Springing into...

You thought I was going to say "action", right? Well, you had good reason to think so, but you're wrong.
I'm thinking about another a-word:

Asparagus!!

It is so yummy. Roasted, steamed, sauteed, whatevs. And it's in season now, which is extra super awesome. Sometimes being in season will help the price of a fresh fruit or veggie (though most noticeably if you shop at one of the farmers' markets or a local co-op grocery store), but sometimes it doesn't - but when it's in season it's worth what you're paying, because it tastes so much better. Unfortunately I have been completely market-deprived as of late... hopefully this sadness doesn't last too much longer. I really miss the market. I miss the people, the music, walking around in the fresh downtown Troy air (yeah, I'm serious), running into friends at random, adorable kiddos in strollers, sucking on honey straws, and adorable puppies sniffing literally EVERYONE.

But anyhoo, this isn't about puppies, as much as I like them too. We're talking about veggies here.

Asparagus doesn't need much, really. A hot oven, a little good extra-virgin olive oil, a little salt and pepper (and a bit of this, if you're feeling wild and crazy), and you're good to go. Here's an official recipe for Roasted Asparagus, which will probably be helpful if you've never done it before. If you have done it before, even just once - as long as they came out right - you're pretty much a pro. But a good standby recipe to play with never hurt anyone, so here we go!


24 large asparagus spears (about 2 pounds), trimmed and peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
[Aged balsamic vinegar
Parmesan, for shaving]

[ ] = good, but not really necessary

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender, 18-20 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a platter. To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan over the spears.

(Original recipe posted here.)

Now, if you're one of those people who can't help but associate asparagus with hollandaise sauce, I forgive you. Just kidding - there's nothing to forgive, but there is another recipe to be shared. Found this in another Blogger's archives. Her name is Mallory, and she seems like a pretty cool chick. With roasted asparagus, I had the thought to use brown butter instead of regular butter, so I googled "brown butter hollandaise sauce" - and the rest is history. Here's the recipe she posted (I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good):

Brown Butter Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter (in this case I browned the butter first)
- salt to taste (if you want to season with pepper too, use white pepper so there aren't ugly black flecks in your sauce)

First you are going to want to create a double boiler. Put about an inch of water in a pot and place a bowl on top (I prefer to use one that is fairly heat proof to help insulate the egg). In the bowl mix your egg yolk and lemon juice. You want the heat to be fairly low. The water should be just below a simmer. 
Start whisking away. It will be ready when the yolk has lightened in color and thickened into a custard-like consistency. This is called the ribbon stage. Literally if you lift up your whisk it should form ribbons.
As for the butter, it needs to be melted. I took it an extra step further by browning the butter as well. This is exactly what it sounds like. I cooked the butter in a pot over medium heat or so until it turned brown. The flavor and aroma take on a nuttiness that makes butter better than it already is. Just be careful that you don't cook it too long or it will go from golden brown to black. And no one wants burned butter.
Then it is time for the butter and eggs to become one. It's as simple as removing the bowl from the double boiler and pouring the melted butter into the thickened egg yolk. You just have to make sure that you do this VERY GRADUALLY while whisking CONSTANTLY. This allows the mixture time to emulsify into the thick, creamy hollondaise we all know and love. If you have ever made mayonnaise, it's basically the same idea except it's heated. Once the sauce is stable you can add in the butter more quickly. The more you add, the thicker it gets. If it happens to get too thick, just add in some cream to thin it out. All you have left to do is taste to see if it needs salt and pepper then voila, you have made it through the trials and tribulations of making a hollandaise.

(Original recipe posted here.)

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? And if you've never experienced the utter bliss that comes from eating pretty much anything involving brown butter, you must check this out. It was after reading Olga's swoonings over brown butter that I decided I had to try the stuff. And... well... try it for yourself, because there's no way my description can do justice to what I actually felt when I ate brown butter pound cake for the first time. But since then, I've found ways to work it into many recipes. 

A word on coconut oil (and the wonder of Trader Joe's)

Okay, so for a long time I was stuck on butter for pretty much any cooking... didn't really check out plant oils until I started hearing the big buzz on coconut oil.

I cooked with coconut oil for the first time at a friend's house, and was intrigued. I've used coconut oil for my hair and other beauty-related stuff before, and I put it in... some dessert I made a long time ago. Such a long time that I can't remember what it was. Hmph. But anyway, I loved the subtle coconut flavor it imparted to the food (one of the reasons I hadn't cooked with it before was for that very reason... I don't want everything I cook tasting like coconuts, right? WRONG.), and it was good for higher temp stir-frying.

Anyways, I did some checking around for info pertaining to coconut oil's health benefits (or non-
benefits), and opinions seem to vary on whether it is actually as awesome as we health food nuts
believe it is. Here's an article from WebMD, which basically says what WebMD always says... 
"It could be good, but we don't know so please proceed with caution". They do admit that coconut 
oil's fat profile, while still containing saturated fats (but no cholesterol since it is from a plant 
source), that it is not as harmful to the body as other saturated fats and may indeed possess 
health benefits. For example: "Coconut oil contains an unusual blend of short and medium chain fatty acids, primarily lauric (44%) and myristic (16.8%) acids. It is this unusual composition that may offer some health benefits." 

Honestly, though, their reliance on government health guidelines and published clinical studies 
gets to me at times... with lines like this, for instance: "But even though coconut oil is cholesterol-free, it is still a saturated fat that needs to be limited in the diet and if you are looking for real health benefits, switch from saturated fats to unsaturated fats by using vegetable oils like soybean, canola, corn, or olive oil," says [Penny] Kris-Etherton, a member of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines advisory committee and Institute of Medicine's panel on dietary reference intakes for macronutrients (which include fats)."

Um... soybean oil is extracted from soybeans using potentially toxic solvents. Corn is the monoculture crop that is destroying our nation's farmland, piece by piece. No thanks. The jury is still out on canola oil... yes, genetically engineered - Snopes says that the new-and-improved rapeseed was a product of good-old crossbreeding of plants, not some mad scientist splicing DNA from salmon into the seed or something - but still a bit creepy (and, I believe, also extracted with solvents or high heat rather than cold-press). I've used it in the past, but I generally avoid it nowadays when I can. So FORGIVE ME for disagreeing, Miss Kris-Etherton, but I'll accept my natural, unaltered fats over your smarty-pants recommendations. Olive was the only one she included that I, obviously, whole-heartedly endorse. 

By the way, even though she didn't mention peanut or sunflower oil, those are both extracted through the cold-press process (as is olive) and therefore, not as scary as Penny's icky faves. (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodtip&dbid=202) (so are flax and hemp oil... perhaps I'll write more on those sometime.)

Now, a word on Trader Joe's. 

First off, here's their little blurb on their coconut oil. Yay!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I love Trader Joe's. Yes, when the first TJ in Capitaland opened its doors on August 3rd, I was there. Not at 8 am, but I was there.
Their food is - for the most part - awesome, their prices are same, and their vibe is super fun. And, being a grocery store, they take food stamps! 

I'll just list a few of my favorite products from there, and uh... attempt to be brief.

~ the aforementioned Coconut Oil
~ Thai Yellow Curry (and, I might add, if you start the veggies/protein cooking in the coconut oil 
prior to adding the sauce, your dish will be that much more epic)
~ Pumpkin Bread/Gingerbread mixes (97.2% of the time I don't use mixes in my baking... these 
are the exceptions)
~ Thai Vegetable Gyoza (potstickers - AWESOME dipped in just a little soy sauce+rice vinegar)
~ Spinach Pie (which I guess has now evolved into this)
~ Butternut Squash Soup/Sweet Potato Bisque
~ Spicy Chai mix
~ Triple Ginger Snaps, also Ultimate Vanilla Wafers (and while you're at it, bookmark BakingBites!! Excellent blog, great recipes.)
~ Fruity Flakes (which, by the way, are great for keeping the blood sugar up on a day-long hike!)
~ Roasted Seaweed Snack (once you start eating these it is impossible to stop!)
~ Naan, garlic and whole wheat (check out this recipe!)
~ Tapenades (various, including this one and this one)
~ Giant White Beans (for real - check this out!)
~ deliciously marinated Mahi Mahi... but it looks like they discontinued it :-(
~ Salted Caramel Sauce (check out the cider-donut sundae in my last post)

Omgoodness... yeah, there are still plenty of others. But I'm kind of exhausted from all this Googling. I'll talk about more of my TJ faves in future posts.

 

Inspiration of the season

Ahhhhhhh.... fall. *breathes deeply and sighs contentedly*

Fall means so many things; crunchy leaves on the sidewalk, a slight chill in the air, SWEATERS AND JACKETS, and all sorts of yummy fall treats... turnips and turnip greens, apples/applesauce/applesauce CAKE! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes... excuse me while I compose myself. *swoons*
And, of course,'tis the season of soup! Hearty lentil and veggie soups, potato-leek soup, butternut squash soup, spiced pumpkin soup... now that I am a graduated woman, I will (supposedly) have time to regularly update this thing, as I keep promising you all that I will. A Facebook post by a friend today reminded me that I've got an outlet for my culinarily creative juices... this blog! Hooray!
For now, some pictures. One is of a lovely bowl of butternut squash+root veggie soup my friend Kelly made, and the second is of a sundae I made with homemade ice cream, salted caramel sauce (from Trader Joe's, yay!), and a cider donut from a local orchard. Mmmmmm...

An old standby

Okay, I know that beans and rice isn't glamorous, and it's something I've written about before, but... well, I guess I appreciate the little things. I made it the other day, and it was just super. I hadn't made it in a long time, so I figured it was just the time for it. This time, instead of just using black beans, I used black and pink! I bet any combination (black beans and red kidneys, red and pink, black and cannelini, etc) would be awesome. And snazzy looking, too. I seasoned it with some garlic and onion, and some chipotle and cumin. Mmmm... :-]

Just wanted to share. I lurves beans and rice! Also beans and polenta. I had some Trader Joe's double-roasted salsa and Skyr yogurt instead of sour cream on it, along with some Melinda's Original Habanero hot sauce... pretty amazing.

How not to feel broke when eating tuna fish

So I've gotten really into Dave Ramsey over the past few years; if you're into saving money and all that good stuff (or if you aren't but you know you should be), you should check him out. The dude's legit, with an amazing riches-to-rags-and-back-to-riches story.

The first riches were based on credit cards, loans and lines of credit, then he literally lost it all - over the course of about a week or two. He was broke... the kind of broke that most college students (who think they're broke because they don't know better) don't even want to think about. He then worked his way back from brokedom through simple methods like living below his means... paying cash for stuff instead of using credit cards... and tithing+saving before spending a dime of what he earned.

He is an incredibly animated, funny, attention-grabbing speaker, and he tells great stories. One thing he talks about decently often is how he can't eat tuna fish, because when he and his wife were broke, that's all she would ever pack in his lunch box for work... so now, he says, "Whenever I eat tuna fish I feel broke!"
I think tuna is that to a lot of people, really... which is unfortunate, because it's really quite good, especially when you get the kind in olive oil (yes, of course I'm going to post pictures). If you're like me, tuna might also be what your mom packed for your lunch all through elementary school, even though it was likely room-temp (therefore pretty smelly and probably not particularly safe to eat) by the time lunch period came around. But hey... whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, yeah?

"Typical" tuna salad (ie., probably the kind that makes Dave feel broke) usually consists of little more than tuna and mayonnaise. Maybe some pickle relish or chopped-up celery, if whoever made it was feeling adventurous. If you just nodded your head, brace yourself. This recipe may just knock your socks off. It's affordable, it's nutrient-packed, and eating it makes you feel like the feudal lord, rather than the lowly serf. Ready?

But wait - before I start, I should talk a bit about the tuna... first off, here are some reasons why we should eat it.

1) It's yummy. It really is, as long as you're willing to be a little creative... actually, strike that - you don't even have to be. I know people who eat it out of the can. It just has to be the right stuff.

2) Good-quality protein. Even if you're a mostly-veg omnivore like me, fish is on the "nice" list.

3) Ever heard of omega 3 fatty acids? They're the *good fats* (along with monounsaturated fats, which we'll get to in a second). All the cool kids are getting them these days, and tuna's got lots. Not to mention that if you're buying the right kind, it's packed in olive oil... and olive oil is a bangin' source of *good fats* - the monounsaturated ones - as well.

Now that we've covered the warm and fuzzies, I'll give you some recommendations.

1) NEVER GET ALBACORE. It's bland; there's absolutely no flavor to it. Sometimes that's okay, but in tuna it's not. Personally, I hate the texture as well. It doesn't make sense to my mouth. And, if all that wasn't enough to discourage you, albacore is much more likely than other types of tuna to be contaminated with mercury. Boom.

2) NEVER GET ANYTHING PACKED IN WATER. I think that may be half the problem for some people. It's a flavor thing, it's a nutrition thing, it's a common sense thing. I would love to rant about how our culture's screwed-up view of fat is killing us, but I won't. Just, please... buy tuna packed in oil, not water. Olive oil is preferred.

And now, meet your tuna!

Money-licious Tuna Salad

1 can good-quality yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil (Genova Tonno is good, and happens to be on sale at PChop right now)

Any combination of 2 or 3 of the following:

~ 1/4 cup finely chopped red or yellow bell peppers

~ 1/4 cup finely chopped celery

~ 1/4 cup Pucker's Gourmet "Dilly Sweets" pickles, finely chopped (these are like, the Rolls-Royce of pickles, baby... naturally fermented, no weird colorings or artificial flavorings, and NO HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!! The Half Sours are also good.)

~ 1-2 tsp capers. You can get a jar of them at Honest Weight - or Trader Joe's, which will be opening in the area soon! Yayyyyy!! (Generally you would put in the chopped pickles OR the capers... however, if you like some serious sweet-and-tangy, go for both. You only live once.)

~ 1/4 cup frozen peas (just throw them right in, no nuking necessary)

~ 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (raw or toasted, doesn't matter)

~ about 3 Tbsp finely chopped sweet red onion

~ 1-2 Tbsp chopped kalamata or black olives, or 1 Tbsp of a store-bought olive tapenade

~ 1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts, or 2 Tbsp of a store-bought marinated artichoke spread

Really, you could chop just about anything really fine and throw it in here. But the reason I say limit your options to 2 or 3 is that while all these add-ins are great, you still want it to taste like tuna. So if you want to add 4 or 5 of these, a good rule of thumb is to add about half the amount that I recommended of each ingredient, and work your way up from there. Also, make sure the flavors you're adding don't clash. I'll give some examples in a bit. Continuing...

1 Tbsp olive oil mayonnaise (or whatever you've got handy... but I like this stuff)

1 Tbsp Shaker Mountain Chili Sauce (I'm extremely upset because I haven't been able to find this lately... I was contemplating leaving it out of the recipe, but it's so good! As soon as I find it I'll let y'all know where!)

a sprinkle of parsley (just a pinch if it's dried, about a 1/2 Tbsp if it's fresh - chop it fine)

Yesterday I used peppers, celery, peas, and pickles... see other combinations below.

Place the tuna in a med-large size bowl - don't drain it! Add the olive oil it's packed in too... it adds flavor and some more liquid. With a fork, break it up until there are no big chunks.

Add your veggies/nuts/condiments, and mix them in good.

You have a choice with the parsley here, if it's fresh. You can mix it in, or just sprinkle it on top as a garnish. If it's dried, you should mix it in so it can rehydrate a bit and impart a bit more flavor.

Some of my favorite combos:

~ Peas, pickles, peppers/walnuts (I love a little crunchy in my tuna)

~ Olives, artichokes, celery/onion (with a sprinkle of fresh basil from my windowsill)

~ Pickles, peppers, 1/2 onion+1/2 peas

~ Artichokes, peppers, capers, walnuts, and a little bit of lemon zest

You're done! Now serve OR cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit (in the fridge, of course) for 20 minutes or so to give the flavors a chance to meld together a bit. As for how to serve, I usually just eat it with a fork... you can also use it for tuna melts (cheddar is good, Gruyere is better - base your cheese on your audience of course), you can top a green salad with it, you can wrap it up in a tortilla or pita (or do a lettuce wrap!) with greens and tomatoes... I also like to use a celery stick to scoop it up.

But hey, you don't have to do as I do. Be creative! I know you are. The beauty of cooking is that it is an art form... and a very useful one at that. It gives you a canvas on which to attempt amazingly daring feats, such as the adventurous mixing of flavors, textures, colors, etc., and it also provides sustenance. Brilliant! Enjoy it. And I'd love to hear how y'all mix up yours.

Ciao for now! And enjoy our extended hours of sunlight :-D

Spring!

Okay, so maybe it's not totally spring yet. I mean, it's only the beginning of March. But whatever - it's 56 degrees out and I feel great!

So let's talk about food.

Yes, I know I haven't posted since November, and you all feel incredibly neglected. Rightfully so! I do have a tendency to take on more than I should, thinking that I can handle it all just fine. And, inevitably, something gets dropped. It's a sad state of affairs. But I've recently made some not-at-all-New-Year's-related resolutions, and one of them is to focus my attention and energy on doing the few things that I really LOVE doing, and doing them well. Like cooking. Like baking. Like... well, I can't say that I "really LOVE" all my schoolwork (though, thankfully, I do love most of it), but regardless, it's my final semester and I want to go out with a bang.

So really, let's talk about food.

Okay, so one of my projects this past winter - though I didn't actually know that it was going to be a project until it, uh, became the project... if that makes sense - was bread. I still don't have it perfect, but I'm getting there. And I've shared some of the products of my experiments with friends, to high praise (higher than I felt was warranted, but I am a bit of a perfectionist). I have to say though... making fresh butter is easier than bread, and wowwww... <3

Another project involved beets. I love beets, and have been, over the past couple of years, looking for new and creative things to do with them, besides cake (of course) and my mom's AMAZING chilled marinated beets. So I made some vegan Borscht, and shared it with some friends. It was not a cold soup; this was actually a nice, warming soup with shredded beets and carrots, garlic and onion, and since I didn't have any stock, I used veg bouillon. I'll post a recipe, but since I wasn't thinking "hey, recipe" at the time, there's going to be a bit of guesswork involved.

Awww.

And lastly, I must talk about blood oranges. I am OBSESSED. If oranges were wine, blood oranges would be the sultry, deep, dark red wine... and regular oranges would be the white zin. Don't get me wrong; it has its place. But I am a red-wine girl through and through. And who doesn't love a sexy, indulgent treat that is SUPER HEALTHY and that your EBT card will pay for?? (By the way, they've been on sale at PChop recently, and I believe they still are. 'Tis the season!! And while you're there, check out Meyer lemons too. Yummy.)

I mean really... why would you even WANT to try to say no?
Also, the recipe from the site this came from looks amazing...
http://wise-habits.com/blood-orange-vinaigrette

Also-also, I need to point out, in case I haven't yet, that the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market takes EBT cards now (WOOOO TROY!!), and that the spicy mesclun mix from Slack Hollow Farms would pair beautifully with the above-linked recipe. Just sayin'.

On that note, I'm going to wrap up our time together once again. I will try to visit more often, promise!!

Ciao for now. ^_~

Coupons - BRILLIANT!!

Okay, so I've actually been off my food stamps since the summer, but I'm still just barely scraping by so I'm gonna keep this blog up. I'm not going to change the name to "Broke Foodies' Anonymous"... though it is a catchy name, no? Haha!

I'm in a really good mood today because I've discovered that so many times in our lives we feel pressured to spend money on things when, in fact, the better alternative is FREE!

I can get down with free.

Example: Any of y'all out there use coupons? A lot of times, I just kind of dismiss them because I don't have time or patience to clip... but I made a friend over the summer and HOLY MOSES! The girl knows how to get a deal. Like, just imagine for a second, cutting your grocery bill (whether you're on SNAP or just a tight budget) from over $100 to like... $30. Didn't the thought of that just give you chills? Wouldn't that help those of you with kids stretch your budget/stamps so much? You could buy 3 TIMES the amount of groceries with the same amount of money. Awesome.

I'm not a pro yet, but man... I'm practicing every chance I get. Along with coupons, you kind of get a little more in tune with ways you can save a little here and there. I mean, I went out to Brown's Taproom last night with a friend, and - wonder of wonders - their brown ale (exactly my second choice... but they were out of my first... *sniffle*) was the beer of the day. That meant it was only $3 a pint or something awesome like that.

Free apps are another thing. I could've spent over $30 on a financial calculator which would be useful for all of one exam in one class at Staples... but since I thought to check the Android app market, I got a WAY EASIER TO USE, FREE APP for my phone. Super fabulous.

Anyways, I would love to read about some awesome deals y'all out there have gotten recently!

Ciao ;-)