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Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma paleo diet recipe dinner-min

Recipe: Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma

Back in the days where I used to eat a more typically SAD diet, one of my favourite curries was a Rajma – a spicy, fragrant vegetarian dish made with kidney beans as the main ingredient. Even though beans are out of the question on the Paleo diet, I wanted to try and recreate the delicious, heady flavours of the Rajma I used to enjoy so often – and make it healthy too. After perfecting the spice blend, I opted to go for Beef as the protein of choice in this dish, as it adds much greater depth of flavour than the lifeless kidney beans ever did. I also included aubergine, as the texture somewhat mimics that of the beans. I think I've finally nailed the beanless Rajma – but I’ll let you be the judge of that!

Recipe: Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • • 1 tbsp ghee / coconut oil
  • • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • • 5cm piece of ginger, peeled
  • • 4 red chilli peppers, deseeded and chopped
  • • 2 tsp garam masala
  • • 1 tsp turmeric
  • • Pinch of salt
  • • 1 x 400g chopped tomatoes
  • • 500g diced beef
  • • 2 medium aubergines, diced
  • • A good handful fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
  1. In a large cooking pot, toast the coriander and cumin seeds very lightly for roughly 2 minutes. Grind to a powder, then set aside.
  2. Raise the heat of the pot to medium, and add the ghee / coconut oil. Fry the onions for around 5 minutes, until softened.
  3. Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves with the ginger and chilli to make a paste. Add a touch of olive oil if needed. Add this to the onion, and sauté for a further couple of minutes, before adding in the toasted cumin and coriander, along with the garam masala, turmeric and salt. After a minute, pour in the chopped tomatoes and around 200ml hot water. Stir well. Add the diced beef, then cover and leave to cook on a medium heat for around 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the cover, stir, then add the diced aubergine. Return the lid to the pot and cook for another 15 minutes, before serving garnished with the fresh coriander.

Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma paleo diet recipe dinner-min

What's wrong with soy legume paleo diet primal allowed alternative-min

What’s So Wrong With Soy?

Are soy beans really that bad for us? So many “healthy” people swear by soy – and it’s certainly portrayed in a lot of mainstream media as a health product.

Soy beans contain a lot of natural toxins. It doesn't matter whether they’re organically grown or genetically modified. The problem with modern soy products is that the factory processing is different from the traditional, time-consuming preparation through fermentation and prolonged boiling, whereby a lot of these toxins are removed. Products such as tempeh, tofu and miso are, if of good quality and a lot less dangerous than modern unfermented soy products, like soy milk. In the current, fast and large-scale production, these toxins stay in the end-product.

What's wrong with soy legume paleo diet primal allowed alternative-min

Why do people eat soy?

Whilst some people switch due to cow milk allergies or lactose-intolerance, many people switch for the perceived health benefits. The use of soy milk was supposed to be a good alternative to dairy, if we believe the commercials. The irony is that soy itself is in the top ten of foods that give the highest change of allergies!

Vegetarians and vegans often use soy products as dairy products and meat substitutes, particularly due to the high protein content.

The dangers of soy

Soy contains high amounts of phytic acid, that impedes the reception of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Although the pro-soy lobby argues that these minerals can also be found in soy, they are barely absorbed by the body due to the phytic acid content. The anti-nutrients present are not broken down by processes such as steeping, germination or prolonged cooking.

Soy also contains high concentrations of manganese, a chemical element. Some manganese in our food is necessary, but high amounts, such can be found in soy, are associated with neurological damage. It contains almost 200 times as much manganese as breast milk.

Trypsin inhibitors can disrupt the digestion of protein, can negatively influence the function of the pancreas and cause growth problems. Diarrhoea, stomach cramps and bleeding are some of the problems that can occur due to a lack of trypsin.

Vegetable female hormones (phytoestrogens) in soy disrupt the function of the endocrine (internal) glands and might cause infertility and breast cancer.

Cancer patients, especially the ones with hormone-dependant tumours such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, are advised to avoid soy because it can cause the growth of tumours.  The phytoestrogens it contains can hinder the function of the thyroid, which causes a risk for a slow working thyroid and even thyroid cancer.

Substances in soy that resemble vitamin B12 are not absorbed by the body and increase the need for vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the production of red blood cells. A shortage of these blood cells can cause severe anemia. Soy increases the need for vitamin D, which is used for building bones and a strong immune system, and something most people are already deficient in.

In modern soy production, it is modified, which produces toxic lysinoalanine and the carcinogen nitrosamine as a result. During the process, glutamic acid is also formed. This is a flavour enhancer and potential neurotoxin. As if this wasn't bad enough, MSG (another flavour enhancer) is added to many soy products.

Soy sauce is popular in many recipes, but is easy to avoid – it can be completely replaced using paleo friendly coconut aminos.

I’d be interested to hear what you think about Soy? Do you avoid it in all forms, or do you occasionally eat fermented soy products?

Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Sautéed Vine Tomatoes and French Beans-min

Recipe: Sautéed Vine Tomatoes and French Beans

So, whilst green beans and French beans are technically legumes, they are more pod than bean and contain less phytic acid and lectins than other legumes. So on that basis, if they're local, fresh and in season, many people choose to enjoy them on a Paleo diet. What do you think about beans?

This is a wonderfully summery side dish, the crunch of the French beans works wonderfully with the juicy, full bodied tomato.

Sautéed Vine Tomatoes and French Beans Ingredients:

  • 500g French beans, tails removed
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 large vine tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • Olive oil
  • Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Sautéed Vine Tomatoes and French Beans How To:

1)     Boil some water in a pan, then add the French beans and simmer for two minutes. Drain, then rinse the beans under cold water.

2)     Heat a little olive oil in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallots and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes until slightly softened and golden. Add the French beans to the pan, coating well with the existing contents. Sauté for a further minute or so to heat through.

3)     30 seconds or so before you are due to serve, add the chopped tomatoes so as just to heat them through but not damage the texture. Season with the salt, pepper and parsley, then serve.

Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Sautéed Vine Tomatoes and French Beans-min