You Are What You Buy

Sometimes I feel powerful at the grocery store.  Telling big business what's important to comsumers. Whole foods, organics, free range meat/eggs.  Then someone walks by with a cart full of frozen meals, sugar cereal, ice cream, soda, chips and bottled water-a great farse.

Brian thinks I'm a snob.  It's not that, I happen to love an occasional box of mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, or a nice cold coke every couple months.  It's actually a combination of cheapness and guilt.  I can't bear to spend good money on high fructose corn syrup or support companies that harm animals and the land to make their product cost less.

A few times I've heard people say they want to eat healthier or incorporate more vegetables.  My theory is you just have to change what you buy.  And the internet has so many recipes there's no excuse.  It might only work for intense people like me that don't let anything go bad.

Now I'm having to confront my past purchases from the marvelous bulk section of Winco.  You can buy any dry food for cheap without using any packaging at all if you reuse bags.  In anticipation of moving sometime in the next few months I'm trying to use up all the food in our pantry so we don't have to move it.  Now I have all kinds of grains staring me in the face.

The other night was barley risotto. Last night, a sort of chickpea stew over brown rice.  I was worried what Brian would say about our 3rd vegetarian/vegan meal in a row.  Luckily he came home starving and  raved about it. I think I'll treat the poor guy with a roast chicken tonight.  He always acts like its Christmas when there's a golden bird coming out of the oven.




 

Grow Your Own Sprouts

Update. Well, here's a recipe, but I didn't have the same ingredients, so I just did this:

Finely chopped/minced 1/4 onion, 4 mushrooms, one carrot and stems of bok choy sauteed in sesame oil until tender. Added a little salt and microplaned ginger. Turned off heat and added finely chopped leaves from bok choy, basil, and sprouts.

Dipping Sauce: equal parts soy sauce and water. Dash of rice vinegar and a little ginger.

Now that I have tofu I'll add that in. Apparently you just smoosh a block of extra-firm.

I'm so glad my friend Wendy gave me the idea to grow sprouts. Such an easy, cheap way to keep anti-oxidant and protein rich veggies on hand. I thought it would be great for Eli to learn about seeds, watch their development, and be able to enjoy the fruits of his (minimal) labor very quickly. These took 3 or 4 days and were so simple to grow. Soak overnight, and rinse every 12 or 24 hours. Piece of cake since the perferated top (cheese cloth, special lid, or mesh) which allows air in also makes rinsing and straining quick.

Last night they went into this pot-sticker filling. Sorry, no picture of the final product, we at them too fast. I wonder if Brian even noticed there was no meat.

I don't know what's come over me. I feel like a pregnant woman nesting or a squirrel preparing for the upcoming change in seasons. I am neither one of those, but seeing all the fruit and vegetables in season right now is making me want to buy extra and store for winter. Probably because I just read this book.

I've heard several times that the most important way to reduce your impact on the environment is to eat what's local and in season. It's more crucial than the kind of car you drive or the light bulbs in your lamps. It's also the healthiest option. Freezing keeps more of the vitamins than canning. Add in the fact that I have never canned anything and you get this:

Our new freezer. Brian was very proud of himself for finding it 75% off. Eli was so excited about finding it this morning that he started filling it right away. Then we went to a Rojas Farm about a mile away. The fabulousness we get from the CSA is not quite enough for us now, so I needed to get extra to freeze. It's not necessarily organic, but they only spray the corn with pesticides, so I went a little crazy.

Most of the pears were a little dinged up (unlike these ones on top), so I asked for a discount and and the lady just gave them to me. She even held Esme while I shopped. She said we could go out and take cucumbers too, since they decided not to pick them. Maybe next time. We'll go back when they get more peaches, another Brian request.

Married Into My Favorite Meal

I definitely appreciate fancy ingredients and expensive restaurants, but my favorite meals are the simple ones. A couple of weeks before Brian and I got married I went to meet his little Mexican grandma. The table was spread with all kinds of food, the American stuff, like pork chops and spaghetti, were apparently for me, although I didn't realize it at the time. I ended up only eating her handmade tortillas, beans, and chili. Luckily his aunt taught me how to make the chili and his mom showed me how to make her mother-in-laws tortillas.

I thought of her at the farmer's market last Saturday after seeing all the anaheim peppers and knew what I had to do. I thawed some homemade pinto beans, made the chile con carne and was about to be lazy and use store-bought tortillas, but could not after thinking about using such thin, dry, machine-made (aka loveless) tortillas on my beloved spicy gravy. Out came the flour and rolling pin and 15 minutes later we had over a dozen fresh tortillas. Such basic ingredients, beans, flour, two peppers, salt, and a pork chop. $2 and a happily fed family of four with leftovers for lunch.

I

And you've got to eat it like a Mexican, little bites,

not rolled into a burrito.

Esme loved the beans while Eli's eyes bugged at the site of tortillas.

Apricots Are For Cooking

So my friend Missy, who braved Wyoming with us, mentioned neighbors yards filling with fallen apricots. I practically invited myself to her neighborhood to pick some and she braved the mid-day heat and even watched Esme. Apricot jam and tarts are my favorite. But here's the thing, a raw apricot... I've only eaten one (from Trader Joe's back in June) that I didn't mind choking down. They're so dry. Something about cooking them makes them suddenly juicy and tart. I love it.

Too daunted to go through the process of making jam, I ended up turning the giant bowl full, now holding only a few stragglers, into a pie with a crumbly, cinnamon topping, clafoutis , pancakes, topping for pancakes, and a tart. Then I went to get our share from the farm a couple days ago and there was a giant bag of apricots! So don't worry if we look a little orange the next time you see us.

Who Needs Meat?

I guess Brian would argue that he does. But I know he would not complain if I served him this vegetarian plate. Baked yam, kohlrabi greens, and polenta stuffed peppers (Thank You Martha). Eli ate every last bite (with much prodding, like any other meal except macaroni and cheese, homemade of course) and didn't complain about not liking any of it, not even the slightly bitter greens!

Bri's in New Jersey right now at Soo Bahk Nationals, so I'm free to cook as meatless as I like. Tofurkey (lunch"meat") sandwiches for lunch, Soyizo for breakfast, Korean tofu soup yesterday. I'm not against meat, some things just get on my conscience. So here comes my craziness. I just feel like it's too easy to eat meat without thinking about how it got to us, bonelss, on styrafoam behind plastic wrap. I've heard people complain about how yucky raw meat is or not wanting to see a bone or blood. This bothers me some. Where's the revrence and gratitude. I feel bad too about my past cheapness, wanting to get meat, eggs, and milk for as cheap as possible, not thinking about how that drives "ranchers" and "farmers" to give the animals no quality of life.


For now I'm fine buying meat, free range, grass fed. It doubles the price, and so I am avoiding the subject by just buying produce, tofu, and fish. We plan on ordering beef and pork from our CSA that raises it's own heritage breed, happy-until-the-end cows and pigs. I'm excited about ordering a Thanksgiving turkey from them too, actually. So there we go. Got a little heavy there, just planned on showing our fabulous vegetarian feast.

5 Ingredients

Bri and I found this ice cream, Five, by Haagen Dazs that only has 5 ingred-ients. It is di-vine.

We also had some other ice cream in the fridge, so I looked at the ingredients. There were at least 50! No joke.

The day before Amanda moved out I decided to finally use her ice cream machine that Brian insisted she bring home instead of putting in storage and made some peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream.

I was hooked, and I suddenly knew what to do with a gift card I had lying around waiting for something special to come to mind. Our first batch is now setting up in the freezer. If I didn't add the pecans candied in a little butter and brown sugar, it would just have been milk, cream, and 2 tablespoons of maples syrup.

I have already learned a couple of obvious things. (1) Stir in chunks at the end, (2)it is better right out of the machine than frozen like all the recipes say (since it's not 50% air like the store bought stuff, it gets quite hard) and (3) rather than avoiding recipes that call for only one part of the egg, the yolks can go in the ice cream and whites in the angel food or chiffon cake.

I wonder if we'll stop buying ice cream. Sounds intense, but it's as easy to make as our morning oatmeal. Now you know what we'll be having for dessert after dinner when you come.

Vegetables

I'm not much for new year's resolutions, but lately I'm making one vegetarian dinner a week. I thought Brian would put up more of a stink, but he hasn't complained at all. It's great for all kinds of reasons and hopefully I can step it up to two or more meals soon. It just takes creativity, making new things. So my new goal at the produce store every week, besides getting something from every color, is to get a new vegetable. I just might figure out the difference between rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips soon. I think this week will be brussel sprouts, can you believe I've never bought those?

I've heard several times how much more taxing on the environment meat is, using more resources to produce. The other day we drove to Provo and there was a big truck next to us full of cows headed for some meat processing place in Draper and I got sad. Eli didn't let it get to his conscience. He was excited to see the cows and when I asked him if he wanted to eat a cow he said yes. Ironically, we were on our way to Tucano's.

And you know me and my cheapness, another perk is the money we save. Even better than that is how much healthier it is. And now that I have kids, I must always remember how I'm shaping their habits, so when Eli scarfed down his ratatouille and polenta like it was chicken nuggets and french fries I was quite pleased. It has been our favorite dish, but I've also made vegetarian curry and stuffed shells a couple of times.

So, if anyone has any favorite recipes, please pass them on.

Cookbook

I don't know why I'm so lucky to have a husband that likes to cook (and does the dishes and buys me all the kitchen gadgets I want- the one area where I'm not a cheapskate). For a while now he's been bugging me to write down recipes and make a family cookbook to give out as Christmas gifts. Because of the fact that I rarely use recipes and am too lazy/daunted to write things down, it has not happened. Besides, I'm more of a make-due-with-what's-left-in-the-fridge-when-you-really-need-to-go-grocery-shopping type.

So Brian has declared that he will be the one to do it, right after watching Julie and Julia, might I add. So when he's not working, teaching Soo Bahk, or being a dad he will be busy in the kitchen cooking taking pictures and recording measurements of our favorite dishes, likely ones we've fed all of you.

It will have an obvious Asian emphasis since that's his thing. And I suggest he includes grilling tips since he's the master of the barbecue, so snooty we haven't lit up the gas grill (that we only have because it was give to us) in, well, I can't remember the last time.

Hope he wasn't planning on it being a surprise.

Little Chef

When I'm trying to make dinner and Eli runs in wanting me to come play I always ask if he'd like to help cook. Sometimes I'm just trying to finish quickly and hope he'll cringe at the idea of work and run back to play by himself. Most of the time I want him to help and learn. I'd be so proud if he ended up becoming a cook or chef.

Last week it was salad. He went at the already prepared salad with his toddler knife and when it didn't cut he just tore it and put a few pieces in our bowls. After hacking up the avacado I showed him how to cut and scoop it. Future chef or not, I almost burst with pride when he wanted to wash the dishes he used and ended up asking for 3rds on salad at dinner.

Tomatoes with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

It's been a while since I was excited enough about food to post a recipe. This weekend these tomatoes helped pull me out of my pregnancy-induced hatred of food. Besides two slices, I ate the whole plate myself, thrilled that something finally tasted good and food wasn't just a drab necessity to keep nausea at bay.

I found this dressing last summer on a recipe website, but couldn't hunt it down this year, so here's my take on it. It has to be good if I love it even without the fresh mozzarella to make caprese. I must warn you, I don't measure, so these are approximate and should be adjusted to your own taste. Garlic is key, and you must have some good bread to sop up the good sauce at the end.

Tomatoes with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

3 Good Tomatoes (on the vine or homegrown-DON'T REFRIGERATE!) sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced finely
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Vinegar (Red Wine or Balsamic)
1 Pinch Salt
2 Pinches Sugar (add more if to vinegary for you)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (whisk other ingredients as you add this)
5 Leaves Basil, sliced and sprinkled just before serving (or try Thyme or chives, as long as its fresh)

Hope this sounds good to other people and not just a crazy pregnant lady.

P.S. Just made an appointment for next week to see what the baby is.

Sushi and Duck

That is the combination that happens when you let Brian loose in the kitchen to make Christmas Eve dinner. It makes sense, though, logical man that he is. He has been wanting to throw a sushi party for years and used last night's dinner as a time to test out recipes. Eli liked it, I was so pleased at our two year old with culture. Then came the duck, it's the cheapest meat that Brian finds to be a treat. He did a fabulous Martha recipe. Even more practical than the price was that it was a one pot meal, all the vegetables roasted along with the duck. It was a perfect peaceful dinner; I even had energy to get the kitchen spick and span afterwards.

Bulgogi: Eli Tested, Mother Approved

We love all the Korean food that we've encountered thus far, but the following recipe is for our absolute favorite dish. Bulgogi, which means "fire meat" is thinly sliced, marinated beef in a lettuce wrap with rice. (Above is an authentic table setting with myriads of side dishes, they must like washing dishes.) Pretty much every person that has ever eaten at our house has had bulgogi and everyone seems to love it, even the Gochujang, a uniquely spicy red paste dotted on sparingly. The meat cooked on a table top grill (I'm sure you can use your electric griddle), which makes it a fun choice for entertaining. Guests can cook their own meat as they eat. I'm afraid Eli doesn't afford us such leisurely eating, so I brown the meat ahead of time and we just dig in.
I'm not sure if Eli likes it so much because I especially craved it while pregnant with him, but he stuffed himself silly last week when we made this for dinner. He was like a ferocious animal, eating straight off the plate, bypassing utensils or hands and grabbing meat off our plates and from the serving bowl. We've never seen him eat so much (in Oregon, 1 shrimp was a dinner), he even ate the rice and lettuce that go along with the meat. Let's just say I was pleased, since his scrawniness is one of my motherly worries. And now for the recipe that has worked miracles:

Broiled Beef Bulgogi (serves 4)

4 Scallions, coarsely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP Toasted Sesame Seeds
3 TBSP Soy Sauce
2 tsp. rice wine
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
2 TBSP Sugar
Pepper to taste
1 LB thinly (no more than 1/4") sliced against the grain filet mignon (if your boss is coming for dinner), or sirloin, round stake, or london broil. (I'm sure your friendly neighborhood butcher can cut a roast for free on his fancy machine if you want to make your life easier, otherwise, freeze the meat for an hour to make slicing easier).

Combine all the ingredients and let marinate for at least 1 hour. Preheat broiler or barbecue (brush on vegetable oil if its not a non-stick surface, otherwise, don't use at all) and cook meat in batches, one layer at a time- this is crucial for searing and flavor, Brian's too impatient and cooks it all at once and it turns soggy. Should only take 30 seconds/side.



Serve with romaine lettuce leaves, sticky rice (1/2 C. before cooking/person), and gochujang.
Not the most beautiful plate, but de-lish. It's so healthy, we always eat plenty and don't feel too bad about it.
I made it this time with chicken breast since beef is getting too expensive for my personal $1.99/lb limit. It was a good choice because Eli could chew it easier and therefore eat more.
I hope everyone makes this one, let me know how it goes. Or you can come over and we'll gladly make it for you, maybe even with filet mignon... maybe.

What About Korean?

Lets be honest. When it's time to make dinner or go out, you think tacos, pasta, burgers or maybe even Thai or Indian. But nobody ever thinks Korean. Except for us, of course. If you like garlic and spice, which anyone with taste buds on their tongue should, it's perfect.
So, the next time you're at the grocery store, pick up a couple of ingredients ubiquitous to all Korean dishes:

Garlic
Green Onion
Ginger (powder or fresh (which keeps perfectly in the freezer)
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Rice Wine (if you dare)
And you already own rice (and it better not be Uncle Ben's), preferably short grain Asian, or we like Jasmin.

If you end up liking Korean, go on and buy: Korean chili powder, firm tofu, and kochujang.

One of my best presents to Brian was a Korean cookbook (wow, it's cheap on amazon) which we literally whip out every week. We have many favorites which I will share, the first being a seasonally appropriate.

Soy-Glazed Pumpkin (Yachaejorim)

8 oz. Pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 C. Sugar (we find 1/4 C. to be enough)
2-inch piece of fresh Ginger, grated
6 TBSP Soy Sauce
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chives for garnish

Boil pumpkin for 2 minutes (we steam for a bit longer, should still be firm). Drain well, then put into a skillet. Add sauce and pepper. Heat slowly, stirring carefully, until the sugar dissolves. Then partially cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is tender and glazed with soy syrup.
Garnish with sesame seeds and garlic chives.

Easy, huh? We often do this with acorn squash instead, but peeling it is the devil. Hopefully some of you will try these Korean recipes and love them as much as we do. If not, you'll just think we're crazy.

The Super-Vegetable

Our Beautiful cinderella pumpkin was the onset of my recent enthusiasm for all things squash. This morning at the farmer's market here in town I got even more excited over their beauty and variety. Some were red, green, white, grey, and even white with small veins of pink. These perfect vegetables are easily available, stay good for weeks or months on the counter, and are so healthy and versatile in dishes.
I never really cooked squash until Eli needed baby food and I was obsessed with feeding my prescious little one only the best food I could find. Although butternut is more mainstream, I learned that acorn squash (the little round dark green one with ridges) has much more fiber and is a bit sweeter. Yesterday I made a pureed soup of the two, my best yet:

1 Acorn Squash (halved and seeded)
1 Butternut Squash (halved and seeded)
Oil them a little so they don't dry out or stick to your roasting pan and bake, face-down, at 375 for 1 hour or so, until soft when poked. In the mean time saute:
3 Chopped Carrots
3 Ribs of Celery Chopped
1/2 Onion Chopped in
2 TBSP Oil
Until tender and add
2 Cups of Chicken Broth (I just add water and a bouillon cube) and simmer with any fresh herbs like parsley or thyme and a couple bay leaves.
Once the squash is done, scoop it out of the skin and into a blender with some of the broth and vegetables, leaving out the herbs. You may have to do it in batches and add milk or broth to thin out to desired consistency and salt to taste. I served with ribbons of fresh sage.

Now to other uses. This month in Better Homes and Gardens they had the idea of taking an apple corer to take polka dots out of multi-colored pumpkins and switching them around, so, for example, you have a white pumpkin with orange dots. Martha has plenty of ideas for pumpkins, here are some carving templates.
And don't throw away those seeds in those pumpkin guts, yesterday I learned they have many health benefits. With all their domestic uses, what's there not to be enthusiastic about?

Pollo Negro

Well, for last night's dinner I was dreaming of recreating the best grilled chicken from my favorite restaurant chain in California. Don't be fooled by the humble surroundings, Pollo Norteno, grills up the best chicken you've ever had. I found a close competitor's marinade recipe online since theirs is obviously Top Secret. Preparation began early. In the morning I started boiling pinto beans and got the meat marinating. In the afternoon made spanish rice, and tortillas. We even had fresh home-made salsa. Everything was ready for my pollo dreams to come true.
I guess I was over-confident in my cooking abilities, or just impatient, and decided to work the gas grill for the first time by myself. Brian would be home soon to finish things off. I knew from FoodTV to grill the chicken on low heat for a long time since it takes a while to cook and you don't want grease-induced flames burning the outside before the inside is cooked. I tried adjusting temperatures and moving the meat to the top rack. Apparently traffic was bad and Brian didn't get home until the chicken was black-the skin that is, but I was still sad since that's my favorite part.
Despite it's color, dinner was a hit. Eli was a maniac about all of it, especially the beans (here he is stealing some from my plate). The boys left to hang out with the Young Men from church and I planned to redeem myself by making tart to use up some of the raspberries (which Brian LOVES) that were on super-sale for $1/pack. I made a ground almond crust since it is easier to press a crumble into the tart pan rather than having to roll out finicky dough and filled it with a sinful concoction of raspberry, heavy cream, melted chocolate, and butter. Too bad everyone I know is trying to eat healthier, but if you have an anniversary, birthday, or change your ways, this is a luscious, simple dessert good enough to make anyone cheat on their diet. It took overnight to set, so it was actually breakfast. Poor me.

Preferred Reading

Since graduating college, which meant the end of required reading, I'm embarrassed to say that Brian and I don't devour books like we used to. Lately it's just board books and cookbooks. Brian's welcome home present was a new Korean cookbook. The night he got home he ignored me for a good half an hour, a zombie to the cookbook as if it were sports on TV and he were the sports-watching type. No hurt feelings here,I was just proud of my purchase.
I am quite thrilled about a couple of new cookbooks, A Baker's Tour and All About Vegetarian Cooking. I'm a little self-conscious whenever I attempt bread because it always turns out more crumby than spongy, never like the fancy artisan bread we like to buy. I've been eying the baking book for a while and I'm glad I finally gave in to temptation and bought it. The author includes all kinds of baked goods (bread, cookies, cakes, pies, and even savory pastries) from all over the world, concentrating in Europe. Surprisingly, Switzerland is second only to Italy for the number of recipes in this book and he even includes a recipe special to St. Gallen- Klostertorte. I can't wait to get started and there will definitely be baking updates as soon as I begin to master bread.
I've been thinking about vegetarian food lately since most of us eat more than enough meat and not enough vegetables. Brian wasn't too distressed at my interest, having just come from training with Master Jang (from Santa Barbara who gave us the calligraphy) who talked about being balanced in all aspects of your life and eating an equal amount of each color in meals. I'll admit I feel a tinge of guilt every day when I get out meat to prepare dinner. I don't know where it comes from (okay, I do, the same conscience that makes sure I do my visiting teaching every month and keeps me from throwing away recyclables). I do know that there are other ways of attaining protein, vegetables carry more crucial vitamins and fiber, they're much cheaper, and I hear they take less than 10% of the water that red meat requires to produce. We're not going extreme, just looking to go meatless for a couple of dinners a week. It will definitely take more planning ahead, but I obviously don't mind cooking-related homework.

Ratatouille

Comfort Food for me, I have realized, is what I have eaten in my favorite places, Santa Barbara and Switzerland. I never succeed in making perfect pork roast and pinto beans like my grandma, and last night I tried yet again to make ratatouille served over polenta like Heidi in Switzerland. It was my best attempt yet, the recipe coming from a great website that gives step by step direction (but has a limited number of recipes in its file). I will try and put some zucchini recipes up since the little green squash is in season and you either have a garden, a friend with a garden, or see them on super-sale at the grocery store. I don't know if normal people cook ratatouille, but I think we should all try it. It is inexpensive, healthy, and so hearty even Brian didn't miss the meat.
Luckily the polenta (or grits) turned out quite well; it can substitute noodles in any pasta dish. (I would use chicken bouillon instead of the salt used in the link and stir in a handful of Parmesan cheese and couple tablespoons of butter at the end.) The firm polenta and soft vegetables were supposed to be perfect for Eli, but he was done after 4 slightly coerced bites.
The tomato, eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper don't have to be layered elegantly like in the movie, we just serve it like stew.
I'll admit, when we were eating dinner last night I felt a bit like Ego when he was transported to being a 6-year old boy in his mother's Provence kitchen just by taking a bite of Remy's ratatouille.