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Lately I've had a rather mundane mealplan...that's largely because there's been a lot going on.  On the other hand, I have had some interesting conversations about food. 

I am weaning myself from the TJs cult. I was beginning to question their pricing strategy, particularly because food sourcing information is not as readily available as it is at Whole Foods.  In many ways, TJs functions as an off-brand pseudo neighborhood store, but the reality is that it is probably more akin to Walmart (the parent company is the same German family that owns Aldis). Yes, I said it.  I suppose those who have chosen an alternative sustainable lifestyle might have my head for blasphemy.  However after a recent conversation with someone who shared similar sentiments, I did a little digging and came across a CNN Money article from August...I haven't been to TJs since. I'm sure I'll return once I get over the sense of betrayal and look at the dollars and cents of it all. 

I also had an eye-opening conversation about rice and meat.  I learned that while most people consider basmati rice to be a healthy staple of Indian diets, it's actually more of a special occasion rice; for daily meals they choose to eat sona masoori, a shorter grain rice because of the lower carb content.  And those 4-12oz cuts of meat we devour at meal time (steaks, chops, roasts) are something that has never passed the lips of most.  Meat is really more of a condiment. 

I have been craving Eritrean food but haven't had time to catch my breath.  I chose not to get takeout from Abyssinia because I was apprehensive about the quality of the meat, so I had no choice but to make my own.  The only thing I had time for was shiro or qulwah...I was determined to make it stir-fry style as instructed.

I picked up a 1lb piece of skirt-steak on sale at Whole Foods ($6.99/lb)- the fat content made it seem like a good choice for fast cooking.  I came home, diced it small, marinated with a little berbere and diced tomatoes while I sauteed the onions (I couldn't resist).  I mixed in tomatoes and berebere, sauteed for a minute, then added the meat.  I stirred and then put the top on while I sauteed some eggplant.  Quick, easy, and very good...no wonder my friend runs this in the ground.