The Food Connection

I participated in an interesting, albeit unplanned, experiment over the past 10 days.  I was pet sitting/house sitting for a friend, while she and her husband were on vacation.  Like most of us, they cleared out the fridge before going on their trip.  What was left?  Sodas, cheese sticks, tortillas and a freezer full of frozen dinners.  And in the cupboards: a plethora of crackers, cookies, and other snack items that never make it through the door to my house..... not because I'm such a natural food angel, but because I know my limitations.  I know that if I have cookies, chips, crackers, etc in my house, I'll eat it with abandon.  So I just don't buy any of those things; and I don't miss it or crave it.....that's the interesting part, the craving.  Part I of my unintentional experiment.

So when in Rome, right?  I dug into the Wheat Thins, Ritz Crackers, and cheese day one (pretty much through day 10!  So much for "mindful eating!")  I had a handful of crackers (a very large man's hand) and knew that should be enough. But that handful was not enough to satisfy me.  I craved more.  And since there WERE more of them, I ate 'em.  This happened over and over during the course of the week with all of the processed food I ate.

I'm convinced that there is something in the packaged "food" that triggers something in the brain or body to actually craves more of it.  My brother-in-law (a brilliant man) and I talked about it today, and at the risk of going all "conspiracy theory" on you, he said (having researched this same idea, regarding sugar substitutes because of his Type 1 diabetic child)  said that there are chemists hard at work making "foods" that makes you crave more of them.  Real food, real ingredients actually trigger your brain that you've had enough, that you are sufficiently satisfied.  Processed food may actually do the opposite.
So that was finding #1 of my unscientific experiment: real food, whole foods send a signal to the brain that you're full; processed "food" does not, and thereby allows you to easily overindulge.

The rest of my findings from 10 days of eating poorly and contrary to the way I normally eat were evident in how my body reacted.....

First of all, my face quickly broke out like a teenager..

My skin was as dry as the Sahara....no water-packed fruits and veggies to keep my skin hydrated.

My hair was dry and ill-behaved, and my patience was at an all-time low (maybe because of the bad hair days, but I think it had more to do with the food)

Every evening I went to bed and every morning I woke up with my belly feeling like this:

While my jeans miraculously still fit, I don't even want to know what the scale might actually say.

So now I am back home and I'm contemplating a bit of a "cleanse", which for me means no dairy and no gluten, and obviously nothing that comes in a box or a bag.  It'll look more like this....

I hope that this makes you think a little bit more about the food that you put into your body (and especially into your kids' bodies, if you have them).  I'm kind of glad that I veered off the healthy eating path this week, so that I could see just what happened when I ate packaged and processed "food."  Makes me feel like the path I've chosen both in the way I eat and the way I teach others to cook is all the more validated.  Eat well; live well!

"Eat food. Mostly Plants. Not too much."........Michael Pollan

A Delicious Surprise

Saturday night was another Farm to Table dinner at Farm Girl Nursery.  I saw the guests beginning to arrive, so I went into full-steam mode, getting the first bite into the oven and ready to plate....

Figs stuffed with prosciutto, topped with Pt Reyes blue cheese and toasted walnut, then baked for 10 minutes and drizzled with pure maple syrup.  My culinary partner-in-crime, Tom, made these for me a few weeks ago, with the same fresh figs from his garden that we used Saturday, and I knew at first bite that these had to welcome everyone for the dinner.

Lisa, of Farm Girl Nursery, came to the kitchen door as I was racing around and asked me to come outside for a minute.  This had never happened before, so I was a little confused.  I was even more confused when I walked onto the porch and slowly started to recognize people I knew.  My brain went into some kind of weird slow motion groove.  Turns out my BFF Sue had organized a little surprise for me.  A couple months ago when I old her I was having a farm dinner on her birthday, she apparently got the idea to secretly invite some friends to come with her, and what she thought might be three or four of them turned into 14 (including my lovely sister, Michelle). 

I momentarily" lost my business" (it's rare that I am actually surprised), and when I went back into the kitchen I had to ask my crew what the heck we were serving for the first course!  Thankfully they had their act together and we were back in order.  First up: Thai Pumpkin Soup garnished with creme fraiche, pure maple syrup, and red chile strips (recipe follows)...

Next was a lovely salad:  Watercress, Asian Pear, Toasted Walnuts & Shaved Pecorino with a Champagne Vinaigrette.  This is another example of how using fresh, in-season produce elevates simple ingredients to delicious heights...delicate watercress, crisp pears, crunchy walnuts, salty cheese and a sweet dressing.  A perfect combination.

The tables got quite a bit more animated with our next course:  Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Browned Butter Sauce.  The excitement, the oooh's and aaaaah's were heard all the way into the kitchen. Tom made fresh semolina pasta sheets that we laid into ravioli molds and stuffed with creamy roasted butternut-sage puree.  We topped the little pillows with browned butter and a crispy sage leaf. (I'll do a separate post with recipes later in the week).

By the time we got to the entree, I was visiting with friends, and it escaped my camera's lens, but it was delicious...trust me!  Pork medallions marinated in apple concentrate, olive oil, thyme, Dijon, garlic and shallots.  We made a roasted pork bone broth during the week that Tom reduced down and added to onions, carrots and celery, with a full-bodied red wine to create a wonderful sauce that had everyone begging for more.  The pork loin was topped with sauteed apples and onions and served along side my cauliflower "couscous" (cauliflower pulsed in a food processor until it's the consistency of couscous, then sauteed briefly in olive oil with turmeric and curry powder and tossed with currants).

And for dessert, we revisited the pumpkin patch....pumpkin bread pudding topped with homemade vanilla ice cream (made with coconut palm sugar instead of the white stuff....YUM!)

This may be our last Farm to Table Dinner for the year (too chilly), and it was certainly one I will never forget.  Cooking for anyone makes me extremely happy and fulfilled, but cooking for people you've known and loved most of your life....now that's really something!  My cup runneth over!!

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6

2 small sugar pie pumpkins, seeded and quartered

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped basil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

3 red chiles, seeded and chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

¾ cup coconut cream (the solid part at the top of a can of coconut milk)

1 teaspoon grade B maple syrup

2 teaspoons lime juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Crème fraiche & maple syrup for garnish

·         Preheat oven to 400°.

·         Place pumpkin slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

·         When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and chop the flesh into bite-sized pieces.

·         In a medium saucepan heat oil and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened.

·         Add pumpkin, basil, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and chiles and sauté another couple minutes.

·         Add broth, coconut milk and coconut cream.  Stir to combine.

·         Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

·         Transfer to a blender and working in batches, puree until smooth.

·         Return to pot and add maple syrup and salt & pepper to taste.

·         Garnish with crème fraiche and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Sprouting Won't Get the Best of Me!

So let's talk about sprouting....what the heck, why, what?  Sprouting beans and seeds help to make the nutrients in them more easily absorbed by our bodies, and are easier to digest...and it turns out, it's kinda' fun.  It also amps up the nutrients of the beans or seeds that you work with..... up to six times more nutritious than the raw or cooked version.

I'd bought sprouts before, but had never imagined making my own until I was in the Natural Chef program at Bauman College.  A few years ago when I was a student, we were given seeds, a mason jar and instructions, with the goal of coming to class a week later to share our sprouts.

I was the only student who was unsuccessful.   Boooooo!  Well, truth be told it was a "Girl's Weekend"; that once-a-year weekend when my college girlfriends come spend the weekend at my house.  There's a lot of fun and laughter and stories and food....and wine.  Ooooops, that may have had something to do with why I didn't quite follow the instructions in those first couple days of sprouting.

Now as the kitchen manager at Bauman College, the students don't have to sprout.....I do. (Yikes!)

Last semester one of the instructors was my pinch hitter. Chef Marcella, said, "I'll do it" when she saw the fear in my eyes.  This semester, however, I decided that sprouting would not get the better of me.... I'm sprouting!!  And I did!!

Here's the deal:
I soaked 1/3 cup of lentils in filtered water overnight (yes, it needs to be purified water for best results),
I drained the water and put the lentils in a 2 quart mason jar with a square of cheesecloth sealed with the ring or a ubber band over the top.
Keep it tilted in a dish drainer, making sure that the lentils, beans or seeds don't cover the mouth of the jar...need to let the air flow into the jar.
Rinse and drain the bean/seeds each morning and evening (just fill the jar with filtered water and drain thru the cheese cloth).
In three to five days, they'll "sprout" like in the above pic....you'll see little tails.

Marcella sent me a recipe by Heidi Swanson's 101Cookbooks.com to make today.....I was skeptical, but it was delicious, and the students ATE IT UP!

Here's a link to the recipe:  http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/sprout-salad-recipe.html

I used lentils instead of mung beans, and they sprouted within a few days just as easily.

The dressing is so simple, but amazingly delicious: chopped arugula, chives, Greek yogurt (I used goat yogurt for a little tang and to accommodate my lactose intolerant friends) and a pinch of salt.  Heidi suggests serving it on the side; I agree.

Really does go to show that the best things are the simple things....

The base of the salad is equally simple and equally yummy,,,,the sprouted beans, toasted almonds, avocado, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Sounds like "are you kidding me?" but tastes like ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!"

I was amazed...and I will be sprouting again.  And again and again!

Yum it up!!

Ginger-Coconut Chicken

Last week was so dang hot here in Northern California that I just didn't feel much like cooking. I ate a lot of watermelon and salads....no ovens or stovetops were going to run in this house!   It was a bummer because I got the idea for a ginger-coconut chicken dish that I was really dying to make (and eat!), but had neither the desire or inclination to get near a hot stove.  When things cooled off this weekend though, I jumped at the chance.

This is another no-recipe recipe, but you can do it; I promise.  I was just in such an excited runsh to make it and get it in my belly as soon as possible, that I didn't take the usual time to write it all down as I went along.  I need to get better about that!

First, let's get my peeling ginger trick out of the way....

Best way to get the skin off your ginger root (please don't buy the bottled stuff; fresh is so much better) is to use the side of a spoon.  You give up less real estate this way and you start to smoosh the ginger (techincal culinary term) and bring out that beautiful ginger juice and flavor.

Next, slice a medium onion, chop a couple tablespoons of ginger and a serrano pepper (leave some of the seeds in if you like a little heat), and get a lime ready to juice in at the end.  Saute the onion, ginger and serrano in a couple teaspoons of coconut oil until softened.  Add about a pound of chicken breast or thighs (for 4 servings), cut into bite-sized pieces (I used thighs this time; they're cheaper and just as tasty as boneless breasts) and cook until lightly browned on all sides.  They don't need to be cooked all the way through because now you add a can of coconut milk.  Use the real deal, not the "lite" version.  You know the deal - when they take the fat out of a product, they usually add other things, like sugar, to make up for the flavor, and sugar is far worse for us that fat.  Stir well, cover and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through and all the flavores are snuggled in.

At the end, I throw in a handful of basil leaves, a pinch of salt to taste and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.  Serve over brown basmati rice and send me a thank you note!!

Yummy and fast....what more can you ask for????


Yum it up!!

Most important meal of the day...

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  You're literally "breaking the fast" (get it?) that your body has undergone during hours of sleep. Breakfast gets your blood sugar in check, jump-starts your metabolism and has been shown to aid in weight loss and weight management.  If you think skipping breakfast will help save you the calories, you should rethink that plan.  Most people who don't eat a healthy meal at the start of their day (protein + healthy fat + complex carbs) end up eating more during the day than they would otherwise.

Lately coffee has been my breakfast of champions.....not good.  Don't I ever listen to myself??  A few extra minutes of sleep or a "too busy"morning got in my way, and I was feeling it.  So this morning I woke up and decided that it's time to get back on track.

Making a healthy breakfast isn't time consuming at all. One of my faves is a peanut butter & banana smoothie: 1 banana, a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, a handful of ice cubes, and a splash of milk.  Some inspired Sundays I'll whip up a batch of my granola to have during the week, mixed with some plain Greek yogurt.  Both of these are fast and easy and give me the protein my body needs to start the day.  But if I have a little extra time, like this morning, I like to cook up some eggs.  Obviously great on the protein scale, but it also offers me a chance to sneak in some of the five veggie servings I try to get each day. Throw in whatever you've got: onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, squash. 

I whisked a couple eggs with a little water (makes it puffy and light), salt, pepper and a smidge of Gruyere (just a smidge, I swear!), some chopped chives and little strips of baby spinach.  I poured it into a pan over medium heat and let it sit, scraping around the sides a little bit to let the egg settle.  When only the center is a little loose, I popped a lid on it to cook it all the way through, and watch it puff up....

Once you take the lid off, the puff dies down, but it is seriously yummy.  And it only takes about five minutes (come on, you know you've got that).  I tossed a few fresh cherry tomatoes on top, and I'd call that a pretty yummy way to start the day, and it kept me focused and satisfied right up 'til lunch time.  So do your body a favor....feed it something healthy within an hour of waking (no, doughnuts don't count!)

Yum it up!