Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Cooking for cavemen

Geico commercials don’t give cavemen enough credit. Eating like one is, in fact, not so easy.

That’s what I’ve learned cooking for Dave, who is on the Paleo diet, otherwise known as my worst nightmare: No carbs. No cheese. No butter. No salt. No diet coke. No alcohol. Sounds like a living hell, if you ask me.

The concept is that the healthiest diet involves eating what early man ate during the Paleolithic era (and before the agricultural revolution). That means absolutely no grains (bread, rice, quinoa, pasta, etc.), no dairy and absolutely nothing processed or sugary. Basically you can only eat “healthy veggies” (corn, potatoes, yams, root veggies and legumes are strictly verboten), lean meats and fish, fruits and water. Herbs, olive oil and spices are also allowed.

Dave’s attempting 30 days of this torture, and I am faced with my biggest culinary challenge yet: cooking without butter, salt or cheese. So I participated in another Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 as part of my first Paleo test. I am surprised to say the result was actually edible—dare I say appetizing.

I made two versions of one dish—one paleo, one not. Before I share insights from the taste test, take a gander at the recipes:

PaleoFISHic (Mahi Mahi with red pepper-avocado salsa and spicy cauliflower puree)

You’ll need:

2, 6-oz Mahi Mahi filets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Lime for squeezing

Salsa:

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 half avocado, cubed

1 red bell pepper, minced

1 quarter of one white or yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 half of one jalapeno, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Spicy cauliflower:

2 cups cauliflower florets, steamed

1 chipotle pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix the salsa ingredients together, being careful not to mush the avocado. Set aside or refrigerate for later.

Steam or boil the cauliflower until soft. Puree in a food processor along with remaining spicy cauliflower ingredients. Set aside.

Rub fish filets with the olive oil and spices and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Heat an olive-oil-drizzled pan on medium heat. Cook marinated fish filets for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the fish becomes flaky.

Serve the fish on a bed of cauliflower, topped with salsa. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

“Hell no, we won’t Paleo!” Mahi

You’ll need:

2, 6-oz Mahi Mahi filets

1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

lime for squeezing

Salsa:

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 red bell pepper, minced

1/2 cup corn

1 quarter of one white or yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Mexi-mashed potatoes:

6 red potatoes, boiled

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons butter

salt to taste

Mix the salsa ingredients together. Set aside or refrigerate for later.

Mash the boiled potatoes, skins and all, and mix in additional Mexi-mashed ingredients.

Rub fish filets with the olive oil and spices and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Heat a pan on medium heat, with butter. Cook marinated fish filets for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the fish becomes flaky.

Serve the fish on a bed of mashed potatoes, topped with salsa. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

So how do the two recipes stack up?

To be honest, I’d choose the non-Paleo version any day of the week. HOWEVER, the Paleo version was actually mighty tasty, and generally tasted fresher and had bolder flavors. The potatoes and salt were the key ingredients that clinched it for me, though. As for the caveman, he cleaned his Paleo plate, and was very satisfied. Then he retreated back to his cave to watch West Virginia pummel Kentucky.