Let them eat cake! Well, Zucchini Cake that is...
Hey Cadence friends! Roxan here with my first entry on the paleo blog. Since Joey has been super busy training you all to be CrossFit monsters and working on finishing up his masters degree, I will be temporarily taking over the blog to bring you some fun recipes and tips on paleo eating.
Let's start though by giving you a little background on my paleo journey. As some of you may or may not know, a little less than 3 years ago I was training in Tae Kwon Do and took a really hard fall causing me to break a few bones and injure myself pretty badly. As a result, I developed chronic back pain issues and after a visit with a specialist (and several MRI's) he told me I had serious degenerative disc and nerve damage and all I could do was come in every few months and get an epidural put in my back to help manage the pain. Right about this time I was training with Joey and he began telling me about this "Paleo Diet". He talked to me about the anti-inflammatory properties and how it had helped him recover from a shoulder injury. I was very skeptical at first, but I decided to give it a go. Within weeks I began seeing improvements in my condition. I was no longer waking up every morning in excruciating pain. As days and months passed I felt better and better and for the first time in 2 years began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Long story long, let's put this all in perspective... This time last year I was unable to bend over to pick up a shoe in fear of not being able to get back up. Earlier this week I PR'ed with a 135# squat clean to over head and just yesterday had another PR with a 175# back squat. Oh, and I dropped a decent amount of weight in the process.
The paleo diet works and not just on chronic pain. People with issues such as osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, gastrointestinal disease, autoimmune diseases, etc. have seen major gains in their health while eating paleo. And let's not forget the improvements you will see in your workouts! So think about what is holding you back. Change is hard, but know that you have people around you to support your journey to better health and quality of life!
So wow, that was a long post, let's get started… Several times a week I will share with you paleo recipes that I have tried along the way that are both yummy and nutritious. The recipe below was pulled from one of my favorite blogs, http://whatifeedrory.blogspot.com/. I stumbled upon April's blog a while back through OPT's programming. I have tried almost all of her recipes, but the one below is hands down my favorite. Enjoy!
ZUCCHINI CAKES
3 Zucchini
1 cup almond flour
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste (I have been cooking with little to no salt lately, but will throw in a pinch every once in a while)
oil of your choice, approximately 1-2 tablespoons (I use regular olive oil for my cakes. When cooking with olive oil it is important to cook with regular as extra virgin has a low smoke point. *Read below for some really interesting information on the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil.)
1. Grate zucchini. Choose a medium grate... too large and they won't hold together as well... too small and you miss out on the texture.
2. Wrapped grated zucchini in a paper towel and gently squeeze out excess moisture. This will help make the mix less runny.
3. Combine zucchini, almond flour, eggs, and seasoning. Mix well.
4. Heat oil over medium heat and spoon dollops into pan.
5. Cook in oil roughly 5-7 minutes per side until golden.
Finished product! Usually I try to make these a little more pretty, but I was in a hurry when I made this batch.
*Smoke Point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The smoke point is the temperature at which visible gaseous vapor from the heating of oil becomes evident. It is traditionally used as a marker for when decomposition of oil begins to take place. Since decomposition incurs chemical changes that may not only result in reduced flavor and nutritional value but also the generation of harmful cancer causing compounds (oxygen radicals) that are harmful to your health, it is important to not heat oil past its smoke point. Inhaling the vapors can also be damaging. For a natural, very high-quality extra virgin olive oil, I believe the 200-250°F range reflects the most likely upper limit for heating without excessive damage. In other words, this would allow the use of extra virgin olive oil for making sauces, but not for 350°F baking or higher temperature cooking.
Happy eating! xoxo
Roxan
Reader Comments (7)
Very well written and informative ROxy, I would rather have nobody else take over the blog than you. You are such a good Paleo cave woman. Keep up the good work and lets have a great April.
Great post Rox!
And to everyone else, these little paleo cakes are amazing!
Great post Rox! I love those zucchini cakes! Yum! You inspire me!
Great post! Love the added info on the smoking point of EVOO. I've been using olive oil for so many years and only in the last year have been having fun using other oils (grapeseed, coconut, etc). Don't forget that the same principle applies to nut oils.
Master Chef Rox has done it again with another fab recipe!! You are putting Julia Child to shame!! I
Wow Rox! very thorough! great tips and advice. I agree, tweaking the diet is usually the last thing people do but usually the most important thing you can do to achieve your goals, whether it be to lose weight or support your fitness goals. since i'm your neighbor, I guess I will volunteer and be your food tester....if I HAVE to ;)
Thanks everyone for the positive feedback! So far my first paleo journal entry was a ton of fun to write. I look forward to bringing you all some really healthy and delicious recipes! If there is something specific you would like to see on this blog, let me know and I will try my hardest to make it happen!
xoxo
roxie
p.s. April, I did not know that about nut oils, thanks for the info!