shepard's Pie recipe uses ground lamb topped with mashed potatoes and is then baked. What I did this week was use grass-fed ground beef and instead of topping it with mashed potatoes, I...
Read more →This is for all you cereal eaters that don't have the time and energy to make eggs in the morning. Make a tray or two of these crust-less quiches in the evening. Place them in the refrigerator and...
Read more →Today I rendered beef tallow from suet. The beef fat came from 100% grass pastured animal. I used the instructions from the post Make Your Own Beef Tallow with one exception. Instead of using an...
Read more →Version 1 = Chicken Hearts + Bacon + Apples + Onions. Version 2 = swap out the apples for Brussels sprouts. The dish was outstanding. For whatever reason, the chicken hearts tasted much better. It...
Read more →I got this recipe idea from my friend Sue in Portland. Turns out chicken hearts are loaded with that miracle nutrient Co-enzyme Q10 (aka Co Q 10). According to the Wikipedia, it is really good for...
Read more →I received this recipe from a vendor at the farmers market. I used raw milk in place of cream and adjusted the ratio of ingredients. This soup was super delicious. Give it a try. If you don't have...
Read more →I buy the majority of my meat from Thundering Hooves. This is a pasture farm in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington that sells beef, lamb, pork and chicken. One of the items they sell is for pets....
Read more →Who needs bread? Not me. I created a primal tuna melt using a carved out red bell pepper. Topped it off with some cheese and then put in under the broiler for a few minutes. Very tasty. I'll be...
Read more →UPDATE October 2011: I no longer use the Brine method described in this recipe. Instead, I prefer the "Rub in by Hand" method, which I outline in the post Kimchi 101. !bok-choy-kimchi Ingredients - ...
Read more →I know I've said it before, but I just love making Cajun Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Here is how I make mine. 1. Preheat oven to 385F 2. Take rinsed pumpkin seeds and place into bowl. 3. Add some...
Read more →I just made spaghetti squash for the first time. It was super easy and delicious. There are numerous tutorials online that take this simple dish and convert it to multi-page tutorials littered with...
Read more →On Sunday a local grocery store was giving away free pumpkins. Since I like pumpkins and I love free, I grabbed one. It should be noted that I've never cut into a pumpkin. It is about time I did. My...
Read more →Recently, I was reading about how the body treats oxidized cholesterol differently from regular cholesterol. The oxidized stuff is what you want to minimize. US News and World Reports put out...
Read more →Call me Omega 3 man. None of that corn-fed, hormone-filled beef for me. No thanks. I'll take the grass-fed buffalo any day. After averaging several recipes together and checking what I had in my...
Read more →