I’ve Moved! Find me at urbanpaleochef.com!

Hey all!

There’s no cause for worry, I have NOT abandoned you! I’ve bumped up against the limits of what WordPress.com is equipped to support for me, and it’s come time for me to carry forward my Urban Paleo Chef experience with a few more capabilities!

And this is all thanks to you, my followers and supporters!!

My new site will still be available at the urbanpaleochef.com URL, so if that’s how you’ve been finding me, it’s still there and easily located! And for any of you who have been connecting to me via my urbanpaleochef.wordpress.com URL, just take the .wordpress portion of the URL out – and find me at urbanpaleochef.com!

I look forward to many more months and years of blogging! You’ve been a great audience, more involved than I ever dreamed you would be! Hopefully we’ll continue to be great together going forward!!

Best,
Urban Paleo Chef

What’s For Breakfast? Portobello Bacon Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

UPC’s Portobello Bacon Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

Believe it or not: I didn’t wear a suit today. I know, it’s shocking, right? That wasn’t tongue in cheek – it really is shocking! Today is the first day in almost a year that I’ve been to work without a suit. Well, admittedly I did go to work in a pair of good jeans, a tie, french cuffs, and a vest; on two occasions. It’s an interesting feeling for me. I almost feel under-dressed, though I fit in perfectly with my colleagues here. I was overdressed before. Despite being overdressed, according to the work environment, I actually like wearing a suit. I’ve been in more jobs than not where wearing a suit was normal, so I’m quite comfortable with my suits every day. Shoot: I even run to the ferry in the mornings with my suit on; if that’s not a statement of comfort, I don’t know what is!

I woke up yesterday morning feeling energized and excited. I ended up coming up with three really great recipes, and I started marinating some ribs for a fourth! It was an amazing day for me! The other side of that, of course, was that my wife got to enjoy my culinary adventures, with only the minor annoyance of having to wait while I took pictures. She jokingly said to me:

I’m going to post on Facebook that there actually IS a downside to having a Foodie Blogger for a husband: You have to wait while he takes pictures of the food before eating…

I commiserate. She’s not the only one waiting! As much as I love this blog, I have to be honest and point out that, at least once a week I devour my food before the thought of “Oh, right, I should take a photo for the blog” manages to weasel it’s wait into my head… From time to time I post an apology note on Twitter, to the tune of “I just had _____, and it was awesome… Sorry, forgot to take pics!” That happened yesterday with some St. Louis style slow-cooked ribs that I put together for lunch. They were so delicious, I just forgot to take pictures! Fortunately, I didn’t forget the pictures of this breakfast sandwich!

As I said: This is a real sandwich!

UPC’s Portobello Bacon Avocado Sandwich; What you’ll need:

• 1/2 lb Bacon (Only the best!)
• Avocado, 2 thick slices
• Lettuce, several leaves (or some other greens)
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms

Serves: 1
Cook and Prep Time: 35 minutes (Same total time for 2-4)

1. Cut the bacon strips in half, and cook them, covered, as you like them.
Note: I like my bacon slightly chewy, so I cook them covered for about 20 minutes on medium heat.

2. Remove the bacon and let it drain on a plate.

3. Pour off most of the bacon grease (for use some other time!) and put the pan back on the heat to keep hot.

4. Slice the stem of the Portobello mushroom caps off, so that the whole cap is flat and level.

5. Cook the Portobello mushroom caps in the bacon pan for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

6. Put the caps on a plate, stack the lettuce, avocado, bacon, and the top cap on. In that order.

Serve, and enjoy!

Questions:

• What do you wear to work?
• Do you match your attire, generally, to your co-workers?
• Do you try to keep yourself looking like a well-dressed professional at all times?
• Is “well-dressed professional” a match for your workplace? Or would it be out of place?
• Should I do this with eggs next? Tomato? A caramelized tomato glaze or chutney?
• What kind of bacon is your favorite commercial brand?
• Is your bacon good enough that you re-use the grease?
• Do you use Portobello Mushrooms for buns with your burgers, breakfast sandwiches, etc.?

What’s For Dinner? Ginger Chicken Soup

UPC’s Ginger Chicken Soup

There are a million varieties of chicken soup. That’s an accurate count, too, I think. Actually, if anything, I’m underestimating. There are probably at least 1 million and 1 varieties. At least. In fact, my wife and I end up with a new variety of chicken soup almost every night. Lately, we’ve been cooking up some chicken soup every night, re-using the leftovers from the night before, and adding in a new set of ingredients – some the same, some different. We’ve had some really delicious versions, and some that aren’t really worth getting all excited about. That’s cooking for you!

This Ginger Chicken Soup was one of the more impressive versions that we’ve put together over the past week. The way that the ginger brightened the flavor of the soup was amazing! It brought out all the best flavors of the other vegetables that I used. And the way that ginger works with chicken is like magic! I’m really going to have to use some ginger on some baked chicken now – I’ve done it extensively with stewed meats, chicken included, but now I have got to try it baked!

UPC’s Ginger Chicken Soup:

• 2 Whole Chicken Legs (skin, bones, everything)
• 2 inches Ginger, diced
• 1/2 Jicama Root, chopped (would work with a sweet potato or diakon too; though that would result in a very different flavor)
• 1 medium Carrot, chopped
• 1 medium Golden Beet, chopped
• 1 medium Zucchini, chopped
• 3 sprigs Basil Leaves
• 3 sprigs Basil Stalks, diced
• Spices: Sea Salt, Turmeric, Sage
• 6 cups Water

Serves: 2-4 (2 with a lot of leftovers)
Cook time: 45 minutes

1. Put the chicken legs and spices in the water and cook on high, covered.

2. While the chicken is heating up, chop the ingredients and add them to the pot. Here is the order that I add ingredients:

• Ginger first (need the flavor!)
• Carrots (hardest; needs the most time in the water to soften)
• Jicama (or Sweet Potato)
• Golden Beet (Very different flavor profile from red beet – I would use Sweet Potato or Rutabaga instead of Golden Beet if you need to substitute)
• Diced Basil Stalks (Yes, dice up the stalks of the basil sprigs – these cook quite well, and the flavor is subtle but delicious)
• Zucchini

3. Let the water boil, still on high heat (use a big pot) for 10 minutes.

4. Take the chicken legs out of the pot and pull them apart, shredding the meat and extracting the bones. Put the chicken back into the pot once it’s been shredded.
Note: I do this step right in the pot, shredding the chicken and extracting the bones all without removing them from the pot. If you’re going to do this, be very careful not to get burned by the steam or splashing.

5. Let the soup continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Now serve and enjoy!

Questions:

• How much do you enjoy chicken soup?
• Seriously, how much do you love chicken soup?!?
• Is chicken soup a year-round comfort food for you, or do you typically start turning to it as the weather turns?
• What other soups are your fall and winter comfort foods?
• Are you adventurous with your chicken soups?
• Are you adventurous with your other soups?
• What kinds of adventures have worked out well for you?
• What has failed miserably?

What’s For Lunch? Peppered Shrimp Bento Box

UPC’s Peppered Shrimp Bento Box

It’s cool and rainy outside. There isn’t a lot of rain, but the rain drops that are coming down are generally bigger ones. I love weather like this for running; there’s really nothing quite as refreshing as the brisk feel of a light wind and some fat cool raindrops falling on my face, head, and shoulders while I pump out a speed workout on the track! Unfortunately, that’s not what I’m doing right now, and may not be something I get a chance to do anytime soon. I say “unfortunately” because I really enjoy speed workouts, and even more when I get to enjoy weather like this!

On the more fortunate side, I have a delicious lunch to look forward to! My morning conversation with my wife, as with most mornings, went about like this:

Me: What do you want for lunch?

Wife: I dunno, whaddya got?

Me: Mmmm…

I peered about in the fridge, knowing that the soup I made last night was unsuitable for lunch today. There wasn’t a convenient Rack of Ribs sitting around for us to eat, like we did on Monday. So I pulled out one of my old-standby meals: Peppered Shrimp. It went over the first time I made it for lunch, shrimp travels well, and it still tastes good after being reheated (at least, the first day). It was just right!

UPC’s Peppered Shrimp Bento Box; What you’ll need:

• Peppered Shrimp:
• 1 lb Wild-Caught Shrimp (mine is frozen)
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Ground Black Pepper (more or less)
• Salad:
• Mixed Greens (your favorite mix; this is a “Power Greens” mix)
• 1 medium Cucumber, chopped
• 1 medium Carrot, chipped
• 4 White Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup Celery, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Avocados:
• 1 Avocado, chopped
• 3 sprigs Basil, chopped

Serves: 2
Prep time: 25 minutes

1. Put the shrimp in a pan with the coconut oil and cook it on high heat.

2. Cook this for about 5-7 minutes, letting it thaw and cooking off the water from the thawing. Stir regularly while cooking.

3. While the shrimp is cooking, begin preparing your salad.

4. After 5-7 minutes of cook time, when the shrimp is mostly thawed, sprinkle the pepper across the shrimp liberally.

5. Continue preparation of the salad and avocados.

6. Continue to cook and stir the shrimp until the water has all boiled off and the shrimp is sizzling like bacon in the pan.

7. Let the shrimp cool in the pan, stirring occasionally.

8. While the shrimp cools, complete preparation of the salad, pack it in your bento box, and enjoy!

Questions:

• Do you ever have trouble figuring out what to eat for lunch?
• What do you pull out of the fridge, freezer, or cupboard as a stand-by meal?
• Do you ever take a shrimp meal to work as your lunch?
• Do you like running in the rain?
• If you do workout in the rain, do you prefer running, or another workout?

Home-Made Chunky Dark Chocolate Butter

UPC’s Crunchy Dark Chocolate Butter

I love indulging. Some of my favorite indulgences, as we’ve covered here in this blog, are life’s simple pleasures. This is obviously not a complete list, but certainly these items will make the top of my list: chocolate, bacon, chocolate bacon, smoked salmon, good wine, good tequila, good rum, sleeping soundly and waking up refreshed, and staying up all night just to watch the sun rise. As far as I’m concerned, the above list of indulgences should be on EVERYONE’S list! Ok, fine, I’ll give that some people just don’t like salmon. My wife doesn’t like salmon, and smoked salmon is even worse to her. While this is intriguing to me, particularly as a pleasantly munch down on some spicy smoked salmon, and she makes faces at me, I don’t particularly mind. That just means I get to keep it to myself! Fortunately, we share interest enough of our other indulgences that this has never been an issue. So, today’s recipe, hopefully, will become a regular indulgence for you all as it has become for me.

I’ve been working on this recipe for months now, and while you’ll see that it is quite simple, putting the pieces together has been a real challenge! Chocolate is amazing, in all it’s forms. It can be a real challenge to work with, though, because getting your recipe just a little bit wrong can result in it being quite bitter. While I love chocolate, and even really really dark chocolate (I eat the good baking chocolate bars straight – but only the good ones), I don’t love bitter. There are definitely some recipes that bring out the bitter in chocolate more than others. Not this one though. This recipe produces the kind of indulgent decadence that I can really look forward to!

UPC’s Crunchy Dark Chocolate Butter; What you’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 1 tablespoon Carob Powder
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa Nibs
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Butter
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 1 Storage Jar (a nut-butter jar?)

Serves: Umm… Only 1!!! 🙂
Prep time: 10 minutes.

1. Mix the cocoa powder, carob powder, and cocoa nibs thoroughly.

2. Pour the mix into the jar, then add the coconut butter and the coconut oil on top, in that order.

As the coconut oil melts, it will loosen up the coconut butter for stirring.

3. Close the jar and place it somewhere warm so that the coconut oil can melt, and the coconut butter will soften.
Note: If you can’t think of a good warm place to put it; you can easily just throw it in the oven on the lowest heat setting for 5-10 minutes.

4. Let it sit until the coconut oil has completely melted, then begin stirring.

Start to stir after the coconut oil has fully melted.

Serving:

Since it’s warmer now, it’s the optimal time to serve it over your favorite fruit! This will be amazing over nearly any fruit, but particularly strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, and pineapple.
If you’d prefer to eat it in a more solid state, just let it sit at room temperature for a while, then dig in! It will be thick, like coconut oil or macadamia nut butter, and perfect for eating with a spoon!

Freshly made, still warm Crunchy Chocolate Butter over Starfruit!

Questions:

• Do you like your indulgences?
• What are your 3 favorite indulgences?
• If you could take one of your non-food indulgences, and compare it to a food, which food would it be most comparable to?
• Are there any indulgences that you used to enjoy but don’t anymore?
• Why don’t you enjoy them anymore?
• Do you miss them? Or have you replaced them?