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Food Blogger Interview: Ruth Almon of Paleo Diet Basics

RuthAlmon-PaleoDietBasics-Portrait We have a wide community of food bloggers here at Dishfolio, all having different styles, tastes and beliefs. It's always great to have the chance to get to know our beloved and amazing food bloggers on a personal level. Today, we have Ruth Almon of Paleo Diet Basics! Ruth's food blog is all about Paleo - a modern nutritional diet based on the presumed ancient diet during the Paleolithic era. She features many delicious paleo recipes that simple and easy to prepare.

Of innovative cooking ingredients you've tried, which was the hardest to find or use?

I love Indian food, but there are so many unfamiliar (to me) ingredients. I remember finding a recipe with amchur (green mango powder) and I decided I absolutely needed to try the dish. It took me over a year to track down amchur, but then I had no recollection of what I wanted to use it for. It's still sitting in my cupboard!

The strangest looking ingredient that I've actually tried has to be Persian dried lemon. Back in pre-refrigeration days, Persians discovered a way of preserving fresh lemons by turning them into something that looks like small black rocks! My kids looked very puzzled when they came across this ingredient in my kitchen.

What ethical food issues get you talking with your friends and family?

I'm a paleo blogger, so food quality is always a fundamental concern. It's especially important to buy meat, poultry, eggs, and fish from places that raise their animals humanely. Once upon a time, I had no idea where my eggs or beef etc. came from. But now that I know about the deplorable conditions these animals are kept in, I can't ethically just ignore it. Besides trying to find humanely raised meat I buy organic vegetables, and unprocessed everything. This is a RuthAlmon-PaleoDietBasics-food win-win situation: good for my health, good for the animals, and good for the environment (I guess that is a win-win-win!)

How many cookbooks do you own and which do you reach for most often?

I must have about 20 cookbooks, but I haven't bought a new one for a very long time. Usually, when I want to cook a new dish I'll get inspiration online (from Dishfolio and elsewhere) and then I'll combine elements I like from various dishes and create something new.

If you had to choose a kitchen tool you couldn't live without, what would it be and why?

I'm tempted to say that there is no tool I couldn't live without. A number of times I've visited grannies who have been cooking up a storm in a tiny kitchen for decades without all those kitchen gadgets people think they need. 100 years ago, people made everything from scratch without too many
fancy kitchen tools. Today, in spite of the many time saving gadgets, people often just heat things up. That said, I am quite fond of a few of my knives, my immersion blender, and my slow cooker.