Little Field of Greens

Buttermilk Substitute

2010-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that a reasonable substitute for buttermilk is:
For every 1 cup of buttermillk take 1 cup of alternative milk (usually for this I do rice milk) or 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup rice milk (or other) and 1 tablespoon vinegar (or in a pinch you can do lemon but it might alter the flavor)

I was just re-reading my gluten free coffee muffin posting and wanted to share this little technique to replace that ingredient if you are also a dairy free-er.

Is it time to clear the spice cabinet?

2010-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

My dear yoga instructor and I were chatting on Sunday about the asafetida posting and in the middle of the discussion I thought I might send a reminder about keeping our spice cabinets tidy.

If you have not used a particular spice in 6-8 months - toss it.

Sad but true for us waste phobes. The flavors are probably no good anymore, and just like food, you want the essential bits in the spices to be alive to nourish you (because yes Virginia, spices have micro nutrients you can't get in other foods and are really good for you!)

So what are you to do? Here are some suggestions:

Invest in some small spice holders - like these - and consider

Doing a spice share (splitting with friends or family to cut down on cost and waste) or,

Going to a store like Rainbow foods in San Francisco. They not only have some really interesting spices, but they allow you to buy what you need. Bring your jars with you if you go this route.

Otherwise, only buy what you need. Consider growing fresh herbs to have some of the basics on hand at all times, and then if you venture into new ethnic foods (which I strongly encourage) just stick with the program. Don't just try it once and give up and let those spices go bad - when making your weekly menu make sure you have at least one of those recipes baked in so you can use your goods.

A Great Leg of Lamb Recipe

2010-11-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

So we actually did this last week - and I will be making it really soon - but I might forget....

This was a GREAT way to use a leg of lamb. For those phobic of the supposed game like flavor of lamb, this recipe is warming and delicious and complimentary of lamb but covers all flavors that you might not like. For lamb lovers, this is not so powerful it ruins the lamb flavor but really compliments it.

It took a bit but my favorite way to have lamb is slow cooked. It gets all tender and just falls apart in your mouth.

Wow.

It's good with brown rice or with the kicheri recipe I posted last week.

We omitted the yogurt on top and there was nothing missing. This was just absolute heaven.

Try it!

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/meats/afg_lamb_spin.html

Weekly Menu 11.14.10

2010-11-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

Usually I do most of my planning and cooking on the weekends.

Sometimes, like this weekend, things are just too busy.

So with the little time I have I am going to plan a few basic meals to be able to throw together this week - so I have some options available without heavy lifting.

Just doing basic grilled meats, soups that we have already made and froze and simple salads or sauteed vegetables.

Then, I need to catch up on my fancier stuff next weekend!

We have one dinner this week that is not just us - and I have the perfect idea from a good friend that looks like heavy lifting but is so easy and quick! So we will be able to impress without working too hard.

Sunday

Lamb riblets - simple, grilled with lots of rosemary and garlic and oregano, squirt of lemon on top + a Greek salad spin

Monday

Japanese rice bowl - basically you make an omelette with eggs and then whatever meat (I will be using chicken), and veg (I will be using mushrooms, carrots and sprouts). It's cooked with some tamari sauce and/or udon broth. Then place on a bowl of rice. Satisfying and delish.

Tuesday

Split pea soup (homemade defrosted from freezer)

Wednesday

Duck breast with currant sauce, rice and simple salad (recipe to be posted)

Thursday

Steaks on the grill with sauteed chard and roast fingerling potatoes

Friday

Appetizer night - olives, dolmas, personal gluten free-dairy free 'pizzas'

The Lamb Guy

2010-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

I can't remember if I had shared this before, but I was reminded again as we recently picked up another lamb.

YUM

http://www.sierrafarmslamb.blogspot.com/

Check this out - This guy is great. Ordering is easy - you email, then pickup.

We typically use a whole lamb in 3 months or less, but we pick up for several friends and family members who use a half lamb in the same amount of time.

The cost, knowing your source, the sustainable efforts - beyond worth it. It seems to just stress folks out because - well - you have to cook it!

So this time around, I will post as we prepare it so you too can enjoy easy recipes with local lamb.

The Indian Food Craving

2010-11-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

So it's probably been nagging at Ben and I for about 2 months - but a serious hankering for some good Indian food. It's always when I drive past my favorite buffet. I just want to run in and smother myself in rice and curries - oy.

Trouble is, last time we did this - about 2.5 months ago, we both left not feeling so great. Ben especially. Major gluten problemo.

We asked what had flour in it and what didn't - and I trust them so I didn't get why the bad feeling. So I am in the Indian store on Saturday and pick up the asafetida. Uh. Damn.

Wheat starch.

It's in almost every Indian dish. I forget exactly what it is, but I think it comes from the bark of a tree. In any case, it adds a nice depth and it's supposed to help with digestion - but not for celiacs.

That's a hard one. So officially, I am determined in the next year to become an expert at a much larger variety of Indian dishes. It's a must.

So yesterday, I busted into a few that were FANTASTIC.

I started watching this show, Indian Food Made Easy on the cooking channel. Seems funny for some reason as I write about it, butI won't complain because the two dishes I made were great.

The three tricks are get the go to the Indian store so you can get the right lentils and real curry leaves (and I tried to find these nigella seeds with no luck but it worked out just fine), use your judgement, if you fail - try again!

The first I made was a cabbage dish - this was so incredibly easy and I had a small head of red cabbage in the fridge I had to use up anyway.

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/peppery-hot-cabbage-salad-recipe/index.html

The second thing I made is a great breakfast, comforting - pretty much any time of the day thing. Kicheri. YUM. Pretty easy too. Here I actually doubled the recipe and it was not enough - ok, I pigged out on it.

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/creamy-lentil-and-rice-dish-khicheri-recipe/index.html

Be on the lookout for more Indian food recipes and tricks I am picking up. I am bound and determined to figure it out, and explain it - because many of these sites that I have been looking at, they don't explain how they get the depth - and it's tricky stuff like just toasting the spices enough for example. Anjum (host of that show) kind of stinks at this too, but if you watch the show and try the recipe, you can figure it out. But, I will explain it once I get it down!

I'M Back!

2010-11-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile - ok, an unreasonably long time since I have posted!

To my loyal readers, thank you for hanging on and waiting. To my future readers, welcome!

It's been a crazy year and a half since I last blogged. Changes in family (my father passed), official changes in diet (husband is officially a celiac), I am now the proud owner of a VitaMix (Amen!), been dabbling in quite a few other cooking modalities like raw, more ethnic, etc.

It's time I come back and share all this with you.

I am hoping to bring back the weekly menu on Sundays, and then my usual running commentary.

For the non-Silly's (that is the fun name for celiac), don't shy away from the fact that I am posting with food sensitivity stuff here. I am not that gal. And actually, my husband would take over my blog if I got all stuffy and sensitive about it.

Over the past year, we have tried wayyyyy too many store bought gluten free products. Mostly, horrible. Mostly, unreasonably priced. The other problem is when we eat out - there is almost always some hidden source of gluten - so those overwhelming cravings for Indian food have to be satisfied somehow. When we try these things at home- they are great! and for about 1/4 of the cost - After too many examples of this, I just can't not write about this. Other folks must know!

So this is tasty, reasonable, hilarious stuff. Read it.

Quinoa Sausage Artichoke Casserole

2009-05-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had accidentally defrosted an extra Italian sausage from our freezer, and I decided to make a pantry type casserole (meaning I use whatever I have in the kitchen at that time to put something together). I made some quinoa (soaked and then cooked according to package directions, except reduced the water by about half since I had soaked it), peeled and trimmed a few baby artichokes I had on hand and then par-boiled them (meaning I cooked them in salted boiling water until just tender), and then I browned the sausage. I then oiled a glass pan and laid the quinoa down, sprinkled about 3/4 cup chopped parsley and thyme, then the sausage, then the artichokes. I topped it with a dollop of goat cheese on each artichoke half and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes (until goat cheese was brown).
So easy and so tasty! Next time I am going to mix the quinoa, herbs, and sausage with 1 or 2 eggs to help hold that mixture together.

You can make casseroles like this ahead of time and bake the night of any time. They are great because it uses whole grains (you can use rice, quinoa or millet for gluten free versions or spelt for a non gluten free option), everything gets cooked in advanced and all you do is assemble. It is also an easy way to get herbs into your meal. It also creates a balanced meal with good proteins, carbohydrates and fat with vegetables. The best way to round it out is to serve with a side of vegetables like a salad and you are good to go.

Weekly Menu 5/24/09

2009-05-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned that we are participating in a local CSA this summer and this was the first week I had a box from them! Here is a picture of our first box. This week we have:
Green garlic, spring onions, romaine lettuce, red lettuce, spinach, carrots (with the tops, which you can eat!), radishes, strawberries, red russian kale and strawberries. The carrots and radishes will make great raw veggie snacks as well as impromptu toppings for salads.
At the farmers market I picked up some of my favorites to supplement like the Guisti Farms baby artichokes (great taste, good for the liver and great for spring eating) and nectarines and apricots from the main fruit stand (if you walk by a booth and the perfume of the fruit overwhelms you - you can bet the fruit is worth buying).

So what we ended up with in our house is an abundance of lettuces and leafy greens, and some aromatics to enhance some meals (garlic, onion, etc). With more research, you can come up with some more extravagant meals for these ingredients, but I love keeping it simple - for both time as well as preservation of the flavors that come from farm fresh, organic produce. So this week there are more salads and simple balanced meals (meaning good quality carbohydrate, protein and fat supported with an abundance of vegetables).

Sunday:Thinly sliced, grilled Ribeye served over a bed of romaine and red lettuce with thinly sliced radishes, sunflower seeds, avocado, fresh corn stripped from the cob, topped with cilantro vinaigrette (I switched the vinaigrette up a bit since I had the green garlic I used that as the base, then mustard, honey, cilantro, oil, s&p)

Monday:Long rice noodles with Thai red curry chicken and mixed vegetables (onion, zucchini and spinach) with a side salad

Tuesday: Vegetarian night with Adzuki beans and rice with Mexican spices served over a bed of sauteed Red Russian Kale with onions and carmelized carrots with butter and garlic

Wednesday: Turkey slider hamburgers with cilantro-garlic-mayo dressing (no bun) over a bed of lettuce, avocado, fresh corn and sliced tomatoes (you can do regular burgers, I just like mini things :) )

Thursday: Mixed veggie soup with thinly sliced kale and chard, potatoes, zucchini, artichoke and chopped chicken

A Spring Meal to Entertain

2009-05-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have talked about this before, but I wanted to share again.

The best way to entertain and leave people feeling taken care of and nourished, is to keep it simple.

Yes, simple is best! Some of my favorite TV chefs talk about this all the time - Mario Batali (an expert on cuisines of the different regions of Italy) and Ina Garten (a Martha Stewart type chef who puts high values on quality and refinement of food). If you pick, fresh, and good quality ingredients and cook them as they were made to be prepared, you will inevitable create a good meal.

A week ago we had guests over and I did just this. It was entirely driven from ingredients I found at the farmers market and my awareness about what spring menus should include. Here is what we prepared:Green Salad with Italian Dressing
Roast Chicken cooked on a vertical roaster and stuffed with lemon, rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano
Quinoa with fava bean and pea puree
Roast baby artichokes and zucchini (roasted in chicken drippings)

Why each item was selected
Spring is one of the best times for chicken. Eggs are also abundant right now. The herbs which were stuffed into the chicken not only impart flavor, but also have their own special nutrition and now that I have my herb garden out front, I have no excuse but to use them!
Spring is also a great time for veggies like artichokes and zucchini. Here in Half Moon Bay we almost always have artichokes. They are great for the liver and gall bladder, and spring is definitely a good time for cleansing and supporting the liver. I used baby artichokes for this meal - the trick with either baby or full artichokes is to peel back to the tender leaves, trim the tops and bottoms, par boil (boil for a few minutes until just soft) and then roast so you still get a tender but crispy texture.
Fava beans and peas are also some of the lighter plant items like fava beans and peas. Served with quinoa (which I soaked the night before to help with digestibility) is an easy way to deliver their taste without overbearing the palette.
Lastly, the green salad is a great way to get herbs, plus fat with the olive oil and very nice flavor. Not to mention fiber, vitamins and bulk to the meal.

Dessert was simply fruit (strawberries and raspberries) alongside Coconut Bliss ice cream. This is a great product based on coconut milk and meat, agave nectar (which in moderation I am a fan of compared to other sugar products). Again, really simple so it was easy on me, and everyone left feeling great.

Weekly Menu May 18 2009

2009-05-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

To my loyal readers, my apologies for being so behind! The weather is definitely warming up, the day is lasting longer and my favorite Saturday activity of going to the farmers market is back!!! In addition to the market, I have subscribed to a CSA (Community Support Agriculture) for this summer and I am really excited to share with everyone the ups and downs of sharing in such a group as well as figuring out a menu based on what someone gives you in a box. You can read more about our local CSA here: www.bluehousefarm.org

This is what is on the menu this week :
Monday: "Hamburgers" and a salad
Tuesday: Impromptu Veggie soup with salad
Wednesday: Mexican Beef stew over polenta with sauteed spinach
Thursday: Casserole layered with goat cheese, quinoa, homemade Italian sausage and sauteed artichokes
Friday: Leftovers

Just a quick note, hamburgers on Monday are in quotes because we don't eat these with buns in our house (no gluten) and we grind our own beef so it is not your average old patty slapped on a grill and smothered in mustard and ketchup (or mayo for some of you). We caramelize red onions, roast anaheim peppers and add thin slices of raw milk jack cheese from Greenbank farms to make a healthy, and delicious version of a mex style burger. You may have also noticed the homemade Italian sausage. We keep this like bulk sausage - we tried the casings, but oh me oh my that was a little too much work. We use the grinder attachment for the kitchen aid mixer. It is great. Only about $50 and this process literally takes no more than 10 minutes. In exchange you know exactly what goes into your ground mixture (do you really know when you get it from the store?) and you can control the thickness of the grind (great when you want to make a killer burger to be able to do a coarse grind).

Rice Pongal

2009-03-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is great Indian comfort food. Super easy and delicious. Also a great vegetarian meal when eaten with a salad or sauteed greens - the combination of the rice and lentil builds a complete set of proteins so you won't be lacking anything without the meat.
I got this recipe about 10 years ago from a good friend I used to work with. I used to work at a company where most all of us ate lunch together and shared what we brought - that was a really fun and rewarding experience. I have since not heard of or ever worked for a company with a group of people like this. It was great because we had American, Indian, Cambodian, and British folks all eating a variety of delicious meals from their local areas. All were very simple, but if they were new to you, it really didn't matter because the flavors were unlike what you were used to.
Long story short, this is one of those completely simple meals I learned about and fell in love with. While you can probably use any kind of lentil, I recommend finding an Indian Grocery or going to New Leaf or Phipp's ranch to get the little yellow moong dal as they are called. They have a fantastic flavor and really make this dish.
This is a good re-heat dish and I actually will eat it cold - perhaps I am really that in love with it.

Rice Pongal
1 cup rice
1 cup moong dal

Soak the rice and moong dal overnight in enough lukewarm water to cover. Drain and rinse and bring 6 cups water to a boil. Dump in the lentils and rice and cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes. This is supposed to be more like a porridge, so watch it and do not get it super dry, but not watery still. Season with a good amount of sea salt until it meets your tastes. Set aside (this can be done a day ahead of time if you are pressed for time).

Seasoning:
4 tbls grapeseed oil or canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
1 tsp black peppercorns roughly crushed
1" piece of ginger, chopped
4 green chillies, cut in half, de-seeded and then cut in half again

In a pan warm up the oil over medium-low heat. This is important - do not heat the pan super high! Also do not walk away, this is a critical step.
When the oil is warm drop in the cumin seeds and stir well until the cumin seeds start to sputter and you can just smell the cumin. Then drop in the peppercorns. Then add in the cashews and continue stirring until they are lightly golden. Now add the green chilies and ginger and fry for about 1 minute.
Then add the rice-dal mixture and mix well. Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu 3/22/09

2009-03-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Homestyle ribs (homemade rub, smoked and homemade bbq sauce), coleslaw, baked beans and sauteed greens

Monday: Simple sausage and green (cabbage and kale) soup

Tuesday: Garbanzo beans in Indian curry, mixed green salads with shredded chicken and balsamic vinaigrette

Wednesday: Vegetarian night with Rice Pongal (watch for the recipe this week-it's a delicious Indian porridge type dish that is well seasoned) and sauteed kale and chard

Thursday:Braised pork chops with sauerkraut and green apples

Velveeta and Cheddar Commercial

2009-03-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

A family holiday staple when I was growing up was this broccoli casserole that was rice, frozen broccoli, onion and Velveeta basically. It was the tastiest thing I always thought.
Yes, the holistic nutrition educator and food coach used to eat Velveeta! Part of the reason I do what I do today though is from my own experiences. After eating in a more traditional way, I have found optimal health (oh I do apologize for the evangelical element of this post, but stick with me for a few more moments).
So onto my point - yesterday I watched a commercial where a mother and son are in the grocery store and she is on the phone and because of hard times is cutting everything she needs from the store in half because she is 'cutting back'. Then it pans to her picking up Velveeta and a block of cheddar and it says something to the effect of "You don't have to cut back because Velveeta is just as good as cheddar".
Of course they don't say they have the same nutritional value - that would be a lie. But by holding them up to each other, and saying Velveeta is just as good as cheddar implies that they are the same. Give me a break!
Read the ingredients on Velveeta next time you are in the store. It's plastic cheese basically. If you can't read the ingredients, why are you eating that? With everything else we have in terms of pollution, bad eating habits as a kid, health issues, etc etc, why eat these types of things? If your answer is that eating on a budget means cheap food, think again! Feeding the whole family for your health is more than feasible on a budget.

Curry Clarification

2009-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be posting my Indian curried recipe next week. And I wanted to clarify that Ethnic Curries (Indian, Thai, etc) are not the same as the yellow curry powder you get from McCormick or find in egg salads or chicken salads.
Just for the record, I don't even have that in my pantry because something about those flavors just makes me sick.
Indian curries vary in technique, but are a mixture of spices like fennel, cumin, coriander (cilantro seeds), cayenne, paprika, turmeric and more. Sometimes the seeds are used, sometimes the ground versions. Just depends.
Thai curries I refer to usually are more chilies plus lemon grass, kefir lime leaves, coconut, etc.

If you were worried that I was using the yechy yellow curry powder, rest assured the recipes I am making are much more complex and tasty than that. I particularly like these recipes because they take something as simple as a vegetable and spice them up, make them fun and you will want to simply snack on just this. I kid you not!
From a health perspective, herbs and spices are considered a booster food in my book. They pack a good amount of trace elements that you don't get from other foods. We know that for example, yellow spices like turmeric and saffron are very good for liver support. We also know that things like

Spicy Turmeric Chicken Soup

2009-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

I love making soups for dinner with random stuff in the fridge. Especially when I totally jack something as simple as chicken up in the crockpot...again, whoops.
In any case, dry chicken is great in soup because it gets all shredded and no one can tell! So you can still tell yourself that you are the perfectionist and Martha Stewart you always knew yourself to be...

In any case, I start my simple soups with 4 ingredients I always have in my fridge: onion, carrot, celery and olive oil or butter or your choice.

I get that all softened and then I toss in as much stock or a mixture of stock and water that I have on hand. Add salt and then add the softer vegetables and the chicken (if you have). This week I had the following in my fridge, and all just happened to go great with the turmeric chicken flavors (think Indian or Middle Eastern):
fennel, thinly sliced
green beans
spinach

Spinach cooks really quickly so it went in last. I had the soaked brown rice already cooked so it was simple assembly. You just simmer the stock with the veggies and the leftover chicken. Then place a portioned scoop of brown rice in each bowl, and ladle in as much soup as you would like.
EASY! Very nutritious.

Spicy Turmeric Chicken

2009-03-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

I am trying extremely hard to find recipes that work in the crockpot. In our house, we are really picky about how dishes turn out in that tool. It is a super valuable tool, but it does take a bit of patience in mastering it.
My friend Catherine over at Studio 4 Pilates gave me a suggestion for this book called "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes" and I got the entertaining version. She likes it (and subsequently so do I) because not one recipe as far as I can see has canned soup, pre packaged rice, etc etc - it's all real, whole food!
I just got this book and the first recipe I decided to try was the Spicy Turmeric Chicken. She adapted it from Madhur Jaffrey and I just love her recipes so seemed like a win. I overcooked the chicken. I think the rule of thumb for not drying chicken out in a crockpot is low for 6 hours.... I knew this but for some reason had a lapse and did 8. Whoops.

Basically this is what you do:
Mix
1 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls paprika
1 tbls ground ground turmeric
1/2 -1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 tsp salt
you can add garlic, I forgot
and then either the juice of two lemons or water to make a thick paste

Skin a chicken and rub the paste all over the chicken inside and out.

Oil the inside of the crockpot, set on low for 6 hours. No need to add liquid, it will create it's own.

Weekly Menu 3/15/09

2009-03-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

This week's menu is inspired by my having an extremely busy and packed last week (so doing most cooking on Sunday like usual was voted out), with the upcoming week being just as rigorous, plus my recent research to build a group class for eating sustainable and natural foods on a budget (oooo imagine that!).
So in general, this is simple, but good food. It uses ingredients from one meal to make another - which is good on the pocket and good for quick weekday meals.

Monday: Curried cauliflower and roast chicken
Tuesday: Chicken soup with a base of carrots, celery and onions with wilted greens and soaked brown rice
Wednesday: Pork and vegetable Thai curry over rice
Thursday: Roasted beet salad topped with a simple vinaigrette and toasted almonds with soaked quinoa
Friday: Leftovers

A Perfect Insurance Plan for a Recession

2009-03-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading the March edition of Oxygen magazine and on page 104 is a blurb titled "Avoid Sick Days". It goes on to say that studies have shown that clean eating (this is an Oxygen favorite term which basically means you don't eat any processed, refined or fake food - just the real stuff and in the right proportions) leads to stronger immune systems and less sick days.

I don't think it is necessary to read this in a magazine to know it is true, but I thought it was a nice reminder to it's loyal readers that a cute figure is not the only thing you get with an active lifestyle and good eating habits!

I want to speak from personal experience that since I really cleaned up my eating, and furthermore, focused on having a truly healthy digestive system, I rarely get sick. And when I do, it is about 1/4 what my peers are going through. Winter 2007 a family member got the flu really bad - like literally out for 4 days straight. I took care of them through it, and I didn't get anything. Nada. Most people would think this was a death sentence to get it within hours. Not here.
Along these same lines, a conversation I overheard a few days ago where someone said they don't like going to the gym because they feel like all the germs make them sick. Let me correct anyone who thinks this, and instead say that germs don't make you sick - the inability for your body to fight invaders is what makes you sick.
And what is responsible for fighting invaders? Your immune system? And what is responsible for 70-80% of your immune system?
You guessed it, YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACT!!!

What you eat matters. Really it does. And when you think about how much it costs to be sick - preventing that by eating real food, and balanced meals looks a lot cheaper and less of a time burden. In a time where money is of high concern, stress is extremely high and unemployment (and therefore the possibility of having no insurance) is at an all time high, you need to be more forward thinking about what you put in your body.
So do yourself a favor, and take the time to eat real food!

Weekly Menu 3/8/09

2009-03-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

This week's menu is another quick, but high on the flavor profile.

Sunday: Sushi Sunday (lazy man sushi combo's with brown sushi rice, nori, and then tuna salad, avocado, cucumber, line caught natural smoked salmon, jalapeno and sesame seeds)

Monday: Chicken from the book "Arabesque" and a simple salad. Will let you know how this goes. Stay tuned....

Tuesday: Vegetarian night with Indian curried potatoes and cauliflower, topped with yogurt and served over rice with chutney

Wednesday: Grilled fish over greens with potato and butternut squash hash

Thursday: Artichoke heart crustless quiche and salad and leftover hash

Friday: TBD. Hopefully something fun and delish

Salad Dressings

2009-03-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

These can be used for green salads - warm or cold as well as grain salads. Make a full batch and keep them in the refrigerator to replace store bought dressings. These are better for you because they use ingredients you can control the quality of and freshness. It is also more cost affordable which we all love!

Italian Dressing
½ cup balsamic
¼ olive oil
2 tbls mustard powder or 2 tbls Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
2 crushed garlic cloves, finely minced

Mix all ingredients and store in a jar.

Citrus Vinaigrette
2 tbls orange juice
1 tbls dijon mustard
1 tbls rice or cider vinegar
1 tbls olive oil

Whisk and store.

Cilantro Vinaigrette
1 tbls honey
3 tbls olive oil or veg oil
handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
½ tbls Dijon
1 lime, squeezed
½ -1 roasted jalapeno (optional)

Put all ingredients in blender. Adjust to your likings.

Weekly Menu 3/2/09

2009-03-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend was majorly busy for us, and this week is equally nuts. Means no time to really think about a meal plan and no time to do serious grocery shopping and preparation. So what to do? We all have this happen on a regular basis. Typically the answer is not eating well rounded and balanced meals, or grabbing the telephone to call in an order. While that could still happen this week (and I am okay with that because 80-90% of the time, I do what it takes to eat as best as I can), I made a few simple efforts to make sure we had meals for this week.
Here is what I did:
1. Started defrosting a few soups I have in the freezer for quick meals when we come home so it is just there and ready. This has been easy since the past few weeks we have had a few soups. I just double the recipe or wrap up what we can't eat and in a few weeks you have another meal. Easy!
2. Made sure I had a few greens that cook quickly (spinach, chard, dandelion) and a few raw veggies to snack on. All I have to do is spend 20 minutes today chopping and sauteing and storing away for lunches throughout the week.
3. Bought a pre-made rotisserie chicken. $10 for a natural chicken at our local New Leaf is not too bad. I shred it, mix it with raisins and celery and walnuts and some homemade mayonnaise that we keep on hand (YES, this is worth the effort and learning curve) and top that on spinach and you have a delicious and healthy and quick meal with just a little help from the store.
4. Picked two proteins I could make quick and easy meals out of. This week we did a pork roast because it was on sale and will mix it with veggies and curry paste. The second is a good natural sausage with onion and bell pepper and a salad.
5. I have enough veggies that are quick cooking to do a nice vegetarian meal. I need to make rice for the curry anyway so all I have to do is soak lentils at the same time and cook those up. The lentils and the rice with the vegetables will provide a complete protein so we save money but nourish ourselves with a well balanced vegetarian meal.

All in all this should hold us over all week. Here is what we are doing:

Monday: Waldorf chicken salad over spinach with vegetable puree soup
Tuesday: Pork and vegetable curry over soaked brown rice
Wednesday: Celeriac root soup with sausages and bell pepper and onions
Thursday: Brown rice and lentils mixed with grilled zucchini and radicchio with citrus vinaigrette
Friday: Leftovers

What do you do about Breakfast?

2009-02-26T16:35:00.000-08:00

When I talk about breakfast, I want you to first clear your mind of the image of someone shaking their finger and saying in an old and crackly voice 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'.

That said, it's true. Breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. I have a long list of why, but let me highlight the top three:
1. Helps regulate blood sugar
2. Great opportunity to get fresh fruit, eggs and whole grains like oats in your diet
3. Gives you energy to start the day

What does this all really translate to -Better able to manage your weight and a healthy body and immune system

There are three disservices you do to your body by not eating breakfast.

1. By not eating, signals are sent to your body that you are starving it. So it holds onto whatever food you do give it and stores it as fat for energy needed later.

2. By not eating regularly your metabolism will slow down and it becomes more difficult to lose weight.

3. By the time you do eat, you are so hungry you overeat and typically the wrong things like chips, sweets, etc. So you end up eating more of the wrong type of calories.

Now that I have convinced you that breakfast will keep you at an ideal weight and in good health, what do you eat?
Another time I will talk about cholesterol and eggs, but for now, trust me that they are fantastic for you. Whole eggs too - the white are hard to digest and rob you of nutrients. The yolks are truly the best part.
1. Frittatas, scrambles, nests (leafy greens and tomatoes made into pockets and eggs baked inside) are all great options.
2. Oatmeal, quinoa cereals with fruits and nuts are also tasty
3. Soups are great for breakfast too. They are warm and nourishing
4. Coconut smoothies with coconut milk, fruit, water, green powder are fantastic because they are portable and will definitely take you through to lunch

What about Cherios, Chex, and all the other cold, boxed cereals?
These all use a machine called an extruder to be produced...sounds scary in itself eh? You should be worried. They put the grains under tremendous pressure to puff and shape them. Studies are showing some serious side effects from this process on rats and while they are rats, I still would not use these as a staple item.
You have likely heard about all the sugar in these too, so read the label too. Simple grains plus sugar are going to spike insulin which causes a deep crash. You can't focus, you get more hungry and eat all the bad things again.

Weekly Menu 2/23

2009-02-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

This week's menu is insipired by Dr. Mary Enig's "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" book. For those of you who cannot stand coconut, this is really not the book for you. For those of you who are fat phobic or not eating a balanced diet (with sufficient carbohydrates, protein AND FAT) and not feeling 100%, this is a really good resource to give you the science behind why you need fat, and why coconut is a great source and some fun meal plans to lose weight, to maintain weight and to reach optimum health.
I found that if I had to follow the meal plan laid out by Mary Enig it would be too much food in a week, and it would also be too much work - and for those that know me, you know I don't mind going the distance for food - so this needed some help. I took my food coaching tools out and made a meal plan, grocery list and list of to dos to get this all done and organized for the week. Went of without a hitch today! Don't think that this is too much work or too organized - for the rest of the week all I do is assemble and re-heat. I get all my nutrients, well balanced meals, no stress!

Monday: Red chile pork, steamed broccoli and cream of vegetable soup
Tuesday: Salad with baked chicken and coconut peanut sauce, green beans
Wednesday: Coconut corn soup, whole grain bread, raw cheese
Thursday: Egg scramble with natural bacon, sauteed spinach and cream of vegetable soup
Friday: Halibut, Indian curry vegetables with coconut milk, cream of vegetable soup and chutney

Root Vegetable and Mushroom Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping

2009-02-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

I received a subscription to Bon Appetit for the holidays and I am so happy I did. The photographs, the ideas, the recipes! This is a winner. I decided to swap the flour in the pie mixture with arrowroot powder - it is a great thickener with no weird flavor or texture. The trick is adding it more towards the end (where with flour you need it at the beginning). You could definitely do the BA recipe for biscuits, but I decided to try a gluten free biscuit. Your choice, but I wanted to highlight that this could easily be GF and DF (dairy free), and it is a much more interesting way to get your root vegetables (and it has pretty much every root veg in there!). Much of this can be done ahead, so this can be a slow cooked Sunday meal, or it can be a comforting weeknight meal that you just assemble the night of.

You can find the recipe at:
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/03/root_vegetable_and_mushroom_pie

I have re-posted the recipe, but with my changes here:

Ingredients
filling
6 cups homemade chicken or vegetable broth
2 very large carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large rutabaga, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 turnip, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, covered with hot water for 10 minutes. Reserve liquid and chop mushrooms into 1/2 inch chunks
3 tablespoons butter or oil
3 cups chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2-3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
2 tablespoons imported dry Sherry
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation
filling

Bring 6 cups stock to boil in large pot over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve bouillon. Add carrots and next 5 ingredients. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; reserve vegetables and broth.
Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in garlic and rosemary; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved broth. Cook until reduced by about half. Add the arrowroot powder. Then cream and Sherry. Cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 4 cups, whisking often. Mix in reserved vegetables and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to buttered 13x9x2-inch baking dish. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil; chill.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake filling, covered, until bubbling, about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare biscuits.

biscuits

Pre mix 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup tapioca flour, 1 cup cornstarch, 1 cup potato flour

7/8 cup of the flour mixture
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp sucanat
1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons butter or vegan non-hydrogenated margarine
1/2 cup buttermilk

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until it resembles the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk and work gently until the dough forms a ball. Roll out onto a dusted surface and roll to about 3/4" thickness. Cut the dough into rounds. Lay on top of the vegetable mix.

Final Preparation

Lay biscuit dough atop hot filling by heaping tablespoonfuls; sprinkle with pepper. Bake uncovered until tester inserted into center of biscuits comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.

Weekly Menu 2/8/09

2009-02-08T16:59:00.001-08:00

This weeks menu was inspired by the latest Bon Appetit I just received in the mail, and a soup book someone loaned me. I also wanted to build out some more freezer meals because I am still making efforts to save time, save money, but feed our family nourishing and whole foods. I pre-made most everything today (Sunday) so this week should be a breeze. And cravings for easy to go food should be obsolete with all this fantastic food in the fridge and freezer!

Sunday: Homemade Italian Sausage (pulled from our freezer reserves) with bell pepper and onions and sauteed kale and dandelion greens

Monday: Arroz con Pollo with mixed green and tangerine salad

Tuesday: Bon Appetit's Root Vegetable and Mushroom Pie (I am doing a gluten free version of the biscuits on top, and I have modifications for the flour they added to the mixture)
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/03/root_vegetable_and_mushroom_pie

Wednesday: Fresh Greens Soup and Leftover Chicken from Monday's Arroz con Pollo

Thursday: Artichoke and Potato Soup with salad

Friday: Leftovers

This week's tip:
Try doubling your soup recipes. If you are a family of two, just make what it calls for and initially freeze half. You will have 2-3 meals ready for you whenever you are in a pinch. If you are a family of one, try partnering up with a friend to split the work, ingredients and risk of trying new recipes. Cook together or meet up to exchange your foods.

Gluten Free Coffee Muffins

2009-02-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Before you throw your arms up and say forget it because it's gluten free, take a look. I don't make things that try to mock a modern version. For example I don't get tofurkey, I don't like most gluten free bread....these are things that you just shouldn't try to replicate if you have a food sensitivity.

That is how I survived the 10 years that I had a sensitivity to milk protein. I ate as many whole foods as possible and tested recipes until I could make them just taste good and not 'ok, but dairy free.

So, these muffins. I was hesitant to try them, but I will tell you they are great! Give them a try next time you have guests over.

Coffee Muffins

Adapted from the "Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods" by Bette Hagman

Before you start, mix 1 cup garfava flour, 1 cup cornstarch and 1 cup tapioca flour in a storage bin

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour mix

1/2 cup sucanat

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbls melted butter

2 eggs

2 tsp instant espresso

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup chocolate chips (to add right before baking on top of the muffins, otherwise they sink to the bottom)

Cupcake liners

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line muffin tin.

2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, coffee and butter together.

4. Add half the flour mixture until just moist. The key with this is not to overmix or beat.

5. Add half the buttermilk, stir lightly.

6. Add the rest of the flour, stir. Then the rest of the buttermilk. Stir lightly.

7. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Top with chocolate chips if you want.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I would suggest tasting the batter before. It doesn't taste good, so that is not why I am suggesting that. Instead, I just thought it was so cool how the bean taste gets cooked out and how baking is such a science!

According to the original author, each muffin packs 6 grams of protein! Enjoy with some tea or coffee.

NT Eggplant Relish

2009-02-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

Nourishing Traditions page 167 Eggplant Relish
We made this for our Superbowl party and I will say that it was a great addition. Served it with whole wheat pita chips. I love tahini and capers so smothering eggplant in them was heaven. I would suggest making sure you chop everything pretty small. Not into a pulsed paste, but really small chunks. We kept it large and while that was ok, it would have better mouth feel and dipping ability if you had it smaller.
Also, we didn't let the eggplant sit in a colander. I never do this. I think it is usually suggested to draw out the bitter flavor eggplant can have. I have tried both ways and never found a difference. Just make sure your eggplant are relatively young and not super bruised and I think you will be ok.

Nourishing Traditions Recipe Reviews

2009-02-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

You will find that I have added a category called "Nourishing Traditions Recipe Reviews". Basically as I went to go conquer trying things from this book, I found that I didn't know where to start or in some cases, what to actually do. The ingredients, the techniques - they were all new to me. I Googled and came up with a few things, but I still have not found someone who is methodically going through the book, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, and reviewing and adding commentary about how to make the recipe better.
I am not going to list the recipe, because I really do think it's a key text to have in your own library. I will be referencing the Revised Second Edition from 2001. This is an easy book to find. Try starting with Amazon.

Natasha's Sheppherd's Pie

2009-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

This is really one of those things that I put together based on flavors I knew were in a regular Shepperd's pie, but I either didn't want to follow an exact recipe or wanted to replace the typical 'white' products with something more nourishing. This is also a great recipe to make on Sunday and quickly re-heat for a nourishing and tasty weeknight meal. Just serve with a salad for a whole meal!
Specifically I did a mix of russet potatoes with sweet potatoes to top it. And I did ground beef and natural chicken livers (you really can't taste them in this application) to give the meat portion more nutrition. I also did a lot more vegetables in the mixture than you would normally find. Lastly, I didn't use flour to thicken the sauce and instead used arrowroot powder. Give it a try! The only thing I would change next time is to find an alternative to the worcestershire sauce. Additional herbs, some tamari and anchovies would probably do the trick if you didn't make your own full on batch of worcestershire.

Serves: 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings

Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 lb beef
1/2 lb natural chicken livers (soaked in lemon juice for 2 hours, rinse and pat dry, remove filament), finely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 Tbls arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 Tbls worcestershire sauce
1 russet potato
1 sweet potato
Butter (optional)
Cream (optional)
Olive Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

1. Scrub the russet and sweet potatoes and poke with a knife. Toss in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until they are soft. Set aside and let cool.

2. Over medium heat, warm a bit of olive oil or butter and soften the carrot, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper as it cooks. Set aside.

3. Warm another tablespoon of olive oil and toss in the beef. When mostly cooked, toss in the livers.

4. A minute after the livers are added, toss in the broth and worcestershire sauce and let come to a boil. Add the arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thick enough to leave a line when you run your spoon through it.

5. Combine the meat and vegetables and put in the bottom of a medium casserole dish (I personally like Corningware products).

6. Take the potatoes out of their skins and mash in a bowl. Mix with just olive oil, or butter and cream (don't be afraid of the fat - remember, in moderation it is good for you and will satiate you.

7. Top the meat mixture with the potatoes.

8. Put in oven and bake until warmed through and potatoes are a little crispy on top.

Weekly Menu 2/2/09

2009-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

This weeks menu was inspired by a desire to make more comfort foods. The weather has been warm actually, but I have just wanted to eat my favorite things. The shepherds pie for example was to satisfy a craving from one of our favorite restaurants, Sullivans, in La Honda where some of the best English food is made in this area. But being the food coach, I also wanted to make these nourishing and balanced, so I added my own twists. Enjoy!

Monday: Natasha's Impromptu Shepherds Pie - Food Coach Style
Tuesday: BBQ chicken with soaked brown rice, sauteed kale and chard and homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Wednesday: Sushi made with nori, brown rice and leftover chicken, spinach salad on the side
Thursday: Baked pork chops, polenta, sauteed greens (spinach, kale, chard) with onions
Friday: Portuguese cookoff with friends - to be determined and I will be sharing recipes with you!

Carnitas

2009-01-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

I was skeptical when Ben told me last week that he was going to make homemade carnitas....I just thought 'uhhh'. I like it from the taco shop and I rarely get it because it is so fatty and makes me nauseous, but I do like it. He found the recipe here: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004198carnitas.php

I will tell you two things about this:
1. This is EASY!
2. This is the best carnitas I have ever had

I really recommend this recipe and I suggest trying this one week. You can use this for tacos, empanada filling, soup, burritos, etc etc etc! With a snappy little salad on the side and some mashed avocado, fresh radishes and fresh made salsa and lime, you can't beat a tastier meal. I wanted to add that we use non GMO corn tortillas in our house. They are readily available, and if you have a choice, why add more junk to your system? You shouldn’t! Most corn, unless otherwise noted, is genetically modified (GMO). I suggest reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivores Dilemma if you really want a nice picture of how this came about and what it is.
This was a great meal because we got to control how fatty it was, the quality of ingredients and we got to connect with our food.
A true whole food meal with a ton of flavor and love.

Fancy Food Show Reviews

2009-01-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I visited the Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco - What a trip! I found out about the show from a friend who does catering, so I thought this was going to be more interesting than specifically useful to the food coaching business. I could not have been more wrong. Well, it was both extremely interesting and useful. Let me give you some general notes and some favorite product highlights:

General Notes
I started out in the natural and organic hall - hundreds and hundreds of vendors selling almost anything you can imagine. The most popular items were tea, crackers, nuts and chocolate. Not to mention that there were at least 7 or 8 specialty water companies selling basically the same thing. The market is clearly demanding these convenience snacks and a search for a 'healthy' sweet. What became evident immediately was that most all of these snacks are not whole foods (remember, a whole food is something you can read the ingredients on and it has less than 5 ingredients). They are purely trying to satisfy the new obsession with 'organic' as a title and the addiction to sweet or salty snacks. I had fun with the vendors asking what various ingredients were.
What was also interesting was the focus on packaging. I won't generalize and say all the companies are there to sell and profit, but I will say that many are. Rightfully so as so many people are not relying on whole foods to snack on, and prepare meals with. And they are reaching the masses through calculated packaging. Just a nice little reminder that you really need to turn the package over, read the ingredients and then make a choice....ask yourself 'do I want to put this in my body?'

Highlights
Redwood Hill Goat Farm - I love the goat milk yogurt from this company and I was able to meet the owners. Really great example of how you can just ask about farming practices and as soon as you see the passion and know how it is done, you are instantly drawn to want that product because you know it is ok for you.
Indian Food To Go by Tandoor Chef- for a prepared food, I didn't mind the ingredient list for this company, and it actually tasted dang good. It was interesting to see that there were at least 5 Indian pre-prepared food companies in this one hall. It's easy to make! I will try to get you more Indian recipes this year just to prove it to you.
Alternative Milks - we found several, but two that interested me were Living Harvest's Hemp Milk. Neutral taste, a list of ingredients I don't really know what everything is so I have more research to do. The other was called Mimi Creme and it was cashew and almond milk. Also need to do more research.
Natural Sodas: GUS (Grown Up Soda) was really good. Vignette (non alcoholic soda made from wine grapes) also great. Fentimans and Dry soda were also good. More whole ingredients, but definitely something for every now and then.
Cleaning Products - I am a big, huge fan of the Mrs. Meyers brand. Natural cleaning products that are super affordable. That wasn't new to me, but I wanted to highlight that I really like their products and it was fun to visit their booth. I did come across something new called Twist. They use natural, biodegradable product to clean your home and dishes, etc with. I had not thought about what my dish sponges were made from until I spoke with them. Check it out.
Redneck Pepper - The food was good, but these guys are funny as heck. Check them out at www.redneckpepper.com
Pre-packaged Grains - This company is just a few miles from me and I didn't know it until today so I hope to find out where she is distributing and more about the business, but www.ourdailygrain.com had some tasty samples to hand out and I really like their mission statement.
Tasty Baby - www. tastybaby.com I stopped by this booth and learned some really interesting things. I would advocate making as much of your baby food as you can, but this is a great alternative. It is frozen baby food, and it is all organic and they have BPA free containers. They had samples, but I felt a little awkward tasting....moving on. What I found interesting is that I often recommend that people eat frozen over canned foods because canned undergoes tremendous heat and pressure which reduces the nutritional value of your food. I never thought about that in the context of baby food in a jar. Turns out for Tasty Baby they have to heat the food to 185 and then flash freeze it compared to over 200 degrees for at least 30 minutes in the jarring process.
Republic of Tea - This booth was HUGE! And they had each type of tea brewed and ready to serve. We tried about 5 of them and it was delightful. Their tea is very accesible and I like each one I try. I think they have a few organic types, which is my only gripe, but I like their stuff.
Portion Controlled Chocolate - Chocolate and sweets and cookies were HUGE at this event. I really couldn't believe it. There were two companies I found that I didn't mind the ingredient list, liked the people and liked how they packaged for portion control - which I think helps when you are talking about sweets. www.sweetriot.com has these tic tac like boxes that hold their chocolates and the most concentrated dark chocolate also has espresso and they were dang tasty.

Weekly Menu for 1/18/09

2009-01-18T20:15:00.001-08:00

Monday: Liver and onions, herbed millet, sauteed spinach
Tuesday: Millet and Arab spiced chicken over parsnips and onions, celery root soup and sauteed zucchini
Wednesday: Posole with steamed greens
Thursday: Homemade carnitas tacos with taco bar fixings (avocado, radish, salsa, corn tortillas) and sauteed zucchini
Friday: Leftover posole and greens

You may be asking yourself, goodness gracious what is she doing on Monday! I have not spent a great deal of time talking about my involvement with the Weston A. Price Foundation or Nourishing Our Children campaign, but one of my goals for 2009 was to incorporate more principals from WAPF and the Nourishing Traditions book by Sally Fallon (given my profession, it is my duty to try things on myself first!). The last three weeks I have added raw milk. This next week I wanted to try organ meats. There is a lot more I can write about why organ meats are good for you, but the short of it is that they are rich in vitamins A and D which are good for a variety of things in your body. Each week I am going to be trying something from Nourishing Traditions - a great book I highly recommend you pick up, and will try to give a review of the recipe each week. My involvement with WAPF doesn't mean I am against vegetarianism - I respect and support each persons choice to do what they want. I also still have my own realistic ways to incorporate good food into a busy life. Stay tuned to see how I continue to do this!

Baking Soda - In Indian Food?

2009-01-15T19:44:00.001-08:00

I learned something very interesting yesterday from an Indian friend. I had a hankering for some Indian take out at lunch (sometimes, you just can plan and plan your meals, but you crave something and I figure as long as I make good choices and I get the essence of my craving, it's in line with my general principals....anyway, moving on). She informed me that most of the Indian places she goes to don't satisfy her palette. Now, she is a good cook so I figured it was just about flavor, but she went on to inform me that they thicken the sauces with both cornstarch AND baking soda. I didn't believe her, had to ask again. She said, no, they definitely add baking soda.

So, this explains why it's hard to digest Indian food from restaurants and gives you the burps (pee yew). Your stomach is supposed to be acidic (some other time I will launch into my spiel about not using Tums or other antacids). It is a digestive need for the stomach to be acidic. If you are stressed, sick, eating poor foods or eating foods with baking soda in it, your body can't properly digest or assimilate (transfer the nutrients from food to the form your body can use it) because the pH is not correct.

Just another reason to take a class, read a book, watch a show - anything to try and cook more at home! I have mastered a few Indian spice combinations and next time, I will just wait until I get home to satisfy that craving.

Weekly Menu for 1/11/09

2009-01-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the second week of the new year! This week's menu is simple, but nutrient dense. It is a busy week so I chose things I knew we could pre-make today (Sunday) and then either warm up or toss together throughout the week. Here is what we have:

Sunday: Homemade bratwurst with cabbage and potatoes (with skins)
Monday: Simple grilled shrimp over spinach with citrus vinaigrette and a side of brown rice
Tuesday: Lentils with Indian flavored cauliflower topped with cheese
Wednesday: Marinated flank steak over rice with black beans and spinach salad
Thursday: Chicken stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked, sauteed spinach and quinoa
Friday: Fiesta fiesta!! Just kidding. Something fun and impromptu here.

A note about the homemade sausage. Friday night the husband took some time ( a few hours) to research and then make his own sausage. It was quite the experience, but I highly recommend it if you are a make from scratch type person. Sausage is usually packed full of nitrites and nitrates and fillers like non fat milk and such. These are just meat and spices. The best part is we get to season the way we want as well. Sausage is not a low fat dish either, but the important thing is to BALANCE the meal by having at least half the plate being vegetables. I will post more information about this after the husband does a write up for me.
Have a great week!

Winter Minerals

2009-01-06T06:19:00.001-08:00

Something I have touched on in my blog, but perhaps never clearly said is that we are generally out of touch with our food. That is such a general statement so let me elaborate with an example. How many of you still buy tomatoes this time of year? How about peaches? Look around, and you will notice those are not in season. Your next question might be something like 'so what if it is not in season?'. Well, I am not trying to change the world here (just trying to mix our modern time restrictions, busy schedules and technology with more traditional ways of eating and living), but if you think about produce in your own home and how great it tastes when first picked you can imagine that the nutritional value of that food is much higher at that time. If you are eating out of season foods they have to travel from somewhere not near here. That means possibly eating foods that have been irradiated, genetically modified, waxed and who knows what else. The best way to know what to buy, is to go to the farmer's market and look around. Right now our farmers market is closed here in town for a few months, but there are several CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) available in most all communities that directly supply you with seasonal foods. You can also go to the grocery store and look around for what is abundant and priced right. Right now you will see a lot of root vegetables, squash and hardy greens like kale, chard, cabbage and brussel sprouts. All of these foods are extremely rich in minerals and winter is the perfect time to re-mineralize your body. Again, most people don't think of each season as a time to nourish yourself for a particular reason. As a result many people continue to eat the highly refined and processed foods without a regularly supported diet of seasonal foods and eventually they become depleted and sick (with a cold, digestive disorder, etc). You will notice that these foods are cheap too. Eating whole foods is not only nourishing, but easy on the pocket. Combined with organized meal planning and a good pantry and you are set! This posting was the inspiration for me making Sally Fallon's Winter Root Vegetable Soup from Nourishing Traditions. If you don't own this book, I suggest buying it or picking it up at the library. It is a good informational text, as well as cookbook. This soup is extremely tasty and will make you feel warm and nourished!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
We started the year off in Napa, CA this year and let me tell you - that is the best way to start the year! Rang it in with a fantastic meal at the Culinary Institute (Greystone), massage and mineral pools, then our two favorite wineries Sullivan and Fontanella, ate at Bottega in Yountville (a Michael Chiarello restaurant - he was there and it was fabulous!) and then Ad Hoc (a Thomas Keller restaurant and a heck of an experience - make reservations!!). I am a seriously full, but happy camper right now.
A very special thanks to Jeff and Karen Fontanella for a fantastic tasting experience and visit! For those who love wine, love my blog, love to eat and know where your stuff is coming from, you have to visit them. Not only are they good people (that is a Southern term I picked up from my father in law), but they have a beautiful tasting room and property the winery is situated on, and....the wine is great! Anyway, I wanted to talk about them not only because I was appreciative, but if you are going to the Napa area, give them a call and stop by because you won't ever have a tasting experience quite like this. It is better than any winery on the main strip and the price is right and so are the people and the ambiance.
This was also a good trip because it was a reminder of how I practice food and food coaching. When we do Napa we stay away from the super touristy scene and go for really good food and wine and the experience. Like our trip with Jeff and Karen at Fontanella we were able to spend time talking about wine, the Valley, food, and how it all comes together. It's about connection. At Ad Hoc we had a really interesting upscale dining experience with a casual atmosphere and reasonable prices. Just things you don't do everyday, but when you do it you realize how much you love it and how everyday or week should have a little piece of that.
This year look out for more regular postings (sorry about the lag at the end there!) and more seasonal talk. To start this week for meals we have the following on tap:
Sunday: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with our Fontanella Cab we picked up on Friday
Monday: Winter vegetable soup (From Nourishing Traditions pg 213), roast chicken, Roast brussel sprouts
Tuesday: Winter vegetable soup with sausage and peppers (recipe from Lidia Bastianich), green salad
Wednesday: Veggie puree pancakes (Nourishing Traditions pg 412), salad and grilled flank steak
Thursday: White fish (fresh from Fisherman Porter) in a lemon caper white wine sauce, green salad, vegetable patties
Friday: Mediterranean fish soup, green salad

Stay tuned for an update on our Christmas Crab feast. I am having some issues getting photos up which is why I held off.

Happy Holidays - Sugar is Here

2008-12-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!
I have been a bit slow in blogging lately (thank you to my loyal followers who still checked in!) and I promise you some great things have been brewing for L. Little Food Coaching for 2009 in the meantime.
I wanted to take some time this month to talk about some of these holiday things that creep up and share with you how I have dealt with them successfully over the years. I thought I would start with sugar.
I not only love to cook, but I love to bake. And above all else, I just love to eat and feed people. I love the smiles, the satisfaction of nourishing them and the simple sharing that happens when you eat with people. Plus, I like the compliments! In any case, I have a few things I make that are classics and Ina Gartens Outrageous Brownies are in that group. Oh me oh my a recipe that starts with a pound of butter and 2 lbs of chocolate cannot be bad...seriously. There are also 2 cups of sugar and white flour in there. Now, these are not foods that are nutritious (they actually do the opposite), they are not something I would recommend you seek out, but every now and then it is fun and it is great for memory lane to make baked goods with these ingredients.
Lesson 1: Moderation. These are ingredients for the every now and then. Try on a regular basis to use substitutes like sucanat or honey for sweetness instead of white sugar, but if you find a great recipe that you like as is, just keep it that way but don't go overboard.

This particular recipe of hers makes 20 large brownies. I made them because I was going to a friends house for an event and brownies sounded good to both of us. I forgot to cut it in half, so there are still about 16 brownies to do something with. They are still in my fridge and this is the reason I was reminded to do this post. DO NOT KEEP THEM THERE!
Lesson 2: If you make extra, keep enough for yourself to just satisfy your indulgence or sweet tooth (one small square per day for a few days) and then stir up that feeling of St. Nick and share with friends, co workers, etc. You just don't need all that and keeping it in the house will provoke you to eat it.

All in all, keep white sugar and white flour and these refined foods out of your kitchen, but every now and then let it in and really enjoy it with a solid recipe and share it with friends and family. If you feel bad taking something out of your kitchen, put something back in - like carrots, celery, bell pepper or the like. Basically something healthy to snack on that nourishes you!

Cheers!
Remember, whole foods, whole meals

Thanksgiving Meal Marathon Day 5

2008-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite dinner, lunch, breakfast or appetizer is a frittata. You can make this a hundred ways but here is my favorite. The key is to make sure your veggies are already cooked before you put the eggs in.

Frittata

½ cup spinach
½ bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
½ small onion
2 slices nitrite and nitrate free bacon or 3 slices natural ham
8 eggs
3 tbls butter or olive oil

Turn on the broiler.

In a medium pan that is safe to go in the oven, heat 1 tbls olive oil. Cook the bacon until just crisp. Drain the fat except for one tablespoon. Cook the onion until translucent. Toss in the bell pepper. Cook until tender. Toss in the spinach until just wilted. Set aside.
In a large bowl, crack the 8 eggs and whisk. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Turn the burner onto a med-high heat with the veggies and remaining olive oil. Throw in the eggs.
Gently move the eggs and veggies around with a spatula until the eggs are relatively set. About 1 minute into the process stop touching it and let the bottom get nice and golden.
Put the pan under the broiler. Keep an eye on it – this will take no more than 5 minutes – until golden brown.
Take out – WITH POTHOLDERS, the handles will be HOT- set aside. Loosen the frittata and put on a plate to cool. This is an important step so the eggs don’t overcook.
You can also thinly slice potatoes, roast at 400 for about 30-45 minutes with olive oil and salt and pepper until just tender. Put these in the bottom of the pan along with the veggies and then the eggs.

Thanksgiving Meal Marathon Day 4

2008-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend I will be attending a pie workshop taught by my friend, fantastic chef and caterer, Beth Brann. I think Thanksgiving is made complete with pie and I cannot wait to learn how to make her specialties! That being said, I think fantastically cooked fruit dishes have been forgotten as delectable too. This is a good example of one that you can modify however you like.

Baked Apples and Pears with Yogurt and Honey
1 cup dried fruit of your choice, chopped (I like Turkish apricots and raisins or cherries)
3 apples of your choice, peeled, cut in half and cored
3 pears of your choice, peeled, cut in half and cored
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup water
zest of one orange
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
Local honey

Lay fruit in a pan and top with the pears and apples, cut side down. Sprinkle lightly with the pumpkin pie spice. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until tender.
Scoop out some dried fruit and a pear or apple, top with a nice dollop of yogurt and a spoon of honey. You can also put some toasted slice almonds or walnuts on top and you will be in heaven!

Thanksgiving Meal Marathon Day 3

2008-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from a favorite of mine. It is a book titled 'Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen' by Donna Klein. I spent one year as a vegetarian (an experiment that didn't work out so well for my body) and approximately 10 years without any kind of dairy. I got where I am today with a passion for food and health through food because of these challenges and it gave me hours of experimenting and tried and true ideas to make food that pleased everyone, but didn't get me sick. This is one of those books that I enjoy for just that reason. It has great vegetable dish ideas and anyone, vegan or not, can really appreciate them. It is a nice lesson that we can have warm and memorable holiday meals without the highly processed and bad-fat -high sugar dishes usually prepared.

Provencal Butternut Squash Gratin

1 (3LB) butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, coarsely chopped (you can do this part the night before)
1 cup packed flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a shallow casserole dish about 2.5 QT.
In a large bowl, combine the squash, parsley, and garlic. Sprinkle with the flour, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. Add the broth and 1 tbls of the oil. Stir well to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Stir halfway through the cooking time. Bake until the top is nicely browned and the squash is melting and tender.
Serve hot.

Thanksgiving Meal Marathon Day 2

2008-11-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Day 2's recipe comes from my mother in law. The queen of great stews, homemade savory pies and soups. For years I took this original recipe and modified it to be dairy free so I could eat it. I would do this by replacing the ricotta with silken tofu. It works. However, today instead I would thicken it with a rue or arrowroot powder to take out the soy. It imparts a flavor that is not as neutral as I would like with the ricotta, and my soy phase is gone since I have become more educated about it's effects on our body (I can write about that after Thanksgiving).
This pie is great because you can assemble a day or two ahead, and then just bake right before serving. I like it because it is a nicely balanced pie. It's an easy way to get non-veggie people interested too. Enjoy!

Maria’s Spinach Mushroom Pie
1 large (8 oz) finely chopped onion
½ lb mushroom thinly sliced
2 slices nitrate and nitrite free bacon (optional) finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbls chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dry tarragon leaves
2 pkgs (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach thawed and moisture squeezed out or 3 large bunches chopped and cooked down
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup soft homemade bread crumbs
2 large eggs
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (tofu parmesan combo cheese)
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions
In a 12 inch fring pan or 4 to 5 qt pan over medium heat, stir onion, mushrooms, bacon (or a little olive oil if no bacon) garlic and tarragon often until liquid evaporates and onion is golden brown. (about 20 minutes)
Remove pan from heat. Crumble spinach and add to pan along with the ricotta, bread crumbs, eggs, parmesan and parsley; beat to mix well.
Pour filling into a 9 inch pie pan or dish
Lay pastry (*) over filling, fold edges under and flush with pan rim.
Bake at 400 degrees F oven on the lowest rack until pastry is well browned and filling is hot in center (40 to 55 minutes)

(*) Cream Cheese Pastry
In a food processor or bowl, combine a 1¼ cups flour, ½ cup butter or margarine in chunks, and 1/3 cup (3 oz) Neufchatel (light) cream cheese. Whirl or rub with fingers until coarse crumbs form. Ad 1 large egg; whirl or stir with a fork until dough holds together. Pat into a ball. If made ahead, chill airtight up to 3 days. Roll out into a 10 inch diameter round. It good to make dough ahead and chill- easier to roll out.

Thanksgiving Meal Marathon Begins!

2008-11-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

By far, my most favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. In our family, I always do it at my house. Everyone loves my cooking and I love to cook, so despite our smaller space, it is a perfect combination. This is the first year I have the blog during Thanksgiving and at the same time I was featured in this months Coast Views magazine and promised some fantastic recipes! So what better way to celebrate than with a marathon from now until Thanksgiving with side dish and appetizer recipes. Yummy!

Here is the first one where you can replace your canned sweet potatoes and marshmallows with this delicious and warming sweet potato dish.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Honey
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, honey, ginger, walnut oil, cardamom, and pepper.
Transfer to a large cast iron frying pan.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
Stir the potatoes to expose the pieces from the bottom of the pan.
Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized on the outside.

Featured Article - Coast Views Magazine

2008-11-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to announce that I was featured in our local Coast Views magazine this month!

Check out the article here:
http://coastviewsmag.com/a-food-coach-make-healthy-eating-easier

Check back this week for the recipes mentioned in the article - they will be tasty and fantastic!

Giving in Times of Difficulty

2008-11-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write this sooner, but here I am, barely in front of the food drives probably asking you for donations already. I wanted to post about it sooner because every year I donate and then volunteer at the food bank in our county (sorting food, packaging up, etc) and every year I do it around this time of year. That is good and giving to your community in any way is essential - remember it takes a village to raise a family. But what they remind us of each time is that people need to eat year round!
Right now is tough with the economy the way it is. And I am not here to whine about that. I have a degree in economics and fortunately that made me pretty comfortable with market fluctuations a long time ago. That is not what this is about. Instead, recognize that it is not easy for anyone, and reach out. A little goes a long way. Truly.
And in your own home, consider whole foods and whole meals. Just because the economy is taking a dive doesn't mean you should only eat ramen noodles and toast. It is the perfect time to be mindful about your eating and bring more of it to your home, eat locally and seasonally. Because as I talk a lot about on this blog, that is not just the healthiest way to do it, but it is also the most cost effective way to do it!

If you live in the Bay Area and are interested in donating or volunteering, you can find more details here: http://www.2ndharvest.net/

The Ol' Fashioned Way

2008-10-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

I heard something funny the other day (okay, possibly this won't be funny to you, but humor me). Someone said 'Oh yeah I am going to try to lose weight the old fashioned way - Weight Watchers'.
Where to begin here. True, that is a program that has worked for a number of people including many celebrities. True, it can teach people how to eat without overeating.
False, it is in NO way the old fashioned way. Eating foods from a box, counting calories and points is not how generations before us kept healthy.
So let me share with you that the old fashioned way to managing weight is focusing on whole foods and whole meals. No counting calories, no counting points, no warming up food from a box in minutes in the microwave, no eating on the run. I get that people are busy and I get that it can be stressful to plan meals and put it all together (I can help with this, don't forget to check out my web site at www.LLittlefoodcoaching.com). But remember that every little bit counts, and with each week you can add a new habit from the real old days that brings you back to a way of life that uses nutrition to stay healthy.

Celebrity Chefs and the Home Cook

2008-10-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

I was watching a commentary show with Anthony Bourdain yesterday with him and about 5 other professional chefs. They were basically sitting around eating fabulous food, and commenting on various questions and opinions about food, international experiences, worst restaurant experiences, etc. One of the questions Anthony asked was 'do you think the rise of celebrity chefs has been helpful or will it be detrimental?'. He adds to it 'let me give you the worst case scenario - Rachael Ray'. I started laughing. I like Rachael, but the way he phrased it.

Funny question to ask I thought, but I listened. Everyone had the same opinion as me, which is that anything that motivates people to get excited about food and cooking in their own home is a good thing. I am a big FoodTV person, as well as Fine Living Network and then I have a few shows on PBS I watch too. I just set the DVR to record a variety of shows, and then I spend probably a total of 1-2 hours a week watching them. I don't watch the whole thing, I skim - kind of like when you skim a book. Just so I get the idea. Plus most all of them post their recipes online now. It is great for inspiration, learning new techniques, history and recipes.

So if you don't already, try to find some inspiration from a celebrity chef to get you cooking more at home.

Snacks: Nut free and Handy

2008-10-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

One of the challenges of snacks, especially for school age children, is having something that is healthy, handy (doesn't require utensils or complicated preparation), interesting, and in many schools today, nut or peanut free. I came up with a few ideas I wanted to share to build on my Super Snacks posting . I have also recently heard feedback that schools are not allowing chips or anything that resembles a chip or cracker allowed on campus....comments on that later. Let's get to snackin'!

Good ol' ants on a log: Remember these? Perfect to go snack with vegetables, fruit and then your choice of a filling can add a dairy or good fat serving in there too. I like celery with peanut butter and raisins, but you can also do almond butter (some schools are only peanut free), cream cheese, or goat cheese. You can also do currants (a more sour fruit) instead of raisins. Other dried fruits would be fun and tasty as well. All you do is cut the celery stalk into thirds. Fill with cheese or nut butter and line the fruit on top - as if they were ants crawling on a log.

Date rolls: Dates are great for to go snacks and they combine really well with a number of flavors. They are also quite sweet, but because we are talking about a whole fruit and not just juice for example, it has all the fiber and vitamins and minerals needed to best digest it. I like dates processed in the food processor with a bit of water, good coconut flakes (no sulfites added), perhaps a bit of pure cocoa powder, pine nuts or almonds if nuts are ok - all rolled into small balls. 2 of these little bad boys is the perfect amount to regulate blood sugar and keep someone going until their next main meal.

Raw Vegetables: Simple, I know. But one of the best snacks is some raw carrots, celery, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas or edamame (generally I steer clear of processed soy products and try to focus on either fermented soy like miso or whole soy like edamame).

Asparagus Rolls: Usually you see these at fancy dinner parties, but I think you can make them a tasty and fun snack. Lightly blanch your asparagus stems in lightly salted water. Wrap with a bit of good quality ham or turkey that has been thinly sliced. You can also add a bit of goat or cream cheese in between the meat and asparagus.

Flax Muffins: There is a really great recipe for flax muffins on the back of Bob's Red Mill flax meal. You can also find it on their web site here: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=781
You could easily take the nuts out, and I don't add the sugar at all - you have enough with all the fruit. If you really wanted to, add half the amount in the form of sucanat (a better sweetener to use as it is a more whole product). These would pack a good carbohydrate, fruit and fat punch. Please don't fear fat, it doesn't make you fat...more on that another time.

Sushi Sammies: In our family we call sandwiches, 'sammies'. And I like to make my own sushi - it is easy! No need for fancy rollers - just use a tea towel. Basically lay a tea towel out, and put the nori (dried seaweed) on top. Put about 1/4 cup cooked brown rice on top and then add thinly sliced cucumber, carrots, smoked salmon, goat or cream cheese and/or cooked mushrooms at the top of the nori roll (you pick what to put in). Start the roll by hand, and then wrap the tea towel around the nori and keep tightly rolling. Cut carefully with a sharp knife into equal pieces.

Bagels and Cheese-Veg Spread: I think this is a perfect area to make your own cheese spread to add to a wholesome bagel (think whole wheat, spelt, etc with no weird ingredients). You can pulse some cream cheese, ricotta or goat cheese in a food processor with your favorite herbs, salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil and some steamed spinach, artichoke hearts and/or eggplant. Top with a slice of tomato and you have a tasty to go sandwich. Instead of cheese you can also make baked veggie patties or maybe chicken nugget patties with extra vegetables added in.

A friend and fellow blogger of mine makes these, and you could easily adapt to remove the nuts: http://www.mydailydiner.com/2008/09/hairy-golf-balls.html

Dim Sum

2008-10-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Typically when I eat out it happens because of convenience, social situations or I simply can't make it at home (amount of time, recipes, difficulty). Dim sum falls into this last category. We love dim sum in the LL household.
In case you are not familiar with dim sum, it is a Chinese style of cooking/cuisine with little bites and dumplings of tasty fixings. Ranges from savory or sweet, steamed or fried or baked and spicy or mild. It is typically a brunch/lunch time event and accompanied with tea. Once you are seated you are typically offered tea. Then the fun begins as the various carts circle around the room displaying what just came out of the kitchen. You point at the cart and they put the basket of goodness on your table and stamp your card with the marker for the dim sum (price depends for the various dumplings). And if you don't want it you do the no thanks face and shake your hand across the table - that is not mandatory but it is my husband's trademark for dim sum and probably the main reason all of our friends like going with us - to watch him manage the dim sum intake.....moving along.....you then have several dipping options: none, soy sauce, Chinese mustard or hot sauce. Dip and eat!
My major gripe with dim sum is I have no idea what is actually going into my food. I know there is MSG (mono sodium glutamate - a preservative used as a flavor enhancer in many Asian cuisines) and MSG is terribly bad for you (and I myself am quite sensitive to it). That aside, like any other place you eat out, you simply don't know where the ingredients came from and who is making it.
So here is the really exciting part of this post, I made my own! And it turned out great. A good friend of mine has a book from the late 70's that her mom used to use called 'Dim Sum' by Rhoda Yee. This is my new dim sum bible. It is by no means a task to do alone, and it is time consuming. However, it is the perfect get together for friends to just sit and talk and enjoy food. Plus when you start something like this, you make a ton, eat some that day and then have the rest frozen for another time. It is kind of the same as when Latin families get together to make tamales.
So here was my favorite recipe of everything we made yesterday:

Siu Mai (shoo-my)
Makes about 10 dozen

1 lb ground pork sausage
1 lb fresh ground pork
2 tsp salt
1 can water chestnuts, finely minced
2 tbls ginger, finely minced
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbls light soy sauce
1 tbls salted turnips, finely minced (you could omit, but this was an interesting ingredient we found at our local Asian specialty store)
4 tbls sugar
1 tsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup cilantro,finely minced
1 stalk green onions, finely minced
1 package round wonton skins

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl together.

Take about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling and put into the center of the wonton skin. You are going to leave the top open so what you do is fold the edges around the meat mixture. Then, holding from the top and the bottom, pat the mixture so it is flattened and secure in the little pocket pouch. Set inside a tray of some sort and cover with a paper towel.

Fire up your stove and warm up a couple of inches of water in a pot with a steamer basket - do not let the water touch the basket. When boiling, put your dim sum in the basket and steam for about 15 minutes.

Take out, eat when cooled enough to not burn your mouth. Serve with soy sauce, hot sauce and/or sesame oil. Enjoy!

Note, when you are working with won ton skins they should be kept moist. So keep covered with a wet paper towel, or keep them in the package they came in as you take one at a time out. Do not take them all out, separate and then try to stuff - you will be upset that you just ruined a whole package :)

Chocolate

2008-10-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love chocolate. Typically I always have some kind of good quality chocolate in the house for when I have cravings and to add a little something extra to dessert or when guests are over.

The definition of good quality is something without extra additives, a dark chocolate (I prefer to go in the 70% cocoa range), and preferably something organic. I think it is a good idea to keep things like chocolate in your house because that way if you are craving it, you have already made the choice before hand to give yourself a good quality product.

Yesterday at the farmers market I came upon the Go To Chocolate booth and stopped because my friend had just picked up one of their Go To bars on Wednesday at a different farmers market and was RAVING about it. So we stopped and spoke to the owner and her daughter about the products and process. Fantastic philosophy, great packaging (I don't care, packaging is sort of a big deal to me - at least I am aware of it :) ) and nice people. So I bought the vegan sample box and tasted it today with my husband. He is not a choco-holic and he really appreciated these bad boys. All natural products, and just really great flavor combinations.
I am adding Go To Chocolates to my list of favorite gifts to give and favorite chocolates to have around. I particularly liked the blood orange olive oil chocolate truffle (they infuse the olive oil with blood oranges in the pressing process and Go To uses olive oil to soften the chocolate). And I am not an orange and chocolate person - this was different.
You can look them up on the web at: http://www.gotochocolate.com/index.html

Apologies for no photo.....they were too good :)

Balance it Out

2008-10-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

The responses I get are interesting when people find out I am a food coach. Generally I think a food coach is associated with a rigid eater with nothing but salad and poached chicken...ok kidding, no one thinks I eat that way. However, with the holidays approaching especially, I am getting a lot of 'This is terrible for you I know' or 'You would die if you knew what I ate this weekend'. And this comes up with simple things like chocolate.
Truth is, it is about balance. It is about having good moments and bad - in a day or a week. I don't have the source at my fingertips, but there is some statistic that Americans gain an average of 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year - every year. Top that with a serious problem of not getting on track again and dropping the weight again, we get the current obesity epidemic.
So know that I don't believe in dieting, I don't believe in cutting food out of your diet (if you are a healthy person without food allergies or sensitivities, etc), but rather focus on enjoying food and cooking and find a program that for the most part serves your health!

Crockpot Success: Black Beans and Pork

2008-09-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

I want to begin this post with a note about my crockpot history. I will keep it short - I have only made one thing I actually liked in it. This made #2! It was great, and really really easy. The great thing about anything crockpot is it has the taste and love of an all day cooked meal, and really all you have to do is throw the ingredients into the pot, and set it. I actually made this on Sunday because I knew I would just want to warm it up after my long day today. We made some homemade salsa, cut up an avocado and scooped out some organic Greek yogurt and served with a salad and it was DELISH!

We used thick Greek style yogurt instead of sour cream like the recipe called for. Two reasons, whenever I buy sour cream it is usually for one recipe - and I don't like to waste. This week I am doing two other recipes that use yogurt as a sauce, and the plain thick yogurt tastes just like sour cream. Better for you too - give it a try next time.

The recipe originally came from Real Simple magazine. You can find it here: http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1694943

I made it spicier and I would recommend not adding the salt until the end. It made the bean skins hard on the outside and if you add the salt after it cooks it should eliminate that issue. Two other things we changed is we seared the pork in a pan before putting in the crockpot, and we cooked this for 5 hours, not 4 thus making it more like a stew and not soup.

Ingredients:

2 12 oz bottles of lager beer (I used Sheiner Bock - highly recco this choice)

2 tablespoons chopped canned chilies in adobo and 1 tbls of adobo sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 large onion, chopped

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed

1.5 lbs boneless pork butt

Kosher salt

Greek style yogurt

Salsa

Avocado

Cilantro

Heat a pan to high with a tsp of oil. Sear the pork on all sides.

In the crockpot bowl toss in the pork, beans, beer, cumin, onion, chilies, adobo sauce and 3 cups water. Cover and set on high for 5 hours (depends on your slow cooker and whether you want this more like soup or like stew).

Add 1 tbls kosher salt. Stir and adjust according to taste.

Top with a scoop of yogurt, avocado and salsa.

Re-use in tacos, casseroles or eat on it's own!
Excuse the lack of photo. I was experimenting with the new light box, and it wasn't working and we were hungry...so we ate :)

Weekly Menu

2008-09-28T15:43:00.001-07:00

I am kick starting another round of recipes in our house, which means I am going to have to spend a bit more time than usual in the next few weeks researching recipes, seasonal ingredients and testing recipes. This week I have recipes inspired by a few things I have been craving lately, and a few things I have been wanting to try to make to recommend to clients.
Try along with me!
Monday: Slow cooker braised pork and black beans with green salad and possibly corn bread (thinking of skipping this)
Tuesday: Kibbeh pie, hummus, yogurt and cucumber sauce, sauteed zucchini
Wednesday: Turkey meatloaf, sweet potato mash, green salad
Thursday: Kibbeh sandwiches with cucumber salad
Friday: Leftovers

Back in Style

2008-09-25T15:37:00.001-07:00

I'm back after a few weeks of not blogging - but back in style!
It has been busy and hectic, but one of the things that has kept me going are freezer meals, adding salad and quickly sauteed vegetables to relatively plain meals (like brown rice and chicken), and good quality snacks.
I wanted to share another power snack item with you. I call them Quinoa Power Drops (if you wanted to entice someone who is more timid you can call them cookies - but these are no conventional cookies). The original recipe was something I found on the Bauman forum, but modified slightly.
These are great for a substantial snack because they pack good protein, carbohydrates, fat (anti microbial from the coconut oil and flakes) and just enough sweetness from the fruit to be tasty.

Quinoa Power Drops

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 banana. mashed
8 Medjool dates, chopped
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 heaping tablespoon organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1 heaping tablespoon organic roasted almond butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Makes approximately 16 cookies
Directions:
1. Rise 1 dry cup of quinoa in water. Add 2 cups of water to quinoa in a medium pot. Bring quinoa to a boil, and then simmer for about 12 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add coconut oil and mix it into the quinoa.
5. Mix in banana, almond butter, and dates.
6. Add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and shredded coconut, and mix thoroughly.
7. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg into the dough and mix everything together.
8. Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil or use a silpat pad.
9. Use a large spoon to pick up a heaping tablespoon of the dough and form it into a ball with your hands. Place the ball onto the greased cookie sheet and press the middle of the ball down gently to form a circle a bit more than 1/2 an inch thick. Repeat until all of the dough has been made into circles on the baking sheet.
10. Bake for 50 minutes.
11. Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer the cookies into a sealed airtight container.

Weekly Menu

2008-09-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

This week's menu is inspired by a few things I have been meaning to make, but had not gotten to in awhile or at all.
Monday - Gumbo (delish! made Sunday evening as it takes about an hour to make - perfect meal to come home to)
Tuesday - business meeting, dinner provided
Wednesday - Beet, Fennel, and Cabbage Salad with Orange Fennel Dressing and roast chicken
Thursday - Vietnamese Bun with grilled pork, thin rice noodles, lettuce, shredded carrots and napa cabbage
Friday - beets with blue cheese and toasted almonds and roast chicken caesar salad

The Success of Beef Stout Pie

2008-09-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

I get really excited when the Williams Sonoma catalog comes, simply for the recipes. I can check online, but I always forget that this is a great source for either inspiration, or comfort classics that I wouldn't normally make or seek recipes for (note to self, add it to favorites list). This last catalog that came is focusing on gastropub food - pub food revamped and made popular again. My husband and I both dig on the whole pub scene as a casual place to grab a pint, eat a good hearty meal and be in good company. Doing it in our own home is fun and cheaper. This is definitely a meal that falls into good entertaining food.
One of my major philosophies about entertaining and food is that while a gourmet meal may be very tasty and impressive, the best conversation and mood setting is with casual and home style food that has been done really, really well. This pie falls into that category. It is a comfort favorite of beef stew, but kicked up with the deep flavors of the stout and mushrooms and pearl onions and a pie crust with blue cheese folded in. Serve it with a nice red wine and a simple salad and I am sure you will be able to please all your guests and they will walk away thanking you.

The recipe is located here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?objectid=A3F7E1DB-E41C-E23E-FBA1EA0EE6A953B1

Here are the modifications that I made:
1) I only did 2 lbs of meat. Then I cut everything else roughly in half. I think that would feed a family of 4-5 easily. If you wanted leftovers for a family that large, certainly do the whole thing.
2) I did half lamb and half beef. It is a flavor combo that we appreciate more in this house. If you don't like lamb skip this, but if you do, try mixing these.
3) I used baby portobellos instead of white mushrooms because that is what I picked up at the farmers market. Definitely let the onions and mushrooms cook down as long as they say - the smell was amazing!
4) I used blue cheese instead of specifically stilton and it was still tasty as heck.

Here are some pictures, but the smell will make your mouth water alone. Try it!

Here is the original recipe.

Beef Stout Pie

Ingredients:
7 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Irish stout
1 cup beef broth
1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
One 16-inch round Stilton pastry (see related recipe at left)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:
In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. In the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add one-third of the beef and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Pour the liquid into a separate bowl. Repeat the process 2 more times, using 2 Tbs. oil to brown each batch of beef and deglazing the pot with 1/2 cup water after each batch.

Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry round on top, allowing it to droop onto the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture, then cut 4 slits in the top of the dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Stilton Pie Pastry

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks/250g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
4 oz. Stilton cheese, crumbled

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar and pulse until blended, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 1/3 cup of the ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 Tbs. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, place on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and roll out into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the cheese over half of the dough, then fold the other half over the cheese. Roll out the dough into a 16 1/2-inch square. Using a paring knife, trim the dough into a 16-inch round.

Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 10 minutes, then lay the dough on top of the beef and stout pie and bake as directed in that recipe. Makes enough dough for a 16-inch round.

The Small Salad

2008-09-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am guilty of having checked out the new 90210 show last night. For those who know me, you know that is sooooo not something I normally watch, but there was so much hype on the radio I wanted to give it 15 minutes of my time.
I was sorry I did that, but this is not about my rating of the show exactly.
I am sharing this moment with you because in the 15 minutes that I did watch the show, I caught the cafeteria scene. And do you know what every single woman in that shot was eating? Either nothing, water, or a small salad. And I mean small. At first I thought "oh she is going to grab another thing from the line to accompany that salad", but no. That is all 'Kelly' ate for lunch. Then it pans to the new girl who is the Principal's daughter, and all she is eating is the same tiny salad. Like literally not more than a cup of salad with a bit of cut up fruit or veg.
This aggravated me to no end because there are millions of young people watching this show, and while it wasn't painfully obvious that all that was for lunch was this small rabbit like lunch, it is going to stick in the sub conscious and message that popular girls and celebrities only eat small salads for lunch. That is not enough to feed a growing child, and honestly not enough for an adult!
There have been so many articles written about the media and it's influence on kids. See my posting about Michael Phelps - I believe that better habits have to be implemented by parents and teachers, etc on an ongoing basis. I am not writing about it to say they shouldn't have the show (although, I would appreciate it if they plugged healthier habits in the sub conscious). I am writing about it so anyone who didn't notice, sees it, and can register that a proper lunch is a balanced and portioned lunch.

Summer Pasta Toss

2008-09-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Change of plans on the ricotta being added to the pasta (too much traffic to go out and get it). However, it still turned out fabulous. Pasta tosses are nice when you are doing an emptying of the fridge, but also are great for summer. Summer is almost at an end and I wanted to do something special with the blossoms and artichokes I had picked up on Saturday. Lemon and just a hint of pecorino or Parmesan are a nice touch to make this dish still light but flavorful - so you don't feel like you are eating something really healthy. You can change the ingredients up based on what you have locally and what you like. The trick to this dish is seasoning as you go, layering veg in according to how quickly it cooks, and topping it off with just the right amount of zing to entice the palette.
Here is the recipe:

1 large handful angel hair pasta
Water to boil pasta

4 baby artichokes, trimmed and outer leaves peeled, thinly sliced
1 small red onion
3 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small zucchini
1/2 cup swiss chard
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup beef broth (or water or chicken stock - I had beef broth from the beef stout pie recipe already out)
1/4 cup red or white wine (optional)
1/2 lemon zested
1/2 cup pecorino romano
4 zucchini blossoms sliced

Boil the water for the pasta.

Warm the oil over medium high heat and saute the red onion for 2 minutes. Toss in the artichokes hearts, saute for 2 minutes. Toss in the red wine and beef broth and cover to let the artichokes steam for 2 minutes.
Salt your pasta water and toss in the pasta. Should take about 4 minutes. You want it al dente.
Toss in the zucchini and mushrooms and cover for another 2 minutes. Add more broth or water if it gets too dry.
Toss in the chard and cover for 2 more minutes. Season at each layer of veg you add.
Toss the drained pasta into the vegetable mixture. Plate the pasta mixture up and top with cheese, lemon zest and zucchini blossoms.
Enjoy!

Weekly Menu

2008-09-01T19:09:00.001-07:00

Our week of dinners was nicely kicked off with inspirations from our Slow Food Nation trip, the Williams Sonoma catalog and meals my friends at work have been preparing (more specifically I am attempting to make Indian food again!).
Monday - Sauteed zucchini blossom (one little stand had these at the farmer's market and I couldn't resist - wanted to stuff them, but too small to stuff), zucchini, baby artichoke and angel hair pasta tossed with riccota and lemon.
Tuesday - Williams Sonoma Beef Stout Pie. Actually made the fixings for this today to then assemble and bake for dinner tomorrow.
Wednesday - Indian style okra, Indian style cauliflower and pototoes, grilled steak
Thursday - Roast chicken, brussel sprouts with leeks, roasted potatoes
Friday - Indian style spinach with 'paneer', rice and chicken

Slow Food Nation

2008-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today we walked into my comfort zone - The San Francisco Slow Food Nation 2008 Tasting Pavilion event. This movement/organization is a fantastic idea - getting people to rely on themselves and home cooking, knowing the source of their food and doing it all in a way that is sustainable, rather than fast food and over commercialized production of food. You can check them out on the web at http://slowfoodnation.org/
The tasting pavilion event we chose to attend is a collection of artisan food makers and educators that align with these Slow Food values. Let me walk you through our day:
Started at the fermented booth (they call it something cuter like Pickles and Chutneys...but it was fermented stuff) and I was re-inspired. A number of them rely on Sandoor Katz's "Wild Fermentation Book" which I myself have not purchased but might after realizing that their stuff tasted a lot better then mine - salt was the big one to actually add flavor. They had about 6 types of kraut, kimchee and one other thing I can't remember, and an amazing rye bread. Similar to the rest of the event each item at the tasting table is served and explained to you by people from all over the U.S. who make it. Adds a real nice touch.
Second we went down to Honey and Preserves - fantastic little vanilla cupcake with rose cream icing and a pistachio. Then a cheese roll with sweet potato butter (which is like apple butter but with sweet potato). This was tasty. They also had some nice jams and bread - tasty but nothing super exciting.
Then we headed over to the fish - they had a really cool display to show all the different types of local fish, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium was there talking about sustainability and sound practices with fishing. The food was interesting - smoked salmon on toast, marinated calamari with tomatoes and basil, tuna with white beans and dill and parsley and a herring wrapped around mozzarella, tomato and basil. This was nice because it all tasted fantastic and except maybe the white beans I would not have done this on my own.
Next in line was the spirits section. This of course was my husbands favorite (until we got to the meat section or 'Charcutiere'). There were about 6 bartenders and/or spirit makers present to let you taste ingredients separate, or mix you a drink. All were extremely tasty and our favorite was that we learned about this other style of gin (Dutch Gin vs London Gin which is what you usually have here in drinks like Bombay or 209). It was something I had never given any thought too, and the taste was pretty amazing - best of all we can visit the distillery here in San Francisco.
After that was coffee, which my husband didn't want to do, but he thanked me afterwards. We were greeted by a perky woman (dipping into the company yummies perhaps....) and a very chill red haired man who gave me a high five when I stopped at his station. He proceeded to tell me all about coffee processing techniques, where this one was from and then let me enjoy it in a nice little espresso cup. It was a nice break in my day for just a moment to sip on that loveliness (I generally don't drink coffee, but I do love the taste and flavor so I indulge here and there).
Then we hit up the ice cream booth which was not terribly impressive. There were some really good ice cream sandwiches that I hope to find in a grocery store soon. The guys are from Portland who make it.
Next was Indian - 3 types of naan (Indian bread) one was garlic, another chilies and the third was a sweet one with raisins and walnuts. They gave two chutneys with it and this was a fantastic snack while we waited in the long line for meats.
Meats were great. It may not be fashionable to be a woman who loves cured meats as much as my husband does for example, but I attribute it to my German heritage and growing up with a Dad and Grandmother who had an appreciation for the Old World connection to it. Anyway, point is I was pretty dang excited about this station. My husband wants to start curing his own meats and making more of his own sausage and everyone on this line was really helpful explaining to him where to start and what to look for. The people in line might have been mad because they just wanted to plug through, but thank you for waiting and thank you to the meat dudes who took the time. Here we had mortadella, sopprasata, pork confit with pepper jelly on toast and salami - all without nitrates/nitrites, all natural meat. It was a good moment.
We skipped cheese, chocolate, wine and olive oil because the line was around the corner and out the door for cheese, and the lines were long for the others and we just didn't see anything compelling to taste. Lines were the biggest problem at this event. Otherwise, so worth it. Pretty kid friendly too I would say.
We ended the day at the American Indian food booth - where I asked a woman in front of me if the Cheese booth was waiting in line for because I saw she had a plate. She looked at me and said 'oh yes, and actually we got two plates would you like the other'. THANKS! yes yes yes yes. And it was worth it. So although I skipped that booth, and although the chili and wild rice cakes at the American Indian booth were tasteless, I got some great cheese. After the American Indian booth we walked right across to the beer booth. Both full as heck by this time, we picked two each and that was the end of what our stomachs could handle. My favorite was this ale aged in pinot noir barrels- really unique.
All in all, a great day and I would recommend going next year. Definitely take the time to ask questions at the booths and the people standing around - most are working for a really great cause that you make want to take part in.

Phelps and the Corn Flakes

2008-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Another TV at the gym story....
It was a basic interview with some reporter and a spokesperson from some national obesity society. They were talking about how this society opposes Michael Phelps signing with Corn Flakes to be their new spokesperson. The basis of the opposition is that Phelps should be encouraging children to eat broccoli and not corn flakes, and that parents already have a hard enough job and he is going to contribute to the obesity problem getting worse.
Hmmmm.......
No. I don't think so. To be more specific, yes I would have liked to see Phelps promoting something I believe in more, like broccoli, but this is America and these are the behaviors of basic economics. Furthermore, this is not a new concept for any of these large food conglomerates. They know how to sell and it works.
Luckily, I was on the bike when I was watching this so at least I got a really good workout in, but I was fuming when I heard this spokesperson raging on about how terrible the Corn Flake deal was with Phelps. The truth is, the responsibility is on the parents, educators, and other support figures that are involved in the everyday life of our children. There are parents out there successfully keeping their kids away from junk food and high sugar cereals like corn flakes. Maybe not everyday, but they have a way of managing the manipulated food dilemma in our country. So it begs the question that if some have done it, why are we pinning the problem on a third party for the growing population that is not addressing this issue in their home.
Quite simply, Phelps cannot be held accountable for that. Nor can Kellogg's. Everyone has a choice and everyone has the right to raise their children and provide an education - whether it be about books, finances, food or love - they have the right to do it how they want and it is up to them to get the message across.
Also, if you don't want your kids eating corn flakes, and they ask in the store, you can always say no. Phelps is not in the store telling you that you have to.

Quinoa for Breakfast

2008-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I made an amazing quinoa cereal for breakfast. I got the idea from the Bauman recipe exchange (thank you JamieL). Before I give you the recipe though, I thought I should talk a little bit about what quinoa is (besides amazing).
Quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah') is just about one of the most amazing grains. It is non glutinous, meaning it does not contain gluten and which also means it is not as inflammatory to our bodies as wheat is for example. It is the only grain that contains all 9 essential amino acids (meat also contains all 9 essential amino's on its own, but all other grains have to be combined with something else to make a 'complete' protein).
It tastes somewhat nutty, and it's texture can be a bit like couscous meets rice. It takes no more than 15 minutes to cook, and you always follow a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to quinoa to cook it. It makes a great salad, cereal, side dish, and main dish. It absorbs whatever you put into it.
About 1/2 cup on it's own is one serving and that packs approximately 12 grams of protein!

Here is the recipe for the cereal. If you have 15 minutes in the morning to make this, it would be best fresh. Otherwise, you can make a batch and re-warm with a bit of almond or rice milk.

This would serve about 4 people
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups almond milk
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup goji berries
4 tbsp golden flax seeds
1 tbls agave nectar or honey

Bring quinoa, almonds milk, spices, agave or honey, goji berries and apple to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in flax seeds and top with a bit more almond milk if you want.

The flax seeds really should be stirred in at the end as the extreme cooking heat is damaging to flax. You can use regular milk, rice milk or something else in place of almond milk of course, but I encourage you to just try the almond milk - for some it may sound too alternative, but you never know if you will like something and your body might just be waiting for the right recipe to come along - and HERE IT IS!

Weekly Menu

2008-08-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

Here is this weeks menu. Trying to savor the last few weeks when it really feels like summer.

Monday - Chile verde casserole (using leftove chile verde from this weekend)
Tuesday - Turkey meatballs and whole wheat pasta with Nonnie's sauce and a salad
Wednesday - Grilled chicken with brown rice and grilled radicchio salad
Thursday - Panini night (grilled vegetable and pesto sandwiches - using leftover veg from Wednesay)
Friday - Napa inspired appetizer and a movie night - olives, wine, cheese, bread, steamed artichokes and a salad

Something this menu utilizes is reusing ingredients in different forms. For example on Wednesday, the grill will already be fired up for the chicken so I will do some extra vegetables on the side because they reheat well, and use them in panini's on Thursday. This helps cut down on cooking time, but makes sure I have the components to assemble a fresh meal for myself each day.

Title: Dang Good Potato Peeler

2008-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

That is me at about 7 years old in my Omi's restaurant. She owned it for 21 years - it was an authentic German restaurant and she made the best. People still run into me and talk about her food today. She passed away last year. I loved her, and her food very much.

I grew up in that restaurant and I can't express how valuable it was to me, and how much I wish to share that love of food with everyone, and hope to pass a similar experience onto my own children someday. I was put to 'work' starting when I could walk practically. My first job was peeling potatoes -and I was dang good at it. I 'washed' dishes (more like played with bubbles in the sink), made what I called 'kinky' cookies (basically sugar cookies that are fed through a meat grinder like device to make a tube shaped cookie and we would arrange them in weird shapes), and I dusted and vacuumed. Eventually I took orders, cooked apple streusel with her, learned key techniques like keep the stove on medium heat and don't rush pan frying of breaded meats!

So I learned some valuable restaurant and home management techniques, but I also learned how to make things from scratch, how to appreciate that effort, and how to express myself with food. I look back on it now and I think wow, I was so young when I started running around in that kitchen. I got yelled at for getting in the way don't get me wrong (Omi wasn't exactly the sweet southern kind of grandma ;) ) but imagine how important I felt being able to have a job in the kitchen and participate in bringing all that joy to people.

My heartfelt story comes to you because I wanted to share that the kitchen is a place where big things can happen - for kids and adults. It is a place of expression, sharing, love, satiation. It's just a dang good place to be. I don't know if my Omi or parents ever thought growing up in the restaurant would impact me like it did, but I can tell you that my friends who had similar experiences share the same healthy love of food I do, and I will go on record saying it has a huge impact.

By the way, thanks Mom for cutting my bangs....using scotch tape as a guide.....kidding, they don't look that bad :)

Super Snacks

2008-08-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

I think snacks are often overlooked when packing a lunch (assuming one even packs their lunch). Snacks help regulate your blood sugar, keep your metabolism going, and keep you from overeating. A well thought out snack can be really easy and does not require a ton of effort. Here are some ideas:

Plain yogurt with an ounce of almonds and dried cranberries
Almonds or walnuts and cranberries
Hard boiled egg and a handful of raw vegetables like carrots, celery and bell pepper
Hummus and raw vegetables
Brown rice cakes with peanut butter
A piece of fruit or veg
3 slices cheese on ak mak with celery or carrots

Snacks can also be a little more fancy. Here are some ideas:

Mini tofu, lettuce, tomato and avo sammy - 'Marinate' 2 slices of tofu in soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Pan fry or grill to get a bit of carmelization on it. Toast 2 slices of Ezekial bread (sprouted grain bread), spread 1/2 avocado over the two slices, layer the lettuce, tomato and tofu. Could also add sprouts.
Nori-Romaine boats - Take 2 whole romaine leaves and layer in a sheet of nori (toasted, dried seaweed) in each. Spread a dollop of hummus and top with more veg or slices of roast chicken.
Spinach salad - take spinach and toss with a bit of balsamic, garbanzo beans, walnuts and cranberries.
Fruit smoothies - I have a number of favorite combinations but here are a few: frozen cherries and blueberries with almond milk, banana and strawberry with soy milk, strawberry, blueberry and banana with rice milk or there is also the Orange Julius style with orange juice, banana and egg white protein powder.
Not really a fruit smoothie, but I love 1/2 banana, with rice or soy milk and 1 tbls peanut butter with vanilla protein powder (we primarily use a pure egg white protein powder with no weird ingredients in it)

If you have kids many of these can be adapted. Try separating the ingredients out and letting them assemble. Or try making fun shapes. Many of these involve various colors so it can turn into a learning game too. And if they are going through a phase where they don't dig on veg, don't worry - just focus on good quality and wholesome ingredients so you feel good about whatever it is you are giving them. Meaning, choose brown rice cakes over white rice, or organic/natural vegetables and fruits and organic dairy products.

Imagine Food 50+ years Ago

2008-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I was having a conversation with a couple who are family friends - they are in their early 70s. We were talking about food, cooking, meal planning and eating throughout the day and I was so pleased to find that they never touch convenience foods that so many people couldn't imagine a vocabulary without. For example, we were talking about snacks, and one of my favorites is sliced turkey or chicken with a dollop of hummus on a romaine leaf with a sheet of nori (what they wrap sushi in). I immediately assumed convenience and said 'an all natural deli turkey could work' and they both looked at me and said 'Oh no honey, too salty and I can make it so much better'. THAT ROCKS!
(shame on me too for assuming convenience)

This is why I love thinking about food in the same way several generations ago treated it. You know, simple stuff like the idea that chickens have legs and should run free. Or you really should only eat what you need to and get it fresh from your own garden - not from a shelf with stabilizers and additives and other weirdness.

The original idea behind convenience foods might have been good - food that you can grab quickly and prepare without much effort so the now hard working man and woman in the house can be extra productive. But the food that comes pre-packaged is largely manipulated to only slightly resemble real food when you look at the actual ingredients (try actually reading the ingredients from time to time and see if you can pinpoint exactly what each is - I guarantee it will be a difficult exercise). We have gotten so used to the idea of having foods so readily available, and not reading the packaging, that we have also forgotten what real food is!
Times are different now and while both men and women work full time most of the time, and run a family and household etc, our economy, our accessibility, awareness - it has all changed since these foods first came out. So let's adjust our eating habits to re-align with traditional choices in a modern manner.

I won't say don't ever reach for the convenience foods - that is not realistic. But take the time to shop the farmers markets and eat seasonally. Take the time to prepare at least 4 dinners a week at home, and pack your lunch half the time when you go to work. Instead of buying a cake for your sweet craving try to make a new recipe from your favorite baking book. Just pick one thing to add each week and in a year you will have added 52 good habits!

Kombucha Update

2008-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is my first time making kombucha and the process has been really interesting. I know it is a SCOBY (see my earlier post http://littlefieldofgreens.blogspot.com/2008/08/kombucha-and-coconut-kefir.html), but the whole thing is still so surreal to me. Let me walk you through it.

Here is a picture of the kombucha after a week. It has been sitting in a ceramic bowl in our cabinet covered with a paper towel to keep bugs and such out. Let me tell you, the smell is not light. This stuff is good, but there has been a faint vinegar smell in that part of the kitchen. Kind of freaks me out, but I am willing to sacrifice some things in the name of food and traditional eating!

So what happens is the 'mother' SCOBY I started this with last week has now duplicated and spread to the size of the vessel I put it in. This SCOBY started out as only about 3x3 inches - and grew to the full size of this bowl. Underneath this white mass is the kombucha liquid.

What I did today since it appeared to be ready (smell was right - fermented (NOT rotten), taste was mostly un-sweet as the SCOBY used the sugar we brewed with the tea to feed itself), and jarred the liquid and put it in the fridge. The liquid not being sweet is what you look for because it shows that the sugar has been consumed by the SCOBY. Here is a picture of our kombucha for the week:

By tomorrow, because I put a lid on this jar, it will have some natural carbonation forming and we can drink it. You really should have no more than 8 oz a day (more if you are sick, stressed or had some trauma).

I then took some of the liquid, plus part of the SCOBY (it grew too large for the new vessel I bought for this) and put it in a jar. I brewed some organic oolong tea, mixed it with organic turbinado sugar, and let it cool to about body temperature. Then I mixed the tea and the SCOBY from my original batch in the jar and put a new paper towel on, put it in the cupboard and there is going to be another batch ready for me next week.

What is so odd to me about this beverage is that it starts with something, the SCOBY, that just about can't be killed. You want to keep the process sanitary, but basically, that SCOBY will just keep replicating and producing as much kombucha as you choose to make. The kombucha itself then has these amazing properties of other fermented products such as aiding in digestion, providing good bacteria and promoting good cleansing.

Fermented food is actually pretty easy to make (with the exception of the coconut kefir -that is best done with a group because of all the work). I think when people hear that term though, they think rotten and gross. When I say people I don't mean all on earth, because the Russians love kvass (fermented beet juice which is a great blood tonic and was often drank more frequently instead of water because water was tainted), and the Koreans love kimchee (fermented cabbage with carrots and radish and chilies), and the Germans love sauerkraut - just to name a few. Making the kombucha looks disturbing, I know this. But, it is producing an amazing beverage and like other fermented foods deserves a try.

Weekly Menu

2008-08-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

Sundays are my big day to cook and we started it off right this morning! Here is a picture of breakfast

Simple and Delish - it is my take on perhaps a hash equivalent except cleanse style (meaning no potatoes). We took some ground turkey yesterday and mixed it with some thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne, onion powder, and garlic powder. We usually just bake or pan fry with a bit of olive oil into little sausage patties to be able to make a tasty breakfast on busy days.

So the mock hash is 3 sausage patties chopped up, sauteed with 1 artichoke heart (leftover from this week), 1 tomato and 1/4 roasted red onion. Then fry 2 eggs and serve on top. Delicious way to start the day with good vegetables and protein.

Lunch was also tasty and the leftovers will be lunch for the next few days for each of us. It was a delicious roast chicken which we brined before roasting this time, with a HUGE medley of veg roasted along side it (brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, onion, garlic and summer squash). We had an arugula salad with avocado and balsamic vinegar on the side.

Here is the menu for this dinners this week:

Monday: Ground turkey kebabs with stewed okra in tomatoes and onion and grilled radicchio

Tuesday: Quinoa salad with basil, baked chicken, tomatoes, and zucchini

Wednesday: Roast chicken with brown rice, salad and roasted cauliflower

Thursday: Meatball soup with kale

Friday: Lentil soup with kale, tomatoes and zucchini

Quick Chicken Soup

2008-08-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe for weeknights when you need something nutritious but don't want to spend an hour and a half making chicken soup. It is also a good way to clear out the fridge which I love. More than a recipe it is a technique - so feel free to swap any of the ingredients. This has been a cleanse staple for us this past week. Enjoy!
Serves 2
4 cups homemade chicken broth
1 cup roast chicken chopped up
1 cup brown rice already cooked
1/2 cup each chopped of onion, celery and carrots
2 tbls olive oil
1 cup large pieces of chopped napa cabbage

In a pot saute the onion, celery and carrots with the olive oil over med-high heat until just softened. Put the broth in and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and rice. After 3 minutes add the cabbage. Serve in large bowls and savor.

Easy Does It

2008-08-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

I was working out at the gym today and this commercial came on for some dieting product where you 'eat 35% less without even trying' by eating their supplements with your meals or something. The tag line at the end was 'dieting is hard and our product is easy!'. Nevermind that the whole thing was animated and showed this cartoon who was a little pudgy going to impossible and unhealthy skinny.
It reminded me of two things:
1 - I don't advocate 'dieting'. Atkins, South Beach are all good in their own way, but none are sustainable and none advocate a wide spectrum of wholesome and nutritious foods that work for your body (because remember, we are all unique in how we digest our food based on genetics, toxic exposure, tastes and physiology). A well balanced diet is what helps maintain weight, good health, immunity and happiness. Not to mention, depriving yourself of a fabulous glass of wine, or a piece of cake to celebrate with friends is just plain wrong and will drive you nuts to the point where you binge and ruin your mindset and weight management goals.
2 - Food should be about more than just key words like 'easy'. Eating is something that keeps you alive and healthy and energetic. You do it at least 2-3 times a day, EVERY DAY! I really feel that on the whole, our culture has lost sight of how much of a direct impact food has on your health, your skin, your mood, your hormones, my list goes on. I will talk a lot about food quality and that is part of it, but really what I am trying to address here is that it is not always about getting a meal done in under 30 minutes, or picking up to go food - you have to feed yourself properly! And don't get me wrong, I love the 30 minute meal uprising in the last few years, but I also have a significant appreciation for a slow cooked roast, or stews that cook for hours and I love to shop for that meal, plan it out and feed myself and those around me with it.

Some people don't share this same opinion, and I admit, food and food quality are very high on my priority list in life. I have some core values about food, and I just simply stick to it.

2008-08-13T07:21:00.001-07:00

The next three weeks are going to be interesting. We are doing a cleanse (a program through Standard Process (a vitamin company) ) and it basically does not allow sugar, alcohol, dairy, and caffeine. Vegetables are unlimited, fruit is ok (twice as much veg as fruit though), meat and eggs are ok but no more than 8 oz a day and the only grains allowed are brown rice and lentils and quinoa (the non glutinous ones for their properties of being easily digested). Good fats are allowed so flax, olive oil, grapeseed and coconut - in moderation. There are shakes and supplements along with this program to aid in the cleansing and re-mineralizing process. Great program. Cleansing is something good to do seasonally, and at least once or twice a year. It gives our drainage organs (kidneys, liver, etc) a break, lets our digestive system regenerate, and gives us an opportunity to add back to our mineral and vitamin reserves.

Monday - Baked chicken bites tossed with heirloom tomato, quinoa, zucchini sauteed with leeks

Tuesday - Roast chicken with roasted brussel sprouts, zucchini, carrots and red onion

Wednesday - Chicken soup with veggies and a salad and a steamed artichoke

Thursday - baked salmon or halibut (plan to go to fish market that day) with sauteed brussel sprouts and leeks and quinoa

Friday - roasted eggplant with onion marinated (grate the onions) baked chicken kebabs with quinoa tabbouleh

Kombucha and Coconut Kefir!

2008-08-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

I briefly mention in my profile that I could not eat dairy (more specifically the milk protein, casein) for about 8 years. And with some changes in my diet including better food combining, and cultured foods, I was able to turn my digestive wellness around and can now eat dairy again. It was a sweet day when I figured that out.
The key to the whole thing I am convinced, were the cultured foods. I made cultured vegetables out of cabbages, kale, carrots. They are good, and I still make them occasionally, but they are not really convenient for bringing into work (and actually, don't do this if you make it - it can be mistaken for sewage or something totally rotten). And you may ask why eat these things that smell so bad - but I tell you, they taste great and when you eat anything that has been cultured you feel amazing. It takes away sweet cravings, aids digestion and just balances you out. Truly, truly amazing stuff.
The other thing I cultured was young coconut juice and the meat inside. I got this from The Body Ecology Diet www.bodyecology.com. This book changed my life (Thank you Donna Gates!). Now this stuff is amazing for you, and tastes fantastic. It does not have a strong coconut flavor, but has a light essence. And because it is fermented, it has a bubbly champagne like mouthfeel.
Culturing I think is a job best done with a group. First of all, it is a bit cumbersome so it is nice to split the duties. Second, food and health are about community and I have found a great group of friends to share in this culturing exercise with me about every 6-8 weeks.
This weekend was all about culturing. We always do coconuts, and then one new thing. And I finally found a kombucha mother to make our own kombucha (You read my posting about limiting the budget to no more than $120 - and $2.50 bottles of kombucha are not in the budget but I love it dearly and so does the hubby!).
So many people have asked me 'what is kombucha'. I looked it up and it is a 'SCOBY' - Symbiotic Colony of Bacterial Yeast. It is so, so simple to make. Really the hardest part is getting a mother from someone (the mother is the starter - kind of like what you do with sourdough bread). And I found someone in Alameda (thank you again Melissa).
Basically what you do is boil some water, dump some sugar in and brew tea (pure black tea or green tea - no herbal, oils, flavors, etc). Let it cool and then add the kombucha mother. This should be done in a glass container. Cover with a paper towel and let sit for a week in a dark, 70 degree-ish area. After a week, the mother will have split and created 'babies' and the babies can be made for a new batch, composted, or shared with a friend. You drain the liquid out, put it in the fridge and brew a new batch with the mother or babies.
So every week you can continue to make your own kombucha, and the mother just keeps regenerating. Makes for some interesting symbolism.
It seems odd. But let me tell you, it is only in the last 50-75 years that we as a society stopped culturing our food. We have lost this part of our relationship with food and it is sad because cultured foods are so amazing for you - vitamins, digestive aids, probiotics.......the list goes on. It takes a little bit of work, but this is your health and well being - take the time to invest a little extra in it.

McObession

2008-08-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

Friday night we had just sat in a reasonable amount of traffic on the Bay Bridge and were driving along 80E - preparing to sit in more traffic in Sacramento on our way to our favorite lake. I was sitting in the passenger seat - zoning out and getting to a happy place. Then out of nowhere, comes what I will call the McObsession car. It was a late 80's ish sedan with McD red, and McD yellow stripes, Ronald dolls hanging inside and "Supersize" me stickers on the outside.
Seriously?
It fired me up and made me yell "I have to write about this on the blog!".
So here I am. What the heck is the obsession?!! Just two days before I was sitting in the lunch room at my regular office job the other day and overheard two co workers talking about breakfast the next morning.
Co worker 1: Ooooo before I come in do you want me to get you a McD breakfast sango?
Co worker 2: hmm yeah that might be a good option
Co worker 1: OMG yay?! They are so good, like the best breakfast ever.

And there was no sarcasm there. It was a serious conversation. I don't really know the point of this posting other than to point out that real food, made with love, real ingredients and with a conscious in mind not only make sense and make for good health, but they just down right taste better.
I get the idea that it is convenient. I get that it is cheap. But for Pete's sake it takes less than 5 minutes to assemble a sandwich, or pour a bowl of cereal and scramble an egg!

Like any habit it takes time to break. So if you have a McObsession (or something similar), try spending an extra 5 minutes a day or 20 minutes a week preparing your own food. I imagine you will feel better about the mindful choice and have more energy!

Meal Planning and Vacation

2008-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

We went up to the lake this weekend and I am always reminded when I go away for a weekend how well my meal planning works to make sure I eat food I make, and that we eat balanced meals. However, weekend getaways always muck that schedule up because I do everything on Sundays. Keeping a well stocked pantry and freezer helps when we get back, but I am now determined to figure out a more improved plan for when we go away - perhaps cook a few meals on Thursday or Friday before we go (that doesn't really sound appetizing or realistic), make fully frozen meals (more chili, stew, etc), stop at the store on the way home for just a bit of produce to hold us over until we can catch up. I don't know yet.
What do you do to make sure you eat wholesome meals when you get back from vacation?

I love my brussels

2008-07-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Theme this week seems to be ingredients I didn't have in my house as a kid, and am now obsessed with. I grew up about a mile away from fields and fields of brussel sprouts. You might be saying "so what". No. It was a big deal. They stink! It's like this huge, thick cloud of brussel perfume that sticks to your nose and throat. In their raw state and while growing, they just didn't seem appetizing.

A woman I refer to as my second mother converted me. She makes them the best way - literally, us kids all fight over them. She can never make enough. I have posted my recipe for roasted brussels below and then her modifications (which if you have the time and forethought - try it and you won't regret it).

Nutritional Value and Selection

These bad boys belong to the cabbage family - which means leafy green which means high in vitamins B, C and K, thiamine, potassium and beta carotene and a really great source of fiber too (1 cup contains 4 grams!) according to Dr. Michael Murray in "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods".

If you find them in the store/farmers market you want to pick the smaller ones - they are the most tender and tasty. They should be pretty firm and green - not brown or yellow or sad looking.

I will also add that now when I drive past the fields of brussel sprouts, I salivate. I think about the end product and get excited. Yes, I do really love brussel sprouts that much. I have converted a number of people into liking them by cooking them this way - so get them fresh, and give this a try and you will thank me later!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 lb brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, cut an 'x' in bottom, cut large ones in half

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss the brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet. Cook for 25-35 minutes (or until tender and golden).

Modification for uber tastiness: Boil the brussel sprouts first. Then, while roasting a chicken, place the brussel sprouts on the bottom. Allow to soak up the lovely chicken juices and roast. Really, really delish.

Favish

2008-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

What is favish you ask? That is actually the Portuguese dish with fava beans - a real classic, easy and wholesome way to cook them. It's probably not spelled like this, but this is how we refer to it amongst my friends. I am not Portuguese, but the first time I had these was at my friends parent's home and they are from Terceira, an island in the Azores, and I have loved fava beans since. I don't know what it was about them other than the fact that we never ate them in my own household growing up, but I just didn't have the urge to pick them up from the store or cook with them. The D family changed my relationship with fava beans.

They are interesting little things. You can see in the picture though that they look like oversized green beans crossed with pea pods. When you open them the inside is fluffy and soft - cushion to protect each fava bean. The beans each have a white skin on them, but the smaller ones (second one in from the right) are more tender and the skin can stay on. The larger beans have a more bitter skin that you can remove by blanching and peeling, or just digging your nail into and peeling off. The fava bean on the far right is a peeled bean. Just taste one when you open a pod to see what you think and if it needs to be peeled. See, not that mysterious after all.

I like them raw and tossed into a salad. But here is one of my favorite recipes. It was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe I saw on TV where he makes posh beans on toast - he used fava and peas and puts them on toast. First problem I was presented with was that the peas didn't look good at the farmers market, and second was that I don't really eat bread in my house. So I made this and it was fabulous. I use it on quinoa but you can easily use it on rice, on its own, on potatoes - you have options here.

Posh Fava Beans on Quinoa

Take about a pound of fava beans and peel the pods and take the beans out. Remove the outer skin if too bitter. If peas look good that day too, you can add those.

Pulse the raw fava beans in a food processor with 1 clove of garlic, about 1/3 cup of olive oil (the good stuff), salt and pepper, pecorino romano or parmesan (I like pecorino), and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add olive oil or water to thin out if needed.

Cook 1 cup of quinoa.

Toss the fava mixture into cooked quinoa.

Weekly Menu

2008-07-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

This weeks menu is continuing the theme of budget and focus on seasonality. Really looking forward to it because I have already sampled some of my goods from the farmers market and this weekend was particularly successful. Here goes.

Sunday: Delightful arugula, grilled nectarine and prosciutto salad (see recipe below) and a fabulous glass of wine

Monday: Pesto pasta, beets with blue cheese and toasted almonds, grilled chicken

Tuesday: Chard rolls stuffed with lentils and onions, topped with goat cheese, roast brussel sprouts
Wednesday: Vietnamese chicken soup (broth from our own freezer), fried Vietnamese spring rolls (also from the freezer), green salad

Thursday: Steamed artichokes, roast brussel sprouts, pesto chicken, posh quinoa and fava beans

Friday: Crockpot stew with polenta squares

Indulgent Arugula Salad with Grilled Nectarine and Prosciutto

Serves 2

This recipe is inspired by something I saw on Jamie Olivers "Jamie at Home" show on FoodTV. I love his show - he cooks the way I like to and he has a mindfulness about the environment and food growing that other chefs don't talk about on that network. It's my own rendition based on what I found at the farmers market and what I had on hand. Enjoy!

1 bunch arugula, chopped in large chunks and washed

1 small-medium red onion, sliced in large rounds

1 beet, steamed or baked and peeled, chopped

2 nectarines, cut in half and pit removed

4 tbls blue cheese, crumbled

8 olives

olive oil

1/2 lemon

8 slices prosciutto

Toss the red onion with olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill on med-high heat until tender and tasty.

Sprinkle a bit of olive oil and salt on the nectarines. Flesh side down, place the nectarines on the grill. Cook until you have good char marks and carmelization.

Meanwhile, lay 4 pieces of prosciutto on each plate in a fan like shape. In a bowl toss the arugula with the juice squeezed from the lemon, olive oil (about 3 tbls), salt and pepper.

Place the arugula on top of the prosciutto. Lay the beets and olives on the side.

Lay the nectarines on top of the arugula, top with a few rings of grilled red onion, and crumble the blue cheese over the top.

About the wine featured in the back of the picture - A good friend of ours went to college with the owner and winemaker of Fontanella wineries. While I have not met them personally, I have heard many amazing stories about the hard work of the family producing this wine. This is a new endeavor for them and in the next few months their tasting room should be open at which point I will be rushing up there to taste and meet them. This was their first release and it's an amazing cab. I had been waiting for the perfect time to pop it open (our friends grabbed us a bottle a few months ago while visiting) and what better way than a meal that reminded me so much of Napa (forget Disneyland, Napa Valley is the happiest place on earth). It was a fabulous bottle of wine! You can check out more about Fontanella at www.fontanellawinery.com

Farmer Market Therapy

2008-07-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Strolled down to my local Farmer's Market today and left feeling amazing! It is really like therapy. Think about it - you get some fresh air, get some food (always a high point in the day), see lots of pretty colors (kind of girly, but guys I know you can appreciate this comment too), and just the act of going straight to the person who grew your food - WOW! Speaking of which, when was the last time you talked to a farmer? This is actually my favorite part about the farmers market (aside from leaving with amazing food). They are some of the most down to earth and friendly people - you can't go into their booth, talk to them, and leave feeling bad. Not possible. I love talking to them about the growing process, what is good and what is going to get better, what I liked from last week and what they do to prepare the food. They love food just as much as me.
I left with a huge bunch of basil that literally perfumed my entire house. I bought corn that was so fresh, I didn't cook it at all because that would have ruined it - just ate it right off the cob. We had artichokes that were full of tasty meat and the most amazing flavor.
I don't know where else to get these experiences. Food is about this kind of love and attention.

Warming up without microwave

2008-07-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be wondering - 'ok, she does not have a microwave, so how does she warm up her food?'.
Here are some of my tricks:
Chicken, beef, lamb or pork- Warm your toaster oven up to anywhere between 350 and 450. Get some foil, put the meat inside, and close the foil up like a pouch. I can almost guarantee you that after 5-10 min in the toaster oven you will have moist, warmed meat ready to eat.
Rice - put a small bit of water in a pot, toss your cooked rice in, put the lid on and set burner heat to med-high. Cook about 5 minutes and the rice should be perfect.
Pizza, flat bread, things of the like - warm the toaster oven up to 400 F and lay the pizza on a sheet of foil. Warm for about 5 minutes and the cheese should be bubbling again and the crust just crisp enough.
Soup - reheat in a pot
Chili or stew- follow the meat method in the toaster oven
Veggies - whether they are grilled, roasted or steamed, you can lay them in a foil pouch or on a sheet of foil and reheat at 350 for a few minutes and they will be good to go.

I often put a whole balanced meal on a sheet of foil and warm that up (meaning, for example, 1/2 cup of baked sweet potato, 1/2 cup roasted brussel sprouts, 1/2 chicken breast). Warms up just fine and tastes delish without having done it in the microwave!
All the toaster oven things can also be done in a conventional oven - especially for a whole family. Parchment paper also works well with the pouch method. As a general rule if something is prone to drying out from over cooking, use the pouch method. Otherwise, if you can warm it up sufficiently in under 10 minutes, you can just lay it on a sheet pan and warm it up.

Grilled Summer Salad and Fried Baby Artichokes

2008-07-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

I digressed from my original plan for Tuesday night dinner. No worries I didn't run to the store or cannibalize any of the other meals for the week. And let me tell you, it was worth changing it up. Not sure what prompted me to do this other than that I felt like fried baby artichokes (forgot I bought those when I made the menu) and I felt like grilling. First, the friend baby artichokes (yes, I fry occassionally and these are delish and I eat them about once a year in my own house and about 2 times a year at my friends parent's house - moderation is key).

Fried Baby Artichokes

Serves 2

2/3 cup flour

1 1/4 cup water

good pinch of salt

good amount of fresh ground pepper

good quality olive oil

1 dozen baby artichokes, peeled until you get to the tender leaves, trim top and bottom and cut in half. You can put in a bowl of cold lemon water if you don't want them to turn brown.

Mix the flour, water and seasoning together so the consistency is viscous, but not watery - the artichokes have to stick. Toss the artichokes in and get them nicely covered (not drenched).

Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot. Test the oil temp by dropping a bit of the batter in - it should bubble a bit around the edges but not go black immediately. Fry each side of the artichoke until nice and golden. Remove onto a plate with a paper towel and sprinkle with a bit of fine sea salt or kosher salt, and if you like, pecorino romano cheese grated on top.

Grilled Summer Salad

Serves 2

1 zucchini, thinly sliced length wise

1 head radicchio, cut into quarters leaving the stem

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1/2 cucumber, cut into thick slices

1/4 cup chopped parsley

8 olives

pecorino romano (optional)

Sprinkle a reasonable amount of olive oil over the zucchini and radicchio and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini until just tender (under done and it is too crunchy, over done you get soggy and flavorless). Grill the radicchio until just wilted on the outer leaves.

Chop the radicchio and remove the hard stem portion.

Arange however you like - I chose to sort of build all the ingredients up on top of each other. Throw the parsley on at the end and grate a bit of pecorino over the top.

The salad was a big hit tonight in the LL household. The flavors were fresh, light, yet flavorful and filling. There is a variety of color, crunchy and leafy vegetables. I also want to highlight that I still use ingredients like cheese, but I pick a good quality one that I love, and use it sparingly to just give a little kick to the dish.

Try it!

Weekly Menu and The Budget Challenge

2008-07-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

This weeks menu is inspired by the beginning of my challenge to myself to spend no more than $120 a week on groceries. Ideally I am trying to do it for no more than $100 (which so far for this week I have made the $100 goal). Consider it a kind of a test on myself for me to help other people understand how it can work.
The way I set it up is I shop only the perimeter of the store (so fresh produce, meat, dairy and whole grains - no crackers, chips or sweets, etc). I went with what was on sale for meat and dairy and this week with the whole grains I figure I am going to get my carbs from lentils and rice and starchy vegetables. All my produce was purchased from the farmers market (spent under $30 there and that included some nice Harley Farms goat cheese). We also made some hearty chili this weekend that can be used a few different ways and was a good way to stretch the meat.
So, here is the weekly plan:
Monday - Chicken noodle bowls with soba noodles, salad and misc other veg with fish sauce mixture
Tuesday -Lamb and beef chili (inspired by a Tyler Florence recipe) over grilled polenta squares with sauteed zucchini and roast brussel sprouts
Wednesday - chicken noodle Vietnamese soup with mixed greens
Thursday - Lamb and beef chili with beans over roasted zucchini, onions and eggplant
Friday - Roasted chicken with roast brussel sprouts, carrots and potatoes, and a large green salad, and pasta with Nonnie's sauce (I make large batches of this and keep jars of this in the freezer for a good comforting meal - everyone loves it and we are having friends over :-) )

Off Hour Shopping

2008-07-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how different a grocery shopping experience can be, when you don't go at peak hours. Seriously. It is much less stressful because you don't have to worry about where your cart is, reaching for things, screaming children who have already had a long enough day, people yelling on their cell phones, waiting in long lines - you get the picture.
Seems irrelevant that I am posting something about the time, or day of week you go grocery shopping, but in reality I think it is important. The way you feel about getting your food, cooking your food and eating your food determine how good of a relationship you will have with it. So if you for example, eat on the run all the time, you probably are not stopping to indulge in the wonderful flavors and the fact that it gives you life and vitality and health. Same with grocery shopping in my mind - if you hate doing it, you will struggle getting into the store, fight it in the store and then be exhausted when you leave.
What are the good times to go then? I like to plan for a whole week. So either Friday late afternoon or late evening, early Saturday morning before 11 or late Saturday after 3 PM, or early Sunday morning.

The Whole Chicken

2008-07-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

For the last year, we have only purchased whole chickens. Why? Couple of reasons:

Price: On average, a whole chicken runs you about 1.99/lb compared to 6.99 or 7.99/lb for boneless skinless breasts
My goal is to buy organic, natural or free range meat at all times and it is expensive and hard to keep up with if you buy only the parts
I like the breasts more than the legs and thighs, and Ben likes the legs and thighs more than the breast - so when I was buying the breasts, they often got wasted
I have found great ways to satisfy the entire households palette with the whole chicken
#5 is my favorite - we freeze the carcass and make our own stock

The last point may make a few of you say 'ewww'. It may induce some to say 'yeah right'. And hopefully I inspire others to say 'yeah all that makes sense and tell me more about your stock because maybe I can do that".

The stock recipe is really easy. We don't like to waste in our house and the flavor you get out of homemade stock is amazing. Truly. I don't lie about this - I have not bought boxed stock in at least 5 years.

Stock Recipe/Process:

Basically what we do in our house is any time we have a whole chicken, we cut it up and then freeze the carcass and wings. Any vegetables like onion, garlic, bell pepper, asparagus, celery, carrots, herbs that have been chopped up and the ends are left, skin left over or are about to go bad, we stuff into a freezer bag with the chicken. Once every 2-3 weeks we dump the bag out into a roasting pan, crank the oven up to 375 degrees and roast everything for 45 minutes. Take it all out, dump into a large stock pot and cover with cold, filtered water. Let it simmer for as little as 1 hour and up to 5 hours. I use the Oxo fat separator but you can just as easily put it in the fridge where the fat will rise to the top and chill out and you can scoop it off. Then store in plastic Tupperware or glass Mason jars and you are good to go with excellent stock any time.

The best part is this is mostly just assembly. True the cooking can take up to 6 hours, but you can do other things while it cooks! The rest is a few extra pots and pans to wash, and some assembly of putting the stock in the freezer - all to not waste precious onion or garlic skins, veggies about to go bad, or a whole chicken carcass and to get the best tasting stock you will ever have.

Menu this week

2008-07-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

To kick things off right, I wanted to share what is for dinner in the LL household this week:

Monday - homemade pho (Vietnamese soup) with fresh chili leaf (yes the leaves of the chili plant - earthy and just the right amount of kick), yu choy (a bitter Chinese green - can be cooked just like spinach), sprouts, natural beef and Thai basil Standby in the next few weeks for how we make this at home when we replenish our freezer supply of the stock

Tuesday - leftover roast chicken, shredded and dressed over a bed of romaine with heirloom tomatoes and boccini (baby mozzarella)

Wednesday - Stir fry with leftover egg noodles from pho day with the thinly sliced beef, and Chinese greens

Thursday - leftover BBQ chicken with black beans, mango, red onion over mixed greens

Friday - Event out so no cooking this night

Saturday - Mom's birthday celebration which I will be bringing a lovely, seasonal fruit salad

Without Microwave

2008-07-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

We recently did some kitchen renovations – counters and new appliances. For Ben (my husband) and me it was actually a really natural conversation. We like our food warmed up in the oven, toaster oven or stove top more than in the microwave. Great. Done. Get rid of the thing. When we told everyone about our decision, we got some interesting reactions from “how are you going to heat up your food?” to “WHAT!” to “Ok hippies”. So I am here to let everyone know that food tastes better when you warm it up in the oven! There are numerous studies out there that discuss how microwaving is essentially a fake heat and literally removes nutrients from your food. So why not steam or bake to get the biggest bang for your nutritional buck? Plus, have you warmed pizza up in the microwave and compared it to pizza warmed up in a toaster oven? Toaster oven will always win that battle. I am not suggesting you all renovate and replace your microwave with a commercial grade hood like I did. But perhaps just consider not depending on the microwave to warm up your food every time – test it out and see how many minutes it actually takes to more gently and naturally heat your food.

*By the way, the one thing I would say is universally true and you should not do with your microwave, is warm plastics up in it. It is extremely toxic - and why add more toxins to your system when there are enough already in the air, your food, etc. So please, use glass or ceramic microwave safe dishes to warm up your food.

Iced Coffee - My Way

2008-07-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

For those that know me well, you know I love the flavor of coffee. I don't recommend anyone drink caffeinated coffee for a variety of reasons, but a cup of decaf here and there is one of my personal favorites. My all time favorite way to have it is in a decaf soy latte. I usually get it at a cafe of some sort, but the problem is that I don't have control over the coffee being used, the amount of sugar and the quality of the soy milk. So today, instead of heading to a coffee house, I made my own iced coffee and it was fabulous! I used unsweetened organic soy milk, a fair trade organic coffee and I did add a tiny bit of sweetener but I made a simple syrup out of organic sucanat instead of refined white sugar. All things I had on hand and all things I felt ok about putting in my body. Perfect match.
Here is the recipe:
3/4 cup brewed decaf coffee of your choice
3/4 cup plain unsweetened soy milk
2 tbls vanilla sucanat simple syrup (in a sauce pan melt 1/8 cup water and 1/8 cup sucanat with a tsp of vanilla - stir until sugar is fully dissolved)
1 cup ice
Top with a bit of cinnamon if you are feeling spicy

Pour in a cup, stir and enjoy!

Healthy Food Blogging!

2008-07-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog! I am so excited to now be posting regular updates about eating and living a healthy lifestyle with food. You will soon get all sorts of updates about meals I am cooking, how I am cooking them, research I am doing, new products I find - the works my friends. So strap on your seatbelts and let's go for a ride!