Food, Food, Glorious Food!

Have you ever seen Over The Hedge? If not you should. My FB friend Nick Raven wrote a piece for CS Indy on Junk Food and my husband is off meditating in the next room so I suddenly find myself on a weekend with some free time and I'm struck with the urge to write for once in several years....

I appreciate my fair share of junk food too! But, I did learn to cook growing up. I never especially enjoyed cooking (Probably has something to do with gender norms. This is one way in which American males are typically NOT privileged! A book I need to read: Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?, the introduction of economics to the discussion probably escalates it to Intersectional Feminism... ok, enough rabbit hole), and as an adult who works full-time, time is my scarcest resource (or a combination of time, and physical/mental energy). But I do care about health and have managed to learn some nutrition over the years so I've accumulated some ways of trying to do "quick and heathy".

I could probably write a whole separate blog post on my views of nutrition at this point, but if I had to sum it up in one word it would be: fiber! People in modern industrialized societies, especially Americans, don't eat nearly enough. The human gut microbiome is truly amazing and science is only just beginnng to understand the complexities (See: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong), but treat it right and it will take care of you. Gut bacteria thrive on fiber (and there are different kinds of fiber: soluble, non-soluble, prebiotic, resistant starch, etc)! Traditional hunter gatherer societies may have eaten as much as 100g a day. I believe "high-fiber" may be the true paleo guideline. The (FDA?) suggested daily targets are 30-38g for men, and 25g for women. Easier said than done nowadays. To accomplish this, you have to learn what foods have fiber. Well, the simple answer is: plants. But some plants have alot and many have almost none.

Rule-of-thumb fiber amounts:

• Avocado: 13g
• Pear: 6g
• Apple: 4g
• Banana: 3g (as it ripens, it loses some fiber)
• Peanut Butter (2 Tablespoons): 3g
• Cocoa (1 Tablespoon): 2g
• Chia seeds (1 Tablespoon): 5g
• Old fashioned oats (1/2cup dry): 5g
• Whole Grain Bread (1 slice): 2g (Some brands have more. Dave's Bread is 5g, I think?)
• Whole Grain pasta (5-13g per serving, depends on the type/brand)

Power Combos (small amount of prep work):

• Smoothie (Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Banana, Oat Milk)
• Overnight oats (My favorite is peanut butter & cocoa)
• Chia pudding (I usually add blueberries or bananas. Or add: frozen dark cherries, coconut flakes, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract)

Quick Snacks (No prep!):

• Pumpkin Seeds (1/4 cup, with shells): 5g
• Okra Chips (Sprouts and now King Soopers): 6g
• Dark chococlate (varies by %cocoa)
• Kirkland Nutbar (Costco): 8g
• Toasted whole grain bread w/butter and Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Quick meals:

• Quorn Mozarella & Pesto "Chicken" Cutlets (I love Quorn products, made from mycelium!) with microwave steamable Brussel Sprouts in butter sauce
• Tasy Bite microwaveable Indian veggies (I like Kashmir Spinach, and Madras Lentils) combined with Seeds of Change microwaveable rice pouches. Both are available from Costco. Maybe a toasted multi-grain mini naan on the side.
• BANZA pasta, Quorn crumbles, and your favorite brand of marinara sauce (Costco's Bertolli is pretty good).

Small amount of prep work:

• Corns chips and guacamole (Tip: blue corn has extra anti-oxidants)
• Roasted Chickpeas (I decided to pop some in the oven while writing this!)

Note: if you suddenly increase your fiber intake, it can be... uncomfortable. I recommended adding it to your diet gradually. Some people's bodies respond to different types of fiber in differt ways. Go slow, find what works for you.

Fast food is still faster than some of these. And yes, some fast food is just such an amazing flavor bomb! Ok, here's a plug for some of my favorite junk foods:

• Thin Mint Oreos
• Reeses Take 5
• Dr Pepper, FTW!
• Jalapeno Cheetos
• Chex Mix Party Blend
• Carl's Jr: Beyond Burger with Cheese, Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Arby's: Classic RB Sandwich, Curly fries, Jamocha shake (I'm not a vegetarian)

(see, I'm a relateable human being, if I can add healthy stuff to my diet, so can you...well, I mean, I know some people can't. Food deserts, money, allergies, etc, sorry if any of that is you, not trying to condecend here)

Believe it or not, I actually dream of a day when fast food is healthy food! Another thing I care about in food production is sustainability. I mentioned Beyond Burgers, and Quorn. I'm all for lab-grown meat! I also want to try kelp burgers, algae-based foods (there is a promising replacement for palm oil derived from algae), and insect based foods. Cricket Donuts, anyone?

I have never tried Soylent, sorry. The name is kind of a turn-off for me. Probably not a bad product. Also, if you are in The Springs I highly recommend the restaurants: Arharn Thai (Veggie Lard Na), Pho-Nomenal (Veggie Pho), Mi Mexico (Crab Soup & Sangria), Little Nepal (buffet. Unique items: Tomato Coconut Soup and Carrot Pudding), and Poor Richard's Soup Bar with Bread (All the soups are good, but if you go on a day that they serve Beer Cheese you are in for a treat). It's fall. A chill is in the air and I had soup on the brain.

Beef & Cabbage Calzones

Easy to make alot and freeze. Very convenient as work/school lunches. My mom used to make these for co-op lunches. Yummy!

* Equal Amounts ground beef and shredded cabbage
* 1/2 diced onion (for 1lb beef)
* salt & pepper to taste
* frozen bread dough

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Add shredded cabbage & diced onion. Cook until done with lid on, stirring occasionally. Salt & pepper to taste. Roll out bread dough into large rectangle 1/4" thick.  Cut into 5" to 6" squares. Put 2-3 Tbsp filling in the middle. You must not get any grease on the edges. Fold into triangle and seal (wet edges if necessary). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350° until brown (20-30 minutes).

Spicy Recipes

Zucchini Stir-Fry (from Allrecipes.com)

• 2 slices bacon (I use 95% fat free turkey bacon)
  
• 2 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced (I use zucchini)
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional - I de-seed the pepper first)
• 1 dash soy sauce
  
• salt and pepper to taste (I skip the salt - bacon and soy sauce are salty enough!)
  

1. Place bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until crisp.
   Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Add the squash, onion, and
   jalapeno to the skillet. Fry in the bacon drippings until tender, but
   still firm, stirring frequently. Crumble bacon into the skillet, and
   season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir, to blend in seasonings,
   and serve.

Spicy Mexican Black Beans

Often times, Adrian and I grill on the weekends, and he takes the leftovers to work the following week. But, "man cannot live by meat alone" (ahem - paraphrased), so I always am looking for good side dishes to send with him. Adrian likes beans, but hates plain flavors, so here's a quick and easy side dish option that I use alot:

1 can black beans, 15 oz
1 can diced green chiles, 4 oz
a sprinkling of shredded cheese (Cheddar or "fiesta" blends)
a sprinkling of Mexican seasoning

For the seasoning, I use homemade fajita seasoning from RecipeZaar (mind you, for actual fajitas I prefer the grocery store seasoning packets):

    * 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    * 2 teaspoons chili powder
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon paprika
    * 1 teaspoon sugar
    * 3/4 teaspoon crushed chicken bouillon cube (I skip this if I don't have any)
    * 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    * 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Again, I skip the salt. I think even the plain canned items have salt added, and the cheese probably has some too. This is supposed to make the equivalent of three seasoning packets (about 2 T per packet). I just make a bunch and keep it in a jar to sprinkle as needed.

Wassail

OK - so this one is a "spicy" drink. Not spicy in the hot since, but in the... spicy sense! Anyway, my grandma sometimes used to make this at Christmas, and I remember thinking as a kid that it was the most wonderful drink...

2 quarts apple cider (I just use 2 cans frozen apple juice concentrate + water, and add a bit more of the other ingredients)
2 cups orange juice.
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (I buy them in bulk from a local Mexican store - it's much cheaper than the pre-packaged sticks)
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Simmer in a large soup pot on the stove, or crock pot, for several hours. The house will smell wonderful as well ;)

Pumpkin Recipes

Holloway's Pumpkin Bread
My mom got this recipe from our next door neighbor when I was a kid, and has been making it as long as I can remember. When I made it Adrian insisted I reduce the oil content, and if you don't reduce it too much, and substitute applesauce (or more pumpkin) for what you do eliminate, then it's still pretty good.

Dry Ingredients:
3c flour
2t baking soda
1 1/2t salt
1t nutmeg
1t cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
4 eggs
1c oil
3c sugar
1c pumpkin cooked & mashed

Combine and sift dry ingredients. Beat wet ingredients well. Add dry ingredients alternately with 2/3c water, into pumpkin mixture; blend. Bake 350° 1 hour. Pour into 3 greased 1 coffee tins or 3 loaf pans.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I found this recipe on the internet, and made it for a cookie exchange. These are quite good :)

1c canned pumpkin (I use cooked & mashed "fresh" pumpkin)
1c white sugar
1/2c vegetable oil
1 egg
2c all-purpose flour
2t baking powder
2t ground cinnamon
1/2t salt
1t baking soda
1t milk
1T vanilla extract
2c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 chopped walnuts

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder,

...I'll finish this blog later. Adrian is threatening to throw away my compost.(resumed)

...ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Ramen Cabbage Salad

1 (3oz) package chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
10oz Cashew pieces
1 (16oz) pkg coleslaw mix, or 1/2 head of cabbage
1 bunch green onions
1/2c white sugar
1/2c vegetable oil
1/4c cider vinegar
2T soy sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Crush noodles and nuts with a rolling pin. Toast until golden brown (usu. takes at least 10 minutes, but check often b/c they can burn before you know it)
2. In a large bowl, combine chopped cabbage (or coleslaw mix) and chopped onions.
3. Mix together sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and Ramen seasonings.
4. Toss the greens with the toasted nuts/noodles and dressing. Serve fresh - this salad will get soggy if you try to keep leftovers.

Asian Cuisine

Teriyaki Glaze
From a marinade bottle that I received at my bridal shower. It's cool because it already has the measurements marked on the side. There are 3 other marinade recipes on this bottle, but this one is our favorite. I use it on chicken.

1/2t pepper
1/2t salt
1T garlic powder
1T sugar
1T grated ginger
4oz white wine
4oz soy sauce

Put raw meat and marinade in a large gallon ziploc, and let set for at least 15 minutes before grilling. One time I left this in the refrigerator for 24 hours - that was REALLY good. Usually, however, Adrian decides he wants to grill without giving me 24 hour notice ;)

Quick Sesame Green Beans
From allrecipes.com. This is a good side for the chicken above. I'm not so exact with the spice measurements, and I often end up making this WAY too garlicy.

8oz fresh green beans, trimmed
4 cloves garlic
2T soy sauce
1T sesame seeds
1/2T red pepper flakes (I keep a small jar of these saved from when we have pizza)
1/2T miso paste (optional - I don't use this)
1t grated fresh ginger root (I use dried ginger powder)

1. Steam green beans for 5 minutes or until soft, then transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Mix together all other ingredients, and pour over the beans.

Beef Pho
This is a Vietnamese soup that I first had at a local restaurant. That is the weirdest restaurant, they are almost always closed. Given that they haven't gone out of business yet, I'm beginning to wonder if they are a front for a criminal ring of some kind. Anyway, then Adrian wanted to make it at home, and we found this recipe online. The trick is to use fresh herbs.

225g broad rice noodles (Banh Pho - I found these at WalMart)
100g rump steak, finely shredded (I use whatever kind of beef steak I have)
1 onion, peeled and chopped into rings
1 lemon, juiced
1 pkg fresh bean sprouts
4T fresh coriander, chopped (coriander=cilantro)
4T fresh mint, finely chopped
3-4 hot red or green chili peppers cut into rings (optional - I think I used jalapenos)
90 mL Nuoc Mam sauce (see next recipe)
3 cups beef broth (or water+boullion)

Nuoc Mam Sauce
1 part lime/lemon juice or vineager
1 part fish sauce (I learned that "fish sauce" is made from, among other things, fermented anchovy juice. The mere thought turns my stomach, so I substitute soy sauce and that seems to work just fine.)
1 part sugar
2 parts water

1. Soak noodles for 30 minutes in warm water, until just soft
2. Drain and keep warm. Soak onion rings in lemon juice for 20 minutes.
3. Arrange coriander, mint sprouts, and lemon or lime wedges on different plats and place on the table.
4. First add noodles to the soup bowles, then follow with herbs, then onion and chiles if desired.Add meat, placing it in a single layer over the whole.
5. Pour the stock over the paper-thin meat, turning it from raw to rare and releasing the scnets and flavors of the coriander, mint and chili.
6. Add the Nuoc Mam sauce, a squeeze of lemon or lime, and slurp away.

...Now, I actually boil the meat a little first, out of hygiene concerns. I also add everything to one bowl, and don't both with separate plates of herbs. However, the soup is tough to serve. Maybe I should be cutting up the noodles a bit first?

Clatite Pie

This is a Romanian recipe, it's sort of like pancakes. Here is the recipe for the pancake part:

1c flour
2c milk
2 eggs
2t sugar
2t butter
salt (to taste - not much)

Mix up all those ingredients, and fry one ladleful at a time. After you make all the "pancakes" (makes about 10), spread a filling on each one, roll them up, and place in the oven at 400° for about 15 min. Fillings can include jam/preserves/dulchatsa, whipped cream, chocolate, and two special fillings that I will give recipes for in a minute. OK, that's how you make traditional clatite. However, Adrian and I always seem to have trouble getting the pancakes to "harden" and flip as they are supposed to - so what we end up with is a mass of mushed clatite, which won't hold filling or roll up into a decent shape. So, I just started layering a baking pan with half of the clatite pieces, put in the filling, then layer the other half on top. It tastes the same, and is easier and faster to cook - it's just not as pretty. Anyway, as promised, here are the other filling recipes:

Turkey Mushroom Filling (appetizer or main dish)
150g chopped cooked turkey (lunch meat, turkey bacon, etc)
100g sour cream
1/2 pkg cream cheese
1 sm (8 oz) can chopped mushrooms
1/4 onion chopped
season to taste with salt, black pepper, italian spices, and garlic powder

Cook as before. This is especially good topped with marinara sauce, sour cream and parmesan.

Cheese Filling (My favorite!!)
Mix equal parts feta cheese (Traditional salty variety - can be bought for a decent price, in bulk, at Sam's. Also good in soups and salad. Freezes well.), farmer's cheese (can substitute cottage cheese - if there is too much liquid mix in a little cream of wheat or flour). I do this in a 4c measuring cup, and so it probably works out to about 1c of each kind of cheese. Add some sugar (I usually use about 1/2c), vanilla (1t ?), and an egg. Mix all ingredients together, and then either spread spoonfuls on individual clatite and roll-up, or use the pie method mentioned before. Enjoy!

The Best Kinds of Ice Cream

Current mood:hungry
If you are going out, it's hard to beat either:

Braum's Mint-Chocolate Chip Fudge Sundae, or
Cold Stone Creamery Coffee Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups folded in

But, if you are staying at home, try the following:

1. mint-chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge topping (the thick stuff, not Hershey's syrup)
2. coffee ice cream topped with a melted mixture of chocolate chips and peanut butter (wait for it to harden)
3. vanilla bean ice cream covered with fesh blueberries
4. chocolate ice cream with cherry dulchatsa (spelling? It's a Romanian kind of jelly/preserve that my mother-in-law makes. Strawberry preserves are another option)

Oh, and if you have an ice cream maker, you can make really excellent peppermint ice cream. I don't exactly know how, but my Grandma used to make it sometimes. You have to use the right kind of peppermint candies, though. Normal candycanes and breathmints won't do the trick. I have an ice cream maker that I have never used (wedding present?), so I will have to figure that out sometime.

Quick, Easy, Cheap - DELICIOUS - Dinner Rolls

Current mood:hungry
From Taste of Home's 2003 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes:

Poppy Seed Biscuit Ring
1/3c butter
1t dried minced onion
1t poppy seeds
1/2t dried minced garlic (I just use garlic powder)
2 tubes (12oz ea) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (The size and type aren't actually all that important)


1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F (or whatever the biscuit directions say)
2. Melt the butter in a bowl, and mix with dry ingredients.
3. Dip biscuits individually in this, and then arrange on a baking pan or cookie sheet in a ring (with each biscuit standing on it's side).
4. Cook according to biscuit directions, or until golden brown.