Quickly ran into the grocery store yesterday to grab a quick dinner. The fresh pasta (yesterday is was Spaghettini) is always such a time-saver for me. I also grabbed a can of San Marzano-Style (Canadian) tomatoes and a can of navy beans.
As many of you know, Harrison loves fresh tuna, so I also picked up some sushi for him as a treat. They actually had the spicy albacore tuna, so I was hoping to impress him.
In a pan on medium I put a bit of olive oil and chopped up a clove of garlic. I also chopped up about a quarter of a white onion into tiny pieces. Dumped the can of tomatoes in, dumped in the rinsed white beans, sprinkled some salt and pepper and finished it with a few splashes of white Balsamic vinegar, which is a trick I learned in Venice. Then I put the lid on, heated the pasta water and dinner was essentially D O N E.
Carissa and Abby were going to come by for a quick bite. I took the sauce and threw a few ladlefuls in the Magic Bullet to puree the white beans and tomatoes over her pasta.
There were a few sad veggies left over from Thanksgiving, a few red peppers, some yellow ones, and a bit of steamed bok choy. So, I chopped them into bite-size pieces and plopped them into the now bubbling sauce.
I do this veggie scouting a lot when I have a sauce or stew or chili on the go. I just eyeball what's in my fridge and then dump it in. Sometimes veggies have lost their youthful glow, but they can still make a wonderful counterpart to an accompanying sauce. Especially if they are already cooked. I almost never waste vegetables, preferring to just recycle them into a new form. Like reincarnation!
I even had enough to invite Carissa and Abby for dinner, fed the three of us, AND have a container of leftovers for lunch.
Harrison, on realizing that I got him tuna sushi, burst out with a version of a Katy Perry song:
California Rolls
They're unforgettable
Tasty treats
With rice on the top...
Love this kid.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A quick note about the Thanksgiving "Sweets"
If Thanksgiving is the Oscars, and the Turkey is best actor, then sweet potatoes have to rank as best supporting actress. They're sweet, colourful, healthy and irresistable.
But some people make them far too sweet (remember that kid who won best supporting with that hideous hat?- TOO SWEET to the point where it's a turn off). I feel the same way about that hat as I do when people douse their dinner sweet potatoes in marshmallows and sugar and maple syrup. It's too much!
So, instead of overstyling a cute kid, I think sweet potatoes belong on the savoury and spicy side. My sweet potatoes are more like Queen Latifah in Chicago.
I shredded them and then baked them in the oven with some water. Could have used a stock, but I didn't have any. When they were out, I mashed them slightly, added a generous cranking of Indian spices from a grinder, a tiny bit of brown sugar, some cinnamon and grated in some fresh ginger.
Scott - who is unabashed in his love of all meaty things - loved these. He also thought a lot of a chili I threw together so I thought I'd post it here too.
1 can of Bravo tomato sauce
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of white kidney beans
1-2 tablespoons chili powder. (Check out my Gold Medal Chili for a more complex version, February 2010)
But some people make them far too sweet (remember that kid who won best supporting with that hideous hat?- TOO SWEET to the point where it's a turn off). I feel the same way about that hat as I do when people douse their dinner sweet potatoes in marshmallows and sugar and maple syrup. It's too much!
So, instead of overstyling a cute kid, I think sweet potatoes belong on the savoury and spicy side. My sweet potatoes are more like Queen Latifah in Chicago.
I shredded them and then baked them in the oven with some water. Could have used a stock, but I didn't have any. When they were out, I mashed them slightly, added a generous cranking of Indian spices from a grinder, a tiny bit of brown sugar, some cinnamon and grated in some fresh ginger.
Scott - who is unabashed in his love of all meaty things - loved these. He also thought a lot of a chili I threw together so I thought I'd post it here too.
1 can of Bravo tomato sauce
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of white kidney beans
1-2 tablespoons chili powder. (Check out my Gold Medal Chili for a more complex version, February 2010)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Math, the Single Guy and Snakeskin...
Even though my blog is aimed mainly at women, I am excited to learn that quite a few of my readers are guys. And that is an extra challenge since some men have still been programmed with the "I can't really cook" messaging.
When I was a kid, I always told myself "I'm not good at math". I was also told this by one of the nuns who taught Math in grade school, as well as Mr. DiMaio who had to suffer through my attempts in high school. But even he used to say that I had it in me to be good at math, but I was just sabotaging myself by saying that I couldn't.
Fast forward to University where I just got sick of telling myself I was bad at math. So I took a stats course. I do believe in facing your fears... and I figured that I would take down the "FEAR OF MATH"...
I tried.
I practiced.
Eventually I relaxed and saw the patterns, the rythms, and the repetition.
My final grade was my only A+ in University.
One of my friends is newly single. So much of adjusting to a new lifestyle has to do with the LITTLE stuff, not the big issues. Of course this is made impossibly challenging because his female counterpart was responsible for daily dinners.
My response to this is SO WHAT?!?!
If you both are miserable, a daily salad and bad casserole is no reason to stay!
(Plus it probably came with dish duty and was capped off with some form of nagging about not loading the diswasher properly - so were you really farther ahead? My vote is NO.)
But what's a single guy to do when he finds himself on his own, and finally gets sick of the prepared roasted chickens at Zehrs?
Let's complicate the mix even more... Add in the fact that you're carrying around a lot of extra weight that is slowing you down, perhaps creating a health problem or two.
Add in the fact that you are probably eating a LOT more "convenience" food - which will never ever provide the smooth fuel your body craves to handle stress.
And finally, add in the extra financial pressure of the uncertainties of separating.
Hate to say it, because it just reveals my vegangelical self again, but there are some great options here for all of the above.
So, buddy, this is for you:
You NEED proper tools. Think of your motorcycle guys and your car-obsessed friends. Would you EVER go into a garage with one or two tools? NO! You need em' all!! (check out my older post Shop Talk, July 2009)
1. Get a slow cooker.
2. Get a rice cooker.
3. Get a good deep non-stick pan.
4. Have a "Date Night" - with yourself.
Even though you have to be repulsed by the idea of dating, you should make a date with yourself that is regular to grocery shop. One particularly lonely single man told me once that routine is comforting, and he was probably right.
5. Lose the inner dialogue that you can't do this. You can. Suck it up.
You may find yourself with some quiet nights that you either fill with TV or a book. One of those nights, think about your weekly "routine" from a food perspective.
Do you have breakfast with the guys after hockey? Do you grab something fast on Tuesdays? Where do you go? What do you order? And most of all... WHAT DO YOU SPEND? (eg: Ours used to be quarter chicken dinners at Swiss Chalet on Sundays.)
On one of these quiet nights, figure out what your REGULAR weekly routine costs. Also try to hone in on where some of your worst food choices happen. I'm willing to bet you a can of beans that it is also an expensive food choice for relatively little nutrition.
so 6. is Figure out what your weekly food budget has been.
Finally, 7. is to trust me. First, I can tell you I've been there. As a busy lawyer, who was single most of the time I was married anyway, I know what it's like to feel the quiet. To stare into a fridge thinking "what the heck am I supposed to eat tonight?" and decide it was easier just to make popcorn.
Cooking dinner for yourself is EXACTLY what you need right now.
You will be spending time with your own thoughts, but not the over complicated ones. The good ones. Like asking yourself "WHAT DO I LIKE?" What do I want to eat tonight? Maybe you were with someone who didn't like olives, or nuts or cinnamon. You are free from all of that stuff now - just eat what you love.
You will also be putting some good healthy fuel into your body, and in times of stress, you need it.
I promise you, you will be saving money too - and that is always a good thing.
You will also be saving truckloads of junky, weighty calories which will result in a sleeker, healthier boday and outlook. You can finally ditch that hideous XL sweater she made you buy (which you hated, even on the day YOU bought it) because it won't fit you in two months.
I'll tell you, there is nothing more satisfying like shedding your wardrobe, either. In 6 months, you will have a stronger, healthier happier body, maybe even a few new clothes that you look good in, and the old unhappy wardrobe will be lined up in garbage bags for St. Vincent de Paul. See? Even charities are going to benefit from this change!!!
If you've been through the dreaded separation, you've probably already been called a snake. But this isn't a bad thing. Think of snakes. They do what they do for a while, and then they move on.
They literally SHED their skin, and get back to their routine with a new skin.
So grab your slow cooker, your olives, that hideous sweater and a few garbage bags - because you have some cooking to get to...
When I was a kid, I always told myself "I'm not good at math". I was also told this by one of the nuns who taught Math in grade school, as well as Mr. DiMaio who had to suffer through my attempts in high school. But even he used to say that I had it in me to be good at math, but I was just sabotaging myself by saying that I couldn't.
Fast forward to University where I just got sick of telling myself I was bad at math. So I took a stats course. I do believe in facing your fears... and I figured that I would take down the "FEAR OF MATH"...
I tried.
I practiced.
Eventually I relaxed and saw the patterns, the rythms, and the repetition.
My final grade was my only A+ in University.
One of my friends is newly single. So much of adjusting to a new lifestyle has to do with the LITTLE stuff, not the big issues. Of course this is made impossibly challenging because his female counterpart was responsible for daily dinners.
My response to this is SO WHAT?!?!
If you both are miserable, a daily salad and bad casserole is no reason to stay!
(Plus it probably came with dish duty and was capped off with some form of nagging about not loading the diswasher properly - so were you really farther ahead? My vote is NO.)
But what's a single guy to do when he finds himself on his own, and finally gets sick of the prepared roasted chickens at Zehrs?
Let's complicate the mix even more... Add in the fact that you're carrying around a lot of extra weight that is slowing you down, perhaps creating a health problem or two.
Add in the fact that you are probably eating a LOT more "convenience" food - which will never ever provide the smooth fuel your body craves to handle stress.
And finally, add in the extra financial pressure of the uncertainties of separating.
Hate to say it, because it just reveals my vegangelical self again, but there are some great options here for all of the above.
So, buddy, this is for you:
You NEED proper tools. Think of your motorcycle guys and your car-obsessed friends. Would you EVER go into a garage with one or two tools? NO! You need em' all!! (check out my older post Shop Talk, July 2009)
1. Get a slow cooker.
2. Get a rice cooker.
3. Get a good deep non-stick pan.
4. Have a "Date Night" - with yourself.
Even though you have to be repulsed by the idea of dating, you should make a date with yourself that is regular to grocery shop. One particularly lonely single man told me once that routine is comforting, and he was probably right.
5. Lose the inner dialogue that you can't do this. You can. Suck it up.
You may find yourself with some quiet nights that you either fill with TV or a book. One of those nights, think about your weekly "routine" from a food perspective.
Do you have breakfast with the guys after hockey? Do you grab something fast on Tuesdays? Where do you go? What do you order? And most of all... WHAT DO YOU SPEND? (eg: Ours used to be quarter chicken dinners at Swiss Chalet on Sundays.)
On one of these quiet nights, figure out what your REGULAR weekly routine costs. Also try to hone in on where some of your worst food choices happen. I'm willing to bet you a can of beans that it is also an expensive food choice for relatively little nutrition.
so 6. is Figure out what your weekly food budget has been.
Finally, 7. is to trust me. First, I can tell you I've been there. As a busy lawyer, who was single most of the time I was married anyway, I know what it's like to feel the quiet. To stare into a fridge thinking "what the heck am I supposed to eat tonight?" and decide it was easier just to make popcorn.
Cooking dinner for yourself is EXACTLY what you need right now.
You will be spending time with your own thoughts, but not the over complicated ones. The good ones. Like asking yourself "WHAT DO I LIKE?" What do I want to eat tonight? Maybe you were with someone who didn't like olives, or nuts or cinnamon. You are free from all of that stuff now - just eat what you love.
You will also be putting some good healthy fuel into your body, and in times of stress, you need it.
I promise you, you will be saving money too - and that is always a good thing.
You will also be saving truckloads of junky, weighty calories which will result in a sleeker, healthier boday and outlook. You can finally ditch that hideous XL sweater she made you buy (which you hated, even on the day YOU bought it) because it won't fit you in two months.
I'll tell you, there is nothing more satisfying like shedding your wardrobe, either. In 6 months, you will have a stronger, healthier happier body, maybe even a few new clothes that you look good in, and the old unhappy wardrobe will be lined up in garbage bags for St. Vincent de Paul. See? Even charities are going to benefit from this change!!!
If you've been through the dreaded separation, you've probably already been called a snake. But this isn't a bad thing. Think of snakes. They do what they do for a while, and then they move on.
They literally SHED their skin, and get back to their routine with a new skin.
So grab your slow cooker, your olives, that hideous sweater and a few garbage bags - because you have some cooking to get to...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tangerine Countertop and Jalapeno Cornbread
We have a huge surprise for everyone in our new kitchen. It is being installed today, and most of the cupboards were in yesterday - enough to make my heart just pound with affection... It is a highly functional kitchen, and I have spent many hours just daydreaming about what it would be like to cook there.
I've thought about the way a pot would drip when pasta was done...
I've thought about where I want to grab plates when I'm ready to plate something from the stove...
Mused about what deliciousness would be served on what I hope will be a highly functional island (no sink, no cooktop, no raised areas - just smooth open prep space).
What everyone doesn't know is that, while the rest of the house has been kept supremely neutral, we have ordered a huge quartz countertop in tangerine!
The orange will give a gorgeous jumping off point for fabrics in the dining room, for accents in the kitchen space, and is the most obvious way Bill and I could think of to emphasize what everyone knows to be true.... The kitchen is where everyone gathers no matter how many rooms are in a house! Our kitchen even has seating for five within the space itself, three at the island and two in a window bench looking onto our gorgeous backyard.
It will be that beautiful citrus accent I am so fond of!!
We've been painting, and wiping, and sweeping to our heart's content this week, getting ready to move in. Harrison asked me on Wednesday, after helping with the second coat in the kitchen... "Mom, if our new house was a body, what would be its stomach?". I thought about it - stomach, digestion, processing.... and thought about the dishwashers? The laundry room, maybe?
He said "Mom, it's the kitchen!"
I said - "no, buddy, that's the heart!"
"You're soft!" was his immediate reply...
So this big, bold section of "tequila sunrise" quartz is going to be a true bullseye. It will be a beautiful conversation piece, and a nice spash of whimsical, fun, slightly-out-there wacky-ness.
Our first party there is going to celebrate our 100th birthday and our new home. The menu is going to be delicious, but did take a bit of extra time with the caterer to veganize most of it, while still keeping it highly edible for our non-vegan guests. It is funny to see foodies struggle with vegan - because we are so trained to do animal based food. It is so natural to just sprinkle cheese onto or into things. To grind up or shred or slice meat into the next thing... to crack eggs into other things... When you remove that as an option, it can flummox even the most ardent professor of food-loving.
I've relaxed a little and have some fish dishes on the menu, but am trying to stick with a delicious showcase of plant-based food. This time it's really not a big political statement of veganism... it's just how I really want to eat on our birthday! Next door, our neighbour is grilling burgers, etc...so that should take care of the carnivors - I hope. Actually, what I really hope is that no one even notices... they just taste the food and think it's great.
Now, on to FOOD.
Last week, I made an exceptional jalapeno cornbread. It went beautifully with a black bean chili, and I promised to put the recipe on here - so here it is...
6 - 8 ears of corn niblets (about 4 cups)
1 red pepper, cut up into 1/8 inch pieces
1 jalapeno, cut up even smaller than the red pepper!
Saute in some coconut oil or corn oil until the corn is lightly browned - this will bring out its natural sweetness to contrast with the spicy jalapeno.
1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of cornstarch, whisked together until there are no lumps.
Add half of the corn mixture to a blender and pour the coconut/cornstarch on top. Pulse until blended. Pour into a bowl with the remaining corn/pepper mixture, and add half a cup of cornmeal (any colour) and a cup of chopped green onions, 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 2 tsp hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Salt to taste - probably about 1 tsp.
Pour it into a baking dish or pie plate, and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Let it cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long!
I've thought about the way a pot would drip when pasta was done...
I've thought about where I want to grab plates when I'm ready to plate something from the stove...
Mused about what deliciousness would be served on what I hope will be a highly functional island (no sink, no cooktop, no raised areas - just smooth open prep space).
What everyone doesn't know is that, while the rest of the house has been kept supremely neutral, we have ordered a huge quartz countertop in tangerine!
The orange will give a gorgeous jumping off point for fabrics in the dining room, for accents in the kitchen space, and is the most obvious way Bill and I could think of to emphasize what everyone knows to be true.... The kitchen is where everyone gathers no matter how many rooms are in a house! Our kitchen even has seating for five within the space itself, three at the island and two in a window bench looking onto our gorgeous backyard.
It will be that beautiful citrus accent I am so fond of!!
We've been painting, and wiping, and sweeping to our heart's content this week, getting ready to move in. Harrison asked me on Wednesday, after helping with the second coat in the kitchen... "Mom, if our new house was a body, what would be its stomach?". I thought about it - stomach, digestion, processing.... and thought about the dishwashers? The laundry room, maybe?
He said "Mom, it's the kitchen!"
I said - "no, buddy, that's the heart!"
"You're soft!" was his immediate reply...
So this big, bold section of "tequila sunrise" quartz is going to be a true bullseye. It will be a beautiful conversation piece, and a nice spash of whimsical, fun, slightly-out-there wacky-ness.
Our first party there is going to celebrate our 100th birthday and our new home. The menu is going to be delicious, but did take a bit of extra time with the caterer to veganize most of it, while still keeping it highly edible for our non-vegan guests. It is funny to see foodies struggle with vegan - because we are so trained to do animal based food. It is so natural to just sprinkle cheese onto or into things. To grind up or shred or slice meat into the next thing... to crack eggs into other things... When you remove that as an option, it can flummox even the most ardent professor of food-loving.
I've relaxed a little and have some fish dishes on the menu, but am trying to stick with a delicious showcase of plant-based food. This time it's really not a big political statement of veganism... it's just how I really want to eat on our birthday! Next door, our neighbour is grilling burgers, etc...so that should take care of the carnivors - I hope. Actually, what I really hope is that no one even notices... they just taste the food and think it's great.
Now, on to FOOD.
Last week, I made an exceptional jalapeno cornbread. It went beautifully with a black bean chili, and I promised to put the recipe on here - so here it is...
6 - 8 ears of corn niblets (about 4 cups)
1 red pepper, cut up into 1/8 inch pieces
1 jalapeno, cut up even smaller than the red pepper!
Saute in some coconut oil or corn oil until the corn is lightly browned - this will bring out its natural sweetness to contrast with the spicy jalapeno.
1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of cornstarch, whisked together until there are no lumps.
Add half of the corn mixture to a blender and pour the coconut/cornstarch on top. Pulse until blended. Pour into a bowl with the remaining corn/pepper mixture, and add half a cup of cornmeal (any colour) and a cup of chopped green onions, 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 2 tsp hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Salt to taste - probably about 1 tsp.
Pour it into a baking dish or pie plate, and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Let it cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Good Eating begins with Good Shopping
I say this all the time to anyone who will listen. You can not eat well when life throws you curve balls if you have not properly shopped for the week. The food just won't be in your house, and will leave you with fewer options.
We are getting quite busy on the home front, trying to juggle extremely busy work lives, with lots of family events, trying to spend time with our kids and friends, and trying to see a renovation project through the final stages of completion before a really big birthday party / summer fest / housewarming party at the end of the summer. So our evenings have been really busy lately with painting, cleaning and picking things up.
Yesterday I wanted to make sure we ate before our evening chores began, so I grabbed four soft whole wheat tortillas, added a handful of spinach leaves to each one, heated up some of the black bean chili mixture (which I intend to turn into burgers this weekend) and spooned it on top of the spinach leaves. A grate or two of lime zest and some hot sauce and sea salt made for some delicious, substantial soft tacos.
If you haven't checked out my recipe for pizza dough yet, you should. Talk about a money saver - I doubled the recipe and had pizza on the weekend, once during the week and gave one to my mom and dad.
Pizza sauce is an easy one, too. On the weekend, Harrison and I made some roasted tomatoes. Cubed tomatoes, an onion cut into eights, some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar was all it needed. Well, that and a roasting pan at 375 for an hour or so. When it was done, I pureed it down to a thick sauce, adding some fresh oregano which I got as a bridal shower favor, some fresh garlic, some chives and some fresh basil.
I had mentioned to Harrison the day before (I think when I was assembling the corn chowder) that in a professional kitchen, the number of things you have to "do" to a dish to send it out is called a "move". So, for example, my black bean taco thing would have had 6 moves. Taco, spinach, black bean, lime, hot sauce, sea salt.
Harrison was enjoying last weekend, and will help me in the kitchen if I ask him to. So when he kept raving about the corn chowder, I wanted to show him how easy it was to make a tomato soup with the same principle.
So I call out "hey Buddy, want to see how to make an easy tomato soup?"
When he shouted back "How many moves?" I just grinned.
The truth is, whether you're a hungry but curious 10 year old trying to get back to watching Spongebob Squarepants, a busy woman trying to get to everything you need to cover off in life until you fall into bed, exhausted, or every option in between, if you can keep a handful of recipies or principles in your back pocket with only a few moves, you CAN find time to get through your day with some good food.
Here are a few quick "moves" that I think elevate a dish with minimal effort:
*Use lemon, lime or orange zest to top off your dish, with a finish of sea salt.
*Use a George Foreman grill to add some softness and crispiness to a taco or wrap. They heat up almost instantly, and leave cute but delicious grill marks. The other night, I even did this with a veggie hot dog when I needed a snack!
*A plate is like a blank canvas. Look at the colour of your plates as you're putting them together:
*If your plate is mostly red (a chili, a tomato sauced dish, a casserole), sprinkle some chopped green onion or fresh herbs if you have them.
*If your plate is mostly yellow (pasta, curry) add some chopped red pepper or even a fresh chili to the top with some lime zest.
*If your plate is mostly green (salads, stir frys) shred some carrots or beets(or even use a vegetable peeler for long strands!) to wake up the colour and add some additional flavour. Nuts or dried cranberries also provide a nice contrast in taste and texture.
*Desserts can be elevated with a sprinkle of coconut, or some dark chocolate shavings, or some fresh berries. Lemon zest also works wonders here.
So, YES, you might have to add the following to your regular grocery list, but it will be worth it...
Lemon, Lime, Orange
Coconut Flakes
Green Onions
Fresh Basil
Slivered Almonds
Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries
These few additions to your shopping list can make all the difference in a gorgeous plate of food that you really want to dive into.
We are getting quite busy on the home front, trying to juggle extremely busy work lives, with lots of family events, trying to spend time with our kids and friends, and trying to see a renovation project through the final stages of completion before a really big birthday party / summer fest / housewarming party at the end of the summer. So our evenings have been really busy lately with painting, cleaning and picking things up.
Yesterday I wanted to make sure we ate before our evening chores began, so I grabbed four soft whole wheat tortillas, added a handful of spinach leaves to each one, heated up some of the black bean chili mixture (which I intend to turn into burgers this weekend) and spooned it on top of the spinach leaves. A grate or two of lime zest and some hot sauce and sea salt made for some delicious, substantial soft tacos.
If you haven't checked out my recipe for pizza dough yet, you should. Talk about a money saver - I doubled the recipe and had pizza on the weekend, once during the week and gave one to my mom and dad.
Pizza sauce is an easy one, too. On the weekend, Harrison and I made some roasted tomatoes. Cubed tomatoes, an onion cut into eights, some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar was all it needed. Well, that and a roasting pan at 375 for an hour or so. When it was done, I pureed it down to a thick sauce, adding some fresh oregano which I got as a bridal shower favor, some fresh garlic, some chives and some fresh basil.
I had mentioned to Harrison the day before (I think when I was assembling the corn chowder) that in a professional kitchen, the number of things you have to "do" to a dish to send it out is called a "move". So, for example, my black bean taco thing would have had 6 moves. Taco, spinach, black bean, lime, hot sauce, sea salt.
Harrison was enjoying last weekend, and will help me in the kitchen if I ask him to. So when he kept raving about the corn chowder, I wanted to show him how easy it was to make a tomato soup with the same principle.
So I call out "hey Buddy, want to see how to make an easy tomato soup?"
When he shouted back "How many moves?" I just grinned.
The truth is, whether you're a hungry but curious 10 year old trying to get back to watching Spongebob Squarepants, a busy woman trying to get to everything you need to cover off in life until you fall into bed, exhausted, or every option in between, if you can keep a handful of recipies or principles in your back pocket with only a few moves, you CAN find time to get through your day with some good food.
Here are a few quick "moves" that I think elevate a dish with minimal effort:
*Use lemon, lime or orange zest to top off your dish, with a finish of sea salt.
*Use a George Foreman grill to add some softness and crispiness to a taco or wrap. They heat up almost instantly, and leave cute but delicious grill marks. The other night, I even did this with a veggie hot dog when I needed a snack!
*A plate is like a blank canvas. Look at the colour of your plates as you're putting them together:
*If your plate is mostly red (a chili, a tomato sauced dish, a casserole), sprinkle some chopped green onion or fresh herbs if you have them.
*If your plate is mostly yellow (pasta, curry) add some chopped red pepper or even a fresh chili to the top with some lime zest.
*If your plate is mostly green (salads, stir frys) shred some carrots or beets(or even use a vegetable peeler for long strands!) to wake up the colour and add some additional flavour. Nuts or dried cranberries also provide a nice contrast in taste and texture.
*Desserts can be elevated with a sprinkle of coconut, or some dark chocolate shavings, or some fresh berries. Lemon zest also works wonders here.
So, YES, you might have to add the following to your regular grocery list, but it will be worth it...
Lemon, Lime, Orange
Coconut Flakes
Green Onions
Fresh Basil
Slivered Almonds
Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries
These few additions to your shopping list can make all the difference in a gorgeous plate of food that you really want to dive into.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Two Roasted Vegetable Soups
One really great way to enjoy summer vegetables is to roast them and then puree everything into a heavy soup.
I've done this now two days in a row, to delicious results.
Day one I took five tomatoes, cut them in half. One onion, cut in eighths. Sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper, drizzled with about 2 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp black balsamic vinegar. I roasted them in the oven in a casserole (but a cookie sheet lined with parchment would do, too). When they were soft and mushy, I threw them in the blender with some hot water. It was gorgeous - almost like a bisque. It made two large bowls of soup, the equivalent of 2 1/2 vegetables in each.
Yesterday I thought I'd do the same thing, but with yellow peppers. So I cubed them, added another chopped onion, added the wilting celery (about a cup and a half) and drizzed with olive oil, and white balsamic, salt and pepper.
Same drill - roast till mushy, puree, and add water.
It was beautiful - fresh and bright - and looked fabulous in the bowl. I served the tomato soup beside a (vegan) grilled "cheese" whole wheat baguette, and served the pepper soup alongside some pre-made Indian appetizers with a spicy tamarind sauce.
Did you know that peppers have more vitamin C than an orange? We got our veggies both nights, and prep was barely 3 minutes before and a minute to puree the soup and pour.
Just realized that it's Friday morning, and I survived the grocery week with about $25 to spare.
I've done this now two days in a row, to delicious results.
Day one I took five tomatoes, cut them in half. One onion, cut in eighths. Sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper, drizzled with about 2 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp black balsamic vinegar. I roasted them in the oven in a casserole (but a cookie sheet lined with parchment would do, too). When they were soft and mushy, I threw them in the blender with some hot water. It was gorgeous - almost like a bisque. It made two large bowls of soup, the equivalent of 2 1/2 vegetables in each.
Yesterday I thought I'd do the same thing, but with yellow peppers. So I cubed them, added another chopped onion, added the wilting celery (about a cup and a half) and drizzed with olive oil, and white balsamic, salt and pepper.
Same drill - roast till mushy, puree, and add water.
It was beautiful - fresh and bright - and looked fabulous in the bowl. I served the tomato soup beside a (vegan) grilled "cheese" whole wheat baguette, and served the pepper soup alongside some pre-made Indian appetizers with a spicy tamarind sauce.
Did you know that peppers have more vitamin C than an orange? We got our veggies both nights, and prep was barely 3 minutes before and a minute to puree the soup and pour.
Just realized that it's Friday morning, and I survived the grocery week with about $25 to spare.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
What'd you eat instead?
I'm grabbing a quick bite at my desk since I'm on my own for lunch today. I wasn't in the mood for our usual lunch favourites : fattoush salad and lentil soup at our local middle-eastern restaurant or spicy black bean soup and a hefty salad at our usual bar-like lunch restaurant....so I went for a drive and found myself at the grocery store... starving!
At the prepared food counter, there are a myriad of glistening, fried, brown items, and a nice array of fresh salads, most of which are sprinkled with bits of cheese or globs of mayonnaise.... nothing I want to ruin today's 6:30 am 42 minute 6K for.
Over in the section containing macaroni and potato salads, I spot four "fresh" salads - and exhale in relief. There is a wild rice salad, a three lentil cranberry salad, a three bean salad and a couscous salad with olives. I decide on the cranberry lentil, and a vegetable samosa.
The kid ahead of me is ringing in two fried chicken breasts and a mound of cheesy potatoes...and almost $15. My order came in at $5.65.
It always gets me thinking when I'm eating out with nothing but time to think about food, or compare what I see around me. Today's question got me pondering "What do I eat instead?". It's not like the chicken or cheese tastes bad, but if you take it off the list of options, what you'll eat INSTEAD is invariably going to be better. Better for your body AND better for your budget.
I think that what I'm eating INSTEAD is what is fuelling my desire to keep eating this way. The vibrant colours, rich and exciting flavours, deep textures and inexpensive and easy variations are such a great alternative.
The fibre and protein and fat and complex carbohydrate mix was really delicious. Instead of packing back a quick fried (dead) chicken breast and some gloppy potatoes, I've eaten about 1 1/2 cups of colourful protein, fiber, nuts, cranberries, parsley, peas, potatoes and some hefty spices. In the time it took me to blog this, my stomach is now full, and I am no longer ravenous.
Being alone, I also had the chance to observe lots of little kids, shopping with their moms. It's interesting for me to see the little kids, their moms and their carts all in one place. Our daily habits sure do add up over the years...
I'll let Harrison have the last word on this blog...
On Sunday, he says to me in his usual, matter-of-fact tone... "Mom, I don't mean to sound "out there" or anything, but I think what parents give their kids when they are little trains taste buds for when you're grown up. Like if you just get fed junk food, your taste buds think that junk food is the way food is supposed to taste when you're grown up. And if your parents give you real food, you probably actually like real food when you're grown up...Right?"
At the prepared food counter, there are a myriad of glistening, fried, brown items, and a nice array of fresh salads, most of which are sprinkled with bits of cheese or globs of mayonnaise.... nothing I want to ruin today's 6:30 am 42 minute 6K for.
Over in the section containing macaroni and potato salads, I spot four "fresh" salads - and exhale in relief. There is a wild rice salad, a three lentil cranberry salad, a three bean salad and a couscous salad with olives. I decide on the cranberry lentil, and a vegetable samosa.
The kid ahead of me is ringing in two fried chicken breasts and a mound of cheesy potatoes...and almost $15. My order came in at $5.65.
It always gets me thinking when I'm eating out with nothing but time to think about food, or compare what I see around me. Today's question got me pondering "What do I eat instead?". It's not like the chicken or cheese tastes bad, but if you take it off the list of options, what you'll eat INSTEAD is invariably going to be better. Better for your body AND better for your budget.
I think that what I'm eating INSTEAD is what is fuelling my desire to keep eating this way. The vibrant colours, rich and exciting flavours, deep textures and inexpensive and easy variations are such a great alternative.
The fibre and protein and fat and complex carbohydrate mix was really delicious. Instead of packing back a quick fried (dead) chicken breast and some gloppy potatoes, I've eaten about 1 1/2 cups of colourful protein, fiber, nuts, cranberries, parsley, peas, potatoes and some hefty spices. In the time it took me to blog this, my stomach is now full, and I am no longer ravenous.
Being alone, I also had the chance to observe lots of little kids, shopping with their moms. It's interesting for me to see the little kids, their moms and their carts all in one place. Our daily habits sure do add up over the years...
I'll let Harrison have the last word on this blog...
On Sunday, he says to me in his usual, matter-of-fact tone... "Mom, I don't mean to sound "out there" or anything, but I think what parents give their kids when they are little trains taste buds for when you're grown up. Like if you just get fed junk food, your taste buds think that junk food is the way food is supposed to taste when you're grown up. And if your parents give you real food, you probably actually like real food when you're grown up...Right?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)