Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Food of the week: Eggs

Eggs have always been one of my favorite foods around. They are eaten in so many tasty ways, how could you not love them? Now that I've done some research about eggs, I'm even more convinced of their necessity in our lives. The nutritional benefits heavily outweigh the few drawbacks (for most people) and eggs are used for so many things. Plus they're just so gosh-darn tasty!



Benefits:

Drawbacks:
  • Very high in cholesterol (but saturated and trans fats have much bigger effects on blood cholesterol levels than cholesterol in food.) The cholesterol is in the yolk of the egg. To cut out cholesterol, just use the whites.
  • If not properly stored and cooked, could lead to salmonella poisoning.

Ways to eat eggs:
  • Scrambled, poached, or fried with sides of potatoes and bacon (fakin’ bacon if you choose).
  • Omelets filled with whatever your heart desires! This heart desires green peppers, onions and cheddar cheese.
  • Eggs are the ingredient in baked goods that make it “risky” to eat the dough.
  • Soak some sliced pieces of a baguette in a mixture of eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Griddle and Viola! French Toast!
  • Hard boiled eggs are good in a variety of ways; cut up in a salad, egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, and plain with a few sprinkles of salt.
  • Quiche!
  • Eggs Benedict is favorite brunch entrée of mine.
  • Souffles and Meringues are made by beating egg whites vigorously, which increases their volume 6-8 times.

Little known facts:

  • If you do not store eggs in a container, they will absorb the odors around them.
  • The color of the egg (white or brown) depends on the breed of the hen.

Final Note:
As with much of the meat-packing industry, the egg industry draws into question the treatment of egg producing hens. We see a lot of “Cage-Free” eggs around now, which you would think would be more humane for the chickens. However, many stories have come out in recent years about the truth behind cage-fee chickens. As always, my recommendation is to buy eggs from your local farmers. That is, unless your local farmer is a mass-meat/egg producer that lines it’s animals up in small cages and feeds them things that make their stomachs explode.

More on Calorie Counts

Looks like Calorie Counts at fast food joints in NYC has been successful in some ways. Though it is debated that the people who pay attention to the calorie counts are people who are already aware of their nutritional intake. Also, we know that calories are not the only consideration when thinking about healthy eating (but seriously, not getting a salad that is 1200 calories is probably a good thing). Regardless, some people find the counts beneficial and it appears that some restaurants are making changes to their menus because of it. I'd say that alone makes it worth doing.

According to the article there are some federal bills waiting to be passed, that could make this more of a national priority. Viva la calorie count!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Recipe of the week: Vegetable Soup

Last weekend I made a lot of soup. It was easy, made the apartment smell nice and provided me with plenty of leftovers! I basically just threw in a whole smorgasbord of vegetables, but here are deets.

Vegetable Soup
1 - 32 oz carton of vegetable broth
4 large Idaho potatoes, cubed
1 large zucchini, cubed
1 large yellow squash, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 lb spinach
1 cup sweet peas
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Cumin, to taste
Celery Salt, to taste
Oregano, to taste
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

Add garlic, onion and bay leaf to vegetable broth in a large pot. Heat for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add potatoes and spinach. Sprinkle in some some cumin, celery salt, oregano, and black pepper, and cook on high heat until potatoes start to become tender and the spinach is wilted.

Take out a few cups of the mixture (make sure you have a good chunk of potatoes) and blend in a food processor. Add back to the soup mixture.

Add zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers and peas. Sprinkle in some more of the spices and red pepper flakes to give the soup a little kick. Simmer until the squash softens.

Menu Plan Monday!

I've mentioned in previous posts that I like to plan out my menu for the week, in order to eat healthier and to save some money. I'm obviously not the first one to think of doing this, and the Organizing Junkie has dedicated a website to it. So, here is my menu for this week ( I think most people just do dinners, but I'm planning out all of my meals). I'm feeling excited about it!

Monday
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Slice of Pizza and Vegetable Soup
Dinner: Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla

Tuesday
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla
Dinner: Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday
Breakfast: Hot Cereal with Raisins and Nuts
Lunch: Chicken Parmesan
Dinner: Pizza

Thursday
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Vegetable Soup
Dinner: Salad with Tuna, Beets, Black Beans and Corn

Friday
Breakfast: Hot Cereal with Raisins and Nuts
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Grilled Cheese and Vegetable Soup

BTW - I made a large amount of vegetable soup this weekend, which will provide me with meals for a while! I put some of in the refrigerator, knowing that I would eat it over the next week, and the rest in the freezer.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Food of the week: Pickles



It's embarassing to admit how old I was when I realized that a pickle was really a cucumber. So, I won't tell you. It's funny that we do not call them pickled cucumbers. Think about it, when we pickle anything else, peppers for instance, we call them pickled peppers. What's that about? Pickling is an action, not the food itself. Maybe there was a universal agreement that pickled cucumbers were the best tasting pickled anything and therefore got to claim the title of pickle.


What is pickling exactly? The fermentation caused by soaking food in vinegar or salt brine kills with a vengeance the bad bacteria that causes food to go bad!


Good examples of pickled foods: Pickles, Peppers, Cauliflower
Bad examples of pickled foods: Sauerkraut, Eggs
Haven't tried: Kim chi


There's lots of things to say about pickled foods. I don't have all day so I'm just going to focus on pickles themselves. Let's take a looksy-loo at pickles.








Pickles come in many varieties, Dill, Kosher, Bread and Butter, Gherkin. The difference is the way they are fermented, specifically what condiment, herbs and spices they are fermented in.


Benefits:

Drawbacks:

Ways to eat pickles:

  • Although there are recommended uses for each type of pickle, really they all taste good cut up on a sandwich or burger.
  • Beer battered pickles! It may not sound appetizing, but they're so good, especially dipped in some ranch dressing. Yeah, that's healthy.
Little known facts:
  • September 14 was International Pickle Day. Ah man, I missed it!
  • Should kids eat pickles? There's no definitive judgement (at least that I could find) that says pickles are good or bad for children. The consensus seems to be that they're not bad (low in calories and fat) but don't really have much nutritional value either.

Monday, October 20, 2008

The cool air goes to my head and my stomach!

Last weekend welcomed fall as the temperatures were in the 50's, with the sun shining and a crispness to the air. The noticeable change in seasons motivated me to make some autumn-friendly foods. An additional motivational factor was I had a whole lot of apples and needed to find some ways to eat them all.

I decided to make some recipes from the Moosewood Cookbook. For dinner I made the Stuffed Squash recipe (which called for apples in the stuffing), along with some grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I have to say I was very disppointed with the squash. It wasn't horrible, but it did not meet my expectations for all of the work that went into it. (I always hold my breath when cutting thick squash, I inherited terrible cutting skills from my mother. Both of us often draw blood in these circumstances. No blood this time though.)




The highlight of the dinner ended up being the apple crisp I made for dessert! This was also from the Moosewood Cookbook. I made a smaller batch then called for because it turned out half of my apples were rotten inside (ewww!). But the ones that were good made a totally delicious dessert. It consisted mostly of an apple-cinnamin-sugar-lemon juice mixture beneath a topping of oats, flour, brown sugar, butter and spices. Delicious!

With my dinner and wonderful dessert I enjoyed a glass (or two) of a Cabernet Franc I got from a winery a few hours upstate. The apples, the wine, I was trying to keep it local!

Recipe of the week: Katy's Beet Pasta

Who is Katy and why am I posting her beet pasta recipe on my blog? This actually comes from my friend Alisa, who got it from her friend Katy (who heard from Larry that Susie and Bobby were going steady...). I'm always looking for new ways to eat beets, and this looks tasty!

Katy's Beet Pasta
One bunch of Beets (with beet greens or you can use spinach instead)
One box o pasta radiatore, prepared
Chicken broth/water
Olive Oil for Sautéing
Parmesan or Romano Cheese, to taste

Chop beets. Sauté beets in olive oil under tender (add chicken broth or water after about fifteen minutes.) Add spinach or beet greens to wilt them. Mix with pasta radiatore.
Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Thanks Alisa...and Katy!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Food of the week: Pumpkin

It's October! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the brisk air, the fall foliage, and warm and comforting foods! It only makes sense that pumpkin is the food of the week.

Did you know that 80% of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October?

Benefits:


Drawbacks:

  • Some pumpkin recipes call for pumpkin pie mix, not pureed pumpkin. While pumpkin puree is just as healthy as fresh pumpkins, the pumpkin pie mix tends to have additives that increase sugar and cholesterol.

How to Select, Prepare and Store Pumpkins.


Ways to eat Pumpkins:
  • See last week’s Recipe of the week, Pumpkin Pancakes.
  • Pumpkins can used to make soups.
  • Pumpkin pie!
  • I found this recipe that I would like to make for Thanksgiving, it’s a baked stuffed pumpkin.
  • Pumpkin seeds are tasty too! They have their own health benefits.

Little Known Facts:

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Recipe of the week: Burrito Bar Options

You may have a noticed a brief absence of posts last week. I did not post a food of the week or a wine of choice. Forgive me, I had family in town and was having way too much fun to stop and blog! The good thing is that, out of all of my family fun, comes some yummy recipes for the blog this week!

My mom, sister and I decided one night while they were here to cook at home. With no shortage of activities in NYC, a quiet night at home was a nice break. We considered many options for dinner, including a tasty turkey meatloaf, but ultimately decided on having a burrito bar! (Yes, admittedly I got the idea from Rachel Ray, but we didn't end up using any of her recipes). So here's what we made.

Chicken with taco seasoning
Refried Black Beans
AvoSalsa (see recipe below)
Mango Salso (see recipe below)
Apple Ginger Salsa (see recipe below)
Lettuce
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese


That's a lot of fillings to choose from! We felt that we needed some avocado, so we used this recipe from Avocado.org.
AvoSalsa
2 ripe medium California avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
¼ Cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 large lime
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

I then got two salsa recipes from my friend, Elizabeth. The first was a tasty mango salsa, that I mentioned in a previous post. The second, was a peach and ginger salsa. When I asked Elizabeth for the recipes to her salsas, this was her reply:
HAHAHAHA. Recipe?????

I think it was a pull things out of my fridge sort of deal, as usual. Chopped mango, bell pepper, red onions or sweet white onions....something like that. You can also do it with tomatoes, but they make it more watery--I think mine was without because there were tomatoes in the taco filling already.

My other favorite is ginger peach salsa--you can do it with nectarines, too--cube peaches, and stir in finely chopped ginger, chili, and sweet red onion (you can leave that out as well)...add a dash of cinnamon, voila! And if you have mealy peaches that don't ripen, you can cook them down and then add the other ingredients at the end.
We ended up making an apple and ginger salsa instead, because a) we forgot to buy peaches at the grocery store and b) we had gone apple picking and had TONS of apples. I would like to try the 2nd slasa with peaches. Both salsas were great, but the apple and ginger had a bit of a kick to it.

Of course, I couldn't decide between the salsas for my burrito, so I piled them all on. Each bite of the burrito had a different flavor. Now that's how a burrito should be done!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Cultivating a healthy lifestyle

As much as diet and exercise fad products would like to argue otherwise, there is really only 1 way to be healthy. A balanced diet and an active lifestyle. These are things that I am constantly revisiting, because it is so easy for me to fall into patterns of bad foods and lethargy. So, I thought I’d share how I keep myself healthy; in part to help you, but also to keep me honest.


Diet:

You can obviously see that I love food. My interest here has been a work in progress throughout the years as I try to expand my diet. As a child I was a very picky eater, and this ran into my teens and early 20’s as well. For a while, in fact, I subsisted on a diet of mostly McDonalds. In the last so many years, however, I’ve been acclimating to a healthier diet, eating things I never would have tried before. I try to be aware of where my meal has come from and what it will do to my body. I’ve stopped eating fast food altogether because it scores horribly in both catergories.

My biggest battle at this point is balancing the preparation of my own meals and buying them. If I don’t plan out my meals for the week, I’ll most likely end up getting breakfast from Starbucks, lunch from the cafeteria, and a frozen pizza for dinner. So, each week I try to sit down and plan out a schedule of meals for the week. Some weeks are better than others. And even if I do plan, life is always throwing wrenches in our plans, and I have to be flexible. For instance, last night I ended up eating much later than I thought I would. So the chicken burrito was replaced by a frozen pizza. Not ideal, but it had to do.

Today, I was much more prepared for healthy options. I got up this morning and made some hot cereal, and brought that and a banana to work for my breakfast (I have a hard time eating right when I get up in the morning, so I eat at work instead). Additionally, I packaged up some leftover salad, made a pb & j sandwich, and grabbed some vegetable chips for lunch. A well balanced breakfast and lunch. In addition, I plan to actually make the dinner I failed to make last night, which will leave me with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.



Exercise:

Living in NYC, I tend to already have a somewhat active lifestyle. I take public transportation to and from work everyday, which includes a 10 minute uphill walk and 3 flights of stairs/escalators every day. But, this past year I noticed that I’m still out of breath when doing these things. I also found this to be true when hiking upstate last month. So, I recently joined a gym and am trying to find the right motivation strategy. At first I thought that I should not intimidate myself by scheduling a lot of time for the gym; I would start slow and work my way up. But, then I would make excuses or something would happen that would prevent me from going to the gym as much as I wanted to.

This is my new strategy. I am planning to go the gym everyday, if even for a short workout, and am taking my gym bag to work so that I can just stop on my way home. I figure with this schedule, should I miss a day or two, I will still be getting enough exercise. So far, I’ve gone to the gym the past 3 days in row. Let’s see if I can keep up that stamina. I do yoga once a week as well, which helps to keep me stretched and toned.


Mind/Mental Well-being:

I find that my mental state significantly affects both my diet and my activity level. This makes perfect sense and really is not a groundbreaking discovery in the terms of science and health. But, to truly acknowledge this and to incorporate it into your lifestyle is really the key to maintaining healthy actions.

There are a few things I do to keep myself healthy mentally:
- Having a set schedule: As I mentioned before, if I do not plan out my meals and schedule a visit to the gym, I will resort to unhealthy lifestyle choices. So, I try to schedule these things ahead of time, so that I’m not deciding what to do on a whim.
- Meditation: I practice Zen meditation on a weekly basis. Every Saturday morning I get up and sit 2- 40 minutes periods of zazen. This routine gives me a consistent point of grounding and a supportive social environment as well. The mindfulness that comes from sitting, as well as from my yoga practice, helps me to be honest with myself. Also, it helps me to really feel what’s going on throughout my body while eating or exercising. Food tastes better when mindful, because I notice more of the flavors and textures, and I feel when I am full. I am also able to increase my exercise activities when I stay present in my body and notice how the activity affects my body.
- Sleep: Getting a full night’s sleep is essential to my mental and physical functioning. If I am going to be sharp and energetic throughout the day, I need to get enough sleep. Mornings are a little rough for me, so I’ve been trying to schedule morning activities to help energize me while not taking much time away from my sleep. I recently wrote out a daily schedule of morning activities, including a few energizing yoga poses and some brief meditation time.

In reality, people have their own strategies for a healthy lifestyle. This is my strategy and so far it’s been okay. I have tweaked it and will continue to do so when I find a better way to do something. A healthy lifestyle requires constant attention. If you lose focus, it will not sustain itself. This is why so many people are unhealthy. There are lots of convenient ways to distract ourselves or forget to be healthy in our choices. I find mindfulness and planning the best ways to cultivate and maintain a healthy lifestyle. And, of course, I allow myself those times when I eat out with friends and have a few drinks. I need the balance of both to keep me healthy, both mentally and physically.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Pancakes

I got this recipe from my friend Charlotte. I've had sweet potato pancakes before, which were very moist and yummy, but I've never tried pumpkin pancakes. I always trust Charlotte's judgement of food (with the exception of seafood, you know I just don't like it!), so I put great faith in her claim of the tastiness of these pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes
2 1/3 c. pancake mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon each, cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger
1 1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. pumpkin puree

"Mix ingredients and griddle! It makes a lot of pancakes, so I just make them all, put them in a container separated by wax paper and pop them in the toaster the next day! They also freeze really well and then can be heated up in the toaster as well.

They're great with a little poached pear or pear puree on top as a syrup alternative. Applesauce might also be good, but never tried it!"

I can't wait to try them! Thanks Charlotte!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Wine of Choice: Riesling

Germans know how do more than just beer! Rieslings are Germany's apology for sauerkraut and spaetzle.
Riesling [Pronunced Reez-ling] is a white wine.

Where it’s from:
  • The Riesling has been cultivated in Germany since the 1400’s. More recently we see Rieslings coming out of France, California, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Yugoslavia, and Italy. But the wines of the German, French and California varieties have been the most acclaimed.
  • Riesling is also performing exceptionally well in New York’s Finger Lakes region, and Michigan’s northern appellations of Old Mission and Leelanau, as well as in Canada’s Niagara and Okanagan regions, and to some extent in soggy Oregon.
  • Australia - Riesling is connected to the German heritage of South Australia’s Barossa Valley, and was for years the most important white variety in Australia, vinified into a wonderfully unique, sturdier style of the wine.
  • Riesling is responsible for many of the world’s best dessert wines - Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese in Germany, Vendages Tardives and Selectiones de Grains Nobles in Alsace.

What it tastes like:

What to eat it with:
New terminology:
Terroir – [pronounced teh-RWAHR] – The soil and other geographic factors that might influence the quality of the finished wine. For example, "because of both its cellar longevity and its ability to maintain varietal identity while reflecting the individuality of its terroir, Riesling may be the best of all the white wine grapes".

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Urban farms - a brilliant concept!

Will Allen of Milwaukee just got a McArthur Genius Grant for his organization Growing Power. It utilizes people in the community and it produces local food (both meat and produce) for an urban area. He additionally wants to expand to teach people to do similar things in their communities and use the system as a way to fight racism. I've seen some similar things (but not quite as large or successful) happening in New York City. It's a new way of farming and feeding ourselves, and I think it's great!

We’re having to go back to when people shared things and started taking care
of each other. That’s the only way we will survive. What better way than to do
it with food? - Will Allen

Of course, the idea of urban farming is not a new idea. Many cities around the world have urban farms of their own (this can be seen by doing a quick google search). Farming has also been a way to give kids opportunities to be involved with harvesting food and interacting with wildlife.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Food of the week: Sesame Seeds

Recently I was looking up some information on sesame seeds. I rarely think of sesame seeds or their place in my diet, but I was very impressed with what I saw. These things are tiny, but man do they pack a nutritional punch! When I began thinking about eating sesame seeds, I realized that I really do enjoy these little guys. I mean, think about sesame seed buns and bagels. What a difference the seeds make!



Benefits:


Drawbacks:

  • They get stuck in your teeth.

  • If you eat 1 cup of sesame seeds, you ingest 825 calories! But really, who is going to eat a whole cup of sesame seeds?

Ways to eat sesame seeds:

  • Tahini is a sesame paste that is commonly used in hummus and baba ghanoush.

  • Gomashio, a mixture of sesame seeds and salt, is a seasoning traditionally used in Japanese Buddhist monasteries. We’ve had this during sesshin at our zendo. I put it in everything! Really, in a stir-fry, oatmeal or a salad. Or even to jazz up rice.

  • Sesame seed bagels are great with cream cheese, or to use for a tuna/chicken/egg salad sandwich.

Little Known Facts:

  • Sesame seeds are the oldest condiment used by humans.

  • Unhulled sesame seeds (unprocessed, hulls act as protective coating) are traditionally used on crackers and breads, because they adhere better.

Comedian Mitch Hedberg does not share my affection for sesame seeds. He’s funny though.