Last night, we had T-bone steaks. Pan fried very hot to get as much char as possible, medium rare. Charring meat is a very healthy occasional pastime. Mostly useful for pleasure.
Epicure Au Naturel Day 1 - New series
Because we have a whole grain based diet, the need for a lot of meat is less, even though we enjoy it. So there were left overs. I made soup today to go with day 1.
Beef Soup w/ veg and pasta Recipe:
INGREDIENTS According to left over amount.
This recipe aprox. 1 large 1/2.inch T, minus the Filet Mignon section.
STOCK: Left over T-bone steak, bone in
1/2 med onion
trimmed celery stalk to similar to onion amount
salt
Add T-bone leftover whole, to 1/3 more water than desired. Boil hot with or without lid to cook through the bone. Add stock vegs during hard boil. Then reduce temp and boil till meat is desired tenderness. (Can separate from bone, with spoon)
SOUP
INGREDIENTS
Any vegs added to meat and stock. Here I used; Carrots, tomato, celery and pieces of already cooked leftover squash
Seasoning. (thyme in this recipe) to taste, and veg selection. Basic Salt and pepper always good.
I also added a few drops of balsamic vinegar and a small tablespoon of red wine. You can add this to stock ingredients instead if you wish. It adds slightly different flavor and tenderizes the meat.
Pasta; any kind. Egg noodle for this recipe; Macaroni holds up better so be careful in boiling any pasta. If you boil the pasta first you can add more. If you go rugged raw and add dried pasta use less. Dried pasta absorbs more water. This recipe is pasta in the raw.
VEGETABLE BOILING; I first added hard vegs and softer ones in chunks large enough so they would cook with even softness. Added tomato and handful of pasta at end more tomato at finish with cooked squash.
MAIN MEAL
Cilantro TURKEY LOAF W/RICE AND SQUASH
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
INGREDIENTS:
Ground turkey 1 & 1/2 pounds is good I had a little less for this so added enough veg and crachers to fill and retain juice
Onion, cut in thin half rings aprox 1/3 cup
Half tomato, aprox same meas as onion
Chopped cilantro to taste
Crackers aprox 1 cup - I crushed a stack of Ritz rounds in the package and used the whole stack.
Salt and pepper
PREP
For this recipe I also added a small amount of shredded sharp cheddar to taste.
Combine ingredients inn large bowl
press into bread baking pan
Cover with foil
Bake for 45-50 min. Then uncover and allow to brown
Remove when ready and serve
Epicure Au Naturel Framework:
WHAT THE SERIES IS ABOUT
It is about the most refined, tastiest, and healthful food choices available to modern people on the planet. All diets and interests. Limited amounts of pre-processed and pre-packaged food. Cooked at home. It is a kitchen centered way of life applicable for both busy away from home schedules, or more home centered enterprises.
This is based on a way to achieve health on any budget. It begins with a limited or fixed income standard, ideal for young couples, or roommate situations. Also older couple and roommate situations relying on a fixed income will benefit.
California currently ranks as 11th most costly for food in the nation. I have saved an average of $8 a day relative to the national average, living in California with these recipes.
Savings implied in this system are often added to ingredients in these recipes. Many eaters of food in the US and elsewhere, have incomes that are far above the U.S. national food cost average. But because many health benefits are found in simple low cost recipes, you will find many here.
Much of the cost basis for these recipes are also based on wise shopping and at home preparation. I will offer tips and recommendations for every budget. Smaller and larger kitchen arrangements will be explored. The quality of commercial and industrial food prep practices when eating out, are important to those with less time but bigger budgets. Strategies for health in a marketplace of commercial and industrial food prep needs, that can challenge in health when overly consumed will also be developed.
Macrobiotics and the Food Groups
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Epicure Au Naturel is loosely based on a Macrobiotic, California/Mediterranean standard of diet, and California food costs, relative to the national average.
In his profound book "Zen Macrobiotics" George Osawa outlines a general principle for natural order, and evolving science, relative to individual genomic optimization in nature.
His conclusion was a diet without meat or meat products was the ticket. He allowed for meat consumption according to climate and ones own personal judgement. All teaching therefore focused on this ideal diet. Unfortunately for the Macrobiotic movement at this time, pop culture, if it ever did, does not currently trust this ideal.
Zen Macrobiotics; The Minus 4 Diet
In the Macrobiotic movement, all literature is based on exploring this "Ideal Diet". I began my research into recipe innovation from the ideal diet. After maintaining the diet for 5 years, I abandoned it to prove it's worth against all others. I have suffered health problems as a result of trial and error. I have also come to some basic conclusions about health and diet.
-4
As a result of my trial and error process to prove or disprove his hypothesis, I have observed virtually every pattern of human judgement which he attributed to commensurate dietary choices, played out in myself and others.
I began my experiment with his dreaded, minus 10 diet. A throw the baby out with the bathwater diet, based on pure animal pleasure. I currently hover at about minus 4-3. I do find that the more I apply the principles the more I control my health, raise my judgement and sharpen my instincts. This has resulted in my taste buds more naturally looking for the flavors I need to satisfy my bodies needs in pursuing life's goals. My desire for meat is decreasing, however I see no end to consuming it altogether it in site. Many Macrobiotic food choices and recipes will be included which are strictly vegetarian.
No need to explore Macrobiotics much more in this Epicure Au Naturel series going forward. The principles will be the basis, but the language will be much different from that of the current Macrobiotic movement. All Macrobiotic literature is valuable and suggested for consumption as a reference. I will include references to observation and understandings of more dogmatic Macrobiotic authors, devoted to the ideal diet, from time to time.
Epicure Au Naturel: We're here to introduce you to a wide range of natural choices from the gourmet to the dirt farm simple, for any level of income or judgement, in any climate you wish to pursue. What is your purpose in life right now? Planning your meals according to your bodies needs, to fulfill your perceived purpose, is a natural mechanism, enabling more dynamic participation in the process of creation.
Sadly, little we do effects our every moment. Happily, diet does.
This concludes Day 1