Interrupting the flow

I knew I had made a mistake as soon as I sat down to eat my food.  Knowing all that I allegedly know about our "Fast Food Nation," after the cookie booth I decided to go to Five Guys today despite the knowledge that I think I have.  The place was packed with people of varying demographics...I ordered a regular cheeseburger, not knowing that it was actually a double burger, and a large fry to share.  I watched them cook the burgers on the grill and saw the grease oozing out - the sign says we cook our burgers "juicy and well done" - well done kills the E. coli and juicy is a matter of interpretation. 

I sat down and unwrapped my burger, it seemed to be dripping in grease, lit-ter-ral-ly (as some folks say)...I alternated between the fries and bites of the burger - it was delicious.  Suddenly my chest began to hurt, so I gulped down a chemical concoction commonly known as a Cherry Coke and continued to eat.  Then, my stomach started hurting but I kept eating.  Finally I realized that if I took another bite I was going to vomit, so I stopped.

I ran a few errands and arrived home 2 hours later.  By this time I was very sluggish such that I could barely function.  That's when it occurred to me - that food could've killed me...fat interrupts blood flow and oxygen delivery, couple that with the stress that I'm under - someone call 9-1-1. 

When I walked in the door, I prayed, drank 32 ounces of water, and got on the treadmill for 10 minutes (it would've been longer if my back hadn't started aching).  I'm thinking I need a serious detox.

Food security

In general, food security is having access to food in order to meet your recommended daily caloric intake. It is clear that world hunger is a result of food insecurity as opposed to a shortage of food.  God has provided us with adequate resources, we just have an unfair distribution system. There is plenty of food in the world, it's just some people can't buy it. This is often due to the political or economic structure in a country, hence food prices are often out of reach for a significant portion of the population. The globalization of the food production system is largely to blame. Countries often specialize in cash crops which means that instead of feeding its people, food has to be imported.

This globalization has created the need for high yield crops, meaning more food needs to be produced per acre.  Enter technology. Machines, fertilizer, extensive irrigation, and patented seeds. The Green Revolution probably was the first of this kind of technology, now we speak of GMOs, and in the US (as opposed to Europe) food is not labeled as such.

At our cookie booth yesterday we asked a woman if she wanted to "buy a box of Girl Scout cookies," she said she would but now that she knew about GMOs, she realized the cookies weren't safe because most of the corn and soy that's produced has been genetically modified.  Absolutely, and most of that is fed to cattle or finds its way into packaged goods. I spoke with her for a moment and for some reason she was shocked that I understood the food production system (perhaps it was my outfit).

The reason that most people don't have an inkling about the source of their food is because the supermarket separates us from food production. No longer do we need to be connected to the land when we can simply walk in a market and get everything that we need. So in many ways we are food insecure because we don't have access to information about food, we simply eat, which by the way is one reason why some counties refuse food aid because they'd rather be hungry than eat what some refer to ask Frankenfood.

The thing that's puzzling is, why someone who appeared hyperconcerned about GMOs would even step foot in a chain supermarket.

East meets West

I finally made timtimo again today...I've been wanting to make it for awhile but never got around to it.  I sauteed onions and tomatoes, then added the berbere - that's when panic set in - I didn't have enough (my Eritrean friend has been holding it hostage so my supply has been diminishing) - fortunately my Ethiopian friend lives around the corner so I was able to restock and continue with the meal.

I had an appointment this morning so I couldn't leave it on the stove to simmer - I pulled out the Crock Pot - added the onions and tomatoes, then the lentils (I boiled these for 30 minutes) and liquid, and went on my way...four hours later we had tender, tasty timtimo.

Caribbean craze

A jerk is often thought to be an obnoxious person, but it is also a flavorful way of preparing meats - Jamaican style.  I like jerk chicken prepared on my charcoal grill, but the convection oven works just as well.  The base is almost similar to that of the Trinidadian green seasoning - scallions, thyme, lime, but then you do allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, garlic etc - some of the spices that flavor basic Arab food...yesterday, I began my day by preparing a jerk rub so that the chicken would be bursting with flavor - I think I went a bit too heavy on the hot peppers.  I was expecting my Tuesday night guest so I baked a cake as well - a Hummingbird cake that was good but not the best - not only was I out of Madagascar vanilla and had to use Tahitian (not good for heat) but I forgot to add the sugar until after I had already mixed in the wet ingredients. 

I made potato salad instead of rice and peas - my aunt (who thinks she's the best cook in the entire world) makes the best potato salad - red bliss potatoes and colorful additions such as carrots, peppers, celery.  I also made cabbage - I sliced it thin sauteed garlic, onion, and thyme then added carrots, red peppers, and kohlrabi (I was stretching the cabbage and figured the taste and texture were close enough to go undetected).

I suspect as a reaction to stress, I was compelled to move about the kitchen and cook...I made a "tropical" dressing - it tasted more Pacific than Caribbean but it worked - a slight reduction of white balsamic vinegar, lime, pineapple juice, orange juice, brown sugar, and ginger - and then tossed romaine, carrots, red pepper, and red onion. 

I desperately wanted to cook something else, but couldn't think of anything and I was exhausted with an aching back.  The meal was tasty but seemed incomplete - perhaps because I forgot to fry the plantains and make the pina coladas. 

Buyer beware

What is a vegetarian diet for egg laying hens? One might assume grass, but it is actually corn and soy; according to the Land O Lakes label, their all natural eggs are produced by feeding hens a whole grain diet.  The eggs are brown, packaged in plastic...but the whole grain diet sounded like a marketing soundbite so I looked a little closer.    Then I looked at the Egglands Best, once again - vegetarian diet, but no details.  Is that what makes them so spectacular, beats me.  Reading labels can make grocery shopping quite a hassle...I ended up looking at a variety of egg production websites for further information - they all seem to indicate that the cage system is cheaper, healthier, and overall better while non-conventional methods such as cage-free, organic, etc have associated pitfalls.  Things that make you go hmm.

And what precisely does all natural mean? Clearly not ingredients that come from the ground. The FDA doesn't even provide a clear definition.  I had to laugh on a recent trip to BJs, not only did they carry "all natural" eggs, but they also had "all natural" cinnamon rolls.  


My friend picked up the package and studied it intently trying to determine what made these rolls all natural, considering that the ingredient list went on for a paragraph - all kinds of compounds, and certainly more than the flour, sugar, milk, butter, yeast, cinnamon, and vanilla that I used to make cinnamon rolls in my 7th grade home ec class.


Times have certainly changed. All natural can mean just about anything in 2010.

A taste of Asia

As I sit here sipping on a cup of decaf (with heavy cream and sugar), I'm trying to figure out why I feel totally rundown, as if I could pass out at any minute.  I suppose last week was a bit of a whirlwind and I truly have a lot going on.  Alas, dinner must be served.

Today we made an energy soup at Girl Scouts - since we're learning about energy, we've been tyring to have snacks that energize - the soup was quite good (onions, garlic, celery, carrots, kidney beans) but I only had a spoonful so I didn't reap the benefits of the energy. 

At home, there were several pounds of boneless breasts in the fridge so I decided to make a stir fry - onions, garlic, scallions, celery, carrots, red peppers, cabbage, and chicken - which I marinated in a pseudo teriyaki sauce - orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and scallions.  The stir fry was delicious.  I also made a chicken fried rice as an accompaniment but could've easily been an entree - scallions, onions, garlic, chicken, eggs, peas and carrots.

I didn't feel like separating and freezing the remaining breasts, so I made chicken salad - I'm sure the kids will be pleased to find something other than a turkey and cheese sandwich in their lunch box.

Scratching the surface

Apparently, I've only scratched the surface with the Indian cuisine that I create and consume.  I was chatting with a Hindi colleague and he referred to biryani and tandoori as Mughlai - I had never heard this term and was especially shocked that that it is essentially the food of Muslims (but Hindus eat it because it's so flavorful) - it comes from period of the Mughal (Mongol) rule of India - very lavish and exotic...I now understand why this royal cuisine is so labor intensive.  The aromatic spiciness and richness that I love about Indo-Pak cuisine is just the tip of the iceberg but somehow seems to be the dominant representation...now I must locate some Hindus so that I can broaden my horizons and perhaps simplify my cooking. 

Back to the basics

Tonight we took it back to the basics.  Roasted chicken, mac and cheese, and kale.

We came up with this menu yesterday so I called my mom and requested a sweet potato pie (she claimed to have made us one on xmas but we were in South Carolina)...I went to the market and dropped the ingredients off at her house - enough for 4 pies (3 for us, and 1 for her to share with my sister's family - wow, that sounds a bit gluttonous).

I finally started prepping around 2pm; I decided to get fancy and make a paste to marinate the chicken (inspired by Saad's, a Lebanese joint that we used to frequent until our first trip to UAE) - sumak, thyme, bazaara, Moroccan paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, garlic, onions, olive oil, lemon juice - yes, everything but the kitchen sink - it seemed that I went too far but the chicken was delicious - breasts busting with flavor (abnormally large breasts, but we've already been down that road about genetically engineered chicken). 

I used multi-grain penne for the mac and cheese - mixed my cheese sauce with the noodles and popped it in the oven for a bit then sauteed the garlic and onions for the kale.  We sat around the table and ate in silence, enjoying every morsel. 

We had freshly brewed sweet tea as our beverage, followed by sweet potato pie and TJs Breakfast Blend coffee, and an ice cream night cap.  Yes this was a bit of a binge, but I think I am a little worn out...leftovers are on the menu tomorrow. 

Glorious tandoori

That tandoori was absolutely delicious...I'm just mad that I didn't make all of the chicken and rinsed the marinade down the drain..I am currently marinating the last 4 pieces in a somewhat improvised concoction (a masala of chili pepper, cardamon, cinnamon, anise, cloves, jeera, ginger, and allspice with ginger, garlic, and yogurt), but I don't think it's going to quite be the same. 

I let the chicken marinade in the marinater for almost two hours (the vacuum intensified the flavor)...I cooked it on convection roast for almost an hour...in the interim I made kheer (I went pseudo tres leche with 2%, evaporated, and condensed milks)- it is so creamy, sweet, and delicious...I topped it with saffron, pistachios, and bit of dried mango.  I boiled some Tilda (it is much more aromatic than the regular basmati) and mixed that in with the biryani rice to tone it down and made more raita...this food can easily be thought of as comforting. I'm going to cook the pseudo tandoori now and see what happens. 

Kitchen frenzy

I woke up this morning on a desperate mission to make dumplings.  I made an attempt on Wednesday as an accompaniment to my salt fish and pumpkin...I used whole wheat flour and they were basically a disaster; my sister thought it was kind of an oxymoron to make a fried dumpling out of whole grain flour. Yesterday I bought a bag of unbleached flour (I couldn't bring myself to buy the chemically treated bleached/enriched stuff).

The fried dumplings at K& J restaurant are excellent - we get them with our breakfast...I called my husband's coworker and she told me to be sure to use butter and to deep fry for the best flavor.  This morning we were eating the salt fish and pumpkin so I took another stab at making the dumplings.  They came out tasty and somewhat flaky, like a biscuit...although the texture was not what I was going for, I think I will make them again.  I did 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp each baking powder, salt, brown sugar, 1/4 cup milk...then my husband subtly challenged me to make a whole wheat version - same formula as the other but with only 3/4 cup flour.

After I made the dumplings, I thought about lunch - all that remains from the mirchi biryani is mostly rice...I was thinking I needed to add some chicken and plain rice to make it work - tandoori seemed like the best solution (this time I didn't get carried away with the spice).   Off I dashed to buy more chicken and yogurt; I also bought cashews, almonds, and pistachios because I planned to make kheer, but I forgot to buy more milk.  The chicken is in the marinater (trying to shorten the recommended marinading time) and I'm trying to decide if kheer really makes sense considering that we already have biryani rice...

Mirchi biryani

It seems that this snowstorm has kept me in the kitchen (perhaps I would be a good candidate for being barefoot and pregnant).  This morning I looked out of the kitchen window and it looked like we'd be buried in this cul de sac for weeks...my husband has been at work almost nonstop so I had to go out, brave the elements, and shovel with the neighbors.  He had the Pilot, so I was certain I would continue to be housebound, but the G35x proved quite capable at traversing the snow.  Sayounara cabin fever. 

My neighbor and I drove to the supermarket and I just started putting stuff in the cart...then I stopped by the Indian spice store and went crazy...between the two stores, I spent $80.  I came home hyped up, ready to make biryani.  My friend has been running biryani in the ground; she got strung out on Tilda rice and can't stop making it, even though she's diabetic.  I bought some Tilda today to see if it lives up to her accolades. 

I think the adrenaline rush made me crazy...I decided to deviate from the "recipe" - I added sauteed onions and tomatoes - and tripled the spice.  I made broccoli sauteed in onions, garlic, and ginger and seasoned with garam masala, we also had raita on the side (which we desperately needed).  When I called my Indian friend to ask the word for spice (mirchi - the word for pepper) and told her the quantity I used, she asked if I was crazy.  The biryani was very good, but is so hot that we were sweating, our noses were running, and my chest is still burning.  We are in desperate need of mango lassi...guess I'd better hop to it.

Zesty zigni

Zigni ended up being quite appropriate last tonight.  I planned to make lentils but ended up running errands with my grandmom...while I was out I bought a pack of chicken legs and thighs (on Tuesdays there's always a possibility of a dinner guest, so I wanted to be prepared); I wanted to make zigni but the local stores were out of injera - this is what happens when you wait too long...I went to Abyssinia and was excited to learn that they make their own injera and charge 75 cents each. 

By the time I got started with dinner it was around 6pm; I had to run out and get more onions.  Everything was simmering and around 8pm I realized that I needed to go pick up a package at Fedex - this turned out to be a wild goose chase, in the snow (the driver left the wrong tag on the door - thus my package was at Grays Ferry not Cargo City).  I made potatoes on the side (essentially homefries seasoned with a bit of berbere), and some spinach sauteed with onions and garlic to balance out the meal. 

We ate dinner around 10pm (I had gotten a friend to ride to Fedex with me and brought her over to eat).  We placed a disposable miata on the floor, sat around the dish using injera as our utensils and ate, warmed by the spices on a cold snowy night. 

Winter wonton

It's no wonder why Philadelphia has seemingly come to a grinding halt...record snowfall - almost 27".  I somewhat prepared for this by stocking up on Girl Scout cookies to sell this weekend and making a trip to H-Mart on Thursday.  I planned to make pancit and wanted to take a stab at wonton soup. 

I have always loved the broth that forms the base of wonton soup - it's rare that I can eat a wonton because they are mostly filled with pork...there used to be a Chinese restaurant that had vegetable wontons, but they closed down sometime ago.  I also check for frozen wontons when I go to the H-Mart, but they all contain some sort of pork filling.  The only solution was to take matters into my own hands by making them myself.

I bought veggies, shrimp, noodles, and wonton wrappers...I also bought more soy sauce and oyster sauce...getting the oyster sauce was quite a task because most of it is actually made from anchovies and is loaded with various versions of MSG and corn syrup...I finally found one that had safe ingredients and bought that. 

I made London Broil and mixed greens for breakfast so that my husband could have some sustenance for his 12-hour shift today.  My sister wanted me to make Pina Coladas so we foolishly walked to the store for ice cream and pineapple juice - needless to say, the store was closed..when we returned, I made hot chocolate and then started thinking about the wonton soup. 

I decided to go with a procedure similar to preparing lumpia and naim.  I wanted to mix the shrimp with chicken breast but I didn't have any so I used the last of those frozen catfish fillets instead.  In a food processor I mixed shrimp, catfish, ginger, garlic, scallions, savoy cabbage, carrots - seasoned that with oyster sauce and added eggs to hold it together.  For the broth I used similar ingredients with the addition of celery. 

I recruited my daughter to help with the rolling and we tried several methods but none had the desired visual results, finally she developed a technique that produced just the wonton I was looking for...she and my nephew rolled until the pack was empty. 

I removed the tired looking green stuff from the broth, added the wontons, shrimp, and baby bok choi in 3 minute intervals, then topped with scallions...the soup is delicious, we ate bowl after bowl...I guess I'm making the pancit tomorrow.  Now I must pop some kernels for our movie marathon.

From the archives

Tuesday I had lunch with a friend and she said she was making spaghetti for dinner; being the dietary police office that I am, I asked what she planned to make for herself (she's diabetic) and suggested chicken parmesan or cacciatore.  While we were talking I remembered my grandmother's easy meal - chicken wings in spaghetti sauce simmered in the oven...I used to call this cacciatore because I would add peppers, etc to the pot (I have since learned that cacciatore is actually a brown stew and contains mushrooms).  My grandmother also taught me how to be a more efficient cook - cook 2-3 meals on Sunday to last throughout the week; when making a casserole or lasagna, make 2 pans (eat one, freeze one).

I ended up revisiting this one pot dish...I used drumsticks, canned tomatoes, and a jar of 365 sauce (which by the way was quite tasty), and lots of onions, garlic, and multi-colored peppers - I baked it for almost 2 hours, it was savory and substantial enough for two meals.  I served this over spaghetti (spiral quinoa noodles for my husband), with steamed broccoli on the side. 

I'm back to the grind of teaching and traveling to the Bronx; couple this with Girl Scout cookies and that explains the deterioration of the menu.