Archive for the ‘Healthy Foods’ Category
actually woke up at 1:30 a.m. remembering to move the weather command unit to higher ground in hopes of catching Uncle Sam’s radio signal with the time.
Actually, my mind is racing trying to keep up with everything going on these days. Too much work. Too much work. Too much work. It gives a whole new meaning to this busy as a bumblebee thing.
Given how fast life is these days I was happy to receive my welcome letter today from Nell Wright over at Slow Food USA, which I recently joined. I’m not complaining, mind you, but I did find it interesting that it took about a week for the email to get here.
I joined Slow Food USA in hopes of learning more about the foods I eat, but also in the hopes of finding others around these parts interested in the idea of good, wholesome food, carefully and lovingly prepared and enjoyed.
See, even after about nine years here in rural Calvert County I’m not all that widely networked with my neighbors. I travel too much and I work from a home office. Unless someone comes pounding on my door with a package delivery or I run across them regularly on my errands, I don’t really get the chance to meet many people here. My local network consists mostly of the folks at the nursery (who mostly know me for my love of mulch) the wine guy (who mostly knows me for my love of wine) and the nice people at our little post office (who mostly know me for the impressive quantity of mail order catalogs that I receive).
I also haven’t run across too many people on those errands that share my interests, particularly in slow foods. I mean, I am one of those throwbacks who actually cooks dinner every night so we can sit down for a family dinner. It usually takes one to two hours for the preparation and cooking. I also am making my own cheese and have pretty much given up buying store-bought bread in lieu of making it myself, although that’s usually in the bread machine. (Note to self: Ask the Slow Foods people “How slow is slow?”) How do you find people these days who share an interest in cooking with good ingredients, particularly when you live in the middle of nowhere?
I don’t know about where you live, but out here it’s appalling what I see people tossing into their grocery basket. I see families with kids, God bless ‘em, with little more than frozen pizzas, ramen noodles and sugary cereals piled up in their grocery cart. And I can’t help but notice the correlation between the nightmares in folks’ shopping carts and their, well, shall we say their impressive girth?
And some purchases just don’t make sense given that you can accomplish the same thing at home with a minimum of effort. Don’t these people KNOW you can make tea yourself with boiling water and some cheap teabags? You don’t NEED someone in Arizona (or pretending they’re in Arizona) to boil it up, sugar it up and bottle it up. You can even just stick those bags in a bottle of water in the sun and—VOILA—sun tea!
I just want to holler sometimes.
Clearly, the stress of work is getting to me that I’m worried about Arizona Tea here at 2 a.m.
Gotta get a life here soon…
Robin
Do you sprout?It’s not just for hippies anymore.
I have been sprouting for years. Radish sprouts. Broccoli sprouts. Onion sprouts. These are mung bean sprouts.
There are many beauties to sprouting:
- No weeds.
- You can sprout any time of the year, even in a snowstorm.
- It takes up very little space.
- It’s WAY fast. You can get a harvest in as little as two days.
- The sprouts taste yummy and can be used in a wide variety of cooking.
- It’s very inexpensive.
- They are really good for you.
As you can see, I don’t have one of those fancy sprouters advertised in the magazines. This is just a mayonnaise jar that is fitted with a lid that I found about a hundred years ago at a health food store. You can accomplish the same thing with a bit of screen or even cheesecloth and a rubber band.
Here’s what you do.
1) Find the sprout seeds. This, I’m afraid, is the hard part. You can look in health food stores but even they, I’m afraid, are often deficient on this score. Surfing the web helps. I recently got two FIVE POUND BAGS of mung beans from the wife of the fellow who owns the wine shop (did you follow that) because they shop at an Indian grocery store near their home about an hour from here.
2) Measure out a modest portion of the seeds into your sprouter. They will expand like mad, so don’t fill it very much. For this mayo jar you see here, I only had about 1/2 cup of mung beans.
3) Soak the seeds in tepid water overnight in a dark location. I put them in the cabinet where we keep our glasses. This way, I always am reminded of it because that’s the cabinet I visit most frequently.
4) Each day, rinse the seeds in tepid water. I rinse in the morning and in the evening. Allow to drain upside down, giving the jar a little air space. I prop my jar sideways in the aforementioned cabinet, still allowing the drops of water to run out on a paper towel.
5) Eat when ready or save in the refrigerator. Sprouts will keep up to 1-2 weeks refrigerated.
Mung bean sprout, tomato, cucumber and goat cheese salad.
Oh, and Ben’s grilled filets with lemon butter topping.
(Ben says thanks for the book, Vennie!)
Each seed type has its own unique flavor. I particularly like mung beans for their earthy and nutty flavor. I use them in salads of all types. They can also be mixed with tuna, chicken or other meats.
Onion and radish sprouts have a zesty flavor that I adore. Broccoli sprouts taste a bit like broccoli. You can, of course, mix sprouts too for a mix of flavors.
So there you go! A very easy way to garden in your kitchen cabinet. No experience required!
Ciao!
Robin
Yes, it’s Vegetarian Week. Did you know that only about 1% - 2% of Americans are vegetarian?
That little fact is probably not a surprise to you. I say that not because being a vegetarian entails such a Spartan diet. It really doesn’t. You have all these FABULOUS vegetables and vegetarian dishes, particularly from India and the Middle East, that provide lots of savory satisfying flavors. The difficulty, at least as I am experiencing it, is threefold:
1) Not all, but a LOT of really good vegetarian dishes take extra time to prepare. You can’t just toss a couple of steaks on the grill and be ready in 20 minutes. Now, I am TOTALLY behind the whole Slow Food Movement. In fact, the food around our house is so slow it routinely takes me 1-2 hours to make dinner, which is typically served at 8:30 p.m. But TIME is not necessarily something I have an abundance of, so I have to really work hard to carve out that bit of space to make a dinner we’ll all eat and enjoy. (On the upside, at least we eat a family dinner 6 out of 7 nights I’m home.)
2) The rest of the world has not customized itself to accommodate vegetarians. Sure, things are a heck of a lot easier than when I became a vegetarian for the first time back in the 1980s when I was…well, younger. Even living in California I was hard pressed to find much more than a tossed salad and some steamed vegetables in those days. Now, although there are nearly always vegetarian options available, they are slim pickins’ in the overall scheme of things, which leaves us true food lovers a bit left out of the party when it comes to restaurant eating. That’s not even to mention that people are generally disinclined to invite you to dinner, for obvious reasons.
3) Traveling is PARTICULARLY difficult. And I travel a LOT. It’s quite frustrating to be stuck in an airport with options that only amount to cheese pizza and ice cream and then landing late at night at a hotel that offers only a tossed salad and fruit. It does make a girl a bit cranky.
I was just reading an article in Yoga Journal about some of the popular yoga teachers and how they travel with their own cooking supplies. Shiva Rea even packs a whole extra suitcase with a hot plate, pot, mung beans, rice and other supplies so she can cook in her room. She has even served up to 12 people by cooking up beans on her hot plate!
Well, I’m not sure how I feel about that. As much as I would like some of those mung beans and rice, I don’t know that I have the wherewithal to cook in my hotel room late at night. I generally am more in the mood for SERVICE, preferably in 30 minutes or less.
Despite these drawbacks, if you’ve considered a vegetarian diet but just can’t make the commitment, I recommend reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It’s a very compelling read that puts a whole new face on the way most Americans eat. Believe me. You WILL NOT want to eat any beef, pork, chicken or fish after reading this book. You might not eat again.
Another helpful tip: PETA, whether you love them or hate them, is well organized and has sponsored its own Go Vegetarian website where you can even order a free vegetarian starter’s kit. I tried to send some to a couple of friends in need, but their form for friends isn’t working properly. Sorry, you’ll have to download or oder your own. Check out the website though. You can “Meet Your Meat,” take the “30 Day Veg Pledge,” get recipes and even become an activist.
And if you’re ever in Calvert County and in need of a good vegetarian meal, just let me know. It may be slow, but it’ll be healthy and vegetarian.
Robin
If you are stuck in the burbs but long for the bucolic beauty of the country and the peace of the farm life, I have good news. All this is just as close as your desktop computer!
There a number of webcams that you can visit to see slices of life on a real farm. I will admit that cow cams tend to be a bit dull, as the cows tend to stay in one place and sleep a lot. Not much action with cows. Horse cams show a lot of empty stalls as horses are the opposite of cows and tend to move around quite a bit. There seem to be no pig cams. (I wonder why?)
But chicken cams! Now you’re talking action! Chickens have a LOT of activity. Try out some of these chicken cams:
Fllying Skunk Farm – I rather like the weather station dials at the opening. The barnyard looks a bit dreary, but there’s always something going on. Today, there is a big FAT goat in with the chickens. One of the chickens has a HUGE feathery head that looks like he’s wearing a wig.
Thelma & Louise Cam – These are birds with personality! Admittedly, the video stream doesn’t always work properly, but the still photos are still worth it. I love the “Flu Stay Away” sign. Themla and Louise are very well informed birds.
HenCam — As I was researching these chicken cam websites, I had the good fortune of seeing a very serious and funky looking fellow in a polo shirt, pinstriped suit and filthy sneakers adjusting the webcam. I know his sneakers were filthy because he pointed the webcam at his feet at one point. He also spent a good deal of time staring directly into the camera lens over his head from VERY CLOSE. His mouth was twisted to the side at the effort. I felt like such a Peeping Tom! Anyway…about the chickens…It’s a very nice chicken cam.
We (I) have often considered getting chickens. I would love to have some colorful little birds making little chicken noises in the morning. I have read all kinds of books and always make a point of visiting the chicken barn at the county fair. Chickens are beautiful!
My mom loves the idea of my getting chickens. She loves to say, “Great! Now we can finally see how long a chicken lives!” (For those of you who don’t know, I am a vegetarian.)
By the way, I want to go on the record and say that I DO NOT approve of the genetic scientists’ efforts with their featherless chicken. Some call this “Frankenfood.” I call it just an abomination. The scientists point to the convenience. But, sadly, featherless chickens are not healthy chickens. They are prone to a whole host of problems and diseases. Isn’t the point to have HEALTHY FOOD?
I may have to get on the bandwagon to campaign against genetically modified foods if THIS is the type of horrors they have in mind.
Nuff said.
Robin
