Alrighty gang, we're on our way to grocery list nirvana today. Forgive my few days' absence; it's the end of the semester and life gets a bit crazy around now. Given how long part 1 took, I'm not sure if we'll finish our list today... there's so much background information that you really should know before buying food. It's sad to see how detached Americans have become from the food they eat; over the past few days, I've been hearing on the news reports of findings that our conventionally produced meat and fish are contaminated with PCBs and other fat-soluble toxins. You can read about it here. If the whole not wanting to develop heart disease thing wasn't good enough for you, maybe that'll persuade you to buy leaner cuts of meat-- or even lower your intake of animal-derived foods altogether.
If you want to recap our list so far, scroll down to the previous entry. Otherwise, just read on because I'll give the complete list again at the end of this one! (Minus all the awesome tidbits of knowledge; gotta check out the previous entry for those.)
Moving on...
Item #7: Many large cans of tomatoes. Tomatoes are SO versatile, and while the fresh tomato is the ideal in most cases, there are PLENTY of things you can do with canned! You can make pasta or pizza sauce, you can make salsa, you can add them to your beans and rice (recipe coming later), you can add them to casseroles and make lasagna... *drools at the thought of lasagna*... you can make chili, soup or stew (recipes coming later), quick bruschetta or salad... the list goes on. Please note: When fresh tomatoes are in-season, get them locally at roadside farm stands or the farmers' market. The ones that are flown in from Chile or wherever are missing the most important elements of the tomato; namely, FLAVOR and (in a lot of cases) JUICINESS. Nobody likes a bland, mealy tomato. Bleh.
Item #8: Fresh garlic. This will keep for quite a while if you store it properly. For best results, garlic should be stored in a dark, dry place with good air circulation, and putting it in a covered clay pot helps extend the life of your fresh garlic tremendously (thank you TLC). Basically, you want to keep it out of the light so it doesn't sprout.
Garlic has SUPERPOWERS... well okay, not superpowers like, flying or something; but it does have superpowers of deliciousness and health! Garlic is an antibacterial, antifungal, heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich, yummy food (just make sure you have some gum handy when you eat it ^_^). Check this out! Science says garlic is awesome too. What about the minced garlic in the jar? you ask. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, don't bother unless it's ABSOLUTELY necessary. And really, unless you are deathly afraid of knives or something and therefore can't chop the garlic, there isn't much reason. Ever heard of the garlic press? Great alternative, and you can get them pretty cheap too. There is no excuse you could come up with, short of a deathly allergy, that would convince me that you shouldn't eat garlic. If you must, garlic powder is a useful product to keep on hand as well; a small container will last you quite a while.
Item #9: Onions. Red onions for salads and white onions for sandwiches, yellow onions for sofrito (never heard of it? Check it out here, here and here)... love the onions. Yes, like garlic, onions are also smelly, but worth it. They add so much flavor to so many different dishes, and they've also got a lot of good, healthy stuff in 'em.
Okay, a couple more and then I'll have to run away and get some food; the only drawback about writing all this stuff is that it makes me HUNGRY.
Item #10: Canola oil (preferably in bulk; I'm sure you've got some bottles or jars at home you can put it in). Despite the recent silly Internet rumors, I can assure you that this oil will NOT kill you. I've been consuming it for years, and I'm still alive and *suddenly keels over and dies*...
Kidding!
Canola oil is great, because it has a nice high smoke point. You want that, because if you're frying something and the oil is turning black and smoking, that's some potential cancer you got cookin' right there. Nobody wants cancer, am I right? Of course I'm right, unless you're a Münchhausen's syndrome case, in that case you want cancer more than anything else you've ever wanted... or at least you think you do. ANYWAYS, that's completely beside the point. Canola oil = awesome for cooking. It's also a good source of polyunsaturated fats, which means canola oil also = awesome for your heart and brain and other important bodily organs.
Item #11: Olive oil (preferably extra-virgin, and also preferably in bulk).
Wow... where to start with olive oil... should I start with the fact that it is delicious? Or maybe that it's an excellent source of monounsaturated fats, which reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol? Or maybe that you can use it in cooking, in salad dressing, in place of butter, or even on your skin and hair, and EVEN to treat earaches? I don't know... but they're all true. Mix some chick peas with some sesame tahini, olive oil, salt and lemon juice, and you've got hummus. Mix some olive oil with some balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper, you've got a salad dressing-- or a nice dip for bread. Yummmm.
Item #12 (this'll be the last one for today): Cereal. Whether it be oatmeal for cookies, granola for snacks or anything in-between, cereal in bulk is SO much cheaper than buying a regular-sized box. And in a place like the Co-op, you can discover many different types that you may not have known about before; they must have over 20 different granolas! Some of them are quite creative too, and they find ways to work in super-healthy ingredients. Check out some of these awesome-sounding granolas: Cranberry Orange, Blueberry Flax, Vanilla Almond, Maple Pecan Dream, Gingersnap, Country Pumpkin!! Yummy, and great on the go. Just don't eat TOO much of these tasty treats, because they sure do contain sugar.
Okay, I'm seriously starting to feel lightheaded now, kids. I need to EAT! Once more through the list:
Item #1: Brown rice
Item #2: Whole quinoa
Item #3: Beans, beans, the musical fruit... yeah.
Item #4: Pasta
Item... well, Items #5 and #6, kind of: nuts/seeds, and dried fruit. I put them together because they are quite yummy when consumed together. (Never tried trail mix? GET SOME.)
Item #7: Canned tomatoes of various types.
Item #8: Fresh garlic.
Item #9: Onions.
Item #10: Canola oil.
Item #11: Olive oil.
Item #12: Cereal.
(Items #13 and #14 are flour and sugar; if anyone has questions regarding these please leave me a comment and I'll address them in further detail. I may add to this later on as well.)
Now, you'll notice that there aren't really any fresh fruits and veggies on this list... and you are right, and a gold star to you for noticing! But that's on purpose; this is strictly a "getting all the right stuff in your pantry" list. Soon we will stock your fridge and freezer, and then we can start COOKING!!!!
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment