Hunting, gathering and cooking

How have I become suddenly obsessed with food? Lately, I’ve been spending what precious free time I have going to farmers’ markets and health food stores in search of delectable delights that work with the Paleo diet I’ve been (mostly) following.  It’s getting to be an expensive habit! It makes me regret that I didn’t make more of an effort to repopulate my square foot garden this year, but by some act of divine intervention, the strawberries matured, the awesome baby grape tomato plants I got from Farmer D Organics last year came back (and multiplied!) and there’s enough mint for a huge mojito party. 

I rushed out yesterday to purchase a couple of sweet basil plants, because you can’t have tomatoes without basil!   I don’t think my neighbors love my square foot garden in the middle of the front yard (in lieu of real landscaping) but one of them did seem intrigued by my strawberry plants. The rabbits that occasionally emerge from the ravine behind my house have been intrigued too – they’ve eaten all of my berries recently! Bad wabbits!

One thing the Paleo diet has done is send me back into the kitchen. My husband and I have busy schedules, and it had gotten so easy to go out to eat for dinner, instead of planning a menu and fixing our meals at home. I had also gotten bored with the usual repertoire of foods, but didn’t have the energy or motivation to seek out new meal ideas. Going Paleo has injected me with more enthusiasm for cooking, because I can’t simply rely on the old standbys, since they often contained grains or legumes. We also consume more fruits and vegetables now, which requires frequent trips to restock our (woefully inadequate) fridge.

This morning, I suggested to my husband that we check out the Decatur Farmer’s Market. I know it wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time on a lazy, overcast Saturday, but off we went. It wasn’t as big as I had expected, but I’m hoping more vendors will set up space as time goes on. Eventually, I did find what I came for, which were peaches from Pearson Farm.  The perfect ripe peach, to me, is like eating a handful of warm sunshine.

  Now that I’m rediscovering my kitchen again, I put it to good use today. I was seduced by the idea of making gluten-free chocolate cupcakes made with coconut flour after seeing a link to the recipe that a friend of mine posted on Facebook. I’ve made a vegan chocolate cake once for friends that came out really good, but have never baked with coconut flour before. I was thrown off by the measurements; it didn’t seem possible that you could make more than 2 cupcakes with only ¼ cup of coconut flour.  It was an easy recipe and it came out great! My husband is a self-professed chocoholic and is quite discerning about what he considers “good” chocolate desserts. This one passed the test!

For dinner, I made Coconut Ginger Salmon, which is a one-dish meal you bake in the oven. It’s quick, simple and really delicious! I served it over quinoa, which was a worthy replacement for a more traditional accompaniment of rice. I’m excited when I find salmon recipes I like. When I was pregnant with my daughter four years ago, I developed an aversion to fish, specifically salmon, and it took me a long time even after she was born before I would eat it again. I’ve had a hard time warming back up to it again. The Coconut Ginger Salmon really won me over!

As I continue on this journey, I’m going to share my experiences with grain-free recipes and meal ideas. Maybe it will help provide some inspiration for others who are considering the Paleo diet, have gluten sensitivity, or just want to cut back on consuming refined flour.  I’m also hoping it will prompt others to share recipes and meal suggestions with me too, since I’m still learning!