paleo souffle pancakes and pitfalls: a must read for this rainy day

So this morning we were chatting away on Facebook ( including voices from Sri Lanka, Canada, the US and The Netherlands...oh, internet what a thing of wonder.) The topic: Japanese cloud pancakes, or souffle pancakes.  People wondered what the  inner consistency was: pudding, souffle, cake. 

I, the queen of Google, asked the search engine to cough up some info. The images looked like normal IHOP but the cakes themselves were higher.  Hmmmm. I am a sucker for high light pancakes and sadly have not had any luck for over 25 years as a USA expat to find the perfect recipe that works in Europe and now I am following Paleo and ugh.

Now, most of the souffle pancake recipes are for normal diets with flour. Most of the recipes are with separated eggs and whipping and all that folding jazz.  So when I found an almond flour base with blender throw it all in instructions I was hooked. It is rainy and stormy out so a good day to experiment.

I was also excited because I am lazy today (blender recipe!) and I would use up more nut flour.  One of the reasons I rarely do fake paleo cake and bread is that nut flours are disgustingly stodgy and so calorie dense that you have to be insane to eat them more than once a month.  They taste odd and are hardly worth the investment. Besides cave men only eat angel food cake. My story and I am sticking to it.

And a sweet curious about souffle pancakes friend is under the weather today and I thought if I tested this for her it might help in some way.  Yup, good intentions and the road to hell,  got right on it.

I used this recipe as a starter:  https://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/fluffy-little-almond-flour-pancakes/ and surely this author loves her recipe. Good job you.   But I did not want a whole batch. Let us do a half recipe said that fool who lives in my head.

I never have my laptop in the kitchen and rarely even the smartphone. I usually jot recipes down on paper so when the inevitable spill and greasy fingerprints begin my electronics are well away.  I cut open the almond flour bag and it exploded: 

well, dang.  The one time I put it in the kitchen.
Cleaned that up and started to measure half of everything, decided 2 eggs because half of 3 is too complicated,  put the liquids in the blender, dumped the dry on top as per instructions,  started the blend and looked down to find the melted butter looking back at me.   Dumped that in, turned to the right and dang, there was the coconut milk.  Dumped that in.  This does not bode well.

I melted butter and coconut oil in the big skillet and after blitzing the mix for quite a while, started to pour it into the skillet.  Boy Howdy she ain't kiddin' it is thick.   But the first batch were in the pan finally and from the outside they looked pretty nice:

That's one hump of  thick batter.

But they looked pretty.

Unfortunately, after leaving the pan, they were part stodgy pancake and part mucky scrambled egg on the inside.  I thought it might be needing a lower heat and longer cook, but that was even worse.

I ran em through the microwave to finish cooking the egg.  With butter and a little maple syrup, they were just edible but hardly a wowzer experience. Almond flour is not delicious. Ever.

Maybe a recipe with arrowroot?  maybe try a whole batch and see what the difference is? Maybe my baking soda is too old?  maybe the rainy day?  I did screw up a bunch of things.

But meh.

And then there are lunches and dinners

Sometimes one cannot be Paleo perfect in my universe.  Yesterday was a fine day but not without pitfalls.

A dear sister of the heart fetched me for  a lunch by the river to celebrate my upcoming birthday.  The menu was so tempting but I settled for a delicious and only mildly sinful platter of meats, shrimp and shredded raw veg.  The crispy coating on the butterfly shrimp was not starch free and I can bet the wasabi mayo was not Paleo...or the ginger beer I drank. But it was scrumptious and I felt I did the best I could.

But then I went home and ate some cookies.

Himself fetched me for a dinner at a Chinese post-doc's home to meet the new baby and the parents in from China.  Chinese people are the original groaning board feest folk.  Spare ribs, lamb, a whole fish, okra, some other veg that was yummy but unnamed, and scrambled egg, followed by two steaming platters of fresh dumplings ( my downfall), soup, and then some other carb heavy foods (which I shared with Himself just to taste) followed by watermelon.  If you don't fill your plate happy helping host hands will come along and do it for you.  Honestly this is one reason why we really try to avoid going out to dinner with hosts every night while in China...SO MUCH FOOD.  and there is no saying no. I try to get away with the minimum but oh, dumplings. I love most authentic Chinese cuisine and this was also flavored with love.. yumm.

So yesterday was sort of a bust. Delicious but deadly.

This morning I bustled around the garden and brought in rhubarb which is in the crockpot with strawberries, orange zest and juice, and some raw honey.  It will be compote.  We ate the first  ripe strawberry from the garden last night. whoo-hoo.

I haven't  been satisfied with the last couple of batches of  20 second mayo...so I experimented:  to the large egg and cup of mild olive oil I added 2 teaspoons of Dijon, a tablespoon of apple vinegar, and a quarter teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder, plus grinds of sea salt and pepper.  MUCH better.  yummy even

I nuked an pack of bacon, and ran eggs through the egg cooker. If I don't do a bunch of  Paleo worthy prep I eat whatever comes to hand....not good.  I need to find my fresh no cilantro salsa recipe...

Since I have some wonderful soup already in the fridge I feel I am on track for fresh food ready to eat.

Tonight I am alone for dinner....but there is ham chunks and salad stuff so I will probably be all virtuous and eat that.

This weekend is full of barbecues and birthdays.     In a land where bread and potatoes is central to meals, Paleo safe meals are few.  The challenge is ON!

The Paleo Protocol and Me...redux 2018

The Paleo project that ended 3.5 years ago was rather a success I think. I stayed between 91 and 93 kilos even when traveling for weeks  in countries with starch based cuisines.  It was a plateau that I could live with even though I intended to lose more.

2017 was our 25th anniversary year.  We traveled ( among other places) to India, to Egypt, to China.  Mostly business except Egypt was my anniversary gift to Himself ...including a sail down the Nile.  It was fabulous.  And I did not gain but 1 kilo. Insert self congratulatory emoji here.

In 2017 my internist changed my medications, and now I take no diabetes medicine at all. I am pretty proud of myself. As long as I decline starches I seem to do fine. I gleefully accept all compliments.

Misfortune has been the theme so far for 2018. There has been enough trauma and tragedy that I completely sabotaged myself.  Candy, Cookies, bread,,,,sugar, starches, soft drink....it is amazing what grief requires to compensate for loss.

And I was sick, so incredibly sick. For three long months upper respiratory and sinus infections continuously. I am well now but it took its toll.

And insomnia. Great Scott. What do I do in the dark of night? I forage for feel good food.

Then I broke two toes.  Without repeating the sordid tale, it's been a month of enforced immobility.  I still am wearing a boot to protect the fragile bonding. It is irksome. Sitting is not my thing.

So here I am, end of May, at a weight which I never thought to see again.  Time to dig in and get sorted.  I'd like to lose 6 kilos rather quickly and then address the next 10 as responsibly as possible.

It is not my thing to record every mouthful, calories etc.  But I commit today to lay off the junk. and dairy.  I did look at Keto protocols but I think cheese is an enemy....for now I will cut out the dairy. And Paleo is comfortable for me.

I ate a leftover hamburger and coleslaw for breakfast with water.  Not very exciting.

In the crockpot is butternut squash, carrot, leek, onion and apple, with thyme, turmeric, garlic, ginger, coconut cream, chicken stock, ghee and salt.  I think we will have it for dinner and I will bottle some for lunches this week with salads. It is a really lovely color

A packaged salad and ham chunks for lunch....

The garden is in and we look forward to lots of fresh veg later this season.

Back in the saddle, again! Wish me luck.