I love a good challenge!
Maybe I watched too many MacGyver episodes as a kid. Maybe I view my kitchen as a cutting-edge laboratory. Maybe this is my way of being an astronaut, a scientist, and a magician all at once.
I don't know why. But I'm a challenge addict. Easy = boring. Challenges = fun!
I don't know what it is about piling my plate high with "to-do" tasks that gets my brain going and my blood flowing, it just does.
#1: I've already given myself the The 25 Husband-Approved Salads Challenge. (Wondering if I'll allow certain things like pasta salad ... hmmm ... seems like cheating.)
#2: This fall, I'm thinkin' I might give myself The Pancake Challenge. After trying Dragon Musing's excellent pancake recipe, I suddenly had loads of ideas for different pancake recipes. Something I'd definitely like to try once it gets cooler.
#3: But the challenge I'm MOST keen about, MOST excited would be the one I've just come up with (of course) ... The Leaner, Greener, Meaner Challenge from Friends. I was thinking how much fun it would be for friends to give me their recipes to try to adapt into a healthier or greener versions. Is that obnoxious of me? I hope not.
So would you help me out? Give me a challenge? I'm willing to get my hands dirty and make my taste buds giggle. Pick your favorite comfort food, your favorite overall recipe, a recipe you would make more often if it was healthier, or Aunt Betty's Artery-Clogging-Casserole recipe ... and I'll see if there's any thing I could come up with to make it healthier AND make it taste as close as possible to the original.
If you have a recipe you think would be fun to contribute to my goofy challenge, please post or e-mail me.
xoxo
July 25, 2010
July 19, 2010
I WANT PANCAKES!
I'm sitting ... waiting ... morning church bells ringing, computer chair sticky, husband asleep.
Oh, how I want pancakes, I want to eat them right now!
But, you see, I'm waiting for my pancakes to rise. "Rise"? Yes, rise. These are wicked cool pancakes. Made with yeast. My husband and I will be dining on pancakes for Sunday supper.
This recipe is part of the Taste & Create food blog recipe exchange, and I got to try out a nifty recipe from Dragon Musings, a blog I'd been checking out and admire. And I decided to try her pancake recipe. I mean, how could I resist? "Sultanas"--what the hell are those? But they sound sultry. Pancakes made with yeast, not quick rising like your usual pancake recipe. I don't know if it's more common to make pancakes with yeast in Australia, but I think it's nifty.
So, right now I'm waiting ... for my pancake batter to rise in the frig.
Overnight Pancakes
Dragon Musings recipe was awesome. "Sultanas," as it turns out, are a type of raisin. Which I thought I had in my pantry. But found I did not, a bit too late. So, instead of the sultanas/raisins, I added in some of my favorite pancake ingredients, to see how they'll meld with the yeast-based dough. It turned out awesome. After tasting these cakes, I can tell you, I plan to use this recipe again, and with raisins next time! Yum.
1 and 1/2 cups unbleached organic wheat flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour (or other non-wheat)
1/2 cup bran flakes
1/4 cup oats
2 T. raw sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 package dried yeast
1 tsp. (or more) grated organic orange rind
1 T. molasses
1/4 melted butter
1 organic, free-range egg
1 and 1/2 cups warm organic milk
1) In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, bran flakes, oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and yeast.
2) Then, add the moist ingredients: orange rind, molasses, butter, egg, and milk. Stir gently until well blended.
3) Cover and store in the frig overnight, or for about 12 hours.
4) When you are ready, cook the batter in a buttered skillet, as you would with normal pancakes. (NOTE: My batter was a tad too thick once I took it out of the frig, so I added about a half cup of water to the batter. Turned out perfect, light pancakes that held their form through cooking and flipping.)
Now that I've tried this recipe once, I can't wait until next time. Somehow thinking of pancakes with yeast completely alters my perception of pancakes. How about rose water and pistachio pancakes? Or Chai and raisin pancakes? I believe I'll be trying Dragon Musing's pancake recipe again soon!
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* Whenever I'm making something fairly sturdy, like pancakes, I try to blend the types of flour I use. I'd like to avoid using only wheat. Other types of flours bring more to the table and my gut: spelt has got protein, bran flakes have fiber, and the combination will help create a more complex carbohydrate. So, my body will register the pancake not as sugar, but as a longer lasting energy.
* For a portion of the sweetener, I used a wee bit o' molasses. Molasses has got that deep color, deep flavor, and iron!
* It's hot here in Brooklyn. Hot and humid. (Bluck!) So, doing a recipe that requires such little cooking and use of a heat source is a perfect way to conserve energy and keep from frying in our little apartment.
Here are more pictures from the process.
Those alluring orange rinds peeking out from the dry ingredients...
Now, adding in the liquids ...
Just some pictures of pretty fruit, bound for the fruit salad!
MMMMMmmm, more please!
Go here www.tasteandcreate.com for more info about Taste & Create.
Oh, how I want pancakes, I want to eat them right now!
But, you see, I'm waiting for my pancakes to rise. "Rise"? Yes, rise. These are wicked cool pancakes. Made with yeast. My husband and I will be dining on pancakes for Sunday supper.
This recipe is part of the Taste & Create food blog recipe exchange, and I got to try out a nifty recipe from Dragon Musings, a blog I'd been checking out and admire. And I decided to try her pancake recipe. I mean, how could I resist? "Sultanas"--what the hell are those? But they sound sultry. Pancakes made with yeast, not quick rising like your usual pancake recipe. I don't know if it's more common to make pancakes with yeast in Australia, but I think it's nifty.
So, right now I'm waiting ... for my pancake batter to rise in the frig.
Overnight Pancakes
Dragon Musings recipe was awesome. "Sultanas," as it turns out, are a type of raisin. Which I thought I had in my pantry. But found I did not, a bit too late. So, instead of the sultanas/raisins, I added in some of my favorite pancake ingredients, to see how they'll meld with the yeast-based dough. It turned out awesome. After tasting these cakes, I can tell you, I plan to use this recipe again, and with raisins next time! Yum.
1 and 1/2 cups unbleached organic wheat flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour (or other non-wheat)
1/2 cup bran flakes
1/4 cup oats
2 T. raw sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 package dried yeast
1 tsp. (or more) grated organic orange rind
1 T. molasses
1/4 melted butter
1 organic, free-range egg
1 and 1/2 cups warm organic milk
1) In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, bran flakes, oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and yeast.
2) Then, add the moist ingredients: orange rind, molasses, butter, egg, and milk. Stir gently until well blended.
3) Cover and store in the frig overnight, or for about 12 hours.
4) When you are ready, cook the batter in a buttered skillet, as you would with normal pancakes. (NOTE: My batter was a tad too thick once I took it out of the frig, so I added about a half cup of water to the batter. Turned out perfect, light pancakes that held their form through cooking and flipping.)
Now that I've tried this recipe once, I can't wait until next time. Somehow thinking of pancakes with yeast completely alters my perception of pancakes. How about rose water and pistachio pancakes? Or Chai and raisin pancakes? I believe I'll be trying Dragon Musing's pancake recipe again soon!
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* Whenever I'm making something fairly sturdy, like pancakes, I try to blend the types of flour I use. I'd like to avoid using only wheat. Other types of flours bring more to the table and my gut: spelt has got protein, bran flakes have fiber, and the combination will help create a more complex carbohydrate. So, my body will register the pancake not as sugar, but as a longer lasting energy.
* For a portion of the sweetener, I used a wee bit o' molasses. Molasses has got that deep color, deep flavor, and iron!
* It's hot here in Brooklyn. Hot and humid. (Bluck!) So, doing a recipe that requires such little cooking and use of a heat source is a perfect way to conserve energy and keep from frying in our little apartment.
Here are more pictures from the process.
Those alluring orange rinds peeking out from the dry ingredients...
Now, adding in the liquids ...
Just some pictures of pretty fruit, bound for the fruit salad!
MMMMMmmm, more please!
Go here www.tasteandcreate.com for more info about Taste & Create.
July 18, 2010
The Husband Salad Challenge (#1)
The Husband is a picky eater. He dislikes most vegetables.
He says "Nope" to tomatoes.
"Nope" to cucumbers.
"Nope" to green beans.
"Nope" to most green leafy things, squashes, root vegetables (like beets), snap peas, cabbage, and most everything else that goes from the ground to your mouth.
This poses a real problem, a real predicament. When we met, I was more vegetarian, and he basically lived on bologna-white bread sandwiches. We've had a long time to try to come up with a middle ground. Over the years, this difference between us has actually helped me articulate the way I view eating in clearer, more distinct ways. For example, I don't think of "vegetables" as a category unto themselves. I have subcategories ...
I think of four types of vegetables:
* SUGAR--Carbohydrate veggies, such as corn, potatoes, green peas, lima beans, and many legumes. I called these "sugar."
* "REAL"--Vitamin and mineral veggies, such as tomatoes, kale, spinach, pumpkin. I call these "real vegetables."
* FAT--Then there are the veggies I call "fats," such as olives and avocados.
* PROTEIN--Some veggies also have a decent amount of protein in them, such as black beans, chick peas, and lentils. I generally use these as sources of protein when I cook.
The Husband and I have conversations like this:
Hub: I'm feeling sluggish. What should I eat?
Me: Maybe you should eat some vegetables.
Hub: What are you talking about? I've been eating vegetables all weekend! (His head in the frig, he points to a bowl of leftover boiled lima beans and then holds out a bag of corn chips.)
Me: Those aren't vegetables. Those are sugar!
Of course, there's overlap amongst my veggie subcategories. Often certain veggies are dual-role veggies, meaning that they might also be high in sugar and protein. Or high in sugar and vitamins. And so on. I try to prioritize eating "real veggies" in order to get more vitamins and minerals into my diet, and try to limit my consumption of veggies that are pretty much just plain ol' sugar.
I thought I'd give myself the challenge of coming up with 100 HUSBAND SALADS. But that's just impossible. So, for now, I'm going to give myself a challenge that will only take one lifetime to complete--coming up with 50 HUSBAND SALADS. Still an impossible number, but just hard enough to make it a real challenge and keep me intrigued.
Husband-Approved!: Corn and Potato Salad
Here is a new husband salad I came up with. He loved it. Notice how it's mainly my husband's favorite vegetables (sugar). Cest la vie! What can you do? Except to insure that a few other types of veggies are in here, also. For example, this salad has some real vegetables (tomatoes) and some fat/protein (avocado). I also used a little red onion and cilantro to open up the range of his taste buds. (I'm plotting my path for future salads!)
2 ears of cooked corn
1 large cooked organic red potato
1 organic plum tomato
1 organic avocado
about 1/8 of an organic red onion
1 tsp. garlic chili sauce (which, you already know, I love!)
organic cilantro
salt and pepper
1/2 organic lime
1) Make sure the cooked corn and potato are cool. Carefully slice the corn kernels off the cobs.
2) Dice the potato, tomato, and red onion.
3) Chop the cilantro (as much or as little as you like).
4) Mix the corn, potato, tomato, and red onion in a bowl with the garlic chili sauce, cilantro, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
5) When you are ready to serve the salad, dice some of the avocado and top the salad with fresh avocado.
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* We went camping. Lately, I make sure to throw a few more potatoes and ears of corn on the fire the last night we camp. Then, I bring the veggies back home to eat. So, this salad didn't require any use of our stove at all! And the corn and potatoes were extra tasty, being fire-roasted and all.
* By topping the salad with avocado, you can avoid wasting avocado. This salad made 4 side servings. We ate it as a side salad for two different dinners during the week. If I'd added all the avocado, it would have gone brown and mushy by the second dinner.
* No need for an oily salad dressing. The veggies are fresh and moist. So, a little lime juice does it up just fine.
* The Hub hates tomatoes. I've started dicing them very small. In the end, I like the texture of the finely-diced tomato, and he's more interested in eating the combo as the tomato blends in.
Here are more pictures from the process.
Freshly tossed salad ...
A close up on all those colors ...
When making something new for The Husband, I like to give the new dish a "Grand Entrance." I.e. brand-new salad accompanied with an old favorite--grilled cheese with rustic bread, provolone, and cheddar ... With the grilled cheese in these photos, you can see, most of the cheese oozed out in a delicious gooey mess!
He says "Nope" to tomatoes.
"Nope" to cucumbers.
"Nope" to green beans.
"Nope" to most green leafy things, squashes, root vegetables (like beets), snap peas, cabbage, and most everything else that goes from the ground to your mouth.
This poses a real problem, a real predicament. When we met, I was more vegetarian, and he basically lived on bologna-white bread sandwiches. We've had a long time to try to come up with a middle ground. Over the years, this difference between us has actually helped me articulate the way I view eating in clearer, more distinct ways. For example, I don't think of "vegetables" as a category unto themselves. I have subcategories ...
I think of four types of vegetables:
* SUGAR--Carbohydrate veggies, such as corn, potatoes, green peas, lima beans, and many legumes. I called these "sugar."
* "REAL"--Vitamin and mineral veggies, such as tomatoes, kale, spinach, pumpkin. I call these "real vegetables."
* FAT--Then there are the veggies I call "fats," such as olives and avocados.
* PROTEIN--Some veggies also have a decent amount of protein in them, such as black beans, chick peas, and lentils. I generally use these as sources of protein when I cook.
The Husband and I have conversations like this:
Hub: I'm feeling sluggish. What should I eat?
Me: Maybe you should eat some vegetables.
Hub: What are you talking about? I've been eating vegetables all weekend! (His head in the frig, he points to a bowl of leftover boiled lima beans and then holds out a bag of corn chips.)
Me: Those aren't vegetables. Those are sugar!
Of course, there's overlap amongst my veggie subcategories. Often certain veggies are dual-role veggies, meaning that they might also be high in sugar and protein. Or high in sugar and vitamins. And so on. I try to prioritize eating "real veggies" in order to get more vitamins and minerals into my diet, and try to limit my consumption of veggies that are pretty much just plain ol' sugar.
I thought I'd give myself the challenge of coming up with 100 HUSBAND SALADS. But that's just impossible. So, for now, I'm going to give myself a challenge that will only take one lifetime to complete--coming up with 50 HUSBAND SALADS. Still an impossible number, but just hard enough to make it a real challenge and keep me intrigued.
Husband-Approved!: Corn and Potato Salad
Here is a new husband salad I came up with. He loved it. Notice how it's mainly my husband's favorite vegetables (sugar). Cest la vie! What can you do? Except to insure that a few other types of veggies are in here, also. For example, this salad has some real vegetables (tomatoes) and some fat/protein (avocado). I also used a little red onion and cilantro to open up the range of his taste buds. (I'm plotting my path for future salads!)
2 ears of cooked corn
1 large cooked organic red potato
1 organic plum tomato
1 organic avocado
about 1/8 of an organic red onion
1 tsp. garlic chili sauce (which, you already know, I love!)
organic cilantro
salt and pepper
1/2 organic lime
1) Make sure the cooked corn and potato are cool. Carefully slice the corn kernels off the cobs.
2) Dice the potato, tomato, and red onion.
3) Chop the cilantro (as much or as little as you like).
4) Mix the corn, potato, tomato, and red onion in a bowl with the garlic chili sauce, cilantro, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
5) When you are ready to serve the salad, dice some of the avocado and top the salad with fresh avocado.
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* We went camping. Lately, I make sure to throw a few more potatoes and ears of corn on the fire the last night we camp. Then, I bring the veggies back home to eat. So, this salad didn't require any use of our stove at all! And the corn and potatoes were extra tasty, being fire-roasted and all.
* By topping the salad with avocado, you can avoid wasting avocado. This salad made 4 side servings. We ate it as a side salad for two different dinners during the week. If I'd added all the avocado, it would have gone brown and mushy by the second dinner.
* No need for an oily salad dressing. The veggies are fresh and moist. So, a little lime juice does it up just fine.
* The Hub hates tomatoes. I've started dicing them very small. In the end, I like the texture of the finely-diced tomato, and he's more interested in eating the combo as the tomato blends in.
Here are more pictures from the process.
Freshly tossed salad ...
A close up on all those colors ...
When making something new for The Husband, I like to give the new dish a "Grand Entrance." I.e. brand-new salad accompanied with an old favorite--grilled cheese with rustic bread, provolone, and cheddar ... With the grilled cheese in these photos, you can see, most of the cheese oozed out in a delicious gooey mess!
July 1, 2010
Hot Fun in the Summertime: Part 2 & Finale--Dinner Is Served
So, I've got cold, crisp pickled radishes and chocolate pudding. What the? How will I ever put together a romantic combination from these things?
Simple.
Perfect.
Summer night dinner ...
A cheese platter, nice thinly-sliced bread, an assortment of high-flavor additions (including the pickled radishes), a green salad, and pudding for dessert at the end--as if what we'd eaten so far wasn't enough!
Part 2: The Chill Supper, Romantic Dinner for Two
2-3 types of cheese, thinly sliced (organic cheese if you can)
2 types of bakery bread, thinly sliced (or crackers)
assorted tasties: organic pickled radishes, pickled jalapenos, good olives, a jar of organic pesto, good mustard
1 organic mango, thinly sliced
some organic strawberries
I make a little green salad, which we eat as an appetizer. Then, I simply put all the rest of these lovely things out on a platter, and we enjoy a happy blend of flavors as our entree for the evening: manchego cheese and mango, goat cheese with black olive and sliced jalapeno, cheddar and pickled radishes, pesto and cheddar, etc. etc. etc. Deeelightful.
Then, we finish the meal with our little espresso cups of chocolate pudding.
Even more delightful.
Then, my husband tells me how lucky he is. Then, I beam. Then, we sit on our couch right next to each other enjoying the teensiest breeze and feeling our little surface of the Earth cool down for the evening.
It's a good night!
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* Cheese platter means no cooking, no use of carbon sources to heat up food or cool down the apartment. And the pickled radishes and pudding required very little stove time as well.
* The foods are fresh. An array of colors, which means an array of vitamins and minerals. By thinly slicing the cheese, I've tried to keep my animal fat to a minimum. Because I used a decent amount of dark and semi-sweet chocolate in the pudding, small servings still pack a whallop of flavor without loading up our bodies with tons of sugar.
* The bread is local. Many of the ingredients are organic. While I can't afford for everything to be organic, I try my best.
Here are more pictures of the cheese platter meal, altogether.
Simple.
Perfect.
Summer night dinner ...
A cheese platter, nice thinly-sliced bread, an assortment of high-flavor additions (including the pickled radishes), a green salad, and pudding for dessert at the end--as if what we'd eaten so far wasn't enough!
Part 2: The Chill Supper, Romantic Dinner for Two
2-3 types of cheese, thinly sliced (organic cheese if you can)
2 types of bakery bread, thinly sliced (or crackers)
assorted tasties: organic pickled radishes, pickled jalapenos, good olives, a jar of organic pesto, good mustard
1 organic mango, thinly sliced
some organic strawberries
I make a little green salad, which we eat as an appetizer. Then, I simply put all the rest of these lovely things out on a platter, and we enjoy a happy blend of flavors as our entree for the evening: manchego cheese and mango, goat cheese with black olive and sliced jalapeno, cheddar and pickled radishes, pesto and cheddar, etc. etc. etc. Deeelightful.
Then, we finish the meal with our little espresso cups of chocolate pudding.
Even more delightful.
Then, my husband tells me how lucky he is. Then, I beam. Then, we sit on our couch right next to each other enjoying the teensiest breeze and feeling our little surface of the Earth cool down for the evening.
It's a good night!
Meaner, Greener, Leaner!
* Cheese platter means no cooking, no use of carbon sources to heat up food or cool down the apartment. And the pickled radishes and pudding required very little stove time as well.
* The foods are fresh. An array of colors, which means an array of vitamins and minerals. By thinly slicing the cheese, I've tried to keep my animal fat to a minimum. Because I used a decent amount of dark and semi-sweet chocolate in the pudding, small servings still pack a whallop of flavor without loading up our bodies with tons of sugar.
* The bread is local. Many of the ingredients are organic. While I can't afford for everything to be organic, I try my best.
Here are more pictures of the cheese platter meal, altogether.
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