On our 2007 Road Trip Hubby brought along Michael Pollan’s dictionary-sized book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” which shattered the illusion that grocery stores carry food–they carry processed food-like items that are mostly just corn fillers. Now hitting the best seller list is Pollan’s new, very practical “In Defense of Food” which answers the question “So if everything is full of corn, what should I eat?” The answer, for Pollan, is simple: “Eat food, mostly plants, not too much.”
But you already eat food, right? And you already know that you should eat fruits and veggies. Food, Pollan explains, would be something your great (or even great great) grandmother would recognize. So food is a baked potato, not Betty Crocker Creamy Butter Mashed Potatoes, food is bread made from salt, flour, yeast and water, not Sara Lee Whole Grain White Bread (talk about illogical). This book finally shines a light on the question I have long been asking: if the American public is eating less fat and less calories than ever before, why are our lovehandles getting much much bigger and diabetes becoming the norm, rather than a rarity?
Based on Pollan’s commercially-void research and my own personal experience that a calorie is not just a calorie, we’ve made the switch. What remained in our home of products like Sweet N Low, Diet Sodas, non-fat yogurt and milk have all been replaced with unrefined sugar, water or tea, and whole fat milk and yogurt (from grass fed cows whenever possible).Â
And while we moved to all organic veggies some time ago, we’re sharing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box of locally grown organic vegetables each week and I’m happily growing the tomatoes (see my previous post), Swiss chard and mixed lettuce right on our deck.
What ways can you think of to eat more food?
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Last summer I created a kitchen garden, growing a handful of herbs and variety of lettuce. I consciously selected organic plants and dirt, keeping my ingredients whole. This year I decided to take it up a notch.
Three weeks ago I purchased organic seeds for a colorful variety of heirloom tomatoes, lovingly sewed them into fresh dirt and placed them in my bedroom windowsill. To my delight, they’ve prospered, peaking from the earth and growing more than two inches in one week. But now I am victim of my own success–dozens more tomato seedlings than I can fit in my planters! Apparently I got so carried away with the variety of licopene-laden options that I planted more seeds than I can manage at my yard-less home.
Lucky for me my sister is a tomato lover with empty raised planter boxes. Plus I’ve got a few other ideas up my sleeve. Do you need a few tomato plants?
After getting mostly over what I’m calling The Great Flu of 2008, hubby and enjoyed a quick romp in the snow of Yosemite. Like home, the weather was stormy there too, but resulting in beautiful, powdery delight, rather than muddy wet muck.
The timing of this little jaunt was for us to attend the last of the seasons Chefs’ Holiday Dinner, a five course meal (wine pairings and all) at The Ahwahnee Hotel. The tickets included a morning demonstration and cheese tasting from the ladies at Cowgirl Creamery (which we visited in Point Reyes Station over our anniversary), where we learned about how to test a washed-rined cheese (it includes a little cheese hammer!) and how they grow one inch thick “tennis ball-like” mold on the soft cheeses (and this is a good thing). Later that night we went back for the full-monty, including fall-apart short ribs in a red wine reduction, gnocchi, some more cheese and a few other sumptuous courses. It was exactly what we were hoping for.
By morning, the storm had cleared, revealing many inches of fluffy powder just waiting to be made into snow balls. We got some great pictures before we headed home, to yet more Santa Cruz rain. I’m ready to trade in the rain and move to Yosemite. The food and weather are better. =)
One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2007 was to eat more “whole” foods, in other words things that didn’t come from a package. My ability to fulfill this wish was significantly improved by our weekly CSA box from Two Small Farms, but now that we’re in the throws of Winter the boxes have stopped and my cooking creativity suddenly stunted. One reliable place for inspiration is Real Simple Magazine (I teased about it in my last post saying my life is to hectic read Real Simple) who regularly print simple delicious recipes. No Martha Stewart recipes here, just quick 5 ingredient meals anyone can make.
This month I found this one and was utterly delighted. The ingredients might not sound that inspiring, but give it a try and you won’t be disappointed. In terms of ingredients, we used Bertoli Cappelini, Trader Joe’s jar of chopped garlic (for the ultimately lazy), Better then Bouillon for the chicken broth, whole red pepper flakes (not crushed), curly parsley (they were out of flat) and Asiago instead parmesan cheese. My hubby said maybe we should use a little less parsley next time, but honestly I thought the quantities were spot-on. One change I will make next time is to add a spinach side salad. With the smaller pasta and no meat you aren’t too full after your serving, so bulking it up with some green leafys would be a good idea. Enjoy and tell me what you think.
Super Delicious Chickpea Almond Pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.
Divide among individual bowls and top with the almonds and Parmesan.