Seclusion. Deprivation. Sadness. These are a few emotions that have settled in for me this January. Yes, Part of it is the heavy grayness that drenches Seattle, but truthfully the weather has been abnormally nice. I find it frightening that the crocus are already popping their heads out of the soil and that the temperature is supposed to be almost 60 degrees here on Monday in January! What have we done??? BUT I digress. My emotions are also based in this Paleo Reset Diet I’ve been following for the month from Chris Kresser’s book, Your Personal Paleo Code. With all the restrictions comes a sense of isolation. I don’t grab beers with friends. I don’t have friends over for dinner. How many people want to sip water, eat cauliflower rice and leave without dessert? It just seems like incompetent entertaining. I also don’t go out for coffee because why have drip coffee at a shop when I can make it at home? (My suggestion for coffee shops is to start foaming full fat coconut milk for lattes. What a delightful paleo treat that would be and is surely something cave people drank religiously.)
Perhaps all of this rawness is meant to surface now. It is a month of pigeon pose in which I am peeling away layers of built up emotion and detoxing my body of sugar and anxiety. This is the time for self study as well as to load up on healthy walks with friends instead of Garnacha. It has also been a month for me to delve deeper into cooking. I have had the time to experiment more with different ingredients. I made my first batch of kimchi, which stunk up the house and now is stinking up the refrigerator. I made plantain chips and plantain fritters. I baked loaves of almond coconut flour bread, smearing slices with avocado and hot sauce. I was recently sifting through my recipe box and came across a stew from an African cooking class I took a good 10 years ago. I decided to make it, but of course with several alterations. The stew turned out to be delicious and full of anti-inflammatory goodness from bone broth and turmeric. It also paired well with plantain chips.
Bastardized Version of Mseto
Serves 4
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
2 cups beef bone broth (any broth will do)
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1 teaspoon coconut aminos or tamari
Heat a large pot over medium. Melt coconut oil and and add onion. Saute 10 minutes. Add kale and salt, cooking another 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder and chili flakes. Cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the broth, almond butter and coconut aminos. Cover and turn heat to low, simmering for 30-45 minutes or vegetables softened and flavors melded. I served it with a sprinkling of toasted almonds on top, but it’s equally good straight up.
Luscious Light 