I’ve Got a Girl-Crush on Sally Fallon-Morell

Tags

Diet, Healing through Food, Health, Lacto-fermented food, Nourishing Traditions, Nutrition, Sally Fallon-Morell, Traditional Diet, Weston A. Price

Sally Fallon-Morell
(Image from here)

The diet dictocrats don’t want you to know that…
Your body needs old-fashioned animal fats
New-fangled polyunsaturated oils can be bad for you
Modern whole grain products can cause health problems
Traditional sauces promote digestion and assimilation
Modern food procession denatures our foods, but
Ancient preservation methods actually increase nutrients in fruits, nuts, vegetables, meats and milk products!
(Sally Fallon-Morell, Nourishing Traditions – The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats)

Until I was about 30 years old, I never really cooked. I loved great food, but I just didn’t really connect eating great food with my kitchen. I’m not sure why – my Mum was a very good cook. She still is. So, I had a great role model. Maybe I’m just a slow learner in that particular department.

Fast forward a good few years and, not only do I now love to cook, but over the last couple of years I’ve become convinced that my failure to question the source and quality of my food sources in my twenties and thirties has contributed to some of the niggly (and not so niggly) health stuff I have going on today. I’m trying to fix that.

Sally Fallon-Morell’s seminal cookbook on traditional eating, ‘Nourishing Traditions – The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats‘, was the first book that put me on this road to making more conscious decisions about the food I eat.

Nourishing Traditions – by Sally Fallon-Morell with Mary G. Enig
(Image from here)

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been spending all my free time ‘attending’ some of the  sessions on offer at the Future of Nutrition Online Conference. It’s been fascinating listening to some of the leading voices in the field of nutrition today – but, hearing Sally Fallon-Morell’s talk today, I was reminded of why she had become such a big influence on my approach to eating and nutrition.

If you’ve never heard of her, Sally is a disciple of Weston A. Price, a dentist from the late 1800s and early 1900s known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health. Called the “Charles Darwin of Nutrition,” Doctor Price traveled the world over studying healthy primitive populations and their diets. The compelling photographs contained in his book document the naturally beautiful facial structure and superb physiques of isolated groups consuming only whole, natural foods. Price noted that all of these diets contained a source of good quality animal fat, which provided numerous factors necessary for the full expression of our genetic potential and optimum health.

Sally Fallon-Morell applied the principles of this Price research when it came to the feeding of her own children. Essentially, an experiment. And, a successful one. She proved for herself that a diet rich in animal fats, and containing the protective factors in old-fashioned foods like cod liver oil, liver and eggs, make for  happy, healthy children with a high immunity to illness.*

And, she is the founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

What has Sally Fallon-Morell taught me?

1. I got rid of all the industrialised oils from my diet. That means I cook with coconut oil, butter, lard, tallow. I make my salad dressings from scratch. Always. No exceptions.
2. I now make bone broth at least once a fortnight. I bung a whole lot of good quality bones in a stock pot with a glug of apple cider vinegar, some veggies and herbs, cover it with water and let it simmer away for a long time. I alternate between beef and chicken (can’t quite bring myself to make fish!) It’s nutrient dense and full of minerals. It has no preservatives.
3. I try to eat ‘happy’ animal products – that is pasture raised, sustainably fished, free from hormones and other nasties.
4. Raw dairy is not the same as the milk we buy from the supermarket. Pasteurisation kills everything – good and bad. Regular readers will know that LM can’t consume cow juice. His reaction is violent and almost immediate. But guess what. He can have raw milk. Sadly, it’s illegal in Australia.
5. We’re eating more lacto-fermented foods. Probably not quite as often as we should, and I’m not quite as good at making my own as I could be. But, here in Australia we’ve found Life In a Jar and Kitsa’s Kitchen. They both make awesome live cultured foods. Hopefully, after I see Sandor Katz in action next month, I’ll become a guru of lacto-fermentation!
6. Nose to tail eating is important. We still don’t eat as much offal as we should here at Casa TSL. But we eat a lot more than we used to. I am becoming quite proficient at hiding it in my Ragu Bolognese. I’m setting myself a personal goal to cook more organ meat…

So, you see – Sally has had quite a profound effect on both how I cook and how I eat. If you have an interest in nutrition and you have not yet picked up Sally Fallon-Morell’s first book, I can’t recommend it more highly. 

*Thanks for your world-famous-in-New-Zealand chicken liver pate, Mum!

Mango, Passion Fruit & Coconut Eton Mess (TSL-Style)…

Tags

Australia Day, Bill Granger, Dairy Free, dessert, Elizabeth Hurley, Eton Mess, Gluten Free, Mangoes, Meringue, Paleo, Pavlova

Mango, Passion Fruit & Coconut Eton Mess (TSL-Style)
(Image by TSL)

I have always been attracted to Australians and Australia. (Elizabeth Hurley)

Really, Liz? First, there was the jerky comment, and now this? Did you have to…?

I am not an Australian. I’m not saying it will never happen. But, I’m not one yet. And, I do love my adopted country. At least, most of the time, I do. So, given yesterday was Australia Day, it would have been a tiny bit wrong not to recognise it somehow.

As it happens, I’ve never really understood the fascination with lamingtons. And, the old traditional Aussie meat pie is also out because I can’t do gluten. But, I do love a good Pavlova. I’ve even posted about the great Pavlova debate before. That post included Bill Granger’s recipe for seriously good brown sugar Pavlova. It’s caramel-y and yummy. And, he serves it with a yoghurt cream – just that tiny hit of sour really makes a difference.

But our dietary habits have changed a little here at Casa TSL since that post. No gluten. Very little dairy (especially not the cow juice variety). Not a lot of sugar. Time to experiment…

The thing with experiments is that sometimes they don’t work out the way you want expect them to. So, when my meringues failed to reach the lofty heights that I desired* (frankly, they were more macaroon-y in shape), I changed direction and created an Australian take on that very British of desserts – the Eton Mess.

Mango, Passion Fruit & Coconut Eton Mess (TSL-Style)
Hand Model – TSL’s little sister 
(Image by TSL)

I figure it kind of still works for multi-cultural Australia on the country’s national day – an English dessert, made by a Kiwi of Anglo-German heritage, living in Sydney, with mangoes from Queensland bought from a Greek grocer…

And, despite the less-than-stellar meringues, my Eton Mess tasted pretty fab’!

• Servings: 8
• Time: 3 Hours - give or take, including assembly but not including refrigeration of coconut cream
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

For the Meringues/Macaroon-y Thingys

1/2 cup desiccated coconut
3 large egg whites (freshest possible!)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

For the Coconut Cream

2 cans full-fat coconut cream (refrigerated overnight)
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Mango-Passion Fruit

2 large mangoes
6 passion fruit

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 150°C/300°F. Line a baking tray with baking paper. I traced 6 circles around the base of a large mug onto the paper. They were to be the templates for my meringues (or macaroons if they flop like mine!). You could equally do one big meringue of about 20cm in diameter.

2) In a dry pan, toast your coconut desiccated coconut until it starts to turn golden brown

3) Ensure the bowl and beater of your mixer is clean and dry (Fat is the enemy of egg whites – running a paper towel dipped in vinegar around your bowl will fix that!). Whisk your egg whites with a pinch of salt for about 8 – 10 minutes until glossy and thick. With the mixer on high, add the coconut sugar one tablespoon at a time. Then, slowly add the arrowroot, vinegar and vanilla. Gently fold in the toasted coconut.

4) Spoon your meringue mixture onto your prepared baking paper. Place the tray into your oven immediately reduce the temperature to 120°C/250°F. Bake for one hour. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely. NB – your meringue will be browner than usual due to the use of coconut sugar.

For the Mango – Passion Fruit

5) Peel and chop the two mangoes into a medium bowl. Add pulp of passion fruit. Stir and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

For the Whipped Coconut Cream

6) Refrigerate mixing bowl for five minutes before use.

7) Open the refrigerated cans of coconut milk. The cream will have separated from the milk. Carefully scrape out the cream into your mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and coconut sugar. Whip the cream until fluffy.

Assembly

8). Distribute half the fruit mixture into the base of your serving glasses. Repeat with half the whipped cream. Crumble half the meringues over the top of your mixture. Repeat. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

E N J O Y !

*I suspect my eggs weren’t quite fresh enough. But, it could also have been that coconut sugar is quite coarse. Perhaps, next time I might blitz it in the food processor first.

I Can’t Believe it’s Not Cheesecake!

Tags

Adriano Zumbo, Cheesecake, Dairy Free, dessert, Fruit Dessert, Gluten Free, Healthy Dessert, Paleo, raw, Sweets, vegetarian

TSL’s Cheesecake
The cheesecake you’re having when you’re not having cheesecake!
(Image by TSL)

You know that saying? The one about hoofbeats? It goes something along the lines of,  ‘When you hear hoofbeats behind you, think horses, not zebras.‘ That one. Well, in this case – don’t. Think horses, that is.

I mean in this case it looks like cheesecake, but it’s not. And, while it tastes pretty damn fine, it doesn’t taste a lot like cheesecake, either… Rather, it tastes nutty and creamy, with a wee citrus hit, coupled with raspberries.

LM’s dairy allergy has seriously curtailed his desert habit. Despite divorcing Adriano Zumbo* well over a year ago, he still misses all things cream-y, custard-y, ice cream-y, mousse-y… you get the picture. So, every now and then, I try to surprise him with a treat. Some treats work better than others! Last night, it was this wee number.

And, it ain’t half bad…

You could easily play around with the fruit topping for this – it is just puréed fruit, after all. If mangoes are still in season next time I make this, I reckon that could be the go.

• Servings: 8-12
• Time: 2.5 Hours (including soaking nuts)
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

For the Base

3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp coconut oil  (or butter)
5 Medjool dates**

For the Filling

3 cups of cashews (soaked for 1 hour in water) this will soften them so they will make a cheesecake consistency
1/2 cup filtered water
3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice (I used about half & half)
3/4 cup of coconut oil
3/4 cup of raw honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
1/2 teaspoon of salt

For the Topping

2 cups frozen raspberries (defrosted)

Method

For the Base

Lightly grease your cake tin with coconut oil/butter. I used a 22cm springform tin, but anything close to this size will work.

Place the walnuts and hazelnuts into your food processor. Blitz until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the desiccated coconut, coconut oil/butter, tahini, dates and salt. Pulse until it looks like wet sand.

Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the base of your cake tin. Place the tin in the freezer.

For the Filling

Put all ingredients for the filling into your food processor and mix on high until it is a thick cake mix consistency.

Remove the cake tin from the freezer and pour the filling over your base. Tap the pan on your bench a couple of times to ensure there are no air pockets.

Place the tin back into the freezer. 

For the Topping

Place your raspberries into your food processor and blitz on high. Pour over the top of your cake.

Place it back in the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove from the freezer and place n the fridge until ready to serve.

* there were three of us in this relationship. Now, we are back to a more manageable two.

**If you are using the more common smaller dried dates, try increasing to 8 and soaking in water for ten minutes before using.

Currently Crushing Griffin Jerky

Tags

Artisan Food, Australian Jerky, Beef Jerky, Elizabeth Hurley, Fast Food, Food Dehydrator, Griffin Jerky, Healthy Snack, Jerky, Local Businesses, Nightshade Free, Pasture Raised Jerky, Preservative Free Jerky, Snack

Griffin Jerky
(Image from here)

I’ve always been obsessed by beef jerky. (Elizabeth Hurley)

Do you know that if you had told me yesterday that I would have anything in common with Elizabeth Hurley, I would have laughed at you. And, then I find that, like me, she has always been a little obsessed by beef jerky. 

I’m not talking that processed stuff filled with preservatives and artificial colouring and a shelf life of a million years that you see at petrol (gas) stations. Rather, I’m talking about the jerky of old – pasture raised, ‘happy’ meat, free of any preservatives or nasties that has been naturally cured.

I’m kind of building up to trying my hand at making it…

According to the good people at Wikipedia, jerky can be defined as ‘lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed.’ So – it’s pretty healthy, given the protein level. But, it possibly should be given a wide berth if you have a problem with salt. I don’t. Have a problem with salt, that is. I also don’t have a dehydrator. Which is why I haven’t tried making my own yet.

Here is a dehydrator. Isn’t it pretty?
(Image from here)

Anyhoo – until I get around to making my very own jerky, I have found the next best thing. Griffin Jerky. Made right here, in New South Wales, Australia.

A relatively new operation, Griffin Jerky was started in July of last year by Brent Griffin.  Apparently, he and his girlfriend were on a bit of a road trip in the States. They stopped off at a farm in Colorado and tried some homemade Buffallo Jerky. Brent was inspired – and, he decided to give making his own a red-hot go when he arrived home. So glad he did.

Griffin Jerky
(Image from here)

Brent’s jerky is made from sustainably raised animals  – all grass fed, pasture raised, hormone & antibiotic free. His product is all gluten free and has no preservatives, added nitrites or nitrates, definitely no MSG. It’s made in small batches with all natural fresh ingredients. And, best of all, it tastes great! Really great.

If you live in Australia, you can order your Griffin Jerky online (here). It comes in a number of flavours and you can even get a nightshade-free version (that’d be the Classic’ – my favourite!). I’m warning you now – it’s very more-ish!

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs Stuffed with Salsa Verde

Tags

AIP, Bacon, Chicken, Dairy Free, Doug Larson, Gluten Free, GRUB, Lunchbox Ideas, Main Course, Paleo, Salsa Verde, Stuffed Chicken

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs Stuffed with ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde
(Image by LM for TSL)

 

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. (Doug Larson)

So, the teenager mentioned he was coming to dinner. We haven’t seen that much of him of late. He’s getting more and more independent – he finished school forever in December and then he passed his driver’s license…

I had this leftover-but-still-so-good ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde sitting in my fridge… And, then LM decided it was a good day to drive to Vaucluse to visit our friends at G.R.U.B. (that’s the Grass Roots Urban Butcher, for the uninitiated)… And, then I had this brainwave – what if I put the salsa verde inside my protein of choice instead of spooning it on after it was cooked… And, of course, everything tastes better with bacon…

And so, the bacon-wrapped chook thighs stuffed with salsa verde were born.

The lovely Peter at G.R.U.B. skinned my chook filets for me. He even offered to flatten them, too. But, I have to admit to finding it strangely therapeutic to bash lovingly use a meat mallet to flatten the filets all by myself.

And, this recipe was a cracker! We’ll definitely be having these again at Casa TSL. Any leftovers make for great lunch-box fillers. I reckon it would work equally well with veal or pork, or – with a slight variation in preparation – with fish, too.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Salsa Verde

• Time: Just over an hour if you have the salsa verde handy!
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by LM for TSL)

Ingredients

6 (or more!) large happy* chicken thigh fillets (boneless & skinless)
6 (or more!) rashers happy* bacon
‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde**
salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F/Gas 4.

2. Lay chicken thighs skin side down on a board. Using a meat mallet, gently pound chicken into schnitzel thickness (that’s a technical term).

3. Cover one side of each flattened thigh with a generous spoon of salsa verde

4. Roll chicken thighs up and wrap with a rasher of bacon.

5. Secure with a cocktail stick/toothpick. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes.

* pasture raised and free of nasties

**or, sub with either your favourite pesto or – in a pinch, and to make the dish AIP compliant – a couple of cloves of garlic and freshly chopped herbs to taste

The Best ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde

Tags

Accompaniments, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grüne Soße, green sauce, Healthy Recipes, Herbs, Kurt Cobain, Paleo, Salsa Verde, sauce verte, Sauces, Sides, The Best Salsa Verde Recipe, vegetarian

TSL’s ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde
(Image by TSL)

I won’t eat anything green. (Kurt Cobain)

This post is not for Kurt Cobain.

You know how sometimes you hit the jack-pot and find a recipe that just works? One that you keep going back to, because every time you make it, someone asks you to write the recipe down for them? THIS is one of those recipes.

The Italian Salsa Verde, a.k.a ‘green sauce’, is actually the name of several different sauces containing mainly herbs. The French call it sauce verte, the Spanish salsa verde and the German Grüne Soße or Frankfurter Grie Soß.

Whatever you choose to call it, this recipe totally rocks. And, its versatile. Serve it over grilled beef? – check. Lamb? – yep. Chicken? – definitely. Tuna – duh. Eggs? – yum. Potatoes? – how very German of you! Roasted veggies? – sublime. Almost anything, really. Well – maybe not ice cream!

The real beauty of this recipe is that you throw everything together – herbs and all. It’s not an exact science. If you don’t have quite enough basil, sub in a bit more mint…

TSL’s ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde
(Image by TSL)

And, one other thing. Full disclosure – this recipe has anchovies. Me, I love anchovies. But, my sister is the anti-anchovy girl. She can smell an anchovy at 60 paces. And, even she has given this salsa verde her tick of approval*.

So, what’s in it?

Knock Their Socks Off Salsa Verde

• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, peeled
a handful of capers
a handful of cornichons
6 x anchovy fillets
1 x large bunch (about a couple of big handfuls) flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 x medium bunch (about a decent handful) of fresh basil, leaves picked
1/2 a bunch (about a handful) of fresh mint, leaves picked
1 x tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 x tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 – 7 x tablespoons best quality extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method

First up, unless the herbs are picked fresh from your pesticide-free garden, wash the them thoroughly to get rid of any nasties. I find my salad spinner works well to dry them. Alternatively, gently dry between a couple of sheets of paper towels.

Finely chop the herbs and place them into a bowl. Chop the garlic, capers, gherkins, anchovies and add them to the herbs. Add the mustard and vinegar, stir and then a few tablespoons of olive oil and check the taste. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of good salt and a little more vinegar, if needed.

* to be fair, I should let you know that when I made this for my sister, I used the Grace Kelly of anchovies. Ortiz anchovies. Not exactly the cheapest anchovy option.

I Was a Beef Short Rib Virgin…

Tags

AIP, Beef, Beef Short Ribs, Dairy Free, G.R.U.B, Gluten Free, Grass Roots Urban Butcher, Mae West, Main Course, Nom Nom Paleo, Paleo

Korean Beef Short Ribs
(Image by TSL)

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. (Mae West)

Our meat locker was looking a little bare after the excitement of Christmas, so LM and I took a wee trip out to G.R.U.B. yesterday. It’s a wee bit of a hike for us, but so very worth it when we get there.

I spotted some lovely looking beef short ribs while we were there. Ribs definitely are a fattier cut of meat, but when you know the provenance of your product, I’m learning to celebrate the fat!

For the uninitiated, here’s a wee diagram of where beef short ribs come from:

Where do Beef short ribs come from?
(Image from here)

I seem to keep falling over recipes for short ribs – mainly on North American blogs, where ribs are so very popular – but I’ve never cooked with them. Well, not until today, that is! 

I chose to adapt a recipe from the very talented Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo because her recipes just work! She calls for a slow cooker in her version. I think I’m one of the 6 people in the world for whom slow cookers just don’t cut it. I’m not even sure I can articulate why that is. Maybe it’s because I just love my le Creuset so much? Who knows? I had a slow cooker once upon a time. I gave it away to my lovely neighbour.

Anywhoo – back to the short ribs. As with most slow cooking I do, I made a lot. I figure if you’re going to take the time to cook something for a long while, you may as well have leftovers to freeze. So, I bought just over a couple of kilos of ribs (about 4 1/2 pounds worth). If you’re making this recipe in your oval le Creuset, this amount fitted perfectly!

And, I gotta tell you, like Mae West – when it comes to short ribs – I’ve drifted. Seriously good! Seriously rich. And, LM has given his nod of approval, too.

Korean Beef Short Ribs

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 4 Hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Korean Short Ribs
(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

2 x kilos grass-fed beef short ribs, give or take (my lovely butcher chopped all mine in two. Much more manageable)
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 x medium pear, cored, and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce/tamari)
6 x garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 x spring onions, roughly chopped
1 x thumb-sized chunk of ginger, peeled and cut in two
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (or vinegar of choice)
3/4 cup bone broth (or stock – best quality available)
Handful of freshly chopped coriander as garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper. In a large casserole dish (with a lid) brown meat on both sides

3. Pack the ribs in a single layer in your casserole dish.

4. Place the chopped pear, coconut aminos, garlic, spring onions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar into a blender and purée until smooth. Pour evenly over the ribs and add the broth to the casserole dish.

5. Cover with the lid and pop into the oven for 21/2 – 3 hours.

6. Remove the lid and pop back in the oven for a further 30 – 45 minutes.

7. Remove the meat from the casserole and place onto a serving platter.

8. Let the braising liquid settle for 5 minutes before skimming off some of the fat. Check for seasoning and pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.

9. Sprinkle over the freshly chopped coriander. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

We served our short ribs with kumara mash and roast broccoli.

By the way – how cool is this new print thing-amy WordPress has designed for recipes?

Change is Afoot. A Personal Post…

Tags

Allergies, Blogging, Dairy allergy, Diet, food, Gluten intolerence, Life, Reflection, Roald Dahl

(Image from here)

This is my third year in TSL land. Sometimes, I surprise even myself.

At the time I started this blogging caper, I was dipping my toe in the waters of things design oriented. I completed a couple of tours at the International School of Colour and Design here in Sydney.

And, I learnt a few things. Mainly, I learnt that I am not a designer. I just have a strong sense of what I like!

Along the way, despite protesting that this is not a food blog, my most popular posts – by a considerable margin – have been those about food. Perhaps I should have read between the lines…

I was lucky enough to grow up with a Mum who is a great cook. She experimented with new dishes. She was making her own taramasalata years before it became fashionable in wee New Zealand at the bottom of the world. And, she had some favourites – as a family, we still think her chicken liver pâté is the best. Every year, my sister asks Mum to make her version of Zuppa Inglese* at Christmas. And, speaking of Christmas, her Christmas mince tarts are widely acknowledged as THE BEST IN THE WORLD. (No bias here.)

Until I left home, I never really appreciated that not everyone ate like we did.

George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl
(Image from here)

As a result, I have always appreciated good food. But, it has taken a bit of time, not to mention a reasonably circuitous road, for me to understand just how important food is in my life, and how much I enjoy cooking for those I love. Sounds a little hokey when I see it written down, but it’s true.

Here at Casa TSL, over the past year or so, we have been evolving the way we eat. This is the direct result of a few niggling health issues – mainly LM’s strong allergy to all things cow juice, and my intolerance to gluten. I have done a serious amount of reading in an effort to understand what it all means, not to mention how it happens.

And, you know what? – It takes work. Putting nutritious and delicious food on the table takes work. But, when you add the removal of all things gluten and dairy, it complicates the cooking experience further. And, dining out becomes MUCH more of a challenge.

The more I learn, the more I realise that these allergies to food are on the increase. They are not going away. So, rather than fight it any more, this year TSL is going to have a change in direction. The focus will be more towards food – both here in at Casa TSL, and dining out in Sydney. I haven’t quite worked out what it all means in blog-terms, but I promise you’ll be the first to know!

I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride…

* My Mum’s Zuppa Inglese is nothing like the linked recipe. But, hers is a safely guarded secret!