Fresh Avocado Tomato Soup

Archaeological evidence shows that “soup” appeared when humans first began boiling foods in order to enhance their digestibility during the Upper Paleolithic era, employing materials such as birch bark which can be heated directly over a fire. This technique likely predates “stone-boiling,” which involved placing heated stones into a large, water-filled pot to bring it to boiling point.

Throughout history, not only hot soups, but also cold varieties have featured in many traditional cultures and cuisines. Well-known summertime favorites include the pinkish beetroot borscht of Eastern Europe, the creamy tomato-based salmorejo (also called adoria) of southern Spain, and the latter’s closely related cousin, gazpacho. Our version of gazpacho is especially rich in vitamins C, A, and K and minerals such as potassium and iron, as well as healthy fats, providing a range of benefits for immune function and cardiovascular health.

Click here for the recipe and video.

Total time: 15-20 minutes

Lamb Burgers with Harissa Tzatziki on Sourdough Buns

The earliest recorded “hamburger” recipe, called isicia omentata, appears in the 4th century Roman cookbook, ‘Apicius.’ It consisted of a minced meat patty mixed with pine kernels, black and green peppercorns, white wine, and a fish sauce, called garum. Although the type of meat isn’t specified, it was more likely game than lamb, as sheep were considered more valuable for their wool and cheese than for consumption.

Today, lamb remains popular in cuisines across the Mediterranean basin and has experienced a new resurgence in American restaurants and home kitchens. Rightfully so: Lamb, especially grass-fed, is rich in nutrients such as glutathione (also called the “master antioxidant”) and is abundant in saturated fats, whose satiating qualities can help rein in carbohydrate cravings.

Click here for the recipe and video.

Active time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 15 hours

Steak with Cumin and Mustard Rub

Since the first evidence of cooking with fire, dating back to over 700,000 years ago, grilling food (especially choice cuts of meat) over a heat source has played a key role not only in human nutrition, but in our physical development. Although this early cooking method provided our ancestors with more bioavailable nutrients, evidence has shown that it also led to smaller, weaker jaws in their descendants.

This structural deficit, while largely in place by the time of our shift from hunter-gatherer to farmer over 12,000 years ago, continues to be exacerbated by readily available processed foods. Choosing quality proteins, like grass-fed beef, not only provides extensive nutritional benefits (such as high levels of omega-3 fatty acids), but also can help improve jaw strength, as whole foods require thorough mastication in comparison to the processed foods of modern commerce.

Click here for the recipe and video.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8-25 minutes

Total time: 35-40 minutes

Creamy Cheese Cake (Uncooked)

A globally-loved dessert that comes in many forms (such as ostkaka from Sweden or vatrushkia from Russia), cheesecake may have first originated in ancient Greece. According to the ‘De Agri Cultura’ (the oldest surviving Latin text) by Cato the Elder, savillum (which means ’cheesecake’ in Latin) was a simple affair and typically was baked over low heat and finished with poppyseeds, a spice that was especially loved by the ancient Romans.

Unlike the pasteurized, cream-cheese-based version that we are accustomed to seeing now, traditional cheesecake recipes, like savillum, called for fresh cheese (typically goat ricotta) and raw honey, the latter of which was an ingredient the ancient Romans used extensively and has been shown to provide cardiometabolic benefits.

Click here for the recipe and video.

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 2-4 hours