New Year, New Commitments

As I've mentioned before in this blog, I was raised a strict vegan and vegetarian, for religious reasons, until the age of 10. After that, many changes occurred in my family life, and by the time I was a teenager, I had left the religion behind and began an omnivorous diet. In recent years, I've gone back and forth - periods of meat eating, followed by periods of vegetarianism. It was always more about my personal preferences, and not really about a cause.

However, lately I have re-considered. The more I know - the more evidence of harm to the earth, to the animals, and to human health - the more I never want to eat animals again. It is time for humans to end suffering and violence on the planet. What better place to start than with food?

There is such joy and lightness in eating plant foods. I want to teach and inspire you to give it a try.

Winter Comfort Food, the Fresh Way

Cold weather has a way of making us want to hibernate – and stoke the carbs: cookies, crackers, French fries, mac & cheese, and any number of heavy, meaty, casserole-y types of things. Heavy foods may seem like just the thing you want. But, many of these foods come with a heavy price of empty calories, and little nutrition: you end up paying later with sluggishness and weight gain.

Even our go-to, quick nutrition-boosting smoothies and juices aren’t that appetizing in cold weather.  It helps to have something warm that expands in the stomach, to lend that feeling of comfort and satisfaction.

Winter places a lot of stress on the body. It’s common to become dehydrated, due to dry heat, adjusting to the change in temperatures from indoors to outdoors, and simply forgetting to drink water. A tall cold glass of H2O isn’t very appealing when you’re shivering your tail off.  It takes more energy to stay warm, and depleted energy can compromise the body’s resistance. 

Soups are an easy answer at this time of year. Homemade soup is one of the quickest, easiest and healthiest ways to refuel. Done right, soup is hydrating, filling and calorie conscious, while packing a nice energy punch.

Today, I made a fabulous soup in less than ½ hour, and it has left me feeling terrific – full of energy, yet relaxed and satisfied. The secret ingredient: Miso - Keep some in your refrigerator, it’s amazing.

Miso is fermented soybean paste, a staple of Japanese cuisine. It makes a super healthy, flavorful broth in seconds flat. If you can't find it locally, order here: https://www.great-eastern-sun.com/shop/miso-master-

Here’s how to make the soup:

Easy Bok Choy Soup

1 small bunch of (organic if possible) bok choy; the white part should be firm and unblemished, and the green tops should look alive and not wilted; you could also use two or three baby boc choy;

2 – 3 Tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil

¼ cup to ½ cup of mixed dried sliced mushrooms (shitake, chanterelle, oyster, etc)

1-1/2 cups of water

½ cup of tofu, cubed

2 Tablespoons of miso paste (mild white miso)

½” slices of hard squash, such as delicate, acorn or butternut

Soy sauce to taste

Start by bringing the water and dried mushrooms to a boil in a small saucepan, and preparing some water in a pan to steam the squash. Wash the bok choy thoroughly, trim the stem end, and then slice into bite-sized chunks. In an iron skillet over medium to high heat, melt the coconut oil. When a few drops of water pop and sizzle, add the bok choy. Sautee it, stirring every minute or so; while you’re doing this, reduce the mushrooms to a simmer, and add the sliced squash to the steamer.

It takes about 5 to 7 minutes for the stems of the bok choy to start looking translucent. Remove the mushrooms from the heat, and pour the entire contents of the pot in with the bok choy. Turn down the heat to low, and add the cubed tofu and miso paste. Stir a few times, and turn off the heat. Stir the mixture, smashing the miso and making sure that it is fully incorporated. 

Transfer to a large soup bowl, and top with the sliced squash-which just needs to be soft when you poke it with a fork, (you can eat the peelings if you want-they’re good!), and a few shakes of soy sauce. You won’t believe how delicious this is! So refreshing and healthy. Enjoy!

The Hunt for Healthy Food: Good Things, and Where to Find Them

In the food business, there is something called “procurement” – and there are people whose whole careers are devoted it. The person who finds and buys (hopefully the best) food at the best prices has a very important job. That’s because a kitchen can’t run without food!

At home, your kitchen won’t run without food - and neither will you. It makes sense that procurement is the MOST important step to eating well.  A well-stocked kitchen makes the difference between delicious and mediocre at mealtime. But where to find all the goodness you crave at affordable prices?

I’m lucky enough to live in a large urban area with a huge indoor farmer’s market nearby – Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market – overflowing with fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread and bulk dry goods.  Within five miles, I can also shop at ethnic markets, Whole Foods, a food co-op, several weekly local farmer’s markets, and a variety of small specialty shops, not to mention some of the area’s largest grocery chain stores.

If you don’t live close to good food sources, you might have to be a little more creative. In this post, I will suggest places to find good, healthy and economical food, besides your local chain grocery store.   

Grow Your Own

It does not have to be a huge time commitment or take up a lot of space. You would be surprised at how much it helps to have a few pots of herbs, a tomato plant or a few containers of lettuce. Or, join (or start) a community gardening project, and connect with other folks who grow their own. Swap veggies, make friends.

Local Farms

Many small, local farms have a CSA program. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  It’s basically a program where you subscribe to the farm for a period of time by paying up front for a certain amount of produce, meat and/or dairy products. Just put "local CSA" in your search engine.

Local Farmer’s Markets

Even small communities are jumping on the bandwagon with farmer’s markets, some which sell all year long. No farmer’s market in your area? Start one. Find local farmers at www.localharvest.org   Also, look for your nearest State Farmer’s Market. There, you’ll find farmers and vendors who sell fresh produce and local specialties.

Amish Markets, Produce Stands, Independent Health Food Stores,

Natural Foods Co-Ops, Ethnic Markets

Most communities have independent stores of some kind – and the little guys sometimes have great deals on things you can’t get elsewhere. For example, many independent stores sell in bulk, which is great for your kitchen, your health and your wallet - think: dried beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, spices and more; and, I find that the Indian market near my house has the best buy on Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the 3 liter tin.

If there is a source for good food within a couple hours drive, you might make a once-a-month trip to stock up. When I lived in South Georgia, my family and I would often drive two hours north to Atlanta to stock up on essentials. Planning makes this type of excursion worthwhile – make your meal plans and grocery lists, and share the trip with a friend or family member to defray the cost.  Plus it’s fun!

Happy hunting!

Invest in a Little Stock, the Edible Kind

Stock – otherwise known as broth – is one of the most satisfying things I ever make in my kitchen. It’s really easy, economical, nutritious, and the flavor payoff is huge. If you’ve never made it, you must definitely give it a try. Then you’ll be hooked.

I do not claim to be a stock expert – so all you folks with formal culinary training, feel free to chime in. But I think the most important thing is having a few basic guidelines (which I’m going to give you) and following your own intuition – as well as your taste buds!

For those of you who know me, I need to add that I’ve drifted back and forth between vegetarian, vegan and carnivorous diets for my entire life. Right now, I’ve entered a mostly-vegetarian phase, where about 80% of my meals are meatless, with the occasional chicken and fish.

The procedure I give here is for chicken broth – but if you’re a vegetarian, the instructions are really pretty much the same: just leave out the bird.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I roasted a whole organic Bell & Evans chicken. This was a basic roasted chicken – I split it in half, drizzled it with olive oil, salted and peppered it, and placed it in a large baking dish with a whole slew of quartered onions and several garlic cloves. So easy. Then I roasted it until it was done. The meat provided a couple of meals. Then, with the carcass sitting in the refrigerator on the 3^rd day, we were headed out of town, so I popped the whole dish into the freezer.

One week later, it was time to make stock. (Ok, this is how you do it now!):

I filled a large kettle (a stockpot) with 4 liters of purified water, and put it on the stove, on high heat, to bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, I added the frozen chicken carcass (scraps, fat & all) to the water. Then, I added some vegetable scraps and whole veges: a few stalks of celery, a turnip, half of a fennel bulb, a few small pieces of bell pepper, a couple of carrots, two large Spanish onions, 4 or 5 bay leaves.

No need to do a lot of prep on the vegetables – rinse, peel (or not), trim (or not).  I usually cut them into manageable chunks, or quarter them.  (If you’re making vegetable stock, use more veges – and be sure to include some dark leafy greens like mustard, collards, or turnip greens, because they add an incredible punch of flavor.)

No vegetables are really off-limits – but it’s better to avoid the ones that would overpower the broth, such as cabbage, broccoli, or garlic. Also, potatoes will break down and create a cloudy stock, which is ok from a flavor standpoint, but looks awful and spoils the texture. Be sure to go with plenty of onions, carrots and celery – the Holy Trinity….or is that onions, celery and bell pepper? Anyway. All of those are good.

And NOW for the exciting secret to the best, richest most flavorful broth ever!!!! DRIED MUSHROOMS. So amazing. I added about 3 to 4 ounces of dried shitake mushrooms.  (Bought in bulk from Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market, they’re super cheap.) Go for the mushrooms, they will change your life. Or at least your stock.

Anyway, at this point, just let it simmer. Mine simmered on medium-low heat most of the day on Saturday.  I did not feel like dealing with it after that, so I just put a folded towel on the refrigerator shelf to disperse the heat, put the lid on it, set the stock pot containing hot broth on the shelf, and went to bed.

The next day, I removed the pot and skimmed off the chicken fat and set it aside for the cats. (It also makes good human food, if you like it.) Take another kettle and set a colander in it. (Get out all your pots & pans now, and whatever containers the broth will be stored in. Store it in pints or quarts, or in single cup servings, for easy thawing.)

Pour the contents of the stock pot into the colander. You may have to do this in a couple of batches. Once you’ve strained the large pieces out, pour through a fine sieve into clean jars or other freezer storage containers. Label the containers with a Sharpie (date, contents, quantity) and freeze.

Your homemade stock will transform anything – make soup, rice, sauces, whatever. The idea is for the stock to be flavorful, but sort of neutral. You don’t typically salt or season it, so that later, it can take on whatever character is needed for a recipe. It is so rich, that it can actually be diluted with a little water when making the recipe.

The improv Asian-style soup you see in the picture above was made with my stock, water, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, jalapenos, carrots, parsnips, green onion and a few rice noodles. It went together almost as fast as packaged ramen. And, it was off the chain.

My most recent batch of stock made about one gallon.  

Broth and Beans and Other Good Things....

Simple Dinners Are the Best came about as a Facebook page that I developed about a year ago, while working full time and juggling household responsibilities as a single mom. I wanted to share my ideas for good, clean eating without a lot of fuss.

Now that I'm unemployed, I have more time for cooking, but I still want meals that are simple to make.  Stretching the food dollar is more of a consideration, too. So making things in advance, from scratch, makes total sense.

This is where cooking in stages really comes in handy. Take refried beans, for example - the staple of an outstanding burrito, enchilada or plate of nachos. When I was working, I just bought the organic refried beans in the can, and that was fine. But dried beans cost WAY less. Yes, it takes more hours to prepare dried beans from scratch, but the result tastes far & away better than canned beans. It doesn't have to take up that much more time either, if you prepare them in stages.

Here's how:

BEANS

2 cups of dried beans (*organic* pinto, cranberry or black beans; other beans can be cooked the same way, but these three lend themselves best to refried beans)

6 - 8 cups of water

Rinse the dried beans and sort. This means you need to look for any little stones or other inedible bits that might be mixed in with the beans. Put the beans and the water in a large kettle and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 or 15 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let the beans soak anywhere from 4 hours to overnight.

Drain off the soaking water, and add 6 to 8 cups of fresh water, one teaspoon of salt, and 2 or 3 large bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low for 4 hours or more. Top off with more water as it cooks off, just to keep the beans covered. Stir periodically, check for tenderness. Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat and let stand until cool.

The last time I made this, I let the beans sit covered on the stove for about 36 hours....just busy and forgot about them. They were fine! Anyway, once they're cool, you can pack them into a couple of quart or pint containers and freeze. When it's time to use them, take them out, thaw, drain and use in your favorite dish.....such as REFRIED BEANS:

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to a heavy skillet. Over medium heat, add the beans. Carefully - so as not to create an accident - use a potato masher to squash the beans, then scoop and stir constantly with a spatula until the beans start to become more creamy. Add a little of the liquid at a time, to keep a smooth consistency. Add a little more oil, too. Crush 3 fat cloves of garlic and add that to the mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep stirring, and adding liquid to achieve a nice, creamy consistency. If the beans are too firm to yield a smooth texture, let them cool, then throw the mix into the food processor and blend. Usually, pinto beans work best for refried beans because they're soft; but cranberry beans and black beans work well too, however you may want to use the food processor for those.

Variations are endless - you could cook the beans with sausage or pork fat, or any variety of seasonings. Refried beans are traditionally made with lard, but I love the lightness of olive oil. Believe me, when you use homemade refried beans for a burrito, or a dip, you WILL be able to taste the difference.

Next time: BROTH

Stocking the Pantry for Quick, Healthy Meals

Nothing supports simple dinners like a well-stocked pantry. Simple means easy, peaceful, trouble-free! NOT "Damn it! No olive oil! Arrrgh! One lousy can of cranberry sauce from two years ago - what can I make with that???"

It's helpful to expand the definition here- by "pantry" I mean not only the place where you store your dry goods, but the freezer and refrigerator as well. And, to help you out, I'm offering a list! This may not be the ultimate list in the world, but these are things I like to keep on hand, and maybe it will give you a starting point. 

Once you've got your pantry stocked, it's easy to shop for fresh foods every few days - or once a week. Find your local farmer's market to get the best, peak season selections. 

Before launching into the list, a reminder: it's all about QUALITY! You are what you eat! Find places that have high quality goods for the best price - stores that sell in bulk, or online sources if you don't have good stores nearby. Buy organic as much as possible, to be assured of purity. And, don't forget to read the labels. Avoid artificial preservatives, colorings, fillers, anything you can't pronounce.

Brands I like: Spectrum Organic (oils, mayo), Arrowhead Mills (organic flour, grain, meal, peanut butter), Eden Organic (beans, noodles, etc), Bubbies (pickles, sauerkraut), Kalona Organics (dairy products), Muir Glen (tomatoes, salsa, ketchup...), Mary's Gone Crackers (gluten free crackers), Braggs (cider vinegar, liquid aminos)......the list goes on.  

Seek out LOCAL producers who create products with integrity and artistry - local honey, jams jellies & preserves, breads, hand-crafted cheese, charcuterie - these items are always worth the little bit extra you pay. Your dollars support your local economy, and the goods generally pack a flavor punch like nothing else.

Make your own inventory list, post it in the kitchen and mark things as you run out. Then use it as a shopping list. 

Grains/Pasta

Whole wheat pasta-variety of shapes (I like Bionaturae; hard to find sometimes, but it's organic and the texture is superb)
Rice noodles
Buckwheat Soba
Brown Basmati rice - Lundberg is the best, imo
Short grain brown rice
Cous Cous, whole wheat
Barley
Corn meal - grits, polenta, regular corn meal
Rolled Oats

Nuts/Seeds/Nut Butters

Almond Butter
Hazelnut Paste
Tahini
Peanut Butter (make sure it's pure - no added sweeteners or oils)
Hemp seed Butter
Sunflower Seeds (raw)
Almonds (raw)
Cashews (raw)
Pumpkin seeds (raw)
Walnuts
Pecans
Golden Flax Seeds
Sesame Seeds
(I keep all nuts & seeds in the freezer and refrigerate nut butters, as oils can perish rapidly)

Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar (unfiltered)
Champagne Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Fruit Vinegar - Raspberry, Pear, Fig
Rice Vinegar

Oil/Fat

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Sesame Oil - Toasted and Untoasted
Walnut Oil
Almond Oil
Sunflower Oil
Peanut Oil
Butter
Ghee
Mayo and/or
Vegenaise

Dried Fruit/Veges

Jumbo Flame Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Dried Cherries
Dried Blueberries
Dried Mushrooms
Sun Dried Tomatoes 

Condiments

Dijon Mustard
Horseradish
Ketchup
Kalamata Olives
Spanish Olives
Tabasco
Sriracha
Soy Sauce/Tamari
Miso paste
Jams & Jellies 
Honey (raw, local)
Capers
Sundried tomatoes in oil
Pesto (homemade is best, kept in the freezer)
Pickles - sweet, sour, dill, kraut

Herbs & Spices

Sea Salt - make sure they haven't added anti-caking agents; I like La Baleine
Peppercorns - black, pink, white, green
Chili Powder
Cumin
Cayenne
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Dill Weed
Fennel Seed
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
....there are so many! This is just a start.

Canned Food
Beans - Eden Organic: Pinto, Black, Garbanzo, Kidney, Navy, Cannelini, Lentils, Refried
Broth - Pacific (this is actually in aseptic packaging)
Tomatoes - home canned is best, but otherwise, I use Muir Glen. Everybody has their favorite
Coconut milk
Curry paste
Artichoke Hearts (in water)
Green Chiles
Roasted Red Bell Peppers
Tapenade
Salsa
Pineapple

Freezer

Corn Tortillas
Flour Tortillas
Bread - homemade or purchased
Muffins - homemade or purchased
Soups - homemade
Broth - homemade
Seasonal fruit
Casserole - freeze the leftovers
Chopped onions
Chopped bell peppers
Fruit puree (for smoothies)
Sliced bananas (for smoothies)
Hemp protein powder
A container for vege scraps, for soup & broth

A container for old bread, for bread crumbs and croutons