Thursday's Lunch

As you can see below, I wasn't able to get my act together to bring in something to eat for lunch - that is all breakfast stuff. That meant I was at the mercy of the cafeteria. I got a tuna sandwhich on multi-grain bread with lettuce, tomato and provolone; a bag of Sun Chips, and a banana. This all cost around $6. Not bad.

I haven't eaten potato chips in a long time. I really wanted them on Thursday so I gave in. Sun Chips have a surprisingly small ingredient list, like four or five ingredients. Maybe all potato chips have small ingredient lists. I've never really paid attention.

The banana I did not get around to eating, so I placed it on top of my pile of paper for my printer to save for Friday, but my co-worker's son ate it after I left. If you work in an office, you'll know that Thursday was "Take Your Kids to Work" day. Oh well. She was very apologetic and said she'd replace it and I said not to worry about it. I'm picky about my fruit, and like to choose it myself. That banana was in top form, too! Oh well.

Thursday's Haul

Top to bottom: small container of ground flaxseed (for my oatmeal), homemade banana muffin, hard-boiled egg, and an orange.

It might seem kind of anal to bring exactly one tablespoon of ground flaxseed to work with me each day. I suppose it is. I used to keep the bag in the fridge at work, but now the cleaning staff cleans it out each Friday and throws everything away, so it's just easier to keep it at home and bring a tiny bit to work each day, lest I forget to bring the bag home each Friday and end up getting the whole thing trashed. The container I swiped from the cafeteria at work.

Banana Muffins

These smelled so good while they were cooking! I don't think the bananas were quite ripe enough, however, which resulted in banana chunks in the muffins. Regardless, I was still able to eat three in one day. The next batch I make I'm going to stir in 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed.

Searching for the Perfect Veggie Burger

So it's getting to the BBQ time of year again. As a vegetarian, I am always the odd man out at these things - food wise. As the lot of the party drools over steaks, burgers, and chicken parts dripping with brown sauce as they are drawn to the grill like moths, I'm breaking open my package of frozen Gardenburgers yet again. On my way to any BBQ, I cruise by the grocery store and have to decide: Gardenburger or Boca Burger? One look at the ingredient list on either of those and I break my cardinal rule of not eating things I can't pronounce. I must say, last year Trader Joe's had these great portobella mushroom burgers in the refrigerated section. They were fresh and good. But they're not out yet. So I think I'm ready to find my own recipe, comprised of ingredients I can pronounce, and keep them in the freezer and at the ready. Kathleen has two recipes on this blog I have tried: the paremesan patty and the salmon/tuna burger. Both are good, but I want to recreate this yummy portobella mushroom burger. My first experiment was this evening. I think it was pretty successful.

The experiment: I combined the following in a food processor:
1 portobella mushroom cap, chopped
1/2 cup tofu, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed in olive oil plus 2 cloves garlic
1 egg, beaten
1/2 can white kidney beans
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon 21 Season Salute (TJ's)
salt and fresh ground pepper

This yeilded enough for 6 burgers. I baked 3 at 400 degrees for 50 minutes, and sauteed 3 with olive oil. They both came out well but the baked ones are better for freezing and then reheating on the BBQ I think. Bottom line: YUM! A little gooey, so maybe I'll try a little more bread crumbs next time.

The "Take Home" Chef

So while flipping through my "Good Cook" catalog (see below) I noticed Cooking With Curtis by Curtis Stone. He has a show on TLC called Take Home Chef. Ha! I have never heard of this show. He looks, um, a little different on the website than on the cover of his book! Looks like TLC has found their sexy, young chef to promote ala Dave Lieberman.

The Good Cook

I got a catalog for The Good Cook book club the other day. Very tempting: four cookbooks for only $1! I easily found four that I wanted, like The Best of Gourmet and some Ina Garten cookbooks that I've always wanted but never buy.

But I knew there had to be a catch. I scanned the membership rules: Just buy 4 books at the regular club price within the next 2 years. You may cancel anytime after that. Hmmm. That's not bad at all. But aha! Further down, the "catch:" Free club catalogs are sent about every 3 weeks. The catalog reviews the Editor's Main Selections plus 200 titles. To get the Main Selection, do nothing; it will be sent to you automatically unless you decline it by the deadline date.

Annoying! So basically every three weeks I have to make sure and send back a card declining the "Main Selection" or get stuck with some shitty cookbook I most likely do not want. And believe me, there are a lot of books in there I don't want!

And then, as if that wasn't annoying enough, this: Save up to 30% off publishers' edition prices every day with our club editions. Club editions are full-length books, sometimes changed in size to save you more. Changed in size? What does that mean? Are they omitting content to change the size? If I'm going to buy a cookbook I want the original, "publishers' edition" and I don't care if I have to pay more to get it!

So to sum up: you need to be on your toes about sending that stupid card back so you don't get stuck with books you don't want (and with my unreliable mail service, I know it would happen to me) and then for the books you do buy you may not even be getting the original version.

No Thanks!!
.

Black Lentils

I found these black lentils at Trader Joe's and thought I'd give them a try. They look very cool, almost like black caviar. They are easy to make and delicious. Lentils are legumes that are high in fiber, folate, iron, protein and many other nutrients. They are one of the "World's Healthiest Foods." They reduce cholestorol, are good for the heart, and are very good for digestion - if you know what I mean. See lots of facts about lentils here. Lentils also soak up flavors easily. I'm not sure if black lentils have their own separate fun facts, but I bet that black color has some added benefit.

To make these I started by sauteing 1/2 an onion (chopped), 2 cloves of garlic (chopped), and olive oil in a big pot. I added 2 cups of lentils, 3 cups of vegtable stock, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and lots of spices. This simmered, covered, for 30 minutes and voila. Very popular with the coworkers who keep asking me what they are and how to make them.

Next I will try a lentil recipe from my Russian coworker that includes dried cranberries and raisins. Yum.

On Making this World Eater-Centric

Very good article in the New York Times Magazine about how the farm subsidies have made high calorie foods so much cheaper than low calorie, healthy foods. These same subsidies have created havoc on clean water, the environment, obesity rates (especially in the poor), and school lunches, as well as the farm economies in Mexico and many other countries that can't compete with the prices of corn syrup, soybean oil, and wheat. The Farm Bill is up for review every 5 years - behind closed doors and reveiwed by those with industry interests. If anyone knows how the rest of us who care about eating can infiltrate this archaeic and misplaced piece of legislation, please let me know.

Mushroom Basil Scramble with Parmesan

Sauteeing mushrooms in butter.

Grated parmesan and eggs ready to go.

Finished product: mushroom scramble with parmesan, salt, pepper, and fresh basil. I think I'm going to make this again for dinner right now!

Pepitapapas

I got this recipe from - I know, I know - Rachel Ray magazine. It's not such a bad magazine, I have to say! The recipe is adapted from a recipe from Sahagun chocolate shop in Portland, Oregon.

The chocolate. How'd that 60% get in there, dammit?!

Two cups peeled, raw, pumpkin seeds that I lightly toasted for ten minutes in a skillet.

Chilled on the Silpat and ready to break apart. Besides the chocolate and pumpkin seeds, there is also a 1/4 teaspoon plus a dash of hot chili powder. I used cayenne. Is that the same thing? I can't figure it out. The bark peeled right off the Silpat. I love Silpat! Oh, and reserve some of the seeds for sprinkling on top after you've poured the melted mixture out.

Ready to eat! I brought this to a cocktail party last night and it appeared to be a hit. I certainly liked it!

Tofu Fried Rice

Yet another recipe from Tofu 1-2-3. I'm telling you, this cookbook rocks! Here are some of the ingredients, ready to go: tofu, snow peas, red pepper and mushrooms (under the snow peas), scallions, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.
Ready to eat. You could also crack an egg or two into this once all the ingredients are mixed together and heating up on the stove.

Corn Muffins

Another recipe from Tofu 1-2-3. Delicious. Sweetened with apple juice and maple syrup, and again, silken tofu in place of eggs. Note gaping hole in muffin on the right from testing to see if they were done!

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Tofu 1-2-3. They use silken tofu in place of eggs, and a cup of maple syrup instead of white sugar. I'm renaming these "Blueberry Pancake Muffins" because that is exactly what they taste and smell like, thanks to the maple syrup. So good! These are the easiest muffins I have ever made.

Inside view.

I realized that "Tofu 1-2-3" is actually a vegan cookbook masquerading as a tofu cookbook, (no eggs or other dairy throughout), although as far as I can tell there is no use of the word "vegan." Smart marketing move. I think tofu has lost most of its stigma thanks to all the good press that soy protein gets nowadays, but I don't the think the concept of vegan is that consumer-friendly yet. They will probably move more books by marketing it as a tofu cookbook than a vegan cookbook. Regardless, it's a great book!

Aflatoxin

Sometime last year my former landlord was talking about how toxic mold grows on peanuts and he won't eat peanut butter because it's carcinogenic. I paid little attention, figuring no one in the world has eaten more peanut butter than me and I'm still alive. But the thought popped into my head recently and I decided to do a little research. According to Dr. Weil, it's true: aflatoxin is a naturally occuring toxin produced by a certain kind of mold that grows on, among other things, peanuts. Great.

Apparently the mold that produces aflatoxin does not grow in dry climates (at least according to this blog post.) Therefore, peanuts grown in a dry climate, ie Valencia peanuts, probably do not have this mold. Arrowhead Mills makes peanut butter using Valencia peanuts, yet they make no claims of being aflatoxin-free. Not surprising, as the legal implications of making such a claim probably made the Arrowhead Mills lawyers faint.

I haven't been eating peanut butter at all lately, which is unusual for me, but I have no problem switching over to peanut butter made with Valencia peanuts while I do more research on this. I'm inclined to believe the Valencia peanuts thing, but I'd like to find a few more sources confirming it rather than relying on a single random website.

Tofu 1-2-3

Just picked up a copy of Tofu 1-2-3 by Maribeth Abrams. As soon as I saw the recipe for pumpkin pancakes I was sold. I also can't wait to try the blueberry muffins and corn muffins, both with tofu instead of eggs. The teriyaki tofu with peanut dipping sauce sounds and looks good too, as does the dish on the lower right-hand corner of the cover, spicy peanut noodles. I love new cookbooks!

Potassium Broth

Got this recipe from The Kripalu Cookbook. Here are the ingredients, ready to go: carrots, potatoes, beets, onions, celery and cilantro. It actually called for parsley, but I bought cilantro by mistake.

AHHHH! Attack of the killer foaming potassium broth!

Strained and ready to drink.

Down the hatch!

Why potassium broth? During my first couple of pilates classes I was getting insane muscle cramps in my calves and feet. Blindingly painful cramps. The instructor had to come over at one point and massage it out for me. She said that's normal for a beginner, and most likely has to do with the pointing of the toes, which uses muscles that you don't normally use. She said if it kept happening after a month that I would need to eat more bananas, which I took to mean I'd need more potassium. After consulting my ADA Complete Food and Nutrition Guide I discovered that potassium helps your muscles contract, so now I'm sure she was referring to needing more potassium.

The insane cramping has stopped, but I still get small cramps, which doesn't seem like a problem. But I stumbled upon this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. The cookbook says the broth not only replenishes the body's potassium, but also replaces many other trace minerals and nutrients and "provides a feeling of well-being and is especially useful for someone on a temporary purification diet or for someone who is ill and needs some robust, easy-to-digest liquid nourishment."

It doesn't taste bad at all. It's mild and goes down easily. I am going to guess I have not been getting enough potassium, as according to the ADA the "adequate intake" level is 4,500 milligrams daily. To put this in perspective, the food with the most potassium listed on their chart is a banana, with only 420 milligrams. You'd need to eat nearly 11 bananas a day to get enough! No wonder my muscles were spazzing out! Well, potassium is now on my radar and I'm going to try and get more.

Spicy Chocolate Muffins

No, this is not a cow patty, it's the top of a spicy chocolate muffin from a recipe I found on The Seasoned Palate (the March 25 post). The recipe is adapted from Alton's Brown's book I'm Just Here For the Food, but I don't know which edition as there are many. The spice comes from cinnamon and cloves. This recipe is a winner. They fell right out of the pan in perfect form. Definitely take out after 18 minutes, though - I took out after 20 and I think that's what made them slightly dry. But they go down great with a glass of milk/soy milk/rice milk. Now I've spoiled my dinner from eating batter, munching on the chocolate chips, then eating a muffin. Phooey.

Muffin side view.

Pizza and Beer

Today is one of those days: pizza and beer day! Maybe it's the feisty wind and rain beating down outside, but whatever the reason the mood hit me and there was no turning back. I even reneged on my rule of never getting delivery during bad weather. I don't like making delivery people come out when it's nasty outside - seems kind of cruel - but all bets were off today. I dialed up Singas which just opened a location only two blocks away and ordered two 10" green pepper pizzas for S and myself. I can easily finish one of these babys on my own, which is a little disturbing, but I guess it's the equivelent of like two or two and half normal size pieces of pizza, which doesn't seem so remarkable.

This Singas outlet also houses a satellite post office, which is bizarre. When you first walk in you see the post office counter, a scale, and a bunch of post office bins all stacked up. And the way they make the pizzas here is somewhat novel: the little ten-inch pan goes onto a conveyor belt, and by the time it comes out the other end it is a crisp cooked pizza. Never heard of the conveyor belt method of pizza cooking, but I've now seen it with my own eyes and tasted it with my own taste buds, and the results are worth blogging about! My neighbor was like "Singas? Ew. Don't the use frozen pizzas?" The menu continuously points out their "freshly sliced/shredded" toppings, so I don't know. Obviously the sauce is made ahead, and who cares if they prepare a bunch of 10 pans with dough ahead of time? I guess just as long as they don't sit around for too long. Regardless, tastes good to me!

Copperhook Spring Ale

I love seasonal brews, and this is a good one: Red Hook Copperhook Spring Ale. The package says "Crisp. Citrusy. Fresh." I'd say that about sums it up. A very light-tasting beer with lots of flavor. Not watery at all. Recommended. The website says it's available only through late April, so try it soon before it's gone!

Cuisinart Griddler

I want a Cuisinart Griddler!

Cute Little Spice Packets

This month's Food and Wine gives a nod to TSP Spices, these adorable little collections of individual spice packets. You can buy canisters of an individual spice (seen here), or a collection of spices. Each packet contains one teaspoon of a single spice. The owners have a blog called The Seasoned Palate. Scroll down to March 25 for a "Spicy Chocolate Muffins" recipe. Sounds so good!

You say Pumpkin, I say Reuzenpompoen

I was flipping through Knott's Handbook For Vegetable Growers, 5E and came across a very handy table titled "Names of Common Vegetables in Nine Languages."

Dutch and Swedish tie for best word for "pumpkin:" "reuzenpompoen" and "jattepumpa," respectively. And "watermelon" in French is exactly what you think it would be: "melon d'eau." Yet again French succeeds in making a bulky English world lovely and musical. And if I ever have the need for a hip-hop DJ alter-ego, it will definitely be "DJ Koolraap," which is Dutch for "DJ Rutabaga." HA!!

No School Lunches

You've been warned: do not bring your school lunch to the Baltimore Aquarium cafeteria!

Easter Bunny Cake

G's niece Alaina made this Betty Crocker Easter Bunny Cake to bring to their grandmother's Easter brunch last Sunday. So cute! Uncle G cut the cake into the right shape, then Alaina frosted and decorated. All this was done in our hotel room, mind you (except the baking, obviously. The cake traveled from NJ to Baltimore in an Abercrombie shirt box). First time I've ever had shredded coconut all over my hotel room, or cans of frosting softening on the heater!

Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers

My lucky recipe streak came to an end with these Barefoot Contessa Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers. These were nasty! They weren't even crunchy like crackers, they were just crumbly dough discs.

The dough was very crumbly and hard to form into the single 13" log the recipe calls for.

Instead I had to make 3 individual logs. I couldn't even roll the dough - it had to carefully formed into log shapes with my hands. This recipe was annoying and didn't even taste good. Not recommended!

KitKat Bunny Ears

How cute is this?! A KitKat with giant bunny ears! My mom sent me one of these for Easter - thanks Mom! This image is from BradKent.com. He's got an insane archive of candy wrappers, including the gem of my own collection, an M&M's Plain wrapper.

Macaroons

The recipe is actually for lemon macaroons, from the new issue of Gourmet, but I lacked the proper tool for grating the lemon zest, so I left it out. And they were still good!

Ready for the oven...

...et fini! Not much difference, but you can tell they are a little bit golden, and browned on the edges. The middles stuck a little, even to the Silpat, but not so much as to ruin them. I ate three right upon exit from the oven!

I finally discovered the close-up setting on my camera! Hopefully this is now the dawn of better pics on Hot Lunch!

Colin Cowie's Vinaigrette

Colin Cowie's Vinaigrette, from the January 2007 issue of Oprah magazine. I've been lucking out with recipes lately - this dressing is great. It's the first time I've ever made my own dressing, and I will never go back to bottled. The only problem is, I'm sure I can never use this much fresh dressing before it goes bad. I will need to halve the recipe next time I make it.

A bowl of red leaf lettuce and spinach, awaiting its annointing. I got this nifty bottle at The Container Store. It came with a cork and also this little pour spout. And it's the perfect size for this recipe, minus about a tablespoon that wouldn't fit.

Curried Red-Lentil Stew with Vegetables

From the April 2007 issue of Gourmet. Recipe here.

Ok, I know this is green and not red. I have no idea why. Regardless, it is absolutely delicious. I didn't make the spice oil topping, but it was still good without it.

Ladled over brown rice and ready to eat. In fact, I overate this at dinner with two buttered whole-wheat rolls. Uggg...my stomach. But it was so good! I think the secret is in the garlic-ginger puree...

Banana Cocoa Soy Smoothie

This smoothie is so delicious - you must taste for yourself! It is loaded with protein and potassium, and it's a great way to get your chocolate fix without tons of fat. I've been having one of these almost everyday for three weeks now. They are great for right after work when I am most vulnerable to mindless snacking. The recipe is from Eating Well, and you can find it here.