^[3]Since it’s Labor Day (here in the U.S.) and many of you are spending it with friends and family members, grilling some meat, and getting a little R&R I thought this article most appropriate.

A couple months back erstad17 started a forum thread ^[4]. With a simple question (“Wondering if there are any others in the Pacific Northwest?”) and a little leg work the first Primal Blueprint meet-up event was held. It brought people together that hardly knew each other to share Primal stories, food and each other’s company. And by all accounts it went swimmingly. (Last I heard they’re planning on doing more in the future.) I was thrilled to hear about the event and even more excited to learn that they’d be taking and sending in photos and recipes from the party (see below).

I’ve discussed the importance of forging relationships for social wellness ^[5] and the power of connecting with others ^[6] in the past. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that Mark’s Daily Apple is in some small way encouraging people to get together, learn from one another and have a little fun in the sun. We all know the benefits of play ^[7]. What better way to do it than with other Primal Blueprinters?

As my post last week stated, this is just the beginning ^[8]. Because no matter how much fun all this virtual stuff we do is, it pales in comparison to actually meeting and spending time with people face-to-face. This is why I am looking forward to holding a meet-up here in Los Angeles at some point and why Primal retreats are a dream of mine. In the meantime I encourage all readers that are interested in connecting with other PBers to drop a line in the forum (Meet and Greet ^[9] section) and form your own local meet-up. If any future meet-ups do take place I’d love to hear an account of it. Send in your stories, photos, recipes and video footage and I’ll publish it on MDA.

Many thanks to everyone that participated in the Seattle Primal Blueprint Meet-Up – for your mouth-watering recipes, your photos and for showing us all how it can be done! Thank you.

Here is the email I received from the group:

The BBQ went from noon till 4pm at Westcrest Park in Seattle. The day was warm and sunny. Time was spent eating tasty food and discussing our history with the Primal Blueprint, workout tips and how the Primal Blueprint has changed our lives. The kids stayed busy flying kites. Wendy1 was “converted” the night before with the help of sofiawahaj and was excited to learn more from the group. Wolf (umuhk) talked about the benefits of his Vibrams and answered all our questions, no matter how silly they were. Overall, we had a good time getting to know each other and share our stories. Sorry no video was taken but we do plan on having more meet ups in the near future. Thanks Mark for helping us live longer, healthier lives.

Sincerely,

The Seattle Primal Blueprint Group

^[3]

The people that participated were:
erstad17 with wife and son
SassaFrass88 with husband and two sons
SeanBissell with wife
sofiawahaj with two daughters
umuhk with friend
Wendy1 with daughter

(Click the photo above for a full-size view.)

Wild Boar with Lime Coconut Sauce

I used about a kilogram of wild boar saddle (double loin), or four small loins. Strip the silver skin (thin, fibrous fascia) from the large end of the loin. Prepare the marinade:

• Juice from about six limes (maybe three-quarters of a cup)
• Couple of tablespoons of honey (adjust to your preference, I’m not a fan of sweet)
• Tablespoon of garlic powder
• Tablespoon of salt

Place the boar loins in a zip-top bag and pour in about half a cup of the marinade; reserve the rest for later. Add to the bag:

• About six chipotle (smoked jalapeño) peppers, chopped fine

Squeeze out the air and seal the bag, then massage the meat a little to work the marinade and chiles around to all surfaces. Leave the meat marinating in the refrigerator overnight, at least.

When it’s time to cook, put the reserved marinade in a small saucepan, and add:

• Grated zest (outer green surface only) of a lime
• One cup of coconut milk
• About half a cup of cashew pieces, pulsed in a food processor to be mostly-ground (a good mix of cashew flour and small chunks)

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (by water reduction). Grill the boar over hot coals for about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on size; turn the loins every couple minutes to cook evenly. Even with the marinade, wild boar will dry out quickly if you overcook it, so be careful. Remove the boar from the coals, rest, and then slice. Serve with the coconut sauce. Enjoy.

Grilled Pork Shoulder and Ribs with Chipotle Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• Pork shoulder ribs
• 1 cup raspberries
• 2 tbs honey
• 1/4 cup ruby port
• 1 drained chipotle

Directions:

Grill pork on slow heat for 5-6 hours. To make sauce, combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer until dissolved.  Strain in cheesecloth.

Roasted Garlic & Sun-dried Tomato “Hummus” (served with Jicama & Apple Slices)

Ingredients:

• 1+ cup roasted cashews
• 1 head roasted garlic
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Process roasted garlic in food processor, adding lemon juice. Then cashews and process. Then add sun-dried tomatoes and enough water to achieve consistency.

(Almost) Primal Poppers

(Son of Grok’s Recipe ^[10])

Ingredients:

• Package of ORGANIC cream cheese. Yes it makes a difference.
• 15 or so FRESH jalapeno peppers. No canned peppers here. You can do more or less. I made 12 which used about 1/2 of my 8oz. package of cream cheese.
• One package of bacon. Preferably no sugar added.

Directions:

1. De-seed you peppers. I find it easiest to cut off the stem but you can leave it on for a “handle” if you wish. Using a knife, split the pepper on one side from the bottom to the top. Gut out all of the seeds and fibrous innards. (If you want to surprise a buddy, leave a couple of the seeds in there.. beware though… your buddy may “pop” you one)
2. Stuff the pepper full of cream cheese.
3. Wrap the pepper in a slice of bacon.
4. Arrange on a baking tray.
5. “Pop” in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Serve with salsa or guac or just serve plain.
7. Enjoy!

Cumin Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 – 5 chicken breasts sautéed/ fried in bacon grease & cut into bite-sized cubes
• ½ cup homemade coconut mayo
• 1/8 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp cumin (curry would be good too)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Northwest spices (purchased from an all-natural spice vendor at a local Seattle street fair)
• 1 celery stock chopped into thin, half-moon slices
• Dried cranberries
• Pecans
• 2 tsp of sweetener of your choice (I used Organic Grade B Maple Syrup)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and place on top of organic mixed greens for an excellent well-rounded salad.

Basic Sweet Breakfast Muffins

These will be heavier than traditional wheat-flour varieties, but still very nice. I like them best after they’ve cooled. The combination of coconut and almond flours makes them moist.

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup packed coconut flour
• 1/3 cup packed almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Blend together eggs, oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, salt, and flavors.
2. Combine flours and baking soda to coat the fruit well. Mix into batter until there are no lumps.  Pour batter into sprayed small-sized muffin cups.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes (20 minutes for regular sized), or just until tests clean with toothpick.

Pecan Muffins
Add ½ cup of chopped pecans and ⅛ teaspoon almond extract.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Omit the vanilla and add 2 teaspoons of lemon extract. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top of muffins just before baking.

Berry Muffins
Add ½ cup of fresh berries and ⅛ teaspoon almond extract. Berries should be very dry. Baking time will increase slightly.

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