Wholesome Sweeteners. ...yes, they exist.

Sugar is a huge part of American culture these days... and it's in EVERYTHING.  We all know white sugar is not that great for you, and have heard a million times to cut back.  So, let's get to the good stuff--what are wholesome sweeteners, and am I going to like them?

Alright, so some of these you may have heard of--raw honey, maple syrup, etc.  But those have a very distinct taste that are only good for some things.  What about a white sugar replacement that doesn't have such a specific taste?

Lately I've been doing a lot of research about two types of sugar:  Rapadura and Sucanat.  Though very similar, they each have their group of followers saying that "their" sugar is the best.  Let's discuss and find out for ourselves.

What is rapadura?
     Rapadura is made from pressed sugar cane juice that is then evaporated over low heat and sieve ground.  It contains the mollasses (where all the nutrients are) that is separated from white sugar when processed.  It is also not processed with high heat and centrifuged as white sugar is.  Because it is less refined, it contains more nutrients and breaks down slower than white sugar.  It is said to have a wonderful, caramel-like taste, and can replace white sugar in equal amounts when baking.

I will be buying some rapadura sugar soon, and will test it out.  Of course, if you have tried it yourself, please let me know what you think of it!


What is sucanat?
     Actually the brand name of the first whole sugar product introduced in the US, sucanat (SUgar CAne NATural) used to always be the exact same thing as rapadura.  However, some companies have changed the way it is processed by separating the mollasses and sugar, and adding back only part of the mollasses at the end.  You would have to find a manufacturer that processes it without taking away some of the mollasses to get the most health benefit.  Therefore, you'd be best buying rapadura to be sure it is a wholesome sweetener.

I am in the process of finding online suppliers (or national grocery chains) that sell a whole sucanat.  Of course, if you can't find rapadura (it tends to be more expensive than the more refined sucanat, it is still a better option than white sugar).

I will give you an update on my findings!

Happy Eating,

KS

Eating Well on a Budget

As a foodie and a student, it's hard to find the right balance between spending all my money on delicious food and saving enough so I can buy textbooks.  So, today we'll be talking about how to eat well on a budget.

• Keep a well-stocked pantry

     Having a well-stocked pantry is going to be the easiest way to make sure you always have food on hand to make a meal.  Eating out often is an easy way to lose a lot of money very quickly, so having the ingredients to make meals every day of the week is important.  Now, I don't always want to make an elaborate meal, so I stock up on easy things like pasta and sauce, ingredients for nachos, etc because they are  fast and easy meals to make.  This saves me from having to get take out because I don't want to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients.  Here's what I stock my pantry with, but the idea is to think up a few fast meals that use ingredients that tend not to go bad quickly.

Whole-wheat Pasta

Sauce

Tortilla Chips

Ingredients to make chili

Vegetables (carrots, celery, onions...these tend to stay fresh for a while)

Frozen chicken, beef, shrimp, or scallops

Brown Rice

Beans

Sauces (teriyaki or barbecue--anything to spice up the stock ingredients when you want a kick)

Having some stock ingredients always on hand will save you a lot of money.  

• Brown Bag It!

    Yeah, so you might seem like a bit of a dork bringing your lunchbox to work or school, but it's going to save you a lot of money and most likely make you healthier!  I know, it seems like extra work to prepare a lunch for the day, but once you start doing it, it will become a habit.  Take half an hour the night before to prepare a lunch, store it in the fridge, and then grab it on your way out.  I wouldn't leave it until the morning to prepare, just because it's easy to forget something in your haste or realize you don't have a key ingredient and stress yourself out. 

     Some easy lunches to bring are:

Any kind of sandwich (PBJ is one of my favorites)

Salads (pack the dressing in a separate container so your salad doesn't get soggy through the day)

Rice with meat and/or veggies (heat it up in the microwave at lunchtime)

There are lots of other options, but these are a few of my favorites!

• Plan Your Meals

     Like I said before, having a well-stocked pantry is key to eating on a budget.  But having a well-stocked pantry isn't really going to save you any money if none of it makes up a complete meal.  So, take a half-hour or so each week and plan what meals you're going to have.  This way, you have a list when you go to the grocery store.  Having a list makes you less likely to impulse-buy, which in turns saves you money.  It also helps you keep track of what food you have available to you, and you tend to know exactly what you need to buy next time you go to the grocery store.  This cuts down on buying extras of items you already have.

• Check Out the Freezer Section

      I was shocked last week when I found that Trader Joes sells a 2.5 bag of frozen chicken breasts for $6.99.  One pound of fresh chicken breast costs exactly the same amount.  We actually end up freezing our chicken anyways, so buying frozen chicken in bulk actually saves us a lot of money!  It's also usually cheaper to buy frozen fruits and vegetables, so check those out too.  We buy frozen mixed berries for 2.99 a bag, whereas fresh berries cost much, much more than that.  

These are just a few tips to help you cut down on your food budget, and feel free to comment with your own suggestions!  

Happy eating,

KS

Simplify Your Diet

Alright, so today we're talking nutrition.  What's the best way to eat (if there really is a best way--this is my opinion based off the things I've learned)?  While my blog may often focus on the delicious (and sometimes not-so-healthy) things I eat, it doesn't mean I shouldn't teach you a bit about nutrition in the process.  Here goes.

     With the many options out there to choose from, it’s difficult to know what to eat.  There are many complicated diet plans that promise amazing results, but the truth is they often provide results that don’t last.  It’s time to go back to basics and learn how to simplify your life and your nutrition.  To reevaluate your food choices, start by learning to follow these six simple steps.  Don’t do everything at once; pick and choose which steps you’d like to do first.  A major diet overhaul will likely overwhelm you and thus be hard to stick to.  By changing your diet slowly, you can ensure that each change you make will last you a lifetime.

·      Start looking at nutrition labels and ingredients

  Everyday products contain ingredients you might not expect.  Check for things like trans fat (which can claim to be zero on the front of the package, which is legal if the product has less than 0.5 grams—only by checking the ingredients and seeing “partially hydrogenated oil” will you know if the product truly does not contain trans fat), and high fructose corn syrup (it’s in many things you wouldn’t even consider—ketchup and bread, for example).  Cleaning up your shopping list will do wonders for your body.

·      Clean out the cupboards

  Now that you’ve stocked your grocery cart with knowledgeable choices, it’s time to take a look at the pantry.  Our kitchens are stocked full of things that we shouldn’t eat.  Take time to go through your cabinets and purge anything with unhealthy ingredients.  Try to get rid of most processed foods, such as packaged cookies, cakes, chips, etc. If it’s not already in the house, you’ll have a hard time convincing yourself to go out and buy it when you crave it.  Even better, if you do decide you really want a cookie one night, you’ll be more likely to make them from scratch.  Though it’s still not particularly healthy, it will not have the processed ingredients of prepackaged foods.

·      Re-evaluate your grains

  Even if you decide to make homemade cookies, they can be that extra bit healthier if you use whole-wheat flour or even white whole-wheat flour.  Whole grains include all three parts of the grain—the bran, germ, and endosperm.  Unlike refined grains, whole wheat gives you fiber to keep you full, as well as vitamins and minerals.  Refined flour only contains the endosperm.  Many manufacturers enrich this flour to contain enormous amounts of some of the vitamins and minerals, but do not add back all of them.  This creates an unbalanced product that is not nearly as healthy as natural whole grain flour. 

Choose brown rice over white rice and whole-wheat pasta over white pasta (the whole grain version again contains all parts of the grain).  Also experiment with other grains such as quinoa, a very high protein grain.

                       

·      Add fruits and vegetables

Here’s where you can get creative.  Many vegetables are easy additions to stir frys and soups, so don’t be afraid to experiment.  Add vegetables you know you like, but be open to new ones as well.  Take a stroll down the produce aisle and note vegetables you have never tried and look up new recipes to try them out.  There are so many vegetables out there—it’s a shame to limit which ones you try.  Don’t be afraid to go vegetarian for a day! 

  Adding fruit to your meals is as easy as carrying an apple with your lunch, or adding a fruit smoothie to your breakfast.  Fruits are also great for desserts.  Berries with a bit of homemade whipped cream adds just the right amount of satisfying sweetness.

·      Don’t be afraid of fat

Fat gets a bad reputation these days, but don’t let that deter you.  Yes, there are types of fat that one should not eat, such as trans fat, which lowers good cholesterol and raises bad cholesterol, but there are other types that are actually good for you. Polyunsaturated fats, such as that found in sunflower-seed oil, sesame oil, corn oil, and nuts and seeds are all sources of good fat that can help lower your cholesterol.  Monounsaturated fats are also good choices, and include sources like olive oil, canola oil, and avocados. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially good for the body, and have been shown to reduce inflammation.  These fatty acids can be found in sources like fish oils and flax seeds. By just knowing which fats to cook with and eat, you can make informed choices that will lead to good health.

·      Use your kitchen

In this fast paced world, it’s hard to find time to cook.  By cooking your own food, you can be sure that only the ingredients you want in your body are being used.  Learn to use your kitchen—take a cooking class, buy a recipe book, or make up your own recipe.  Have fun and experiment!  By learning how to re-use leftovers in other recipes as well as cooking in bulk on the weekends, you can cut your cooking time down and still make delicious home cooked meals for you and your family.

Happy Eating,

KS

Lemonade!

So, it's been absurdly hot in NYC this week, so I thought I'd post something to cool you down...


What could possibly be better on a hot day than LEMONADE?!


Mmmmmmmm....


One of the best beverages on Earth--and ruined by the soft drink companies.  I can honestly say I don't think I've ever bought a quality lemonade.  It pays to make it yourself.  So good.  If you've never made it before, I suggest you try it.  You'll be shocked at how delicious it is!


So, without further adieu, I present to you my lemonade recipe:


1 1/2 lemons (you can add more if you want)


Approximately 32 oz filtered water


2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or whatever you want to sweeten it with.  I think for the crispness of the lemon taste, regular sugar is best)


Alright!  So, juice those lemons, mix the juice with the water, add the sugar, mix, and YAY!  Fresh, homemade, AWESOME lemonade!


That was too easy, right?  I know.  Incredibly easy, and yet little kids still resort to those powdered nasty lemonade packets for their lemonade stands.  Now you can put them out of business...


Once you try homemade lemonade, it's hard to go back to the processed stuff.  Doesn't taste nearly as good and has more sugar than you can imagine--so why do you drink it?  STOP TODAY!  Making lemonade is so easy--there's no reason to drink the nasty stuff!


Here's my delicious lemonade!

Notice the clearer (read: not YELLOW) lemonade.  Oh right, that's what lemon juice looks like watered down without Yellow #5 dye added...


Enjoy this one!


Happy Eating,


KS

Sharing!

Sharing--it's great, right?  But, sharing food is one of those things that can go either way.  Some people would put a moat around their plate if they could, and others always ask for a taste of your food.  Though some may not be the biggest fan of sharing food, it can really be a great experience.

Recently, my roommates and I all started cooking for each other.  That is, one night a week, one of us will prepare a meal for the other three and we will all have a nice dinner together.  We used to all buy groceries together and occasionally eat meals together, but we gave it up a while ago in favor of each couple buying their own groceries.  The thing we missed about that, though, was the occasional dinner that we could share with each other.  It's a nice bonding experience, and we got to try foods that we may not have made ourselves.

First, Lay made us an awesome fettucini carbonara (which I do not have a picture of unfortunately).

Then, Cameo made a Frenched lamb rib rack, which was cooked to perfection.  You can see this piece of beauty here:

Looks awesome, right?  It was delicious.  The ribs were roasted with rosemary, salt, and pepper, and then a fantastic mint vinaigrette was poured on top.  As you bit into the meat, it was extremely tender and juicy.  Nice job, Cameo.

Next was A.  TACO NIGHT!  Fresh tacos are great!  Usually, tacos are something I don't want to eat because I just automatically think of something along the lines of a Taco Bell taco, which is just about the least appetizing thing ever.  But, A's tacos are something to die for.  Really, really great.  Grass-fed beef, fresh summer tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and perfectly green lettuce. Here's a picture of everything:

And the delicious final product:

It's my turn next week, so I'll let you know what I decide to cook!  I'm considering duck la orange at the moment...

So next time you're sick of your usual dinners, try getting together with another family or some friends and cook for each other!  You'll get to try some new things, and prepare a specialty for friends.  If you end up loving something a friend makes, ask them for the recipe and you've got something to add to your repertoire.  It's a fun way to bond with friends and family, and make your life a little easier.

Let me know what you would cook for your friends!

Happy Eating,

KS

Chicken Francaise

Mmmmmm...  Butter.  Even better--buttery chicken.  Even better than that--buttery lemon chicken.  Butter is pretty much the best invention ever.  Combine that with some lemon and some chicken and you end up with a delicious result:  chicken francaise.  Dieters beware.

This chicken dish is extremely tender--the extra fat in the butter acts as a tenderizer for the meat.

So here's how you make this awesome dish:
You'll need:

2 chicken breasts

1/2 stick butter

 1 lemon

Chives, for garnish

6 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat)

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Dash of garlic powder

I started off with two chicken breasts, which I cut lengthwise in half so they were thinner.  I then pounded those to be quite thin.

Melt a little more than half the butter in a pan.  Don't let it brown.

Then, beat the egg slightly and add the tablespoon of milk and garlic powder.  I poured this on a plate with a rim for easy dipping.  Put the flour on another plate.

Dip the each piece of chicken first into the flour, then into the egg, then lightly into the flour again.  Place chicken in the pan and brown on both sides.

When chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from pan.

Squeeze juice of the lemon into the pan.  Melt remaining butter in the pan.  Pour this mixture over the chicken pieces and garnish with chives.

Enjoy!

While this might not be a recipe to be used often because of its high fat content, it's absolutely fantastic as a treat,  and is sure to impress your family and guests.  Its perfect mix of savory and tart flavors are sure to please the palate.  I justify this meal using the fact that chicken breast is already very low in fat, so all that extra butter can't be that bad...  Plus I'm a huge proponent for butter and fat in general, anyway, but I know some of you out there aren't in the same boat as me on that.  We'll discuss that another day...

Enjoy your delicious chicken francaise, and lick up that butter!

Happy Eating,

KS

The Experimental Cuisine Collective

Tonight I attended my first meeting of the Experimental Cuisine Collective.  Sounds cool, right?


The Experimental Cuisine Collective (or ECC for short) is a group that holds meetings each month about a topic in food science for food enthusiasts, chefs, scientists, writers, and anyone else who wants to attend.  I read about it in the New York Times a few weeks ago, and thought it would be fun to see what it was all about.


I'll start off by introducing you to the people I was sitting next to, just to give you an idea of the kind of people that show up to these things:  To my right, a Harvard graduate student who travelled all the way here from Boston for this meeting (he's looking to do his Ph.D on the best way to make a glossy chocolate--sweet!), a man who wrote the book Cooking for Geeks (due out in a month or so... I hope I'm not giving anything away--it's good press, man!), and a woman who wrote the book called Cook and Freeze (or something like that... Also due out in a month or so).  To my left, a retired Ph.D chemist.  Wow.


As you can see, there were some pretty intense people here.  We all went around and introduced ourselves and what why we were here (you know, if our profession had anything to do with food science... My favorite answer of the night was a man all the way in the back corner who told us his name, then said, "because I cook, eat, and drink".  Gotta love it.)


Anyway, the topic for tonight's meeting was this:  Plant Saponin Amphiphiles: Dessert Topping or Floor Wax?  Basically, can we create a substance that tastes delicious as a dessert and can also function as a floor wax?


The answer, is...maybe.  Depends on how much you like bitter-tasting desserts.


Kent Kirshenbaum, of NYU's chemistry department (and co-founder of the ECC), started the evening off with a clip of an SNL skit from the '70s that depicted an ad featuring a husband and wife fighting over whether a can of foam was a a floor wax or a dessert topping--and it ended up being both!  Kirshenbaum talked to us about the reality of making a product like this, and gave us a sample of his solution.


So, let's backtrack here--what makes a soap able to clean?  Basically, the main requirement of a soap is that it is amphiphilic--that is, it has a hydrophilic (water-loving) end and a hydrophobic (water-fearing) end.  Soaps are made from a chemical process called saponification.  When a soap is used to clean away dirt and oil, the micelles rearrange so that oil is trapped inside the micelles.  Then, the dirt can be rinsed away.


There are many saponins that occur in nature.  So which ones can we use in food that will be palatable?  Good question.


Saponins tend to be very bitter, and are found in plants like quinoa (which is why you have to rinse it before cooking), many legumes, licorice root, horse chesnuts, and ginseng (there are many more, as well).  Kirshenbaum decided to use extract from the quillaja (soap bark tree), found in Chile.


He modified a recipe written for Campari meringues, and added the quillaja extract.  He wanted a recipe for a meringue in which a bitter taste would not be shocking, hence the Campari meringues.  The result was a bitter, but not horrible tasting dessert.  It was definitely...interesting.  Here's some pictures:

The outside of the meringue.

You can see the inside texture in the second picture.  This had been sitting on my desk for a day though, so the inside had gotten a little moisture and had a gooey texture when I broke it in half.  The inner texture was a lot nicer the first day.  It didn't compare to regular meringues, but still had a texture that was reminiscent of of them.  They could make a nice vegan dessert.


After tasting the dessert, we discussed the effects of saponins in the diet.  One of the most interesting and well-studied of the effects is it's cholesterol-lowering powers.  The Masai of East Africa eat a diet composed mostly of meat and dairy--both high cholesterol items.  Yet, they have very low cholesterol.  It is thought that the addition of saponin-rich herbs to the foods they make may increase the excretion of cholesterol from the body.  Saponins bind cholesterol with bile, and prevent cholesterol reabsorption.


Using more saponin-rich plants in the diet could have a beneficial effect on those who have high cholesterol--a very large problem in the U.S.  Maybe Kirshenbaum will start marketing a variety of meringues aimed at high-cholesterol patients!  There's a large market out there...


These naturally-derived saponins might be an option for those with high cholesterol that want to use a more natural product than synthetic cholesterol-lowering drugs.


Overall, it was a very interesting seminar with some very interesting people.  If you're in NYC, I suggest you check it out!


Happy Eating,


KS

Where Does Our Food Come From?

One of my biggest nutritional/food culture philosophies is this:  Know where your food comes from.  Yet, in today's society, it's almost impossible.  With giant grocery stores that receive shipments from all over the country (and even the world), your food could come from just about anywhere. 

So how do we know our food is being grown and processed in a sustainable, healthy way?  We don't.  And it's probably not.

Not to be a pessimist about the way humans are, but when you have one huge food company competing with another huge food company mainly on price, they're going to take some shortcuts.  They'll feed their cows corn to make them fatter, faster.  They'll use chemical fertilizers for faster growth.  They'll even use genetically modified seeds for plants that can grow in smaller spaces, in half the time.  Now, that sounds great in a business model...but for our health?  Let's think about this again.

I've already talked about the effects of feeding corn to cows, but for those of you who missed it, I'll recap:  Cows eat grass.  But, today, many farmers feed them corn, which fattens them faster and doesn't use as much space (they don't need all those fields of grass for them to graze on).  Eating corn (which their stomachs are not equipped for) makes them very sick.  Then, farmers use antibiotics almost constantly to keep their cows from becoming sick.  It is thought that this flow of antibiotics in our food system is producing more and more resistant strains of bacteria.  

And chemical fertilizers?  These fertilizers use three main nutrients for guaranteed plant growth: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.  They are chemically produced, unlike organic fertilizers like manure, compost, seaweed, and many others, which are formed from naturally occurring biological processes.  My problem with chemical fertilizers is that they are man-made and could be missing many nutrients we don't even know about yet that occur naturally in organic fertilizers.  Also, we don't know the long-term effects of using chemical fertilizers on our food supply. 

Another thing we don't know the long-term effects of are genetically modified plants.  Sure, they grow super fast and give very high yields, but we don't know what these genetically altered organisms can do to our bodies.  And we won't know for a very long time, most likely.  They could be perfectly fine, or they could be absolutely horrible for us.  We just don't know yet.  Until we find out, I'm sticking to what's worked for us for thousands of years.

The most nutritious foods for us are usually lower yielding.  It's hard to raise 5,000 healthy cows and have the space for them to graze.  It's hard to make enough compost to fertilize 450 acres of corn.  So why do we do it?

Here's a fact:  Most of us are lazy.  Well, not really.  But, most people work, and most children go to school.  Who's around to tend to the family garden or feed the chickens in the backyard?  As a culture, we have moved away from this kind of life.  And where has it put us?  Well, we're much fatter and much sicker, that's for sure.  

So what do we do now that our culture has changed this way and we know it's not good for us?  It's hard to justify quitting your job to become self-sufficient.  Where's the middle ground?  

The way I choose to be involved in my own food production is to cook at home as much as possible and buy as much food as I can afford at the farmer's market.  More and more people are starting to do this, and big, industrial food companies are realizing that this is now what many consumers want.  If we keep spending our money wisely, we can hopefully make a big change in how our food is produced.  Keep it local, people.  

If farmer's markets are a bit out of reach for you, just cooking more of your own food is a step ahead of the rest of the pack.  We live in a culture of fast food, so try going slow for a change.  If you only cook dinner once a week now, step it up and try two.  Or instead of cooking that frozen dinner, try making the same thing from scratch. I guarantee it'll taste much better!  Cooking your own food is very rewarding.

The important thing is to find the best way to incorporate sustainable food practices in your life.  However you decide to do that is up to you.  But at least promise me this:  I will NOT have that Pop-Tart for breakfast tomorrow.

Happy Eating,

KS

P.S.  My posts have been a little devoid of pictures lately, so here's a picture of the delicious veggies I picked up at the farmer's market this week:

That garlic smelled so good...

I made some kickin' guacamole with these ingredients.  And seriously, you have no idea how amazing the garlic smelled.  Crisp, punchy, and fresh--nothing like you get in the grocery store.  

The Non-Fat Obsession (edited with more information!)

People, seriously... What is up with the obsession for fat free products?  I honestly don't get it.


My take on food is that you should eat whole foods.  That means: take some whole foods, the way they are produced in nature, put them in your kitchen, and cook/prepare them.  Keep out the middle, scary, processing man as much as possible because he's only going to hurt you.


This morning, I made some coffee, and then realized I didn't have any cream.  I went to the fridge, and saw that my roommate had some half and half, which I proceeded to use a bit of (sorry, Lay).  I poured some in my coffee, put the container back in the fridge, and then did a double take.  Here's what I saw:

Excuse me?!  This is half and half.  ...Half cream, half milk.  CREAM IS FAT.  I would curse on this blog, but I'm not going to go there.

But fret not, there's more.

Let's take a minute to gawk at those ingredients...


That's actually disgusting.  The people who make this stuff realize that a non-fat version of half and half would be disgusting.  So, what do they do?  They add loads of other crap to make it taste like real half and half.  And then, somehow people think that this is healthier than just drinking what nature intended.  What is the point?  Drink real cream!  This stuff CANNOT be healthier for you!


Tuscan Dairy Farms, I am ashamed of you.  Duping innocent shoppers into thinking this is better for them...  Shame, shame.


Here's the thing with dairy and fat and all that goodness (and remember this is just my opinion, but hey, I do study nutrition after all).  My take on it is that you should just drink it the way it comes from nature.  Yes, that means no fat free, low fat anything.  Whole milk, cream, all that deliciousness.  Eat it.  Yeah, I'm aware that skim milk is supposed to be great for you and keep you from dying of heart disease.  But do you realize what they put in skim milk to give it a creamier texture?  Powdered milk, which has oxidized cholesterol in it (read Sally Fallon's book: Nourishing Traditions for more information--I'll probably write more about this later, as well).  Oxidized cholesterol (or oxysterols) are free radicals and have been known to cause atherosclerotic plaques (yeah, those plaque things in your arteries that cause cardiovascular disease.  ...wait! I thought skim milk was supposed to be super healthy for me!)  Fresh whole milk contains trace amount of oxysterols (oh, and powdered eggs? Those contain even more oxysterols).  


The other thing about skim milk is that obviously there is no fat (well, there is a little, but not a lot).  Now, let's think about what vitamins are in milk: there are some water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins.  All those B vitamins in milk are water-soluble, so no problem there.  But the fat-soluble vitamins--A, D, E, and K (E and K are found in much smaller amounts and vitamin A is added to reduced fat milks to be made equivalent to whole milk)--how do we absorb these important vitamins if there is no fat?  Obviously, we need fat to absorb these vitamins.  


So now we know to stick to whole milk.  When possible, get it from grassfed cows.  Nowadays, cows are fed corn, and, if you remember from elementary school...COWS EAT GRASS.  They are not built to digest corn, and it just makes them fat (which is why farmers feed them corn now... everyone likes a fatty, marbled steak these days. That and it's 100x cheaper, which I'm sure is the main reason they do it).  Ever wonder why Americans are getting so fat?  I'm sure it has nothing to do with the exponential increase in the consumption of corn syrup...


When a cow eats grass, it is healthy.  When a cow eats corn, it is sick.  That's why farmers have to pump their cows full of antibiotics.  Let's think about how human breast milk works--the nutrients a mother eats are passed through her milk to the baby.  Hmmm...  Would you pump yourself full of antibiotics constantly while breastfeeding your child?  I don't think so.


Grassfed cow meat and milk is much higher in omega-3 fatty acids, something we could definitely use more of as a nation.  I will go more in depth on these fatty acids in another post, but the main point is that they are very important, nutritionally speaking.  They have been shown to lower triglyceride levels, blood pressure, aid in a better cholesterol profile, lead to better brain health, and have fantastic anti-inflammatory properties.  These cows are generally just much healthier, and eating healthy meat and milk can never be a bad thing.


Here's another thing to notice on the front of that carton:  Ultra-Pasteurized.  Let's think about that.  Now, Pasteur had a point.  Yes, heating milk kills bad bacteria, and it saved a lot of lives when that was a problem.  But, it also kills the good bacteria.  I haven't made up my mind yet on raw milk because I definitely would not drink raw milk from a cow in a feedlot a million miles away.  I would literally have to go see how the cow is treated, see it being milked, etc before I would drink it raw.  But I have no problem with people drinking raw milk as long as they know the farmer practices safe farming and milking.  Raw milk is a whole other topic for me to talk about, so I'll save it for another post.


But, my point about ultra-pasteurization and pasteurization in general is that it kills just about everything--the good and the bad.  Living in NYC, I don't have many farms around to visit, so I choose to buy my milk from the farmer's market from a farm that uses low-temperature pasteurization.  I really don't know if this actually makes a difference (when compared to regular pasteurization), but the milk is grassfed and it definitely has a different quality than pasteurized milk from the grocery store.  When this milk goes bad, it doesn't smell putrid--it smells like yogurt.  Now, I haven't tried eating it yet because that's a little scary for me, but if offered the choice to eat curdled regular milk and this milk, I would choose my milk one hundred times over.


So, next time you're at the grocery store, think about this.  Don't go for the fat free products, and if you can, get to a farm or a farmer's market for your meat, cheese, and milk and make sure the cows are grassfed.  It's all over the news that saturated fat (the kind found in meat, cheese, and milk) causes heart disease among other problems.  I simply just don't believe this.  I believe that the saturated fats found in industrially produced meat, cheese, and milk may cause this, but I honestly don't think that grassfed products have this same effect because communities have lived off these foods for centuries in good health.  Whenever you can, go for whole foods, not some "healthy", processed food.  My general rule is that if they advertise how "healthy" it is on the package, it's probably not healthy.  Read labels.  Check ingredients.  If you can't pronounce half the words, don't buy it!


I must buy some cream today....


Happy Eating,


KS

Mushroom and Asparagus Brown Rice Risotto

Risotto is one of those things that most people order in a restaurant and never dare to make in their own kitchen.  I say nay.  Risotto is actually super easy and just requires a little time.


My risotto is a brown rice risotto.  I know, as if it weren't scary enough just to make regular risotto.  Trust me, it'll be okay.  In fact, it will be delicious.


Substituting brown rice for the normal arborio rice gives a wonderful, nutty flavor and in my opinion a better texture.  Here's the the thing, though: it's gonna take a while.


The most important thing with making brown rice risotto is to MAKE SURE YOU BUY SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE.  I cannot stress this enough.  If you use a long grain rice, your risotto will not stick.  The short grain rice has more amylopectin (a branched chain of glucose--the more surface area means it breaks down faster into glucose, giving you that starchy, sticky texture in your risotto).  Do not attempt to make this recipe if you have any other type of brown rice in your hand (put it down.  Seriously.  Go to the grocery store.  You can thank me later).


Now, as I made this risotto, I realized it would have cut down my cooking time quite a bit if I had soaked the rice previously, but I forgot.  It might take a relatively short amount of time to cook this dish if they are previously soaked--I'm not sure because I didn't try it, but it will definitely speed up the process a bit.  It's also much healthier to do this.  Whole grains have compounds called phytates in their bran that interfere with the absorption of minerals like iron, calcium, and zinc in our bodies.  By soaking the brown rice (overnight if possible), we deactivate these compounds so that we can absorb these essential minerals.


Another note before we start:  I like a risotto with a lot of vegetables in it, but risotto typically is mostly rice.  My recipe calls for more vegetables, but feel free to decrease them if you like a more traditional risotto.


To make my Mushroom and Asparagus Brown Rice Risotto, you will need:


32 oz chicken broth (if you make your own, it'll be even better!) It's a good idea to have more on hand in case your rice is being temperamental and needs more liquid.  Stupidly, I did not do this and ended up using an extra cup of water (still tasted great though!)


1 cup dry white wine


2 tbs butter


1 yellow onion, chopped


2 cups soaked brown rice


1 package baby bella mushrooms (I don't remember how big the package was but it had about 10-12 mushrooms), coarsely chopped


6 stalks asparagus (I may have used even more, so feel free to add some)


Parmesan cheese, about 3/4 cup grated


A sprinkle of lemon zest


A sprinkle of nutmeg




Alright!  Let's begin!


So first, take a small pot and pour your chicken broth and wine into it.  We want this to come to a simmer, but never to a boil.  Keep it covered so you don't lose any precious broth through evaporation.


Prep your mushrooms and asparagus and place them in a large pan.  We will cook these in a bit.


Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven (dutch oven is best if you have it.  I'm a poor college student and don't have one... Mom? ...Dad? ...are you reading this?)


Place onion in the pot with a pinch of salt.  The salt will help draw the water out of the onion to sweat them faster.   Saute over medium heat until translucent.


Add the rice.  Stir until the edges of the rice are translucent.


Ladle enough broth to cover the rice.  Reduce the heat to low, and start stirring the rice/broth mixture (get used to stirring--you'll pretty much be doing it exclusively from now on).  Here's a picture of my rice/onion/broth mixture (these pictures won't be great because I took them with my phone).

Stir this mixture often until all the liquid is absorbed.  At all times there should just be a few bubbles visible in the liquid--any higher heat than that and it won't turn out right.  Once absorbed, add another ladle of broth.  Once absorbed, add another.  Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat a million times.


As this is happening, you can cook your mushrooms and asparagus.  Do this when you are getting close to running out of broth so they are freshly cooked.  Add some olive oil to the pan and saute.  Let them be a little undercooked because you will add them to the risotto and they will cook further there.  Here's how much vegetables I used so you can get an idea since my measurements are imprecise (this one's pretty blurry...sorry).

Once you have about one ladle of broth left to add, put in the mushrooms and asparagus.  Add the last ladle, and let it absorb.


Taste it!  If the rice isn't soft enough, add more broth or water and absorb until the texture is soft and the rice sticks together.  You will be able to tell when it's done.


Once the texture is to your liking, add a pinch of lemon zest, a pinch of nutmeg, and the parmesan cheese.  Stir it up, and taste.  Add more zest, nutmeg, and cheese to your taste.


Your beautiful risotto is done!


This was my second time making this risotto, and I liked it even more this time.  The key is getting the right proportions of nutmeg, zest, and cheese at the end.  Mess that up and it can taste a little off.  Make sure you add little bits at a time and taste after each addition.  My previous attempt had a little too much lemon and tasted too acidic to me.  This time, I think I got the perfect ratio of ingredients and it tasted awesome.  This is a rich dish with many layers of flavor, so savor it!




Happy Eating,


KS

Barbecue Block Party!

Mmmmmmmmm... Barbecue...

So, A, Cameo, and I went to Madison Square Park's Barbecue Block Party this afternoon.

Walking toward the park, all you could see was a giant cloud of smoke that smelled absolutely delicious.  As you walked through the center of the park, there were stands selling all sorts of beers that looked great (though we didn't try any--we are poor college kids after all...)

On the outskirts of the park were the food stands.  Pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, beef brisket, grilled corn, blueberry cobbler... It was amazing.  The lines snaked around the park with so many people waiting that you'd think they hadn't eaten for days.  

A and I decided to split a pulled pork sandwich and baby back ribs.  I got the ribs and beans from 17th St. Bar and Grill's station and A and Cameo got sandwiches from Ubon's: The BBQ of Yazoo.  Here's a picture of the two (A had previously started on the pulled pork sandwich and I accidentally dug into one of the ribs before remembering I should probably take a picture.)

The pulled pork was a little dry to my taste, but still very good.  A said previous bites were better and I probably just got some of the dry part.  

The ribs were great though!  Juicy, tender, and with a great sauce.  The beans were also nice, but were very sweet since they were slathered in barbecue sauce.

I got this great picture, too: 

                                      

Look at those beautiful slabs of meat...

I wanted to eat WAY more than we got, but for $8 a plate, it was still pretty expensive for us.  We walked away a little hungry, but still happy that we got to eat what we did!

Anyway, the block party is open for tomorrow, too!  

Off to finish the last creme brulee...

Happy Eating,

KS

Creme brulee!

Let's talk dessert.

I'm a HUGE fan of creme brulee. In fact, it's probably in my top 3 desserts of all time. ...Maybe even number one.

My dad gave me a homemade creme brulee kit for my birthday this year, and since we used to live in a crappy apartment with an even crappier kitchen, last night was the first time I made creme brulee (side note: our new kitchen is rockin'!) So, the best part of this homemade creme brulee kit was that it came with a homemade blow torch (sounds scary, right? It is.)

I forgot to take pictures while I was making the creme brulee, but I do have a picture of the final, delicious product, which is to the right!

A tip before I start with the recipe: Don't use a whisk attachment on your electric beater, otherwise you'll end up with a frothy creme brulee, which just doesn't look quite as nice. Use the beater attachment.

Creme Brulee

4 egg yolks

1 pint of heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Some brown sugar mixed with white sugar to spread on top of the creme brulee when they're about to be torched

A TORCH (or a broiler if you don't want to be dangerously cool)

First, preheat the oven to 325 F.

Then, heat up a pint of cream with about a teaspoon of vanilla extract (you can use a vanilla bean, but I didn't have that) in a pot until it is simmering. Then, shut off the heat.

Beat 4 egg yolks (from farm fresh, pastured eggs!) and pour in a few drops of the hot cream while continuing to beat. This is the tricky part. You don't want to add too much of the hot cream too fast, otherwise you will cook and/or curdle the egg yolks. So add it very slowly to warm up the eggs. Add about a half cup.

Stop beating the egg/cream mixture and start beating the cream. Slowly add the egg/cream mixture while continuing to beat.

When they are thoroughly mixed, pour the mixture into individual ramekins (this recipe made four servings in my ramekins, though I'm not sure how many ounces they hold).

Put the ramekins in the oven and cook until they jiggle like jello in the middle, anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes.

Put them in the fridge for at least two hours but overnight if you want. They will keep for up to 3 days.

Take them out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you're ready to eat.

Sprinkle the sugar mixture on each ramekin, and TORCH IT until the sugar is caramelized. Try not to burn the sugar, as this results in a bitter crust.

ENJOY!

I'm glad A doesn't like creme brulee because now I have more than I could ever want (that's a lie, actually. I would eat it every day if I could.) He did try a bite though, and said it was the best he'd tasted! What a cutie.

I will post about the risotto later today (my friend from high school visited last night so I didn't have time to post). I'm also going to the Barbeque Block Party in Madison Square Park today, so I'll try to find my good camera and take some pictures of all the food there, too!

Happy eating,

KS