I’m Back, With Pictures!

It was a rather long, somewhat productive, and incredibly mentally exhausting trip home to deal with family. The Dealing isn’t over yet, which is depressing. So, of course, I am remedying the depression with cooking. This means I have no time for blogging, but next week you’ll get pictures of black bean empanadas, Bhutanese red rice and meatballs, and some other things. This post, all you get is some soup and bread:

This is fougasse. Thadd whipped this up after seeing it on a trip to Wegman’s, and it came out beautifully. A great alternative to dinner rolls, it’s also a beautiful centerpiece for a dinner party (especially holidays) when dressed up with some EVOO and spices!

These are ciabatta rolls, which I love on their own, but even more with soup.  Once again, all breads are courtesy of Thadd. We have an arrangement: I cook the food, he bakes the bread. Hey, it works for me!

And, speaking of soup, we’re heading into fall, a.k.a. The Season of Hearty Soups. So, here’s the beet & carrot soup I whipped up with our latest batch of beets. Instead of sour cream, I served it with Greek Yogurt–higher in protien, lower in fat!

These are all things you’d see in my client services,  so if it looks yummy, give me an email or call and I am sure we can work something out!

In the meantime, I am mostly playing catch up, so no real foodie blogs of substance.  I will say that part of the reason I am playing catch up is that I am actively beginning to set up a podcast, and video will be appearing here soon, too!  I’ve also got some other news coming up, so check back next Tuesday or Wednesday for what I promise will be a foodie update.

Official Out

There will be no posts here until at least August 26th. I know I said I have a ton in my que, and I do; but, I’ve also had some unfortunate family news recently and am traveling back to MI to spend time with loved ones and take care of things. The posts can wait until I return.

There is some more exciting news in the offing, which will also be announced after my return. I probably won’t have email access, or at the very best it will be infrequent, so if you really need me you’ll have to call. Thank you, everyone, for your understanding and support.

In the meantime, why not take a click trip through some of my blogroll? DMCGirl has a great giveaway and a yummy tofu recipe today,  Rev Gardens just updated their look, Orangette talks pizza and toast, and Chef Channon dishes about no-cook cooking in Michigan. See, you have a lot to read while I am away, so get crackin’!

Farming, Obesity, and More

By request, I am posting my response to a thread on Facebook so it can be shared. It’s not comprehensive, and I encourage dialogue to continue here. That said, I’m about to be without any kind of internet access for over a week, so I will not be part of it. I’ll ask someone to moderate it, however, so comments can be seen. Those of you who’ve already commented on FB, please feel free to copy your comments here so they can be seen.

“I agree everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves. I teach this every single day. I do, however, think people need to be honestly informed so they can make reasonable decisions. Ideology and reality aren’t necessarily in opposition to one another. My ideology: tell me what’s in this food, and I’ll decide whether or not to eat it. Don’t decide for me by lying or omitting.

Many people can decide whether or not to eat HFCS or GMO crops, but they need to know it’s there to make an informed decision. Some people, especially those in urban areas and food deserts, often do not have a choice. The food on the shelves is limited, as is access to transportation. If, as in some areas of, say, Detroit, your only option is to purchase food at a gas station because it’s the only store within walking or bus distances, you get what they keep on the shelves. This isn’t ideology, it’s fact (and known and supported by facts from the USDA).

And yes, most obesity is caused by excess calorie intake. I totally agree. Some people just need to back away from the table. But, for many people in the US, that is a huge oversimplification. I work with urban and impoverished youth, for example. Many of them have little or no say in what they eat, and by the time they do, it’s too late. Our school lunches are filled with HFCS, which is directly linked to obesity and diabetes, because it processes through the liver (unlike other sugars). There are many factors in the obesity epidemic, and while it’s easy to say “stop eating Twinkies,” that isn’t giving the issues the weight it deserves.

And, I’d never pick on farmers. I’m an ardent supporter of local farms. We need farmers, and we lose farmland every single day. Once it’s gone, it’s not coming back. I do not support Monsanto, or most of their food practices. …When one company owns over 90% of the world’s seeds, it’s time to worry.

As a side note, we already produce far more than enough food to feed the world (and certainly our own country)–over twice as much per person in American than we need, with some other first-world countries doing the same. Well over half that is thrown out annually. The problem is not production, it’s distribution and politics (not just in our country, but in others–many times food is used as political pressure, especially in more corrupt third-world countries).

A New Page on the Blog!

Small Steps is a new page here at RC. I’ve collected some of the tips I’ve posted in the past, both here and at my fitness site, and put them with things I’ve learned that work for myself, my friends, and my clients. I don’t pull any punches, because I believe a lot of the problems we’re having with rapidly climbing rates of obesity (especially in childhood), diabetes, certain cancers, etc. are due to white-washing and political correctness.

Being healthy isn’t necessarily easy–it takes work, and planning.  There are people with medical problems, and this page isn’t directed at them. It’s for those folks who generally just need some pointers, tips, and possibly inspiration or a good kick in the pants.

It’s also not for those who live in poverty, though there may be some things on there that work for them. It’s not possible, in most areas of the US, to eat a healthy diet at or below poverty level. That is a completely different issues, and one which we need to spend far more time solving.

So, let me know what you think!

Save Time and Eat Well!

A lot of people have told me that they’d love to have the ability to eat better, but just don’t have time to do meal planning and recipe finding. Or, they don’t know how. I have  an answer to both of these problems:

Let me do it for you!

I can do meal planning, recipe finding, and grocery lists remotely for anyone.

Prepare things like:

Black and White Chicken Chili

Parmesan Crusted Swai:

Quinoa Kale & citrus salad

And other yummy foods. All delivered right to your inbox!

For those living closer to me, I can also do classes that teach you how to do these things yourself to save time and money while eating better. Interested? Just use the “Contact” box to the right to send me a note and I’ll get back to you with details.

Where are the pictures?

So, I have several food posts in que right now. Unfortunately, I can’t find the cable to my camera (it’s here, I just don’t know where right now), so you’ll have to wait for them.  There are some recipes in line, some delicious photos of the incredible Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte I got for my birthday from Thadd, some pictures for a recent client service, and a few other things. Exciting, right? Right. So, stop back in a few days and see if I’ve managed to tear the house apart and find my cable.

The Market This Week

Fun stuff we got at the Charlottesville Market today: (aside from all our usual yummy veggies and meats from various farmers):

-Garlic from Roundabout. We were so happy to see Meagan from Roundabout back at the market, since they’d been absent for the beginning of the season. There is nothing, and I meant nothing, like Roundabout Garlic. It’ll ruin you for any other garlic. We got 2 lbs. We’ll be getting much, much more for storage over the next year. You should do the same. They also have wonderful heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos (which we also got), and more. Stop by, and tell Meagan hello!

-Sgt. Pepper’s Berry Balsamic Band marmalade from Mass a’Peel. This stuff is fabulous, as are all the varieties we tried today.  It’ll go with a lot of things: chicken, cheese (which we’re pairing it with later this week–more on that below), bread and butter, and probably a few other things I’m neglecting to mention. But what we’re really excited about pairing it with are the scones Thadd’s just decided to bake. Yum.

-Matcha latte and matcha cookies from Blue Forest Bakery.  This is a wonderful, local bakery specializing in Japanese breads like anpan. Recently, they added the wonderful cookies, and the latte was really refreshing.

-Caramont “The Old Green Mountain Round” goat cheese. If you’ve not had it, you should try it. It’s amazing. Actually, all their cheeses are beautifully crafted.

-Night Sky Farm’s 4-pack of chevre. This is another great farmstead dairy & cheese maker. We love their peppered chevre. We love everything else, too, but the peppered chevre has a special place in my stomach…er, heart.

The produce was great this week. Tomatoes are coming in, as is corn, squash (patty pan, yellow, zucchini, etc.), greens, potatoes, herbs like basil and dill. All told, it was a great day at the market.

Keepin’ It Up: Tip of the Week

Keeping fit and healthy takes some planning. This week’s tip is to plan not to eat unhealthy foods at home or work. How? Get rid of them! Toss out those will-power breakers, and replace them with healthy alternatives. Switch out your Butterfinger for individual squares of high-quality dark chocolate. Replace tortilla chips and queso’ with veggies & hummus (which is now my cat’s new favorite food, apparently). Move out the ice cream and move in Greek yogurt and fruit.

Removing temptation just makes sense in a healthy eating plan. So, indulge occasionally; but, make sure it’s an occasion by taking it out of your everyday.

How Do You Know Shawn’s Happy?

Easy: I’m cooking or otherwise puttering in the kitchen!  I’ve been dehydrating cantaloupe, freezing bananas and melon (this is a great way to save seasonal produce for smoothies!), preparing to ferment sour pickles, and I forget what else. Fortunately, I did remember to take pictures of some of the putterings to remind me:

Above: Hummus. If you’ve never made it, you should. It’s easy, inexpensive, tasty, and healthy. It takes few ingredients (chickpeas, garlic, tahini, EVOO, and lemon juice) to start, then you can add anything you want to flavor it, from paprika to sundried tomatoes. It’s the perfect dip for all those summer veggies, or a great spread for sandwiches. Below: I don’t have a glass pitcher that won’t crack if I dump boiling water into it, so I make a strong quart of  tea, then dilute it into a larger pitcher for iced tea. We’re from the North, so we don’t quite get the whole “Sweet tea” thing. We drink it with little or no sugar and some lemon.

Above: Okay, let’s face it. There’s almost no way to make certain things look good on film, no matter how good they taste in real life: pot roast, curry, and this dish–Thai Peanut Sauce with Shrimp–are great examples. Drab photo aside, it was delicious. A bit spicy, a lot depth (umami!) from fish and soy sauces, with a bright bite from sarachi and lime.  I served it over noodles, and sided it with a cucumber-tomato salad. Thadd made himself sick on it, which is always an indicator that it was a great dinner.  Below: summer is a time for salads. We toss all kinds of stuff into our salads, including the mango and pecans you see below. They complimented the fresh, local goat cheese and spinach perfectly. A good salad needs little in the way of dressing, so I just drizzled some EVOO and balsamic over it, and sprinkled it with a bit of sea salt.

Below: Two recipes that have been featured here. First, the Mojo Pork Loin from my last post. Second, the three-potato salad that was my most popular recipe at the Growing Power seminar at Lynchburg Grows in March. These dishes work well together, and make a great barbecue menu!

This week, more puttering! I hope to get up some photos of the pickling process, as well as some of the dehydrating I am currently doing. Are you puttering?

Grilled Mojo Pork Loin Recipe

You can buy mojo-marinaded pork loin, but it’s expensive. The ingredients to make the marinade are probably things many of you already have in your kitchen, and making it yourself means you get to skip all the junk that’s usually in store-bought marinades.

Mojo Marinade

-Garlic, minced. I used about 5 cloves

-Juice from 3 oranges  (or about 1/2 c. from a jug, if you’ve got it)

-1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped

- Juice from 5-7 limes, pluse zest from 1. Or, 1/2 c. from concentrate and zest from 1 lime.

- 1/2 tsp. cumin

-3 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped (or about 1 tsp. dried)

- 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper (or, 1/2 tsp. ground pepper and zest of 2 lemons)

- 1/2 tsp.  freshly ground black pepper (use this in addition to above seasoning)

- 1 tsp. ground sea or kosher salt

- 1 c. oil. EVOO or canola.

-Hot sauce, chili sauce, or adobo sauce, to taste (if desired).

Toss everything in a blender and puree.That’s it!

This is great on chicken, fish, and especially pork. We did a loin on the grill, and it was spectacular.