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I haven’t disappeared – am just completely inundated in holiday-related travel and festivities. I flew to Chicago on Christmas eve and am now about to head to Ohio for more family fun (and a long road trip with the immediate family – haven’t done that in a while). I’ll be back in town on New Year’s Eve and just wanted to say Happy Christmas and Merry New Years to all my readers. I hope you’re all celebrating accordingly! Now, I’m off for a swim at the local YMCA – a bit of a grind at 5am but I think I’ll feel a lot better for it after eight hours in the car). Food Diary | Monday, December 7, 2009BreakfastSourdough toast with fresh fruit and almond butter
LunchStuffed peppers with quinoa, cannelini beans and tomato sauce
Stuffed veggies are awesome, especially when you happen to have some cooked beans or grains around. I happened to have both, so I mixed up some quinoa, cannelini beans, frozen corn, diced tomato, salt, pepper and thyme. I baked this for about 30 minutes while I made some tomato sauce to serve on top. Very yummy. Hefty tip: when stuffing veggies, be careful that your stuffing doesn’t dry out in the oven. You can get around this by topping the stuffing with something “oily” like cheese or buttered bread crumbs. But if you want to avoid oil, instead of cutting the peppers in half, cut a hole in the top and remove the stem and seeds. Then jam your stuffing into the whole and bake the peppers on their side. DinnerHot sauce glazed tempeh with roasted brussels sprouts and pumpkin and parsnip mash
Something about this mash didn’t sit well with me. It didn’t really go with anything else on the plate, and I don’t think I cared much for the pumpkin prepared this way. Parsnip and carrot mash would be tastier I reckon. Or maybe something else altogether, especially with hot sauce glazed tempeh, which is best with regular mash, roasted potatoes, or quinoa. Recipe: Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh [theppk.com] Food Diary | Tuesday, December 8, 2009BreakfastOatmeal with pears and toasted pecans
LunchQuinoa with Avocado, Greens and Black Beans
Avocado is so incredibly awesome with quinoa – you have to try it. They someone compliment each other: the quinoa coats itself to the avocado, which brings out the avo’s creaminess while the avo brings out the quinoa’s beautiful texture. So in light of my desire to avocado and quinoa, I made this quick quinoa dish with a mexican flare. First I fried some mustard seeds and cumin seeds in a little oil. When the mustard seeds began to pop, I added some diced chipotle pepper and crumbled tempeh and sauteed that until it browned. Then I added a diced shallot, one minced clove of garlic, diced bell pepper, corn, a couple squeezes of fresh lime juice, tomato, cilantro, salt and pepper. I then took this mixture out of the pan and tossed it with a bowl of pre-cooked quinoa. While the pan was still hot I tossed in some chopped and washed kale and cooked that until tender (the water on the kale was enough to steam it in the pan). I had the quinoa with the kale, a side of black beans, and of course, the avocado. It was really nice and only took about 15 minutes to prepare! DinnerTempeh burger with cabbage and roasted brussels sprouts
Brassica fantastica. That’s right, I had cabbage AND brussels sprouts in this meal. And quite a lot too. I’m a fiend for the Brassica oleracea family of veggies: cabbage, brussels, cauliflower, broccoli, kale. I’m also a fiend for burgers and sandwiches filled with sauteed cabbage, onion and caraway seeds. This burger was a variation on a tofu burger I’ve been enjoying lately. I must say, it’s way better with tofu.
For someone who spends her whole life in front of a computer, I’m very disciplined when it comes to the websites I visit. Being prone to distraction has made me very anti-distraction, so I never look at YouTube, GoogleReader or anything else that might suck me in and spit me out two hours later with little show for it (the exceptions being RecipeZaar and Flickr). But today I did something I rarely do: I surfed the web. I don’t know why, who cares. I got to stumbling around blogs on “primal” fitness. Zen To Fitness, Mark’s Daily Apple, Feel Good Eating – these are all blogs about the primal lifestyle, a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that cavemen used to eat. As Mark Sisson puts it: “eat as our ancestors ate and you’ll be healthier for it.” The primal lifestyle consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. Now, as a dal-loving, bread-baking vegetarian, I’m not about to take up the primal lifestyle anytime soon. However, there are aspects of the diet I find interesting (e.g. its emphasis on raw food) and I like reading about how people have used this diet to better their health and explore aspects of human nutrition. Enter Son of Grok. He went from being a 250 pound smoker and heavy drinker to a 186 pound beefcake with abs of steel and perfect cholesterol levels. I stumbled upon his blog post from last August: One Year of Cavemanning It. His before and after photos were impressive, but what really got my attention were his list of things he learned along the way. Some of these lessons were just so spot on, I had to share:
Except for the bit about living without bread, I could totally relate to this. And it got me thinking… he’s doing the primal thing… I’m doing the mostly vegan thing… other people out there are doing other things…. who’s to say one lifestyle is better than another. Getting fit isn’t about being “primal”, or vegan, or finding the perfect diet, or training for a marathon. It’s about finding the lifestyle that lets you realize your full potential, and that’s going to be a totally personal choice. Like SoG says: “you have to do it for you.” I think what really pumped me up about that post was the reminder that a lot of change can happen in a little amount of time. I mean, look at all that stuff SoG learned in just a year. And life is just a lot of years tied together until you die – so why not make every one of those years like SoG’s caveman year? Not from the primal aspect, but from the “do stuff to make life better” aspect. I want to be able to end every year with a big long list of awesome things I’ve learned. And the only way to do that is to keep learning and experimenting. And yeah, people will think I’m crazy, but so what – they already do, especially after I tell them that I live in a barn in the country. So where to start. I have a few things in mind for this year:
And probably a lot more stuff I can’t think of right now. So I guess I better get started, before I get sucked into primal-inspired caveman musings:
When I’m in the mood for crepes but don’t have soy yogurt around, I whip up this quick silken tofu “cream”. I just made another batch this morning and took note of the ingredients (I usually wing it). It’s super easy, and you could easily adapt it to fit your feast by adding chocolate, fruit juice, spices, whatever. I’ve also used this as a base for a savory, sour-cream type dip for potato pancakes by adding chives, dill and garlic. Easy Tofu Whipped “Cream”This “cream” isn’t very sweet – I like it that way because I usually have it with fruit or syrup which are sweet enough for me. Feel free to add more sweetener to your liking 350g (1 box) Firm Silken Tofu Put everything in a food processor. Blend on high speed until everything is silky smooth (about a minute). Taste and add more agave if you like, or more lemon zest, cinnamon, or anything else that suits your liking! Chill before serving. Serve on top of fresh fruit, pie, pancakes, or anything else that calls for a creamy infusion. My favorite use of this stuff is on fruit-filled buckwheat crepes!
A reader sent me this quote from Adam Trimble after reading Tuesday’s update on my ankle injury:
I don’t know who Adam Trimble is but he feels my pain. Looking forward to having this ankle fixed so I can stop feeling stifled. I don’t know if marathons are really “my thing”, but I’ve always wanted to do a triathlon. And finish Alfred Wainwright’s coast to coast walk across England. It’s good to dream! It’s time for another ankle update (read the background if you’re unfamiliar). A bit more optimistic than usual… Before I moved from London, I’d been seeing an NHS physiotherapist who prescribed some stretches and strength exercises to help my ankle. It’s been over a year since I started seeing him and there’s been no improvement. In fact, things have gotten worse, with my ankle causing me almost constant dull pain, particularly on the outside above my ankle bone and on top of my foot, even if I’m not walking or running, and shaper pain if I twist my ankle the wrong way. I registered with a GP here in Oaksey, who said I’d have to wait 6 weeks for him to get my paperwork from London and decide where to go from there. I was sick of working the system, free as it may be. Thinking back over the last 5 years of ankle bullsh!t, I would happily have paid thousands of pounds to have a pain-free ankle again. I hate to sound like an old fart, but those were the last 5 years of my 20’s, and I’ll never have them back! So, as my mind toiled over private healthcare, the stars seemed to be aligning in this direction. I was talking about my ankle with a friend at a party, when a women introduced herself who turned out to be an NHS physiotherapist. She kindly listened to my saga, and when I said “I haven’t run in years because of this” she passionately exclaimed “Don’t give up! You must never give up! See as many people as it takes!” Maybe she was just doing her bit to bring her physio friends more business, but even so, she got to me. The next day I found a physio in my area and made an appointment for that week. I saw this physio twice, but he didn’t really “feel right.” So I posted a message in the Runners World forum asking for physio recommendations in my area. Someone came back with PhysioPlus in Chippenham. I had my first appointment with “Andrew” yesterday and I’ve gotta say: he could be the one. The guy basically gave me a once over – had me run and walk on a treadmill, felt all my muscles from my legs up to my neck (and asked, unprompted, “do you get headaches?” which I do, horrible ones, about 2-3 times per week, “cuz you should – you’re hard as a rock up here”), he looked at my feet, tested my flexibility, and so on. He discovered a few things:
So he did this thing where he basically twisted and stretched my back, then massaged my hip, and I instantly felt relief in the outer part of my ankle and calve. He prescribed me some stretches to do and I’m to try retraining myself in “how to walk”, making sure I follow through on my left foot, rather than hopping quickly off the toe (not sure if this makes sense to you, but I get it). Until this point, I thought that the source of all of my ankle problems were in the ankle itself. But now I see that my entire body is at play here, and I need to work on my hips, butt and back as much as I do my ankle. Amazing how the body works together to build (and break) itself with every move. My next appointment is in a week, where he’s going to do more work on my back and neck. I can’t wait, especially if this can solve my headaches, too. He’s also referred me to a podiatrist in the NHS who can look at my feet and determine if I need insoles. What’s really exciting is that the physio thinks in three weeks or so I might be able to start running again. THAT would make VERY happy. I think one of the reasons that SmarterFitter has moved from a fitness blog to a food blog is because I feel sort of crippled from doing the “fit” stuff I want to do. I want to run, but I can’t, so I get down about it, and bake a cake. Now if I could both run AND bake cake, now that would be the life.
To save time on cooking, I’ve been tapping the freezer and revisiting a a variety of the same foods: black beans, veggie chile, shephard’s pie, cornbread and quick sandwiches. For example, this weekend’s menu looks a bit monotonous. On both Saturday and Sunday I had the same lunch and dinner: black bean and sweet potato tostadas for lunch and a smoked tofu sandwich for dinner. But I’ve discovered that it’s very possible to eat the same foods regularly without getting bored. In fact, repeating the same foods has some great benefits. You get really good at working with staple cupboard ingredients, and for people trying to lose weight or gain muscle, eating the same foods makes it easier to track your diet. Of course, the point isn’t to eat the same foods over and over again – variety is the spice of life and the key to optimum nutrition. The point is to use regular ingredients as the basis for a healthy diet, and then round those ingredients out with a variety of other delicious foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains. Here’s how I’ve been mixing things up lately:
Food Diary | Saturday, November 28, 2009BreakfastApples and oatmeal with banana and toasted nuts
The oatmeal is cooked with cinnamon, grated apple and a pinch of salt. Then I topped with banana and toasted almonds and hazelnuts. Pretty nice with a drizzle of honey and a splash of soy milk. Snack Pumpkin pudding, or something like that…
A semi-successful experiment that will be worth tweaking: pumpkin mixed with soymilk, a little cornstarch, pumpkin pie spices, salt and pepper. It’s sort of like a savory pumpkin pie without the crust. There’s something good going on here… …and a piece of toast
I like that every part of this snack – the bread, the almond butter, and the sloe and apple jelly – were made from scratch. Recipe: Sloe and crab apple hedgerow jelly LunchPumpkin and black bean tostada
This invention was rather successful! I had extra pumpkin leftover from the pumpkin pudding creation, so I mixed it up with some sauteed onion, cumin seed, mustard seed, ground cumin, fresh cilantro, and a little pickled jalapeno. Then smeared it on a corn tortilla, topped it with black beans, lettuce, avocado and a squeeze of lime juice. It was awesome! Served with some sauteed cauliflower. DinnerSmoked tofu and cabbage sandwich
Sounds weird, but this is one of my favorite sandwich creations. Reuben-inspired. I saute the cabbage with onions and caraway seeds until its really soft and delicious, then add a splash of vinegar (balsamic is good here). Then I heat up the tofu and toast some rye sourdough bread. Sandwich consisits of (in this order): bread, avocado, salt, pepper, tomato, smoked tofu, pickles, jalapeno, cabbage. Sounds weird. Tastes awesome. Served with a really tasty coleslaw. Recipe: Dazzling Winter Slaw with Red Cabbage, Apples and Pecans Food Diary | Sunday, November 29, 2009BreakfastToast with almond butter and fresh fruit
Savory SnackOnion soup, sourdough bread and balsamic vinegar
LunchMore pumpkin and black bean tostadas
This time served with sauteed kale and leeks, and extra beans and pumpkin on the side. DinnerAnother smoked tofu and cabbage sandwich
This time served with a green salad and some extra cabbage on the side.
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, then you know I’ve been increasingly obsessed with the idea of “living off the land.” One of the best places I’ve found to forage for free food is in the hedgerows, particularly those lining the fields behind our cottage. My American friends might be wondering – what the eff is a hedgerow? A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and tree species, planted in such a way as to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area. According to Wikipedia, many English hedgerows are estimated to have been in existence for more than seven hundred years, originating in the medieval period. As it turns out, many of the shrubs, trees and bushes used to create hedgerows bear edible fruit. For example, our nearby hedges have offered blackberries, nettles, rosehips, hawthorn berries, crab apples and sloes. And I’ve heard rumors of sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts, damson plums, gooseberries and wild garlic lurking in hedges I haven’t yet discovered.
Let’s be honest: I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to actually buy sloes and crab apples, but since they’re available, I feel compelled to use of them. Sloe berries are similar to small plums, but are a too tart and astringent for eating. Crab apples are also not exactly munching food. But boil the two together with a bunch of sugar and leave to mature for a couple weeks and something quite magical happens. The sloes’ astringency subsides and their plummy flavor really comes through. The seeds in the crab apple act as a natural pectin, which gels the mixture into a nice, deep purple jelly that goes particularly well with blue cheese, as well as almond butter and (I’m guessing) regular butter, too.
I used Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s template for hedgerow jelly, which can also be made with rowan berries, rosehips, haws or a mixture. Making hedgerow jelly isn’t a quick process. It takes time to pick the sloes and the crab apples, and anyone who’s made jam or jelly knows that it’s a slightly delicate affair involving things like jelly bags and sterile jars. But it’s all time well spent, and rewarding too: collecting food from nature and turning it into something extremely delicious, experiencing the whole process of food creation from start to finish. Sloe and Crab Apple Hedgerow Jelly
Around 1kg sloes
Around 1kg crab apples At least 1.5kg granulated sugar Jelly bag (or a clean cotton cloth and a big sieve) Wash the sloes and crab apples. Cut the crab apples in half, but leave in the cores – they contribute lots of pectin, which helps set the jelly. Put all the fruit into a large, heavy pan, along with enough water (at least 500ml) to come about halfway up the fruit. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally and crushing the fruit against the side of the pan, until the whole mass is soft and pulpy. Tip the mixture into a jelly bag (or a large sieve lined with a cotton cloth) suspended over a bowl, and leave to drain. If you want a clear jelly, just let the liquid drip through, but if you want to get the maximum yield and don’t mind if your jelly is a little cloudy, squeeze the pulp to extract every last drop of juice.
As soon as setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat and pour the jelly into warm, sterilised jars. Cover with a disc of waxed paper, then a lid. Leave for a few weeks to mature before eating. The jelly should keep for up to a year.
My body must sense that something is wrong. Ever since Thursday, I’ve been insatiably hungry. It’s like my body was expecting a Thanksgiving feast, and when it didn’t get it, my stomach rebelled, demanding mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Constantly! Pizza and chocolate cake will have to do. Food Diary | Friday, November 27, 2009BreakfastOatmeal with Pears, Pecans and Banana
The crappy white balance is indicative of my use of kitchen lighting. Yes, even though it was 7am, it was still dark outside, and not enough natural light to do my breakfast justice. Snack Orange marmalade vs. hedgerow jelly face-off (and half a banana)
The thing is: I love orange marmalade. But the homemade hedgerow jelly wins! Savored on sourdough toast with almond butter (also homemade – I’m going crazing with this homemade shizzle). LunchOnion soup with sourdough bread and salad
This lunch is probably the cause of my hunger. Let’s face it – onion soup just isn’t very filling. That’s a clove of garlic in there, by the way. Not picture: dessert orange. DinnerPizza! And Cake!
I was ravenous by the time dinner came around, which was fairly easy to throw together as I have a bunch of wholemeal pizza dough stashed in the freezer (made using the pizza primer at the Fresh Loaf, which I highly recommend if you want to make bad-ass pizza at home; also, their recipe works pretty well with 1/2 white 1/2 whole wheat flour – fyi!). This is one of my favorite pizza topping combos: green pepper, mushroom, onion, olive and pineapple. With a little bit of mozzarella, oregano and chili: bliss. I ate the whole thing, with a big salad and a bottle of Butts Barbus Barbus Ale. Brewed in West Berkshire and totally organic! Pretty good stuff.
Still hungry after all that food, I finished the evening with a piece of chocolate and zucchini cake and the last sliver of vanilla ice cream left in the freezer. We are now out of desserts. A blessing in disguise? Or a call to baking? I can’t decide. (It’s a terrible photo – please forgive!)
Don’t get too excited: I had a very quiet Thanksgiving here at Orchard Cottage. And by “quiet”, I do mean “peaceful” (not “lonely” – I swear). No pumpkin pie or cranberries, alas, but plenty of tasty home-cooked autumnal food all the same: hedgerow jelly, onion soup, sourdough bread, sweet potatoes and lots of fresh veg. All that said, I hope everyone State-side had a lovely Thanksgiving and that you stuffed yourselves silly and had lots of laughs. I will be home for Christmas (yes, I actually do miss Chicago winters), so I’ll get my share of holiday feasting then (and hopefully a bit of holiday snow). Can’t wait…. Food Diary | Thursday, November 26, 2009BreakfastOatmeal with pears and toasted pecans
This is my favorite way to have oatmeal at the moment: oatmeal cooked with diced pears, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then topped with toasted pecans (I toast them in a dry pan while the oatmeal is cooking), a light drizzle of honey and a dash of soymilk. SnackSourdough toast with almond butter and hedgerow jelly
Our homemade sloe and crab apple jelly has really grown on me. I love living off the land! Recipe: Crab Apple and Sloe Jelly LunchBlack bean and sweet potato taco with goat’s cheese and carrot slaw
So this taco ruled. I sauteed the sweet potato with onion, mustard seed and cumin seed. The combo of sweet potato, black bean and goat’s cheese was amaaaazing. Want. More. Now. DinnerOnion soup with sourdough bread and sauteed cauliflower
This onion soup was good, but was missing something (don’t say “beef broth”). I’d like to try it again with mushroom stock and a bit of soy sauce to make it a little, uh, er, meatier… Not pictures: an extra half slice of toast and an orange for dessert. |
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