Food Lush

Ten-foot pole foods

By Jen

My 2-year-old son was an adventurous eater right out the gates. This pleased his dad, an adventurous eater since childhood himself, to no end, watching him eat exotic and ethnic foods with enthusiasm and aplomb. I mean, do most kids his age gobble down lamb gyro meat like it’s going out of style? What about sushi rolls? Or curry? He loves all that stuff!

Most recently, though, he’s been pulling his “I’m 2” card, and foods he’s loved in the past he won’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Watching him stick his tongue out at buttery mashed potatoes had me wondering if indeed he was truly my son. But, all the parenting books and blogs predict this kind of behavior at his age, so I’m not too-too worried that he’s currently subsisting on crackers and air these days. When he’s really hungry, and he realizes his parents are not short-order cooks, he’ll come around.

In the meantime, though, I’ve been thinking about all the foods I didn’t like as a kid that I now love (or rather, tolerate) as an adult. I wasn’t exposed to any super exotic cuisines growing up, so it wasn’t until I was an adult that I even had the opportunity to try certain foods. And even then, it still took about 10 years for me to really learn to love sushi. The other day, I treated myself to a solo sushi lunch out, and I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the first time I tried it, when I was about 19, and how I almost gagged trying to eat sashimi on a first date. It was a full-circle food moment.

I think our tastebuds are forever evolving, and the foods we loved as kids (think: sugary sweets), we don’t necessarily love as adults, either. The older I get, the darker and more bitter I prefer my chocolate, the less sweetener I want in my coffee. And speaking of coffee, I remember watching my mom drink it black, and thinking that was the grossest-thing ever. Now I can’t imagine my mornings without a cup (or three) of strong coffee. Ditto my weekends without a tall, frosty glass of beer, another beverage I thought tasted yucky when I was a kid. (Not that I ever tried it before I was legally allowed to. Ahem.)

My son, being a Seattleite and all, already loves coffee.

(Kidding. It's apple juice.)

Other foods (and beverages) I didn’t know or expect I would love as an adult:

• Salmon
• Brussels sprouts
• Avocados
• Stinky cheeses
• Mushrooms (I mostly just tolerate ‘shrooms in my food)
• Onions, raw and cooked
• Wine

My husband is partly to thank for helping me learn to love some of these foods, what with his stellar cooking skills, but I think it’s also that my tastes and preferences have matured as I’ve gotten older.

Still, I won’t touch olives or lamb with a ten-foot pole.

What foods did you hate as a kid, but now love as an adult, and vice versa?

Product Review: Field Roast 'Sausages'

By Jen

As a lifelong eater of meat, I’ve never really understood meat-shaped meatless products. Soy beans and vegetables doing business as bacon/burgers/riblets/tofurkey is so odd to me. I’ve always thought the point of not eating meat was to … not eat meat. And yet, there is a whole section in grocery stores devoted to faux meat products. Clearly there is a real market for them.

But, as I research recipes and products for going meatless in May, I think I get it now. It’s much easier to eat a soy- or vegetable-based product if you can put it in a bun and slather it with ketchup and mustard, am I right? As a society, we’re so accustomed to eating meat as our main source of protein, it just makes sense to package its substitution similarly, especially for people like me who are only experimenting with the idea of going vegetarian. There’s comfort in familiarity.

Field Roast Grain Meat brand of products fall into this category, with offerings such as classic meatloaf, deli slices and sausages. I recently saw some of their Smoked Apple Sage “Sausages” at Costco and thought to try them in place of meat. Made from Granny Smith apples, Yukon Gold potatoes, and seasoned with sage and ginger, I wouldn’t say they actually tasted anything like a traditional meat sausage, but the texture and consistency were pretty similar.

We had them on their own, grilled with a side salad and more veggies, and then again, sliced atop a pizza with sauteed mushrooms. On their own, I found them to be pretty dry, without the requisite fat of a real sausage. But on the pizza, I like them quite a bit alongside the mushroom, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. If I didn’t know they weren’t meat, I could’ve been fooled to believe they were.

That’s the thing, though. Do I want to be fooled by a food product? I feel like if I’m going to make a conscious decision not to eat meat, then I shouldn’t need to trick myself into thinking I am. Still, I’m glad there is this meat-shaped option out there as I ease into a more veggie way of life.

How do you feel about meat-shaped meatless products? Any you absolutely love/hate?

{Image credit: www.fieldroast.com}

Product Review: Briannas Lemon Tarragon Dressing

By Jen

In an attempt to shed a few pounds this spring, I’ve been eating a lot of salads lately. My go-to lunch these days is a salad of mixed baby greens, grapes tomatoes, carrots, sliced avocado, and a light sprinkling of feta cheese. Surprisingly, salads can be very satisfying -- but only with a little dressing to bring it all together.

Dressings are what will kill a salad, though, calorie- and fat-wise. I’ve tried “light” and “diet” versions of dressings, but with a bevy of un-pronounceable ingredients, I’d rather go without dressing at all. Blech.

I recently discovered Briannas Lively Lemon Tarragon Dressing at a gourmet market, and upon turning over the bottle to examine the ingredients, was shocked to see that it was fat free. Despite a lovely list of familiar-sounding all-natural ingredients, I was still skeptical about the taste. Would it ruin a gorgeous salad, as other dressings have?

Survey says, it is absolutely DELIGHTFUL! It’s light and lemony, with just a tinge of tarragon, and not only do I use it on my salads, I also dip my afternoon snack of carrot sticks into it. At just 35 calories per serving (2 tbsp), this product is a must-try.

{Image credit: www.amazon.com}

Go-To Weeknight Dinners

By Jen

My mom has this knack for calling and asking what we’re having for dinner when we happen to be having something “fancy.” I’ll list off the courses -- sliced grilled chicken atop a baby romaine salad and homemade lemon vinaigrette, with prosciutto-wrapped roasted asparagus on the side (as was our actual dinner Monday night) -- and then promptly respond in a snippy voice, “You are SO spoiled.”

Yes, I did hit the jackpot when it comes to husbands-who-can-cook, but for the most part, we don’t eat fancy. Monday’s dinner was comprised of part leftover ingredients from a dinner party the weekend before (baby romaine, vinaigrette, prosciutto), part what was in the freezer (chicken breasts). Most weeknights, we eat what we can make quickly, before facing total toddler annihilation. What follows is a list of our go-to dinners, which as you will see, are pretty darn simple.

Turkey/veggie burgers
We buy frozen turkey breast and/or veggie patties in bulk, and put them right on the grill from the freezer. Served atop a whole wheat bun with avocado and swiss cheese, dinner is ready in less than 10 minutes.

Tacos
Sometimes I make ‘em with ground beef, sometimes with ground turkey or chicken, but always, always seasoned with lots of cumin and chili powder. Usually served with a can of black beans on the side, sometimes with down-and-dirty Spanish rice (white rice cooked with one part water, one part can of Ro*Tel, finished with a squeeze of lime and fresh chopped cilantro).

Pasta
We almost always have pasta (penne, linguine) in the pantry and some sort of jarred sauce on hand. Sometimes I add ground meat or sauteed mushrooms and garlic. Usually served with a green salad on the side.

Grilled meat
We use our Weber Baby Q a lot, even in the rainiest, snowiest conditions, and about once a week, we eat a grilled steak or grilled pork tenderloin, basically whatever is on sale at the grocery store that week, served with steamed veggies and a starch, like risotto from a box or oven-roasted potatoes.

Stir-fry
We almost always have fresh broccoli and carrots in the fridge, and we saute those up with baby bok choy or bell peppers, and toss with lightly fried tofu or some sort of protein, like frozen chicken, and serve it atop rice or noodles. What makes this meal one of my favorites is the sauce, which is so easy to make from scratch: fresh-grated ginger, lots of crushed garlic, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, pinch of red pepper flakes, tablespoon brown sugar; stir and toss in with veggies and tofu at the very end.

Chipotle
About once a week, we treat ourselves to dinner out at Chipotle. It’s on the way home, and sometimes we can time our commute out so we meet up there right after work. It’s fast, relatively cheap, and always yummy. I get a vegetarian burrito with black beans, he gets a chicken burrito with pinto beans, and our two-year-old son gets the kiddie meal with a quesadilla, rice, beans, and chips. It’s a nice break from it all.

What are your go-to dinners? Do you ever try to cook anything “fancy” on a weeknight, or do you just keep things simple?

Vegetarian: Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

By Jen

I finished reading Eating Animals last week.

I’m still processing some pretty raw and intense emotions on the subjects of vegetarianism and factory-farmed meat, but as I said on my personal blog, I can’t imagine anyone who cares a lick about animals not thinking twice before biting into their next burger.

“I’ve eaten meat my entire life. One of my first words was “choppies,” which referred to pork chops, and eventually, any kind of meat. I’ve gone through phases, particularly when I was pregnant, when eating meat wasn’t appetizing, and when I eat out, I almost always choose a vegetarian option, but I’ve never consciously decided to give it up altogether. I don’t think I would make such a sweeping life decision based on reading one book on the subject, but I’m most certainly intrigued.”

Meanwhile, as visions of slaughterhouses dance around in my head, my husband and I have been talking about adding more vegetarian meals into our repertoire anyway. Meat can be expensive, factory-farmed or not, and some of my most satisfying eating experiences have been vegetarian. (Oh, Chipotle vegetarian burrito with black beans and guac, you complete me.) I need to do more research and find more recipes, but I’m toying with the idea of going completely meatless in May. (I think Food Lush editor Jennie did this last year, am I right?)

One such meatless recipe I absolutely love and have made several times now is a Moroccan-spiced red lentil soup. I stumbled on this recipe while looking to re-create a soup I once had at a Moroccan restaurant in California, and it’s pretty close. What follows is my adaptation.

Moroccan Lentil Soup
Adapted from Art of the Slow Cooker, as seen at Culinate

Here’s what you will need:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin (better if ground from whole seeds toasted in a dry skillet)
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ ground black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth (better if you use No-Chicken Broth by Imagine Organic)
• 3 cups water
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz.)
• 2 cups dried red lentils, picked and rinsed
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute onion for a few minutes, until softened. Add carrot, saute for a few more minutes. Add garlic, saute for a minute. Add coriander, cumin, tumeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper; stir to coat veggies, about a minute. Add tomatoes and broth/water and bring to a boil. Add rinsed lentils, stir and bring back to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and let simmer, stirring periodically, for about 40-50 minutes. Lentils should be soft, but not al dente, in texture. Stir in red pepper flakes and lemon. Serve immediately in bowls with a garnish of fresh chopped parsley and cilantro. Enjoy -- even more so the second day as leftovers!

Try This: Quince Jam

By Jen

Do you know what a quince is? Even after doing a little research for this here post, I’m still not entirely sure I’ve ever seen a quince other than in my 2-year-old son’s Eating the Alphabet book. What I DO know about quince fruit is that as a jam, it’s delicious.

My father-in-law, who is a self-taught gourmet cook (as is my husband -- I know, I know: I hit the jackpot), introduced us to quince jam a couple years ago when he asked us to find some for him here in Seattle. See, my in-laws live in a small town in California, and gourmet food items, such as quince jam, are hard to find in their (red)neck of the woods. He’d heard it was good atop manchego (sheep’s milk) cheese.

We found him a small jar of the stuff (sometimes called quince paste) at our local gourmet market, and my mother-in-law brought it home to him. The next time we were there visiting, he had us try the jam with the cheese, and he was right: it was an AMAZING flavor combination. A little sweet, a little savory, a whole lot unique.

Quince Fruit Paste, $9.50 at Williams Sonoma

If you want to impress guests at your next dinner party, start out with quince jam and manchego cheese (goat cheese would be just as good) atop crackers or a sliced baquette.

Or, just eat the jam with a spoon, as I sometimes do when no one is looking.

From Scratch: Blueberry-Oatmeal Mini Pancakes

By Jen

Culinary confession: I didn’t start making pancakes from scratch until about a year ago. All my childhood and well into adulthood, I always made pancakes from a box mix. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it’s easy and convenient, and there are some pretty darn tasty brands out there. But for the most part, I was a tried and true Krusteaz girl.

Two things happened last fall. One, we started getting flour in our CSA box. And two, our new-to-us vintage Wedgewood stove featured a flattop griddle. Now, I was never the designated pancake-maker of the house due to my inability to properly flip the dang things, but the griddle was absolutely a game changer for me. Suddenly, I had all this wide open space with which to practice my flipping technique. Thanks to the griddle, I was finally able to cross something off my life list – make perfect pancakes. Huzzah!

With the griddle and a surplus of different types of healthy flour blends like winter wheat, I was giddy to try making pancakes from scratch. But nearly every recipe I found called for some ingredient we never regularly had on hand. I mean, who just has buttermilk in the fridge? (Not us.)

I stumbled upon the following recipe in a cookbook geared toward baby- and toddler-friendly foods, but don’t think these pancakes are just for kids. Yes, my two-year-old son loves them, but so do I because they are almost as easy as pulling out a box of Bisquik. What I love the most about this recipe is the addition of quick-cooking oats and a dash of cinnamon – makes for a pancake that tastes like an oatmeal cookie!

(Note: The batch above did not feature blueberries.) 

Blueberry-Oatmeal Mini Pancakes
From Love In Spoonfuls

You will need:

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup dried blueberries (I use fresh/frozen and drop them in after I spoon the batter onto the hot griddle. You could also substitute dried cranberries or raisins.)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour (I use a mixture of the two.)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, oats, and dried blueberries. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium to med-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. When hot, spoon about 2 tbsp of batter onto griddle. (Add blueberries if using fresh/frozen.) Cook each pancake until bubbles form on top, then flip. Cook a minute or so longer. Top with warmed syrup or my fave, berry preserves. Enjoy!

Reader Question: Essential Cutlery

By Jen

When Leah, fellow (Style) Lush writer and of A Girl and A Boy fame, wrote in, asking for recommendations on a set of knives for her wedding gift registry, I immediately jumped at the chance to answer her question. I can help! I have opinions on knives! Shiny, shiny knives!

She writes:

Hi Food Lushers! I'm finally (FINALLY) having a wedding, and even though my groom and I aren't exactly "just starting out" such that we're counting on guests to buy us dish towels and pillow cases and a matching soapdish/toothbrush cup set, people are nevertheless asking us to register for things we need. One thing we actually *do* need is a set of nice knives.

Could you point me toward some good knives or knife sets (butcher, paring, bread, slicer, etc.; block not necessary) that will do a fine job--and maybe make us feel like grownups instead of broke college kids--without breaking the bank (that belongs to some kind and generous wedding guest)?

Had I been posed the question a decade ago, I wouldn’t have had the first clue what to tell her. Heck, I was still in college, and I’m pretty sure I never really had a need for a decent kitchen knife, what with all the pre-packaged and frozen foods I subsisted on in my early twenties. Ya just tear open the box. No chopping or slicing necessary.

Enter my then-boyfriend/now-husband who was a real-live chef. He knew how to do things like dice an onion! And chiffonade basil! And butcher a chicken! (Warning: the last link is not for the squeamish.) He kept his set of knives -- by Cutco, I believe -- in a leather-bound case. Fancy!

When we got married, almost six years ago, I was just starting to become interested in cooking, and like every good engaged couple, we registered for all kinds of kitchen goodies, including a basic set of kitchen knives and a block. We chose J.A. Henckels, the German maker of fine cutlery my husband had been coveting for many, many years.

So, here’s the thing. I’m not an expert. I’ve not played around with lots of different brands of knives to be able to say J.A. Henckels is the best. But, having used our knives to prep vegetables versus my mom’s hodge-podge set of knives likely bought in a discount department store, there really is no comparison. You can’t put a value on a decent kitchen knife, and here’s why.

I’ve learned a lot about food preparation from my husband. He’s a very patient instructor, having shown me how to properly (and finely) dice an onion at least a dozen different times. The main thing I’ve taken away from his tutorials is to “let the knife do the work.” There’s really no need to strain yourself when dicing an onion so long as your knife is sharp and of solid design and construction.

There seems to be two schools of thoughts when it comes to accidents in the kitchen -- equipment error, or user error. Having nearly sliced off my knuckle on a no-name brand mandoline, I’m fairly certain both the equipment AND the user are to blame for my bloodshed. I’ve never once cut myself with our J.A. Henckels’ knives. Is it the equipment, or my (ha!) years of training? Who can really say.

What I can say is, whatever brand you decide is right for your budget (Chicago Cutlery, Ginsu, Wusthof), choose cutlery you will really use. I’ve highlighted the three knives from our collection we use the most, all from the Professional “S” series: the 8-inch stainless steel chef’s knife (right), the 7-inch Santoku-style (center), and the 8-inch carving knife (left).

We use the chef’s knife for all sorts of preparation, including dicing and slicing vegetables and butchering meat. The carving knife, which gets a regular sharpening on the steel that came with our set, is used primarily for slicing cooked meats. My husband isn’t really a fan of the Santoku (which we registered for independently of a set), but I use it all the time for shredding lettuces and herbs. (I think my husband doesn’t like it because it can’t be sharpened on a steel, and it’s gotten a little dull over the years.)

The one knife we don’t own, but I would recommend getting, is a long serrated knife for slicing bread. We have a short one that also came with our set, but it’s really too small.

Additionally, we also received a set of eight steak knives (also by J.A. Henckels) that not only are great for meat, but I pull one out when I want to slice off a few hunks of cheese for my two-year-old. Works better than our designated cheese slicer!

I’m curious what everyone else recommends when it comes to knives -- is there a brand or style you love?

Kitchinspiration: Drywell Art by Alyson

By Jen

After we remodeled our kitchen last summer, I found myself staring at an expanse of freshly painted wall practically begging for some new art to complement our retro-inspired stove and farmhouse sink. Naturally, I looked to Etsy for inspiration and discovered a wellspring of print possibilities.

By and large, though, my favorite shop for kitchen-friendly prints is Drywell Art by Alyson. She specializes in what she calls “meat sections butchery diagram art,” which, admittedly, sounds a little gross. But, Alyson’s art is infused with this fabulous, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. I couldn’t help but buy “the tastiest pig part” as soon as I saw it.

(No longer available in her Etsy shop, unfortunately. Also, I’ve yet to hang this print for fear my 2-year-old son will ask me to read it to him!)

After seeing her “San Francisco is for Carnivores” print, I wondered if she would consider doing another city print for Seattle. I e-mailed her, and she said yes! Seattle was on her list for follow-up cities and since I asked, she would do it next! A few weeks later she posted her “Seattle Eats Local” print.

I’d been saving that wall for just this sort of customized print, and it’s perfect.* Also, Alyson is now donating portions of the proceeds from sales of her “Meat My City” (HAA!) prints to various local charities. So, so great.

*Full disclosure: I’ve yet to find a perfect frame for the 13x19 print, so I have not hung it on said wall. But I will! And it will be fabulous.

{Image credits: Drywell Art by Alyson}

Homemade oreos

By Jen

Want to impress the pants off someone? Seeing as this is Valentine’s Week and all, that could very well be your end goal. (Heh.) Seriously, though, every time I make these homemade oreos, family, friends and colleagues beg me for the recipe. I wish I could take credit, but alas, kudos is due solely to Smitten Kitchen.

The food porn, er, I mean, photo, is all me, though. (You're welcome!)

Having made these oreos many, many times, the only thing I can say is -- other than: MAKE THESE, YOU WON’T BE SORRY -- if you make the cookies a little bigger, thicker and fluffier, the end result more closely resembles a whoopie pie than an oreo. Make them smaller, thinner and crisper, and you’ve got yourself an oreo -- only better. Personally, I prefer the whoopie pie method.

Whatever you do, though, enjoy one (or three) of these cookies with a tall, cool drink of … milk.