Food Blog Dot Com

FoodBlogDotCom

Food Blog Dot Com is written
by Lin Ennis, a writer passionate
about good food, healthful
food and food as medicine.

( Food Lovers Only )

Lin Ennis

SANDWICHES TO FREEZE

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The month or so of rotator cuff surgery preparation I’ve done is a blog in itself, but this post is strictly about preparing food to take to work for lunch, food that is easy to eat (I’ve been advised by previous shoulder surgery survivors that sandwiches are great!) and can be prepared ahead of time so at least my first week or two of recovery is lighter on duties. My inspiration for these sandwiches was Vegan in the Freezer. The idea of mixing pintos with garbanzos seemed interesting. While Ginny likes her sandwich filling a little crunchy so doesn’t mash the beans so much, I like my crunch to come from raw veggies, not from what I consider undercooked beans. The pintos were very soft…inspiring, I think, the chickpeas to lighten up!  I didn’t have the Knorr seasoning she mentioned, but after checking the ingredients, I figured I could make do by mincing veggies I had on hand and using herbs and spices. BASE RAW CONDIMENTS 1) 2-3 Tbsps of mayo–I use Kraft made with olive oil (sadly, the olive oil is not a major ingredient!) 2) salt 3) freshly ground pepper Rinse the beans! You don’t want that canned soup/bean water flavor in your dish! Use a mixer, handheld masher or a combination of both to chop and smooth the beans to your desired level. Whip in the mayo and raw veggies. Add some salt and pepper. VARIETY This was the genius of a large recipe! I divided the mixture into three lots and seasoned each separately. 1) Curry 2) Chili 3) Herb (parsley, dill, etc.) WRAP & FREEZE I used high-quality plastic wrap and included a scribbled slip of paper to identify my varieties. I put seven sandwiches (what this recipe made with thick, abundant filling in each) back into the bag the sandwich thins came in to add another layer of protection from the freezer. TAKE-AWAY The next time you mix a large batch of something—or contemplate whether to mix a large or smaller batch—consider dividing the basics and getting crazy with some of your favorite flavors!

KITCHEN HACKS

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A hack, in today’s parlance, is something that makes life easier, whether a shortcut or a new idea. Here are a couple of my favorite kitchen hacks. Odors: Hate the lingering smell of onions and garlic on your hands after some food prep? You can buy one of those fancy pieces of stainless steel shaped like a bar of soap. A couple of rubs and the pungent bulb smell is gone. There are two reasons I see to not do this: 1) It adds to the clutter you must keep on or near your sink. 2) It costs money you could use to feed a child in a third world country for a week. But I am seriously against leaving the smell on my hands. (About 11 years old, I pulled a giant garlic [weed] out of the garden, and the smell on my hands made me so sick I called Mommy at work for help.) If you have a stainless steel sink, blessed be, just rub your hands across the divider or any convenient area. No stainless steel? Stroke the spout or spigot or any metal part (This works for me in our bathroom, too, where the finish is antique copper.) Go ahead. Sniff. Odor gone! Veggies: Are vegetables spoiling in your crisper, even when you think you haven’t left them too long? If they’re wet when you remove them from the plastic bag, you just found your problem. Before storing, especially if you’ve just washed the celery or lettuce, wrap a few inches of paper towel around the base to keep them dryer. When you use some of the vegetable, do not rewrap in the wet toweling. Get a dry one. (You can compost the wet one, or use it to wipe up the counter top.) This is imperative for cut bell pepper. I was taught this by someone I thought didn’t know what she was talking about. I love being wrong when that means I’ve just learned something. You don’t have to wrap the entire bell, just lay paper over the cut edges. (You’ll notice when they go bad, the cut edges have gone to mush. That is what you aim to prevent.) Leave some of your favorite tips or kitchen hacks in the comments below. Pretty please?

SPLIT PEA SOUP IN 10 MINUTES

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Half an hour before lunchtime I got a hankering for split pea soup. That’s usually a day or at least a half day recipe in a Crock Pot, but I figured I could do it in the pressure cooker in half an hour. Wash the peas (2 cups) and put them in the pot with five cups of water. While that was heating up, I rough chopped an onion, 3-4 celery ribs and a few baby carrots. Tossed in two cloves of garlic, peeled but whole. Added a scant tablespoon of pink Himalayan salt and a healthy drizzle of my new favorite extra virgin olive oiloil: Gremolata. And a handful of fresh basil leaves. While the pressure built, I checked the Internet for how long to pressure cook split peas. Turns out it isn’t half an hour but only 10-12 minutes. I set the timer for 10, but when it beeped, I took the cooker off the stove and let most of the pressure dissipate naturally–just to make sure the legumes were thoroughly done! This is exactly why I love a cordless mixing wand. The Cuisinart creamed the soup, onions, carrots, garlic and basil leaves beautifully. A hearty, filling meal in a hurry for a cloudy day. Including prep and pureeing, fewer than 20 minutes.

CREAMIEST ASPARAGUS SOUP

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My new favorite soup was inspired by a chef from whom I gathered the idea of bulking up hearty, traditionally creamed soups with compatible vegetables that will not overpower the flavor focus, thus eliminating the need for butter and heavy cream (delicious though they are!). When I got a coupon for asparagus at $2.49, while the produce department price was $6.59, I bought two large bunches—enough to experiment with and still have some steamed as a side dish. The experiment was a success, so here’s how to make the creamiest, heartiest “cream of asparagus” soup with no cream at all. 1 pound of Lima beans, cooked (I used frozen baby limas, pressure cooked for 8 minutes) 1 pound of asparagus trimmed and steamed Saute together in water or olive oil:* salt—about 2 teaspoons (add some to the beans, some to the onions, some to the asparagus) cracked black pepper to taste In batches, filling the blender no more than half full, and holding a kitchen towel over the lid for safety, puree all ingredients together, reserving a few asparagus spears to be cut into 1/2 inch lengths and stirred into the finished puree. * TIPS: Because of olive oil’s sensitivity to heat, I prefer to saute in water, then add oil after cooking is complete. You can add the saute veggies in descending order of the list, because onions and celery need longer to cook, garlic less, and the peas really just enough to thaw. Gremolata: I am in love with Gremolata, an extra virgin olive oil subtly flavored with garlic, Italian parsley, lemon zest and a hint of mint. For this dish, instead of putting oil in the soup, I drizzled a heart shape of gremolata onto the ladled serving. Delicious! photo credit stu_spivack, Asparagus soup with crème fraîche and pink peppercorn, chosen for this post because the green color is similar to my recipe.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN LOWFAT

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NO BREADING – NO FRYING – DELICIOUS Eggplant fruit always look so beautiful in the grocery store–deep, rich purple, almost black, the color of royalty and ‘please pay attention to me.’ But what do you do after that? I taught at a private boarding school in Moab, Utah, in the 70s. Students and (mostly male) faculty grew a great deal of what we ate. In fact, my “buy from the store” budget was $10 per household member per month. Everything else had to be acquired from our commissary for free, or at a reduced price by being purchased in bulk (such as rolled oats; corn meal was 4 cents a pound). The Commissary had gunny sacks full of cubed and dried eggplant. I added it to sloppy Joe mix, and chili, and god-knows-what-else. It bulked the food. It was filling. And almost tasteless. The girls living in my home accused me of putting it in cookies. I could have, because what flavor does eggplant have? Couldn’t chocolate chips overpower that? Isn’t eggplant, almost like rice or pasta, a carrier of the sauce? I succumbed recently to the seduction of the jewel-toned globe on the top shelf of the produce aisle. A smallish one. I try to include deeper colors in my diet for phytonutrients and blah, blah, blah. Before I knew it, the little purple globe I carried home had developed a soft brown spot the size of a nickel–even in my crisper. I called my neighbor who cooks everything from scratch three times a day because of an allergy her husband has. (She’s a totally amazing cook and an even more amazing hostess!) She emailed me a recipe for eggplant Parmesan that did not involve breading or frying. Not even peeling. I liked the result so well (it served 4 meals for one person) that I bought another small eggplant this weekend, with a promise to myself not to keep it in the fridge so long before preparing it. Here’s how it goes: Depending upon the size of your eggplant, you’ll choose a small or medium or large baking dish. Spray with non-stick spray. Bake 10-30 minutes, depending upon the thickness of your slices. DO NOT COVER! (makes the dish too watery) If this is a main dish rather than a side dish, meaning no meat is being served, increase the sauce quantity and add Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles to give a more main dish texture and feel to the entree. Tell us all in the comments below how you like this.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PLUS

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The net has been abuzz with ideas and speculation about the new food management system Weight Watchers rolled out in the United States on Sunday, November 28, 2010. Since then, it’s been whining! I’ll write more about this in the coming days, because I’ve neglected my Food Blog too long! For now, I will say, I have gas. It’s my own fault, not Weight Watchers’. I indulged a bit too much over Thanksgiving, with some homemade candy gifts (incoming), cornbread stuffing (my own), and so forth. Plus a couple or three months of being a bit lackadaisical about dietary control. I took the rolling out of the new plan as an opportunity to get back on track, weigh or measure everything that counts, and “behave.” OK, the first day, I had a bit of stuck-in-my-car snacking rebellion. I had snacks with me and maybe it felt like a last fling or something. And they were salty-crunchy…my favorite. Yesterday, I did much better on the food, but drank more beer than my points allowed. I unloaded firewood from the truck and stacked it, so I earned two activity points. Lame, I know, but that’s just it–both an ankle and a shoulder are lame, so I cannot walk, run, do jumping jacks, bicycle, or anything I can think of to get in a good 30 minutes’ activity! Anyway, here’s my food points breakdown on the new system: Allowed Eaten MON 29 64 TUE 29 46 WED 29 31 And when I say “eaten,” I mean ingested in any manner. You can tell I’m getting better at it! I’ll be the first one to admit I didn’t expect it to be this hard. Again, it isn’t just because of the new system. It’s because I’d gotten lazy, and I got in a habit of indulging over the holiday. But, the new points system shows indulgences better than the old program did. That’s why it’s such a good thing. So today I ate veggies, veggies, veggies. I had Ritz crackers with my zero-point soup at lunch. It would have been fewer points to put oil or burger crumbles, or even a potato, into the soup, because it just wasn’t satisfying. I spent 8 points on crackers; a potato might have been 4. At dinner time, I had more soup, and a small sweet potato and a Griller. And LOTS of okra–about three servings. The soup had green beans, celery, sweet peppers and a very few lima beans. I borrowed a hula hoop. I was able to sustain five minutes of trying at one session and three at another. Combined, I did not earn an activity point. Somehow I imagined doing 30-60 minutes of hooping per day. That was before I kept bruising my legs by trying to stop the hoop from dropping. I can keep practicing! And I stayed away from the chocolate. And beer. I borrowed a hula hoop. I was able to sustain five minutes of trying at one session and three at another. Combined, I did not earn an activity point. Somehow I imagined doing 30-60 minutes of hooping per day. That was before I kept bruising my legs by trying to stop the hoop from dropping. I can keep practicing! And I stayed away from the chocolate. And beer. I am associated with Weight Watchers as a paying member and supporter, not as a paid employee or official spokesperson. Does anyone realize how small a 4 ounce serving of white wine is?

THE CRUNCHIEST

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Today I discovered Nabisco’s Wheat Thins Flatbread – Tuscan style. I wasn’t hungry when I got home from the store, but I was exhilarated that I was within Weight Watcher’s weight range at last night’s weigh in, and a couple of pounds lighter this morning. And wanting a crunch! About 5:00 I chose to indulge in a light snack before beginning to cook my veggie-binge stirred-but-not-fried dinner. The Tuscan Herb flat bread was salty enough and uber-crunchy. Light enough to break with a glance. Which was part of the problem. The box had been dropped somewhere along the way, and many crackers were broken. As with pretzels, back when I used to eat them, I had to clean up the product by eating all the broken pieces. Then breaking more. Then more because they broke so easily. (Testing their lightness!) Note to self: Buy these only when above your highest level of self-control if you’re a salty-crunchy eater. I ate nearly the whole box (only 20 crackers). Then it seemed pitiful to put away four – then two. So I finished them. I’m stuffed.. That was 600 calories. My Weight Watcher’s Points Finder doesn’t go that high. Nor to 15 grams of fat. Since the Points Finder stops at about 20 points (for one serving of one food mind you), I chose to estimate my crispy indulgence at 25 points. Coincidentally, that’s the number of points I was given when I joined Weight Watchers at 80 pounds above my maximum healthy weight. Yikers! Should I go ahead and cook dinner? If I don’t, I’ll feel snackish all evening. But can I add any coconut milk to my stir fry? Any side of brown rice? My experience instructs me I should get back on a normal track as soon as possible. Excessive sacrifice to make up for prior indiscretions cannot turn back the clock. Extra days of vegetables-only at least once a day, more exercise — these things can adjust my ongoing challenge with keeping the old habits at bay. I think I’ll opt for a bit of rice and no coconut milk. I bought some beautiful fresh vegetables at the store today. Calling them beautiful, and romanticizing them to myself, does adjust the mindset. Because luscious vegetables are almost always expensive, I heap shredded cabbage — much cheaper — into almost every stirred-not-fried dish. Along with Chinese or sugar snap peas, diced sweet peppers of various colors, home grown super mild and sweet garlic, a bit of onion, and whatever else is on hand. Bon appetite!

CABBAGE CONFUSION

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After my ode to Napa cabbage (my first post), a correction is in order. I went on and on about Napa cabbage. I talked to friends about trying it. When I bought one last week at a different supermarket, it rang up as Savoy. I said, “I thought that was a Napa.” “No it’s savoy!” said Jeanie, the cashier whom I know from Weight Watchers. “Well, it’s marked ‘Napa’ at _____ store!” I countered. “Of course they have it marked wrong!” chimed Jeanie. I couldn’t argue. My main pet peeve about the supermarket Jeanie does not work in is that the produce is sometimes not priced. Produce managers come and go, but item names and price tags are often hard to find (not exactly near the produce they speak to), or are missing. If ______ store ever gets a produce manager who sticks around, I’ll train her or him to keep prices close to the items and names readable (I don’t mind, really I don’t). So this little curly-leafed thing is savoy, savoy, savoy. (Why didn’t I select bok choy, which is unmistakable?) It’s always more expensive than ‘regular’ cabbage, but to my taste (and appreciation of texture) is a completely different vegetable…like red cabbage does not closely resemble green cabbage in taste or usage. So I treat myself to it, about every third or fourth cabbage purchase. And occasionally use more than one type of cabbage in the same dish. While I’ve not made slaw with it, I have eaten leaves raw while cutting for a stir fry. Love them! Do you have a favorite cabbage? Can you talk about Napa? (I’ve eaten more varieties than I’ve cooked with. Help me here!) Thanks to Wikipedia for the photo and confirmation on the savoy cabbage.

VEGGIE WRAPS

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haven’t been a big fan of making wraps at home; though, wraps are often one of the most healthful choices when eating out. The main reason I didn’t stick with buying the huge flour tortillas and wrapping food in them is their calorie load often compared to that of bread while their ingredient content (white flour base) was inferior to good bread. La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Soft Wraps have been all the buzz in our local Weight Watchers group. I chose the Multi-Grain variety. At 3.5 fat grams, this flavor barely squeaks in at the 1 WW point the wraps are famous for – and that’s if you have a very steady hand when using the points value slide rule. The wrap is 100 calories with 12 grams of fiber! The multigrain has contributions from wheat, oats, flax, millet, rice, soy, corn and sunflower seeds. (Other varieties have less fat.) Men love it! It made the top 125 Best Foods for Men in the 2009 Men’s Health Nutrition Awards, selected by Men’s Health Magazine. The wrap pictured contains a combination of lightly steamed vegetables (yellow squash, mushrooms, spinach) and diced raw veggies (cucumber, red bell pepper, scallions). I wanted to add tomato, but obviously, my eyes were bigger than my wrap! Radish and broccoli sprouts added a little spice and crunch. It rolled up like a giant taquito. I was unable to fold the ends in…possibly because it cooled too much while I added the ingredients. I drizzled a little balsamic vinaigrette in it, and held on for dear life to keep the innards from becoming outtards as I ate it. My recommendation to improve this would be to marinate the veggies, then drain well before wrapping. And use less filling. Or use all cooked veggies which would keep the wrap warm and stretchier (I think). Again, I recommend eating a wide range of colors and varieties. Don’t stick to what you know and love all of the time. If you eat spinach, for example, try Swiss chard, too (which itself comes in three colors). Besides, color makes a pretty lunch. All trademarks used belong to their owners. This website is not affiliated with any brands or programs in any financially remunerated way. The opinions expressed are mine…but you knew that, right?

FOODIES UNITE

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When my friend Kate and I scheduled a meeting over lunch at my house, she said, “Let me bring lunch. I’m a real foodie.” Knowing I am a vegetarian, she brought quinoa-stuffed acorn squash and an elegant salad. As she laid things out, I learned she was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. (That means she’s achieved and maintained a rational weight according to Weight Watchers International charts). Having never seen Kate overweight, I was shocked she’d ever been “fluffy.” What really struck me though was how lovingly she talked about food. As we munched on salad and seasoned Ry-Krisp, she revealed more about the amount of time she spends cooking (for the week), the quality she reveres, and nourishing her body. I’d never thought a thin person could claim to be a foodie — and why would a fat person? isn’t their problem obvious? I was 80 pounds overweight and probably didn’t like mentioning food out of fear people would think, “Duh; it’s so obvious you dream about food!” I joined Weight Watchers soon after that (the exact how and why are another story). It took a few months, but eventually I realized I was becoming a foodie. I was focused on food, wanted the best-tasting food I could get for my calorie expenditure and wanted the food to make me healthy and fit, not just thin(ner). I started cooking more-elaborate dishes, cooking for one, cooking for one every day, and trying new ingredients: new-to-me vegetables, different varieties of apples and oranges. New seasonings. More seasoning, learning that packing in flavors – like onions and garlic – can make a dish much more satisfying. Something I feared would make me fatter – thinking and talking about food, a lot – has supported me in achieving my Weight Watchers goal and lifetime membership. Sure, I’m still 30 pounds heavier than I need to be to be healthy, but I am in a healthy range (ok, at the very top of a healthy weight range. To stay on track, I focus on food. I intend to eat food I like. Like a lot. For example the pre-made frozen Indian platter I have in the freezer right now. And veggies–always veggies. I love peas, but not just any peas–they must be petite peas (about $3/pound frozen). I intend to take more time to prepare food, to think of different seasonings instead of my former trio of onion powder, garlic powder and crushed dried sweet basil leaves. I’m testing out Thai and Indian and yellow versus red curry. Steamed versus sauteed. Roasted versus steamed or baked. Spinach with onions or plain…or with nutmeg? I love plain food, veggies that taste like the earth from which they came. It’s hard for me to add seasonings and lose that fresh, earthy flavor. But so much color and pizazz await becoming a foodie and experimenting, listening to others, asking questions, ordering something interesting sounding at a restaurant you would usually not visit. If you’re a foodie, too, dab some vanilla behind your ear or leave a little vinaigrette on your fingertips–somehow identify yourself to the rest of us. Here’s one: write comments on this blog, and send the link to others you know who cherish their bodies and their gustatory delights! Weight Watchers and other brands mentioned are trademark names for the companies that trademarked those names. They have not yet reviewed and decided to endorse this Food Blog. Nor do I receive any compensation or punishment for any brands I mention. Kate is a psychic healer totally nuts about health in a fun-loving way. Here’s her PsychicSedona website.