So far, so good

I'm wondering when the novelty will wear off...we are using the Vitamix multiple times each day for various things. Soups are a no-brainer...smoothies...clean up....but I was beginning to think I spent an awful lot of money for a one trick pony...

First we tried to "juice" as this was the primary catalyst for biting the bullet in the first place. We did our carrot, beet, apple...and added water and ice...it was just ok...not as sweet as carrot juice and definitely too gritty. We don't know if it's because we used golden beets or Granny Smith but we definitely need to make adjustments. 

Next I used it for my chèvre tart...it was quite easy to "chop" the onions and mix the filling, but something was off...and since we used a small rectangle dish instead of our glass pie dish, the jury's still out. 

The Vitamix actually slashes the onions rather than chopping them and it does produce a bit of moisture, so I put it to the test with zigni and I think it's a winner for those kinds of jobs...for other dishes I'll use my mandolin or chopper. 

It's definitely a keeper...the kids have made quite a few recipes from the cookbook including a fajita marinade which was delicious on chicken, smoothies, beverages, and there's definitely more on the horizon. 

That was easy!

I have been debating about getting a Vitamix for over a year now...the demos I've seen in various stores were beginning to be quite appealing....dough, smoothies, soups, etc...I spent a month reading reviews and looking at recipes and had decided on a Blendtec...until I found out about the 750...I convinced myself that it would make juicing more wholesome, green smoothies better, and soups easier...I began lusting for the machine and decided to take the plunge...the kicker was that I was now spending twice as much as I had initially gawked at. Then there was the waiting...the "next generation" were all backordered...I had to wait a month but that didn't stop me from talking about the exceptional machine that I would own, eventually.

It arrived yesterday...the kids were so excited when UPS delivered it, you would have thought it was eid. We immediately watched the video and flipped through the cookbook. Unfortunately we couldn't make anything because I had to head to a raw foods class. I kept nudging my husband because the demonstrator kept commenting how much easier things are with variable speed. Not only does the 750 have variable speed, but it also has preprogrammed settings. 

This morning I made my standard green smoothie...but in larger quantities since I was no longer constrained by the size of Magic Bullet...the only thing I did differently was add a cup of ice. It was velvety smooth...it took the green smoothie to the next level.

This afternoon I wanted to do a soup with lunch (something I learned from last night's class)...I didn't want to over think it so I looked over a couple of recipes and figured out what I could make based on what I had on hand...I ended up with a restaurant quality creamy chicken spinach soup. 

I quickly sautéed a sliced onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and a jalapeño pepper. I dropped that into the Vitamix with 2 cups of water, a bit of seasoning, cream cheese, and some concentrated stock. I ran the soup program, tasted it and was pleasantly surprised at the taste and temperature. I switched to speed 1 and added in some baby spinach and chopped smoked turkey for 15 seconds. My daughter thought it was weird that it came out of a blender but it was quite delicious. My son wants to make the next creation.

Cobwebs

It just occurred to me that I've gone on several food journeys only documented by occasional photos and captions on Facebook during the past year. The biggest thing was the green smoothies that have become a staple breakfast and snack item...the Magic Bullet works great of the kids...and juicing, I pulled out the juicer because my daughter wanted to "detox." We were juicing daily...mostly carrot, apple, beet...but the pulp byproduct was just too much...that's when I decided to take the plunge and invest in a Vitamix...I've been waiting for a month and it should arrive any day. 

The other bit is the wellness journey...the entire family sees a chiropractor, who cured my son's ear infections and my migraines....and my daughter and I see a wellness practitioner who focuses on getting the nervous system regulated by supporting the organs. The interesting thing is I learned that I am a Type O...this explains my cravings and my reaction to certain foods...while I haven't plunged into a blood type diet, I have made adjustments and have monitored my body's response to certain foods. This is why we switched to spelt flour...and it's working.

In seeking these alternatives, I've become open to new ways of thinking about food and health...I'm looking forward to exploring food in new ways once my Vitamix arrives and I'm hoping that I'll learn some useful things about raw foods at tomorrow's workshop. I'm not interested in becoming a vegan nor going completely raw, but I'm certainly interested in expanding my repertoire. 

Tourist Trap

We spent the past few days in Quebec City. I had heard its a must see...the closet you'll get to Europe in North America...I also heard that it was expensive and since we were staying in a hotel I did not want to spend a ton of money eating out...and that gets old after awhile anyway.

Well, it is very much like Europe, Vieux Quebec is a walled port city complete with a citadel and a changing of the guard. There's been some waterfront investment, but most of the city is a snapshot from colonial settlement. Outside of the walls, it's a typical upscale urban neighborhood but there is bit of green space and a couple of suburban college campuses. 

Much to the chagrin of my husband, we didn't explore the region. We fell into the tourist trap of walking about the city, taking pictures, and spending money. As I walked, I reflected on the fact that these European monuments that we are all so enamored with, are actually symbols of oppression and hegemony...but that's a topic for another blog. The food is what really matters...

We stayed in a "boutique hotel" 10 minutes from the old city. We generally don't stay more than 2 nights in a hotel, so I needed to get creative in the "kitchen" and my gadgets came in handy. My husband insisted that we bring our mini-Keurig machine and some k-cups and it's a good thing we did because although the hotel provided a Nescafé machine...the coffee and tea were $2 each. I packed my Cuisinart Griddler (which hasn't seen the light of day in 5 years) to make paninis for one of our meals each day and as we were walking out the door we grabbed the Magic Bullet and our csa kale for green smoothies for breakfast. 

I packed everything in a tote with paper products - paper towels, plastic spoons, plastic cups, and heavy duty paper plates and bowls - I knew disposable products are expensive in Canada. We also packed cereal and snacks...real food is relatively cheap in Canada...processed food isn't. We spent less than $70 at the grocery store and had breakfast for 4 days and dinner for 3 days, plus drinks and dessert. Conversely we spent $200 on lunch for 3 days in the city and another $20 for dessert one day. 

The food we ate out was good but not spectacular...I wrote Yelp reviews about our experiences. The paninis however, were quite delicious. We had a loaf of multigrain bread and a loaf of quinoa & spelt bread. I used garlic butter, Caesar mayonnaise (regional speciality), spinach, natural smoked turkey with no fillers or preservatives (the deli meat is labeled quite clearly with the ingredients ie 16% meat protein), and shaved asiago cheese. Now the family wants to get back on the panini kick...if only I could find quinoa & spelt bread locally....

The month of food?

This Ramadan has been like no other. Alhamdulilah, I have been more spiritually productive and we have enjoyed social time via iftars with friends on most nights. I've become a bit of a traveling barista with my infused waters and half-caf coffee. 

It's been strange that food has somehow become a central focus of my daily activities. My "Ramadan soup" and samboosa rolls (both borrowed from Abyssinia) were a big hit. I set a formal table (and washed a ton of dishes) at two of my iftars and I developed a couple of new dishes. One being an "Italian" baked haddock that ended up being quite tasty that I drizzled in olive oil and topped with sautéed peppers, onions, tomatoes, and thyme. The other was spectacular quinoa stuffed mushroom that I served the same night in order to present an additional dish and use the CSA mushrooms that I generally waste...I essentially mixed the same topping with some Parmesan cheese and seasoned quinoa and they were a hit. 

I began the month with a cow share, 40 pounds of chicken drumsticks (on sale from WF), and some trout and scallops. These items, along with the CSA have guided my menus. Tonight I am doing oxtails melange (I created a mirepoix from what was in the fridge and then seasoned with what I'm calling an Afro-Caribbean blend)...here's hoping for good results when they come out of the crockpot at Iftar time. 

I bought a bag of spelt flour and my daughter became a baking machine. It started with a blueberry loaf that I topped with cream cheese icing, that was followed by a blueberry apricot loaf. Now, in almost a state of mania, she is making banana muffins and carrot cookies for sahur. And she's already talking about the chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake muffins we MUST make for eid in a few days.

This has been a month of festivities, spiritual reflection, and good deeds and I'm loving every moment of it.