The Challenge of Eating Out

How to eat out without busting out the ‘fat jeans.’

POSTED ON APRIL 7, 2018

Even for those of us who have a pretty good grasp on our diet – eschewing most grains, keeping our carbohydrates below 100 grams a day, and even staying in ketosis for weeks at a time – eating out with friends, family, and colleagues is always difficult. It is easy to watch what we eat when we cook at home, but even the most introverted person has to dine out now and then, be it for a special occasion, vacation or a business trip, or when forget your carefully prepared lunch on the kitchen counter in a rush to get out the door in the morning.

More and more restaurants have menu options that are gluten-free, primal-friendly, or keto-compliant, but they may nevertheless be loaded with calories, carbohydrates, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs or industrial oils, which have high levels of oxidants). In fact, one study published in Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAAND) found that over 90 percent of meals served at both large chain and local restaurants have more calories than would be recommended for an average meal for a standard eater.

Moreover, even when the restaurant menu provides calorie counts and lists other nutritional information, those numbers may be widely off. The values posted are calculated in a carefully controlled laboratory setting rather than “on the line’ when a busy chef might be trying to juggle a dozen or more complex orders and cannot take the time to carefully weigh or measure ingredients.

Despite these challenges, there are a number of ways of eating out now and then while still maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle:

1. Choose the restaurant carefully.

Making healthy choices starts with where you go to eating. As it turns out, three of the most popular cuisines in the US — American, Italian, Chinese — tend to have the least healthy options. Opt instead to go to restaurants that specialize in cuisines that are more traditionally centered around veggies, healthy fats, and lean protein. Examples are Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Greek, and Indian. Additional good choices are 2restaurants that specialize in using local ingredients and have menus that change seasonally (thankfully common where I live in the Hudson Valley region, the home of the farm-to-table movement) The focus on fresh, local produce not only results in a menu that is more vegetable-heavy, but also tends to use organic pasture-raised meats and wild-caught fish. These meals are not only healthier but taste better too.

2. Think leftovers.

Even when you can’t avoid going to the traditional Italian-American steakhouse (or, shudder, Olive Garden), you can still make smart choices in both what and how you order. You can opt for leaner cuts of meat, for example, and avoid pasta. It is also important in those situations to think about portion sizes. Many restaurants, particularly family-style restaurants, emphasize quantity over quality. The sizes of portions served in American restaurants, research has found, have more than doubled in the past twenty years. Consider this carefully when you order and when you start eating. You might order your meal from the appetizer section. Alternatively, if there is a particular dish you are craving (no matter how decadent) go ahead and order it but ask that half be put aside in a take-home container. That way you won’t overeat, and you’ll have another delicious meal to look forward to tomorrow.

3. Avoid “saving up” for dinner. 

Even if you are going out to your favorite restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, don’t skimp on breakfast or lunch. Don’t deprive yourself throughout the day, otherwise it will make it that much harder not to eat an entire bowl of pasta, partake of the bread basket, or resist the more decadent entrees or desserts on the menu.

4. Dine out with a small group of friends and enjoy the conversation. 

When we dine out alone or only with our partner, our attention can often 2wander and the conversation can drag. As a result, we engage in mindless eating to fill that void, consuming far more food than we intended. Instead, if you are eating out, go with a small group of friends and keep the lively conversation going throughout the meal. This helps to slow the eating process and allows our bodies’ satiety signals (which take about 20 minutes to develop) to register before we eat too much. Another trick to slow our eating is to put the utensils down between each bite, only picking them up again after we’ve finished chewing each bit. By savoring our food in this way, we not only enjoy the food more, but we also end up eating less.

5. Go light on the booze.

It’s almost expected that we have a cocktail or a glass of wine when dining out. Nowadays, a table’s drink order is the first thing that the waiter takes. Although most bar selections are nothing but empty calories and carbohydrates – little more than sugar and alcohol – there are some ways to partake in an adult beverage without overdoing it. We can start by choosing our drink wisely, opting for drier wines (particularly reds) or distilled spirits with low to no calorie mixers (like a single-malt scotch on the rocks or a gin and tonic). We can also moderate our drinking of alcohol, opting for one glass of wine with dinner and then switching to club soda, or sticking with ice tea throughout the meal but ending dinner with a nice aperitif. This not only makes sense from a caloric perspective, but also is good for the wallet since most alcoholic drinks are marked up 400% to 1000% at most restaurants.

Eating well and staying fit doesn’t mean that we can’t go to a restaurant or cafe and have fun. It just requires that we make smarter choices when we do decide to eat out.

---

Primal Cooking Class: Thai Coconut Chicken Curry

Fall-off-the-bone pork spare ribs made in a pinch.

POSTED ON APRIL 4, 2018

Prep Time: 5 minutes               Cook Time: 20 minutes             Servings: 2-4

Living in the Northeast has a lot of advantages, particularly for those that enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking and hiking, but the winters can be long. The ice and snow can linger well into spring, and it is not unheard of for us to get a snowstorm well into April.

It came as no surprise this Monday when, that despite temperatures that got into the low 50’s Fahrenheit over the weekend, I woke up to find a half-an-inch of snow on the ground. Unexpected (and somewhat unpleasant) atmospheric changes like that make me long for summer weather. Since that is still several weeks off, however, the next best thing is the fragrant and warming spices of a hot-climate cuisine like Thai. I’ve been lucky enough to both work and live in Thailand off and on over the past decade, and believe that Thai food is some of the best in the world. Surprisingly, despite the complex play of flavors in the finished dish, cooking Thai is actually quite simple

This recipe for coconut chicken curry is one of my favorites, with a delicious blend of creamy coconut, spicy ginger, and the heat of Thai red curry paste. That the entire dish comes together in just 20 minutes is an added bonus. It’s the perfect meal for an unexpectedly snowy and exhausting day at work when all you want to do is curl up on the couch in front of the fire.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2, although the organic butcher I get my meat from also has them thin sliced)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 zucchini
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper
• 5-6 white or brown mushrooms
• 3 – 4 green onions
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (about 1” ginger root)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (the more you add, the hotter it will be)
• 1 16 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Freshly chopped cilantro and roasted cashews, for garnish

Instructions:

Melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large pot, heavy skillet or wok over medium high heat.

While the oil heats, chop the chicken into 1” pieces and seasoned liberally with salt and pepper (although I personally season the meat first, then chop, but that is a personal quick).

Sauté the chicken until golden brown and cooked thru, about 8 minutes, then transfer to a clean plate.

Melt the other tablespoon of coconut oil large pot, heavy skillet or wok.

While the oil heats, chop the vegetables coarsely (e.g. cut the zucchini into ½” by 1” spears, de-seed and slice the bell pepper, peel and slice the onion, quarter the mushrooms, and chop the green onions into ½” pieces). You really can’t chop the vegetables wrong. You can also mix it up, using this as an opportunity to clean out your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.

Add in all the vegetables to the hot oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables start to brown slightly on the edges but are still crisp tender, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and ginger to the vegetables and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Then add in the Thai curry paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and chicken, and then stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until heated thru.

Serve the coconut chicken curry over cauliflower rice or rice noodles, then garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and cashews.

---

Primal Cooking Class: Asian-Style Pressure-Cooker Short Ribs

Fall-off-the-bone pork spare ribs made in a pinch.

POSTED ON MARCH 31, 2018

Prep Time: 30 minutes               Cook Time: 60 minutes             Servings: 2-4

Unless you live off the grid you’ve probably heard of the Instant Pot, the programmable electric pressure cooker that everyone’s mother, sister, or hairdresser’s third cousin once removed is raving about.

Unlike your grandmother’s old-fashioned pressure cooker – an aluminum or steel monstrosity that hissed like a irate cobra and threatened to explode if you so much as looked at it cross-eyed – the Instant Pot is safe, convenient, and a handsome-enough countertop appliance that you won’t try to hide it when guests come over. It is also very versatile, since it can be used not only as a pressure cooker but also as a sauté pot, slower cooker, canning pot, and rice steamer.

I am a bit of a kitchen gadget geek, with the under-the-counter appliance graveyard to prove it. I will say, however, that the Instant Pot is indeed worthy of most of the hype. I use mine daily, making everything from perfect peel hard-boiled eggs to delicious spare ribs like the ones described below here. You won’t be able to go from frozen chicken to a Michelin-starred four-course meal for twelve despite what various Instant Pot-dedicated cookbooks and websites claim (those recipes always fail to include the heating and venting time, which can add an additional 10-20 minutes to any recipe), but it does make it much easier to make fall-off-the-bone ribs and other slow-braised meats in about one-third of the time. It even makes a good cheesecake, but that is for another blog post.

The recipe below is adapted from one for beef ribs that first appeared on Mark’s Daily Apple. I’ve altered the recipe to work St. Louis-style pork spare ribs, which I prefer and which seemed more appropriate for an Easter holiday weekend given the tradition of eating ham. I’ve also added a couple extra steps to enhance the flavors, including a quick broil right at the end to give the ribs a nicely caramelized and crispy texture.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry. You can still make these ribs using a sauté pan and an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven. Instructions to do that are also provided at the end of the recipe below, but plan for the ribs to require about 2 hours longer to cook.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 lbs. St. Louis-style pork short ribs (none were available in the Greenmarket this week, but thankfully some were in the latest shipment from Butcherbox).
• 2 teaspoons salt (I used Hawaiian pink salt, but Himalayan or kosher salt works just as well)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly peeled and grated ginger (about 1″)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (homemade if you’ve got it)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari if you tolerate soy)
• 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

Pat the ribs dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. I usually do this while the rack of ribs is still intact, massaging the seasoning in and then letting them sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before I cut the ribs into individual portions.

Use a sharp knife or kitchen meat shears to cut the rack of ribs into individual portions. I prefer to use the former, standing the ribs on end and slicing downwards in order to ensure an even distribution of meat on each isolated rib. This also prevents you from nicking your knife on the bone or accidentally lopping off a finger.

Set your Instant Pot to sauté (medium setting) and add the coconut oil. When the oil is sizzling hot, add the ribs and sear until nicely browned on all sides. Do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot. This will ensure an even browning on all pieces. You might find that the ribs stick when you first but them in, but they will come loose after about a minute or two. If they leave behind some nice caramel brown bits attached to the bottom of the pan, so much the better. Those little meaty morsels will come loose when you add the onions a little later and they will impart a wonderful richness to the eventual sauce.

Once each batch of ribs is browned, transfer them to a clean plate and start searing the next batch.

Once all the ribs are browned, set them aside and add the diced onion to the Instant Pot. Cook the onion until it is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll find that the liquid released by the onions will cause the brown bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pot to come free. That is a deliciously good thing.

Add the garlic and ginger to the Instant Pot and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the aromas of the garlic and ginger fill the kitchen.

Stir in the broth, coconut aminos (or tamari), fish sauce and balsamic vinegar, then layer in the ribs. Pack them in as best you can but don’t worry if not all of the ribs are immersed in the liquid. Don’t forget to also pour back in all the meat juices that accumulated on the plate.

Seal the Instant Pot and cook the ribs for 35 minutes on high pressure. Once the cooking time is up, either manually release the pressure (the faster to get to the meaty nom noms imprisoned inside) or let the pressure come down naturally (about 10 minutes or so). I prefer to do the latter as it gives the ribs even more time to become fall-off-the-bone tender without overcooking or drying out.

Take out ribs and place on a foil-covered sheet pan. Cover with another piece of foil and let rest while you finish off the sauce.

Turn the Instant Pot back to sauté and simmer the sauce until nicely reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes or so. While this happens, turn on the oven broiler and place a rack about 2-3 inches below the flame (if a gas oven) or heating elements (if electric).

Spoon most of the reduced sauce on top of the ribs, reserving about 1/4 of a cup for serving. Place the ribs under the broiler and toast until nicely browned and crisp, per individual taste. This only takes about 2 – 3 minutes, so keep a close eye on it lest the ribs start to burn.

Sprinkle ribs with freshly chopped cilantro and sesame seeds then serve 2-3 ribs per person with the reserved sauce on the side. This goes well with a fresh side salad with bright vinaigrette or a more hearty side like roasted beets with feta (or both, as in the picture below).

Note: This recipe can also be made on the stovetop. Brown the ribs and sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger in a cast iron or non-stick pan. Add the liquid to the pan to briefly deglaze and then transfer all the ingredients to an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven. Cook covered at 300° F (150° C) until ribs are fork tender, then reduce the sauce and broil the ribs as described above.

---

Primal Cooking Class: Korean Beef Bulgogi

A hearty Korean staple that is incredibly easy to make.

POSTED ON MARCH 28, 2018

Prep Time: 120+ minutes               Cook Time: 5 minutes             Servings: 2-4

After a long day in the office and a hard workout at the gym (such as yesterday’s heavy lifting session focused on shoulders and biceps), it’s nice to have something hearty and comforting for dinner. Korean beef bulgogi is one of my favorite dishes for that.

The Korean word ‘bulgogi’ (불고기) literally translates to “fire meat.” It is used to described any dish made using thin, marinated slices of beef or pork that are grilled on a barbecue or a stove-top griddle. The dish is ubiquitous in South Korea, served from the Seoul’s top restaurants to the street-side market stalls in Pusan.

The recipe for the marinade varies from region to region on the Korean peninsula, but usually consists of a mixture of salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and pear juice. To make this dish primally-aligned and Whole30-compliant, however I have omitted the sugar and swapped out the soy sauce for gluten- and soy-free coconut aminos.

One key to making a really good beef bulgogi is to use a tender cut of good quality meat like sirloin or ribeye, although flank steak will work just fine if you marinate it long enough. I always use grass-fed pasture-raised beef when I make bulgogi, either sourced from my local farmer’s market or through some other reputable source (to understand why, see my blog post on sustainably-raised beef). The other key is to make sure you cut the meat against the grain as thinly as humanly possible.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 1 – 1.5 lbs. hanger, flat iron, or ribeye steak (in the pictures below I used a ribeye from Butcherbox)
• 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari if you tolerate soy)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 Asian pear, grated (you can also substitute another type of firm-fleshed pear or apple; enzymes in the pear or apple help tenderize the meat as it marinates)
• 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce (optional, but kicks up the umami to give the resulting dish that special savory taste)
• 1.5 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly peeled and grated ginger (about 1″)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional; add more if you like heat, less if you don’t)
• Salt and pepper to taste

For serving (per taste):

• Lettuce leaves or gluten-free soft taco shells
• Kimchi (I make my own using a recipe like this one)
• Green onions, sliced
• Radish, sliced
• Red onion, sliced
• Gochujang (a sweet and spicy fermented red chili paste that is a common Korean condiment, usually available in Asian markets or the Asian food aisle of larger grocery chains)

Instructions:

Trim off excess fat then slice the beef into long, thin strips (approximately 1/4″ wide). Be sure to slice against the grain as this makes for a more tender bite of meat. In addition to using a sharp knife, another trick to get nice thin strips is to place the beef in the freezer for 15 minutes before you cut it. This makes the meat a little firmer and easier to slice.

Mix all of the remaining marinade ingredients and add to the beef. I tend to use a single-serve blender in order to get a good emulsion. I also vacuum seal the meat and marinade mixture together in order to speed up the tenderization process and impart deeper flavor into the meat.

Marinate the beef in the refrigerator for a few hours. If you use a vacuum sealer like I do, you really only need to marinate it for an hour or two. If you marinate the meat in a ziploc bag or bowl, you should let it go at least four hours. The longer the better, up to about 12 hours. After that point, however, the acid and enzymes in the marinade will break down the protein fibers in the beef a little too much, resulting in a more ‘mushy’ bite of meat.

You can either cook the bulgogi on an outdoor grill or on the stove using a cast iron or non-stick pan. Since it was only about 29 °F (-2 °C) when I made this, I opted to cook indoors using a non-stick stovetop grill pan. Either way, use high heat or high flame to make sure that your grill or pan is nice and hot .

Shake off the excess marinade and cook the beef in batches, about 2 minutes (or less) each side. The thinner the slices of meat, the less time it will take to cook. You want it to get a nice brown sear but still be medium to medium rare (i.e. still have a little pink or red color in the interior).

Let grilled meat rest for a couple of minutes, then serve taco-style in lettuce cups or gluten-free soft taco shells with the Korean-style toppings and condiments of your choosing. I used homemade purple kimchi, pickled radishes, and gochujang, but the sky’s the limit. Plate with your favorite side, like the low-carb twice-baked cauliflower casserole you see in the picture above.

---

Primal Cooking Class: Chicken Picatta

A perfect taste of spring in under 20 minutes.

POSTED ON MARCH 26, 2018

Prep Time: 5 minutes               Cook Time: 10 minutes             Servings: 4

Chicken picatta is one of my regular go-to dishes, particularly in late March or early April when those of us who live in the Northeastern US are finally beginning to thaw out. As the brutal cold of winter gives way to the gentle warmth of spring, this easy yet elegant dish is a perfect harbinger of the more pleasant days to come.

Consisting of a delicate escalope (a thin slice of meat) of chicken in a bright lemony sauce, chicken picatta is the perfect dinner for those still slightly chilly and sometimes rainy days when you want to bring a ray of sunlight into your kitchen. It’s an added bonus that this dish takes twenty minutes or less to prepare (particularly if you start by getting your mise-en-place done [i.e. having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, grated, mixed, etc. before you start cooking]).

Traditionally, chicken piccata is dredged in seasoned flour prior to being browned in butter. This primal-inspired version uses almond flour instead of wheat. It also substitutes chicken stock for white wine when making the sauce. Personally, I like to add a little freshly grated Parmesan to the almond flour for dredging. This gives the crispy coat on the chicken a nice, savory tang. Those looking to avoid dairy (or looking for a Whole30-compliant recipe), however, can eliminate the Parmesan and still have a wonderfully delicious plate.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2, although the organic butcher I get my meat from also has them thin sliced)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup finely-ground and blanched almond flour
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (omit if eliminating dairy or to make Whole 30 compliant)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1¼ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• ¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeeze, about 1 large lemon)
• ¼ cup brined capers, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Depending on the thickness of your chicken, you might want to cut the breasts in half length wise. Place each piece of chicken between two sheets of plastic food wrap and pound with a meat hammer until approximately ¼“ thick.

On a large plate or bowl (I find shallow food storage containers like the leftover plastic trays used for Chinese takeout perfect), combine the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

In a second plate or bowl, whisk together the eggs and water (I add a little more pepper, but that it not necessary).

Blot the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then dredge first in the egg mixture and then in the almond flour mixture. Make sure both sides of the chicken is evenly coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter (this combination gives a nice buttery flavor and also raises the smoke point of the oil). Set the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter aside for finishing the lemon-caper sauce.

Sear the chicken breasts in the hot skillet until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. You are not looking to cook the chicken completely through at this point, only to get a nice crust on the meat. Depending on the size of your flattened chicken breasts and the size of your pan, you might need to sear the chicken in two batches.

Transfer the browned chicken breasts to a foil-lined baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven for another 5-6 minutes.

While the chicken finishes coking in the oven, add the stock, lemon juice and capers to the pan.

Turn up the heat on the pan to high, using a whisk to scrape up any of the tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the sauce is reduced to about ½ cup in volume, about 5 minutes. Take the pain off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter.

Return the cooked chicken breasts to the pan, spooning the sauce over them. Serve immediately, sprinkling with freshly chopped parsley as a garnish. Plate with your favorite vegetable on the side, like lightly sautéed asparagus.

---