after a long hiatus (winter, dreary rain, deadlines, etc.), i feel the urge to food blog again. and this time, it's all about the salad!
i love the look of leaves - on the trees, and also neatly washed and packaged on my grocer's shelf. yes, i admit it, i buy greens in a bag. occasionally i'll buy romaine hearts, but that's as au naturel as i go these days. i love to cook, but my time in the kitchen is limited by persistent deadlines (coupled by my unbelievably sloooow writing process, something that is vital to my day job), ergo i take all the help i can get.
so, now, back to leaves, leaves, leaves! spinach, arugula, red lettuce, romaine, butter lettuce, the boston bibb - i love most all leafy greens, with the exception of frisee, which i find to be unnecessary and a waste of salad space.
i came home yesterday and had in my fridge the following:
- arugula mix in a bag (which comes with some mesclun-y additions)
- newman's own lite balsamic dressing (a big ol' bottle that has lasted me lovely long time)
- brown rice tortillas (gluten free, b/c i'm trying yet another digestive experiment)
- 1/2 a red onion
in the pantry:
- roasted pepitas
after an intense 35 minutes on an elliptical-looking machine, i stopped by a couple of grocery stores and picked up the following:
- rice shreds (cheddar flavored)
- a green apple
- ricotta salada (the real kind, b/c it's sheep's milk and does not wreak havoc on my insides!)
i was inspired by the green apple, and by the fact that the tartness of the green apple is simultaneously enhanced and harnessed by the warmth of the flavor of cheddar. i was also inspired conceptually by this hungrygirl recipe: Quesadilla Yee-Haa! i'll call mine: green apple quesadilla 'n greens
first, i made a quesadilla by lightly grilling one of the brown rice tortillas on a skillet on both sides. then i added some of the rice shreds on the bottom, and as the cheese began to warm and melt, i sliced up a quarter of the green apple as thin as i could. i placed the apple slices on top of the cheese, added a bit more cheese on top and then closed up the quesadilla and let it cook through while i prepared the salad.
i thinly sliced up half of the red onion, again into half moons. in a large mixing bowl, i added half of my bag o' greens, the rest of the green apple (roughly chopped), a small handful of pepitas, the onion slices, the ricotta salada (diced), and a capful of dressing. i tossed everything together and plated it in the middle of my dinner plate. i cut the quesadilla into four pieces and arranged them in the center with the tips pointing up.
simply satisfying and DEEElicious!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
prelude to a recipe - nytimes vegetarian frustrations
i read the following post today in the "diner's journal" - called to my attention by my recently internet-omniscient brother: vegetarian frustrations, vegetarian solutions
to the observations made by the author, i offer the following thought... why is vegetarian/vegan food considered an afterthought or a substitution? true, i have never known a life where meat, seafood and poultry were central, nor do i question their centrality in the culinary lives of others. my frustration stems from being viewed and misperceived as a nuisance to the true gustatory possibilities to be found at most eating establishments - you mean you just want plain pasta? i've even given up on the fantasy of being able to pick anything on a given menu because allergies keep it from ever becoming a reality. and certainly no eatery can appeal to everyone. but might not there be more than a hidden few that offer a range of choices without the shaming of the veggie/vegans?
the ny times post is really a call to arms for some of the many wonderful vegan/veggie bloggers, whose recipes and descriptions read like culinary poetry, to open up eating establishments - whatever the format. one of my consistent favorites for several years now is a food truck - two food trucks in two campus locations, to be exact - on the upenn campus: magic carpet. the food is just good. and fast. and healthy. and it's not 'vegetarian food' - although the menu is completely vegetarian - but rather good food that all can enjoy. and really, what could be better than eating from a truck, especially when you know what you're putting in your mouth isn't going to wreak havoc in your stomach just a few hours later...!
to the observations made by the author, i offer the following thought... why is vegetarian/vegan food considered an afterthought or a substitution? true, i have never known a life where meat, seafood and poultry were central, nor do i question their centrality in the culinary lives of others. my frustration stems from being viewed and misperceived as a nuisance to the true gustatory possibilities to be found at most eating establishments - you mean you just want plain pasta? i've even given up on the fantasy of being able to pick anything on a given menu because allergies keep it from ever becoming a reality. and certainly no eatery can appeal to everyone. but might not there be more than a hidden few that offer a range of choices without the shaming of the veggie/vegans?
the ny times post is really a call to arms for some of the many wonderful vegan/veggie bloggers, whose recipes and descriptions read like culinary poetry, to open up eating establishments - whatever the format. one of my consistent favorites for several years now is a food truck - two food trucks in two campus locations, to be exact - on the upenn campus: magic carpet. the food is just good. and fast. and healthy. and it's not 'vegetarian food' - although the menu is completely vegetarian - but rather good food that all can enjoy. and really, what could be better than eating from a truck, especially when you know what you're putting in your mouth isn't going to wreak havoc in your stomach just a few hours later...!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
hello udon!
last month i made a glorious discovery: whole wheat udon noodles at zabar's! the precooked kind in vacuum sealed packets that can be found in the refrigerated section. i scooped up 4 packets and went to town on them over the next week.
my first culinary experiment continued the soup tradition that i'd been exploring during the fall - vegetable and udon noodle soup. this is something that i love to order as take-out or while dining at chinese restaurants, but when the last bit of broth has been slurped, i'm left feeling like there was more potential to the soup than was realized in the dish that i just consumed. just like salads are always better when you can tailor them to your liking, so, too, with soups does tailoring matter. and, as i've mentioned before, i like hearty soups that give me the benefit of protein and veggies without weighing me down (like the baked potato soup i used to order in my youth at houlihan's - before i knew that it was made with chicken stock, and once even after i knew b/c it was really so yum!)
ok, so on to the soup. i had in my freezer a veggie mix that included baby corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, seaweed, and edamame; on my hanging basket thingy a couple of small red onions; in my fridge a half a red pepper, some broccoli florets, and the noodles; and in my pantry, a box of vegetable broth (i usually buy the low sodium kind so that i can flavor soups like i want to and not have to worry about over salting them, but still get broth goodness).
i like to start with a nice base, so in a medium saucepan, where i build the soup, i put about a teaspoon of olive oil and some (a non-wussy pinch-full) red pepper flakes and let both heat up while i thinly sliced up the red onions. texture is key here b/c i wanted the onion to have a presence but not overpower the soup.
once the onions wilted and gained that coveted translucence, i added in some thinly sliced red pepper strips - i kept them all around the 1" long and about an 1/8" thick. while they softened and sweated, i rinsed the broccoli florets and put them in a small dish, covered them with a set paper towel, and nuked them for 60 seconds. this brought out their brightness and once done, i let them hang out for a few minutes until they were ready to be added.
next i threw the 1/2 bag i had left of the frozen veggies - it looked to be a little more than 1 cup - into the onion and pepper sautee. after a couple of minutes the veggies started to soften. i added in the broccoli and then poured in the broth - about 4 cups - and then added about half as much water (2 cups) and 2 packets of soy sauce that i had leftover from the last time i ordered this soup.
just before the whole concoction came to a boil - 7 or 8 minutes - i added the noodles. they came to life in the hot broth and began dancing among the emerging bubbles. i let everything hang out for another 5 minutes - that was how long i could resist having a taste. and it did not disappoint! i went the route of putting some of the soup 'innards' into a bowl and then ladeling in some of the broth over top. the noodles had the chewy texture i was looking for, with all the wholesome goodness of whole wheat. one that was missing was the protein, so what i might do next time is drop in some quickly scrambled egg whites or grill up a naked quorn cutlet and shred it into the bottom of my bowl before pouring on the soup.
more udon fun (with pictures!) to come...
my first culinary experiment continued the soup tradition that i'd been exploring during the fall - vegetable and udon noodle soup. this is something that i love to order as take-out or while dining at chinese restaurants, but when the last bit of broth has been slurped, i'm left feeling like there was more potential to the soup than was realized in the dish that i just consumed. just like salads are always better when you can tailor them to your liking, so, too, with soups does tailoring matter. and, as i've mentioned before, i like hearty soups that give me the benefit of protein and veggies without weighing me down (like the baked potato soup i used to order in my youth at houlihan's - before i knew that it was made with chicken stock, and once even after i knew b/c it was really so yum!)
ok, so on to the soup. i had in my freezer a veggie mix that included baby corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, seaweed, and edamame; on my hanging basket thingy a couple of small red onions; in my fridge a half a red pepper, some broccoli florets, and the noodles; and in my pantry, a box of vegetable broth (i usually buy the low sodium kind so that i can flavor soups like i want to and not have to worry about over salting them, but still get broth goodness).
i like to start with a nice base, so in a medium saucepan, where i build the soup, i put about a teaspoon of olive oil and some (a non-wussy pinch-full) red pepper flakes and let both heat up while i thinly sliced up the red onions. texture is key here b/c i wanted the onion to have a presence but not overpower the soup.
once the onions wilted and gained that coveted translucence, i added in some thinly sliced red pepper strips - i kept them all around the 1" long and about an 1/8" thick. while they softened and sweated, i rinsed the broccoli florets and put them in a small dish, covered them with a set paper towel, and nuked them for 60 seconds. this brought out their brightness and once done, i let them hang out for a few minutes until they were ready to be added.
next i threw the 1/2 bag i had left of the frozen veggies - it looked to be a little more than 1 cup - into the onion and pepper sautee. after a couple of minutes the veggies started to soften. i added in the broccoli and then poured in the broth - about 4 cups - and then added about half as much water (2 cups) and 2 packets of soy sauce that i had leftover from the last time i ordered this soup.
just before the whole concoction came to a boil - 7 or 8 minutes - i added the noodles. they came to life in the hot broth and began dancing among the emerging bubbles. i let everything hang out for another 5 minutes - that was how long i could resist having a taste. and it did not disappoint! i went the route of putting some of the soup 'innards' into a bowl and then ladeling in some of the broth over top. the noodles had the chewy texture i was looking for, with all the wholesome goodness of whole wheat. one that was missing was the protein, so what i might do next time is drop in some quickly scrambled egg whites or grill up a naked quorn cutlet and shred it into the bottom of my bowl before pouring on the soup.
more udon fun (with pictures!) to come...
Sunday, October 28, 2007
soup's on!
the weather, after some false starts, seems to have turned chilly for good. i love the fact that i can't leave my house without a scarf, without which i couldn't achieve that perfect balance of remaining warm while enjoying the crisp, cool autumn weather. these are also the perfect conditions for homemade soup! now, im a sucker for noodle soup from the local chinese restaurant, especially when i have a cold like the one that i've doing battle with over the last few weeks. but sometimes, i need something more hearty, with some texture, something that require me to chew as well as slurp.
one day, when i was in such a mood, i searched my cupboards and found a couple of soup basics:
vegetable broth in a box (what did we do before broth-in-a-box?!)
a half a red onion
some more rummaging produced the following:
frozen spinach
1 can cannellini beans (the white ones, but not the navy beans of which i am none too fond)
so the next twenty minutes went something like this:
heat 1 tbs olive oil
to hot oil, add some red pepper flakes and approx half a teaspoon herbes de provence
cut red onion into slivers - as fine as possible. (they should be ready to melt)
add onion slivers to the hot (temperature), hot (spicy) oil
while the onion is on its way to the much coveted translucent stage, open and drain the cannellini beans and open the spinach. add a pinch of salt to the onions, but not too much b/c the broth comes already flavored - hello time saver!
after translucency has been achieved, add the beans and let them sweat for a couple of minutes. then add a whole box of broth - usually come in 32 oz. containers. that's usually enough for me, but for a decent amount for two and with some leftovers, add another cup and half of water or broth. a good rule of thumb for me: if i'm using low sodium broth as i usually do, then i use all broth. if using regular broth, then i cut it with water.
let the whole concoction come to a simmer - about 5 or 6 minutes. add the frozen spinach and let simmer for another 10 minutes. i like the flavor to really soak into the beans. if using fresh spinach, add it closer to the end so that it has time to just wilt.
this soup is great the next day, too. when using fresh spinach - which looks prettier than frozen - i don't add all of it the first day. after reheating spinach-less soup, i drop in a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves and they wilt instantly and bring a just-made freshness to the dish.
next time: tomato-garbanzo soup...
enjoy!
one day, when i was in such a mood, i searched my cupboards and found a couple of soup basics:
vegetable broth in a box (what did we do before broth-in-a-box?!)
a half a red onion
some more rummaging produced the following:
frozen spinach
1 can cannellini beans (the white ones, but not the navy beans of which i am none too fond)
so the next twenty minutes went something like this:
heat 1 tbs olive oil
to hot oil, add some red pepper flakes and approx half a teaspoon herbes de provence
cut red onion into slivers - as fine as possible. (they should be ready to melt)
add onion slivers to the hot (temperature), hot (spicy) oil
while the onion is on its way to the much coveted translucent stage, open and drain the cannellini beans and open the spinach. add a pinch of salt to the onions, but not too much b/c the broth comes already flavored - hello time saver!
after translucency has been achieved, add the beans and let them sweat for a couple of minutes. then add a whole box of broth - usually come in 32 oz. containers. that's usually enough for me, but for a decent amount for two and with some leftovers, add another cup and half of water or broth. a good rule of thumb for me: if i'm using low sodium broth as i usually do, then i use all broth. if using regular broth, then i cut it with water.
let the whole concoction come to a simmer - about 5 or 6 minutes. add the frozen spinach and let simmer for another 10 minutes. i like the flavor to really soak into the beans. if using fresh spinach, add it closer to the end so that it has time to just wilt.
this soup is great the next day, too. when using fresh spinach - which looks prettier than frozen - i don't add all of it the first day. after reheating spinach-less soup, i drop in a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves and they wilt instantly and bring a just-made freshness to the dish.
next time: tomato-garbanzo soup...
enjoy!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
totally ripping off the sandwich from spanglish... with a twist
let me confess: i enjoyed the movie spanglish. yes, the one starring adam sandler in a non-sandlerian role and featuring that woman who looks like, but is not, penelope cruz (yet is friends with cruz, is therefore photographed with cruz, thereby making things very difficult for the rest of us!) the woman's name is paz vega, and she is lovely actress in her own right.
what i really love about the movie, aside from the young girl who plays vega's daughter, is sandwich that sandler's character makes as a midnight snack. the exact recipe, also featured on the movie's dvd, can be found here.
my version differs significantly - i don't use bacon or mayo or butter or jack cheese - but there is an important similarity - i love the drippy egg factor (see below for more on my love of the egg; and read the original sandwich description for more on what i mean by the drippy egg factor)
in a nutshell, this sandwich is a real crowd pleaser if your crowd consists of lactose intolerant vegetarians who like protein. i am all of those things and hence, i was quite pleased with myself. i've made a few different versions of this sandwich, but the meat (pun intended) is always the same.
i start off by heating up a naked quorn cutlet in a saute pan or on the grill. i season it with just a little salt and pepper and olive oil. while that's cooking, i toast up a couple of slices of alvarado st. bakery wheat bread. last time, i used the kind they make for diabetics - it's the only kind of diabetic bread that actually tastes like bread, in my opinion. it doesn't have the sticky consistency that some other 'low carb' breads tend to have.
when the cutlet is finished, i let it rest and cool a bit on the cutting board. after it cools, i slice it on an angle to create thin, wide slices.
next, i spray some olive into the saute pan and crack open an egg - one of the few times i'll use the whole egg. i let the white set and then flip it over and turn the heat off. the pan is hot and will keep cooking the other side, but not too much, which is just right.
onto the toasted slices of bread, i added a thin layer of olive spread - not quite a tapenade, more like crushed green olives. i placed a layer of quorn slices, topped with the tiniest sprinkling of sheep's milk feta, topped with a small handful of arugula, topped with the rest of the quorn slices, and finally topped with the cooked egg.
top with the second slice of bread. press gently and cut. done right, some of the yolk will run down the sandwich and flavor everything in its path. a cooked yolk - or no yolk - could work, too, but then you'd miss the drippy egg factor.
the original sandwich recipe boasts a cholesterol-rich calorie count of 1200 calories! this version doesn't come close - i haven't done the numbers, but can safely claim this version to be "death's door"-free.
also works on a long multigrain roll; with large romaine leaves instead of arugula; with a less pungent spread; a different cheese.
if you try it and hate it, let me know. i'll come over and make you one myself! that's how much i love this sucker.
what i really love about the movie, aside from the young girl who plays vega's daughter, is sandwich that sandler's character makes as a midnight snack. the exact recipe, also featured on the movie's dvd, can be found here.
my version differs significantly - i don't use bacon or mayo or butter or jack cheese - but there is an important similarity - i love the drippy egg factor (see below for more on my love of the egg; and read the original sandwich description for more on what i mean by the drippy egg factor)
in a nutshell, this sandwich is a real crowd pleaser if your crowd consists of lactose intolerant vegetarians who like protein. i am all of those things and hence, i was quite pleased with myself. i've made a few different versions of this sandwich, but the meat (pun intended) is always the same.
i start off by heating up a naked quorn cutlet in a saute pan or on the grill. i season it with just a little salt and pepper and olive oil. while that's cooking, i toast up a couple of slices of alvarado st. bakery wheat bread. last time, i used the kind they make for diabetics - it's the only kind of diabetic bread that actually tastes like bread, in my opinion. it doesn't have the sticky consistency that some other 'low carb' breads tend to have.
when the cutlet is finished, i let it rest and cool a bit on the cutting board. after it cools, i slice it on an angle to create thin, wide slices.
next, i spray some olive into the saute pan and crack open an egg - one of the few times i'll use the whole egg. i let the white set and then flip it over and turn the heat off. the pan is hot and will keep cooking the other side, but not too much, which is just right.
onto the toasted slices of bread, i added a thin layer of olive spread - not quite a tapenade, more like crushed green olives. i placed a layer of quorn slices, topped with the tiniest sprinkling of sheep's milk feta, topped with a small handful of arugula, topped with the rest of the quorn slices, and finally topped with the cooked egg.
top with the second slice of bread. press gently and cut. done right, some of the yolk will run down the sandwich and flavor everything in its path. a cooked yolk - or no yolk - could work, too, but then you'd miss the drippy egg factor.
the original sandwich recipe boasts a cholesterol-rich calorie count of 1200 calories! this version doesn't come close - i haven't done the numbers, but can safely claim this version to be "death's door"-free.
also works on a long multigrain roll; with large romaine leaves instead of arugula; with a less pungent spread; a different cheese.
if you try it and hate it, let me know. i'll come over and make you one myself! that's how much i love this sucker.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
incredible, edible, EGG!
i love the egg-cellent egg campaigns that surface on tv from time to time. well, ok, they can be a bit hokey, but they do remind me how much i love the versatility, flexibility, and general in-a-pinchness of the egg. i don't necessarily have an egg preference, per se, though i do tend to purchase either large or jumbo sized ones since i mostly consume only egg whites. and from time to time, depending on my mood, i'll pick up some brown ones... just cuz.
recently, my sister - who was staying with me while she searched for an apartment in new york city (yes, pity for the poor thing, please!) - and i found ourselves collectively and simultaneously hungry. what to eat... what to eat?! my pantry and fridge were stocked from recent trips to the grocery store, but this kind of hunger called for a unique combination of quick but also magnificent. it was a discerning kind of hunger... so naturally, i reached for my carton of eggs. i was inspired. we'd have breakfast for dinner... there would be eggs... but not just an omelet... no, this would be an egg pie. what made it a pie was the consistency, the filling and the presentation. pie on!
into the sautee pan i sprayed some olive oil and to the heated oil added the white and some green of 2 scallions, about a teaspoon of herbs de provence, sliced black olives, and some roughly chopped baby portobello mushrooms.
i had 4 eggs in the carton. i used 2 whole and just the whites of the other two. i threw in some salt - a pinch, of course :) - and pepper - just a dash - and a splash of almond breeze for some fluffiness. (any other "milk" product will have the same general effect, too.) i added this mixture to the hot pan and stirred things around a bit.
after letting the eggs set - by picking up the sides and letting uncooked egg mixture fill in the gaps - i put the entire pan under the broiler for around 3-5 minutes.
meanwhile, i cut open an avocado. inspired by the description of something my sister had eaten while in kenya, i took out the pit and scored the avocado halves so that it looked like a plane of diamonds. into the hole where the pit used to live, i put in a scoop of fire roasted salsa from trader joe's - some of the tastiest, store-bought salsa i've ever had! - and voila! avocado salsa (sort of). i also toasted a whole wheat english muffin and then sprayed a bit of olive oil onto the part with the nooks and crannies. we each had half a muffin.
the egg pie - now fluffy, browned on top, and light as a cloud - was finished and ready to be cut, served, garnished and promptly eaten. i cut it into four pieces and served us each two pieces, alongside the avocado salsa and half an english muffin. little sister thought it looked so good that she texted a pic of it to little brother, who replied immediately with special photo of his own. shall we say "rude gesture"?? ;)
sibling rivalry hazards aside, the meal was lovely, protein-rich, tasty, and filling. an all around egg-static egg-sperience!
next time, i would make the following changes:
- rub some lime on the avocado, allowing the lime juice to penetrate the cut flesh. and i'd dust it with a sprinkling of salt to bring out the flavor.
- the english muffin was great, but a whole wheat tortilla slightly grilled - no oil - would work well, too
- throwing in some roasted red peppers, cut into strips, into the egg pie for some extra color.
recently, my sister - who was staying with me while she searched for an apartment in new york city (yes, pity for the poor thing, please!) - and i found ourselves collectively and simultaneously hungry. what to eat... what to eat?! my pantry and fridge were stocked from recent trips to the grocery store, but this kind of hunger called for a unique combination of quick but also magnificent. it was a discerning kind of hunger... so naturally, i reached for my carton of eggs. i was inspired. we'd have breakfast for dinner... there would be eggs... but not just an omelet... no, this would be an egg pie. what made it a pie was the consistency, the filling and the presentation. pie on!
into the sautee pan i sprayed some olive oil and to the heated oil added the white and some green of 2 scallions, about a teaspoon of herbs de provence, sliced black olives, and some roughly chopped baby portobello mushrooms.
i had 4 eggs in the carton. i used 2 whole and just the whites of the other two. i threw in some salt - a pinch, of course :) - and pepper - just a dash - and a splash of almond breeze for some fluffiness. (any other "milk" product will have the same general effect, too.) i added this mixture to the hot pan and stirred things around a bit.
after letting the eggs set - by picking up the sides and letting uncooked egg mixture fill in the gaps - i put the entire pan under the broiler for around 3-5 minutes.
meanwhile, i cut open an avocado. inspired by the description of something my sister had eaten while in kenya, i took out the pit and scored the avocado halves so that it looked like a plane of diamonds. into the hole where the pit used to live, i put in a scoop of fire roasted salsa from trader joe's - some of the tastiest, store-bought salsa i've ever had! - and voila! avocado salsa (sort of). i also toasted a whole wheat english muffin and then sprayed a bit of olive oil onto the part with the nooks and crannies. we each had half a muffin.
the egg pie - now fluffy, browned on top, and light as a cloud - was finished and ready to be cut, served, garnished and promptly eaten. i cut it into four pieces and served us each two pieces, alongside the avocado salsa and half an english muffin. little sister thought it looked so good that she texted a pic of it to little brother, who replied immediately with special photo of his own. shall we say "rude gesture"?? ;)
sibling rivalry hazards aside, the meal was lovely, protein-rich, tasty, and filling. an all around egg-static egg-sperience!
next time, i would make the following changes:
- rub some lime on the avocado, allowing the lime juice to penetrate the cut flesh. and i'd dust it with a sprinkling of salt to bring out the flavor.
- the english muffin was great, but a whole wheat tortilla slightly grilled - no oil - would work well, too
- throwing in some roasted red peppers, cut into strips, into the egg pie for some extra color.
Monday, August 20, 2007
simple tasty pleasures
earlier this summer, i spent a couple of weeks attending a vipassana meditation course in western massachusetts. for 10 days, we - me and my fellow meditators - immersed ourselves in meditative practice. not only during group sits - where we sat together, quietly, our eyes closed, aware of our breath - but also as we walked, bathed, arose, fell asleep, and ate our meals. there was no talking, so our meditation was contained withing the physical and psychic space we occupied. (for more on this practice, which elizabeth gilbert has written about as the "extreme sports" of meditation, go here)
carrying the practice forward beyond the boundaries of the center has been a challenge. what has been less of a challenge is the practice of awareness while eating. before i go on, i should mention that i have a history of barely chewing my food and eating...swiftly. not quite at the pace of competitive eaters, but certainly not taking the time to really consider the food i was eating from first bite to final swallow. don't get me wrong, i truly enjoy and cherish the fruits of my culinary labor. but until i went away and, during mealtimes, did nothing but... eat (imagine that!), my awareness during mealtimes remained muted.
in the spirit of engaging more wholly with the flavors and textures of earth grown ingredients, i offer the following "throw it together" ideas:
fabulous summer fruit salad:
red seedless grapes
fresh, gorgeously red strawberries
luscious and perfectly ripe mango
firm, but juicy kiwi
sweet blueberries
that's it. no other flavors - i sometimes flavor fruit salads with a splash of vanilla and some lemon juice. i just make sure that the fruit is cut into the same size pieces, but don't sweat a couple of big chunks of mango that might sneak in! depending on your willingness to share this wonderful mix of flavors and textures, you can increase the number of fruits accordingly.
in the dessert cornucopia so often filled with sugar, cream, and (my favorite) rich, velvety chocolate, an unfettered mix of fruits with complementary textures and flavors is a true treat.
following that same principle in the savory arena is the following green salad:
spicy arugula or mixed greens
toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - this draws out the natural oils
squeeze of half a lemonpinch of salt and pepper
red seedless grapes (for a little sweetness amidst a savory sea)
toss together. occasionally i add a bit of crumbled manouri cheese - a greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, which, happily does not wreak havoc with my insides! but even without this added creaminess, this simple salad is simply tasty. a perfect start to any meal and was the starter to the next dish last week.
leek and mushroom couscous
for this dish - great as a side dish and wonderful with a grilled quorn cutlet - i like to use israeli couscous.
1 cup of couscous
1 large leek (or 2 small leeks) - diced
2 large caps portobello mushrooms
2 scallions - diced
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
first, i make the couscous: boil 1.5 cups of water with the raw couscous and a pinch of salt. once the couscous comes to a boil i cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then take it off the heat so that the grains can puff up
in a sautee pan, i heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. as the oil heats, i add a teaspoon of herbs de provence.
next i add the garlic clove, which i smash to release the flavors but leave relatively whole so i can remove it before serving.
i throw in chopped leeks - the white part and some of the green - and the scallions and sautee for a couple of minutes
meanwhile, i chop the portobello mushrooms into very thinly sliced strips about 1.5" long.
once the mushrooms become soft, but still maintain some of their structure, i add the vegetables to the couscous and stir.
what stands out about dish is layered onion flavor from the scallions and leeks, and the way that the mushroom flavor - which eeks out via mushroom juices - coats the couscous. such a great combo!
finally, my latest discovery about tea as a perfect accompaniment for meals. recently i added some warm fruit to my peppermint tea which was oddly effervescent. a tea i've discovered in the past few weeks is rooibos, a south african red tea genre that comes in various flavors - i'm currently loving my rooibos chai - and works just as well when flavored with lemon and honey, or with milk (for me: almond breeze) and sweetener (either splenda or honey).
enjoy, really enjoy, your dinner tonight!
carrying the practice forward beyond the boundaries of the center has been a challenge. what has been less of a challenge is the practice of awareness while eating. before i go on, i should mention that i have a history of barely chewing my food and eating...swiftly. not quite at the pace of competitive eaters, but certainly not taking the time to really consider the food i was eating from first bite to final swallow. don't get me wrong, i truly enjoy and cherish the fruits of my culinary labor. but until i went away and, during mealtimes, did nothing but... eat (imagine that!), my awareness during mealtimes remained muted.
in the spirit of engaging more wholly with the flavors and textures of earth grown ingredients, i offer the following "throw it together" ideas:
fabulous summer fruit salad:
red seedless grapes
fresh, gorgeously red strawberries
luscious and perfectly ripe mango
firm, but juicy kiwi
sweet blueberries
that's it. no other flavors - i sometimes flavor fruit salads with a splash of vanilla and some lemon juice. i just make sure that the fruit is cut into the same size pieces, but don't sweat a couple of big chunks of mango that might sneak in! depending on your willingness to share this wonderful mix of flavors and textures, you can increase the number of fruits accordingly.
in the dessert cornucopia so often filled with sugar, cream, and (my favorite) rich, velvety chocolate, an unfettered mix of fruits with complementary textures and flavors is a true treat.
following that same principle in the savory arena is the following green salad:
spicy arugula or mixed greens
toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - this draws out the natural oils
squeeze of half a lemonpinch of salt and pepper
red seedless grapes (for a little sweetness amidst a savory sea)
toss together. occasionally i add a bit of crumbled manouri cheese - a greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, which, happily does not wreak havoc with my insides! but even without this added creaminess, this simple salad is simply tasty. a perfect start to any meal and was the starter to the next dish last week.
leek and mushroom couscous
for this dish - great as a side dish and wonderful with a grilled quorn cutlet - i like to use israeli couscous.
1 cup of couscous
1 large leek (or 2 small leeks) - diced
2 large caps portobello mushrooms
2 scallions - diced
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
first, i make the couscous: boil 1.5 cups of water with the raw couscous and a pinch of salt. once the couscous comes to a boil i cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then take it off the heat so that the grains can puff up
in a sautee pan, i heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. as the oil heats, i add a teaspoon of herbs de provence.
next i add the garlic clove, which i smash to release the flavors but leave relatively whole so i can remove it before serving.
i throw in chopped leeks - the white part and some of the green - and the scallions and sautee for a couple of minutes
meanwhile, i chop the portobello mushrooms into very thinly sliced strips about 1.5" long.
once the mushrooms become soft, but still maintain some of their structure, i add the vegetables to the couscous and stir.
what stands out about dish is layered onion flavor from the scallions and leeks, and the way that the mushroom flavor - which eeks out via mushroom juices - coats the couscous. such a great combo!
finally, my latest discovery about tea as a perfect accompaniment for meals. recently i added some warm fruit to my peppermint tea which was oddly effervescent. a tea i've discovered in the past few weeks is rooibos, a south african red tea genre that comes in various flavors - i'm currently loving my rooibos chai - and works just as well when flavored with lemon and honey, or with milk (for me: almond breeze) and sweetener (either splenda or honey).
enjoy, really enjoy, your dinner tonight!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)