Frugal eating, Offal, and Paleo Truths
Nutrition & diet tips / Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Frugal eating, Offal, and Paleo Truths

 

Before we head on into offal

organ meats

I wanted to say a few things about food and being frugal for more than just financial reasons but ethical ones also.

Is frugal eating how it always should have been? That is before we lost the run of ourselves in the Big Boom and saw steak on our plates more than once a year or at the posh folks BBQs.

Of late I am truly attempting to walk the talk with food not only nutritionally to be an example of health to my clients but also as a nudge of gratitude to the environment and my wallet. I have been fortunate this summer, in that while I am writing and developing new healing programmes, I have some spare time on my hands to play a little with food more so than usual and really push some boundaries. Time that has allowed me to experiment with new foods, simple and fast cooking methods, and to discover some short cuts to including these new foods into your normal meals for those of you that are busier with commitments and have limited time for cooking.

If we wish to be truly healthy we have to put time aside for play (exercise), nourishment (food) and rest (recovery and creativity) in addition to investing in time exploring what it is that is meaningful for us in life; our path so to speak. So it is true to say that health doesn’t just come by sitting with your ass on a sofa; but neither should it be a chore. We owe it to ourselves to tune start tuning in to what it is that best serves us along our path to wellbeing.

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August 3, 2014
Lambs liver and lambs heart casserole with a spicy twist
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Lambs liver and lambs heart casserole with a spicy twist

Lambs hearts

More from my experimentations with organ meats as I investigated not only in the books and on the internet about their nutritive properties but also just what these babies taste like in cooking! It is important to be authentic and walk the talk 🙂

I have never eaten heart before so I was tentative adding heart to this dish choosing to use mostly liver which I am more familiar with. Now that I have tasted this creation I recommend more heart (e.g. two) and less liver as the heart tastes divine and isn’t as strong as the liver. Lamb heart doesn’t taste too far off a pricey cut of steak; happy days! The vegetables that I selected for this dish were a selection from what I had available to me with no preconceived recipe only the one that formed in my head from what was available to me.

Ingredients:

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4 Comments
August 3, 2014
Hearty Heart Bolognese
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Hearty Heart Bolognese

 

Hearty Bolognese straight out of the oven

Lambs heart in my hands

literally!

By Andrea Cullen

August 3rd 2014

I have to admit I was sceptical about eating hearts and now that I have cooked and tasted heart I am converted; it tastes amazing. I mean close to if not better than steak! As heart is lean it does well slow cooked, marinated, or in dishes such as casseroles, chilies, and curries.

This recipe is a result of an e-book that I have written for clients all about frugal eating, organ meats and offal, and come with a good dose of education as I will always do! Email me on andreacullenhealthsolutions@gmail.com if you would like a copy.

 

This is a very flexible recipe and I have added some options that you may like to try using additional ingredients; this leads to deviation from the more traditional Bolognese but does add further nutritional clout from added vegetables or beans.

If you prefer you can choose not to braise/ brown the meat and just chuck the other ingredients all together in layers in a casserole dish to cut back on unnecessary oils. Browning the meat and onions etc. will however add greater depth of flavour.

This dish will work very well in a slow cooker also known as a crock pot.

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4 Comments
August 3, 2014
Carrot and Caraway Gluten-free bread
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Carrot and Caraway Gluten-free bread

Freshly sliced

By Andrea Cullen

13th July 2014

I created this bread at the same time that I created the delicious Potato, Thyme and Turmeric bread; and wowzers this one is even better. Yum!

Caraway seeds have a delicious flavour that is definitely different. It is often that intriguing flavour that you notice in traditional eastern European rye bread. It has been years since I have enjoyed rye bread I am sad to say as I had to go gluten-free for serious health reasons back in 2008. If you suspect that you have a gluten-related problem then I recommend that you seek expert advice (this is a speciality area of mine so I am delighted to help you; I have written an e-book that can be found here).

Caraway seeds have many health benefits however in the quantities used here in this recipe their main function is flavour but they may ease the digestive tract somewhat. Every little bit of goodness in cooking helps through what herbalists and nutritionists describe as synergism. This mean that the sum total action of the ingredients is greater than that of those alone. So what better way to add health benefits to your day than via your food; exactly how mother nature intended 🙂

Like the Potato, Thyme and Turmeric bread, this bread has no added fats or sugar, is gluten, egg, and dairy-free and made from healthier flour choices that are higher in healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and protein than your regular flours. Also due to the addition of psyllium husks the bread has a higher fibre content and is has a fluffier consistency by virtue of this addition.

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July 13, 2014
Potato, Thyme and Turmeric gluten-free bread
Potato, thyme, turmeric bread
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Potato, Thyme and Turmeric gluten-free bread

easily sliced

By Andrea Cullen

12th July 2014

A few months ago we did a big shop with Real Foods UK and since then all their flours have been sitting safely packed away WAITING. Today I decided to have a play and get creative with some of the ingredients. The results were Potato, Thyme and Turmeric bread and Carrot and Caraway bread. I didn’t use a recipe so I was pretty astonished at how well they turned out.

Free from:

This bread has no added fats or sugar, is gluten, egg and dairy-free and made from healthier flour choices that are higher in healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and protein than your regular flours. Also due to the addition of psyllium husks the bread has a higher fibre content and is has a fluffier consistency by virtue of this addition.

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1 Comment
July 12, 2014
3 C’s Salad
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

3 C’s Salad

Celeriac, Celery, and Courgette….

3 C's Salad close up

By Andrea Cullen

28th June 2014

This is a dead handy raw salad; that may start you off on a campaign to invest in a spiralizer. The 3 C’s in this salad are celeriac, celery, and courgette. If you live in the USA tough luck as the 3C’s become 2Cs and a Z.

This is a spiralizer

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June 28, 2014
Heather’s Bolognese
Recipes - Healing and nourishing foods

Heather’s Bolognese

Heather's Bolognese close up

by Andrea Cullen

June 28th 2014

This week mum pulled out one of her tried and tested recipes…. from the oven. And I had three portions in one evening; the sign of a good recipe!

So I am gratefully sharing her recipe for all here to enjoy. This recipe is pretty much fool proof and can be altered based on what you have available. It is one of those kitchen sink tried and tested dishes that can be returned to time and time again when you want to cook something fast, nutritious, and filling. This is a comfort meal; Dad asked for it to be on the menu a second time this week. Nothing compares to home-cooked nourishment.

Serving suggestions:

You may serve this traditionally on spaghetti, whole-wheat spaghetti, or gluten-free spaghetti made from quinoa, millet, buckwheat or brown rice. Or you may decide to make your meal lower in processed carbohydrates and serve this Bolognese on spaghetti squash, steamed vegetables (broccoli is a great choice as it soaks the sauce up beautifully) or spiralized vegetables.

Cooked sphagetti squash
Spiralized vegetables
Steamed broccoli

Ingredients for Heather’s Bolognese

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June 28, 2014
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