Vegans vs. Vegetarians: who will win?

Here's a random question for all of you:
Are vegans actually "better" than vegetarians because they avoid dairy?

I understand some of you are more on the primal side rather than the Paleo side and may argue that a little dairy doesn't hurt as long as you're not allergic. Just see Mark Sisson for thoughts on eating dairy on a primal diet. However, I've met my fair share of dairy-etarians that disguise themselves as vegetarians. It's almost like being "vegetarian" gives them an excuse to eat as much cheese as possible! "It's a good source of protein." I can hear the excuses/explainations from here! I can't really tolerate dairy so I stay awa from the stuff.

Whatever your answer for whatever reason, I want to hear it!

Isn't it amazing and quite humerous how many people promote vegetarianism/veganism as being a healthy lifestyle and yet there seems to be as many over weight, over-stuffed veg-heads as there are people eating the standard American diet? Or, there are the few emaciated vegans that have negative muscle mass. And don't forget about the skinny-fat people (and I know you know what I'm talking about!)! There are as many frankin-food, highly processed, allergenic vegetarian food items that are made for your convenience as there are meat-filled. So, forget the healthy angle and forget the animal rights point of view. If you eat humainly raised animals that live happy foraging lives, then the argument is a mute point.

In the end, who should we be making fun of more? Vegetarians or vegans?

Asian Style Broiled Salmon

This was a quick and dirty recipe I pulled together to spice up some salmon I pulled from the freezer the day before. It was a perfect way to make an otherwise unexciting piece of salmon absolutely delicious! Awesome for a weeknight because it's wicked fast and ridiculously good.

The marinade makes enough for about 2-3# of fish, depending on how thick you like it. I'm all about sauces, so I piled it on. I only had about 1#, so I put the rest in the fridge to be used up soon (maybe mixed up with a can of salmon over some greens?!). You could also drizzle it over the cooked salmon if you truly like sauce. I let the fish marinade while I pressure cooked some squash and threw together a raw kale salad, probably about 15 minutes.

Broiled Asian Salmon:
1-3 lbs. Salmon (thawed if previously frozen)

Marinade:
2 small cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. wheat-free tamari soy sauce
2 Tbs. virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Approximately 2 Tbs. sesame seeds (used to sprinkle over fish before broiling)

Place all marinade ingredients into a medium sized bowl and combine with a whisk. Place salmon on a plate and drizzle marinate over flesh. Note, if the salmon has skin, only marinate the flesh side. Spread marinade over salmon surface and then sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds, flip and do the same to the other side.Go make your veggies! After you give it a 15 minute or so rest, transfer fish to your broiling pan/rack. Turn on the broiler and place the pan/rack inside the oven, closest rack to the heating element (I used a toaster oven on the broiling setting). Broil for 5 minutes. Flip and broil another 5 minutes or until done. Time will vary depending on the thickness and size of the pieces. When done, pull from the broiler and allow to rest for about 10 minutes (time to get your plat together). Enjoy!

I will be making this again, so I will update with photos. I didn't document the process because I didn't expect it to be so delicious! Mmm mmm!

Coconut Yogurt! Mmmm...

Do you really need to find a reason to eat more coconut milk?!? Of course you do! I tried my first attempt at making coconut yogurt. How fun! It gave me an excuse to use my food dehydrator while fulfilling my hankering for a tart, creamy treat.

Oh coconut, I think you're swell.

The fat content of coconut milk used to deter me from even looking at a can of coconut milk let alone cook, bake, or straight up spoon it into my mouth. I'm now (mostly) over my fear of fat, a struggle I endured for many 'a years with much failed results. Note, abstaining from fat doesn't make you a strong, lean, fighting machine. In fact, it does quite the opposite. Fat is at the very core of your existence, it holds your little cells together! Without good cell health, you can repair! If you can't repair, you can't get stronger! See, good quality fat is GOOD for you! Yes, FAT is GOOD. 
I want to take a moment to thank the USDA, FDA, AMA, American advertising, etc. for filling my head with a bunch of nonsense about the dangers of fat and the promotion of a low-fat diet. Nonsense. I'm currently reading Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories to gather more information on how we turned from a fat-eating society to a grain-based, higher carb diet. It's time to hear the other side of the story. 
On to the delicious coconut yogurt! This is based on a recipe from Mark's Daily Apple cookbook, The Primal Blueprint. Now this cookbook is full of relatively easy recipes but I have to say the pictures are absolutely atrocious. I love cookbooks. There are really two requirements for them. They need to have great recipes (a given), and if it has pictures they need to be damn gorgeous. This cookbook, not so much. However, if you pick it up don't be deterred by the pictures. Buy it and give a try. I think you'll be pleased. I also consulted Small Footprint Family . This is a cute little blog I just stumbled upon. The auther suggests making your own coconut milk, but at this stage in my life (commute, schedule, obligations, new to Paleo), I'm taking it as a sheer miracle that I'm making homemade yogurt in the first place. If you have the time or inkling to make it from scratch, go on with your bad self! 
Coconut Yogurt:
2 14-oz. cans full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup non-dairy/coconut yogurt (from previous batch or store bought. I actually used coconut kefir for this first attempt)
1 Tbsp honey, agave, or natural maple syrup
Candy or other thermometer.
Instructions:
Place the coconut milk in a small pot and affix the thermometer to the side. Bring the coconut milk to approximately 125 degrees over low-med heat, stirring often. Pull off the burner and allow the milk to cool to approximately 105/100 degrees. Place 1/4 cup of already made coconut yogurt in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the slightly cooled coconut milk and stir. Stir in the sweetener and return to the rest of the cooled coconut milk and stir. Please note that you need a little bit of sugar in order for the good bacteria to grow. The sugar, like in kombucha, should be mostly eaten by the bacteria leaving a deliciously tart yogurt. Place coconut mixture into sterile glass jars and place in the dehydrator between 105 - 115 degrees and leave alone for at least 24 hrs. I left mine in for approximately 29 hrs because it was still a bit sweet for me at 24. This could have been due to the kefir I used or the temperature. Basically, if you taste if and like the taste, it's ready!
Please note that both MDA and SFF suggested using GIProStart yogurt culture starter from GI ProHealth if you're looking for a non-dairy based culture. I may give this a shot next time. 

Off to enjoy some homemade coconut yogurt/kefir over apple chunks and cinnamon! 

"Real food Mutha F***er's, do you eat it?"

Funniest line I'v hear in a while and 100% appropriate for what it was in response to... The Scene: In the kitchen at the office I was compiling my lunch and set an avocado on the counter. Now picture this "kitchen/lunchroom" is microscopic and is somehow supposed to accommodate an entire building and where the most prized item is the microwave. Some of us call it the lunchroom shuffle as we attempt to make food while others state how healthy we eat, some of us just get angry and leave, others completely resolve themselves from dealing with it by only eating take out, and  others occasionally dart in & out to load up on awful coffee that they dilute with sugar and powdered "cream". In the end, we make our food around those darting in and out to microwave their non-food food-items or those getting bad coffee refills as if it were a real life video game. We're lucky no one's been stabbed with a fork.

Back to the lovely thing that is called an avocado. Oh avocado, I how I do think you are lovely and some people don't really even know what you are!?

As I was standing pressed up against the wall waiting to get back to my food prep and as my avocado lay on the counter awaiting my return, I became engaged in a conversation about my food (shocking... I eat healthy and it's like a disfunction). 

Bad coffee refiller: "What is THAT?" 

Me:  "[pause]... It's an avocado." (Truly confused by the question)

Non-Food Food-Like microwaver: "That's what they make guacamole out of, right?"

Me: "[pause]... Yes, guacamole is mostly avocados..."

NFFLM: "I've had that once, I don't like avocados." 

Now there was a little more to the conversation, but nothing more than "it's green and slimy" kind of thing. Other than that folks, this is truly the conversation that was had. The exotic item of the lunchroom today was an avocado. The delicious, subtle, creamy, healthy-fat filled, wondrous avocado from California.